Post Game passion: AFL 2021 Rd 6: Carlton vs Brisbane

[Gointocarlton]

I think the thing that frustrates a few of us is not so much the skill errors as the intensity and pressure.
It was good in the first quarter.
It was exactly what was expected after the criticism aimed at the club through the week.
In the second quarter Brisbane matched and exceeded that pressure and it was pretty much the game done and dusted

I watched two Carlton sides today.
One had very little pressure applied to it and the result was a 12 goal first quarter.
The skills displayed were slick.
Passes hit their marks and good average players looked a million dollars.

In both games the pressure came from the opposition in the second quarter and we struggled with runs of goals against us.

Point is...if you come with intensity and effort you can make the opposition look like unskilled fumblers.
We often see the trick shots at training.
Attend training and the drills will quickly show you that our players don't lack basic skills
No way can that be duplicated under the pressure of 'real' match conditions.
But the side that comes with the greatest intensity will always look more skilled as they dominate the other team.

Again, at the ground (I was at the Coventry end level 2 in a pocket), you can see the whole ground it was so notable the difference in work rate of the two teams when they didn't have the ball. When they didn't have the ball, they would close in hard, limit space and inevitably either tackle our bloke or pressure him into an error. When we didn't have the ball, we would approach with caution, sit off a bit and the Brisbane bloke had all the time in the world to sum up the best option and deliver. The hunger to win it back at all costs by Brisbane was very noticeable.

And can Kruze please work with the rucks and tell them to please hit it to our advantage, or punch it on the direction we are kicking if our on ballers are hot/manned up.

[Gointocarlton]

I thought he got caught out a few times, the long Lyons kick to Hipwood who fecked up the pass but got a goal by accident wasnt great, Jones was nowhere near him. But being at the ground does give you a different perspective and you dont see the work off the ball either so I will cut Jones some slack given your close up observations.

Jones left him to try and help out up the ground and the other defenders didn't cover. No it didn't look good, sometimes you just have to not be drawn to the contest and cover your man. The defenders were arguing alot during that 2nd qtr. Overall I still think he was excellent.

[Macca37]

Zach Tuohy left Carlton at the end of 2016.  It's been that long since we've had a player who could be relied upon to kick a goal accurately from 50 metres.

Whenever he did I can remember the instant lift in the morale of the players and of course the supporters, especially at Marvel Stadium.

[ElwoodBlues1]

With Williams not having the impact in the middle at the moment, I'd be tempted to play him across half back. His kicking has been very ordinary so far, just not giving his team advantage, Either that or have him tag a good but not super-quick midfielder. I think he could do that well and get some ball while he is at it.

If we had another guy who be a ruckman, I would drop Levi. he hasn't had a good ear and has barely taken a mark. However, if an opposing team had 3 tall forwards, I would use Levi in that role. His ability to read to ball in the air in defence has been excellent.

SPS I'd play on a wing instead of Cottrell. He played some very good patches today, but isn't fast enough, and his disposal this year has been ordinary. Give him a chance to kick a goal.

Gibbo had a shocker. he didn't attack the ball like he normally does and he was ineffective wherever he played. However, he has some runs on the board and will probably survive. Unfortunately his lack of pace was really obvious out there tonight.

Jack Newnes also had one of his worst game for us. he made a lot more mistakes than he normally does and found the pace hard yakka. Again, he has a few runs on the board, which might save him. But a quicker player is a must in the longer term. Honey? I like the guy, but he goes missing too often.

Cunners had a very patchy game, where he was very good in patches and missing in others. he may be worth persevering with in the centre square, as he did some really nice things there.

People continue to bag Murphy, but he had a good game tonight. he isn't going to get 30+ possessions in a forward pocket, so we have to change out perception of him in that regard. He was a good option tonight who managed some good goals. Realize that he is what he is now, and 30+ possessions is not likely to happen.

Fog had a shocker. he had very little impact on the game and was knocked off the ball too easily.

