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11
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 12 2025 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs West Coast
Last post by Lods -
I understand the need to experiment.
I'm all for going full bore on experimentation once our season is out of reach.
Play kids, or fringe players who may be on one last chance.
Play around with structure
Try players in different positions.
I'm not sure in a senior match where you are still a finals chance though is the best time or place.

If it was in fact a deliberate move...
We didn't gain much from changing things up, if anything...
-For a start the side we put on the field (and ended up on the field) is probably well short of our best 22 so any learning opportunity only applies to those playing>
-we lost an opportunity to improve on our percentage.
-we may have re-inforced doubts amongst our players about our ability to play out a game.
(that's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy...if they doubt... when one or two things go wrong it can get into their heads. Maybe that's what is happening already
-it didn't work, and a team labelled as pathetic by their coach at quarter time is suddenly competitive.
-it may work against a West Coast. Try it against a Collingwood and they'll run all over us. Different opposition-different tactics.
13
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 12 2025 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs West Coast
Last post by PaulP -
The glass half full version :
- we won by nearly 6 goals, similar to Geelong who beat WC by 7 goals
- traveling, away from Melbourne
- no Walsh, no McKay, Curnow out early, Cripps and Weitering down on form for various reasons
- a few players with a handful of games
- a few in game injuries

The glass half empty version :
- we played 2 quarters of good footy, against a team with one win, sitting last on the ladder.

Let the reader choose.
15
The Sports Desk / Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread
Last post by Professer E -
I think Marnus has been unfairly blamed, Khawaja is years past his best and it looks like they're going to have to pry him out with a crowbar.  Green is over rated - way over rated and needs a kick up the ar$e.  Head bats like it's the world cup and has to start giving a F about test batting.

Hazelwood didn't do enough to justify being selected over Boland either.

Konstas has done very little to justify selection, yet another NSW-centric selection.

The one who really has no clue is Bailey, constantly goes conservative and picks the same old names.  Has faith in the same hacks for too long and needs to look at players from outside NSW. Time to go George.
16
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 12 2025 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs West Coast
Last post by ElwoodBlues1 -
Lazy...  we deliberately changed mode to a different style.

Not sure where the idea comes from that this is an effort or desire based situation.

Its a tactical shift to a slower mode of playing.

Not sure where the idea comes from that it's lazy or based on a desire. They are clearly trying to play a different method that is not as contested and there is no practice like match practice.  Occasionally our opposition are forcing this to happen but that wasn't what happened yesterday.
Good teams dont need to change the way the play so much, we had the opportunity 2 weeks in a row to go on with it and we get too sucked into worrying about the opposition and what they have changed. To my eye, and clearly I wasnt at the ground, it looked like from about mid way through the second, players stopped running and creating space for themselves. The HB chains stopped and its like we went into conservation mode.
Fully Agree, the attacking mode got switched off and we went back to our Soviet style conservative stoppage, mark and kick game.
No run and carry breaking the lines, just go back and take your kick and slow the game down, we got lucky that West Coast are so bad they couldnt take advantage and fumbled their way to a loss with some of the worst skills I have seen.
Brock is the worst footballer in the comp, give him the ball and its a guaranteed turn over as he has no idea how to defend or play safe down back. Same with Dewar who got a lot of the ball but butchered every kick, we need to thank those two for helping us win the game..
17
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 12 2025 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs West Coast
Last post by Lods -
We are in a situation where if we did happen to make finals it may very well depend on percentage.

If it was a deliberate tactic...(which for the life of me I can't understand, given the injuries were not to players where speed was a huge factor)
Why slow play down and dry up the scoring in one of the best opportunities we have left to improve our percentage?
18
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 12 2025 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs West Coast
Last post by Thryleon -
Lazy...  we deliberately changed mode to a different style.

Not sure where the idea comes from that this is an effort or desire based situation.

Its a tactical shift to a slower mode of playing.

Not sure where the idea comes from that it's lazy or based on a desire. They are clearly trying to play a different method that is not as contested and there is no practice like match practice.  Occasionally our opposition are forcing this to happen but that wasn't what happened yesterday.
Good teams dont need to change the way the play so much, we had the opportunity 2 weeks in a row to go on with it and we get too sucked into worrying about the opposition and what they have changed. To my eye, and clearly I wasnt at the ground, it looked like from about mid way through the second, players stopped running and creating space for themselves. The HB chains stopped and its like we went into conservation mode.
good teams change play and execute effectively another way.

We are trying to get better at that, but you cant improve it without doing it.

The tell was Voss getting annoyed in the coaches box.  We have execution issues. 

I dont want you to get upset I'm explaining your frustration, and why it's happening.  I understand it its easy to say dont play this way.  Thing is if we can work our way through this bit and improve it we might reap rewards from it in games where our other mode isnt effective.