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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 19 2026 Pre Game Predictions Carlton vs Collingwood at MCG
Last post by crashlander -
Well, we need to show more than we did this week. Opportunities abound, if anyone wants one badly enough.

Unfortunately, tonight's game also showed our structural issues:
[1] Our ruck division:
We have 4 rucks on our list, but not one that is a matchwinner. As others have pointed out, a great ruck may not win you a premiership, but a ruck division that can't even break even will lose one. We got a lesson today on just how important a ruckman can be.
Pitto is a warrior, but he is probably at his peak now. He averages about 1 mark per game. Had we had him tonight, we probably wouldn't have lost by so much, but that is neither here nor there.
Flynn Riley has a future, but he has his limitations. He is very tall, but not hugely strong. He does have a better jump that the rest of our rucks, but he isn't a premiership ruckman either.
Hudson O'Keefe has gone backwards. I don't expect him to remain unless he can start showing more.
Reidy isn't a bad ruckman, but he isn't the man either. He dominates at VFL level, but does not at AFL level.

[2] Our key position players:
We lost two of our best and didn't replace them. Sometimes it is obvious. It was tonight: we had nobody to change the flow of the game. Brodie Kemp had one of his worst ever games and contributed nothing. Mitch McGovern was strong, but we didn't get the ball near him enough. H had a poor day. There is nobody else.
Our defenders are better, but we have few of these either.

[3] Negative Mids:
We don't have run-with players. We badly need a couple, preferably with the athleticism to deal with the opposition's best mid.

Can we get over this for next Saturday night? I would hope so. I don't think our present game holds up in the wet very well, but I am willing to be convinced otherwise.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 18 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Hawthorn
Last post by crashlander -
We lost the game when Pitto was out: Meek dominated, giving them first use of the ball. Our mids didn't run out of the front once.

The Umpiring: I don't want to go there. There are limits to what was acceptable, and those clowns we had to tonight were far too far past them. Those decisions were unforgivable. And they gifted Hawthorn goals they didn't deserve.

We probably won't complain, but we really should.

Their skills held up under the poor conditions, while ours didn't. After that we lost confidence and they had their tails up.

Our forwards: Mitch McGovern was the only one who can put his hand up. Kemp was dreadful. H didn't do a lot.
One ruck works when it works: it didn't work tonight. Young Flynn Riley showed something, but he needs a lot more muscle to beat guys like Meek.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 18 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Hawthorn
Last post by townsendcalling -
Freo, Hawthorn, Geelong get smashed in recent weeks and 'it's the loss they needed to have'. We get touched up after 7 straight wins and the guy can't coach, the team is crap, no game plan etc, etc!!  Shocking conditions for the first half and we didn't adapt, granted. Tried our guts out in a quarter of slug fest football when anything in the forward 50 was a bonus..... only to have the absolute wind taken out of our sails by the worst 50m penalty of the decade! A day of learning.