DeeSpencer

It’s stiff because he’s in position to tackle, the Carlton player fumbles, he can’t dive on the footy, that’s a free, shouldn’t lead with head and get crashed in to, that’s dangerous. He can only really try to block the Carlton player. Obviously he’s gone a little heavy with a bumping action but it’s an attempt to clear the space. There’s a reason there’s no damage don’t because it wasn’t an attempt to cause any.

Jackson is far more mobile than Gawn, Grundy. And T Mc was churning kms at CHF. That allowed for an immobile Brown. Now we have a kid in JvR and a big ruck, often Gawn, the biggest of rucks. The pieces around BBB are different and BBB is different. We also nursed BBB through 2021. Any chance he does have of making us better involves timing his run to perfection.

No point flogging a dead horse with BBB though, for what he’s got I thought he contested and jumped at it well today. Maybe, just maybe it might spur him on. He’s had a lot worse VFL games lately. JJJ’s endurance is his weapon at AFL level. He’s still just 22 and filling out his frame and has barely played consistent footy as an inside mid. He wasn’t a TAC pathways gun on baller who’s been doing this since he was 14 like Jack Viney for instance. He doesn’t provide us anything to the senior side right now, hence why he isn’t in it. People think he needs to be in the afl side. I firmly don’t. But I’d love to see what he can do with 10 more weeks at Casey as the main man. His skills and stoppage craft can really improve with 30-40 touches a week

Best defender: Deak Smith. Really solid game. Turner quiet. Howes I can’t believe had 23 which is a testament to how easy he makes it but his contest work is poor. Best mid: Woey. JJ had moments as did Laurie, but Taj I thought combined inside and outside efforts. Best forward; Depsite rucking a lot was Schache. With an honourable mention to Gorgeous George Grey.

He actually had 2 excellent aerial contests in the last 5 minutes and he took a strong grab and laced out Schache for the vital go ahead goal. Athletically we know he’s not much but he played well.

Casey sending Valentine back it looks which I hate. Go for a goal

Desal bailed out with a soft free when he should’ve taken the mark but he’s got the goal

Can’t tell if it’s Sestan, Howe, Howe or Jefferson having a set shot but he’s all over the interchanges

Or often a first

Obviously Casey are bombing it too much but I don’t agree with the commentators statistics that every long kick will land in the opposition arms. Casey have a number of goals from long deep kicks. It’s just a matter of getting the balance right and the kicks directed to forwards on the move.

That means he either takes McVee’s role and has to chase smalls which he struggles to do or he plays half back and Gus is probably more suited to that.

A few chances for quasiJeffo to get involved to start the 3rd and he’s a mile off. meanwhile BBB takes his best contested clunk in 18 months but missed

Hibberd’s a key defender now, if he’s fit he should come straight back in for the Tugboat but there’s no way he comes in for Bowey. Gus will go to half back and open the midfield spot for Oliver. We haven’t been able to find a spot for Harmes or JJ both who offer more run and versatility than Dunstan. No idea why we’d want Dunstan in? If Viney, Oliver, Petracca, Sparrow with 2 rucks can’t get first hands on the pill then we are stuffed. Goody needs to trust the half forwards to do stints. For example Chandler is absolutely primed for a crack on ball especially when Viney is on the bench.

Sesto doing the right thing and missing the set shot from what was an absolutely ridiculous free kick. Good boy.

Valentine and White have both missed open goals under little pressure but both times Casey have goaled quickly after

A plant based alternative of EPO might be needed

Someone get a brown paper bag up to the commentator and tell him to breathe. Scrappy but willing contest so far. Defensive shape is good.

Hard to blame the chef when he’s cooking with pretty much the same ingredients. There also has to be some understanding that scoring in AFL footy is really hard. There’s only 3 sides who would feel somewhat confident in their forward line right now and that would be Coll, Bris and the 5-6 Geel.

There’s no way Smith stays in AND they bring in another tall. They aren’t dropping one of our important smalls for Smith to play half forward flank. It’s either BBB shows he has some mobility, Schache shows he can compete, they gamble on Melksham again or they stick with Smith for his mobility even if he doesn’t know what he’s doing. We’ve been managing Gawn, Grundy and JVR’s minutes all year too. Grundy should be up for a big 4 quarter effort. Max hopefully has some confidence up as a forward. JVR just played a good game and even Fritsch started to hit some packs properly in the second half last night. Those guys are our best chance of nullifying Moore with the other tall staying out of the way.

24 disposals. 5 intercepts. 5 score involvements. Big contest wins late. Just about every aspect of his game is in really good order aside from kicking at full speed which is really difficult. But geez we’ve been crying out for our defenders to run and take the game on, surely we live with some shanks whilst he tries to add that to his game? 10 day break and the bye will both help. We can’t lose Bowey and then rest our other half back runner.

I’m excited about McVee’s midfield potential but he’s a skinny kid still trying to learn one position. You’d disrupt his game trying to get midfield rotations in to him and I doubt his body is ready for midfield contests. Rivers (more than one stint a game) and Salem are surely ahead in the pecking order.

He was stronger at the contest and escaped tackles better this week. Couldn’t lay a tackle himself. And his kicking penetration remains dreadful and costly. Maybe the tv doesn’t capture how he has short or long options but invariably goes with slow 35m up and unders that consistently get spoiled. The decline in his kicking and seemingly in his confidence to flatten his kicks from preseason to the real stuff is is drastic as I can remember

Gus is better behind the ball but he plays half back as an intercepting tall not as an aggressive two way flanker. It’s the combination of him and Lever in the same role that I don’t like. Some of Gus’ best footy of his career was when Lever was out last year. When they both played together it’s fantastic against bad sides but gets silly against dangerous teams. Of course if we do get to full health with mids and flankers we can consider Gus to a wing where he gets the benefit of playing as a spare back and a mid at the same time.

Carlton’s pressure was very solid early but we stuck to attacking guns and switched it more tonight than in the last month. Even some corridor kick ins! What I also loved is the backline mostly came forward and defended far higher and grew in confidence. Far less sitting back. Then Carlton got stuck in the turnover cycle, butchering it more and more so less and less unable to pressure.

Collingwood - Johnson, Mihocek, Cox. None are great but we might be better off putting Hibberd (if healthy) on Johnson and Lever on Cox rather than going too tall and getting burnt be their speed and pressure. Brisbane - Daniher, Hipwood, Gunston are all dangerous. Lever has generally taken Hipwood Geelong - Hawkins, Cameron, Henry/Rohan. Usually the Cats play a small through Lever and attempt to get him turned around by Miers/Stengle at ground level.