2025 Practice Match vs St. Kilda

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Re: Practice match vs St Kilda lineup

Reply #30 – February 22, 2025, 02:20:24 pm

Only saw bits and pieces.

One thing that really bothered me was how we seemed to not learn from our mistakes last year, that is with players (potentially) being injured.

Saad copped a whack right before half time, looked to be a quad (or corky). Was getting taken off the ground, then decided he wanted to stay and then the siren went for half time, all in the space of 30 seconds.

Then the 2nd half starts and in the first 10 seconds he was on the ground again holding his leg.

Why did we put him back on when he clearly wasn't 100%. What does Saad have to prove to us? Nothing.
Put him in cotten wool and don't risk reinjury for a complete nothing match.

Now he seemed a bit better later in the match, but the point remains.....why risk it?

Motlop looked dangerous in patches that i saw.
O'Keefe looked better than i expected at this stage.
Lemmey looked worse than i expected at this stage.
Not sure either will make it long term, but considering our list makeup we really need one of them (if not both) to take it to the next level.
Nobody else really stood out.

Re: Practice match vs St Kilda lineup

Reply #31 – February 22, 2025, 02:37:08 pm

If we are going to be serious this year we NEED to get rid of the long bomb into the forward line.
It doesn't work and hasn't worked for us for the last 20 years.
Clear out the forward line, CLEAR out the forward line.
Honour leads.
It's not rocket science.

Re: Practice match vs St Kilda lineup

Reply #32 – February 22, 2025, 02:43:10 pm

Quote from: BluePhantom – on February 22, 2025, 02:37:08 pm

If we are going to be serious this year we NEED to get rid of the long bomb into the forward line.
It doesn't work and hasn't worked for us for the last 20 years.
Clear out the forward line, CLEAR out the forward line.
Honour leads.
It's not rocket science.

Yep.

I was talking tactics with my kid and explaining players running and kicking into space, waiting until there was a good option, going backwards if required.
Too many times i had to explain that 'THAT was a poor kick' because it allowed 3 on 1, 4 on 2 etc etc against us which allowed them to clear very easily.
It was always long bombs forward that got us outdone.
Even with our merry men of small forwards, its not a gameplan i would encourage.

Re: Practice match vs St Kilda lineup

Reply #33 – February 22, 2025, 03:16:39 pm

Well, I've seen some ordinary football from us, but today was close to the worst. Granted that it was a practice match that nobody gave a damn about, but the lack of intensity, the poor skills, the poor decision making, the inability to find a forward, the inability to pick up the 'Aint's defenders, ...
I was pretty frustrated. And the umpiring was almost as bad as how we played. Even so, that isn't why we lost. We lost because we didn't have contributors, our ball handling was poor, our good players were non-existent and our small forwards were invisible.

[1] The rucks:
We were beaten on the day by the guy who hasn't played a senior game yet. Granted he's a proven match winner in the SANFL, but the point had to made. We got nothing from the centre taps and didn't win many clearances.
Tom de Koning showed about 10 minutes of brilliance, in which he marked everything, got a couple of clearances and generally was superlative. But before that, he didn't do much.
Marc Pittonet had a shocker.
Skull O'Keefe came on in the last quarter and got some taps and some ball, but he is still light and weak compared the giants he is going to be playing against. Even so, he showed something, which Pitto didn't.

[2] Mids:
Our 1st ranked mids did very little. Cripps was on the ground, but that was about it. George was likewise. He had a chance to win the match with a set shot from about 40 m, passed the ball (poorly) instead, turned the ball over. The ball went down the other end and they kicked the sealer from 50+ into the howling gale. It encapsulated the match; they played with confidence and dash, while we didn't. Cerra got a bit of it, but his disposal today was dreadful.
The shining light was Jagga: he looked like he is ready. Then he went off injured. Again, that says so much.

Cooper Lord wasn't bad late and Blake Acres did some nice things, but our midfield lowered its colours.
Lucas Camporeale kicked a nice goal and got a bit of it, but he isn't there yet.