Gibbons got manned by Starcevich from what I saw who is a strongly built kid and Gibbo couldnt shake him all night, the size issue
is a problem when you play a few smalls, as you say Fogarty was knocked off the ball easily and I even thought Saad had trouble getting away from the Lions tacklers.
I think Newnes went to Cameron at one stage and I wasnt sure where he actually played most during the game but I didnt see much of him.
Williams at half back might be a good idea just to get him firing and more ball...

[PaulP]

Betts kicked 0.4, and 2 of those he would normally kick in his sleep. Add to that Stocker's own goal (behind) and there's 13 points wiped off the deficit right there. For a team with apparently low work rate and at times terrible skills against a top 4 contender..................

[Lods]

Betts kicked 0.4, and 2 of those he would normally kick in his sleep. Add to that Stocker's own goal (behind) and there's 13 points wiped off the deficit right there. For a team with apparently low work rate and at times terrible skills against a top 4 contender..................

One of the problems with looking at 'what might have beens' though is that you can't look at in the isolation of only our team.
You have to look at the other sides near misses and 'stuff ups' as well.
You then also have to factor the change to the game that might have occurred if the ball went back to the centre rather than being kicked out.
It s a Butterfly effect.

And importantly if a side is pressed by a team coming at them, rather than having a comfortable margin, do they lift their game to meet, and see off,that challenge.
Port last week seemed to do only as much as they had to for us to be kept at bay.

[PaulP]

One of the problems with looking at 'what might have beens' though is that you can't look at in the isolation of only our team.
You have to look at the other sides near misses and 'stuff ups' as well.
You then also have to factor the change to the game that might have occurred if the ball went back to the centre rather than being kicked out.
It s a Butterfly effect.

And importantly if a side is pressed by a team coming at them, rather than having a comfortable margin, do they lift their game to meet, and see off,that challenge.
Port last week seemed to do only as much as they had to for us to be kept at bay.

Whether Brisbane respond positively or negatively is something no one can answer. Perhaps they go into their shell instead ? We won the centre clearances, so I'm not sure Brisbane would have an advantage in that space. The what ifs I posed above are regulation stuff, not wild scenarios - 9 times out of 10 Betts would kick those, and 9 times out of 10 Stocker would not skew the kick so badly.

I'm still of the opinion that we are not as far off as some people think.

[Tragic]

Whether Brisbane respond positively or negatively is something no one can answer. Perhaps they go into their shell instead ? We won the centre clearances, so I'm not sure Brisbane would have an advantage in that space. The what ifs I posed above are regulation stuff, not wild scenarios - 9 times out of 10 Betts would kick those, and 9 times out of 10 Stocker would not skew the kick so badly.

I'm still of the opinion that we are not as far off as some people think.

I'm in the same boat. Only problem is it's been like this for longer than we hoped. We're not that far off but the good teams are still too good for us when they have a crack. Injuries to key players are still hurting us. Easy misses are still hurting us. 20 minute lapses of concentration are still hurting us. We're not quite there yet.

[Gointocarlton]

Whether Brisbane respond positively or negatively is something no one can answer. Perhaps they go into their shell instead ? We won the centre clearances, so I'm not sure Brisbane would have an advantage in that space. The what ifs I posed above are regulation stuff, not wild scenarios - 9 times out of 10 Betts would kick those, and 9 times out of 10 Stocker would not skew the kick so badly.

I'm still of the opinion that we are not as far off as some people think.

Dont care as much about the misses as the qtr long MIAs. How many 5 unanswered goal turn arounds is that now?

[Lods]

Whether Brisbane respond positively or negatively is something no one can answer. Perhaps they go into their shell instead ? We won the centre clearances, so I'm not sure Brisbane would have an advantage in that space. The what ifs I posed above are regulation stuff, not wild scenarios - 9 times out of 10 Betts would kick those, and 9 times out of 10 Stocker would not skew the kick so badly.

I'm still of the opinion that we are not as far off as some people think.

Old Betts might have, but he's been having trouble hitting the scoreboard, so no guarantees.
And you still have to factor in Brisbane's 'what might have beens' too.
If we looked at the game again we'd probably find three or four of those.

But you may be right on where we stand...I'm actually a bit surprised at some of the level of early angst in regards to this match which, while justified in some cases, seems to have gone up a level again this week.