All ready for the outpouring of emotion ... :)
Win's a win but we aren't good enough for long enough yet.
End result never in doubt.
Withstood their pressure and got the win in a relatively comfortable fashion.
If i had've asked you if you'd take a 6-goal win pre-game, not many would've said no.
Take the 4 points and move onto next week. Comfortable in the end but still some pretty untidy stuff to sort out. Can't believe I'm saying it but thought Setterfield was good today and O'Brien not bad either.
Still think Pittonet needs to come back in and get one game under his belt before the Melbourne clash. It'll give TDK a bit of a chop out and let Silvagni play permanent forward and up around the wings.
Glad McGovern got through too. Will be hard squeezing him and Marchbank into the same backline but it'll be a nice problem to have if it happens.
It all came in a bit of a rush at the end, but not altogether convincing, against an ordinary team with real issues. The 6 goal margin is a little deceptive IMO. GWS have plenty of good players out : Daniels, Davis, deBoer, Hill, Kennedy, Kelly, Perryman.
I don't get the hate for Setterfield. 50 games over 6 seasons, interrupted by Covid, injuries, 3 coaches at Carlton. Not many will show their stuff under those circumstances.
BTW, someone needs to teach Honey the words to the song. He got very lost in the middle there and clearly doesn't know the words.
I don't get the hate for Setterfield. 50 games over 6 seasons, interrupted by Covid, injuries, 3 coaches at Carlton. Not many will show their stuff under those circumstances.
Yes, it's easy for fans to pay out on the extras when you've got quite a few headliners in the starting 18. But Setterfield is OK, as is LoB and Cottrell.
Which is interesting, because playing GWS over the last 5 years they are a prime example too many Chiefs and not enough Indians. The AFL won't make that mistake again when Tassie enters the competition.
Bit of an odd game today, not sure the GWS fill-in coach has what it takes given the way they are playing, not much system dispersed with moments of brilliance, and we sort of fell into playing the very same way. I think we played our way for about 15 minutes and that was enough to win the game.
BTW, someone needs to teach Honey the words to the song. He got very lost in the middle there and clearly doesn't know the words.
I noticed that too.
Should be a minimum requirement. Embarrassing for the club. He should have to recite until he gets it right before joining in training. A bit like the skin folds idea. He's been on the list a couple of years.
I noticed that too.
Should be a minimum requirement. Embarrassing for the club. He should have to recite until he gets it right before joining in training. A bit like the skin folds idea. He's been on the list a couple of years.
He must know it the VFL have been singing it endlessly this season, but that song effort could explain his fading in and out of games.
End result never in doubt.
Withstood their pressure and got the win in a relatively comfortable fashion.
If i had've asked you if you'd take a 6-goal win pre-game, not many would've said no.
I agree. Take the 4 points. If you said take 6 goals as a result and the team doesn’t have to hit the field, I would have said yes and don’t risk injuries. Need to get some form happening to get ready for finals. Sides like Melbourne have shown that any side can win or lose on the day. Their form hasn’t been great.
I agree. Take the 4 points.
Very true, but I suspect the coach will have plenty to say about our decision making going inside F50, we generated plenty of opportunities but we burnt a lot of players with our choice of target. We must have gone to Motlop 3 or 4 times when he was one out against two opponents when, Charlie, BigH, Cripps or SoJ had one on ones in the pocket or flank!
One very good thing is, when things go wrong as they still do, we are not dropping heads much anymore.
BTW, someone needs to teach Honey the words to the song. He got very lost in the middle there and clearly doesn't know the words.
It was really noticeable...it may not have been so much that he wasn't sure of the words but more that his mind seemed elsewhere.
Watching him I got the feeling of someone who felt he really didn't belong. That may have been due to feeling a little down with his own performance, He may have copped a blast through the game. I suspect he realises he'll be lucky to hold his place...all those could have contributed to a lack of enthusiasm.
I thought Cripps was awful for most of the day...a little better towards the end.
I noticed that too.
Should be a minimum requirement. Embarrassing for the club. He should have to recite until he gets it right before joining in training. A bit like the skin folds idea. He's been on the list a couple of years.
Just get rid of him and the problem goes away, I'd rather others get games.
Yep agree too - just no interest to sing the song after the win. I put that down to attitude towards the club and fans.
Yep agree too - just no interest to sing the song after the win. I put that down to attitude towards the club and fans.
Althought it cures another problem, the basis for my comment has nothing to do with the song (which was embarrassing to watch), I just reckon he isn't good enough.
I noticed that too.
Should be a minimum requirement. Embarrassing for the club. He should have to recite until he gets it right before joining in training. A bit like the skin folds idea. He's been on the list a couple of years.
