Re: AFL 1st Semi Final Carlton vs Melbourne Post Game Prognostications
Reply #148 –
It's not their kicking for goal. It's how they got the ball inside 50, where they took their shots from, their chains of possession and the pressure that we applied. 64 tackles to 49 explains the free kick discrepancy and the perceived pressure arising from that contributes to poor disposal efficiency; we had 15 more effective disposals. We dominated the centre clearances and that has been our main avenue to goal all season.
We had more rebound 50s, more bounces and we gained 200 metres more than Melbourne. Our run and carry was effective and critical.
Then there's team selection and tactics. Hollands gave us a lift when he came on but why on earth did Melbourne have Schache as sub, and then not use him? Pitto and the King negated Gawn and Grundy in round 22 but Melbourne went with just Gawn and opted to not contest hit outs (we should have capitalised on that), and Gawn had a broken toe. Gawn's frustration with Pitto and the King became more obvious as the game progressed and his influence waned. Melbourne's focus on the man and their ill-discipined acts cost them scoring opportunities and created opportunities for us. Finally, our close game scenario planning paid off - lessons learnt from last season and perfected this season.