AFL Rd 3 2023 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs GWS

[DJC]

I always have a little chuckle when I see 'danger game'.  Who was the poster who used to fire up whenever anyone mentioned 'danger game'?  I think that the competition is so close now that an easybeat team one week can defeat a top four team the next week.  All it takes for an unexpected loss is for a team to be a little off in their preparation.  Who would have tipped the Doggies to beat Brisbane and keep them to just seven goals?  Did the racism directed at Jamarra Ugle-Hagan fire up the Doggies?  "Maar paneeyt" Jamarra!

The first two rounds suggest that we should have GWS's measure.  They've regained Whitfield and Kelly while we've basically swapped Hewett for Kennedy.  We're a tad undermanned in the midfield - by our standards - but should be able to match GWS without too many problems.

The ruck contests should be interesting.  Flynn has got off to a flyer, dominating the hitouts and getting a fair bit of the ball around the ground, and he's basically going it alone.  I imagine that De Koning and Pitto will try to run him ragged and exploit any of the part-timers GWS may throw into the ruck.  I'd like to see De Koning and Pitto drifting forward and back to create a bit of doubt in the minds of the GWS defenders and forwards.

Vossy said that Greene will have different opponents depending on where he's playing.  I'd like to see Saad spend some time on Greene and run off him at every opportunity.  Greene will probably still get his 3 or 4 goals, regardless of his opponent but there's not much else to worry about among the GWS forwards.  I can't really see their defenders holding our forwards, we just have too much firepower ... provided that our transition and stoppage work is at its best.

I think that we'll win comfortably, but not be a huge margin.

Go Blues!

[Thryleon]

Newman to Toby for mine.

Beyond that, I would be giving Dow a test this week to see where hes at.  Last year we put him in vs the Pies, which wasnt really fair. Looking at Rayner and LDU, I think Dows lack of opportunity to play at the coal face has hurt his developement (fair enough as he hasnt really shown enough) but you have to give him a chance in these types of matches.  I really liked what I saw last week, if only the second half.

[townsendcalling]

It is amazing what a relatively 'fresh' TDK in the 4th quarter looks like. Still jumping, tackling with intent and working hard. The guy was knackered in the games that Pitto didn't play.  The 2 ruck plan helps both Pitto and TDK. They will be dominant this week and that will translate to another strong game from Cripps. He loves standing under big Brad!

[Mav]

According to the club site:

Hewett got through the entire main training session on Thursday in preparation for this Saturday’s first 2023 interstate trip for the Blues.

Voss had set that as the condition for staying in the team. It looks as though he’ll be playing. Now we just have to see if he wears a protective glove. What the above statement doesn’t say is whether he trained with one or not. I’m guessing a fair amount of preparation goes into gaining an exemption for such protective equipment. You just can’t fit a metal plate to the back of a glove as it could end up being a weapon. Presumably, the AFL would have to sign off on it as is the case with arm guards.

[LP]

Presumably, the AFL would have to sign off on it as is the case with arm guards.

Yep, they are free to discriminate.

[DJC]

According to the club site:
Voss had set that as the condition for staying in the team. It looks as though he’ll be playing. Now we just have to see if he wears a protective glove. What the above statement doesn’t say is whether he trained with one or not. I’m guessing a fair amount of preparation goes into gaining an exemption for such protective equipment. You just can’t fit a metal plate to the back of a glove as it could end up being a weapon. Presumably, the AFL would have to sign off on it as is the case with arm guards.

As I understand the glove rule, players can only wear gloves that have the AFL’s prior approval (that’s before the start of the season).  George will have to select a glove from those already approved by the AFL; one that provides a level of protection for whatever injury he’s carrying.

I’m guessing that it’s ligament damage.