Likewise. Really stood out that he didn't know the words, or couldn't be stuffed. Came in at the end okay so I suspect just doesn't know the words. Not a good look and guess who will have homework and then have to sing the club song in front of his team mates ;D
@LP One very good thing is, when things go wrong as they still do, we are not dropping heads much anymore.
This was the most painful part of being a Blues supporter over the past decade and 3 coaches 😞
Althought it cures another problem, the basis for my comment has nothing to do with the song (which was embarrassing to watch), I just reckon he isn't good enough.
He's just a kid mate.
Honey is most definitely an asset for our side - he’s still picking up the tempo of AFL having missed most of the year through injury. He could easily be our most dangerous small forward cone finals time and nobody (apart from perhaps Saad) comes close to his closing speed. It seems that the match committee agrees.
My final comment will piss people off, but i am happy to revist and requote at the end of the year for those who are going to abuse me now. Here it is: "We will not make finals in 2022" after losing this pathetic game to Richmond. I'm serious. We need 4 more wins. Where are they comming from ? Maybe WC is one. Maybe. Adelaide? Good luck with that on their ground. Rest of them... doubtful. We had an easy draw and bathed in the glory.
One to go.
One to go.
Don't bother trying to highlight times he is wrong, highlight times he is right.....its a lot quicker exercise. ;)
Thought we went through the motions, expected to win and did.
Plenty of teams get tripped up in those circumstances but we got the chockies.
On to next week…………….
BTW, someone needs to teach Honey the words to the song. He got very lost in the middle there and clearly doesn't know the words.
We could always trade him to St Kilda. Even an absolute moron can remember the 14 words to their song 😂
@LP
One very good thing is, when things go wrong as they still do, we are not dropping heads much anymore.
This was the most painful part of being a Blues supporter over the past decade and 3 coaches 😞
Spot on, haven't thrown in the towel this year once.
But these lapses ::) Too many periods of buggerizing about, must become more efficient. Delivery into the forward line still needs more thought. Unless someone like Saadie is delivering, too many others just bomb it in. Watch how Charles set it up for H when he kicked to him late in the game. FFS kick to where the bloke is going, or should be going, not on top of his fckng head! Happens too often... lowering the eyes will help to bring in smaller forwards as well.
Crippa - no more hero attempts at kicking a banana on the run... shelve it. Set shot, drop punt or give it off. Everything else - magnificent.
Setters - love your quick hands, positioning, spoiling, but the kicking needs urgent attention. No more kicks and hope.
Motlop - get the basics right before trying for MOTY.
We should have won by around 8gls. The Midgets are a rabble. Have to be more efficient between mids and forwards and steady in front of goals against the Croweaters.
Don't get the Honey criticisms. Some of his subtle work is sublime. Reads the game well, has a great burst of speed but is still regaining touch after a long injury time lay off. Give him time... and the club theme song lyrics.
Effort cannot be questioned.
Winning would be easier if Cripps, Big H and Charlie could sort out their kicking styles when taking set shots for goal.
Maybe they could look at Cottrell's approach - minimum of fuss, kick through the ball, and a goal results.
He's just a kid mate.
We have many kids, his asset is speed (supposedly) and he doesn't use it anywhere near enough. He should be laying chase down tackle after chase down tackle. Watch Maurice Rioli Jnr, also a kid, use his blistering speed to terrorise and chase down. Honey should be using that asset to terrorise defenders. I know he is older but watch Saady use it to tackle and get to contests, its all about intent which has nothing to do with experience IMO.
Winning would be easier if Cripps, Big H and Charlie could sort out their kicking styles when taking set shots for goal.
Maybe they could look at Cottrell's approach - minimum of fuss, kick through the ball, and a goal results.
Cripps, especially.
H has got it reasonably sorted: he goes around the body from one side and drop punts from the other. He needs to get the distance of the round-the-body stuff sorted.
Cripps' shot from long range with the drop punt was perfect. Should be the way he kicks at goal all of the time. That is what he did against Richmond in Round 1. I don't mind him trying to go around the corner when the angle is poor, but if he kicks through the like he does from distance, then he's on a winner.
Charlie: I'm not sure where Charlie is with his kicking. He's the one who needs to get a routine down.
Delivery into the forward line still needs more thought. Unless someone like Saadie is delivering, too many others just bomb it in. Watch how Charles set it up for H when he kicked to him late in the game. FFS kick to where the bloke is going, or should be going, not on top of his fckng head! Happens too often... lowering the eyes will help to bring in smaller forwards as well.
Agree.
Maybe i was ahead of the game as a kid, maybe there are just some very dumb footballers now, but i learned pretty early on that no matter where the football is, the players will move towards it. So when i was delivering the ball to someone, by hand or by foot, i had a better view of what was around them ( i could see the sides and behind) than what they could (looking at me with the ball).
So i would put the ball to an area that they could easily move towards and made it hard for the opposition to get there first.
I would tell where i wanted the player to be based on where i put the football.
