Carlton Supporters Club

Whether you post it or somebody else!

"The Blues were pinned down in their back half when Adam Saad gave away two free kicks. Saad first pushed Lachie McNeil in the back and then caught Lachie Hunter high as the Dogs’ ballwinner swivelled and leant in with his head to draw the high contact 35m from goal. Nice set shot from Hunter to slot his second major."

niether of them were free kicks!!!  dogs got a lot of iffy frees early, which we weathered.  what we couldnt weather, was the "monstering" (as someone on here put it) at stoppages.  some of it was sheer brilliance by Bont, Mccrae and Treloar, but some of it was down to our blokes being tackled before they had the footy, and blocked off the footy etc.

in the Sun, the article next to this one is Bevvo complaining about Bont's deliberate out of bounds (which was a terrible call) - the article also mentions the Dogs have had the least frees against this year.   they certainly seemed to get away with a bit against us.  as a few on here have pointed out - we never complain about this stuff in the media.  Bevvo does, and they get away with a bit more on field... coincidence?

twice we didn’t stand on the mark - I’ve never played or coaches AFL but I know that is a basic thing that should be done.

You can talk til you’re blue in the face about how well we did and how the Dogs lost their bundle the week before to lose their lead and on and on.

The fact is we had complete control of the game and we blew it - we could not, again, temper their bombardment, not even once. We did not give one whimper, just let them go and stood and watched, twice we didn’t stand on the mark - I’ve never played or coaches AFL but I know that is a basic thing that should be done.  Not sure what the problem is but leadership seems to be number 1. Fitness. Smarts.

I thought Pitto, Cuningham and Ed were just about our only mids!

I can remember one time which was highlighted by the commentary team.....and i think that was smart.

It was basically 10m out, nobody stood the mark.
As a result the player starts walking in from 20m out and walks right up to the 10m mark (which once he passes is called play on!) and thats what he did, walked passed it and the umpire called play on.
Watching all this happening was Eddie Betts, right as the play on call occurred he was in full sprint mode to get to the kicker.
Now it didn't work, he got the kick away and the goal, but it was close. For something that was a gimme goal, i found it an interesting tactic.....and i think it was just that, a tactic, rather than someone forgetting.

On other occassions i've noticed players fall back from the mark (not standing on the mark) and that gives them the freedom to move sideways (as long as they are '5m' behind the mark.) and actually puts more pressure on the kicker as a result.
Again, this is a tactic and something we've done at least a handful of times.

So maybe don't be so quick to point the finger.

Ed has been consistent all season and Cuningham has played a couple of decent games in a row, jury still out on him but he
has some weapons in terms of pace and being able to kick goals and lets hope he can stay fit and interested.
I'm going to agree with Krud on Pittonet and I dont get the negative waves about his game likewise, I thought he won the ruck, was handy
in the clearances getting his frame in the play and had a good game as you alluded too.
He isnt going to be the next Dean Cox but given he was a cheap moneyball solution from the Box Hill Hawks in the main he has earned his money unlike a few more highly paid imports who have been in the news on this forum lately.

Since you guys are so good at using stats to back up your argument
Here is mine
He basically played around the ground on ball with some stints up forward
As we know he is the best kick in the team
9 score involvements when you get only 12 possessions is amazing
Here is the bit you blokes conveniently don’t bring up
In the last quarter Cuningham like most in the team played 100% in defence
2 possessions
Not one tackle
When the pressure was on like always with him he went missing
For a guy in his 6 th year it ain’t good enough

Got me thinking...
With the 'stand still' rule... Is there an advantage to not standing the mark in a forward defensive situation...when the opposition has the ball deep in your attacking zone?
You wouldn't do it all the time.
You would think you're leaving yourself wide open and that may very well be the case (almost certainly)  but...

It gives the player with the ball a few things to think about.
Does he play through the mark?
Where is the mark?
When does he bounce?
You have an extra player ahead of the ball with freedom of movement.

Ed has been consistent all season and Cuningham has played a couple of decent games in a row, jury still out on him but he
has some weapons in terms of pace and being able to kick goals and lets hope he can stay fit and interested.
I'm going to agree with Krud on Pittonet and I dont get the negative waves about his game, I thought he won the ruck, was handy
in the clearances getting his frame in the play and had a good game as you alluded too.
He isnt going to be the next Dean Cox but given he was a cheap moneyball solution from the Box Hill Hawks in the main he has earned his money unlike a few more highly paid imports who have been in the news on this forum lately.

You know the debate. We were 'beaten in the ruck' thats why we lost the stoppages. It was Pittonets fault.

Except....when it was the total opposite. Ruck stats clearly show that.
FWIW, Pittonet beat him around the ground too, but that wasn't the argument.

I can remember one time which was highlighted by the commentary team.....and i think that was smart.

It was basically 10m out, nobody stood the mark.
As a result the player starts walking in from 20m out and walks right up to the 10m mark (which once he passes is called play on!) and thats what he did, walked passed it and the umpire called play on.
Watching all this happening was Eddie Betts, right as the play on call occurred he was in full sprint mode to get to the kicker.
Now it didn't work, he got the kick away and the goal, but it was close. For something that was a gimme goal, i found it an interesting tactic.....and i think it was just that, a tactic, rather than someone forgetting.

On other occassions i've noticed players fall back from the mark (not standing on the mark) and that gives them the freedom to move sideways (as long as they are '5m' behind the mark.) and actually puts more pressure on the kicker as a result.
Again, this is a tactic and something we've done at least a handful of times.

So maybe don't be so quick to point the finger.

Funny, I thought their kid jumped him early and had him rattled and beat him, when the clearances were pretty even.  Later, I thought Pitto got it together and about broke even - and that’s when we got creamed in the clearances!