AFL 2024 Elimination Final 1 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Brisbane

[Baggers]

As I said pregame....
Cincotta kicks as many goals as our small forwards (when played forward, even defensively) but he can be played elsewhere as well.
Rotate him through the middle. Put him down back.
We lacked versatility from our small forwards and it hamstrung us.

And it really is no more complicated than that. And a few of us were adamant on just that, pre game.

It's one of those occasions when stats tell a story. We failed badly on tackles and efficiency inside 50. We had the same number of inside 50s as Brisvegas. Most other stats were competitive.

Most of knew, not 'thought' or had a hunch, that Motlop and Durdin did not have good form going into the game. Similar was Fantasia. We knew that Cinc was the perfect match-up for Zorko. Who tore us a new one and launched so many attacks from defense, especially early when the game is on the line? Zorko. He played with our small forwards... the out-of-form non-hackers.

When your forward line is dysfunctional, especially early, you just don't get scoreboard pressure... and with the scoreboard not ticking over the entire side gets no reward for effort... dopamine drained. Motivation sapped.

You never take low performing players into a game, let alone a final. Conversely, you bet on blokes with good form, regardless of age, experience or reputation.