Carlton play GWS next in Sydney. I predict they'll lose.

7 hours ago, layzie said:

When do we get worried about Carlton being half decent? 

When Sam Walsh and George Hewett are playing in midfield and when Harry McKay improves his kicking accuracy.

9 hours ago, A F said:

 

Also, why was Michael Voss crying? Calm down mate, you haven't won the flag.

Missed that but I suspect it was genuine tears of relief. They lose last night and the media drums on Voss'  less than average coaching would have kicked in.

Credit to Cameron who carried the cats last night. Lucky to have him.

Last week proved to me the Dees have a defensive system that works (missing May and Salem yet got the job done), whereas Cats rely on actual stars like Stweart and henry.  Too early to write cats off but they look a shadow at the moment, and Blues ?   Not sure yet.  Blues vs Dees and/or Pies will tell.

Something is up with Dangerfield.  Last week he played just 62% game time.  Last night he had played just 54% to half time then finished with 70%.  It is too early in the season to be managing his game time, unless they want to [censored] him in the last half like they did last night.

Midfielders usually play around 80-85%.  Dangerfield's numbers are exceptionally low.  Reckon he is injured or extremely unfit. 

While an excellent player he isn't showing much in the way of footy IQ or leadership.  Selwood was such a dominant leader they may have forgotten to groom a successor, altho for a long while it was touted to be Stewart.

With Stewart out and Dangerfield ineffective someone needs to step up and fill the footy IQ and leadership void. but those traits can't really be taught.  Good for the other 17 teams 😀

Cats won't miss the 8 because of the KP advantage but right now it is hard to see them going deep into Sept especially as their losses have been at the G. 

 

Edit:  the censored word is f-l-o-g.  Last time I looked it is a legitimate verb...

Edited March 23, 20232 yr by Lucifers Hero

9 hours ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

I could happily watch Carlton be irrelevant for another 20 years Wodja. 

Only 20 years?

To counter the Carlton fans chanting "woof" whenever Saad kicks the footy, I'd love to see opposition fans yelling "miaow" every time he turns it over.

1 hour ago, No. 31 said:

When Sam Walsh and George Hewett are playing in midfield and when Harry McKay improves his kicking accuracy.

Hewitt is so important for them. Allows the others in the middle to play their game.

Just had a look at the Cats fixture:

• four more games at the G:  Bombers, Hawks, Tigers and Pies.  So far it seems the wide open space of the G is challenging them.  The Ess twin may get them firing for an upset win.
• a dream KP fixture playing 4 of last years finalist there: Swans, Demons, Bulldogs Freo and this year's apparent up and coming team:  Port.  How they get such a huge advantage over finalist is beyond me!!
• play these teams twice:  Collingwood, Essendon, Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Sydney, Western Bulldogs

Certainly a much harder fixture than 2021.  They would want to bank quite a few wins early in the season or they won't be resting their tired players in the second half.  Early prediction is they will come back to the pack and maybe bottom half of the 8.  Wouldn't that be nice!!!

Edited March 24, 20232 yr by Lucifers Hero

9 hours ago, layzie said:

30 minutes ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Last time I looked it is a legitimate verb..

 🤔 time to kick in the AI bots... I assume it's because people use the term in the pejorative sense as a noun rather than as a verb that it's censored. 

Edited March 23, 20232 yr by grazman

1 hour ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Something is up with Dangerfield.  Last week he played just 62% game time.  Last night he had played just 54% to half time then finished with 70%.  It is too early in the season to be managing his game time, unless they want to [censored] him in the last half like they did last night.

Midfielders usually play around 80-85%.  Dangerfield's numbers are exceptionally low.  Reckon he is injured or extremely unfit. 

While an excellent player he isn't showing much in the way of footy IQ or leadership.  Selwood was such a dominant leader they may have forgotten to groom a successor, altho for a long while it was touted to be Stewart.

With Stewart out and Dangerfield ineffective someone needs to step up and fill the footy IQ and leadership void. but those traits can't really be taught.  Good for the other 17 teams 😀

Cats won't miss the 8 because of the KP advantage but right now it is hard to see them going deep into Sept especially as their losses have been at the G. 

 

Edit:  the censored word is f-l-o-g.  Last time I looked it is a legitimate verb...

Danger strikes me as the 'lead by example' captain. Players would love the way he goes about it but is he someone who could have the tough conversation or someone you'd love to go fishing with? As you say with less midfield minutes is he going to be able to influence a game when the whips are cracking? You certainly can't captain a team from the bench either.

I would have liked to see the captaincy given to Stewart but this is the way they went. 

