Carlton Supporters Club

Amazing what a difference it makes when the opposition rucks fail to impose themselves at centre bounces.

TDK was largely untouched (looked more like last year) and even O'Keeffe was able to palm the ball to advantage without a problem - hence lots of centre clearances and time to kick the ball to teammates who were not outnumbered.

Outstanding first half - pathetic third quarter - better final quarter but still junk-football.

It was interesting to see the players get around Tom DeKoning when he kicked a goal.
It was very enthusiastic.
We assume he's gone, I'm not even sure the club is fighting too hard anymore.
If he departs I think he'll leave behind a few mates.
If nothing else it's pleasing to see him finishing the season with a bit of effort.
Got a bit of a cheer there from the crowd at one stage.

I didn't expect to win like that, although we did slow down after half time (some things don't change).

[1] H:
The reason I like H much more as a forward than either of the Kings is that H doesn't get many easy ones. Our disposal is simply not good enough often enough for him to get easy goals. Instead, he takes contested grabs. He actually beats his opponent. He tackles. He chases, not brilliantly sometimes, but he does it and he is surprisingly quick for a big fellow.
For example:
H takes the ruck in the forward pocket and guides the ball to his boot for a fantastic goal. Neither of the Kings can do anything like that.
That said, sometimes he can be mentally weak, falling over or miskicking when a good possession could be a game winner, and he isn't the smartest player you've ever seen; he can muck things up with a poor decision or an awful kick. However, he is the real deal and we are a better team with him playing. He had 3 different opponents today and thrashed each of them.

[2] Sam Walsh:
I was dubious about playing a guy who had to be under done. What an idiot I was. He played one of his best today, and he was on seriously managed minutes (especially after half time). 28 possessions, 5 clearances and 2 points. The weakness in his game was those two points; Sam doesn't tend to kick many goals. If he can become a goalkicker, he would raise his game even further.
The other thing that was really noticeable was that he was fit; he was struggling to move like this earlier in the season. I think staying fit is going to his issue over time. I hope he can be managed successfully, but I haven't seen any signs of that yet.
The other thing that was clear was the difference he makes to a our centre setup. His run really makes a difference. Now, imagine next season with Jagga Smith, who can also accelerate away and break tackles. Then add Cody Walker the season later. That transforms our slow, stolid midfield in ways I am sure we'll enjoy.

[3] Jacob Weitering:
If Jacob is 100% bit, then my name is Spock and my blood is green.
Whitlock got away from a couple of times just because he couldn't move like he usually does. That didn't stop him doing some brilliant things, but he is clearly trying to get to the end of the season.
On the other hand, Lewis Young had one of his very best games. He played mostly on Georgiades and beat him. I wasn't sure he had it in him, but he really stepped up today.
Nick Haynes didn't have an obvious matchup today, so he played on the wing all day and had a great game. His intensity and intercepting were wonderful to watch.
For that matter, Blake Acres had his best game for the year. Acres was brilliant in the way he interrupted Port's play.

Quote from: Lods – on August 16, 2025, 08:21:20 pm

It was interesting to see the players get around Tom DeKoning when he kicked a goal.
It was very enthusiastic.
We assume he's gone, I'm not even sure the club is fighting too hard anymore.
If he departs I think he'll leave behind a few mates.
If nothing else it's pleasing to see him finishing the season with a bit of effort.
Got a bit of a cheer there from the crowd at one stage.

No ones is going to blame him for going for that amount of coin. I'm sure he'd like to stay but one has to make the most of their chances financially too.