2024 Practice Match Carlton vs Melbourne

[laj]

Yeah when Gawn went off for an extended rest. Watching H and Schache in the ruck hurt my eyes.

The intensity and ball movement from defence definitely picked up. Doesn't matter who went off, if the intensity and workrate lifts, the rest follows.

[kruddler]

This game is a game of 2 halves.....and those halves reflect our 2 halves of our season last year.

1st half average.
2nd half quick exciting and getting results

[kruddler]

Olli Holland's is bog.
Acres not far behind.

A few of our senior blokes are as expected, Newman, Saad, docherty etc.

Fantasia is a quick thinker and quick to dispose, need more from his skill set, but with all our other small forward injuries, he probably gets a game.

Pitto isn't fit and it showed. Dont play him next week. Tdk is fit, but is getting a lesson from gawn.

Harry in the ruck is something we need more of. Gets us our 2 rucks without playing 2 rucks. Gives him something to focus on other than his kicking which is still a craps shoot.

Don't care about the result. Individual form is what I'm looking at

[Lods]

Get all the good players off now....if you can find them,

[laj]

Olli Holland's is bog.
Acres not far behind.

A few of our senior blokes are as expected, Newman, Saad, docherty etc.

Fantasia is a quick thinker and quick to dispose, need more from his skill set, but with all our other small forward injuries, he probably gets a game.

Pitto isn't fit and it showed. Dont play him next week. Tdk is fit, but is getting a lesson from gawn.

Harry in the ruck is something we need more of. Gets us our 2 rucks without playing 2 rucks. Gives him something to focus on other than his kicking which is still a craps shoot.

Don't care about the result. Individual form is what I'm looking at

Similar.

My other thought too being that we have played on 2 scorching days. They may have backed off looking at the recovery aspects knowing they have another of those evenings next week. It's quite a few days recovery required otherwise.

[Lods]

Fantasia holding his hamstring :

[Gointocarlton]

If we were practicing how not to play? Mission accomplished.
If were were tuning up for round 0? Fail
The kicks inside 50 have been abysmal.

[kruddler]

Good debate about our ruck setup bei g had by commentators. Identifying that an average ruck is very much overrated.

Question remains what does our coaching staff value.

Tdk is the constant tease. Looks good grabbing it out of the ruck but stuffs the kick and creates a shot on goal. But if he can get it done....??

Pittonet is your meat and potatoes guy who grinds all game and adds more ruck craft and our mids benefit from that. But does he do enough around the ground??

Harry is an adequate 2nd ruck and means we 100% shouldn't play 2 others. So who do we choose?

Like last year, I suspect tdk will be first choice.
Hopefully unlike.last year he takes the next step and keeps it.....but he needs to improve his ruck craft and minimise opposition rucks influence.....clearly gawn is a bridge too far but we can't hold that against him. As long as it's not the same against the average rucks.


Pitto being injured/underdone probably makes it an easy decision early, but I don't envy the MCs job.

[kruddler]

Fantasia holding his hamstring :

And now a calf

[Lods]

And now a calf

Looked a bit proppy at the end of the game.
That's going to be the issue....but we knew that.