I used this skill in a pack, never handballed to someones chest, but to the side (or over their head) so that they would go run to get it, and continue running.
I used this skill delivering to forwards, best spot to get an uncontested mark.
I used this skill in defence, best spot for a player to get the ball further up field....like running onto it.
For the life of me i cannot understand why this seems to be missing from the modern game for the majority of players.
This skill is something i saw in Cripps in a pre-draft highlights and some may remember me pushing his barrow to be drafted very early on. Its something we see with Jack Silvagni. Gibbs had it. Walsh has it.
TBH, its something different about this team (for the most part) that we haven't seen in a long time. They are actually doing it.
Its usually from the midfielders in contested situations. A quick handball out into space. Between the legs of an opponent, over the head of an opponent, but always into space that we are running onto. Look at games this year, vs last year vs anything since Diesel was playing.
Unfortunately, we haven't really used that with our entries inside 50.
I recall 2 today.
The Charlie to Harry one highlighted above.....and Saad to Cottrell running towards goal.
Putting the ball to our advantage and/or the oppositions disadvantage is a skill that i'm not sure can be taught, but should be a pre-requisite for any AFL player at this level. When it occurs, it stands out.
Charlie: I'm not sure where Charlie is with his kicking. He's the one who needs to get a routine down.
Charlie doesn't like to think about it. He does better on instinct.
Mark the ball...back a few steps, swing around onto the right on launch it flat, long and deep.
Sometimes, he plays on too quick and into trouble.
He is not a bad set shot, but he feels more natural playing on and swinging around onto his right.
I suspect it will be a focus over the off-season. Previously, he's just been more focused on getting his body up to AFL standard.
Cripps, especially.
H has got it reasonably sorted: he goes around the body from one side and drop punts from the other. He needs to get the distance of the round-the-body stuff sorted.
Cripps' shot from long range with the drop punt was perfect. Should be the way he kicks at goal all of the time. That is what he did against Richmond in Round 1. I don't mind him trying to go around the corner when the angle is poor, but if he kicks through the like he does from distance, then he's on a winner.
Charlie: I'm not sure where Charlie is with his kicking. He's the one who needs to get a routine down.
Charlie is the least of our worries from a goal kicking point of view I reckon, he is leading the Coleman after all.
His goal from 50+ out, albeit from in front, travelled low and flat and went about 10 rows back, Dunstall even commented on it.
Crippas effort was shocker, commentators said he was going at about 40% efficiency by foot, just go back, use your routine and kick a drop punt Skip. I would rather he miss with that than the stupid around the corner kick from that distance and angle.
Cripps, especially.
H has got it reasonably sorted: he goes around the body from one side and drop punts from the other. He needs to get the distance of the round-the-body stuff sorted.
Cripps' shot from long range with the drop punt was perfect. Should be the way he kicks at goal all of the time. That is what he did against Richmond in Round 1. I don't mind him trying to go around the corner when the angle is poor, but if he kicks through the like he does from distance, then he's on a winner.
Charlie: I'm not sure where Charlie is with his kicking. He's the one who needs to get a routine down.
I expect the coaches to grill and drill them this pre season. But thats only a small part in overall game plan defence has been exceptional almost all year - and we need a stingy defence to win finals
GWS are garbage and one of the softest teams going around so I wouldnt get too carried away with todays game, we got the 4 points and came home well which is a positive but I didnt find too many outstanding players when the game was up for grabs apart from Saad who was best on the ground by a country mile.
Coniglio is the worst 1.2 mill a year player I have seen and Himmelberg about the softest KP player, saw the latter pull up in a contest and if I was Mcveigh I would have ripped him straight off the ground.
TDK was good value like he always is vs Pruess and even Jack was able to push the big blouse out of the road at times, honestly if Malcom Blight thought Pittman was pathetic he would have had a field day with big Brayden who played with the physicality of a macca's soft serve on a 40 degree day.
Setterfield still doesnt do much for me as a footballer and ok he got a few touches today but the opposition was about as weak as it gets and I'd want to see a whole lot more from him before I pencilled his name in our best 22 for the finals, his kicking is my major concern with him under pressure.
Two players who I did like were LOB and Cottrell who are probably our best bets on the wings and need to be persisted with, was never a fan of LOB but he has won me over to an extent and I now consider him a reliable footballer as is Cottrell who for a U18 no name tagger continues to get the job done each week...nice recruiting from SOS.
McGovern made a useful return which was handy as I feel Young has been slightly off the last couple of weeks and Weitering is still working his way back to his best form.
I dont mind Josh Honey as he has some X factor but he has to do more to hold his spot especially vs the lower teams and you would probably go for Martin ahead of him for finals if he doesnt show more vs another dud team in the Crows next game.