Edited March 23, 20232 yr by layzie

Take Cameron and his incredible conversion out of last nights game and Geelong really looked bad. Wallpapering over the cracks big time. Backline that can’t cover their outs and can be picked apart. Dysfunctional forward line without Cameron and the midfield is middle of the road at best. 
 

Can’t write them off of course as it’s Geelong and only round 2, but for everyone hoping for the cliff ti be here, it certainly looks promising. 

1 minute ago, Vipercrunch said:

Take Cameron and his incredible conversion out of last nights game and Geelong really looked bad. Wallpapering over the cracks big time. Backline that can’t cover their outs and can be picked apart. Dysfunctional forward line without Cameron and the midfield is middle of the road at best. 
 

Can’t write them off of course as it’s Geelong and only round 2, but for everyone hoping for the cliff ti be here, it certainly looks promising. 

Hard to tell if it was lack of fitness, system or lack of desire but whatever it was it looked like a steaming hot mess.

No spread, players just hanging out. If you want to play a zone backline you kind of need to run and cover grass, some of those loose options that opened up in the 3rd quarter for the Blues were embarrassing. We copped it hard in 2019 when our structures were breaking down, this rivaled that. 

48 minutes ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Something is up with Dangerfield.  Last week he played just 62% game time.  Last night he had played just 54% to half time then finished with 70%.  It is too early in the season to be managing his game time, unless they want to [censored] him in the last half like they did last night.

Midfielders usually play around 80-85%.  Dangerfield's numbers are exceptionally low.  Reckon he is injured or extremely unfit. 

While an excellent player he isn't showing much in the way of footy IQ or leadership.  Selwood was such a dominant leader they may have forgotten to groom a successor, altho for a long while it was touted to be Stewart.

With Stewart out and Dangerfield ineffective someone needs to step up and fill the footy IQ and leadership void. but those traits can't really be taught.  Good for the other 17 teams 😀

Cats won't miss the 8 because of the KP advantage but right now it is hard to see them going deep into Sept especially as their losses have been at the G. 

 

Edit:  the censored word is f-l-o-g.  Last time I looked it is a legitimate verb...

Interesting data luci.

I was thinking ladt night during the game that for such a good player his kicking is woeful  - and it was particularly bad last night.

He had a terrible kicking technique and fatgue exacerbates poor technique. Given his game time perhaps you're right and fitness is an issue.

If so, that's two of their 5 most important players not in optimal shape - the other being Hawkins.

There's no catching that up, so that's a huge drag on their chances of winning a flag this season.  

Without knowing them intimately, I’ve always thought Danger is a bit too much about Danger to be a great leader.

Yes, he can do some amazing things but he can also make the simple look impossible at times.

Stewart seems a lot more level in attitude and effort

 

Edited March 23, 20232 yr by BW511

1 hour ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Something is up with Dangerfield.  Last week he played just 62% game time.  Last night he had played just 54% to half time then finished with 70%.  It is too early in the season to be managing his game time, unless they want to [censored] him in the last half like they did last night.

Midfielders usually play around 80-85%.  Dangerfield's numbers are exceptionally low.  Reckon he is injured or extremely unfit. 

While an excellent player he isn't showing much in the way of footy IQ or leadership.  Selwood was such a dominant leader they may have forgotten to groom a successor, altho for a long while it was touted to be Stewart.

With Stewart out and Dangerfield ineffective someone needs to step up and fill the footy IQ and leadership void. but those traits can't really be taught.  Good for the other 17 teams 😀

Cats won't miss the 8 because of the KP advantage but right now it is hard to see them going deep into Sept especially as their losses have been at the G. 

 

Edit:  the censored word is f-l-o-g.  Last time I looked it is a legitimate verb...

Just had a look at Wheeloratings, 59% centre bounce attendance for Danger. In looking at the strengths he brings to the table as skipper I'd have thought being in the middle and winning that 50-50 clearance when it counts ala Cripps who was at 72% was what they would we aiming for. On the flip side they could be managing him so the bounces that he does attend will be more impactful. 

Not really making a specific point but just trying to find where Danger would most impose his leadership on a game. 

13 hours ago, BoBo said:

Yeah he doesn’t really offer any insights? He just points out the obvious that everyone can see is happening.

"Lotta blokes running around out there. That'd be tiring."

"When a bloke caries on cheering and pumping the air, it's usually because he's kicked a goal. See, there! Like that! And again! Oh hang on, that's a replay."

"Is that a third team out there? In yellow. All these rules changes, can't keep up with them."

"It's dark outside. I reckon it might be night time."

 

13 hours ago, layzie said:

Ah well, he's a good boy at least!