[3] Defenders:
Weitering had a poor day and struggled in the wind. Young wasn't bad in patches, but wasn't there when it mattered. Haynes wasn't bad. Ollie Hollands had some good patches, as did Matt Carroll, but we were loose and didn't have the same run the 'Aints had.

[4] Key forwards:
Total non-contributors. H had 2 early goals, but nothing after that. I don't think he took a mark after quarter time.
Moir was dangerous, but we couldn't get it near him.
Lemmey looked lost.
Our resting rucks did nothing either.
Probably our least effective players.

[5] Small forwards:
Motlop got 3, but did very little else. He may not have got a possession for 2 quarters, even with the players going on and off. His last quarter was reasonable.
Fantasia: Invisible. Had a set shot and missed badly, which took the wind from our sales. Otherwise, he was invisible.
Fog and Zac - I think they were out there, but they didn't contribute. They didn't even stop St. Kilda's playmakers from running the ball out of defence.

I found it difficult to find any positives out of the game: they wanted it more, their ball handling was better and their decision making wasn't much better than ours. But their shanks found targets, while our defenders didn't find the ball.

The game was there to win, but we didn't do anything near enough to get over the line. As a spectacle, it was one of the worst games I've ever seen. When I was coaching the kids at Charlton College, they more game sense, more desire and better skills, and my kids were the U14's.

Re: Practice match vs St Kilda lineup

Reply #34 – February 22, 2025, 03:23:27 pm

Quote from: blueday – on February 22, 2025, 01:29:18 pm

We give away so many free kicks. If Young plays home and away we are cooked.

Correction, so many stupid, undisciplined free kicks.

Re: Practice match vs St Kilda lineup

Reply #35 – February 22, 2025, 03:24:16 pm

Quote from: LP – on February 22, 2025, 01:30:05 pm

I don't get why fans keep investing in pre-season rubbish.

We've won pre-season comps more than once and finished last or close to last in the real season.

In the old days we would hardly ever win a pre-season game, and then go on to win a flag!

Gee I hope that happens this year.

Re: Practice match vs St Kilda lineup

Reply #36 – February 22, 2025, 03:36:20 pm

Only saw bits and pieces of the 2nd and 3rd. Watched the 3rd.
What stood out for me (clearly based only on what I watched):
- Defensively we looked terrible (maybe disorganised is a better word).
- Docs disposals were as bad as I have seen.
- Silly, undisciplined free kicks (especially in defence) needs some serious internalising. It must be stamped out come the real stuff.
- I dont think Ollie in the back line is a good idea.
- Matty Carroll in the back line is a good idea.
- Commentators referring to O'Keefe as O'Farrell crapted me to tears.
A bit of a meh game. Much work do if its a indicator for form, nothing to worry about if it isn't.
-

Re: Practice match vs St Kilda lineup

Reply #37 – February 22, 2025, 03:36:42 pm

PS: Will someone please merge the 2 threads we have for this disaster. I can't seem to be able to do it at the moment.

Re: Practice match vs St Kilda lineup

Reply #38 – February 22, 2025, 03:42:25 pm

Quote from: Gointocarlton – on February 22, 2025, 03:24:16 pm

Quote from: LP – on February 22, 2025, 01:30:05 pm
I don't get why fans keep investing in pre-season rubbish.

We've won pre-season comps more than once and finished last or close to last in the real season.

In the old days we would hardly ever win a pre-season game, and then go on to win a flag!
Gee I hope that happens this year.

Whilst that may or may not happen, one thing's for sure GiC. The ride will be full of highs, lows, and nail-biting moments and Carlton fans will age at twice the rate. Health permitting, it's in our own hands.

