Round 1- Game Summary

Round 1 Review

A Sunday twilight game and a Grand Prix weekend and no free to air coverage so a lot of people wont go to the game or be able to see it on tv so I will write it up as best as I can. Quater by quater breakdown. Saw it live and now awatching it on Fox Footy as I write it.

Overall player reviews will be written tonight or tomorrow.


Quarter 1

Opening Bounce

White versus French
Bartram tags Stevens. Stevens moves out to the wing just before the bounce and Bartram follows him.
Bentick vs Sylvia and a hard tag by Bentick is applied early.
Moloney vs Betts
Green Vs Kouta with Green tagging him.

Up Forward

Deluca /Ferguson
Fev / Carrol
Waite / Miller
Murphy / Ward
Fisher/Yze
Scotland/Whelan

Down back

Lappin/ Bruce
Walker /Davey
Houlihan /TJ
Livo / Neitz
Thornton / Robbo
Lance / Paul Johnson


Very scrappy. Good pressure around the ball from Carlton. Strong tackle from Bentick and another run down by Eddie and Kade. More hardness around the ball. You can tell the players are switched on. Fev gets a poor decision against him. Gets up and applies a tackle and does not sook.
Lappin is just roaming free down back. This is not going to work for Melbourne if he is allowed to do that.

Short kick out after a point to Melbourne and then a long kick to Kouta and it is punched back. Quick kick back to Davey and Walker caught out. Long goal to Davey.

Melb 7 Carlton 0

2nd Centre Bounce

No change to the next centre bounce. Same players. Green tagging Kouta tight still and same for Bentick taking Sylvia. Eddie and Moloney are playing loose.

Holding the ball against AB. Chip kicks and an interception by Eddie and the ball is out. Looking sharp is Eddie.

Long kick to Neitz who outbodies Livo but Luke recovers and spoils it. This would have not happened last year and is a good sign for Luke. Did not panic when he was pushed under the ball and fought his way back.
AW sweeps in to pick the ball up and makes the mistake of going to ground. Davey sags off the pack and gets the easy handpass and kicks his 2nd.

Melb 13 Carlton 0.

3rd Centre Bounce

Stevens comes in for Eddie and Bartram follows him in. Not tagging him close but playing behind Jamar who is in for White. Mistake there and should be shoulder to shoulder with Nick. French taps straight to Nick who has his kick smothered (lucky for Bartram). Bentick wraps the ball up with French. Another strong tackle and Adam is already showing his value to the team with his hardness around the ball and tackling.

Ball goes out wide and Houla swoops on it. Runs onto his left. I know the lazy little worm burning grubber kick on his left is about to come. I am not disappointed. Only 1 bounce to get to Fev. Bad signs early for Houla.

Lappin marks on the 50 and kicks a point. Chip kick back out to Bartram who hangs his kick up to long and Houla punches it down to Betts who looks for an option. Great handpass over the Melb player which releases Simpson into space and allows him to run into goal for a shot. Kade is not a great goal kicker for someone so skilled. Runs and carries and settles over the ball and drills it into the crowd from 48m. Great penetration in those kicks.
Betts is looking very sharp and his handballing under pressure in congestion is a feature. The extra work with Libba can be clearly seen.

Carlton 7 Melb 13.

4th Centre Bounce

French still in. Jamar for his 2nd one.
Houla in for Stevens with Moloney going head to head but playing loose. Bentick tagging Johnstone. Green still tagging Kouta.

We are using our 2 best contested ball winners in Kouta and Bentick for all 4 bounces and rotating the runners in Betts/Stevens and Houlihan. Good mix as long as Kouta gets some rest also.

Stevens goes back to shake the tag of Bartram. Yze playing on the half back flank now. Sylvia goes forward with TJ going on the ball and Lappin picks him up.

Pretty scrappy for the next few minutes. Ball on the Melb hff and some good pressure from Betts and then Murphy and Fisher. Murphy picks up the loose ball. Davey is about to run him down. Murphy does not panic (poise) and knows he has Deluca free and releases the handpass to him. Notice the soft hands from Marc when he knows he is about to be buried. Could fire it out and make it hard for Deluca but he does not. You cant teach good hands around the ball under pressure and Marc is already a class above in that regard.
Deluca gives to Lappin who is running riot down back. He dribbles into the path of Waite who runs onto it and goals.

Carlton 13 Melb 14.

5th Centre Bounce

Murphy comes into the square and he and Moloney are playing loose. Carrazzo comes on for Bentick and is tagging Johnstone. Green still on Kouta.

More long kicking for Melbourne into the forward line. It is not working for them. They would be better to run it or hold it up and use there skills to pin point rather than blaze away.

Fev takes a hanger on the wing and squares it. Seems to be a real directive to kick sideways and then run it after that. Always looking inside. Bad kick really but Livo leaves Neitz to lend support and wins the ball. Great sign from Luke who is moving well.

AW handballs inside but misses the target. Has not settled yet and the 2 goals from Davey has him under pressure. Kicks long to a contest 30m out from the Blues goal. Murphy at the base of the pack and gets high contact. Milks it for all its worth. Shoots for goal and the kick is poor but still goes through. Still needs work on his kicking. It was better in the TAC than what he has shown so far at the Blues. The ball drop is the problem and when kicking for goal is especially apparent.

Carlton 19 Melb 13

6th Centre Bounce

McDonald tagging Stevens.
Carrazzo / Green (playing wide of each other)
Scotland tagging Johnstone.

French still rucks and this time it is against White.

Quick kick forward from a Stevens handpass. Murphy is front and square and kicks quickly to Eddie who runs onto it. The ball falls between he and Fev. Brendan gets it and Murphy like all natural ball winners follows his kick up and kicks quickly over the oncoming Demons player for Eddie to mark. Pure class again from Marc. When he thinks about it his kicking its not so good. When its instinctive its fine. Bad conversion for Betts.

Patient build up by Carlton who chip it around. Simmo prominent and looking classy. Eddie roves the ball off the pack but blazes away and it’s a point and cant screw the ball back enough. Hit the crumb at full pace and has great timing. Great movement from Betts. The game against the Dogs has given him confidence and apart from his finishing in front of goal he is playing great.

A bit of end to end stuff with both teams flooding. Fisher does a hamstring and comes off. Does not look so serious but that’s it for him today and likely to be 3 weeks out.
Quick turnover and Bruce gets an easy goal (AW is on him now). Poor kick from Walker and he pays the price. No time for the Blues to flood back and the defence is exposed. Andrew had just been off getting some re programming done by Denis and has had a poor first quarter and is lacking composure. Needs to settle and stop pressuring himself. Trying to hard and just needs to relax.

Carlton 20 Melb 21

7th Centre Bounce

McLaren comes on for his first centre bounce and is opposed to White.
Carrazzo/Jonhstone a tight tag.
Stevens and Green are wide of each other.
Scotland sweeping at the back behind McLaren with McDonald his opponent.

Stevens does his patented spin move just before he is about to be grabbed in close and gets clear. Should be getting a tight tag and same for Lappin. Those are the 2 players at Carlton who need to be watched and tagged all game.

Fev gets a free and Waite plays on and its advantage. Tries to overkick it and hooks it and it’s a point. Needed to slow down and settle before kicking but the adrenalin was too much.

Quarter time

3 – 3 - 21 Carlton 3- 3 - 21 Melbourne


Overall : Carlton harder at the ball. Winning the clearances but the final kick to the forward is not being executed. Melbourne kicking long into the forward 50 and Lance is reading it each time. Davey looks dangerous. High possession count on both sides. Carlton are kicking sideways then running after that. Always looking inside rather than a long kick down the line. They have worked on it all pre season and the players are definitely doing it. Good pressure from the Blues and the tackling is first rate. Melb look lethargic.

2nd Quarter


8th Centre Bounce

White/French
Stevens opposed to McDonald and they are playing loose.
Sylvia/Scotland with Scotland again behind French playing as a sweeping/defensive on baler. I like this position for Heath.
Kouta/Green still on a hard tag.

Carlton playing the 3 talls up forward in Waite/Fev/Deluca. Same for 3 talls down back in Lance/Livo/Thornton. The smaller forwards and backs are getting rotated constantly off the bench and through midfield. No point in going through every matchup but suffice to say the 3 talls down back and up forward appear pretty constant and a 5 man forward line and a 7 man defensive line seems the easiest way to describe it for Carlton.

