Ready for tomorrow's game. I will be at the game.

Our boys start their season in Rd 2 at Arden St against the 2nd places North at 12:30 on Friday 29th March.

To be honest, our pre-season form hasn't been very good, but we've never had anything like our full complement of AFL or VFL players available. It will be interesting to see just who we select, and how intense we really are.

To be honest, I'd like to see more intensity from our VFL side. We haven't really shown a lot of that under Power. Power has been very good at the development side and dealing with our kids, but he hasn't set the world on fire as a coach. Granted that we'll have a few guys back, I'd like to see a harder edge to our game.

A very different looking Carlton VFLW team to open their season against Geelong at Geelong this weekend. We do have a few AFLW girls playing, including Meg Robertson and Lila Keck, who play in the Navy Blue for the first time. The game is at 11:15 on Saturday 23rd March.

Only 5 of the VFLW girls from last year are playing this weekend. That is a huge turnover.

Our team
B: Octavia Di Donato (51)  Ciara Fitzgerald (36) 
HB: Lulu Beatty (13)  Layla Prince (58)  Steph Demeo (66)
C: Keeley Skepper (4)  Brooke Vickers (24)  Hannah Bowey (64)
HF: Georgia Tait (57)  Mia Austin (22)  Meg Robertson (15)
F: Lila Keck (23)  Sophie McCarthy (54) 
FOLL: Jemma Stokes (65)  Maddie Guerin (18)  Keeley Sherar (25)
INT: Asha Turner-Funk (53)  Natasha Phillips (74)  Isla Baldwin (70)  Izzy Khoury (52)  Eliza Wood (50)

EMG: Isabella Parnell (59)  Danika Di Santo (76)  Amy Trindade (62)

Obviously our brain trusts want to get some game time into some of our younger AFLW girls, especially as a number of them have been cruelled by injuries and need time on the park. Some of them, like Skepper and Sherar are probably not going to see much VFLW action, as they are already AFLW mainstays.

Note with interest, Maddy Guerin, who is playing her first game back after another serious knee injury. Just before she was injured, she was stepping up to be a major midfielder with real pace and depth to her kicking. How she will play now, that is the obvious question.

There's a band i like, that nobody has ever heard of called The Zutons. The only song people seem to know is one that Amy Winehouse did a cover of - Valerie, but there is plenty worth listening too.

One of my favourites is called Pressure Point.

When watching Carlton play over the last 20-odd games, there is a section that comes to mind which i think would be good for backing music in a highlight reel see below. (I've started at the part of note in this instance)

https://youtu.be/mLPJy1VS27U?si=NIolldfnPwG3M0_8&t=84

So with the above in mind....

Pressure acts. A stat that doesn't get much attention, but all hell breaks loose when you are lacking in that area, not least of which is the pressure on the coach intensifies. Its been no secret that the more you pressure your opponent, the better off you will be, in terms of the contest and the overall result.

So how have we gone so far this season and who is getting the job done? Looking at last 2 weeks for a start.

A few people have suggested that Hollands has been down on form and Cunners has been underperforming as well.

Personally i've been happy with both and i was looking through some stats to see if my eyes were telling the truth. They were.


FWIW, Carlton had 296 pressure acts. Richmond had 293.

Best for carlton....
Newman (24)
Hewett (23)
Cripps (22)
Hollands (19)
Cuningham (17)
McKay (17)
Acres (16)
Cerra (15)

Last week it was Carlton 279 vs Lions 264
Last week, the best for Carlton was....
Cerra (30)
Hollands (29)
Cuningham (18)
Hewett (17)
Kennedy (16)
Fogarty (16)

So total so far....
Hollands (48)
Cerra (45)
Hewett (40)
Newman (37)
Cripps (36)
Cuningham (35)
Boyd (28)

So there it is, Thats my Zutons factor and highlighting a few boys that i think deserve some credit for their pressure.

Good Friday footy against North.
I hope North wear a guernsey that looks less like ours for a change. That was a shocker.

We need the bye, if just to get some of our players back. It has been nice to win with the guys we have, but we will be better with more guys available.

Happening this afternoon, at Richmond.
I usually attend, but can't today: work.
Hopefully some of you can see the game and comment. All snippets from the game are welcome, as there is very little coming from the club about our VFL boys as yet.

Voting is as usual: you have 15 votes to award pretty much as you will, with the following provisos:
[1] 15 votes in total, no more, no less.
[2] No more than 10 votes for any one player (even Sam Walsh or Patrick Cripps)
[3] Three players at least must get a mention.
[4] A grade for the game, A+ (what I want to see) to F-.

All ready for the post game.

All ready for tomorrow.