Lets try something a little different and have our ruckmen (Wood/Casboult) helping out our defense by filling holes. These boys can actually mark the pill and may provide some benefit from their height.
So is Wood off the rookie list, have we nominated him under a LTI?
We still have Duigans spot to use if/when we see fit for Wood
Lets try something a little different and have our ruckmen (Wood/Casboult) helping out our defense by filling holes. These boys can actually mark the pill and may provide some benefit from their height.
The rest is almost like for like with the exception of McInness. We have Watson, Jamison, Waite, Henderson and Everitt, along with 2 ruckmen to choose from in the big man stakes, so i reckon we will go ok without him.
The Ins will show some heart, and hopefully an improvement in heart/skill over their outgoing teammates.
One of the best 1st quarters that the boys have ever played.
Geez, don't know about that kruddler....it was okay to good, nothing more than that. You're easily pleased.....
What i liked about it was that we dominated.
Not just on the scoreboard, as we could've/should've kicked better, but all around the ground.
Contested possessions and hard ball gets we were dominating. The boys were shepherding. The boys were physical, without giving away free kicks. When the ball went over the boundary line, a team mate would come over and give the guy chasing a pat on the head....and more importantly he would give his opponent a whack while he was there....and he he fought back, someone else would come over and give him one too.
We were physically beating up on them the way Hawks/Cats/Swans beat up on sides.
THAT is why it was the best first quarter these boys have ever played. They played like good teams should.
Most frustrating thing about last night is in the 3 games I've seen we haven't been able to run out the game? WTF, what's this new conditioning coach from Collingwood doing then? Saving us for the 2nd half of the year
This is a point i meant to bring up.
Traditionally at Collingwood, under Malthouse/Buttifant, their training loads meant that they peaked towards the end of the season. Could never win a game in April could the pies, but were always thereabouts come finals time. Hopefully, this is some kind of excuse for where we are at physically by comparison to Port.
OK, so we have to take the good with the bad. I've done the best on ground, so here is where it gets nasty, who were our worst on ground last night against Port.
Try to be honest in your appraisal and not simply pick your most hated player every week. Choose based on their latest performances only.
One of the best 1st quarters that the boys have ever played. Consistently dropped off from there. So much so that they didn't even turn up in the last.
We have our issues, no doubt, but Port (and Freo) are the only top 8 (9) sides from last year that have shown any serious talent out there and i reckon the entire AFL has underestimated them.
They overrun sides all last year and were predicted to do the same again during the pre-game rundown. Whether that is confidence, fitness or both...it is working for them.
In our own backyard, well i hate to say it again, but Bell and Robbo are becoming a liability. For everything good they do, they do twice as many bad. Whether it is simply kick and hope, or taking the wrong options...or kicking into the man on the mark! They manage to do things that hurt us. Bells inability to run out a game continues to haunt us and led to us losing a mid rather than a ruck as a sub. Which contributed to our demise and lack of run.
Speaking of rucks, i'd drop both Kreuzer and Warnock and bring in Wood and Casboult. I think Casboult has been next to useless of late, but at least he provides us with something different. Wood is an honest battler with an above average pair of hands which immediately puts him above the 2 that played last night. No good winning the hitouts every week if half of them go to the opposition, and for the rest of the game you are invisible. Hitouts are not THAT important as a stat that you can go missing for the rest of the time.
Daisy, i love the kid, but he had a shocker. Lack of confidence or something saw him do some terrible things last night. I'll put that down as a once off, because i doubt he'd miss too many shots from 25m out too often.
Ellard...i've never been a huge fan of his, but he makes the most of his opportunities, generally and filled in the hole that Betts left. Personally i would've preferred Menzel getting the start with Ellard as sub, but he'll get a pass from me.
Personally i'd have Cripps in as the sub, rather than Ellard in the team.
Cripps' time will come, he'll be ok with somre more time and pre-seasons.
I don't know his level of fitness. All I heard i the pre-season was how poor his endurance was.
If it's somewhere around Menzels fitness last year he might be ok, any less than that he might struggle.
Not many kids can step up to AFL level fitness in the space of 1 off-season. And by 'not many' i mean like 1%.
Given that Cripps is a tall lad and is bigger than most 18yo kids coming into the game and is an in and under extractor. You'd expect he would suffer in both speed and endurance coming into AFL level. I dont think he is worse off than most coming into the league. Yarran is playing his 6th season this year and still doesn't have AFL level midfield fitness.
Go easy on Cripps.
I swear you don't read whats written.
Who's having a go at him?
I swear you read things with a view to everyone is attacking you.
Just saying how it is. Not saying you have written him off.
You heard that his fitness level was poor. I was suggesting that it is expected. Where is the fire??
That's an example but not the be all and end all obviously.
Not sure how much you can overrate him when he was the first bloke to steal away a B+F from Judd. Clearly shows he has talent. How much talent, and how good he is compared to the rest of players in the league is a question that everyone will answer differently.
What Murphy does on and off the field is good enough for me...i expect he will continue to improve.
No question that Murph has talent, but does he have the drive to go past a very good player to elite? He shows glimpses from time to time but as captain, he needs to take over a game like he did a couple of quarters late last season.
How many times did Judd put the side on his shoulders and will the side to win? The Sydney game being the burnt memory for determination.
Koutas 99 premlim final where he was everywhere, Fevs games where he was unstoppable, Hamill throwing his body at every contested mark, Sticks standing and marking amongst 2-3 defenders, Bradley running his guts out all game, Diesel winning every contested ball in his area and giving clear possession to the runners, SOS blanketing the best forward in an era when big forwards kicked 10+ goals regularly. These were feats that turned good players to great, great to legends of the Carlton Football Club.
We know Murphy is still only 26 right? We are comparing him to some of the very best from the club, and game.
Be realistic guys. We all hope he improves and moves into that category, but he is no Luke Livingston/Jordan Russell/Trent Sporn now is he. Fair's fair.