No clearance and its pretty scrappy. Houla picks the ball up and breaks a tackle and gets his arms free and feeds it out. Great intensity from Ryan. No loafing around from him. Maybe it is not going to be a dirty day for him after all. Poor kick from Jarred into the 50 and another opportunity butchered.
Fev takes it out of the ruck and looks sharp. Scrappy again. Stevens shirks the issue after a handball from Scotland. Very bad from Nick.
Fev roves the tap out on the 50 and has sshot and misses. Ever heard of standing goal side of your opponent Carrol as a defender? Very lucky that Fev missed.

Melb chip it around the boundary line and Robbo has a shot and gets a point. Lappin tackes the kick in and it’s a short kick. After a kick to Scotland, Houla runs past for the receive and gets a good block. Ryan glides sideways but gets clear and puts the foot down and kicks well to Deluca who takes it with hands out in front. That’s another good bit of skill and intensity from Ryan.
Deluca has no idea what to do. Poor decision maker and is lost this far from goal.
Waite demands the ball and gets it and Miller is getting the run around.
Long kick to the “hot spot” 20m out from goal.
French competes with Ferguson and Fev sums it up quickly and stays down. He is shoulder to shoulder with Carrol but reacts quicker to the ball and the ball goes over the pack and Fev picks it up and gets a soft goal. Good attack from French and great reading of the situation by Fev. However that’s a few times now that Carrol has not been goal side of Fev and its very poor positioning from him as a full back.


Carlton 28 Melbourne 22

9th Centre Bounce

Same setup as the last one. Sylvia/Scotland and Green/Kouta tight. With Stevens and McDonald playing wide of each other.

Melbourne win the clearance but it’s a free to McGrath who is on Bruce. Lance takes off and gets an easy kick. Finds Lappin and both these blokes are wondering why its Christmas so early with them being able to do whatever they want. Walker kicks long to the 50. Poor up and under kick from AW.
Scotland roves the ball and quick handpass to Houla and gets it back (who needs Campo to do the one two to pad the stats). Scotland as is his way kicks on his left but this time he has penetration on it and its low and hard.
French competes against White and brings the ball down. Waite is quickest to react and Miller is dropping off Jarred now. Jarred falls and gets back up and snaps a goal. Very soft and Melb look in trouble down back with both Miller and Carrol both dropping off there opponents.
French again pushing forward and bringing the ball to ground. Great workrate from the big bloke. Jarred and Fev both gets goals from it and were smart enough to read the situation.

Carlton 34 Melbourne 22

10th Centre Bounce

Same setup in the bounce. Stevens still loose with McDonald. This is to the advantage of Carlton I would have thought. Carrazzo runs down Johstone and French feeds it out to Ryan who miss kicks but Waite is clear of Miller who is running out of petrol. Turns quickly and hits Fev on the open side of the ground with a great kick. Carroll has also used up all his tickets and is a long way behind Fev. Goal to Fev.

Carlton 40 Melbourne 22


11th Centre Bounce

Johnstone is on Kouta now. Carrazzo and Green are opposed. Stevens loose with McDonald.
Surprisingly (not) Stevens wins the clearance but gets run down. Murphy gets the mark with Yze waiting back. Marc takes off straight away and already knew he was clear (awareness) runs his full distance and settles but stabs at the ball and misses. Did everything right but did not kick through it.

Melb run it down the wing after the point and McDonald has a quick kick anf it’s a point. Slow kick in by the Blues. Thornton kicks to AW who drops it. But keeps his feet unlike McDonald and wins the ball on the ground. Superb left handed handball from AW to Stevens who ships it short and it is turned over.
Bruce runs and acrries and kicks to the square. Lance surprise surprise has read this and Lappin sweeps it up and Simpson is used as the “release” player.
Nothing on for Kade who again turns back inside to keep possession to Kouta.
Last year this would have been a long kick down the boundary line but this year unless someone is clear the player will look back inside for an easy square up.

Kouta has been quiet with Green doing a good job on him. Kick to Deluca and Scotland runs past for the handball receive and he puts his foot down and hits Fev 55m out. He misses.

Johnstone butchers the kick in and Deluca picks it up but hesitates and wont kick for goal and the opportunity is lost. Really indecisive for Adrian who just lacks that clear decision making. Feeds it to Kouta who centres the ball. Melb punch it clear and run it out. Fast break and Bartram has it and Waite runs hard but he runs to 50 and kicks a goal.

Carlton 42 Melb 29

12th Centre Bounce

Scotland/Moloney
French/White (all quarter so far)
Carrazzo and McDonald are playing wide.
Green back again as a hard tag on Kouta.

Moloney wins the clearance and kicks long (does he ever not kick long?) and Thornton should mark it but drops it. Simpson clears and kicks long. Ball comes back after another long kick from Melb into the 50. This is not working for Melbourne. What is Daniher doing?
TJ wins a clearance from the throw in and feeds it to Neitz who hits the post.
Lance kicks it in to Carrazzo who hits Kade who handpasses to Lappin and gets it back. Kade puts his foot down and runs and carries and kicks a long low kick to Waite. Miller punches clear.
Kade, you have been worth the wait.

Melb run it down but read by Lance (do Melbourne think he will suddenly forget how to read the play ?) and Scotland runs it out. Poor kick on his left (still does this to much). Green kicks long to the 50 but Carlton have about 5 players waiting including the ruck and French takes an easy mark (what game is Daniher watching ?)
Houlihan keeps his feet and kicks to Fev (you knew it was going to Fev right?). Brendan blazes away from 55 and its falls short. Really poor play from Fev who had to wait for an option.
Melb move it quickly and AW spoils Sylvia. Thornton drags it in and its holding the ball. Davey misses the kick. Very lucky Fev.

Lappin kicks out and of course it goes to Lance and both those guys are waxing now between them. Lance to AW who takes a good mark and runs off and aims at Kouat who has pushed forward and has Miller as his opponent. Good hands from AW and a great penetrating kick. He is into this game now and has settled and is gaining confidence. 5 years ago Kouta would have jumped on Millers head but not now and it is spoiled.
Melb starting to run it better and Carlton are tiring. Neitz comes out and takes a strong mark with Livo unable to spoil. He misses though. Getting more run from the half back line now is Melb and they look dangerous.
1 end to the other with Lappin spoiling.

Bryon gets a possession. After speaking to someone at Melb they are very disappointed with his condition and pre season and his attitude to be honest. Does he have the hunger anymore? Needs to work a lot harder and get fitter and stop with all the “hard man” talk and get near the ball.
McLaren drops back to spoil and that’s his go as a defensive ruckman. Sporn fumbles and it’s a bad sign and what kills him in the AFL, his double grabbing the ball.
The balkl si cleared and Waite is back on with Ferguson his opponent. Fev pushes up to help. Unlucky to not get a free is Fev. Whats his reaction? Sook or get up? Goes again and applies a shepherd for Simpson who is released. Well done Fev. Doing the jumper proud tonight.
No target for Kade who turns back inside. Carlton tiring badly. Fev has a kick smothered but butters up and feeds it back out. Great workrate from a clearly distressed Fev.
Carlton have lost there structure and the half time siren cant come soon enough for them.
McGrath marks strongly down back. Done some good things has Corey and like his game. Melb kick to the square and Bryon is front and square but the ball hits his foot before he can get down to pick it up. Talk about a poor effort. Slow and lazy. No targets for Carlton coming out and they need to hold on here.
Bentick tagging TJ again and Johnstone has no real influene on the game so far and he punches the ball out.
Davey swoops onto the ball from the throw in and centers it to Lance. Sorry Melb I know you were interested in Lance last year but he is still a Blue and not Demon and not really much point in kicking to him. Check his jumper if you do not believe me.

Nothing going forward for Carlton with Fev so tired. Melb are running it out easily andf Bruce is looking dangerous. Lucky bounce for Carlton with Moloney getting his kick spoiled just before it could have bounced through.
TJ goes to ground and Bentick clears the ball. Houla kicks to Waite who side steps Ferguson but misses the easy goal.


Half time.

Carlton 43 Melbourne 33.

Carlton lucky to hold on there through some good defending and a bit of luck. Bruce and Green starting to influence the game. Waite is to much for Ferguson or Miller. Fev has run himself ragged and he needs a rest. Melb still kicking long to Lance but he was not traded so I do not understand this.

