Rd 13: Post Game Patter: Carlton vs GC

[jeza]

We still have the best backline in the league. Take Silvagni and Rowe out and we're still out in front. Williamson got hurt late after a quietish one.. may be due for a rest.

Curly was outstanding in the first quarter in particular. Died out a bit after they moved May onto him but he'd set up 3 including 1 to his brother and kicked 1 himself. BOG at qtr time.

The knuckle head Carlton "supporter" sitting behind me bagging him bigtime for the entire 2nd half was hard to take... some weird units out there.

Gibbs was brilliant obviously. Reminded me of his game last year against Geelong when he won it off his own boot. Why only once a year? would be the obvious question but I guess he, Kreuze and Doc would be leading the b&f so hard to complain.

Can I just say... post JLT I had no idea we'd be 1 win off the top 8 at the halfway point. Incredible. Remind me (and literally everyone in the media) next year to completely ignore the preseason games. Load of bollocks.

Credit where it's due - a lot of theage journos including Caro I think predicted us to get 8-10 wins which I thought at the time was very generous but now looking spot on.

We'll have to kick straight to beat the toigs but we are back on the G which is by far our best ground. Poor kicking asides I reckon we're a big chance. I think we'll get the Crows the week after... not sure why but I have a very good feeling about that one.

[laj]

Being the best of a bad 2 doesn't mean he was any good.

As i said in the in-game thread.

Name me any players (in a carlton jumper) that was worse than Levi last night.

You just watch his kicking at goal and that as it? Up the ground he was very good. Some of his marking last night terrific and and when he wasn't marking he was smashing packs in contests. He ended up with 8 very strong marks. I'd love a player to do that playing badly, imagine what he's does playing well. He is combining very well with Kreuzer on ball this year. On top of that there was that beautiful kick to Thomas in the first qtr that resulted in a goal. Then of course he had his worst goal kicking night of the year, created one turnover that cost a goal and dropped a pud of a chest mark late. He was very good and very bad last night. When you judge a player's performance you need to look at the good as well as the bad, not just the bad to support an agenda, for want of a better word.

Given his job is essentially to forward/ruck, a role he has played well in this year, we need another key forward to allow him to concentrate on that role. That's where the likes of Jaksch should've played earlier to help him out as trying to be the only tall forward as well as a ruck is a tough gig.

[ElwoodBlues1]

I like Levi and still have faith in him to improve but he was average to poor last night and his confidence was down....ball drop was back to its worst and when he dropped that chest mark at a crucial time I couldnt believe it.....owes us a big one vs the Tigers.
Probably lucky Philips got injured as he was braining Werribee in the VFL and you could have made a case for him replacing Levi....

[laj]

Interesting round this week. Bar the Port/Brisbane game it's been low scoring and in each case one side shot out of the blocks in the first qtr then fell away later in the game to the point margins weren't at all big. In the case of Richmond they lost (hehe).

[jeza]

Name me any players (in a carlton jumper) that was worse than Levi last night.

Are you sure you watched the game?

I'm constantly surprised at how completely distorted a view some supporters take. The guy was one of the most important players out there constantly smashing the packs and preventing intercept marks that looked certain - if not marking it outright.

Generally doing what some call the best young forward in the league who kicked 7 against us last time could not do. His influence on the outcome of the game was unquestionable yet you pick out a crap kick and a missed set shot and crucify him. Unbelievable. Seriously unbelievable. Go support the tigers if you want to eat your own at every opportunity.

That post was offensive.

[Bear]

I like Levi and still have faith in him to improve but he was average to poor last night and his confidence was down....ball drop was back to its worst and when he dropped that chest mark at a crucial time I couldnt believe it.....owes us a big one vs the Tigers.
Probably lucky Philips got injured as he was braining Werribee in the VFL and you could have made a case for him replacing Levi....

He didn't take the opportunities he had... he kicks 2 and it's a different story. Let himself down.

[cookie2]

I like Levi and still have faith in him to improve but he was average to poor last night and his confidence was down....ball drop was back to its worst and when he dropped that chest mark at a crucial time I couldnt believe it.....owes us a big one vs the Tigers.
Probably lucky Philips got injured as he was braining Werribee in the VFL and you could have made a case for him replacing Levi....

I feel a bit sorry for Levi tbh. I was watching him in the rooms post game, especially the club song, and he looked down and not fully enjoying the win, for obvious reasons. I thought that nearly everything he did last night was good except for his wretched kicking for goal and the dropped mark was probably a result of a total confidence loss. I really think he would benefit from a spell in the NBs to try and get some confidence back - he must be just a bag of nerves and he needs settling down and tried again before final judgements are made. We don't want to die wondering -  but he is bl00dy frustrating.

[kruddler]

You just watch his kicking at goal and that as it?

No, i watched him drop an uncontested chest mark 20m out directly in front of goal too.

To you, flyboy and Jeza who all commented on my post.

Every week there is a worst player on your list. It's a simple fact.

What changes is how bad that worst player is. Some weeks the worst player might be top 5 in any other week. Sometimes the worst player would be the worst player in the VFL as well.

Instead of complaining about it, and defending Levi, perhaps point out someone who was worse that him. Nobody has done it....and i think i know the answer.

[flyboy77]

kruddler , we know your views are inevitably better or more sagacious than the rest.

No one would argue that....it's something we all have to live with.

But Levi was more influential than all the opposition and at least half of our team..., Thomas,
Charlie, SoJ, Wright, Boekhurst and maybe even Murph all missed regulation goals.

Ahs has one forgotten Simmo's dropped 'sitter' from a few week's back?

Watch the replay, then comment.

by the by, he was 11th in our team for footy points. Go figure!

[PaulP]

I think when the club comes to evaluate Casboult's future with us, they will simply have to take into account the fact that he will never be a reliable set shot - he will have good patches (first half of the year), and then at some point will revert back to bad habits.

He is also very much a confidence player. Once he makes a couple of errors, his head drops and his game suffers.

He is easily the most frustrating player on our list. One good, one bad..............