Re: AFL Rd 20 2022 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs Adelaide
Reply #28 –
Again, not when the ball isn't around him.
When the ball isn't in range of a possession Motlop is pretty ordinary, Durdin and Owies work their guts out to control and close up the space around them, Motlop is a spectator. In this regard Dow and Motlop are similar. You find Durdin and Owies chasing to FB to defend a score despite both playing FP.
Motlop is a newbie he has an excuse, Dow has been in the system years and years! Dow spent seasons under BB who is considered an A-Grade defence first development coach, yet the aspect of Dow's game that lets him down is defence! Mind you Dow isn't the first or last to suffer this sort of criticism, some will just never have it!
It looks to me like under Voss effort is a non-negotiable, maybe Motlop gets a free pass as a newbie and Dow doesn't!
I remember about this time last season fans on this very site arguing with Kruddler and myself about our criticisms of Cripps not chasing, now we can no longer make that same criticism, yet I suspect some fans will still deny there was ever an issue! For me it's an example of how players of any stature can change, the why is irrelevant!
You haven't noticed Motlop's presence, pressure and tackles up the ground LP? He is working as hard as anyone but it's not always paying off for him at this stage. However, he is still meeting Vossy's requirements off the ball, and I'm sure that Dow has a way to go to get there.
Cripps may have made some minor adjustments to his defensive game but it's our relentless pressure and team defence that has stopped his opponents running off him (as well as not playing injured). Cripps has kicked more goals this season (and probably should be nudging 30 rather 20), but, once again, that's a team outcome rather than Cripps doing something different.