bing181

The setup before this as the ball came in was fine. It's just that Smith and Lever made the wrong decision. Though moreso Smith, you feel that Lever coming in across May/McKay would have easily cleared the ball, it's something he's good at. But with Smith crashing in from the left, Lever didn't get to the ball, which under Smith's momentum spilled right.

Interesting here - where both Lever and Smith should have stayed down. They left their men (Smith/Betts, Lever/Lang) to jump for a mark that May had covered ... with predictable results. McKay was the only Carlton player who flew, Lang and Betts stayed down to walk in an easy goal. (Jetta was upfield on Gibbons.) Going to be a long season, ironing out these kinds of mistakes and developing the kind of understanding that's needed to avoid them takes time.

What part of "Carlton started playing better and we started playing worse" is so difficult for people to grasp? Nothing to do with Goodwin and the coaches. Except the first quarter, when the players did what they were supposed to. (Though Carlton are a much better side than people are giving them credit for, and on paper at least, a better side than us.)

Confirmation bias 101.

Inexperience and immaturity. Running hot/cold, inability to sustain a high-level performance, lack of consistency ... all the classic signs, and not just in footy either.

Oh yes. And you can add Watts and Hogan to that list as well.

Was more to it than that.

Actually, Jetta did play on Betts, (also Murphy). Have a nice day.

You're not actually. It's all about accurate kicking. And decision-making. And the biggest area where it's an issue is in the midfield, with predictable results in the forward line.

Contradictory statements. The cattle are absolutely the problem here.

Re changes, Weideman for Jackson is a no-brainer I would have thought, though playing Brown against his old club would make sense. Pickett in perhaps (though will the club be looking to add to his penalty?), for one of Jones, Hunt, ANB. I don't think they'll be changing too much in the backline, they need continuity. Jetta out maybe, but that's a tall one and depends on matchups, though Essendon have some nippy forwards.

They've explained why. See the Troy Chaplin interview. With his relative youth and injury history, they feel that there are less demands on his body in the backline. Also that his versatility (play on tall/small) and athleticism are more damaging down back where he can play as an attacking defender. But heh, it's just a whole football department full of experienced professionals making these decisions, what would they know?

Let's see if the players can work out that "connection" which has been lacking for 25 straight games now.

I'm not singling them out per se, and having them out there was a positive. Except when it wasn't. I guess all I'm saying is that as supporters we overlook mistakes depending on who's making them - but the cost is the same regardless. And there is a cost.

Messiah complex. When the players perform like stars for a quarter then take their foot off the gas once the pressure comes on, that's nothing to do with the coach. If you want to judge Goodwin, judge him on the first quarter - when everyone on-field was doing what they were supposed to do.

Can't believe players like ANB and Hunt getting a free pass here. They were non-existent after quarter time. 7 and 9 possessions, and most of those were in the first quarter. OK, not helped by disposal coming forward, but they were poor for most of the match. Also, Jackson. He might as well not have played. He's a KPF/ruck, and took one mark? OK, young, OK great to blood him early, but there's a price to be paid, and we paid it. No accident that Pittonet and the other Carlton talls got on top. Also no accident that we then have to pull Petracca out of the middle to play deep forward to provide the target that Jackson didn't. The consequences of someone like Jackson going missing in action have a flow-on effect all through the team and the structure. Same with Rivers. OK again, great to see him out there, for a first gamer he was a revelation. But he also made at least a couple of stupid mistakes that cost us majorly - the kind of thing that if O'Mac had done them, there'd be burnings at the stake. You can forgive his inexperience, but that doesn't make the cost of those mistakes go away. I just don't know what people expect. You have players out there who are not performing/absent/making mistakes/missing, and you're all surprised that the other team managed to put together some kind of performance?

Nope.

Yes, and it let McKay really take us apart with his (checks notes) 6 possessions, zero goals, and 14 Supercoach points.

Delusional.

Actually, bizarre error of judgement. They must have know what they were doing, and the consequences. Why would you?

We have no one in the team that can cover him. (Which is why we went so hard on drafting him in the first place.)

Clearly going for speed. Shorter quarters, faster footy?

In the recent interview Chaplin explained the thinking behind having Smith as a (deep) back. I took out of it that until they're sure that his body is right, we won't be seeing him up forward.

He also explained some of the reasoning behind playing him (deep) back.

Let's just consider for a moment (work with me here) that players might be able to both speak well AND play well, just as they might be able to both speak badly AND play badly. Two ideas at once. Perhaps too radical for Demonland.