Casboult to CHB

[ElwoodBlues1]

Levi isnt a ruckman and never has been , he played as a Full Forward at U18  level.....if our rucks are so fragile why are the fragile ones still on the list and not replaced with the less fragile variety.....

[DJC]

Levi isnt a ruckman and never has been , he played as a Full Forward at U18  level.....if our rucks are so fragile why are the fragile ones still on the list and not replaced with the less fragile variety.....

That's not right EB;  Levi is a ruckman/forward with the emphasis on ruck - and he played as a ruckman for the Stingrays.  Apart from his 2016 season, which seems to be a knee injury aberration, his role has been as a ruckman - and key forward when not in the ruck.  If you can't see that then you're not watching the same games that I watch.  Of course, you could be right and SOS and the stats are wrong, but I don't think so 

As for hanging on to fragile ruckmen, gambling on Kreuzer having a good season is a solid bet, Phillips has potential and is contracted and De Koning and Lobbe provide decent backup.  With the exception of De Koning, none of that lot can hold down a key forward spot while not rucking and that's justification for hanging on to Levi as a backup ruckman.

[cookie2]

If there had have been any takers for Levi he would have been let go, without much hesitation imo. Since.there were not then we may as well hang on to him as a back up ruck to see out his contract; that's the club thinking imo, and it is a case of making the best of the situation rather than anything else. Levi is no big deal for us - just seeing out his time. I'd love to see that change, BUT..........

[Thryleon]

Sam Rowe was slower than Levi and had worse disposal skills. Agree re Goddard and there is also Macreadie.

slower debateable.

Worse skills absolutely not.  Rowe was a better kick than Levi

[DJC]

slower debateable.

Worse skills absolutely not.  Do we was a better kick than Levi

When you think about it, Rowe was OK as a key defender despite lacking pace, hopeless below his knees, prone to fumbling and dropping simple marks, slow to react and unable to deliver the ball with precision.  What he did have was determination and doggedness.

[LP]

slower debateable.

Worse skills absolutely not.  Do we was a better kick than Levi.

I think it's fair to say that in a straight line with a run up Levi was probably faster. But being faster doesn't stop you from being slow, and Levi's problem is he has not so much blacking pace but being slow to react. Starting side-by-side they might see a contest but Rowe would always get there first. Where it really shows up is in Levi's ruck work, he's a one step at a time man and by the time he's recovered from the tap the game has moved on, it's such a contrast next to a fit Kreuzer.

But we have to keep in mind Kreuzer is exceptional and most Carlton fans don't appreciate that fact, how SpecialK hasn't been AA two or three times is a disgrace!

[ElwoodBlues1]

That's not right EB;  Levi is a ruckman/forward with the emphasis on ruck - and he played as a ruckman for the Stingrays.  Apart from his 2016 season, which seems to be a knee injury aberration, his role has been as a ruckman - and key forward when not in the ruck.  If you can't see that then you're not watching the same games that I watch.  Of course, you could be right and SOS and the stats are wrong, but I don't think so 

As for hanging on to fragile ruckmen, gambling on Kreuzer having a good season is a solid bet, Phillips has potential and is contracted and De Koning and Lobbe provide decent backup.  With the exception of De Koning, none of that lot can hold down a key forward spot while not rucking and that's justification for hanging on to Levi as a backup ruckman.

Sorry DJ cant agree...watched him play about 6 games in 2009 for Dandenong in the TAC and they were all at FF, think he kicked 40 plus that season and was close to leading goalkicker, he didnt do that playing in the ruck.
Think he got a promotion/spot on the senior list replacing the injury prone Luke Mitchell too as a KP Forward not as a ruckman...IMO he has always been more of a KP forward than a ruckman and not the other way around....

[LP]

Sorry DJ cant agree...watched him play about 6 games in 2009 for Dandenong in the TAC and they were all at FF, think he kicked 40 plus that season and was close to leading goalkicker, he didnt do that playing in the ruck.
Think he got a promotion/spot on the senior list replacing the injury prone Luke Mitchell too as a KP Forward not as a ruckman...IMO he has always been more of a KP forward than a ruckman and not the other way around....

Before that he hadn't played FF at all.

Levi was always a junior ruck and an average ruck at that, but at TAC Cup level he wasn't fit enough so they camped him at FF. It was my biggest argument against drafting him as a full forward, he had only ever played FF one season and was a giant against boys!

[flyboy77]

So everyone's right....

Let's move on, Levi would have to pull a rabbit, no six, out of a hat to play many more games for CFC short of a major run of injury....

[DJC]

Sorry DJ cant agree...watched him play about 6 games in 2009 for Dandenong in the TAC and they were all at FF, think he kicked 40 plus that season and was close to leading goalkicker, he didnt do that playing in the ruck.
Think he got a promotion/spot on the senior list replacing the injury prone Luke Mitchell too as a KP Forward not as a ruckman...IMO he has always been more of a KP forward than a ruckman and not the other way around....

From Blueseum:

When the 2012 season got underway, pundits agreed that a fitter, more mature Casboult was likely to play senior football sooner rather than later. Early in the first VFL game of the year against Coburg however, Levi crashed to the turf with a torn posterior cruciate ligament in a knee – an injury that eventually cost him 14 weeks on the sidelines. Back to fitness again in mid-July, Casboult found himself playing for a club in real danger of missing the finals. After a slashing start to the year, the Blues had been devastated by injury, to the extent that by round 17, all four of the club’s front-line ruckmen; Matthew Kreuzer, Shaun Hampson, Robert Warnock and Sam Rowe were unavailable through injury, illness or suspension.

Therefore, Levi was called to the colours at last in less than ideal circumstances – with the huge task of leading Carlton’s rucks on debut, against a Western Bulldogs side with a full complement of big men. As expected, he was out-gunned by the bulk and experience of Bulldog Wil Minson - yet he stuck to his task, took some strong marks around the ground, and was one of the key factors in Carlton’s gutsy 18-point win.

Over the following five weeks, Levi maintained his place in Carlton’s team and showed constant improvement. He kicked his first career goal against Richmond at the MCG on a Saturday night in round 18, and stamped himself as a key forward prospect with a breakout game against Essendon in round 21. In front of 60,000 spectators on that Saturday afternoon at the MCG, Casboult made everybody sit up and take notice when he took six big marks and kicked three goals as Carlton shredded the Bombers. The second of those majors; a right-foot, over-the-shoulder snap from 50 metres out on the boundary, was a viable Goal of the Year contender - surpassed only by his tenacious chase and tackle on Bomber speedster Courtney Dempsey during the third quarter.

There’s a lot more about his junior footy days as a ruckman, including his first two seasons with the Stingrays

Like many of our recent key forwards, Levi was a ruckman first and foremost.  He has probably enjoyed more success than the other ruckmen we’ve tried to turn into key forwards but he is still a ruckman who can play forward.