Carlton Supporters Club

If only the same could be said with people in regards to willo.
Has played about the same, but hadn't even cemented a spot in the side beforehand...unlike doc who was AA and best and fairest.

Wade seems to have got himself into a pickle with the Kiwi quicks ... and it could be career ending.

Bad technique and habits start early,  because kids,  even with all the gear,  are crapping themselves about getting hit and invariably you see kids back pedalling towards leg.... When all you have to do is step the other way and get your body inside the line. We have only one kid at the club with an idea about short pitched stuff and he isn't scared and his footwork is good.

Personally I don't think Head is up to it.  All his recent dismissals have been soft.   Chipped drive to cover... I'd give my kids in U13s a chat over that one.   Nicks behind or catches square happen,  but an upped drive?

Simpson should probably make way if we are to develop players and improve for the future but he will be picked ahead of others because of his status.
I think he should have retired and been retained in a part time coaching role.

Poor old Plow still can;t get any love.

He just finished 3rd in our B+F and people still want to boot him from the side.

He'll be picked. Marchy will need to earn his stripes back.


As for Willo which people keep bringing up.

Is he better than a 300+ gamer in Simpson? When fully fit, I think he will be.
Is he better than our (co)captain in Docherty? No
Is he better than super consistent Newman? When fully fit, I think he will be.

He has some talent....but if people think he is displacing those boys, it'd be due to injury.

Don't know why Head gets a game,  finds ways to get out.  Soft ways.  

Who goes out? Docherty / Simpson / Newman?

Ins and Outs for round 1 from our round 23 team 2019... maybe

OUT:

Deluca, Josh
Dow, Paddy
Fisher, Zac
Kennedy, Matthew
OBrien, Lochie
Plowman, Lachie
Thomas, Dale

IN:

Caleb MARCHBANK
Liam JONES
Sam DOCHERTY
Jack NEWNES
Jack MARTIN
Charlie CURNOW
Eddie BETTS

If everyone were available that would be a far stronger team. A lot stronger back and forward line.

A lot less relying on young midfielders to play out of position as forwards or back flanks.

Time Paine has always been a stop gap Captain until someone else comes out of the woodwork. Unfortunately, nobody really has as yet. Being Captain has hurt his game, both batting and fielding. His replacement as a keeper is probably not far away. But who will Captain after him is an issue with no obvious answer as yet.

As for your specific question, bowling first on this pitch was an extremely poor idea and it probably cost us the match. Instead of being able to bat our way to a decent total and control the game, we were reacting all of the time, not setting the agenda.

I think Paine will learn from his mistakes, but I am not sure he will be there long enough for that to be important.

He didn't learn from his mistakes with the DRS!!!

Really, apart from Smith, and to a lesser affect Wade, the batting this tour has been very ordinary. Labuschagne
Had Smith not been so dynamic, we would have lost, no two ways about it. The bowlers dominated the series on pitches that were bowler friendly.
I think you will notice that the batsmen will improve when we play at home. Warner, when the ball doesn't move around quite so much, will be a much stronger option.
The reality of the situation is simple: we have one top batsman in any conditions (Smith). The rest make up the numbers. We will see just which ones come to the party when the season starts in Australia.
This was not a decision that I can explain. Sidds has been a warrior for a long time, but his present pace is questionable when there were guys like Starc available. I would like to have seen Starc play to get him back into decent form the the Summer.
My only suggestion is that this test, a dead rubber, was given to Sidds as a reward and a final game.

To be fair, I think the entire team was off the boil in this game. Having won the previous game and retained the Ashes, the overriding will to win just wasn't there.
I just can't cop that. You think they didn't have the will to win the ashes? It's like their GF!!!

CA should be very worried about the upcoming summer test series and the attendances.  The quality of the game at the highest level is in a very poor state.  

Last test showed up everything wrong with Aus Cricket. Limped to the line instead of being smart and using this final test with an eye to the future.

Picked wrong openers for tour.  Stuck with them.   Warner,  no red ball time,  showed up big time. Harris.... Seen enough,  bugger off and learn how to read the line and play a defensive shot.  No more double left hand combinations against RH quicks in seaming conditions. Dumb dumb dumb.

Mitch Marsh.... I can see why he was picked to help the bowlers but he is not a test level bat. Maybe number eight?  Made side very unbalanced. Tease at best.

Bowler rotation policy went out the window when required most.   Why pick Siddle when we had two fresh quicks,  albeit neither in great nick.   But Siddle was never going to run through England.  So we just flogged Cummins and Hazelwood harder.   The tactics to the English tail were idiotic.

Persisted with injured Lyon. Critical in home series,  now injured.

Then Timmy won't bat first (I can see why with out crap batting) and can't use the DRS right.   I like him and what he has done but needs to make the right decisions more consistently.

So overall we won the urn but get ready for some mediocre cricket and horror losses with this group.  They're only one wicket away from being bowled out for not many....