AFL 2024 Elimination Final 1 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Brisbane

[laj]

I like owies but he's no Eddie betts.  I know once bitten twice shy, but his 2023 was actually better than his 2024.  Kicked 27 goals off 18 games rather than 33 off 23. 

Not a huge difference. Just shows he's a consistent goalkicker.

[Adelaideblue]

The number of posts to this topic shows the concern that supporters/members are feeling after last weekend.  Not only at the game outcome, but the deficiencies in player selection and player management.

It is suggested a letter could be sent to the club, (say to Brian Cook Chief Executive Officer) from the Moderators seeking explanation to some of the decision made by the coaches/selectors and hopefully some acknowledgement of mistakes .

There have been lots of good points raised by various CSC members (including several by Baggers that hit the bullseye.  imo).  To get the ball rolling, here are a few thoughts from various member postings for someone to compose a letter.

Team Selection  - Carlton v Brisbane final
Selecting payers who had been out injured, had been breaking down consistently during the season or broke down when last played,
  Players who had performed poorly when selected for previous games.
Ignoring three young players who were match fit and had performed well in  the last two AFL games.
Leaving out Cincotta our best shut down player.

Team selection - Season 2024
Not rewarding player form in our VFL side
Failure to play young players from VFL side during the season in order they experience AFL tempo and to view their potential/development progress.
Dropping consistent performers Kennedy and Hewett to VFL side
Selecting players on perceived ability or past performance, not on form. (playing favourites)

VFL side - Strong seconds side/club culture often a feature of AFL premiership winning clubs.
(Eg Box hill Hawks, Geelong VFL Cats, Casey Demons, etc)

Our AFL listed players more likely to be ready for move up, if playing in a strong VFL side.       
Carlton VFL side appears not to have the required level of support from the club to achieve.

[Baggers]

Good read, City of Churches (AB).

To a person, every Bluebagger I know is at least perplexed and deeply disappointed through to still hurting and even angry.
And that anger is due to most of us knowing those changes at selection last week were problematic, even silly.

Vossy attempting to justify his selections of so many suspect players having gotten through the game without injury is embarrassing. Not about that at all. Apart from TDK and perhaps H, how many of those inclusions made a strong, positive impact on the game? How could they, they were underdone and lacked match fitness and confidence.

And for Brad Lloyd to put our failure and consistent inconsistency at the feet of injury, alone, was convenient and predictable. He obviously believes members and supporters are supremely gullible. I'm betting that behind closed doors there are smarter people asking stronger questions. Well, I hope so. When accountability is avoided no meaningful change can take hold and stick.

Was The Terrier's departure the scapegoat that the failures of others needed for a collective sign of relief? 'Don't look at me, it's all his fault.'

[Lods]

Good read, City of Churches (AB).

To a person, every Bluebagger I know is at least perplexed and deeply disappointed through to still hurting and even angry.
And that anger is due to most of us knowing those changes at selection last week were problematic, even silly.

I may be the odd man out then.
I'm disappointed, but not perplexed.
Certainly not angry....not even hurting.

It was what it was.
Once the injuries hit us our season virtually ended.
Folks will say we were off before that, but we were sitting in second having crushed Geelong and were being talked up as premiership favourites.
It wasn't just injuries that had players missing games, but the fact that players were forced to play with injuries and the cumulative effect of that meant the season would finish pretty much as it did.

Do folks think that if Binns, Lord, Moir and Cincotta had played we would have won.
We couldn't beat St Kilda with those 4 playing and Cincotta who seemed an obvious matchup for someone like Zorko was dropped. So obviously it was considered that he had gone off the boil from the shut-down roles he'd performed in previous weeks.
At best it might have made a slight difference to the start.
Some might say we came back and they started to panic.
There was an element of that, but we were never going to win.
They eased off and then had to comeback and seal the game...which they did.
Brisbane had the game won and were looking to next week.
Our last three goals were junk time goals.
Two to Pittonet says it all.

But if TDK had played all the game???
We were at the point where it was considered that he was a major weapon but the doubt was on the ability to see out the game.
If we're going to count out players because there is a doubt over their fitness and ability to see out the game as some have argued....then surely he doesn't play at all.
That wouldn't have gone well.
The fact is we had no idea how long he would last, or how he would perform after a lay-off.
That he did well is a credit to him, and the sooner we get him on a long term deal the better.

