DeeSpencer

Awful start, incredible grit to get back in it. Given Carlton had more talent in several aspects of the ground it’s a huge credit to the coaches and players. The forward line has issues but also a path to solutions and we saw some of them at times. A whole lot of Tracc, but also some the ball movement improvements even in wet and high pressure. Midfield, unfortunately I’m less sure of the answers but I like that we’ve tried some things. Huge game from Nibbler

2020 was covid and list shrinkage, no surprises that wasn’t a great time. 2021 due to McVee has become a strong crop with JVR, Howes (who’s the other close to locking up a spot), Woey and even AMW. We’ll see on 2022, at least we took 4 project player kids and each is still a chance. The poor opposition scouting to not find any mature players who could really help us and the burning of 2nd round picks bother me more than some picks not working out. JT was never going to be near perfect forever.

Illness is the report

I was a bit of a Wilson doubter as I didn’t trust his decision making under pressure, but he’s so elite as an outside runner it rarely matters and he’s already consistent overhead for a kid which gives him another way to win clean possessions. Kolt just looks plain athletically and isn’t doing anything special with his power. Great worker and high character, I’ve got no doubt he’ll be a long term player but the trade up without a clear target is a mistake. Burnt 2 second rounders that could’ve been forwarded in to future picks. As was folding and giving away a 2nd rounder for McAdam when a third would’ve got it done. The reality is we might’ve finished the last 2 list periods with Windsor, an ok role player in Kolt, some longer term rookies in Brown, Sestan, Verrall and stuff all else. As bad as Jefferson has been Adams might be worse, he can’t track the ball in the air. Oh well, I guess we added some mature players right? Nope, a few games out of Billings, Hunter, Grundy, Hore and maybe some McAdam or Fullarton cameos if we are lucky. Whilst Gus and Joel Smith are done. Pretty good job turning a top 4 list in to a mid table one.

I'm on record saying in an ideal world I'd refresh the squad with a number of changes, but given the available options are Laurie, Hore, maybe Bowey, maybe Schache if not injured, maybe BBB, maybe Hunter after playing half a VFL game (and not well) I don't expect to see much change. I'm far from a Billings fan, but Windsor is right on the limit at about 78% game time and we're seeing a much better Ed Langdon this year limiting him to about 90% rather than pushing him to close to full games. And I'm liking a look at Ed at half forward every now and then for a change. Nibbler can fill in, but he's so vital for the way he stretches the ground end to end from half forward. So there's 30% or so game time for a 3rd winger and in that role Billings is at least competent in getting to the right spots. As frustrating as he is and also knowing he's a likely sub out candidate most weeks he still fits the mold of a forward/wing hybrid player which we really need.

Not really, I can’t seem to ever post a photo on here even when I upload it to a 3rd party image host. This is a bit after a stoppage pretty much bang on centre wing when the Cats get a free kick but look how close to the boundary and in between lines that Riv is. https://ibb.co/6Py1qmy I’m suggesting he comes 5-10m corridor side so he’s in line with the goals to the ball and depending on the state of the game he either comes 10m up so he can pressure and receive handballs or 10m back so he’s a genuine intercepting option.

Casey looked bad, the young guys all had a good go in key roles. Wouldn’t want to be this light on every week especially in the middle but it’s better development than sticking the young guys on the flanks whilst the VFL All Stars dominate.

Did you watch the half he played? He was ordinary. Punched the ball straight out scared of contact. More chance he’s injured than in the side for any role but sub and even that would be a kick in the teeth for anyone omitted for him

Missed tackles to lock it forward and simple defensive errors down back. Probably lost it in the first when they were outplayed with the wind

Yep, the positive is he’s been involved in everything, huge work rate game across half back, but needs some refinement.

Hunter can play bench, bench, bench and wing. Billings can play forward and wing, and bench

Boy George and Jeffo have good chemistry, the attack of the George has woken up Jeffo (hopefully)

Abysmal non deliberate call

Thought the second quarter in to the breeze was a decent effort. Sestan, Tholstrup, AMW, Brown all had moments moving the ball well. Missed a few chances to get scores. Fullarton got involved with a few marks. Defensively open but Willy had the wind and after a hot start Casey got the momentum back. McAdam? Injured again?

Boy George! Sign the man

We’ve always been dumb and we will continue to be dumb is what that says to me. BBB hasn’t had a kick since, Billings and Petty lost all confidence, not to mention the Oliver fiasco and Salem tore a hammy 3 seconds in to the Brisbane game. There’s a good rest after Thursday and we’ve had plenty of rest the last few weeks, so it’s not exactly the same. Is Fullarton at 100% worse than 80% JVR (he might be, but I’d consider the switch because I doubt it changes the outcome of the game and will protect JVR and possibly Max if Fullarton can hold up in the ruck as well as Petty with fresh legs at CHF).