We are still missing Owies and while TDK was good again today we need Pittonet back next week to tune up for the finals and have that option of TDK down forward as well as to give the kid a rest not that he needed it vs the opposition he had today.
Taranto played like a bloke on the way out and I wouldnt mind finding out what Hopper wants in terms of money although I believe Geelong and Richmond are already fighting over his signature....
BTW, someone needs to teach Honey the words to the song. He got very lost in the middle there and clearly doesn't know the words.
ive noticed this for our last few wins.
Not only doesn't he know the words but it looks like he isn't interested in learning them.
One of those wins where you take 4 points but little comfort. In addition to the outs I mentioned earlier, I forgot no Jesse Hogan, no Whitfield, and most significantly, no Tom Green.
One of those wins where you take 4 points but little comfort. In addition to the outs I mentioned earlier, I forgot no Jesse Hogan, no Whitfield, and most significantly, no Tom Green.
For the first time in a long time, we came up against a team with more injuries than us.
We have been able to win with a huge list of injuries (we still do have a decent injury list) so lets not feel too sorry for the opposition.
For the record....
Pittonet
Hewitt
Williams
....is probably more significant than the 3 you mentioned.
but also...
Owies
Martin
McDonald
E. Curnow
Cuningham
Boyd
S. Durdin
Parks
Philp
....and the loss of Williamson
Have I got this right? Knowing there are still several moving parts.
To play finals we need 2 more wins.
If so, we'll be favoured but not guaranteed v Crows at home. What other game do you see us winning?
Dees
Pies
Lions at home
Have I got this right? Knowing there are still several moving parts.
To play finals we need 2 more wins.
If so, we'll be favoured but not guaranteed v Crows at home. What other game do you see us winning?
Dees
Pies
Lions at home
Season starts again, we win all 4 ;)
Have I got this right? Knowing there are still several moving parts.
To play finals we need 2 more wins.
If so, we'll be favoured but not guaranteed v Crows at home. What other game do you see us winning?
Dees
Pies
Lions at home
I literally just answered this before in another thread...
https://www.carltonsc.com/index.php?topic=6018.msg370374#new
I literally just answered this before in another thread...
https://www.carltonsc.com/index.php?topic=6018.msg370374#new
What a great description.
My question remains. Who do we beat to make finals?
Cripps, especially.
H has got it reasonably sorted: he goes around the body from one side and drop punts from the other. He needs to get the distance of the round-the-body stuff sorted.
Cripps' shot from long range with the drop punt was perfect. Should be the way he kicks at goal all of the time. That is what he did against Richmond in Round 1. I don't mind him trying to go around the corner when the angle is poor, but if he kicks through the like he does from distance, then he's on a winner.
Charlie: I'm not sure where Charlie is with his kicking. He's the one who needs to get a routine down.
true we do have lenty of kids - but a good kid stands out on how many contests he gets involved and Honey gets involved in plenty with power and determination - he is not a red time junky and think match commitee like that.
What a great description.
My question remains. Who do we beat to make finals?
Potentially, we don't need to beat anyone.
We certainly don't need to worry about winning 2.
Win against Adelaide and we there would have to be a disastrous scenario like teams beating Geelong to force us out of finals.
Season starts again, we win all 4 ;)
That would be something else. Can but dream 🤞
Have I got this right? Knowing there are still several moving parts.
To play finals we need 2 more wins.
If so, we'll be favoured but not guaranteed v Crows at home. What other game do you see us winning?
Dees
Pies
Lions at home
Collingwood...overhyped bunch of honest battlers in the main who McRae has extracted max value and effort from most weeks but imo are well short of us in terms of talent and a lot of the other top 8 teams and are due to crash and burn in the next few weeks as their luck runs out..
true we do have lenty of kids - but a good kid stands out on how many contests he gets involved and Honey gets involved in plenty with power and determination - he is not a red time junky and think match commitee like that.
I find it funny that you are pumping up Honeys tyres but have been critical of our small forwards week in, week out.
Today was one of Honeys best games. Durdin and Motlop were far from their best.
However....
Honey - 14 touches, 14 pressure acts, 1 tackle, 83m gained, 2 I50's, 1.1
Durdin - 6 touches, 14 pressure acts, 3 tackles, 147m gained, 1 I50's, 1.0
Motlop - 5 touches, 13 pressure acts, 2 tackles, 3m gained, 0 I50's, 0.0
Small forwards are required to bring pressure.....and they are all doing that.
For comparison, here is the same stats for last week against Cats...
Honey - sub
Durdin - 9 touches, 10 pressure acts, 0 tackles, 112m gained, 2 I50's, 0.0
Motlop - 11 touches, 22 pressure acts, 5 tackles, 53m gained, 1 I50's, 1.0
and the week before against Eagles....
