Princes Park => Robert Heatley Stand => Topic started by: RiverRat on August 02, 2026, 12:49:08 pm
Title: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: RiverRat on August 02, 2026, 12:49:08 pm
The last couple of games from Lewis Young have revealed a less tentative, less panicked player than previously.
Is this a result of how Fraser is using him or has he simply cast off his ultra-defensive mindset?
Was his previous role as a panic-prone defender an imposition of the coaching at the time?
Is it a coincidence that his recent form has come when Weitering has been absent? Was he hamstrung by being required to play second fiddle to Weitering and having to try to cover whichever forward Weitering chose to switch from?
Or are the recent games a flash in the pan that will be revealed as such if he reverts to previous habits?
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: Gointocarlton on August 02, 2026, 12:56:00 pm
Been saying it for a while, he is no where near as bad as people make out. In fact, he's been pretty darn good. Plays his role, is team first, excellent solider.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: crashlander on August 02, 2026, 02:06:56 pm
Been saying it for a while, he is no where near as bad as people make out. In fact, he's been pretty darn good. Plays his role, is team first, excellent solider.
He certainly has put his best foot forward and will probably be retained. His footy smarts yesterday were something we haven't always seen. Hopefully, he can continue that.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: Lods on August 02, 2026, 02:30:03 pm
One of the best quarters of football I've seen from a Carlton player in the last 4 or 5 years was Lewis Young playing all over the ground in a VFL game...he tore it apart. No indecision, no tentativeness. I felt sure he was headed back to the seniors.... Then around quarter time he got injured. Yes, it was VFL but he was a class above.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: Thryleon on August 02, 2026, 04:14:18 pm
For mine, hes a better player sans weitering.
I reckon weitering asks him to do stuff that he doesnt necessarily agree with which is why he plays a more instinctive game without weiters.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: LP on August 02, 2026, 04:33:15 pm
At the moment Young is rucking and floating forward, and it's Pitto doing the D50 end, it helped let Harry and Kemp off the hook. Young doesn't have to be as accountable in F50, he can move to space and make himself an option and teams aren't standing a close defender on him, but that won't persist. On top of this, right at the moment at least, he has the perfect coach to get the most out of him by using him in his best role.
In D50 Young gets caught out in no man's land ball watching, he's not needed there at the moment because we have Derksen and Dean doing a job. In this regard he is miles off Weitering, Dean or Derksen, they do no hesitate they just back themselves in to influence the contest.
As I watched last night I was thinking the Lions were making the same mistake with Hipwood that we made with Young, just because someone has the size and shape doesn't mean they will make it as a defender.
As much as I like the two rucks, I suspect when Weitering is back Young might be the out, with Derksen filling the F50 role, Derksen is now probably our 3rd best contested mark and getting better just behind Weitering and Harry. I think Derksen could easily fill the role left vacant by Charlie, and float to wherever he is needed. In my opinion he's a great get, who recruited him?
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: Gointocarlton on August 02, 2026, 05:02:16 pm
Been saying it for a while, he is no where near as bad as people make out. In fact, he's been pretty darn good. Plays his role, is team first, excellent solider.
He certainly has put his best foot forward and will probably be retained. His footy smarts yesterday were something we haven't always seen. Hopefully, he can continue that.
Did you notice the quick gives to runners going by instead of vital seconds of procrastination and poor decision making? He has been reliable and playing his role.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: kruddler on August 02, 2026, 05:10:38 pm
Forward, back, ruck with or without weitering.... its all irrelevant.
Young is a confidence player. When his confidence is high, he can do what you need him too. When his confidence is shot, he's a witches hat.
Right now is high. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: DJC on August 02, 2026, 06:04:26 pm
In the game against the Suns, Lewis Young took a mark at CHB, faked a handpass to a teammate behind him, then played on past wrongfooted opponents. It was not what I would have expected from Young but it now seems to be the way he's playing. His round the corner goal and deft tap on for Frankie's goal are what you'd expect from a confident player enjoying the game and not feeling pressure to perform.
His ruckwork is barely competitive, but he gives it a crack, and he demands a KPD when he goes forward, making life easier for our other talls. His work in defence is still his bread and butter. Although he does tend to be on the end of some defensive breakdowns, we're losing nothing when it's his turn to man an opposition KPF or resting ruck.
Who knows why, I just hope that he can keep it up!
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: shawny on August 02, 2026, 06:59:08 pm
At the moment Young is rucking and floating forward, and it's Pitto doing the D50 end, it helped let Harry and Kemp off the hook. Young doesn't have to be as accountable in F50, he can move to space and make himself an option and teams aren't standing a close defender on him, but that won't persist. On top of this, right at the moment at least, he has the perfect coach to get the most out of him by using him in his best role.
In D50 Young gets caught out in no man's land ball watching, he's not needed there at the moment because we have Derksen and Dean doing a job. In this regard he is miles off Weitering, Dean or Derksen, they do no hesitate they just back themselves in to influence the contest.
As I watched last night I was thinking the Lions were making the same mistake with Hipwood that we made with Young, just because someone has the size and shape doesn't mean they will make it as a defender.
