Rd 10: Pre Game Premonitions: Carlton vs Geelong

[cimm1979]

You only have to be 5% off your best and you get made top look very average. That can be something as simple as not concentrating for every single minute of the game.

Most of the team was flat against the Roos.

[DJC]

Foxtel commentator actually highlighted Simpson a mile away from his opponent looking for the easy outlet kick but thats all history and we can see how they go this week vs the Cats
small to medium players up forward..

A bit harsh EB!

It looked to me that Simpson was guarding space, as per the team defence.  He simply didn't respond quickly enough and that put Docherty under the hammer.

Bolton has us playing a high risk, high reward brand of footy and we'll give up goals until everyone masters their role(s) and executes it very well.

[laj]

So we're playing these silly little selection games again......I thought we'd moved on from that. FMD, what's the point of naming those 2......I'd actually be extremely concerned for their welfare if either of them actually took to the field. Utterly ridiculous.

Beauty of playing Sunday, we can put them all on an extended bench and then decide. At our levels we won't have the need be playing silly games.

[flyboy77]

Beauty of playing Sunday, we can put them all on an extended bench and then decide. At our levels we won't have the need be playing silly games.

Agreed, they're clearly both a better than even chance of getting up.

[DJC]

I just saw some footage on TV of Kreuzer and Casboult undergoing 'secret' fitness tests.  It was a teaser for the news and they didn't give much away.  They weren't at Princes Park.

[LP]

I just saw some footage on TV of Kreuzer and Casboult undergoing 'secret' fitness tests.  It was a teaser for the news and they didn't give much away.  They weren't at Princes Park.

I heard they were testing in Albert Park, Harry Trott oval. It's the VCA/Collegians/Wesley College oval. It's a great oval, in terrific condition.

Probably went there due to weather/ground conditions. If they had to it's hop/skip and jump to an indoor session as MSAC. Plus the whole club later did a light skills session at the nearby hockey fields.

Also I'm not sure this wasn't just for the publicity. There is nothing secret about the location, in fact early in the morning Albert Park is like Bourke St Mall there are so many runners, walkers and trainers. Perhaps that is why, they went somewhere they would definitely be seen!

[DJC]

"Secret" was Channel 9's description but it has cropped up again on our website:

Carlton talls Matthew Kreuzer and Levi Casboult have been put through a rigorous testing session on Friday morning as the Blues consider a shock return for the key pair.

Kreuzer (knee) and Casboult (leg) were included in the 25-man squad to face Geelong on Sunday despite injuries that had been expected to sideline them for another three matches.

Both were put through a secret 20-minute testing session at the Power House Hockey Club in Albert Park on Friday morning before taking part in light handball drills.

Coach Brendon Bolton said the pair would be put through more testing in the next 48 hours and the club would take no risks with them against the Cats. 

"They got through a good session this morning and we'll have another run in a day or two and see how we go," Bolton said. 

"It'll be more about jumping and landing and a lot of the specific work that the talls do.

"There's still 48 hours, but we're hopeful.

"We'll just make an informed decision … based on medical advice and how they're pulling up from the sessions."

[ElwoodBlues1]

Its very easy to label someone as lazy, but these guys are working in a zone, and not being tight on a man can be a design, and simply following a man can be an oppositions method to open up a zone.

ergo, thomas's goal may have been to drag Simpson from the position he was in, rather than simply Simpson being lazy, and its much more difficult to allow a man to roam free and maintain your position than it is to follow him everywhere.

Now, on the flipside of that to find the answer to whether or not we were lazy, ask the following question.  Would his tight manning up have made one iota of difference?

The answer is simple, no.  Why?  Too much ball came in too easily, and they scored not from the smalls, not from the talls, but from the extra number pushing into their forwardline from midfield which created issues for us, as we had people trying to cover multiple players too frequently.

ERGO, they had a deliberate tactic designed to penetrate a zone defense, and we dealt with it poorly.


AFL 360 can give some good insight into the game, and perhaps a method around what happened would have been getting an extra number back, but I don't think lazy is necessarily the explanation of why it happened.

In my day defenders defended first.....Thomas had about 7 shots for goal and probably should have kicked six and you want to give our small defenders a pat on the back? Thomas is a cherry picking cheat who plays for frees, pushes people in the back and generally has no concept of doing any team oriented play..I highly doubt that Scott would entrust him with any take your man wide duties and sacrifice for the team...

The ball did come in too easily but a mug like Simon White and a kid named Weitering decided I'll just stick to my man and play some defense.....funny how that seemed to work out well and players like Petrie, Waite and Brown(after half time) never got off the leish....

I presume your tactic will be to let Motlop run loose and let our blokes play wide of him......good luck with that theory....

[LordLucifer]

Thomas is a cherry picking cheat who plays for frees, pushes people in the back and generally has no concept of doing any team oriented play..

That is the best description for that seagull I've seen to date.

[madbluboy]

Thomas's career averages would take a massive hit if we removed his games against us.