Post Game Passion: AFL 2019 Rd 21: Carlton vs. Richmond

[tonyo]

Then the issue is not handball to kick ratio, it's butchering the ball. We spent the entire afternoon bombing the ball long into our F50, and it didn't work. Whilst I have a soft spot for a long, simple kicking game into a F50 with strong marking forwards and good crumbers, there is undoubtedly an art involved, one which we have yet to master. Teague has had most of his success playing 1 big bloke and a few smaller ones in the forward half (by necessity as much as anything), so I'm not sure why you would change a winning formula, even though I do understand the conventional wet weather logic. What's more important than understanding the weather is understanding the opposition. Anyway, hopefully a lesson learned.

I kind of agree - but Harry, Levi and McGovern went on long leads out to the 50 meter arc and beyond - when they didn't get a clean mark, as happened more often than not, it was whisked away to the other end.  They should have adopted more of a wet weather approach and stayed put more (Lynch certainly did that).  Then the bombs go to a serious contest, and anything can happen.

It's crazy to think that a game plan that works well at Marvel stadium under the roof will work the same way on a wet and windy MCG - and we did little in the first half to recognise and play to that difference.  My point is that our skill level doesn't cut it in the wet (yet), and Richmond are actually the best at it - so that being the case, live within your limitations and stay in the game - six goals down on a day like yesterday was a match killer.