Think of the awesome New York coffees he must make the commentary team at 1/4 and 3/4 time.

6 minutes ago, layzie said:

Not really making a specific point but just trying to find where Danger would most impose his leadership on a game. 

Most appearances in an insurance ad. Hands down.

1 hour ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Edit:  the censored word is f-l-o-g.  Last time I looked it is a legitimate verb...

 

1 hour ago, grazman said:

 🤔 time to kick in the AI bots... I assume it's because people use the term in the pejorative sense as a noun rather than as a verb that it's censored. 

The censoring filter is based on an American word list. Some good old earthy Aussie pejoratives sail through unmolested. The "F" word in question might have some connotations in American history that we Aussies are oblivious to. Whereas to us it's on the same level as "drongo".

(Now hoping that the "D" word has not somehow made it on to an American censor list!)

1 hour ago, Vipercrunch said:

Take Cameron and his incredible conversion out of last nights game and Geelong really looked bad.

I think their team conversion rate last week flattered them and kept them in the game much longer than warranted. They were 16.1 at one point.

1 hour ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Something is up with Dangerfield.  Last week he played just 62% game time.  Last night he had played just 54% to half time then finished with 70%.  It is too early in the season to be managing his game time, unless they want to [censored] him in the last half like they did last night.

Midfielders usually play around 80-85%.  Dangerfield's numbers are exceptionally low.  Reckon he is injured or extremely unfit. 

While an excellent player he isn't showing much in the way of footy IQ or leadership.  Selwood was such a dominant leader they may have forgotten to groom a successor, altho for a long while it was touted to be Stewart.

With Stewart out and Dangerfield ineffective someone needs to step up and fill the footy IQ and leadership void. but those traits can't really be taught.  Good for the other 17 teams 😀

Cats won't miss the 8 because of the KP advantage but right now it is hard to see them going deep into Sept especially as their losses have been at the G. 

 

Edit:  the censored word is f-l-o-g.  Last time I looked it is a legitimate verb...

He is playing on one year too many.....

Geelong is one side who will suffer more than any other with a shorter pre-season following a GF win.

They have a lot of old players, some like Hawkins who needed post- season surgeries which saw them complete basically no pre season. He looks badly out of shape, overweight and out of puff. 

Given the age of their list, they would want to rest players often, like they did last year, but starting 0-2 and losing Stewart really stuffs up their plans. The low TOG minutes for Dangerfield further proves that they have to delicately balance wins and resting players. It worked immensely well last year, where they had a soft draw, but it's clearly not working that well now.

Their KP advantage will see them roll into finals easily, even with their 0-2 start, but whether they do any damage in finals is yet to be seen. Let's not forget that prior to last year, they made finals for about a decade straight only to fall apart at the end. It is a very hard task to go back to back, it is even harder when you have an aging list, lost your 'inspirational' captain to retirement, and have a lot of unfit and injured key players.

Geelong is one Cameron hammy ping away from falling apart.

 

13 hours ago, old55 said:

Sydney $1.08 at home vs Hawthorn. If you take that bet now 36hrs out I make it 1000%pa interest on your money.

This is just the sort of game Sydney drops.

Hawthorn beat them easily at the SCG last time .

I wonder if Blicavs plays next week.

De Koning deliberately put his knee into the bottom of Blicavs' rib cage a fraction of a second before leaping for the ball.  Blicavs was down for a while and if he plays will be mighty sore and bruised.

De K should have been penalised.

1 hour ago, Jaded No More said:

Geelong is one side who will suffer more than any other with a shorter pre-season following a GF win.

They have a lot of old players, some like Hawkins who needed post- season surgeries which saw them complete basically no pre season. He looks badly out of shape, overweight and out of puff. 

Given the age of their list, they would want to rest players often, like they did last year, but starting 0-2 and losing Stewart really stuffs up their plans. The low TOG minutes for Dangerfield further proves that they have to delicately balance wins and resting players. It worked immensely well last year, where they had a soft draw, but it's clearly not working that well now.

Their KP advantage will see them roll into finals easily, even with their 0-2 start, but whether they do any damage in finals is yet to be seen. Let's not forget that prior to last year, they made finals for about a decade straight only to fall apart at the end. It is a very hard task to go back to back, it is even harder when you have an aging list, lost your 'inspirational' captain to retirement, and have a lot of unfit and injured key players.

Geelong is one Cameron hammy ping away from falling apart.

 

I'm very much with you on this. If we struggled from a short pre season it's going to be even harder for the Cats. Still think they will come good but the early damage could be the difference between a home top 4 and travel.

I think when it's all said and done our reigning premier title defence will look more admirable than theirs.