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11
The Sports Desk / Re: God help me - the Cricket thread
Last post by LP -
Quote from: Professer E – on
Greens bowling, both volume and quality has unbalanced the side.  Webster's slot should be a specialist's bat or a bowling all-rounder.
Green's a bowler, not just used to change ends? :o

For all the potential this kid offers, he's massively under delivered, in fact most of the squad fall in that category.

Don't accept the stats, if the greats of the past had as much opportunity to play cricket under the modern idealistic conditions they would have records twice the magnitude! None of these "moderns" compare in my opinion. The modern players find things to complain about in conditions that would have seen Viv Richards or Bob Simpson batting for 5 days!

Can you imagine facing Warne or Lillee around Tea time with a pink ball in a Day / Night test, most batsmen would come off looking like Mr Bean? Think of all those times Warne turned the last moments of light into a symphony of cricket!
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 23 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Western Bulldogs at Marvel
Last post by LP -
Quote from: DJC – on
I thought that we dominated the game but some wayward kicking from quarter time onwards kept the Bulldogs in the contest.
100% agree, the stats are most likely good because we had 2, 3 or 4 good disposals in the row then burnt the last one, at least that is what I saw but I wasn't there live!

It's probably another good example of how stats can retrospectively paint the wrong picture, or cause people to draw the wrong conclusions.

I particularly noted in the 2nd half on event, we ran the footy out of D50 through CHB to the Wing then towards the HFF. We had setup with CHF vacant, and both Kemp and McGovern started deep with space to lead into. Yet we baulked at that centering kick and forced McGovern to double back and lead into the pocket. Fortunately, McGovern clunked the mark, and fortunately the Dogs had run up towards the ball carrier leaving space behind. I saw Fraser's eyes rolling in the coach's box and he made an arc with his hand like he'd also expected us to the centre the pill and not head to the pocket. Fans will celebrate that play, but the reality is it's easy to kill the footy in the pocket, and if McGovern had not marked the Dogs had the numbers to run the footy back for a full field length turnover, our Mids were pushing towards CHF 20m away from where we kicked the pill leaving nobody to crumb. That makes our lot look slow because we are caught out of position.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 23 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Western Bulldogs at Marvel
Last post by DJC -
Quote from: tonyo – on
On occasion, we have a problem converting dominance into scoreboard results - 20 points up 10 mins into the second quarter, we should have been looking to turn the screw.  Instead, we became patchy again, and our inside 50 delivery was appalling.  Same thing happened in the Rich and Ess games a few weeks back. 

It's like we 'pitch' our game to the level of the opposition - and if you give an opponent a second chance, they will probably exploit the offer.  We are simply not ruthless enough yet to squash teams consistently.

Bevo out-coached Fraser with centre clearances - we started so well, but let them take control.  And yet their plan was so simple - hit it straight down, Libba in and under as usual feeding it out to Richards, Sanders and others for a simple take away.

Hoping this isn't the 'real' Blues, as opposed to the side that smashed Brisbane with precision kicking and perfect F50 craft.

I thought that we dominated the game but some wayward kicking from quarter time onwards kept the Bulldogs in the contest.  The only stat that we "lost" was inside 50s and I guess that shows how well our defence held up.

I was surprised to see that our disposal efficiency was much better.  Where, when and how you turn the ball over can be more important than how many times you turn it over.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 23 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Western Bulldogs at Marvel
Last post by LP -
Quote from: Gointocarlton – on
I have always rated Richards very highly, he is the exact type of speedy ball user that we need.
Agreed, rare as rocking horse shizen, strong in the contest yet with speed on the outside, very few have those two qualities combined. At any one time in the AFL there is probably only 5 or 6 like that, who can also perform at a high level, when you add size to that like Judd you have a genuine freak.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 23 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Western Bulldogs at Marvel
Last post by laj -
Quote from: madbluboy – on
Quote from: Lods – on
The Bulldogs are a funny side they seem to have patches of good or bad results for four or five games at a time
They've beaten the Lions, Adelaide, Collingwood, Melbourne and Hawthorn
Yet their attack is one of the poorest in the comp-ranking around 14th "for points for"
They were on top of the ladder after round 5 and were 12th by round 9
A real Jekyll and Hyde team.
I thought they were very good on the weekend and their pressure threw us off the style we'd been playing in the previous weeks. As a result the errors and turnovers occurred.
It was probably typical of our games in the early part of the year...good in parts, not so hot in others.

Darcy was a huge loss.
That loss couldn't have been bigger.
20
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 23 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Western Bulldogs at Marvel
Last post by laj -
Quote from: Thryleon – on
Quote from: laj – on
Yes, when the Dogs are on they are really good. On Sunday, they were outstanding, right at their best.

A combination of their high pressure and the fact we that we lost our composure too trying to hammer in for the final nail to stitch up our Wildcard spot, threw us off our game.

Wouldn't be against them beating the Dees this weekend, meaning Melbourne would play us in the Wildcard round. My playing preference, in order, for our wildcard game is Melbourne, Adelaide, even if it is there, they can be brittle on those occassions, with Collingwood, who are flying, rise to big occasion, and so mentally tough, a distant 3rd.

Anyone, Anywhere, Any time.
In the end, that too.