3rd Quarter


13th Centre Bounce

Kouta to FF on Miller. Trying to get him into the game with Green doing a good job so far and to stretch the defense of the Demons.

French/White
Stevens/Bartram a tight tag.
Carrazzo/Moloney playing wide.
Scotland/Green on each other.

Scrappy start and Bentick kicks to the square with Waite/Fergsuon competing. Carrol clears it but panics and blazes away with Lappin waiting for the ball. He passes to Fev who misses from 40m out on an acute angle.
Chip kick back in and Bartram turns it over (again) to Betts. Like the look of Bartram but his decision making and kicking needs to be better though.
Eddie kicks inside and Stevens also does to Kouta. Sticking with the game plan to square it up where possible and avoid the long kick down the line with numbers back for Melb. Long kick to Waite who should have jumped at it instead of trying to move his opponent.
Superb tackle from Betts on TJ and brings him down. Unlucky to not get a free. More pressure and the ball is out. Eddie again tackles well and this time Yze turns it over to Stevens. Immediately kicks to McGrath across the ground to open it up who runs and carries and kicks long. Superb crumb for Eddie who swoops on it at full pace but kicks out on the full.

Absolutely superb play by Eddie with his pressure and crumbing. Its not his day for finishing but apart from that he has been great.
Long kick down the line with AW jumping over everybody to do his patented left hand spoil to kill the ball.
Davey about to swoop on it but AW is right there now and knocks it clear. He is right in this now. Carrazzo runs down TJ for the 3rd time today and gets a free. Great pressure around the ball from Carlton again. They needed the half time break.
Switches to French straight away inside. Nota good kick but the Blues recover quicker and Stevens runs into an open goal but gets under it. Waite pushes Ferguson under it and marks and goals. Carlton are all over this now. Betts was waiting for the crumb again and the amount of times he has been there would be to many to count. Always times it so he hits it at full pace and its almost impossible for him to be tagged out of it when he does it.

Carlton 50 Melb 33

14th Centre Bounce

Bentick/Moloney but wide of each other.
Bartram continues to tag Stevens.
Scotland behind French as the sweeper and opposed to Green.

Melb win the clearance and Davey marks out wide. Turns inside but Kade is waiting. They chip it around and Livo provides an option. Confidence growing for Luke. Of cpurse he kicks it to Lappin and why not when he is running free all game. Poor kick from Scotland after another handball receive. Fev handpasses to Houla and Sporn gets it and kicks to Waite. Ferguson buries his head in the arm of Waite and prays for a free kick. No eyes for the ball and is caught out and Waite with eyes on it pushes off and marks easily.
Technically a free kick but in reality the contact was light and Ferguson was not looking at it and should have been paid. Waite takes it well and shows great maturity by not arguing.
Quick transfer from Melb and Neitz is on the end of a good pass from TJ and kicks a goal. That hurts. 12 point turn around there.

Carlton 50 Melb 39.

15th Centre Bounce

Green/Scotland but wide of each other.
Stevens/Bartram but wide. Asking for trouble here.
Bentick close on Moloney.
French beats Jamar and taps to Bentick who feeds it out to Stevens. Great clearance there by French and Adam. Of course he feeds it to Stevens and Bartram is trailing him.
Runs onto his left but nobody is there and its turned over.

Kouta up forward is not working.

Throw in in the Melb forward line. AW is not goal side of Davey and gets a block and Aaron runs onto the ball and snaps a goal. A bit of luck for Davey but in reality Andrew has to be tight and on the defensive side of Davey in those situations.

Carlton 50 Melb 45.

16th Centre Bounce

French/Jamar
Sylvia/Stevens.
Bentick/ Brown.
Houlihan/ Moloney well wide.

No real close matchups here and it’s who wins the tap. French against Jamar is advantage Carlton and I would think Melb need to man this centre bounce up better than this.
French wins the tap but Svlvia sharks it. Lappin intercepts and a kick forward where Waite outbodies Miller and turns and kicks to Deluca in the square. Deluca pushes back hard and its not really to his advantage but needed to keep his feet and at least bring the ball down but he can’t and Ferguson takes an easy
mark. Very poor from Deluca and I do not like what I see from him tonight.

Ball moved quickly by Melb and Roboo kicks a point. Lance finds Houla from the kick in and Melb are surprised that it is not kicked to Lappin. That is soon fixed when he runs past for the handball.
Green kicks to the 50 and Livo right on Neitz for the spoil. AW goal side of Davey and waiting for the feed out from Lance who surprisingly has read the play and is at the back waiting for the spill. Andrew drills it to Thornton (AW’s kiciking is getting better as the game goes on). Thornton has sagged off the lazy Robbo who when he is hot is as good as any player but when its not his day he cannot be bothered. He kicks well to Kouta who feeds it to Stevens who is running hard but does not finish and kicks out on the full. Never been a great kick for goal has Nick but that was poor.
Scrappy around the wing and Melb look like breaking clear but AW intercepts a handball and knocks it down and then picks it up (in the blink of an eye). Puts his foot down but settles before kicking. Hits Carrazzo on the chest with a bullet. I almost burst into tears at that point.
Carrazzo kicks to the open side of the ground and its advantage for Sporn who does a poor job and its run out by Melb. He is struggling is Sporn.
Long kick to Motlop and French gives chase and pressures him and he kicks it out on the full. Great work rate there from the big bloke.
Switch again to Thornton, Simpson and Stevens. Walker makes space and because its is Stevens and not Campo he gets it kicked to him. Kicks inside to Scotland with a good low kick. He aims for Fev 1 out but Ferguson is third man up and rushes it over.

Carlton all over Melbourne at this point.

Quick kick in and good movement from Melb. Throw in and French taps it 20m and Bryon fumbles and instead of going back to pick it up he decised to punch it to another player. Interesting play and shows where he is at. Pick it up and put your head over the ball or tap it away and avoid the contact. That 2004 grand final seems like 10 years ago looking at Pickett now.

The ball is centred to the top of the square. Lance and Lappin are sick of taking the easy uncontested marks down back and so French decides he will get in on the act. Switch around and Lappin decides he is ready for another easy mark and runs it down the wing. Kicks it long to Fev who gives a good lead. Fev gets hit by a feather and goes down and gets the free. Works for Matty Lloyd so why not thinks Fev. Advantage is called and Houla runs onto it but butchers the kick and its out on the full. Very wasteful.

A lot of possessions for no result on both sides. Scotland kicks to Waite down the wing. Miller on him and Ferguson in front. Jarred decides to jump over Ferguson and pluck it out of the air.
Kicks to McLaren who makes position 30m out and Bryon decides to run face on to him and punch the arms and not look at the ball. Surprisingly he knocks Dylan over and gets a free paid against him. Not sure what planet Bryon is on but it can’t be Earth. He is not switched on.
Dylan goes back and makes him pay.

Carlton 57 Melbourne 46.

17th Centre Bounce

Dylan/White.
Bentick/Green playing close
Houlihan and Sporn are free and opposed to Bruce and Bartram.

Houla releases to Bentick who kicks forward. Miller spoils and they have numbers on the wing. Scotland keeps his feet and McDonald falls over. The ball is out. Heath is getting better and better as this game is going on. Great workrate and poise now from him.

Great tackle from Bentick on Sylvia. Bone crunching. Houla picks it up with clean hands, nice sidestep and kicks out of congestion. Great workrate from Ryan tonight so far.
Melb kick it forward and Livo takes a mark. Chips it over the top to AW who has no option and kicks to a manned up Lappin. Simpson lends support and it’s a ball up. Great attack by Kade but he is wrapped up. Not much of him but he hits in hard.

Kade runs back with the flight of the ball and takes a great mark. Works both ways does Kade. Chips around to Scotland, Stevns and Murphy who hits Fev 40m out. Notice how well the ball comes off the boot from Marc and its spins perfectly. Some of the kicking problem is a small technical thing and some is between the ears for Murphy and especially when he is kicking for goal.
Fev is paid the mark and Betts is right there for the crumb and for an easy goal. Just itching for a goal is Eddie and he has led Whelan a merry dance all night.
Fev kicks the goal.

Carlton 63 Melb 46

18th Centre Bounce

McLaren/Jamar
Carrazzo/Bartram
Bentick tagging TJ.
Stevens loose with McDonald.

