Post Game Analysis: AFL 2020 Rd 2: Carlton vs Melbourne

[flyboy77]

Some highlights from the Dees game on Pittonet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kAOcO8xpMI

The commentators were impressed....

[LP]

It's way too early to judge Pittonet but nothing to suggest (currently) he's not the equal or better of 3 of the first 4 mentioned. Marshall is (currently) a better player.

My point - in response to your original comments - is that there is nothing to suggest Pittonet can't be a very capable first ruck. Big unit (202cm, 105kg) with mongrel, good mark, not slow, appears durable and has an excellent work ethic.

https://www.hawthornfc.com.au/news/46124...recognised

Special K is all but dusted sadly, Gawn is 29 this year (121 games now, had only played 20 odd games at Pittonet's age) , Grundy is 26 with 134 games), Naitanui just hit 30, 168 games.

All players had a start, it doesn't count for much. 

I'm not sure it's viable to consider VFL rucking as a valid comparison to AFL. If it was how can it be Nick Meese languished his whole career in the VFL, he was the VFL's dominant ruck for almost a decade?

We all wish Pittonet well, but wishes do not count for much and it will be another 2 or 3 seasons before we get the genuine answer. If we wait until then to put an backup plan in place we've burned the careers of Cripps and others. I'd much rather put that time into De Koning as he seems to have potential beyond Pittonet, or perhaps another kid. So for me Pittonet is a place holder, even if I wish him well.

[LP]

Some highlights from the Dees game on Pittonet.

The commentators were impressed....

Yes, I wrote as much in the voting thread that I would have liked to give him votes, but I had to temper that against his opponent running rampant. 

I'm not going to confuse good with dominant efforts, we might be looking at Pittonet through rose coloured glasses having put up with rather poor 2nd ruck options for so long.

At the weekend Pittonet did what was expected after being dominated early, he competed and halved the contest, but he didn't dominate. It's a hell of a jump to be proclaimed as 1st dominance capable against a Gawn or Grundy type, Kreuzer often was, and I think we need a replacement who is capable of dominating them not just squaring the contest.

I'd be more confident of developing Pittonet if we still had Josh Fraser around the club, Fraser coached Liam Jones into VFL ruck dominance. Who are our current ruck / midfield / stoppage coaches? Hamish Macintosh and John Barker, nice blokes!

[Thryleon]

I love Kreuzer as much as the next bloke, but for quite some time he was both the reason we won and lost games, and that equation doesnt get a team very far in AFL footy.

You can rely on a bloke like Cripps, or Judd lets say, but not someone who is a 24/7 footballer.  Plays 7 great games a year and injured for 24.  That means make HIM the second banana, and he can fill in for the fit young bull who can do a job every week, and then come finals time play them in a tandem.

[LP]

For me, having watched the replay, the absolute best thing to come out of the weekends game, ignoring the outcome of the set shots, was Cripps clunking marks inside F50.

Get him working with Rocca, leave Levi, McKay and McGovern pumping up and down the field on hard lead after hard lead.

Let Cripps float inside F50 to have a rest by clunking and kicking a few, he and perhaps Weitering are serious serious F50 marking options!

[flyboy77]

All players had a start, it doesn't count for much.

I'm not sure it's viable to consider VFL rucking as a valid comparison to AFL. If it was how can it be Nick Meese languished his whole career in the VFL, he was the VFL's dominant ruck for almost a decade?

We all wish Pittonet well, but wishes do not count for much and it will be another 2 or 3 seasons before we get the genuine answer. If we wait until then to put an backup plan in place we've burned the careers of Cripps and others. I'd much rather put that time into De Koning as he seems to have potential beyond Pittonet, or perhaps another kid. So for me Pittonet is a place holder, even if I wish him well.

Did I say that? No. But he's clearly done his apprenticeship.

Using Meese as a comparison is just you trying to be cute - and failing.

Meese was overlooked for years, rightly or wrongly, for well documented reasons. Height and tank.

And it won't take 2-3 years to see how good he is - he gave Grundy a fair touch up this year. We'll know this season his 'potential'.

Playing TDK as the #1 ruck now will simply ruin the kid - as we did to Kreuzer to be honest.

The Frenchman is a big man, a hard man and other ruckmen know it.

TDK is a spindly kid - any other ruckmen know that too.

Your logic is flawed.

[Tragic]

Don't need a gun ruckman to win a flag.  Pittonet will do if this weeks game was a good example of what he can do, and he regularly plays to that standard or above.  A gun ruck would be nice of course, but we need a gun mid or two and a small forward more.

[capcom]

I reckon he'll be fine for us.  Cost us little anyway.

[LP]

Pittonet is what we should expect from 2nd rucks, but so far his best is miles off a good 1st ruck.

It's clear some either undervalue very good ruckmen, or think the ones we've got are mustard, but I think that is just looking at our guys through navy blue glasses.

I'm not sure you can take average ruck into a GF and think you'll be at no disadvantage. Looking at recent selection trends there are a bunch of AFL coaches that think the very same.

[Gointocarlton]

Did I say that? No. But he's clearly done his apprenticeship.

Using Meese as a comparison is just you trying to be cute - and failing.

Meese was overlooked for years, rightly or wrongly, for well documented reasons. Height and tank.

And it won't take 2-3 years to see how good he is - he gave Grundy a fair touch up this year. We'll know this season his 'potential'.

Playing TDK as the #1 ruck now will simply ruin the kid - as we did to Kreuzer to be honest.

The Frenchman Italian is a big man, a hard man and other ruckmen know it.

TDK is a spindly kid - any other ruckmen know that too.

Your logic is flawed.

EFA