Re: RD 18 : Blues Stun Kangaroos (Final Siren Shock)
Reply #150 –
A bit late with my take, but here it is anyway....
Carlton supporters went nuts in the last quarter on Friday night – a lot of relief that this mob can actually play......most complete game we’ve played for a long time. Goes to show how much the game is played above the shoulders.
Waite – said to my mate before the game started when I saw Waite out there “He’ll never get a better opportunity to show he belongs at this level & in this team....” and he duly delivered. Has he ever played a more complete game? Saving mark in defence, then not 3 mins later he’s on the end of a terrific bit of play for a goal....brilliant stuff. Watching the replay, he was clearly enjoying the win. When Hendo took a mark to line up for his 6th, you could clearly see Waite in the background yell out “Wooooo!!!” twice, then after the game he was yelling it out again as the players came together on the ground. Says to me he desperately wants to remain both an AFL player.....and a Carlton one at that. What he needs to do though is follow that performance up with something similar this week. No point making this his one grand performance of the year.
Gibbs – no longer can be accused of being an outside mid, his grunt work right now is beyond belief, cracks in as hard as Joel Selwood & his finishing in front of goal.....no-one snaps better than Bryce right now. Travelling as well as any player in the AFL right now.
Murph – worked his way into the game, with Gibbs’ form enabling Murph to get off the chain a lot more. His kicking can still be a bit iffy at times, but geez me moves smoothly when he has the ball in his hands and gut runs. Would like to see him hit the scoreboard a lot more though.
Yazz – silk, pure silk. Though his kicking was a bit hit ‘n miss for the first few rounds this year, but right now it is elite.
Wood – Robbie who? Big Robbie would’ve been most uncomfortable watching Big Cam on Friday night. Although generally beaten in the hitouts, his work around the ground was second-to-none as far as ruckmen go. Numerous marks, 2 shots on goal, used the ball well & usually in good field position during general play.....what more can you ask? Goldstein did sweet FA around the ground.
Rowe – thought he’d match-up well with Petrie on the drive in to the game, as they’re both of similar builds & Rowe duly obliterated him. His turnaround in form & confidence as the year has progressed is both astounding & outstanding. That defensive set-up of Rowe-White-Jamo-Tuohy-Yarran-Simmo is actually fairly competitive.
Hendo – that was 100% the Hendo I remember from last year – let’s hope he finishes off the season strongly.
Graham – how good was that goal!? Not just the sublime finish (and celebration!!!), but the bump on Goldstein (and recovery) to assist Simmo. Everitt’s injury was a blessing in disguise for Nick, who I reckon more than showed he belongs at this level.
Docherty – more than a handy player isn’t he? Got a real touch of class about him & a really good get for this Club.
Curnow – I got concerned about halfway through the game about this bloke. Boomer hadn’t been prominent, but had kicked 2 & set up another couple, whilst Ed seemed to be struggling & that shot for goal was a shocker.....but then by game’s end Harvey hadn’t had a sniff in the 2nd half = comprehensive Curnow win.....and a big tick.
Need to mention Casboult......his stats weren’t great – however, what he does do is that his now enhanced reputation as a serious offensive threat in the air means he gets serious defensive attention = the likes of Hendo & Waite get less = Hendo kicks 6, Waite kicks 4. If Waite stays on course, then we’ve got ourselves a seriously potent forward line in Waite-Casboult-Hendo.
Not sure what to make of Daisy’s game. More ‘meh’ than anything else. His defensive pressure is excellent, I'll give him that, but needs to get more involved. Thought Bell played a good, tough, running midfielder’s game, but geez – Ellard is just a plodder & nothing more.....
Despite having 4 kicked on him, thought Tuohy’s game was good. Thomas got a couple of his usual cheapies (I can’t stand him), but Tuohy seems to be rediscovering his attacking flair, which I love & is important to this team.
It's a tough gig next week (or week after to be exact), but the challenge is there......