Bentick clears it and Waite takes a strong mark he had no right to take. Just reached up and Carrol was surprised he got it. That’s where a players reach comes into play and Waite has those extra long arms.
Handpasses to Houla who is run down by Bryon who has joined the game late in the 3rd quarter. Welcome to round 1 Bryon but maybe should have been ready to go 100 minutes ago.
Jamar marks and waits for all the free players to be manned up then kicks to a 2 on 2 contest. Kade punches it back and Bentick handpasses to Simposn who finds Fev. Brendan 45out close to the boundary line but kicks it. Great goal.

Carlton 69 Melb 46.

19th Centre Bounce

McLaren/Jamar
Stevens has the tag of Bartram.
Carrazzo and McDonald wide of each other.
Bentick tight on TJ.

McLaren taps to Bentick who feeds Carrazzo but not a great kick on his left but Stevens has made space. Kicks to Scotland who kicks long buts that’s it for the quarter.

3 quarter time: Carlton 69 Melb 46.

4th Quarter


20th Centre Bounce

White/McLaren
Sylvia/Kouta
Scotland sweeping behind McLaren again and Green doing the same for Melb.
Moloney/Bentick.

Quick kick from White and the ball is kicked out by Lappin. Moloney kicks it forward and Sylvia crumbs it and snaps a goal.

Carlton 69 Melb 52.

21st Centre Bounce

Same setup as last time. McLaren misses the tap and Green sweeps it up and sends it long. Paul Johnson jumps to early and gives a free away. Lance backs into him though and makes him do it. At least PJ is on the stats sheet now.
Livo plays on and kicks long to Murphy. The ball goes over 50m and is low and hard and spins right. No, really I swear to you it really happened and Luke kicked it well. April 2 not April 1. Trust me.
Murphy traps it and kicks over the top and Yze has it but seems to think he has time when he does not and is caught and slung. Simpson loves to make the tackle stick. Eddie picks it up and kicks to Waite. Poor kick from Waite and it’s a point.

Quick transfer from Melb and Bryon runs it down the wing with Bentick in pursuit. Long kick to PJ but Lance punches it over for a point.

Carlton down the wing with Kade to Waite who is destroying Ferguson now.
Kicks to Stevens who misses the goal. Not great kicking tonight for Nick.


Kick to the wing and Fev gives chase and forces a rushed kick. Eddie handpasses to a tired Fev who is not ready for it. Murphy applies a strong tackle and knocks the handpass out as well and runs onto it and sees Waite and kicks it on the outside of his foot to find him. Pure class again from Marc. Under pressure is when he does his best work. Jarred misses the easy kick and it’s a point. Poor conversion tonight from Waite and the only thing stopping him from becoming a gun.

Kick in to a contest and Fev forces a boundary throw in (he is very tired now). Lazy tackle from Kouta and TJ gives off to Ward. Lance drops back and takes another easy mark. Walker kicks long to a contest and it comes back. Neitz takes a strong mark with Livo 5m in front. He goals.

Melb 59 Carlton 72.

22nd Centre Bounce

McLaren/Jamar
Green on Kouta again. He has done a good job.
Moloney tagging Stevens very tight (good move)
Scotland sweeping as usual with McDonald nearby.

Scotland wins it and handpasses to Murphy who gives a lovely soft handpass back to Thornton which gives him time and space. Houla is found and he kicks it to Fev (what were you expecting ?).
Jamar picks it up but gets bumped by Simpson who jars it out and Kade picks it up and has 2 Melb players about to tackle him. Little shimmy step (geez he has great footwork) and kicks it quickly to Murphy who is 20m out but gives it off to Fev. Unselfish from Marc. Fev kicks the easy goal.

Carlton 78 Melb 59.

23rd Centre Bounce

French/Jamar

Kouta/Moloney.
Stevens/Bartram
Scotland/Sylvia. Melb decide to not allow Scotland to be able to sweep behind the ruck and man him up. A bit late now for that I would have thought.

Free to Scotland who passes off to AW. Closed down by Bryon and has to kick on his left. I hold my breath but the kick is low and hard and spins perfectly. Fev slips and it’s a throw in. Andrew is playing exactly how he needs to now. Peeling off and giving an option and kicking well.
Carrazzo wins the clearance and gives to Sporn who gets a free. Kicks the goal. Needs the confidence.

Carlton 84 Melb 59.

24th Centre Bounce

Bartram mauling Stevens now. The tightest of tags (illegal ?)
Kouta/Sylvia
Moloney/Scotland
French/Jamar

Good jump from Jamar and down to Moloney. Sylvia gets the ball but fumbles and Davey swoops but gets a stron tackle from Scotland. Ball jarred out and Murphy knocks it down and feeds it back(great soft hands there) to Thornton who kicks to Sporn. AW makes position and kicks long to the 50 (good hard low kick again). End to end work with Betts pushing back to help the defense out. Stevens does well and Scotland kicks long to Fev who spins and kicks high to Waite. Both fall over and the ball goes over for a point. Ferguson lucky there and if it stayed in it would have been an easy goal.

Melb down the middle and a long kick again from Moloney. Bruce goes early and should be a free but not paid. Lappin makes his first mistake and gives it to Bruce who handpasses to Robbo who could not be bothered to go for the ball before and waits in the goal square for the softest of goals. Who says crime does not pay thinks Robbo.

Melb 65 Carlton 85.

25th Centre Bounce

French/White
Kouta/Sylvia
Houlihan/Bruce but loose.
Stevens/Bartram.

Bruce wins the clearance but Stevens works back to sweep it up. Houla works hard and passes to Carrazzo who kicks to the square, Great attack by Betts who brings Whelan down. Rushed through.

Melb bring it in quickly and the game is opening up with tired players now. Green down the middle and AW spoils it and is the first to recover and tackles Brown. Lance has to kick quickly but it is spoiled and a chip kick from Davey finds Robbo who goals.

Melb 71 Carlton 85.

26th Centre Bounce

French/White
Sylvia/Stevens
Betts loose and so is Houlihan. Bruce and McDonald there opponenets.

All or nothing now for Melb. French taps to Betts who kicks it quickly forward. Murphy shows clean hands again and weights a handpass back to McGrath who has ran very well from behind all day as an option.
Waite is caught behind but gets a good bounce (as well as some cat like reflexes). But it’s a poor kick to Fev. Betts taps clear and Kouta feeds it back to Carrazzo who snaps the game winning goal.
Mark half of it down to Eddie.

Carlton 92 Melb 71.

27th Centre Bounce

French/White
Stevens/Bruce
Eddie/McDonald
Sylvia/Scotland

French wins the tap and hits it to the designated spot where Stevens runs onto it (superb roving and ruck work). Stevens sidesteps Svlvia but has his kick somethered. Long kick from Moloney but Lappin comes over the top to destroy the ball. A bit scrappy now with tired players.
A couple of poor turnovers from both sides.

A superb piece of play on the boundary line from the Blues. Carrazzo picks it up and Davey comes in to bump and Carrazzow spins clear and a great handpass inside to AW who release to Lappin who draws the man and gives back to Carrazzo who floats one over the top to Kade to give him space. Kade waits for a lead and kicks long to Kouta and Fev. Free kick paid for a shepherd to Kouta. Advantage should have been given with Eddie running onto an easy goal. But its not and Kouta misses the kick.

Quick kick to Bryon from the kick out. Fev gives a pretend chase. Bryon keeps going. Fev decides to stop pretending and puts his foot down and chases him for 50m. Touches him to cause a scrubby kick and lays on the ground cramping. Carlton fans stand and cheer. A turnover from the effort from Fev and ends up with Kade to Corey and Lappin for some keepings off.
Fev comes off and he gets a huge round of applause.

Players very tired now but Eddie is still pressuring and AW is so desperate. Livo takes a calm mark down back. White takes a hanger but plays on and is caught by McGrath. Kicks back to Lance who is free (shock) who kicks to Lappin who is also free (another shock). End to end work with some more desperation from Livo and clean hands from Murphy. Lance decides to take a mark under a bit of pressure to just see what that’s like and finds out he can do that as well.
Deluca padding out his stats now. But he has had no impact on this game.

Game over.


Carlton 13 15 93
Melbourne 10 12 72

Carlton win by 21 points.

Kouta carried off by Lance and Stevens. About as emotional as Kouta ever gets and you can tell it means a lot to him.

Carlton harder at the ball. Won the clearances and had a better functioning forward line. Butchered the ball when going forward but still did enough and were deserving winners.

Geez fair effort Mojo.

