Post Game Analysis: AFL 2020 Rd 2: Carlton vs Melbourne

[JonDorotich]

Two words - wasted opportunity.

For mine, any blame lies firmly at the feet of the midfield/midfield coach (ultimately, the senior coach). It was very evident from the get-go that Gawn was the dominant ruck yet there was no midfield smarts to understand, adjust and CHANGE. Had the midfield used their brains and adjusted (did the midfield coach give them a plan B?), then things would likely have been very, very different. The same old lament... poor on-field leadership, especially initiative and boldness to alter the tide - IN GAME, too often it takes a rocket/adjustment from the coaching staff at the break to affect change... FFS.

For Gawn, that first qtr was a picnic, nothing more than a training drill, he repeated the same things, which, strategically, met no opposition, over and over and they resulted in goal after goal. There should be no blame on Pitts... he gave his all and did his best.

I believe the club knows this, hence such vigor in trying to secure grade A mids to the club... and have failed, dismally to achieve this.

The midfield coach should be asking himself how come he didn't have the engine room ready to blast out of the blocks and be equipped with a plan B should Gawn dominate (a likely scenario). Rather, the mids started with a whimper and seemed clueless for on-field initiative to adapt and adjust. On-field, this is squarely at the feet of Cripps, Murphy and Curnow. Gibbons showed them how it was done by sharking/roving to Gawn at times and our first goal (I think) came from him knowing what Gawn was going to do and sharked the tap out... initiative/on-field footy smarts.

We lost this game above the shoulders.

Great post

I’ve personally had enough of
- Poor team selection. How can it be that we pick Lang? Questioning Newnes as well.
- Murphy’s weakness as an inside mid, he’s nothing more than cannon fodder in the guts.
- Ed Curnow kicking the ball inside 50. He can’t do it and it’s obvious to everybody watching except our coaches. He’s a tagger and nothing more.
- Will Setterfield floating around like Ms Daisy, hoping nobody will notice that his failed to impact yet another game. Get some intensity and desire boy.
- SPS on the HBF. He’s normally a great kick but can’t defend and lack night but if you wanted to point the finger at somebody that absolutely crucified our team in the first quarter through a lack of accountability and poor disposal, this is your man. Not good enough.
-lack of a small tough lock down defender. Haven’t had one for what seems like a couple of decades.

Solutions?
- Martin to a wing (wasted up forward)
- Murphy forward (he’s clever)
- SPS into the middle which is why we drafted him.
- Curnow to be instructed not to kick into 50 (handpass off or go sideways if need be)
- one of Silvagni or Kennedy plus Gibbons to help Cripps as extra inside miss, with players like SPS, Walsh, Dow, Fisher, Philp, Cunningham to finish.
- Lang, Newnes, Setterfield to prove themselves in lower leagues subject to our VFL form

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