Honey - 4 touches, 10 pressure acts, 1 tackle, 1m gained, 2 I50's, 0.0
Durdin - 10 touches, 12 pressure acts, 5 tackles, 206m gained, 1 I50's, 2.1
Motlop - 11 touches, 13 pressure acts, 2 tackles, 85m gained, 0 I50's, 0.1
Over the last 3 games(or 2 for Honey), averages are as follows....
Honey - 9 touches, 12 pressure acts, 1 tackle, 42m gained, 2 I50's, 0.5-0.5
Durdin - 8.3 touches, 12 pressure acts, 2.7 tackles, 155m gained, 1.3 I50's, 1.0-0.3
Motlop - 9 touches, 16 pressure acts, 3 tackles, 47m gained, 0.3 I50's, 0.3-0.3
So tell me, why is Honey so good, but the rest of our small forwards so bad?
Durdin misses Owies imho and they work well together along with Fisher who spends time forward and on the ball.
For me Honey is competing with Martin and I regard both of them as medium forwards rather than smalls...
Motlop is a handy apprentice as a small forward.
Personally, I thought Durdin put himself in more dangerous places today and was perhaps more influential than fans will credit, because it was mostly without the footy.
Motlop is still some way off, because it's not what he does when he is around the ball, it what he doesn't do when the opposition win the footy and take it away. Also, I was a bit disappointed to see him flying against Charlie and BigH, sure fans love it but you'd think that our small forwards would have worked out that Big H and Charlie are not regularly out marked, and either bring the ball to ground or mark it many times more than they get beaten in the air.
I thought Durdin, Fisher and Cottrell really hurt GWS with aggressive run today, and that meant when we got the ball GWS were struggling to put the brakes on. It was important because for much of the game I think GWS got first hands on the footy a lot courtesy of Preuss, but we were able to create the turnovers, and then really hurt GWS on the turnover. Also qudos to LoB, was a bit rusty getting back into it, but he was an option all over the ground and that also stretched the GWS ability to stop our momentum.
When Owies and Pttio are fit, it will be interesting to see what Voss does.
I thought Gov was also quite good today, I was reticent about his early return because to me he looked off the pace in the VFL. But I was proven wrong today, Gov was a bit rusty but he made all the different for the likes of Weitering, Young, Plowman and Newman.
I thought Cripps was awful for most of the day...a little better towards the end.
Got lots of disposals but it was unusual to see that he had many more uncontested possessions than contested ones.
Also butchered the ball and struggled to break away - I still think he might be carrying a niggle.
GWS are one of the softest teams going around ... but I didn't find too many outstanding players when the game was up for grabs apart from Saad who was best on the ground by a country mile.
Setterfield still doesn't do much for me as a footballer and ok he got a few touches today but the opposition was about as weak as it gets and I'd want to see a whole lot more from him before I pencilled his name in our best 22 for the finals, his kicking is my major concern with him under pressure.
Two players who I did like were LOB and Cottrell who are probably our best bets on the wings and need to be persisted with, was never a fan of LOB but he has won me over to an extent and I now consider him a reliable footballer as is Cottrell who for a U18 no name tagger continues to get the job done each week...nice recruiting from SOS.
McGovern made a useful return which was handy as I feel Young has been slightly off the last couple of weeks and Weitering is still working his way back to his best form.
Saad was a shining light when the game was still up for grabs but was quieter in the final term when most of his teammates decided to join in.
LOB and Cottrell are essential components because they have the tanks to cover the ground to provide defensive coverage for the midfielders who don't. I prefer Newnes over Setterfield as the 3rd winger because, although Setterfield played quite well today, I don't think he kicks the ball well under pressure and there didn't seem to be a lot of pressure today.
One of the big positives of McGovern's return is that it frees up Plowman to play a more attacking role.
Motlop obviously has good skills and a few tricks but I had been disappointed with his apparent lack of acceleration, until today, when he showed a few bursts of real speed - next step is to get him to chase opponents like he chased the loose ball.
I find it funny that you are pumping up Honeys tyres but have been critical of our small forwards week in, week out.
Today was one of Honeys best games. Durdin and Motlop were far from their best.
However....
Honey - 14 touches, 14 pressure acts, 1 tackle, 83m gained, 2 I50's, 1.1
Durdin - 6 touches, 14 pressure acts, 3 tackles, 147m gained, 1 I50's, 1.0
Motlop - 5 touches, 13 pressure acts, 2 tackles, 3m gained, 0 I50's, 0.0
Small forwards are required to bring pressure.....and they are all doing that. I thought H had an outstanding game but didnt kick straight. He was there amongst it when the heat was on... Durdin and Motlop not so much. They are young and not having a go at them per se but Honey gets to contests when the heat is on and thats the point
For comparison, here is the same stats for last week against Cats...
Honey - sub
Durdin - 9 touches, 10 pressure acts, 0 tackles, 112m gained, 2 I50's, 0.0
Motlop - 11 touches, 22 pressure acts, 5 tackles, 53m gained, 1 I50's, 1.0
and the week before against Eagles....