Wow that was almost as much fun as watching it. Thanks, looking forward to the player reviews.

Great work Mojo, brilliant summary.

mojo31 said:

Livo plays on and kicks long to Murphy. The ball goes over 50m and is low and hard and spins right. No, really I swear to you it really happened and Luke kicked it well. April 2 not April 1. Trust me.

Click to expand...

Couldn't believe what I was seeing with that one either. Great long kick from Livo hitting a target Where the hell did that come from?

Luke Livingston come on down!


Great work Mojo, considering the amount of time it took me to read it I can only imagine how long it took to write it up.

Poor

Adrian Deluca

Had hands like bricks. One time in particular when Fev kicked it to him on the lead and he tried to mark on his chest instead of out in front. This allowed the ball to be punched clear. He has to use his advantages of height and reach if he is ever going to make it. A couple of marks out on the wing and he turns inside and has no idea what to do. Ferguson also pushed him under the ball and caused him to fall over when he was 1 out in the goal square. Basically he had a smaller skinny battler on him and he still struggled.
We looked more dangerous when Barnaby pushed forward and provided the physical contest that Deluca was unable to. I am talking about the goal to Fev in particular when he roved the ball after French brought it to ground and another goal kicked later after a strong contest from Barnaby.
Just is a touch player who does not use his height and size to advantage. Padded the stats out in the last quarter but when it was all said and done he was playing on pretty weak opponents and was unable to have any influence on the game.

Trent Sporn

He is not going to make it in my opinion. He is unable to do the most important thing for a footballer and that is handle the ball cleanly. The game is changing but still the number one thing for a player is to not double grab the ball and fumble. Overhead and on the ground and if a player consistently fumbles then they are going to be doomed. All the fitness in the world will not help if a player cant handle the ball cleanly. Sporn is not a clean ball handler and fumbled numerous times. One in particular down back where he over ran it and then came back to get it and still fumbled. His speed which was okay a few years ago is all but gone. Maybe it is the pace of the game now or a lack of confidence and some wear and tear on his body but his first few steps are like he is stepping in mud. For a flanker size like him that is just about death. His kicking was okay but he hardly attempted anything out of the ordinary and just chipped it around. At least he converted a goal. Maybe a few games in a row in the seniors will build some confidence but for mine he is at best the same player he was a few years ago and more likely he is actually worse.
He is a good size but he does not take overhead marks, or use his size in close to win clearances. So basically a 6 foot 2 and 90kg player who does win contested ball, take marks and is slow and lacks real skill. An in between size who is not a midfielder or a KPP and is not athletic enough to play as a flanker on good players.

Anthony Koutouifides

Maybe harsh but he did nothing all game in reality. Tagged by Green in the centre square for most of the game. Did not win many clearances. Handled the ball well and did not fumble but did not win the contested ball he usually does. When he pushed forward he was ineffectual and could barely get off the ground. Did not move so well and I have to say his pre season and round 1 has been pretty disappointing.
He looked great before Christmas but is not the same now. He had a number of very quiet games last year but was always able to bounce back the following week.
Just lacks the running power to be able to break the tag and that speed and jump to take marks and get himself out of trouble. Chad Morrsion (uber dud these days) gave him a bath last year and you would think Kouta would have been to strong in close for him and the same for Brad Green. But as long as a player is disciplined and blocks Kouta’s path for the ball he seems to have trouble getting involved some weeks.
I am sure he will bounce back but lets not play him forward to much. Maybe drift down from midfield to pinch a goal but as a permanent forward he is not much value. He cannot jump anymore and is much better value around the stoppages and then getting rest on the bench. More of an impact player rather than 100 minutes around the ball. Lets do a better job of managing him this year and use other players forward and give him more of a rest.

Reasonable

Adam Bentick

Tagged Travis Johnstone for a lot of the game when he was on. Played in the square and took TJ when he went in there. Kept him quiet and did a good job. Won some good clearances and his hands were very good. Does not fumble and gathers cleanly and his first thought is to feed it out. Did not run a lot and get involved a lot in the play. Would have like to have seen that. Needs to balance the defensive side of his game with more run and ball winning as well. Its fine to be a link man as well and be the sideways option. This is needed as well. Good tackling in close and a great run after Bryon (who is overweight and lazy but is not slow).
Needs to model himself on Kirk who plays tight and is accountable and wins clearances but also provides a link and runs. Daniel Harris another clearance specialist also has brought run and attack to his game and Adam needs to do that as well. Still he did a good job and was not on the ground for a lot of the game and his hands were great. Speed is definitely up since early last year and the change in running action and the work with the sprint coach has helped.

Brett Thornton

He had Robertson for most of the night and his body work on him was very good. Robbo is not a KPP size but has the strength of one and Thornton more than held his own. Ran forward a lot and gave an option but his kicking was not great. No penetration in it and did not use it so well. Lacks that bit of intensity when he gets the ball. Sort of drifts along and chips sideways and high. Never really looks long or puts his foot down and tries to break up play. Just looks around and chips it or takes a slow bounce and allows the opposition to get numbers back. So I would like to see some more intent from him in that regard.
Robbo has become a gun player but some of his efforts were very poor. He looks lazy and disinterested and was rewarded with a goal in the last quarter because he could not be bothered to meet the ball while Thorton did. Then got a handpass over the top from Bruce and if he was on his game it would have been a lot harder for Thornton on Sunday.
So he kept him quiet but Robbo was pretty poor all night and did not look 100% fit and hobbled off a couple of times. Thornton has been the biggest worry for me in the pre season. To many temper tantrums on the field, lack of strength in the contest and slow to react. So I am just happy he did okay as we really need him to get back to 2003/4 form and not be like last year. Still lacking a bit of confidence and showed when he was clear and could have marked but double fisted over the boundary line first. Hopefully he improves from this and his good body work in the game continues and he can forget about 2005 and his poor 2006 pre season and can use the ball a bit better and start to play like he really can.
Overall I am very happy with his game compared to what he showed against Geelong in particular when Kingsley mauled him (even in the 1 on 1s).

Dylan Mclaren

Pretty fortunate to get this rating but he was not on for much. So really he can do no more than give a contribution when he is on. Not his fault if he is hardly used. His tap works at the centre bounce were quite good and happy with that. Around the ground was not so good. Especially at the boundary throwins where his lack of height and body strength are exposed. Got a good leap but its more about height and strength in those circumstances. In the centre bounce where its as muich leap as height he can negate and sometimes win. But his body work is not really a good standard. Not his fault that he is a KPP size with a thin body. He gets maukled at training in the 1 on 1s and if for example he had to ruck against French he would get maulked as well. Thank god he is only being asked to be a back up because at first ruck we would be in serious trouble. Got back a few times to fill in the hole and punched clear and you can see his enthusiasm and running ability around the ground. So as a backup for 1/3 of the game he will be okay. Kicked a good goal from a Bryon brain explosion and its important that when he gets an opportunity he makes it count.
Not the answer in the future to replace French when he retires but as a backup he is adequate.

Good

Marc Murphy

Great debut for Marc. Very hard at the ball and loves to put his head over it. Great hands and does not fumble and is good in traffic and under pressure. Got some hard contact and dished some out himself and looked like he was in his 3rd year rather than 1st game. His kicking for goal has deteriorated since the TAC and its as much in his mind as an actual technical problem. When he has no time and is in traffic the kicks are fine but when he is shooting for goal or running in to finish he starts to stab at it and the drop is poor and the follow through is not there. So that’s needs to be worked on since he is likely to play forward pocket and changing onto the ball/wing at times. So he will get a number of opportunities to kick goals. That’s the negative. The positive was his reading of the play and his natural instincts to take off and to attack. His clearance work around congestion and ability to find a free player under pressure. Also his quick thinking with a sideways kick (to Waite) or find the free player and not blaze away (to Fev) or over the top of an oncoming player (Betts twice). Then some great clean hands to firstly pick up and to give a well weighted handpass out of the pressure to a player who is free. So very important to be bale to handle pressure and to hold onto the ball and absorb it and draw the opponenet to open space for someone else in a a better position. Not to panic when you are about to be run down or tackled. Marc has a superb temprement and footy brain and just needs to work on his finishing. It will get harder for him as the season goes on and he gets more attention from the opposition but he is quality and is a very professional player.