So... not angry.
Not hurting
A bit disappointed.
That's all a bit of a waste of time...what's done is done
Moved on already...but maybe hoping and expecting some changes around the caoching structure and football department.
Looking forward to the trade and draft periods and a more settled side in 2025....because time is running out for this group, and major changes will take us back a few squares.

[madbluboy]

Our premiership campaign ended on that Sunday afternoon against Hawthorn. That was the nail.

I'm positive about our future.

[laj]

I may be the odd man out then.
I'm disappointed, but not perplexed.
Certainly not angry....not even hurting.

It was what it was.
Once the injuries hit us our season virtually ended.
Folks will say we were off before that, but we were sitting in second having crushed Geelong and were being talked up as premiership favourites.
It wasn't just injuries that had players missing games, but the fact that players were forced to play with injuries and the cumulative effect of that meant the season would finish pretty much as it did.

Do folks think that if Binns, Lord, Moir and Cincotta had played we would have won.
We couldn't beat St Kilda with those 4 playing and Cincotta who seemed an obvious matchup for someone like Zorko was dropped. So obviously it was considered that he had gone off the boil from the shut-down roles he'd performed in previous weeks.
At best it might have made a slight difference to the start.
Some might say we came back and they started to panic.
There was an element of that, but we were never going to win.
They eased off and then had to comeback and seal the game...which they did.
Brisbane had the game won and were looking to next week.
Our last three goals were junk time goals.
Two to Pittonet says it all.

But if TDK had played all the game???
We were at the point where it was considered that he was a major weapon but the doubt was on the ability to see out the game.
If we're going to count out players because there is a doubt over their fitness and ability to see out the game as some have argued....then surely he doesn't play at all.
That wouldn't have gone well.
The fact is we had no idea how long he would last, or how he would perform after a lay-off.
That he did well is a credit to him, and the sooner we get him on a long term deal the better.

So... not angry.
Not hurting
A bit disappointed.
That's all a bit of a waste of time...what's done is done
Moved on already...but maybe hoping and expecting some changes around the caoching structure and football department.
Looking forward to the trade and draft periods and a more settled side in 2025....because time is running out for this group, and major changes will take us back a few squares.

Playing Binns, Lord, Moir and Cincotta would have made us more competitive. Blokes fit enough to actually get to contests. Not thinking we were winning at all but would have been more competitive. Might have been 30-0 instead of 60 with a few bloke's actually switched on. At least you'd feel some chance from there rather than hopeless. As for not beating the Saints, remember the Saints very comfortably beat Geelong the previous week. They had found their form. The 4 bloke's would have blended in with some coming back. It would not have been totally the previous week's side.

[DJC]

You’re not the odd man out Lods.

While I may disagree with some decisions Vossy, the MC or Nick Austin may make, I accept that they are informed decisions made by folk who are far more knowledgeable than me but don’t have the benefit of hindsight.

It wouldn’t have mattered which 23 players were selected or who was the sub, the result wouldn’t have changed, particularly if our arousal level wasn’t increased.

Our season was screwed by injuries but that provided opportunities and learnings that will make us stronger next season.

[Gointocarlton]

You’re not the odd man out Lods.

While I may disagree with some decisions Vossy, the MC or Nick Austin may make, I accept that they are informed decisions made by folk who are far more knowledgeable than me but don’t have the benefit of hindsight.

It wouldn’t have mattered which 23 players were selected or who was the sub, the result wouldn’t have changed, particularly if our arousal level wasn’t increased.

Our season was screwed by injuries but that provided opportunities and learnings that will make us stronger next season.

For me there were two or three key injuries that derailed our season overall:
- Doc rnd 0
- TDK rnd 19
- Charlie rnd 22
TDK especially was a massive loss given how he was playing and that dashed all hopes of a semi successful finals campaign.
The 6 injuries from the Hawthorn game was IMO a 1 in a 100 year event which was also catastrophic.

[madbluboy]

Charlie did his ankle before the Giants game, rumours he stepped in a hole in the ground where the sprinklers are.
In the same game TDK, Weitering and McGovern were also injured.
At the same time we were getting ahead of ourselves messing with a midfield that was working.

[Adelaideblue]

Playing Binns, Lord, Moir and Cincotta would have made us more competitive. Blokes fit enough to actually get to contests. Not thinking we were winning at all but would have been more competitive. Might have been 30-0 instead of 60 with a few bloke's actually switched on. At least you'd feel some chance from there rather than hopeless.

Yes agree Laj, that is the key to me also. Playing some or all those four guys would have made us more competitive!                            We were anything but competitive at 0 score to 10 goals at half time.

Ab