04-18-2021, 04:41 AM
It was another disappointing effort. Do we practice kicking the ball? We miss targets, we miss shots on goal, our kicks lack penetration and distance, we take the wrong option and we don't kick to the advantage of our team mates. The teaming and skills of the Port players far exceeded those of our own players. Pittonet knocks the ball over the back, Gibbons runs onto the ball and into an empty F50, but what is the plan. Does he kick it to Harry, does he go all the way or does someone run into the F50 and takes the ball short. He kicks to the top of the square, 20 meters from Harry who is now behind two Port players and the ball then sweeps down the other end. There is no coherence in the Carlton play. Every play seems to be a discrete action where the ball carrier makes a decision and if the ball gets to the next Carlton player, that player then makes a decision that may or may not have any relevance to the previous decision. We don't get a consistent chain of play. Everything is reactive whether we have the ball or not. Saad is a perfect example of this. We get it to him, but what is the next play. Do the players down the ground know what he is going to do, are team mates running beside him to draw fire and give him options. What is the plan?
In Teague's press conference he referred to players not executing under pressure. I think he is wrong. I think the problem is not doing the simple things well. Missing goals from 25 meters dead in front. It doesn't matter if it is Harry, Cripps or Casboult, supporters do not have the confidence in the capability of the players to kick the easy goal. Cripps kicks that goal in the second quarter and it is a different game. We stop butchering the ball and it is a different game.
People seem to be ranting about defence but I think it is our forwards which are the problem. We do not kick enough goals. Murphy, Casboult, Gibbons, Silvagni, Foggerty, Cuninngham, Kennedy have never kicked five goals in a match for Carlton, it has also been a long time since Betts has done it and Harry has done it once. Having Charlie in the side would make a difference. When the forwards are kicking goals, the backline functions a lot better because your opponents have to defend and cannot be as free wheeling in their attacks.
Fix our goal kicking, fix our disposal and develop more team cohesion and things will improve. Also instead of talking about how important Carlton Members are to the team, actually show it by putting in better efforts than what was dished up last night.
In Teague's press conference he referred to players not executing under pressure. I think he is wrong. I think the problem is not doing the simple things well. Missing goals from 25 meters dead in front. It doesn't matter if it is Harry, Cripps or Casboult, supporters do not have the confidence in the capability of the players to kick the easy goal. Cripps kicks that goal in the second quarter and it is a different game. We stop butchering the ball and it is a different game.
People seem to be ranting about defence but I think it is our forwards which are the problem. We do not kick enough goals. Murphy, Casboult, Gibbons, Silvagni, Foggerty, Cuninngham, Kennedy have never kicked five goals in a match for Carlton, it has also been a long time since Betts has done it and Harry has done it once. Having Charlie in the side would make a difference. When the forwards are kicking goals, the backline functions a lot better because your opponents have to defend and cannot be as free wheeling in their attacks.
Fix our goal kicking, fix our disposal and develop more team cohesion and things will improve. Also instead of talking about how important Carlton Members are to the team, actually show it by putting in better efforts than what was dished up last night.