The half way mark

[Mat0369]

We are half way through the season, what are everyones thoughts so far?

[RiOtChEsS]

Looking a more strategic outfit when we play well...
We nod off for up to 15 minutes at a time, really good sides have flat spots but dont go missing as we do... 
Too many close losses already (tonight really hurt even tho it was a good defensive effort)
Should still make the top 8...

[Mat0369]

I have just been looking around the net at supporters reactions to the game from tonight. A lot of angst towards Betts saying that he was not match fit, he should not have played, he was terrible etc. etc.

I actually think Eddie played the team game tonight. He had Dustin Fletcher on him who is an obvious size mismatch and would look to peel off him to effect contests 3rd man in. You have a key forward in Waite who is dominating and kicking goals. Why would you want Eddie leading Fletcher anywhere near the ball? The best thing for him to do is clear out of Jarrads way and let him take advantage of his match up. Fletcher had very limited if any influence in the contest tonight and it allowed Waite more of a free run and jump at the ball instead of having Inspector Gadget come over the top and spoil him 3rd man in.

On the other hand there are a few things I can not figure out for the life of me. I will use some examples from tonight which have been a year long trend. Yarran named the sub tonight? Subbing Robbo out instead of Lucas who was butchering the ball any time he was near it. At least Robbo provides a contest and tackles. On a side note, Lucas wins a lot of the ball, but his disposal is not great. If he is going to be used as an outside mid and play on the wing, he needs to be better by foot and make better decisions. I don't mind him playing on the forward flank and using the ball closer to goal as he is generally a good shot, but he does not deserve a spot in the team if he continues to play on the wing. He is a bit of a liability out there and the Hawks are going to hurt him the other way when he does turn it over next week.

Chris Judd starting at the first center bounce, winning the clearance, then playing majority forward in the 1st quarter. Judd is best used as a clearance player and bursting from packs. He has not really been a goal kicker with the Blues like he was at the Eagles. I understand him resting up there, for a couple minutes a quarter to save on rotations, but he should not play forward for the majority of a quarter. Same goes for Murph. He had 12 touches in the first quarter, then played forward for the majority of the 2nd and then towards the end of the last. He and Judd are the 2 best clearance mids the Blues have, they should have both been in the center at that last bounce, instead Murph was nowhere to be seen. Yes Cachia ended up with the clearance (the kick went about 30 high and 30 deep), but he does not have the same poise and vision that Murph does. When the game is on the line, get your big guns in the middle.

I have been really impressed with Curnow and Cachia the last few weeks. I think they have stepped up and played their roles well and have certainly earnt their spots in the side. I was wondering how Curnow was not getting a game earlier in the year and he is showing why he should have been playing every week at the moment.

Murph was awesome tonight, as was Waite. Dennis did a terrific job not giving Hibberd an inch and is one of the better forward defensive specialists in the league. Ratts got him to play those roles last season and he played really well and has continued with his form this season. He has really taken his opportunity for someone who I considered a fringe player and is making a valuable contribution week in and week out.

There is a lot more for me to go through but I will continue with that through the week

[Frankfaust1]

Look forward to reading more of your thoughts Mat0. Great stuff. I'm a bit dark about the Garlett goal, but no more than the one Waite cost through foolishness. He'll never change, I don't think.

Overall, they're tracking ok, but don't show the edge they'll need to challenge in September. Probably make the 8, though.

[RiOtChEsS]

Im not gonna get into the micro managing, it is what it is bcos Mick has his favorites, some fans blame someone or something bcos they need to expel the hurt they feel from a loss, fact is that was one of our better games for total effort and not going missing, we controlled them for 80% of the game which is why it really stings to lose...

I think Yarran's mentality is what really lets him down, cant remember who he wasnt "chasing" but it directly resulted in a goal, we all know how fast Chris "can" run and he was fresh into the game and just jogged along behind his opponent as he Essendon went into they're forward 50, he needs to get a bit more "Cyril Rioli" to his mindset imo

[muzza3465]

Great write up mat0369 I agree with the confusion of some of the coaches moves he makes,
but I believe we are heading in the right direction with an ounce of luck should
have got the 4 points . I think we should make finals how far we go is another
question HERE,S HOPING  ;D 

[Mat0369]

Im not gonna get into the micro managing, it is what it is bcos Mick has his favorites, some fans blame someone or something bcos they need to expel the hurt they feel from a loss, fact is that was one of our better games for total effort and not going missing, we controlled them for 80% of the game which is why it really stings to lose...

