08-26-2020, 05:13 AM
I don't understand why there is so little respect for Carlton in the media. While our recent history has been poor, while any prognostication about our future should be tempered and other than the fact the media is full of Carlton haters, I don't understand why people aren't a bit more bullish about our prospects. We have a strong goal to goal line, a solid back line, depth in our rucks, a good midfield with depth, and a lot of variety in our forward half. Over 75% of our list is 25 years or younger, so there is plenty of growth there and we have had plenty of injuries, especially to some of our better players, yet we sit in striking distance of the finals. The narrative at the moment is that Carlton will probably beat Adelaide and Sydney, but lose to Collingwood, GWS and Brisbane and therefore miss out on the finals. This might be the outcome, but I believe winning all five games is just as likely an outcome.
Earlier this year I went to the Carlton-Collingwood practice match and I came away with the belief that we had a lot of depth and that Collingwood had very little. While the media always talk about the magpie horror run with injuries, the fact we haven't had Curnow, Kreuzer, Silvagni, Newman, and Marchbank all season, and there has been continuous injuries to McGovern, McKay, Cuningham, Kennedy, Dow and Fisher and still be on the improve seems to go unnoticed.
Collingwood is tracking how Carlton went 20 years ago. A surprise appearance in the 99 Grand Final, a disappointing exit in the Preliminary final the next year, and a nothing final series in 2001, then gloom and doom. Collingwood has a strong defence, a thin but good midfield, and a forward line that can only kick goals when the midfield is dominant. People look at the first quarter frenzy in the 2018 Grand Final and the last quarter frenzy in the 2019 Preliminary Final and say how dangerous their forward line is, but what they don't talk about is the six quarters where they barely scored. Last year some clown in the media said that the Collingwood midfield was the best ever assembled in AFL history. I think we can all see how stupid that statement was. While Grundy is an excellent ruckman, he can be passive during the game and is often only involved in the parts of the game he is involved in like in last years preliminary final where he got most of the tap outs, but only had a presence in the last quarter. Collingwood's midfiled, consists of Pendlebury, Greenwood, Adams, Trelore and Sidebottom, but there is not a lot else. It was a bit like when we use to have Murphy, Gibbs, Curnow and Cripps, and not much else. One injury and we were in trouble. Now we have Murphy, Curnow, Cripps, Setterfield, Walsh, and Kennedy with Gibbons, Martin, Fisher, Newnes and others running through there. In the last two weeks, Curnow was best on the ground and then Murphy was best, and Cripps seems to be getting better each week. Early in the year, the media had a real set about putting down Walsh. Walsh, number one draft pick, won the rising star by the most votes ever, was somehow barely in the top ten of his year. Clearly getting 20 plus kick each week, taking mark of the year and kicking goals, means you are not much good if you play for Carlton.
The two times we have beaten Collingwood in recent years, our midfield has been on top of theirs. We will need to do this again. If we do this the Collingwood's forwards will struggle to score, however we need to make more of our opportunitites than we have done so over the past couple of weeks against Fremantle and Gold Coast, toher wise the Colling wood defence will keep them in the game and leave us open to one of Collingwood's forward frenzy where they kick multiple goals in a short period of time.
We really should win this one, but we got ahead of ourselves against Hawthorn, so it will probably be another white knuckle ride.
Earlier this year I went to the Carlton-Collingwood practice match and I came away with the belief that we had a lot of depth and that Collingwood had very little. While the media always talk about the magpie horror run with injuries, the fact we haven't had Curnow, Kreuzer, Silvagni, Newman, and Marchbank all season, and there has been continuous injuries to McGovern, McKay, Cuningham, Kennedy, Dow and Fisher and still be on the improve seems to go unnoticed.
Collingwood is tracking how Carlton went 20 years ago. A surprise appearance in the 99 Grand Final, a disappointing exit in the Preliminary final the next year, and a nothing final series in 2001, then gloom and doom. Collingwood has a strong defence, a thin but good midfield, and a forward line that can only kick goals when the midfield is dominant. People look at the first quarter frenzy in the 2018 Grand Final and the last quarter frenzy in the 2019 Preliminary Final and say how dangerous their forward line is, but what they don't talk about is the six quarters where they barely scored. Last year some clown in the media said that the Collingwood midfield was the best ever assembled in AFL history. I think we can all see how stupid that statement was. While Grundy is an excellent ruckman, he can be passive during the game and is often only involved in the parts of the game he is involved in like in last years preliminary final where he got most of the tap outs, but only had a presence in the last quarter. Collingwood's midfiled, consists of Pendlebury, Greenwood, Adams, Trelore and Sidebottom, but there is not a lot else. It was a bit like when we use to have Murphy, Gibbs, Curnow and Cripps, and not much else. One injury and we were in trouble. Now we have Murphy, Curnow, Cripps, Setterfield, Walsh, and Kennedy with Gibbons, Martin, Fisher, Newnes and others running through there. In the last two weeks, Curnow was best on the ground and then Murphy was best, and Cripps seems to be getting better each week. Early in the year, the media had a real set about putting down Walsh. Walsh, number one draft pick, won the rising star by the most votes ever, was somehow barely in the top ten of his year. Clearly getting 20 plus kick each week, taking mark of the year and kicking goals, means you are not much good if you play for Carlton.
The two times we have beaten Collingwood in recent years, our midfield has been on top of theirs. We will need to do this again. If we do this the Collingwood's forwards will struggle to score, however we need to make more of our opportunitites than we have done so over the past couple of weeks against Fremantle and Gold Coast, toher wise the Colling wood defence will keep them in the game and leave us open to one of Collingwood's forward frenzy where they kick multiple goals in a short period of time.
We really should win this one, but we got ahead of ourselves against Hawthorn, so it will probably be another white knuckle ride.