Sure, but he’s guarding the least dangerous space, without the ability to get immediate pressure to force a turnover, nor the ability to quickly counter. If a team gets a clean entry from the stoppage in to the corridor and goes inside 50 to the fat side he’s not involved in the play at all. And given most teams roll their half forward up to the corridor side of the stoppage his direct opponent is taking a dangerous spot.

It’s still a crazy fixture and we absolutely should consider fresh legs. You can’t just ignore a 5 day break and the benefit fresh players have over sore tired players. A fit Bowser for Woey would be very nice, just not sure if he’s ready off a long break. And in an ideal world you’d get a bunch of fresh runners in on ever line. One or both of Billings and Windsor (purely due to his youth), maybe one of Chandler/Sparrow, perhaps JVR/Disco would be switched out with fresh legs. Fullarton for JVR, Laurie starting for Billings would both make sense.

Still some meat on the bone with trusting the quick handball to the runner, especially when it’s Rivers and hopefully Bowser soon. One thing I’m not loving is the starting position for our spare back from midfield stoppages. I reckon Riv is too far boundary and in no man’s land. Not close enough to pressure, not corridor enough to counter run and not deep enough to defend. Look out for it at games, seems very odd to me. Im liking the ruck going in to forward 50 stoppages and a mid - Viney or Sparrow sitting out. Don’t like when a ruck and a mid both sit outside 50 tho. One or the other. And we gave up a goal late last night when Oliver pulled himself out late to sit 15m off a stoppage and let Miers clear it, that made no sense to me. Lock it in when you get the chance and go repeat stoppage after repeat stoppage if you can. What I am loving is the switching and choosing to re-enter the 50 from other angles. And we’re starting to see some creative corridor run at times. The Langdon to Windsor across the midfield kick, in to Tracc then inside 50 was delicious.

May kicked the ball like the real Steve May for the first time in 3 years. Petty with a proper chf game, he can absolutely do it. Great games out of Langdon and Windsor Plenty to like and a proper tough win

Correct, and they're playing with a level of ball movement frankly I'm not sure I've ever seen before, that's how well drilled and connected they are. Every player seems to move in and out of gaps to create beautiful flowing ball movement. I have huge concerns about our ability to zone them up and force long kicks at any time and I suspect they'll bypass Lever with easy - sending Miers and Close up the ground - and isolate match ups deep or even get over the back. And they're doing it all whilst still keeping pressure and creating spare defenders. The only thing they are giving up at times is clerances but we've been a long way below our best all year in that regard and the one time we really punished a side from clearances was the 2021 grand final. We rarely get anywhere near the return from clearance dominance.

What skillset? Which part of Wednesday’s game indicated we need a plodder who can’t kick anything but up and under floaters at half back? Hore has a far more useful skillset to free up Rivers, McVee and Howes if we are making changes.

We needed speed forward to get some space and we also need to try different wing options in preparation for the Cats. It’s also the first time we’ve seen Langdon move anywhere in 4 years. A miracle. Excited to see Windsor have a go forward or back some time in 2027 too.

Brayshaw: Moved out of necessity because we had Tracc, Viney, Oliver, Harmes, Sparrow. Not exactly a shock that one. Went to half back as emergency cover for backline injuries and given his marking and reading the play hardly a shock there. Petty a desperation move forward to fix a broken forward line. T Mc a desperation move to salvage his career. Howes a young player assigned a new role based on attributes, that happens at every club. Last time I saw Howes play wing it didn't go well, hardly a surprise you move the tall rangy kid with a nice kick (at times) to half back. Windsor playing after being drafted says what about his versatility or the coaches adaptability? He's a winger drafted to play wing? Who are the utilities on our list? I named about 7 for Geelong. Petty is a swing man, Disco might be too. Tracc obviously is a mid/forward. Pickett might be transitioning to a forward/mid. Billings is a wing/forward. Is there a single other player you feel comfortable with in more than their set role? How about any guys who can cover 3 or even 4 roles like a Mitch Duncan or a Max Holmes? Can ANB, Chandler, Billings play half back? Can Windsor or Langdon go forward or back? Can Rivers, McVee or Howes go forward? Are any of those outsider runners or flankers capable of playing on ball? Can Viney or Oliver play forward or back? I sense the answer to most of those questions is no, but we've never seen really any of them, so how would we know? To add versatility Scott shuffles a heap of his mids and flankers all the time. We don't, so when we get injuries or come up against teams that have guys who create mismatches like Blicavs and Cameron we don't have any experience with combating it.

But it has been desperation when we’ve done it? Our tall forwards have repeatedly hit rock bottom since 2021. Just about everyone tall has had a go up forward, of course Petty did. Plus his form down back wasn’t as great as it had been. Brown, McDonald, May, Gawn are all veterans in need of a rest at times, I can only recall May getting one at any stage. How many players have we tried on the wing since 2022? Langdon, Gus, Hunter, JJ, Windsor and a few fill ins (Billings, Woey, ANB). Rarely have we mixed and matched in that position. Same for half backs. Same for on ballers where the big 3, Sparrow and Pickett are just about the only ones to have a go.