As much as I like the two rucks, I suspect when Weitering is back Young might be the out, with Derksen filling the F50 role, Derksen is now probably our 3rd best contested mark and getting better just behind Weitering and Harry. I think Derksen could easily fill the role left vacant by Charlie, and float to wherever he is needed. In my opinion he's a great get, who recruited him?
agree. much easy as a floating PT forward/ruck then being undersized as a key defender.
he is doing well in the new role but equally makes you appreciate the holding down of key posts the 2 kids in dean and dersken are doing ad that is not easy and they have held up extremely well considering neither have played 20 games!
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: LP on August 02, 2026, 07:03:52 pm
he is doing well in the new role but equally makes you appreciate the holding down of key posts the 2 kids in dean and dersken are doing ad that is not easy and they have held up extremely well considering neither have played 20 games!
Agree, he is doing well, getting the best out of himself, and it does help highlight Derksen and Dean.
I think it was @Lods who was right about Derksen.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: Lods on September 18, 2026, 07:21:12 am
I was scrolling through and happened across this thread. It was only a bit over a month ago...but it all went pear shaped for Lewis.
What happened? Was it the pressure of finals? Was it how he was used in recent times...not really settling or having a fixed role.
Or was what we were seeing back then 'just a flash' in the pan and not sustainable.
The common denominator seemed to have been "confidence". He had periods where he didn't seem to believe in himself or his own ability....and that led to the hesitation.
At the end of the day his delisting wasn't as surprising as it would have been a month ago... and there's probably not a lot of argument over the decision to cut him loose.
It will be interesting to see who we replace him with, and whether he gets another opportunity elsewhere.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: LP on September 18, 2026, 07:52:15 am
It will be interesting to see who we replace him with, and whether he gets another opportunity elsewhere.
HoF is still growing, recovering, building strength, like many talls he'll be a late developer, he's been forgotten by fans. With a bit of luck he'll be our tall swingman in 2027, and unlike players who get "converted", HoF has played both F50 and D50 throughout his whole junior career.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: DJC on September 18, 2026, 10:13:50 am
Lewis Young is not an instinctive or quick thinking footballer and his usual hesitation before disposing of the footy slowed down our transition and gave the opposition time to take away options. On top of that, his short kicks tended to hang in the air for too long. The less said about his kicking for goal the better.
As I said in another thread, you don’t get to play 90 AFL games without some talent and the right attitude. Lewis is a good mark and generally kills the ball when he spoils. What’s not so good is his tendency to be wrong-footed, fumble and get out-bodied. He reminds me of Sam Rowe in that my heart is in my mouth when the footy is heading in his direction but I’m often pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
I don’t think that confidence, or the presence of Weiters, is a factor. Lewis can play, but he isn’t best suited to our game style.
The return of O’Farrell, Dean living up to expectations, Derksen exceeding expectations (it was EB who suggested Wade) and Haynes turning back the clock all mean limited opportunities for Lewis in defence. As a KPF, he is clearly a defender and, although his ruckwork has improved, it’s still break glass standard.
Basically, Lewis has been squeezed out by younger, better options and the way our footy has evolved.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: madbluboy on September 18, 2026, 10:17:43 am
I'm thinking with Amartey coming in Harry McKay will play the role Young was doing.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: DJC on September 18, 2026, 10:41:28 am
Amartey has been spelling Grundy in the ruck for the Swans. I suspect that he would be part of our second string rucks along with Harry and Crippa.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: Gointocarlton on September 18, 2026, 12:14:02 pm
I was scrolling through and happened across this thread. It was only a bit over a month ago...but it all went pear shaped for Lewis.
What happened? Was it the pressure of finals? Was it how he was used in recent times...not really settling or having a fixed role.
Or was what we were seeing back then 'just a flash' in the pan and not sustainable.
The common denominator seemed to have been "confidence". He had periods where he didn't seem to believe in himself or his own ability....and that led to the hesitation.
At the end of the day his delisting wasn't as surprising as it would have been a month ago... and there's probably not a lot of argument over the decision to cut him loose.
It will be interesting to see who we replace him with, and whether he gets another opportunity elsewhere.
To me Young's demise commenced in his second year with us. I thought in his first year he was a ripper and was a significant upgrade on Jones. Then the wheels fell off, dunno what happened. Was he struggling with personal issues off field? There were rumours of a rift between he and Weiters? I dont know what happened by his confidence fell off a cliff and that was the beginning of the end for him. Shame, nice fella with all the physical attributes needed to play the game where he did.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: kruddler on September 18, 2026, 02:56:51 pm
I'm thinking with Amartey coming in Harry McKay will play the role Young was doing.
I said similar when i was pushing for us to get King in to be the #1 target. Harry as the 2nd ruck does wonders for our team balance and lessens the need for someone like Young. But you need to have the #1 target to allow Harry to do that. Whether Amartey is that player or not.....we'll see.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: kruddler on September 18, 2026, 02:58:29 pm
Forward, back, ruck with or without weitering.... its all irrelevant.
Young is a confidence player. When his confidence is high, he can do what you need him too. When his confidence is shot, he's a witches hat.
Right now is high. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Didn't last too long did it.
Title: Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
Post by: laj on September 18, 2026, 04:21:00 pm
Young's first year was outstanding. 2022 was a year we lost most of our defence for a long period and he held it up near on his own. Not sure what happened after that. Obviously confidence played a part.