Honey - 4 touches, 10 pressure acts, 1 tackle, 1m gained, 2 I50's, 0.0
Durdin - 10 touches, 12 pressure acts, 5 tackles, 206m gained, 1 I50's, 2.1
Motlop - 11 touches, 13 pressure acts, 2 tackles, 85m gained, 0 I50's, 0.1
Over the last 3 games(or 2 for Honey), averages are as follows....
Honey - 9 touches, 12 pressure acts, 1 tackle, 42m gained, 2 I50's, 0.5-0.5
Durdin - 8.3 touches, 12 pressure acts, 2.7 tackles, 155m gained, 1.3 I50's, 1.0-0.3
Motlop - 9 touches, 16 pressure acts, 3 tackles, 47m gained, 0.3 I50's, 0.3-0.3
So tell me, why is Honey so good, but the rest of our small forwards so bad?
Stats are garbage if not measured accordingly when the heat is on when players go missing., I thought H had an outstanding game but didnt kick straight. He was there amongst it when the heat was on... Durdin and Motlop not so much. They are young and not having a go at them per se but Honey gets to contests when the heat is on and thats the point
Saad was a shining light when the game was still up for grabs but was quieter in the final term when most of his teammates decided to join in.
LOB and Cottrell are essential components because they have the tanks to cover the ground to provide defensive coverage for the midfielders who don't. I prefer Newnes over Setterfield as the 3rd winger because, although Setterfield played quite well today, I don't think he kicks the ball well under pressure and there didn't seem to be a lot of pressure today.
One of the big positives of McGovern's return is that it frees up Plowman to play a more attacking role.
Motlop obviously has good skills and a few tricks but I had been disappointed with his apparent lack of acceleration, until today, when he showed a few bursts of real speed - next step is to get him to chase opponents like he chased the loose ball.
Probably one of the best games I have seen LOB play - a bit more ferocity at the football and mental application to the contest and will be a player.
LOB did some very very good kicks 👌🏼
We got the job done in the end and the result was never really in doubt imho. Saad was magnificent and I continue to be impressed with Cottrell who has pace, defends really well and kicks accurately. A great find. I ate another serve of humble pie re LOB, very good game.
It's a pretty simple litmus test for me - if we win the clearances, especially out of the centre, we can beat anyone. First use of the ball to Harry and Charlie is tough to beat.
Yesterday, GWS beat us in clearances, but weren't good enough elsewhere to take advantage.
They must bring Pittonet back in next week. Not only will it improve our chances for centre clearance with the #1 rucks are in place, we will also be so much better when the #2s (ie TDK) are put into action.
And we certainly missed Hewitt in the centre square, so hopefully, he's back this week.
Our fate this season highlights how lucky Nthmond were, and the Dogs in their flag season.
Fans give too much credit to Dimma or Beveridge, and too much credit to the list depth and management, when the real reason for the success is an unusually low run of injuries.
Give any AFL team a semi-sensible game plan and it's players a run of consistency, and they can win, they can defeat anybody.
Last weekend's game highlights that, we saw the contrast in the one game, Gov returns and the defence rise. Hewett goes out and the midfield struggles, it's just the way it is and there is very little a coach can do about it.
All the coach can hope for is effort, a willingness to sacrifice, and this season Voss is getting it.
A lot of forums are potting Cripps for being off his game, but he had a different role to play due to the absence of Hewett and Cripps did it well, he drew opponents away from the inside contests, which allowed Kennedy, Cerra and Walsh to continue to go about their way unhindered. If Cripps does what he usually does and hunts the footy at the feet of the rucks we struggle in Hewett's absence. Instead Cripps became more of a link man and opponents had to follow him.
I'd almost give Cripps BoG, for the sacrifice and smarts, except Saad had a blinder!
Re: Cripps, thought the level of opposition was ordinary and hard to understand why Tom Green was dropped.
I think Cripps just had an off day effective disposal wise and could probably do with a week off to freshen up.Still thought he was value but missed Hewett doing some of the coalface work...
Re: Cripps, thought the level of opposition was ordinary and hard to understand why Tom Green was dropped.
I think Cripps just had an off day effective disposal wise and could probably do with a week off to freshen up.Still thought he was value but missed Hewett doing some of the coalface work...
Crippa needs to stop trying to be the hero/savior and focus bring others into the game (ie selfless)
'Awful' may have been a bit harsh on my part.
He certainly won his share of the ball.
But I made comment in the game thread that "Cripps was making me nervous with the ball"
His disposal was just off...and ineffective.
He's had the ball 34 time and had 21 handballs which should have helped his disposal efficiency but that's come in at 55.9%
Have I got this right? Knowing there are still several moving parts.
To play finals we need 2 more wins.