I think Yarran's mentality is what really lets him down, cant remember who he wasnt "chasing" but it directly resulted in a goal, we all know how fast Chris "can" run and he was fresh into the game and just jogged along behind his opponent as he Essendon went into they're forward 50, he needs to get a bit more "Cyril Rioli" to his mindset imo

You are 100% correct with Yarran. Although he was fresh, I don't think being the sub did him no favours. Sometimes the sub is able to pick up the flow of the game really quickly and have an impact, but he came on when Essendon were on a bit of a roll and he didn't have an impact in winning the ball or putting on enough defensive pressure. Yaz has a lot of flair when he plays, but his defensive pressure is one thing that has never been consistent. The reason he was so effective playing half back is that he was so dangerous running the ball out of the backline, teams had to tag him and did not look to hurt him the other way. Winderlich was able to win the ball late a few times in that last quarter, including the mark where Yaz stopped running at the ball hoping for the over the top. He is only young and the consistency will come with time.

There are 4 guys I am interested in seeing how they fit in Carltons future. The 4 guys are Laidler, Duigan, Hampson and Carrazzo. Carrazzo for a reason different to the other 3. With the lockdown roles that Cachia and Curnow have been able to perform, when Carrazzo is fit, what do the Blues do with him? Do they play all 3? You would think the other 2 have done enough to earn their spot. Does Carrazzo slot into the back half as a small defender pushing Simmo back onto the wing? Do they release him in the midfield and let him rack up 30+ touches a game and give him the responsibility of helping Murph and Judd break their tags? Carrazzo, Murph and Judd are the 3 best clearance mids in the team. They work really well together when they start at center bounces and all have the ability to extract the ball in contested situations. We all know Carrots could rack it up but had the ability to turn it over which he significantly cut down.

The other 3 have been playing in the reserves, Duigan and Laidler for most of the year. I think with Walker moving back, he has taken Duigans spot. This guy was an awesome player a couple of years back but has seemed to regress since his first season. He is not young, so it could be age catching up with him. Laidler I have no idea what is going on. He is being used forward, but before his injury he was Carltons most important defended. The season he was healthy Carlton averaged only 70 something points against and he lead the team in intercept marks. Hampson has been pushed out by Casboult who I really like (apart from his kicking). I don't think Carlton can play a forward line of Waite, Hampson and Casboult as it would be to tall. I prefer Hammer up forward compared to Kreuz, I don't think neither are natural forwards, but playing Kreuz forward doesn't best utilize his skill sets. If Hampson can get his goal kicking sorted out, I think he could be a really damaging option. He rucks very well he creates contests and is able to bring the ball down to the likes of Betts, Garlett and Yaz my intentionally hitting it into their path when it is a 2 on 1 contest. A lot of supporters like to give him crap, but when you watch him play, he will crash into a pack and you can see him actually trying to palm it into the direction of our smalls. His marking is still inconsistent, as is his goal kicking, but in the next couple of seasons, that is when the big men generally start hitting their prime. Hopefully he can get some confidence in the VFL and improve his kicking at goal. He has all the tools to create mismatch problems, he just has not been able to get it all together consistently.

[RiOtChEsS]

Definitely interested to see how they use Carrots, imo they should run him thru the middle, he can really rack'em up, keep Kade and Walks in the backline i like the run they give and both r good over head marks (intercept) so we r getting a 2 in 1 with those guys...

Im not sure about Yaz, i think he is a forward/winger, the continual hamstring strains mean we cant give him a heavy load a-la Cyril, would be really good if he could get a bit more "mongrel" in his game, it is a subtle tweak in mindset i hope Mick can extract...

If Hampson could kick at goal with confidence he would be a lock, solid mark and decent tap ruckman, Casboult looked like he staked a good claim for that spot tho, he really klunked the pill well against Essendon and we should stick with him in the 22 for now...

Must be a personality thing with Laidler, his skill set is almost identical to Alan Toovey who was one of Micks faves, Toovey had a little more pace but Laidler can take a taller forward so im not sure what the problem is there...

Kruez used to be an accurate kick in his first couple of years, not sure why he isnt now, goal kicking is a confidence thing, he can do it he just needs to put some time into it on his own.
(Brock McLean's banana in the 4th qtr is a good example, at no point was he confident in that, no belief in his ability to kick it)