Barnaby French

The most important player on the list bar none. The sort of player who cant be measured by stats and its as much about competing and presence as stats for French. A late bloomer who is getting better and better into his 30s now and is superbly fit. Some really nice tap works at the centre bounces where he particularly made a mess of Jamar when he was in there. Right over the top of him and a couple of the palms down to the space for Stevens (set play, trust me) were class. Also followed up his work on the ground a couple of times and one tackle sticks on Sylvia where he buried him with disdain. Great to see a big bloke with some aggression. Good competing around the ground and when he pushed forward he brought the ball down and created 2 goals from it. Did not get a lot of the ball but its his tap work, blocking and hardness around the ball where he is measured and where he was good. Is a very strong influence on the team and well respected and liked and encourages and gives confidence.


Corey McGrath

Started on the bench and came on half way in the first quarter and played the majority after that. Always been a bit of a bits and pieces player but about half way into last year he started to improve and he continued this on Sunday. Gave some really good run from the backline and was often the player who was thje “switch target”. Long kicking as usual but they were to the advantage of the forwards rather than looking gret off the boot but going to the wrong places. Trains so well and his skill at training is class but at AFL level it is never translated and is wasteful. Just starting to rectify that now. Pretty desperate dowen back and could have been pinged for diving on the ball a couple of times but was a bit lucky but cant fault his endeavour but will need to watch for a less accommodating umpire.
Had the small/medium forward from Melb who was on the rotation from the midfield. Sometimes it was Bruce, Green or TJ and had a bit of Davey. A good solid game from a player who feels like he can play now and is starting to really improve. Amazing what some confidence and game time can do for a player to be honest.

Good (continued)

Andrew Carrazzo

Good solid all around game from Andrew. Started on the bench and came on in the first quarter and played the majority of the game down back. Pushed into the midfield a little bit more as the game went on. Did not win to many clearances and it was more as a defensive option to negate a Bruce/Johnstone in there. Gave some run and did not turn it over but did not really break the lines or inspire with his kicking. Just solid and effective and did a solid job as a small defender when he had to. Needs to work on his clearance work as he is evasive and has good footwork and pace and a natural ball winner but is not especially good at winning contested ball yet. Good strong body and clean hands so no reason he cant develop that side of his game more.
A couple of quality things were done by him in the last quarter as his confidence grew. The clean gather on the boundary line and spin to deflect the Davey bump and the handball inside and run downfield for the return and then floating over the top to release Kade into space was quality. Then the finish with a snap that he hit perfectly and went right through the middle to seal the game was good to see.
A natural ball winner who is an improving player with good speed and instincts. Needs to keep working on his kicking and contested ball winning to round his game out. Just a good solid back pocket who is developing as a midfielder over time and is rarely beaten or plays a bad game. Very consistent. Had it pretty easy with the poor delivery into the Melb forward line but still everything he did was clean and composed and he is improving.
I would like to see some more run from him in the future. Its pretty hard for anybody to get a kick on him though.


Lance Whitnall

Christmas came early for Lance on Sunday. Melb decided to play a slow and ineffectual forward on him. This allowed Lance to zone off and do as he pleased. Parked himself 30m out from goal and spoiled all night. Directed traffic and barely raised a sweat and to be honest any coach who decided to allow Lance to do that gets all he deserves. You have to either drag Lance right back to the goal line or play through someone on the flank. So for me Miller had to play on him (and another tall had to play for Melb) and lead right up and get easy ball and then have runners coming past or Neitz had to take him and move him back to the goal square and make it a sprint for the ball. Either that or one of those medium sized mids had to push forward and Melb play through them. Someone with good footskills who can find a free man even with the flood.
Allowing him to sit in the 50 and wait for the long kick is just asking for problems. You are maximizing his strengths and minimizing his lack of athleticism and speed. It will get harder for him as other teams actually put some planning into Carlton and Lance and Lappin in particular.
Having said that he was good in his bodywork and was calm and composed. A couple of his efforts to pish back on Paul Johnson who had the sit were impressive. PJ is a big unit who is a ruck and Lance did a good job with that. Also did not loose his feet once and his kicking was good (still hooks them and they don’t spin right though) and hit the target. Did not run off as much and under instructions he stayed in the defensive 50 for the main and we were not exposed as a team to much because of it to much.

Luke Livingston

The much maligned Livo was good on Neitz. David Neitz has been a shadow of himself last year but was moving well early on and was fit and ready for this game. Livo handled him overall and was good in the body contests. Sure the delivery was shocking but still Livo more than held his own.
What did please me was his kicking which was reasonable and he actually showed a bit of confidence with it to run a bit and try for a couple of long kicks which hit the target. Also he was more composed and confident in what he was doing and left Neitz a couple of times to help out. Only went to ground twice that I remember and for the main he kept his feet and composure.
A definite improvement from Luke and it is great to see to be honest. Normally does well on Neitz so no point in getting ahead of ourselves but it’s a good game and composure under pressure and not panicking is what I liked about it.

Good (continued)

Andrew Walker

Nightmare start for AW who made a couple of errors in the first quarter and was punished by goals from Davey. Just trailing behind him at stoppages is not going to cut it. Has to be goal side and blocking his path (legally). He is a much bigger man and should be moving Davey to where he wants him at the stoppages and have contact with him at all times. AW is very quick but Davey is lightning and once he has a gap its all over. Davey also has a tendency to sag right off the pack. His perceived defensive pressure is more flashy rather than effective. Dont get me wrong he will chase players down and chase magnificently at times but also can be very lazy and hang back of his defender and hope he gets a cheap kick rather than get the ball himself by putting his head over it.
Davey is a front running flat track bully and is like a lot of Melb players. Skilled but under pressure and close checking they can drop right away.

So Andrew just needed to stay tight on him and when Davey dropped off to stay with him and if the ball was won by Carlton to run off then and hurt Davey the other way. The decision to go in for the ball in the first quarter and then loose his feet meant Davey just sat back and waited for the softest of goals.

Andrew also was using the ball poorly in the 1st quarter and got up under the ball and kicked a couple of scrubbers. Mitchell has worked hard with him on his technique and its getting there but its as much in his mind as the ball drop. A left handed player who kicks on his right. Handpasses on his left and bounces on his left and punches on his left but kicks on his right is always going to need to have everything working well to get it right.

As the game went on his run and kicking and confidence just grew. I liked when he came from behind the pack to punch clear. With his height and leap he regularly got a fist to it and killed the contest. That can be a real advantage down back with good hard spoiling. Especially playing on small players he can leave his opponent and be third man up on the key forward to give Livo etc a chop out.

Towards the end of the game he was getting real penetration in his kicks and the spin was spot on. Would take off on the opposite side to the ball when it was won and be the player to receive the switch kick and then run and carry. However this time instead of running hard into trouble he gathered himself and also looked inside for an easy option. Its all about composure and poise and AW is starting to show that. I would be guessing some of his kicks were well over 50m when he kicked through it and his desperation in the last quarter was superb. One small thing is his tendency to go to ground and be so desperate when he runs in and there is a dispute. He is very agile and sort of rolls as he does it and looks to flick it out with a quick tap or handpass on his left but its very dangerous especially in the backline.
Opponents will hang back a little and wait for him to dive on it and just before he can roll to give it out they will wrap him up and that’s holding the ball.

It was good to see senior players not ignoring him when he made position also. Nobody works harder on the ground that Walker and to see a certain Essendon player give him a bake in games and then ignore him when he had made position is thankfully not happening anymore.

Has the hands of a midfielder and does not fumble. Not the smarts yet but they are coming. A couple more years of development and he will be ready.
The Luke Ball clone in Marc Murphy will be feeding him. Murphy to Walker. Get used to it. I know I am going to enjoy it.


Nick Stevens

Nick worked very hard all game. Had Bartram as a tag on the wing and when he was in the centre square. The few times he was not manned up he was able to get some very good clearances and be damaging. Ran hard all night and apart from 1 incident on the Melb hff where he tapped the ball away rather than take possession and wear the tackle he was hard at the ball.
His centrer square work with French was a highlight. That patented spin move he uses when he gets possession and is just about to be tackled worked a few times and his timing of his runs to rove the taps to French were very good. Some good pressure was applied by him around the ball.
However his finishing was a long way short of where it needs to be for someone of his skills. The kicking for goal was poor and he butchered a number of opportunities and a few times picked the wrong option. He has never been a natural goal kicker but even for him it was wasteful. I cant fault his efforts in working both ways and his hard running.