Go Blues

Re: Practice match vs St Kilda lineup

Reply #39 – February 22, 2025, 04:30:11 pm

Result didn't matter but how we played and our defensive setup is concerning.
Our kicking is still poor and the absence of Newman really has upset our backline as well as our ability to run and deliver the ball from half back.
TDK has to play 99% of the game in the ruck for us to be successful imo.
I have watched Boyd play for Norwood and knew he would be no pushover even as a rookie AFL player in his first game and if Marshall had played we would have been really exposed in the ruck when TDK wasnt there.
Haynes kicking is terrible and combined with Young we have a real dodgy look coming out of defense.
Didn't like the Ollie Hollands move down back either and he also has his disposal issues.
Matt Carroll isn't a bad user but defensively I'm a tad nervy if he has to play on anyone half decent.
Walsh and Charlie are irreplaceable and we need both back pronto even though we might get away with it vs the Richmond kiddies in round 1.
Motlop showed some flashes of form and Harry started well until supply dried up and I thought Acres was steady as he always is but we have plenty of work to do and position wise I'd be looking at how we can replace Newman with a better kicking ball user than what was on display today.
Thought Jagga Smith and Lucas Camporeale(limited time on the field) showed some skills which is promising for the future and McGovern was our best defender as well as providing some decent deliver further up the field.
Cant see the Saints being a finals threat this season but they have recruited some decent kids and down the track with a more offensive minded coach might prove a handful.

Re: Practice match vs St Kilda lineup

Reply #40 – February 22, 2025, 05:25:43 pm

Thought these matches were to blow out the cobwebs and sharpen up the game plan.
If this rubbish is our game plan we are in trouble. Either bomb it long to a pack or try a miracle chip to a manned player, it hasn’t worked before and isn’t going to again against the better teams. Don’t feel the saints are going far.
I know these results don’t matter but I personally want to win everything we have Carlton represented in from the handball on the footy show to match sim when one team wears blue jumper against the orange.
EVERYTHING ! 😵‍💫

Re: 2025 Practice Match vs St. Kilda

Reply #41 – February 22, 2025, 06:01:08 pm

I watched the entire game, from the good opening 10 minutes to the disjointed tedium that followed.

Once the Aints clicked into defensive pressure, we seemed to become a bunch of individuals... sound familiar?

We were only kept in it by good individual efforts. Cameo stuff, with little team cohesion.

They looked like a side who'd completed a pre season of knowing what they want and knew how to go about it - disciplined and well drilled, we didn't. It seemed the game meant much more to them than us. Just maybe we made them look better than they are with our indifference.

Re: 2025 Practice Match vs St. Kilda

Reply #42 – February 22, 2025, 06:09:56 pm

Wouldnt take much from this hit out. We got clobbered by Melbourne last year by 10 goals and they didnt make the finals and we were sitting 2nd after round 17 or something like that. Saints seemed more motivated and thats ok this time of year.

Cant play TDK and Pitto in same side - no idea why Kemp was dropped in VFL.

Looking forward taking on the Giants for final tune up.

Re: 2025 Practice Match vs St. Kilda

Reply #43 – February 22, 2025, 06:20:16 pm

I suspect the level of disappointment with the performance is pretty much determined by the expectations we had prior to the game.

While a lot of the criticism has some merit, some of the things concerning folks should probably be viewed in terms of the fact that it was 'just a hit-out'.
At this time of the year you may see a wide variation in how teams approach these games.
Some will take it more seriously than other.

Skills will be a little off.
Intensity and pressure will be nowhere near what it is in the season proper.
Your key players will play well within themselves....they have the experience of many pre-seasons behind them.

And importantly ...if you're rotating almost your entire list through four quarters of football things like stucture, cohesion and even momnetum will be seriously affected.

Re: 2025 Practice Match vs St. Kilda

Reply #44 – February 22, 2025, 06:34:36 pm

Quote from: pinot – on February 22, 2025, 06:09:56 pm

Wouldnt take much from this hit out. We got clobbered by Melbourne last year by 10 goals and they didnt make the finals and we were sitting 2nd after round 17 or something like that. Saints seemed more motivated and thats ok this time of year.

Cant play TDK and Pitto in same side - no idea why Kemp was dropped in VFL.

Looking forward taking on the Giants for final tune up.

You're likely right, Fine Wine. I'm one of those supporters who -- probably unrealistically -- wants to see our best, regardless of day. I guess rotating 30 blokes through the game would be more about 'having a look' at certain blokes and plays rather than a 'winning' intensity.