AFL Rd 22 2024 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Hawthorn

[PaulP]

The critical issue is not losing like we did tonight, as depressing as it was. All teams have shockers (think the Swans last week). The critical issue is whether we can bounce back in the last 2 games. And that in my view is a very open question.

[Micky0]

I flew out for Europe on the 29th June after we handed out consecutive 10 goal floggings sitting pretty in second, I thought life was good. I returned last night to watch us capitulate out of the 8 today (We have gone LLWLLL).
I can't see us winning the next two, if you had have told me on the 1st of July we would miss the 8 I would have laughed in your face.
I dont know what else to say, I cannot understand or pinpoint what has gone wrong, perhaps last year was indeed as good as it gets for the this group.
There needs to be a clean out of blokes who cannot stay out on the park (we all know who they are) and replace them with anyone with a pulse and who can play more than 1 in a row.

Completely agree on the injury prone players.

Love them all and wish it wasn’t what was needed but we cannot pretend to be a professional outfit if we keep having a quarter of our team put injured / or more.

The above is why we have been putting players not ready to come back - back their injuries and they have all re-injured themselves ffs!  Who makes that STUPID decision! That’s when the rot set in and the fking around with George and Kennedy being made subs!

Apparently Saad did his hammy again in the game?

What actually happened to Curnow, what was the injury? I know ankle but did they say anything else. He has clearly not been right yet we’ve continued to play him!

So fking annoyed.

[Micky0]

The critical issue is not losing like we did tonight, as depressing as it was. All teams have shockers (think the Swans last week). The critical issue is whether we can bounce back in the last 2 games. And that in my view is a very open question.

I can’t see it.

It felt - watching them today - that it felt all too hard for them so I don’t see us winning.

Maybe they’re demoralised because they know the season ending injury count is way too high and feel it’s inevitable that it won’t be their year?

I disagree about the earlier suggestion re them not playing well because rumours of Cripps leaving - they’re professional athletes and if they had a shot  at finals and premiership, they’re not just going to give them up being sooks because someone is leaving at seasons end. They want success now and would strive for it particularly if, as it’s suggested Cripps is going, he’s still playing his arse off.

[PaulP]

I can’t see it.

It felt - watching them today - that it felt all too hard for them so I don’t see us winning.

Maybe they’re demoralised because they know the season ending injury count is way too high and feel it’s inevitable that it won’t be their year?

I disagree about the earlier suggestion re them not playing well because rumours of Cripps leaving - they’re professional athletes and if they had a shot  at finals and premiership, they’re not just going to give them up being sooks because someone is leaving at seasons end. They want success now and would strive for it particularly if, as it’s suggested Cripps is going, he’s still playing his arse off.

I generally agree Micky. It will be tough from here on in. Apart from today and the Sydney game, the boys have been competitive and been right in most games. There's 8 quarters left of the H/A season, and hopefully they have enough gas to fight it out to the end.

Agree on Cripps. He's contracted till the end of 2027 - that's 3 full seasons away. He's on big money, plus captain, plus a slew of awards and personal accolades. It would take a lot to get us to agree to a trade, but even if we did, do the two WA clubs have what it takes to get a deal happening ? And why would he go to WC ? They have no coach, and he will be down the bottom in a struggling team just like he was here in the early days.

[pertz]

I generally agree Micky. It will be tough from here on in. Apart from today and the Sydney game, the boys have been competitive and been right in most games. There's 8 quarters left of the H/A season, and hopefully they have enough gas to fight it out to the end.

Agree on Cripps. He's contracted till the end of 2027 - that's 3 full seasons away. He's on big money, plus captain, plus a slew of awards and personal accolades. It would take a lot to get us to agree to a trade, but even if we did, do the two WA clubs have what it takes to get a deal happening ? And why would he go to WC ? They have no coach, and he will be down the bottom in a struggling team just like he was here in the early days.

Firstly, Crippa isn't going anywhere - its a ridiculous rumour started by some mischievous idiot with nothing better to do.
As for the Blues, we have obviously lost all momentum for the many reasons everyone has stated so no need to back over them again.
Form and confidence are fickle for all sides this season, it's all about the stage of season you have them...or not.
As David King often says, a healthy list is your best player at this time of the year.
I am not trying to give as a total out for our recent form but it is a legitimate reason.
I still firmly believe we are not that far away from where we need to be.
Like all teams, we have some holes in our list, however there is enough quality there to win a flag. The window is open for another 2-3 years.  The biggest question is whether we will be brave enough to make the tough calls on the list to cut the injury prone and the dead wood. No need to name them, we all know who they are.
If we don't, we will drift along in the middle of the table for the next 3-4 years until age catches up on Crippa, Weiters, CC, H etc and the window closes.

[pinot]

We need to persist with youngsters that can stay on the park.
Play Moir and persist with him in Jack Martin\s role he has talent to burn
Give Billy Wilson a run in Saad's role
Give Jaxon Binns a run in Cottrell's role

[Gointocarlton]

We need to persist with youngsters that can stay on the park.
Play Moir and persist with him in Jack Martin\s role he has talent to burn
Give Billy Wilson a run in Saad's role
Give Jaxon Binns a run in Cottrell's role

There is nothing to lose now, given them a go. Give Lemmey a crack also. Id also prefer Young to Gov now and that's saying something..

[Mantis]

I saw this one coming and can’t see any more wins in 2023. This is a season failure. Injuries have hurt us but we have only beaten a bottom 4 side in the last 5 weeks. The side that lost to West Coast that we play next.

[Gointocarlton]

I saw this one coming and can’t see any more wins in 2023. This is a season failure. Injuries have hurt us but we have only beaten a bottom 4 side in the last 5 weeks. The side that lost to West Coast that we play next.

I tend to agree Mantis. We are a very easy team to have the sword put against us and find it too hard to do the same the other way. The last game in particular Ross and the Ainsts will be keen "to do some damage".
At the end of the day, yes we have been crippled by injury but Voss was right when he said "the ladder doesn't lie". The team shat its collective pants the minute pressure of expectation was upped  when we sat in 2nd.
Some serious work needs to be done between the ears with this group int he off season, been a problem for a while.

[Lods]

When we suffer a humiliating loss, we all look for answers as to how that could have occurred.

Was it lack of run, lack of pressure, coaching inadequacies or lack of depth?
Sometimes the right answer is the most obvious one.
It’s injuries!!

Every aspect of the loss can be traced back to injuries.
When you lose a player to injury you don‘t just lose that player.
You lose a part of every other player who has to sacrifice a part of their contribution to cover that absence.

The “one soldier out, one soldier in.” is another bit of nonsense. The replacement player is nearly always a lesser player. The injured player is ahead of them and in the side, either in terms of ability or what they offer in terms of team structure.

If everyone else has to step up, especially with ‘in-game’ injuries –
You lose 'run' through fatigue.
Your ability to get to contests and to apply pressure is affected by fatigue
Coaching options are less.
Your depth is challenged.
…and all that presents mental and physical challenges for the players not directly affected by injury.

That’s with one injury.
Now multiply that by a dozen, either injured pre-match or during the game…and then add in the players playing injured for weeks on end... and you’re in strife.

We’re in deep strife, for no other reason than we are decimated.