Autopsy 2024 Round 1 Blues hold on in yet another heartstopper

[btdg]

I was at the game and weirdly came away feeling more confident than i have felt about a Carlton team in a very long time.

That wasn't a great game, but there was lots to like.

Firstly, our defensive setup and turnover game was very good. We set up aggressively and won the ball back close to goal, controlling the game. We did that while mostly looking solid against a fast opponent. That's something

Secondly, i thought our systems for moving the ball were really good, aside from the ladt 5 minutes of the third and 4th quarters where the players just blew up. We moved the ball with clear system and purpose, thriugh the center of the ground.

Thirdly, it was a game where things just weren't falling right. We had a stack of players out, got behind, missed easy shots at goal, made a couple of errors... and still won. Sure, Richmond had some injuries and both teams had a short week, but we flat out won the game and i didn't even feel anxious down the stretch - it felt like it would take a fluke for Richmond to hit the lead

And that was a bad game... i will csrtainly take that. We know we can win a defensive rock fight a la the finals. This looks to be the makings of a system that can win the premiership.

The downsides - i firmly believe something is wrong with charlie (physical or mental). He was moving poorly, stayed out of a frw contests, and then weirdly had moments where it was like a switch flicked and he was back...

But also, we aren't winning a premiership with this many players injured, and with Silvagni and Doc gone for the year, we simply have to be ultra cautious and focus on getting guys healthy. No one is good enouhh to win without Weitering and Walsh, but even stackinf Marchbank, Martin, Motlop on top - that's a third of our best 22 and too many.

But all up actually pretty happy tbh. 2-0 is nothing to sneeze at

 

[thylacine60]

very first post on the punt road autopsy thread:

Imagine how easy we would've won without the umps gifting Carltoon 13 inside 50's

think meb has covered their squawking pretty comprehensively in the other thread.....

 

[CCurnow3picks]

Saad not great tonight - is it too much of an ask for him to play during Ramadan

Thought our defence generally held up well under enormous pressure.

Our mids really need to sort it out though.

Missing the clean hard running Mr. Walsh

 

[teddy-hopkins]

Took a great mark & kicked an excellent goal in Q4. Otherwise I thought he was thoroughly towelled up by Nankervis.

The #1 role of a ruckman is to tap the ball to advantage and help your team win clearance. And today while we won hitouts.. we lost clearances, centre clearances & stoppage clearances.

The reason? TDK hitout to advantage rate was just 28%, half of Nankervis'. TDK won plenty of taps.. he just hit it to the wrong team. Over. And over. And over again.

Hitouts to advantage: Nank 10. TDK 8.

TDK is more of an outside player than Nank who got more clearances but 400m gained for TDK vs. 111m is a huge advantage we held in the head to head all night to go with his 3 shots at goal.

 

[jj1978]

Orazio not injured according to Voss, just a like for like change

Still not sold on BTs love child. Play him against * and Port as players tend to lift against their old teams but I’m having Owies, Durds, Motlop, Martin, Elijah and Cunners over him.

 

[kreuze_missile]

Think he’s on the outer for selection next game too.

Doesn't tackle at all or chase much.

Averaging 3 kicks a game.

0 goals.

Keeping Motlop's seat warm.

 

[Stig O'Hara]

Wins don’t come for free.

Earned it hard.

2 zip is Supercool.

 

[ferrisb]

WWWWW

We Won Without Walsh and Weitering...






(also hopefully the outcome of our first five matches)

 

[SBYM]

very first post on the punt road autopsy thread:

Imagine how easy we would've won without the umps gifting Carltoon 13 inside 50's

I stopped counting at around a dozen posts about the umpires.

 

[thylacine60]

it's quite extraordinary when you consider the brave tiges had no bench, had the umpires punting on carlton and everything just went against them - not many games end up with no input from the winning team.....

 

[GoBlues!]

Kemp you magnificent emerging crazy making bastard!

Reckon Kemp is a diamond in the rough. A little more experience, composure and polish will see him emerge as a gun.

 

[Chemical]

I was at the game. Man, apart from Cripps being a best today, Acres was massive. He may have not got many possessions but gosh he runs hard both ways. He's up there with one of the best players on our list.

 

[jj1978]

Robbed himself.

Yep.. and no brain. Run the clock down 30 more seconds and hold basically a 3 goal lead. Not smart at all.

 

[thylacine60]

Reckon Kemp is a diamond in the rough. A little more experience, composure and polish will see him emerge as a gun.

yep agree

 

[kreuze_missile]

Hitouts to advantage: Nank 10. TDK 8.

