03-04-2019, 01:09 AM
What I got out of this match was that Essendon still don't have enough players who go in and get the ball. When they get the ball they were devastating, but I have a feeling that their players' mindset is one of receiving the ball rather than going in to get it. They have Smith, Shiel, Heppell, McGrath & Tipungwuti who get the ball, but I am not sure it is a team culture to go and win the ball. For two and half quarters we were all over them, when we got out to six goals with eased back due to the heat and because it was only a JLT match, Essendon roared back when the pressure was off and got to within a kick, but the Carlton re-asserted the pressure and kicked the two of the last three goals.
Our pressure round the ball was really good however our cohesion is still lacking. Compared to Essendon, and Hawthorn the week before, our ball movement is not good. We still miss too many targets. Against Hawthorn I thought our ball movement out of defence was too slow, however I thought that only once in the second quarter did we do that sideway kicking and back again, hanging onto the ball and losing ground, then letting the pressure build up, then losing the ball and costing a goal situation which made up most of our defensive game plan last year. So that was an improvement.
It is clear that into the future we have two mid-field superstars in Cripps & Walsh, we have four very good quick mid-fielders in Cuningham, Fisher, Dow & Petrovski-Seaton, three big bodied inside mids in Kennedy, Setterfield and Stocker and we have guys who can run through the mid-field in Gibbons, JSilvagni, O'Brien, Lang, Garlett, Pickett & Polson. It is also clear we have key forwards in McKay, Curnow & McGovern, with back ups in JSilvagni, Kerr & DeKonning, While down back we have Weitering and people like Marchbank, McCreadie and BSilvagni who will need to step up.
I think we will be very dependent on the senior players, Murphy, Simpson, Kreuzer, Jones, Thomas, Curnow, Fasolo, Phillips, Lobe & Casboult standing up when they play this year, but I think the future looks bright.
Our pressure round the ball was really good however our cohesion is still lacking. Compared to Essendon, and Hawthorn the week before, our ball movement is not good. We still miss too many targets. Against Hawthorn I thought our ball movement out of defence was too slow, however I thought that only once in the second quarter did we do that sideway kicking and back again, hanging onto the ball and losing ground, then letting the pressure build up, then losing the ball and costing a goal situation which made up most of our defensive game plan last year. So that was an improvement.
It is clear that into the future we have two mid-field superstars in Cripps & Walsh, we have four very good quick mid-fielders in Cuningham, Fisher, Dow & Petrovski-Seaton, three big bodied inside mids in Kennedy, Setterfield and Stocker and we have guys who can run through the mid-field in Gibbons, JSilvagni, O'Brien, Lang, Garlett, Pickett & Polson. It is also clear we have key forwards in McKay, Curnow & McGovern, with back ups in JSilvagni, Kerr & DeKonning, While down back we have Weitering and people like Marchbank, McCreadie and BSilvagni who will need to step up.
I think we will be very dependent on the senior players, Murphy, Simpson, Kreuzer, Jones, Thomas, Curnow, Fasolo, Phillips, Lobe & Casboult standing up when they play this year, but I think the future looks bright.