Re: AFL Rd 9 2026 Pre Game Predictions Carlton vs Brisbane in Brisbane
Reply #45 –
Well here we go.
The biggest test of the year for a group that give the impression their study habits haven't been the best.
They keep making the same mistakes, and brain fades.
As much as we would all like a win, with the current betting markets very much against us, the general expectation is we will struggle.
What we do want to see though is effort, competitiveness and a bit of leadership from our senior group...and possibly that may lead to a game close enough where anything can happen.
Of the alternatives I don't know which would be worse....an absolute smacking or a game where we have a good lead at half time only to surrender it 5-10 minutes after the second half starts.
One is definitive...the other predictable.
We've got a pretty good idea which Brisvegas will turn up.
Big question is, which CFC will turn up? Will it be the D1ckers game? Aints? Rottingwood? Which quarter will we win and which quarter or two will we capitulate?
The one thing we do know is that we take a few passengers into this game. I speak of H, Cerra, Weiters, Hayward, Crippa is struggling, Hollands works hard but with limited impact... Hopefully they turn it around. Brisvegas don't seem to have any passengers. Maybe they'll relax a smidge considering their opponent - us.
Will Vossy double down on contest and pressure or encourage and back the 'new' game? Until the Aints game I was encouraged by our progress. Then we collapsed back into our 'old' game. I really wanted to believe in Vossy. Hope sprung eternal!
All-in-all, I hope we're competitive ...at least. Hopefully with H doing some ruck time, he'll regain touch and confidence. Hopefully Crippa spends more time forward giving midfield bull work to Hewett. Hopefully Ainsworth gets midfield time. Hopefully on-field leaders develop an understanding that leadership aint about heroics and/or trying to do it all yourself!
You have answer your own question.
When you live and die by your top 20% of performers and those players are H, Cerra, Weiters, Hayward, Crippa, and they have given us what they give us this season, we already know what the ouctome is gonna be, so your question is, how effective will they be this week?
The answer is only Hayward is trending the right way.