If so, we'll be favoured but not guaranteed v Crows at home. What other game do you see us winning?
Dees
Pies
Lions at home
Should win next week and then possibly two losses the next two weeks. Win one and we play finals. The pies game will shape our season as it maybe our grand final to make finals. Also the possibility that if we make finals we will play pies in the first week.
Pies have been good the last couple of months and good on them for coming back to beat teams the last few weeks, but who have they beaten, Adelaide, North and Essendon, all bottom eight teams?
Just luck more than good football. If they were top eight teams then I would be crowing if I were a pies supporter.
We will see how far they go playing top teams who wont give the chance to come back and win the game.
@LP #53
A few of us have been banging on about the impact injuries have on outcomes. Including the notion that a return from injury doesn't immediately equate to return to good form.
Great post LP
Some players resume after injury as though they hadn’t missed any games. Jonathan Brown was a great example: he could miss 6 games and smash it on his return. Others have to start from scratch and work towards regaining form and match fitness.
4 pts against bottom side with 5 players missing nothing really stands out ,we still have same problems 1 our kicking in from FB pathetic straight to contest on a wing ball comes straight back (exactly like coll game ) 2 we move ball so slow ,then our player goes back and bomb it long ,For finals we need to CHANGE.
A six goal win is a good win against any opposition ... and GWS has some talent.
My seat is on Level 2 at the Lockett End, about midway between the 50m line and the behind post. That gives me a pretty good view of our defensive setup when the opposition is attacking down the line on the western side of the ground. Our sliding defence is very effective when the players are switched on - as they were for most of the game. Plowman's role in ensuring that our defenders had picked up the right opponent was interesting in that he was more active than Doc or Weiters. Apart from that, Plow played another very good game, as did all of our defenders. They did have lots of help from O'Brien, Cottrell and Setterfield, all three of whom also had an impact at the other end with goals and goal assists. I think that the three of them combined for 21 score involvements. O'Brien's boots must have had a reflective sole and they looked like the kids' shoes that flash when they walk. I guess you can get away with that if your getting plenty of the ball and hitting targets.
Cripps was very good despite his kicking yips - and he wasn't the only one who struggled with disposals. Cripps generally had an opponent hanging off him but he managed to create space for his teammates. His marking around the ground was good and he also did a lot of ruckwork against Preuss. It's hard to get clearances when you're competing for hitouts against a bigger opponent.
Motlop, Durdin and Honey applied a tonne of forward pressure and caused rushed kicks out of defence. Honey started to lead more as the game went on and he led with intent. He will continue to improve as will his execution of that most important skill; singing the club song - what a crock!
Durdin's goal was a cracker.
Apart from heart palpitations when Walsh and then Weiters went down, it was a very enjoyable day at the footy :)
4 pts against bottom side with 5 players missing nothing really stands out ,we still have same problems 1 our kicking in from FB pathetic straight to contest on a wing ball comes straight back (exactly like coll game ) 2 we move ball so slow ,then our player goes back and bomb it long ,For finals we need to CHANGE.
Funny you mention kicking in from FB, is it just me or does anyone else have their heart in their mouth when Weiters has the ball and is about to kick? Lately his field kicking has been abit off at times.
Just watched the replay. I noticed:
- we change tempo at important times
- our free flowing fwd charge is poetry in motion
- umpiring was ok
- very cohesive team
- doing more of the small things to help the ball carrier i.e. Fisher
- fwd pressure was fabulous Honey, Durds, Motlop
- Wingers stamping their worth
- Fisher relishing in his role
- McG return ok + allowed others to show some dare & flair
- Mids down on clearance but managed to wrestle back possession
- Defense becoming more attacking
- Leadership density increasing
- H & Charlie building chemistry
- TDK & SOS doing great job around the ground
- When our pressure was up it was gruelling
Funny you mention kicking in from FB, is it just me or does anyone else have their heart in their mouth when Weiters has the ball and is about to kick? Lately his field kicking has been abit off at times.
Used to be one of our most reliable kicks of the footy and would lazer it around the ground. Has been struggling with confidence more than anything else this season I think. An unsettled defense will do that.
Funny you mention kicking in from FB, is it just me or does anyone else have their heart in their mouth when Weiters has the ball and is about to kick? Lately his field kicking has been abit off at times.
Not me! I always feel relaxed when Weiters has the pill, even if his form post injury hasn't been up to his usual lofty standards.
Weiters shanks the odd kick but his disposal efficiency was 93% on Sunday. I wish some of our other players were as bad as Weiters :)
I wish some of our other players were as bad as Weiters :)
Yes, it's easy to remember the odd shank, they stand out when on average you are above average.
I mentioned earlier this season, when fans were discussing the desire to see Jones return, we haven't missed his disposal, as much as we miss Jones significant mark and intercept ability, our D50 improvement is partially due to the reduced numbers of clangers and better / tougher selection of targets on the way out.
