Re: Rd 4: Pre Game Pressure: Carlton vs. Western Bulldogs
Reply #9 –
We have a fundamental problem with our list and game plan. Potentially our best ball users are needed to also win the ball, it doesn't work because the blokes we would prefer to be used on the inside are very ordinary ball users. So clubs can isolate players on the outside like Kerridge, Simpson, Tuohy, E.Curnow and Buckley, and drag blokes like Murphy and Gibbs inside the contest.
From then on it's turnover time because the better ball users are left in traffic and Kerridge, Simpson, Tuohy, E.Curnow and Buckley just bomb the ball long.
We need a severe case of discipline in the midfield, a massive dose of sacrifice and a measure of smarts.
Imagine if clubs let players like StevieJ or Abletts types suffer working on the inside 100% of the time. They would have half the impact that they have in space. Even last night watch the replay and you find Ablett sitting behind play to receive and then run, and GC are happy for that to happen because he can use the ball.
In the same replay you get to see Tuohy and Buckley burn team-mates who are open inside F50 while they bomb the ball long to the square.
Further, WTF is Casboult handing off to Tuohy from 50m, the kid kicks 60m easily when he's going. He should be read the riot act and told no more hand it off bullsh1t from 50m.
But we have a precedent with all this because that is what we did with Judd, so it seems we now think that superstars must always win their own ball and let the spuds kick it long.
Against the Doggies the pace of the game is going up even further than last night, if blokes at Carlton don't start doing the fundamentals right like first options and good ball use we will lose by 150pts!