Eddie Betts

Nothing like putting it on a young player and seeing if they can rise to the challenge. Go into the centre square for the first bounce of the season and lets see how you rove to the ruckmen. Eddie had about 10 minutes in there in the first quarter. You can see he is dangerous with his ability to read the ball from the taps. Just instinctive and times it so well. Same thing when he crumbs the ball from a pack. It is like timing a lead for a full forward. If he gets front and square to early then the defender is right there on him and if he wins it he will be tackled immediately. But if he is hitting the dangerous position at full speed at just the right time then the defender will be trailing him most of the time. That is what Eddie can do better than any other player at Carlton and almost anyone on the league.
The only problem was his finishing was way off and missed a number of opportunities. Some really good harassing from him and is especially good at keeping his eye on the ball when confronting a player who has it to deflect there handpass. Did it 3 or 4 times on the night.
At the end of the day the played ¾ of the game in the forward pocket where he belongs but an occasional run on the ball helps the Blues out and gives us a different look and a bit of a spark around the ball. The extra fitness he has got this year means he pushes further up the ground and keeps him in the game longer and means he can contribute more. I don’t think he can be anything more than a pinch hitter in the midfield but as a forward pocket who can roam up to the wing to gather possessions and set up play he will be very valuable to us.

Over the off season I have watched a number of videos on the draft prospects from 2003 onwards. Eddie Betts included in that. Players who played U16s, U18s, TAC, WAFL and so on and how they developed over a period of time before they were taken in the 2003/4/5 drafts. How Eddie survived to get through to the PSD I really do not know. He was injured and a query on his attitude but he can play. He is not one of those 189cms flankers who is so “versatile” so I guess he slips through. The problem is those “versatile” players are often not footballers and have no real position and no real talent. Eddie has more talent than about 3 of them combined generally. He is very small but he can play. Long after the Luke Brennan’s of this world have come and gone who fit the profile Eddie and “real footballers” will still be playing.

He would have been rated very good if his finishing was the usual standard. Best game he has played at Carlton by a long way. If he keeps up this work rate and effort he will have a very good year.

Ryan Houlihan (good/very good)

Started slowly and the lazy kick on his left to Fev was a poor sign. However it was just a minor aberration and for the rest of the game he showed that his time in the VFL for some serious “reprograaming” last year has helped him.
Attacked the ball with some intent and had intensity and some hardness in his game. When it was his time to go he did it and when it was his time to be the link player he did that. The ability to work both ways is what Houla needed to show and he did that.
Played a bit of midfield, some wing, hff and also down back.
One piece of player where he cleanly picked the ball up in congestion and broke a tackle and got his arms free in the second tackle and handpassed off under pressure showed his intent on Sunday night. Also chased and harassed and it was not pretend work either it was full on and he put in the hard yards to run players down.
Good hands below his knees and did not fumble. Bigger body now and used it to not be pushed off the ball. Never going to be a power player but everyone has there turn when they have to put there head over it and when he had to there was no hesitation.

Very happy with his overall game and attitude. Has had more silky days and cut teams up more in space but very rarely has worked that hard.


Heath Scotland (good/very good)

Played midfield in the square for at least half the game. Generally played behind the Blues rucks as a sweeper. Does his best work behind the ball and positioning himself. Some of his disposals were wasteful as they can tend to be with Heath. But his work in close to hit the ball hard and break some tackles was very good. Got better and better as the game went on his use of it also went up.
Showing some real intensity when he got the ball and not so much of that laconic style where he is almost waiting to be closed down before kicking under pressure. Finished off the game well and especially in the second half he was everywhere and provided good run from behind.
Had a great start to the pre season after shedding a couple of kgs to improve his speed and was training harder than he ever has. But his form in the practice games was way below par. So glad to see he has turned that around. His condition is better than last year and his workrate, speed and cutting edge has gone up.
Its all about making the possessions count for Heath now. He did that as the game went on. Teams are going to let him get a lot of it and count on him not using it so well and go head to head with one of there better users. So if he can improve that teams will start to look more closely at him. That might curb his influence a little but open up opportunities for other Carlton players to slip under the guard.
Just a question of if he can improve to go from solid midfielder into a good player. I certainally hope he can but with not much pressure or accountability in the game from Melb it will get a lot harder for him as the season goes on to do it.

Very good

Matty Lappin

Best on ground for mine. Just did what he wanted in the back half. Did not waste a possession and took off as soon as it looked like being turned over by Melb and provided run and an option at all times. Sometimes he had to put up with an opponent but for the most part he just drifted around and gathered the ball at will.
Third man up a couple of times to spoil. Different attitude on the track this year and in the pre season compared to last year with the contract disputes.
I am sure opposition teams will put more work into him now and not allow him to do as he pleases but that’s not his fault. Just a very clever player who reads whats going on. Will go when he has to but its his positioning to get the ball, use of it and overall marshalling of other players back there that stands out. Composed and clean with what he does and hits the target. Not many players are good enough to spot Waite out of the corner of his eye and kick a torpedo under pressure which he knows will run into his path for an easy goal. Pure silk.

Brendan Fevola

Brendan had a poor first quarter. A couple of umpiring decisions did not go his way when he was in front and Carroll infringed at least 2 times but since Fev is not Lloyd
it was overlooked. Normally this would have amounted to a dummy spit and some poor body language and some advice for the umpires.
But this time all it did was make him work even harder and start to run and chase and tackle and keep presenting. Took the ball out of the ruck deep in the forward line, roved the ball from a mrking contest where he stayed down and reacted quicker to get an easy goal. Led up to the wing and took a hanger. Hanpassed off to a runner, kicked a low pass to Deluca (who tried to chest mark instead of out in front).
Then led out well to Waite who hit him on the chest. Then kicked a great goal from just inside the boundary line in the 3rd quarter. Kept chasing and running and after his groin operation and delayed start to full training he started to tire and cramp.
The run and chase on Pickett was a highlight of the whole game when he was clearly fatigued but still put in.
Taking him off with a few minutes to go so he received a great hand from the supporters was a nice touch. Might just reinforce what supporters think of his efforts and what they want from him.

He made a few mistakes such as going for goal when 60m out and an easy mark to Melb but his workrate and efforts were as good as he has ever put out and he was rewarded as the game went on with goals.

Jarred Waite

If only he could kick? Superb game from Waite apart from that. Great attack on the ball and some good marks out in front with those extra long arms. Had the athletic Miller who tried hard but Waite ran him into the ground. Lead up to the wing and was the go to man for the defenders rebounding. Also plucked a couple of marks over the top and his hands were good all night. Jarred oozes talent to be honest and he will be a handful this year for anybody. Just his finishing was not there and its disappointing as it improved greatly last year. The baulk when he was on the 50 to get himself clear was classy and arrogant (in a good way)and great to see but the finish was not there.

Got better and better as the game went on and Melb had no answer to his athleticism. Gave away a number of free kicks and needs to keep that attack on the ball but be a bit more disciplined.
Work on his goal kicking and he might be ready to step up into the elite class of footballer.

Kade Simpson

Best game Kade has ever played. Just so silky with his kicking and always hits the free man or kicks to advantage when he goes long. Just so much penetration in the kicks and they can get to the player so quickly. Nice goal on the run from 45m out and sailed into the crowd. Not a great goal kicker and so its important that he kicks some for us this year.
What I liked about his game even more than his skills was his ability to work the other way. To tackle (one on Yze in particular when he buried him) and to go back with the flight of the ball and take an overhead mark (could have been killed in 1 incident). But more than that it was his chasing and harassing and getting back deep in defense to help out. Was moved to the back flank for a bit and watching him calmly run the ball out and wait for an option and if there was none he turned back inside showed his composure.
Prepared to put his foot down and side step a player and take off and bounce and split the opposition open was a treat. One in particular where he marked back on the hbf and just took off and had 2 bounces and kicked it to long to a 1 on 1 contest of Miller/Waite.

Skinny kid drafted. Year 1 VFL and a couple of senior games towards the end of the year. Year 2 same situation. Year 3 now has an AFL ready body and while still pretty slight is stronger and ready to play now. Year 4 and ready to go.

That’s Kade and most likely will be Russell, Blackwell and most other skinny bottom aged kids who are picked. First 2 years playing VFL, getting stronger and working on there defiencies with the occasional game at senior level. Year 3 ready to make a contribution in the seniors and 4th year now ready to show the talent they have. Some of the players wont make it and some will come on sooner as well but that’s the basic idea for those 70kg kids that need 3 or 4 years to be strong enough to play regularly.