Weitering and McGovern together are a class above, they pick out targets at range, sometimes it will go wrong but it will also open the opposition right up on many occasions. And if Marchbank comes back, who is another elite kick, we could be in for a hell of a ride at the back end of the season! They will force opponents to cover a wider area because they hit targets at +50m.
I'd also love to see Stocker back in that mix, with perhaps Williams, Doc and Saad operating as the run, Plowman and Newman off the bench. We might find we need Doc and Williams to take midfield rotations but even then we can't fit them all in.
Can't fit em all in, there isn't a lot of weakness in that list of players, how long since we could write that!
Yes, it's easy to remember the odd shank, they stand out when on average you are above average.
I mentioned earlier this season, when fans were discussing the desire to see Jones return, we haven't missed his disposal, as much as we miss Jones significant mark and intercept ability, our D50 improvement is partially due to the reduced numbers of clangers and better / tougher selection of targets on the way out.
Weitering and McGovern together are a class above, they pick out targets at range, sometimes it will go wrong but it will also open the opposition right up on many occasions. And if Marchbank comes back, who is another elite kick, we could be in for a hell of a ride at the back end of the season! They will force opponents to cover a wider area because they hit targets at +50m.
I'd also love to see Stocker back in that mix, with perhaps Williams, Doc and Saad operating as the run, Plowman and Newman off the bench. We might find we need Doc and Williams to take midfield rotations but even then we can't fit them all in.
Can't fit em all in, there isn't a lot of weakness in that list of players, how long since we could write that!
Cant see Williams getting a game even when fit, things have changed and he is surplus imho and wouldnt have him in our best 22.
Same with Martin unless we have injuries and then you might consider them both although their pay packets may do the talking and get them a game..
Yes, it's easy to remember the odd shank, they stand out when on average you are above average.
I mentioned earlier this season, when fans were discussing the desire to see Jones return, we haven't missed his disposal, as much as we miss Jones significant mark and intercept ability, our D50 improvement is partially due to the reduced numbers of clangers and better / tougher selection of targets on the way out.
Weitering and McGovern together are a class above, they pick out targets at range, sometimes it will go wrong but it will also open the opposition right up on many occasions. And if Marchbank comes back, who is another elite kick, we could be in for a hell of a ride at the back end of the season! They will force opponents to cover a wider area because they hit targets at +50m.
I'd also love to see Stocker back in that mix, with perhaps Williams, Doc and Saad operating as the run, Plowman and Newman off the bench. We might find we need Doc and Williams to take midfield rotations but even then we can't fit them all in.
Can't fit em all in, there isn't a lot of weakness in that list of players, how long since we could write that!
You'll find that I didn't make any comment about the Jones 'loss.' His enormous up side was amply counterbalanced by his ability to hand the aggott back to the opposition. Blokes who cannot be relied upon by foot in this side (Setters?) stand out like dogs dusters.
You'll find that I didn't make any comment about the Jones 'loss.' His enormous up side was amply counterbalanced by his ability to hand the aggott back to the opposition. Blokes who cannot be relied upon by foot in this side (Setters?) stand out like dogs dusters.
Setters went at 83% on Sunday :)
Cripps went at 56% and still got 6 votes in the AFLCA award (I had him in my Jim Parks votes, as did most other voters). Crippa's missed targets didn't really hurt us beyond breaking chains of possessions. Kicking straight to an opponent in their forward 50 or in a wide open corridor is another matter.
Not only did our defence win or neutralise most of GWS's forward 50 entries, they made excellent use of the pill and set up chains of possession. You can't complain about Plowman (100%), Weitering (93%), Saad (92%) and Young (91%), all of whom got high distinctions. McGovern (80%), and Newman (78) and Docherty (77) weren't far off with distinctions.
Saad's kicking is super elite when you consider that it's usually done at top speed, under pressure and can hit targets at up to 90° from the direction he's heading :o
Not only did our defence win or neutralise most of GWS's forward 50 entries, they made excellent use of the pill and set up chains of possession. You can't complain about Plowman (100%), Weitering (93%), Saad (92%) and Young (91%), all of whom got high distinctions. McGovern (80%), and Newman (78) and Docherty (77) weren't far off with distinctions.
I guess you can see why our defence is ranked numero uno right now.
I guess you can see why our defence is ranked numero uno right now.
We haven’t had 100 points kicked against us this season. It happened nine times last season. That’s a huge improvement!
We haven’t had 100 points kicked against us this season. It happened nine times last season. That’s a huge improvement!
Defences win premierships DJ.
Setters went at 83% on Sunday :)
He often kicks poorly (awkward floaters, scrubbers or out on the full) when under pressure because he is slow getting his foot to the ball - there wasn't much pressure on Sunday.