Your solo ruckman goes down in the first 15 mins and you're in trouble! One of your twin towers is displaced and Cripps and Kennedy are left to pick up the ruck scraps. It's a calculated risk!!
I think that this situation is one that MUST be guarded against - especially in an elimination, preliminary or grand final. Therefore, it seems crazy to not formulate (and perfect) ongoing plan/s to play two ruckmen - except when injury intervenes or the opposition represents no serious competitive threat in that area.
Given Pitto's comparative lack of positional options, the logical route would seem to have him take the bulk of the ruckwork early in the game with the option of replacing him with the substitute later in the game or when the need arises.
To maximise TDK's potential impact when Pitto is rucking, we need to experiment with other ways to utilise TDK, e.g. as a tall defender (even Casboult developed into a better than average defender at one stage) or perhaps as a 'Richo-style' wingman.
Williams didn't make it as a midfielder, but persisting with him as a high forward and going through the midfield at times is worth trying.
A couple of open-field tackles that Williams stuck in the forward line suggest that he has much more to offer in that role than either Durdin or Fantasia or both.
Just thinking about Petracca and how he got off the leash. Charlie should've gone to him in the last late in the last quarter, he was in the backline anyway, he's athletic enough and strong enough to impede Petracca's influence, only has to break even.
Not sure about Charlie in that role - I think Newman might have been the best available option after McGovern was toasted a couple of times. If Cincotta hadn't been so much on top of Pickett, he might have been worth a try.
Needs to learn to get more possessions and be more involved because he seems to be one of the better players at kicking to the advantage of our tall forwards in the AFL team.
[4] Free Kicks: My God, we were crucified. I don't want to go through all of them, but there were so many after half time! Without them, Melbourne wouldn't have got close. But that big tackle on Petracca near siren time: absolute Gold!
I didn't agree with all of the frees but I could see why the vast majority were paid and I thought the umpires consistently gave the player with the ball every opportunity to dispose of it legally - sometimes too much of an opportunity - and consistently awarded an 'incorrect disposal' free when the player lost control of the ball in the tackle if he had had a prior opportunity.
Ollie on the other hand seems a yard off and light frame is under attack constantly. I worry he's going to snap. His lack of awareness of the tackler cost us 3 or so times. His effort and gut running is unquestionable. What's the plan for Ollie's development?
We seemed to lose a lot of drive when Cerra went off.
Probably Ollie's best game for the season - despite the lack of awareness that saw him caught with the ball several times - the pressure on the ball carrier seemed off the scale in this match but he seems to be showing some Paddy Dow traits; i.e. frequently caught if he tried to run with the ball because he thought he was faster than he actually was - should be correctable with the right coaching