TDK is more of an outside player than Nank who got more clearances but 400m gained for TDK vs. 111m is a huge advantage we held in the head to head all night to go with his 3 shots at goal.

If they recorded hitouts to disadvantage that's another stat TDK would have won convincingly tonight.

Metres gained is a long way down the list of stats to look at when determining whether a ruckman had a good game.

 

[lily of laguna]

If I am concerned, what I am concerned about is Tom De Konning.

Nankervis - to be honest, every single Richmond ruck - treated him with utter contempt tonight. He didn't just assume the space, he stood there and invited Tom to do whatever he wanted. In his position, his ribs were available, his head was available, his knees and groin were available; what does Tom do? Absolutely ******* nothing. He doesn't try and force Nank to do anything different; Nankervis just ******* set up under the ball and ******* grabbed it out of the ruck.

To say that the rule change which removes HTB as an option in that situation is dumb is missing the point. Despite the goal he kicked and his last 10 minutes, Tom got smashed tonight by his refusal to get dirty. He wants the clean tap, the massive leap, the globetrotters play, but there's more to rucking than just tapping the ball.

You need to be willing to hurt your opponent some. At the moment, Tom's a labrador when we need a rottweiler.

Nah, Tom's focus is winning the contest not hurting his opponent. Tom is tenacious at the ball and showed again tonight that when the moment requires he gets it done!!

 

[DEliades]

Bank the early wins. It’s not going to be easy early with our outs.

 

[CCurnow3picks]

Matt Owies is proving his worth - clutch goals, at such important times, game after game.

Not too flashy - just kicks 1-2 every game - with a passion for his club, rather than self absorption - ( per Bolton).

Worth his weight in bloody gold.

 

[jj1978]

He fasted but not when playing interstate. Some loophole about being a traveller.

So every morning put him on a return flight to Tassie or Canberra during Ramadan.

 

[thylacine60]

Nah, Tom's focus is winning the contest not hurting his opponent. Tom is tenacious at the ball and showed again tonight that when the moment requires he gets it done!!

Kreuz is building him in his own image.

 

[teddy-hopkins]

I agree. There was a moment in there, when they just kicked the goal to put it within reach with about 7-8 minutes to go. We absolutely could not afford them winning the clearance. In that moment, he leaps over Nankervis and taps straight to Cripps, who wins it clear for us.

But that's somewhat my problem: if he can do that, why the * is he not doing it more often?

The other side of it is, that game is nowhere near that close if we win the clearances. Because we kept losing the taps - and not just losing them, allowing them first use and control - we ceded that part of the game to their midfielders around the ground; to me, it was a coaching choice from Voss to try and build our rebound game. We know what we can do with the ball when we're winning; let's build on how we play when our opponents turn it over.

There are any number of things TDK could've done to stop Nankervis dominating in the way he did, some of which require him to use his knee and genuinely seek to put a bit of fear into him. The refusal to do them mightn't have hurt us at the end of the game tonight, but it absolutely will hurt us at some point.

Did I watch a different game? We kept losing the taps? We won hitouts 31 to 26 didn't we?

Our midfielders had so many chances to win clearances but were out fought by their mids... but we're blaming all of that on our ruckman?

 

[T2B_]

I was at the game. Man, apart from Cripps being a best today, Acres was massive. He may have not got many possessions but gosh he runs hard both ways. He's up there with one of the best players on our list.

He's sorta unique, Blacres. Was thinking that when there was a play on the wing where he just brute forced his way through the opposition while being tackled and got his hands free to handball forward to a teammate.

He'll run all day long while at the same time being big and very solid, can impact in the air etc.

 

[Blueballs38]

He robbed himself. Should have chewed up 30 seconds and kicked the goal. Silly play by him

He made two really big mistakes that cost two goals tonight. Leaders don’t do that. Has got to take that out of his game.

 

[NewDarkNavyBlues]

Brackets was fantastic.

Some really nice corridor ball movement.

Richmond‘s experienced defence kept them in the game. We need Weiters and Marchy back.

Ollie needs another pre season and a long stint in the VFL. Too easily beaten in contested situations.

Our small forwards were poor. Martin and Motlop are needed.

Well done Zac on another game back!

Suck lemons tigers x

 

[Soapy V]

Positive: we won and banked another 4 points
Negative: lack of effort for so many. Early in season but we need to improve this area dramatically