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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 12 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Geelong
Last post by kruddler -Quote
Just as an aside, i don't know if anyone saw it but deep in the last quarter there was a stoppage on the far side forward flank/wing.
May even have been in the last few minutes.
Cripps was in there directing traffic like a captain should.
His main focus was telling Harry to go back, essentially clog up space.
He starts waddling back with very little urgency. Cripps yells at him again to clear out and go back. He hears him but barely makes it out of a walk.
Ball is brought back into play and someone gets the clearance, camera goes to a wide shot where you can see Harry still slowly wandering back, now about 30m off the contest, back to the ball in no mans land.
Thankfully the ball went our way and he was not required but this REALLY bothered me because.....
1. The game was on the line, show some bloody urgency
2. The captain had to tell you, at least twice, and you still couldn't do it.
3. You had your back to the ball and it could've been kicked to you and the moment you realised was when it hits you in the back of the head.
4. Had we have lost the game, i guarantee you that would've been highlighted as to how we lost it.
Now i appreciate Harry had worked hard and is playing more ruck than he is used to over the past month, but from a senior player, that was very poor and i expect better and the rest of the playing group should demand better.
I just rewatched the last few minutes and the stoppage in question started with 19 seconds left on the clock.
The stoppage started from Harry working hard pushing forward along the boundary line. So he was definitely tired.
However, you can clearly see he could not find it within himself to run out the final 19 seconds.
It very much could've been the difference between winning and losing.
Watch here....
https://youtu.be/aVu-SQ7sGEk?si=qepqqcb2jSTSdwuo&t=212