Brad Fisher (unrated)

Injured in the first quarter with a minor hamstring strain. Might make it back by round 4 and if not it will be round 5. Has had knee soreness in both knees and maybe it’s a blessing for him to get a bit of rest. To be honest I am pretty disappointed as he is a great bloke who has worked so hard on his game and overcoming the knee injury. Having him playing as almost another runner at his size and marking ability is really a huge help for us and we will miss him. Melb were very lucky he did have to go off so early as they were playing Yze on him on the wing and they really had nobody who would have been able to go with him in the air and keep up with him around the ground. Melb were stretched enough as it was

mojo31 said:

16th Centre Bounce

Scrappy around the wing and Melb look like breaking clear but AW intercepts a handball and knocks it down and then picks it up (in the blink of an eye). Puts his foot down but settles before kicking. Hits Carrazzo on the chest with a bullet. I almost burst into tears at that point

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What will you do if Hansen ends up at Tigerland?

Good match reports as well.

I'm not taking any gloss off Jarred's great game but would Wheatley and Rivers been thrashed that badly if they were playing?

Would Miller have exposed Lance's lack of speed and athleticism up forward? He isn't as bad as Paul Johnson.

cypher said:

What will you do if Hansen ends up at Tigerland?

Good match reports as well.

I'm not taking any gloss off Jarred's great game but would Wheatley and Rivers been thrashed that badly if they were playing?

Would Miller have exposed Lance's lack of speed and athleticism up forward? He isn't as bad as Paul Johnson.

Click to expand...

The Tigers and Wallace wont pick Hansen. He is far to tall for what they will go for (sarcasm if Bentleigh reads this.......). They can keep on relying on Gaspar (terrific effort from him on the weekend) and Richo to play for at least 10 more years. To be honest there is nothing really between the 4 top talls in Hansen/Gumbleton/Sellar and Thorp and so it does not really matter if our first preference is gone. I would be a lot happier with pick 3 and 7 or 8 wins than 5 wins and pick 1 and the wooden spoon.
I dont see this draft as like last year with 1 clear standout in Murphy or even 2003 with Cooney. So it does not matter and what we need is to be competitive this year and avoid the spoon and get some good development out of the kids and also get some pride back in the jumper by the end of the year.

As for Melb. They were very poor. Poor team selections and the wrong mix and players. Nathan Jones had to play and Paul Johnson should not have. Playing a slow player like Johnson is asking for trouble and makes it almost impossible for Neitz/Roboo to get 1 on 1s because Lance will leave his opponent to come over the top for them or just fill the hole in front of those. Miller had to go forward and either force Lance to go to him or allow Miller to mark on the wing and have runners coming past. If Lance followed Miller out of the 50 then thats also good for Melb who would have had a more open forward line. I would also have tagged Lappin if I was Melb.
If we switched and played Lance on Neitz then open it up and give room to Neitz and take Lance on the lead. Anything was better than what they were doing.

Play an athletic forward on Lance and play through them at all times. Tag Lappin with a defensive forward who drags Lappin away as much as possible. Tag Stevens at all times with a rotation of players. Thats where you start with your plan to beat Carlton. Pretty obvious stuff I would have thought but not for Daniher.

Waite would have been to strong for Wheatley but Rivers would have been a better match but he was injured. I think the problem would have come down to

Fisher
Waite
Deluca
Fev

vs

Carrol
Miller
Ferguson
and ?

so in reality they were pretty lucky that Fisher got injured so early. 1 of Bizzell/Wheatley had to play in place of Johnson. Jones instead of Motlop. Bryon maybe not played and did not look fit and either Bate or Bell to come in. They could have matched Fisher. Not sure of who was fit for Melb and who they had to pick from. What I do know is they looked soft and disinterested and were lucky to only lose by 20 points. Daniher is not really taking them forward as a team from where I sit.

ps : how soft is Chris Egan for Collingwood. I cant be bothered to bend down and pick the football up in case I strain my back. Hard to get the ball in traffic when you are sitting in the stands hiding under a blanket I would have thought. Got skill and speed but talk about a 1 dimensional player.

mojo31 said:

The Tigers and Wallace wont pick Hansen. He is far to tall for what they will go for (sarcasm if Bentleigh reads this.......). They can keep on relying on Gaspar (terrific effort from him on the weekend) and Richo to play for at least 10 more years. To be honest there is nothing really between the 4 top talls in Hansen/Gumbleton/Sellar and Thorp and so it does not really matter if our first preference is gone. I would be a lot happier with pick 3 and 7 or 8 wins than 5 wins and pick 1 and the wooden spoon.
I dont see this draft as like last year with 1 clear standout in Murphy or even 2003 with Cooney. So it does not matter and what we need is to be competitive this year and avoid the spoon and get some good development out of the kids and also get some pride back in the jumper by the end of the year.

As for Melb. They were very poor. Poor team selections and the wrong mix and players. Nathan Jones had to play and Paul Johnson should not have. Playing a slow player like Johnson is asking for trouble and makes it almost impossible for Neitz/Roboo to get 1 on 1s because Lance will leave his opponent to come over the top for them or just fill the hole in front of those. Miller had to go forward and either force Lance to go to him or allow Miller to mark on the wing and have runners coming past. If Lance followed Miller out of the 50 then thats also good for Melb who would have had a more open forward line. I would also have tagged Lappin if I was Melb.
If we switched and played Lance on Neitz then open it up and give room to Neitz and take Lance on the lead. Anything was better than what they were doing.

Play an athletic forward on Lance and play through them at all times. Tag Lappin with a defensive forward who drags Lappin away as much as possible. Tag Stevens at all times with a rotation of players. Thats where you start with your plan to beat Carlton. Pretty obvious stuff I would have thought but not for Daniher.

Waite would have been to strong for Wheatley but Rivers would have been a better match but he was injured. I think the problem would have come down to

Fisher
Waite
Deluca
Fev

vs

Carrol
Miller
Ferguson
and ?

so in reality they were pretty lucky that Fisher got injured so early. 1 of Bizzell/Wheatley had to play in place of Johnson. Jones instead of Motlop. Bryon maybe not played and did not look fit and either Bate or Bell to come in. They could have matched Fisher. Not sure of who was fit for Melb and who they had to pick from. What I do know is they looked soft and disinterested and were lucky to only lose by 20 points. Daniher is not really taking them forward as a team from where I sit.

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I was actually relieved they didn't play fitter young players like Jones, Bell, Bate and Johnson ahead of fat Byron. Good to see it's the same old story with Daniher and he didn't opt to play a tall, mobile player like Bell, Wheatley, Johnson or Bate.

If either of them had started well we might have had to shift Walker to the wing and change the setup of our backline to match up on Davey. Carlton having to switch Carrazzo onto Davey would have been a win for Daniher and freed up Johnstone to downhill ski around the ground.

Oh well!

ps : how soft is Chris Egan for Collingwood. I cant be bothered to bend down and pick the football up in case I strain my back. Hard to get the ball in traffic when you are sitting in the stands hiding under a blanket I would have thought. Got skill and speed but talk about a 1 dimensional player.

Click to expand...

I didn't watch much of that game, but I saw Egan drop that sitter in his backline when he thought he was going to get hit. There was no one within a hundred miles yet he didn't bother to pick the ball up like you mentioned and he just stood there with the ball at his feet.

Egan dropped (just for you Cypher).

Motlop dropped.
Paul Jonson dropped.
Wheatley comes in and allows Miller to go forward again.
Hmmmm.

Fremantle. Black and Walker dropped. Thanks Mr Connolly. Drop 2 quick players. Do not think we will win but I think the opposition coaches are doing there best in the first 2 rounds to help us out.

Now if Roos could drop Hall for next week that would also be fine by me.

Mojo......

How do you have or get the bloody time to write a novel every week?

Agreed on Livo, Walks, Waite...What will happen when he gets the demons out of his head (no pun intended) and kicks straight. He will tear this game apart!

Scotland, although was good overall, was very, VERY, bad early. He cost us 3 goals, one being a two goal turnaround with a dropped mark. He dug deep and played his guts out. Simmo was awesome and BOG in my opinion. He has a fantastic motor. His game was 4 quarters of guts, skill and determination. Hopefully, the wide expanses of Subiaco will play into our hands with our new game plan and leg speed.