Re: AFL Rd 2 2023 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs Geelong
Reply #182 –
Anyone see Bartel on Footy Classified? He ran clips showing how Cameron and Hawkins connect a lot better than Harry and Charlie. To his credit, Harry runs well up the ground to offer a target for our defenders but when he wheels around to target Charlie he drops it on his head (or worse, kicks to the advantage of the opposition). One example was a kick that forced Charlie to sit under the ball, allowing Grimes to manhandle him until the ball spilled. On the other hand, Bartel showed examples where immediately after Cameron wheels around he locates Hawkins and drops the ball into the “swimming pool” on the opposite side of Hawkins’ opponent. He says he doesn’t need to be too precise as long as it allows Hawkins to move to it.
We really need Harry and Charlie to have big nights together. At the moment, they are really Plan A and Plan B - when 1 is quiet we hope the other fires.
The problem with those analyses is that the "expert" cherrypicks footage that backs up their position. Cameron does play a lot through the midfield, but not as a marking target from wing to halfback as Harry and Charlie often do. Cameron is often involved in chains of possessions that provide Hawkins with time and space to lead. I imagine that Cameron and Hawkins were presented with more opportunities to score than Harry and Charlie but Charlie averaged more goals per game than Hawkins and Harry averaged slightly less that Cameron. Then there's Stengle chipping in with just over 2 goals per game while our third best goal scorer was Crippa with 20. Having a third forward target capable of averaging 2 goals a game would make life a lot easier for Harry and Charlie.