Post Game Analysis: AFL 2021 Rd 8: Carlton vs Western Bulldogs

[kruddler]

Not sure what we are doing with Stocker, attacks the footy well but can look a bit lost at times and I'd get him out of the backline
and run him on the ball where he played his best footy at U18 level.
Appreciate he hasnt had much footy but when you have a backline getting assaulted like ours was its not fair on the kid and Id swap him out and get Williams or Newman back there who are defensive specialists.
SPS didnt work as a defender and I think its time re-educate the educators on how not every young mid has to spend time down back getting their confidence wrecked.

We are still lacking a small, lockdown defender.

Not many players i can see on our list who are really capable of it, but i've come up with 2.

1. Ed Curnow.
He is getting older, and perhaps we need him to sacrifice his game for the team, playing deep in defence might be an option worth looking into. He'd be perfect for Dusty types who go middle and forward at their leisure.

2. Matt Cottrell
I've said he is the most likely to take over from Curnow as a tagger (good tank, loves contact, never says die) but if we don't want to move Curnow back, perhaps we use Cottrell there instead.

Either way, its 1 less 'mid' which allows us to try Stocker, SPS or whoever else we are forcing to play a secondary role instead of their favoured midfield role.