Murphy - midfield Jones - full forward (on the basis that his last quarter form wasn't an aberration) Gibbs - half forward and midfield Smith - depth (unless he can deliver more than just flashes of good football) Simpson - half back and wing Armfield - defensive forward Walker - half forward and wing Casboult - centre half forward Buckley - defensive forward Everitt - half forward and wing Jaksch - depth (unless he becomes more consistent and committed)
I would find it difficult to fit both Armfield and Buckley and both Walker and Everitt into the 22. Buckley has the advantage of youth but Armfield is more reliable. Everitt has a better recent goalkicking record than Walker but Walker can rotate through the midfield and is more physical.
I watched that game. I thought Geelong treated it without respect and played like they were doing circle work for 3/4. Once Geelong got a bit more serious, and I mean just a bit, they never looked like losing.
Perhaps for some obscure reason Geelong have some empathy for EFC!
I think the danger in playing Essendon lies in thinking that you're in for an easy win, and I suspect that's what Geelong did.
I wasn't aware of the "AFL Team of the Week" but it's not a bad effort to have two players selected, particularly as they're our first selections for the season.
Quote
Two of Carlton’s leaders have been recognised for their exceptional and gutsy performances in the Blues’ victory over Fremantle.
Captain Marc Murphy along with vice-captain Kade Simpson have been named in the AFL’s Team of the Week.
For the first time this season, two Blues featured in the line-up with ‘Simmo’ named at half-back and ‘Murph’ named on the interchange.
The skipper played an instrumental role in the Blues’ win over last year’s minor premiers, kicking a vital goal in the final minutes of the match to put his team back in front, and ultimately help seal the victory.
With 14 staples in his head, the midfielder was forced to wear a helmet during the Round 5 match – but that didn’t hinder his performance in the slightest.
Murph had 28 touches, including six tackles, four clearances and eight contested possessions, not to mention that critical goal.
If everything else is equal, priority should be given to players with the potential to play for many years to come. Gifting games is selecting players who haven't earned their place on merit.
One of the interesting moments was at the end of the game when Bolton instructed the assistant coaches to go and shake the players hands. Even with the emotion of his first win, his mind was still on the job well after the siren.
I hope our players are not thinking the same and are expecting an easy kill cause these pr1cks give there all against us.
Imagine they purposely went out in 2nd gear against the pies to save themselves for a game they really think they were a chance in.......against us.
Our players are smarter than that, particularly with Bolton cracking the whip, and I don't think the Essendon players are smart enough to plan for the next game. They thought they were in with a chance against the struggling Magpies and the loss will really get them thinking about how far off the pace they are.
Of course, we have to find a way to kick a winning score.
I agree with this in principle but there are occassions to go for a win and when youre staring at your worst start to a season, you need the win to pick morale up.
It appears that our match committee doesn't agree with "getting games into the kids" and is following a selection on merit policy, and that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
Bolton is creating a learning environment and he has made it clear that players must learn that they are not entitled to games but, if they work hard, anything is possible.
Gifting games to youngsters who haven't earned a place in the team is not good for team culture or player development. By all means play them when they're ready and deserve to be in the best 22.
2. Jack Silvagni 12 disposals, three tackles, three inside 50s, two goals
‘SOS’ got better as the game went on. He was really lively in the second half and had some impressive individual efforts to keep us in the contest.
18. Daniel Gorringe Nine disposals, three marks (one contested), seven hit-outs
He shared ruck duties with Wood and Korcheck, provided some good follow-up work and showed running capabilities as mobile ruckman. He needs to work on impacting the high ball.
20. Andrejs Everitt Nine disposals, five handball receives
He didn’t impact the game the way he would’ve liked. He worked hard in patches to provide an option as a leading forward but didn’t get enough of it forward of centre to impact.
26. Matthew Dick 25 disposals, 17 handball receives, four marks
He played a role in our back six defending well in patches one on one, and came across at the right time to help teammates in the air. He found a lot of the ball and continues to work hard on using it effectively.
27. Michael Jamison 10 disposals, five handball receives
He had some inconsistent one-on-one contests where he was able to impact well but was also out-marked on occasions. He had a terrific smother in the third quarter.
31. Jayden Foster 17 disposals, seven marks
Showed some signs of improvement playing as a defender: he positioned himself well and was okay in the contest with still some areas to improve on. He was more involved when it came to getting the ball in hand.
34. Jesse Glass-McCasker Six disposals, three marks
He found himself in a position to compete on a lot of high balls, continues to work hard on aggressive spoiling and marking when opportunity presents. Jesse had the highlight of the day with his smother which stopped a certain goal.
36. Cameron Wood Six disposals, two tackles, 15 hit-outs
Cam rotated between forward and ruck, but didn’t have a huge impact as a big man in the air. He did follow up with a couple of aggressive tackles around the contest.
48. Kristian Jaksch 14 disposals, four marks, three goals
It was a patchy game from KJ, who finished with three goals and became our focal point with Liam Jones going out of the team. The next step for him is to build consistency over four quarters.
49. Dennis Armfield 27 disposals, four clearances, 12 handball receives, three inside 50s
Dennis typically provided a real spark going inside as a midfielder, and was a major catalyst in the third quarter in contests which got us back in the game.
56. Andrew Gallucci 11 disposals, three clearances, six handball receives
He applied some elite chase pressure and was involved in possession chains in the middle of the ground. Andrew continues to work hard on areas of his game which will ultimately elevate his performance.
65. Dillon Viojo-Rainbow 15 disposals, eight marks (two inside 50), one goal
Dillon played his role as a winger really well, and he showed some positive signs of his ability to compete overhead and get forward at the right time to finish with 1.1.
67. Clem Smith Nine disposals, three marks, two inside 50s
Clem was lively around the contest, and competed hard to win the ball back. When he builds consistency through effort, he’ll build his game to the next level.
76. Jason Tutt 34 disposals, 19 handball receives, six marks, four inside 50s
Probably Tutty’s best game for the year, as he continued to run hard both ways and generally used the ball well. He helped set up a number of scoring opportunities.
80. Matthew Korcheck Four disposals, 12 hit-outs
It was another learning curve for Matty Korcheck. He had an opportunity to get on the score sheet, continues to show improvement and played both up forward and in the ruck.
Some positive signs and some blokes who aren't living up to expectations.
Folk who want to see Jaksch in the seniors may have to wait a while.
Any Freo player, even Ballantyne, could have marked Thomas's kick if they were standing on the goal line midway between the posts. It was very poor defence and pretty typical of a lot of Freo's work.
Why are you surprised this was the way things were pre-sub rule, so it should be expected rucks would go back to rotating off the bench. I hope it continues, but I think we won't see the best of Kreuzer until he gets a high percentage of game time.
Lots of ducks and drakes for the rest of this season, the new rules have really put the cat amongst the pigeons. But one thing, I reckon Lyon tried a half old style game plan at the weekend and our defense stood up OK.
What is surprising for me is how much TOG KPP players are getting, not just our game but across the competition some are above 95% TOG.
I'm surprised because the pundits predicted that sides would play two ruckmen and they would rest in the forward line. This is what GWS and Collingwood did (St Kilda and Essendon both played only one ruckman).
Phillips has spent roughly the same TOG in all 5 games but, apart from the Richmond game, Kreuzer has been on the ground for much longer. I guess the tactics changed with Jones coming into the side. Charlie Curnow is the other bloke spending a lot of time on the pine.
One thing I hadn't really noticed was how little time Kreuzer and Phillips spent on the ground. I was expecting the ruckmen to rest in the forward line but they each spent about a third of the game on the pine. Clarke and Griffen were much the same.
