Re: AFL EF#1 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Geelong
Reply #8 –
When the bough breaks ...........
Started off like we wanted to really win it, finished like we were still being coached by Voss.
We played Hawthorn a while back in the rain and got spanked, tonight we didn't handle the slippery conditions again. It's clearly an issue that needs to be addressed.
What is also of serious concern to me is that some of our players who have been adequate for many weeks, crumbled under the pressure and did some extremely stupid things.
Young & Cottrell were braindead tonite, some of the things they did completely defy logic. Kemp going for the left foot checkside from the right forward pocket only to kick the ball in the middle and float it across goal to the opposite pocket where Cottrell took a chest mark. From the set shot, Cottrell kicked across the body and hit the post - two appalling choices let down by poor skills. I also wasn't impressed with Cottrell laughing when he hit the post, seriously champ, this is a cut-throat final which requres a little more focus than what you showed.
We got a few bum decisions from the umpires but that is not why we lost, we failed to maintain the pressure & chase like we have seen for many weeks.
Fraser got a coaching lesson tonite, we were all over them early and made them look second-rate, Scott made some subtle changes and they stormed back into the match.
Yes, it's been a really weird year for us with plenty to like but this elimination final showed just how far off the pace our list is and how we cannot cut corners in our pursuit for the ultimate success.
Scott definitely made some tweaks, they really got us on the counter and outside by backing themselves to sit a couple off the contest.
Fraser didnt adjust the long kicks to Harry. Not sure how many marks he took but every mark he didnt mark it, when the bal hit the ground Geel punished us by taking it away. They needed to put it bed because Geel were waiting for it every single time.
Our fwd line looked dysfunctional by large tonight, Stewart seem to gobble up everything, we played into their hands (literally).