Re: AFL Rd 9 2026 Pre Game Predictions Carlton vs Brisbane in Brisbane
Reply #50 –
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.
I'm not so sure I've answered my own question as there are other more important questions: are these blokes being used properly, does our game plan suit them, are we leading and managing them as best we can?
We know that all are better than they're showing. H has always looked better up the field/helping out with rucking. And I think the questions for the others and their best uses also asks questions. How often do we play blokes out of position? Doesn't a narrow focus of contest and pressure only suit certain types? What happens to more creative and offensive types in this system?
Do our on-field leaders really know what leadership is? Why do they think that trying to do it all themselves is leadership (it aint)? Against Brisvegas this evening will ask of us being able to play a few different ways, as they sure can. They've developed the various skills that a variety of players bring. We haven't. Why?