[Mav]

The AFL has an approved range of gloves to avoid some players using the super-sticky gloves favoured by NFL wide receivers. OBJ’s one-handed touchdown catch was brilliant but no doubt the glove reduced the degree of difficulty. IIRC, one AFL player was caught out using Nike super-sticky gloves - was it Travis Cloke? That led to a crackdown.

Scientists have been trying to unlock the secrets of the gecko’s ability to climb up sheer glass. The idea is that a profusion of small filaments provide a sticking force by causing a weak attraction between the filaments and the glass at the molecular level. That has already provided advancements in dry adhesives but they want to produce gloves and footwear that will enable people to crawl up glass without the need for suction cups and the like. Imagine how much of an advantage that would give a player in wet conditions. You’d end up with gloves that were so good it would be as if the players were using Velcro paddles to catch fuzzy balls. Fortunately, the AFL has been able to stare down equipment manufacturers in a way Cricket and Golf rule-makers could not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4hr-idVdhA&t=65s

But gloves wouldn’t do much to protect an injured hand unless they were reinforced with padding or a hard material such as metal or stiff plastic. Any modifications to approved gloves to protect the injured hand would have to be approved by the AFL. We all remember umpires inspecting our boots before a game and making sure no jewellery was exposed. Same thing but it makes sense not to put the onus on the umpires to assess the glove before the game.

[Lods]

I always have a little chuckle when I see 'danger game'.  Who was the poster who used to fire up whenever anyone mentioned 'danger game'?  I think that the competition is so close now that an easybeat team one week can defeat a top four team the next week.  All it takes for an unexpected loss is for a team to be a little off in their preparation.  Who would have tipped the Doggies to beat Brisbane and keep them to just seven goals?  Did the racism directed at Jamarra Ugle-Hagan fire up the Doggies?  "Maar paneeyt" Jamarra!

The first two rounds suggest that we should have GWS's measure.  They've regained Whitfield and Kelly while we've basically swapped Hewett for Kennedy.  We're a tad undermanned in the midfield - by our standards - but should be able to match GWS without too many problems.

The ruck contests should be interesting.  Flynn has got off to a flyer, dominating the hitouts and getting a fair bit of the ball around the ground, and he's basically going it alone.  I imagine that De Koning and Pitto will try to run him ragged and exploit any of the part-timers GWS may throw into the ruck.  I'd like to see De Koning and Pitto drifting forward and back to create a bit of doubt in the minds of the GWS defenders and forwards.

Vossy said that Greene will have different opponents depending on where he's playing.  I'd like to see Saad spend some time on Greene and run off him at every opportunity.  Greene will probably still get his 3 or 4 goals, regardless of his opponent but there's not much else to worry about among the GWS forwards.  I can't really see their defenders holding our forwards, we just have too much firepower ... provided that our transition and stoppage work is at its best.

I think that we'll win comfortably, but not be a huge margin.

Go Blues!

I think it was Tribey72 who didn't like the term "danger game".
You didn't dare use it when he was around.  
But it's a real thing and it usually occurs when a club goes in thinking they will win.
They've already played the game in their head and had an easy win.
It takes just a couple of minutes of intense pressure at the start of the game by the opposition to show that it won't be such an easy day.
The shock of that unexpected attack is enough to put a side on the back foot and once that happens the day may turn into a struggle.
We lose this one if the 'minds' don't come to play.

[madbluboy]

Danger game for them.

70 points.

[DJC]

I think it was Tribey72 who didn't like the term "danger game".
You didn't dare use it when he was around.  
But it's a real thing and it usually occurs when a club goes in thinking they will win.
They've already played the game in their head and had an easy win.
It takes just a couple of minutes of intense pressure at the start of the game by the opposition to show that it won't be such an easy day.
The shock of that unexpected attack is enough to put a side on the back foot and once that happens the day may turn into a struggle.
We lose this one if the 'minds' don't come to play.

That's him Lods, Tribey72.  If I remember correctly he was a fan of the Archer animated series 

Yes, it's generally above the shoulders where games like this are won and lost.