AFL Rd 13 2024 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs Essendon

[LP]

Taking a runner away from rotation is bad news imo. We have more legs to hurt the oppo on the rebound as the game goes on. Don't think we will lose if we play two rucks all it does it takes runners away in rotation and score from turnover will fall down and need to depend on score from stoppages

Having Pitto and TDK in is not as big a negative as it seems, because TDK is far more aerobic, agile and athletic than most other rucks. You might lose a little bit relative to another genuine Mid, but nowhere near as much as if we ran two Pitto types, and not that much compared to some typical utility.

Also, if our two are in form like they have been, it can force opposition to run two rucks and almost none of our opponents have a ruck option as mobile as TDK.

I read somewhere one of our coaches described just how much real bench time gets lost, the way it's distributed across the team means it may only be seconds each per quarter. Also, because the rest periods are not all equal, it may mean that someone like Weiters, Harry, Charlie or McGovern each get a few more seconds on the ground and Mids are not affected at all. The issue is not cut and dry.

Fans or broadcasters will sometimes highlight moments when a Cripps type gets stuck on the bench, and that can be related to more than team tactics or the pattern of play. The same applies to every other player including the rucks, it's not always the case a long rest is deliberately planned.

An opposition player, I can't recall who but I think it was from the Filth(Maybe Elliott), complained he spent more time sprinting on and off then he got as rest time, and the more rotations he had the more exhausting it was! His assertion was that bench time has become more tactical than rest related.