I don't think that there's any question about Billy Wilson's ability to have an impact at AFL level now, and I think that he has probably consigned Adam Saad to depth player status. Billy's chase and run down tackle with 30 seconds to go warmed the cockles of my heart. That's the effort and desperation that wins finals.
You shouldn’t take Cripps and Walsh’s performances in isolation.
Their best performances are when the support cast is firing.
You may debate which is the cause and which is the effect and, to a certain extent, it’s a feedback loop. However, my observations are that Cripps and Walsh are riding on the wave of support from their teammates.
People talking about 2nd year blues are just guessing. We'll know soon enough.
But every year i say the same thing when evaluating our chances.
Some kids won't come on as expected, or even go backwards.
Some older players will decline in output, some may even fall of a performance cliff and/or retire early.
Some gun players will get injured.
Happens to everyone, every year.
Whether thats Jagga and Dean, or Byrne and Ison.....or whoever.
This year O'Keeffe definitely fits that bill.
While I wouldn't say that we had players standing back, I think that the improved form and effort of the support cast in Hewett, Acres, Cerra, Aisworth, Hayward, and now Cottrell, has taken pressure off Cripps and Walsh. If Cripps or Walsh is quiet, others are filling the void but that support is also enabling Cripps and Walsh, as well as Jagga Smith, to accumulate possessions and distribute the pill effectively.
Cripps' form is scary when compared to the teams performance
Have a look at the following breakdown of team with Cripps possessions in that game in brackets.
Our worst 2 games for the year IMO would be...
Sydney (19 touches)
St. Kilda. (14).
Our best games of the year would be IMO
GWS (33)
Port Adelaide (32)
Geelong (30)
Brisbane (32)
Fremantle (32)
Richmond (32)
Bulldogs (29)
Average/poor performances against....
Melbourne (21)
North Melbourne (21)
Adelaide (29)
Collingwood (25)
Essendon (23)
Coincidence??
No Cripps. No Carlton
While I wouldn't say that we had players standing back, I think that the improved form and effort of the support cast in Hewett, Acres, Cerra, Aisworth, Hayward, and now Cottrell, has taken pressure off Cripps and Walsh. If Cripps or Walsh is quiet, others are filling the void but that support is also enabling Cripps and Walsh, as well as Jagga Smith, to accumulate possessions and distribute the pill effectively.
I have to reiterate this because it's obvious and yet ignored.
The current good form of Cripps and Walsh is a direct consequence of the players around them making an effort. Instead of standing back waiting to benefit from what Cripps and Walsh do, the players around them are now rolling up their sleeves and helping out more which gets Cripps and Walsh to the end of games in much better condition. That, along with confidence in execution, is the real reason for the current 4-Qtr efforts, not some invisible change of game plan.
We are playing the exact same style that we did from Rnd 0, the difference is we are now making less mistakes at it and sharing the load. Our better players aren't hitting the wall at the end of the game, and the lapses are diminished. It's the same game plan the Lions play, and even with the Lions you can see how it can go horrible wrong when it's left to few.
