- May 1, 2016
- 28,886
- 56,280
- AFL Club
- Carlton
- Moderator
- #801
There is a play I'd like to highlight that I think is pivotal to how things have changed.
The ball goes in long to the goalsquare in an uncluttered forward line, courtesy of a stoppage at genuine wing being won and won clean, with mids bursting and running in numbers to hammer the ball deep before they could get set up. The ball spills out the back, with Cottrell, Doch and Fogarty all present with Cotts there first; Cotts runs onto the now loose ball, but overruns it.
In rounds before the bye, Cottrell's failure to pick the ball up would've resulted in an instant turnover, with opposition defense clearing the ball out the loose side of the ground. In this game, a Port player gathered the ball and looked for a target only to find nothing immediately obvious down the line; not even a ******* contest. He holds onto the ball whilst jogging forward, allowing Fogarty to catch him the second down the line appears; Fogarty's tackle takes his hips, turning him before he gets boot to ball and causing the ball to spill loose. Docherty is the last on the scene, but he gathers and handpasses to Cotts, but - and here's the important bit - blocks the chasing player from Cotts, who swings onto the snap and goals for his first.
Cripps and Doch - and Saad, and Charlie, and Weitering, and TDK, and Gov, and Acres, and Martin, and - are both playing a good deal less selfishly. They're both blocking, laying tackles. Plenty of people are noting the lower possession counts; Cerra after the Hawks game flagged much lower TOG figures for the mids, with more players moving through there and getting their turn to impact leading to more rests for everyone and - thus - lower possession counts, fresher players and better decisions and disposal. It also impacts how much defensive running we can do; if you're better rested, you run for longer obviously, but you also can go for desperate tackles and smothers and second/third/fourth efforts where you otherwise couldn't.
Players have gone from tiring themselves out chasing to more directed effort. Players have gone from 'It has to be me' to a team first ethos. Role players get more time to execute and more space to ensure they don't stuff it up.
The biggest difference is added by the inclusion of the following players: Cincotta, Boyd, Kemp, Cuningham, Fogarty. Kemp for Young has - frankly - completely transformed our back 6; we've gone from stagnant, stop start play from the back half to scything through a zone like a lightsaber through butter. Boyd, Saad and Cinc are all quick, and Boyd and Saad are fast. Gov's form has been nothing short of exceptional for a month now, but it's his defensive efforts instead of simply his disposal that stand out now; defensive tackling, smothering. I defy anyone who thinks Boyd isn't a significant out to suspension; his disposal, speed and hardness has been ******* stellar. Saad shines when he's not needed as a star; if he slips under the radar, he'll hurt you badly but if you focus on him you're going to struggle. The current method works because there's not a meaningful difference between him and the others; he doesn't stand out, so you don't notice him cutting you to pieces by foot or saving goals by taking 5m out of nowhere.
Plenty has been said about Cuningham's inclusion, and why the * not? He's been the player we've known he could be; tackles, breaking clear from congestion, neat clean disposal and a bit of class to complement the more workmanlike other smalls inside forward 50 in Fog and Owies/Motlop.
I've always had more than a soft spot for Fog. He's a coach's footballer; he's not going to win many awards, he'll never win a BnF, but what he'll do is work his arse off for you. His tackling and speed - meaning, the tackles he can make that others can't - has been nothing short of transformational in the front half of the field; legitimately, there's nowhere that's safe for opposition now. Cyril Rioli had the softest footfalls in sport because how the * did he blindsight so many players so suddenly; well, Fog's got a bit of the same sort of thing, a suddenness, a leaping smothering grasp that turns clean disposal into panic and error. His name is referred pressure; there's nowhere front of half back you can consider yourself clear of the possibility of his presence.
He's averaging 5.2 tackles and a goal a game. Drop him at your own risk.
The gravy for me is that we didn't just do it to Port, the club I hate the most. No; the real beauty of the thing is this victory has turned the tides. No longer are we outside chances for the 8. We can now beat any side with our best footy, and we've been consistent for a month; thinking we'll drop the ball is a bit of a forlorn hope. The only thing that could cruel us is injury, but even then we have the d word now in certain positions to cover them.
Bring on WC. They've been playing some better footy of late, but this game's over here. Let's see if - over the next two weeks - we can kill two birds with one stone.
The ball goes in long to the goalsquare in an uncluttered forward line, courtesy of a stoppage at genuine wing being won and won clean, with mids bursting and running in numbers to hammer the ball deep before they could get set up. The ball spills out the back, with Cottrell, Doch and Fogarty all present with Cotts there first; Cotts runs onto the now loose ball, but overruns it.
In rounds before the bye, Cottrell's failure to pick the ball up would've resulted in an instant turnover, with opposition defense clearing the ball out the loose side of the ground. In this game, a Port player gathered the ball and looked for a target only to find nothing immediately obvious down the line; not even a ******* contest. He holds onto the ball whilst jogging forward, allowing Fogarty to catch him the second down the line appears; Fogarty's tackle takes his hips, turning him before he gets boot to ball and causing the ball to spill loose. Docherty is the last on the scene, but he gathers and handpasses to Cotts, but - and here's the important bit - blocks the chasing player from Cotts, who swings onto the snap and goals for his first.
Cripps and Doch - and Saad, and Charlie, and Weitering, and TDK, and Gov, and Acres, and Martin, and - are both playing a good deal less selfishly. They're both blocking, laying tackles. Plenty of people are noting the lower possession counts; Cerra after the Hawks game flagged much lower TOG figures for the mids, with more players moving through there and getting their turn to impact leading to more rests for everyone and - thus - lower possession counts, fresher players and better decisions and disposal. It also impacts how much defensive running we can do; if you're better rested, you run for longer obviously, but you also can go for desperate tackles and smothers and second/third/fourth efforts where you otherwise couldn't.
Players have gone from tiring themselves out chasing to more directed effort. Players have gone from 'It has to be me' to a team first ethos. Role players get more time to execute and more space to ensure they don't stuff it up.
The biggest difference is added by the inclusion of the following players: Cincotta, Boyd, Kemp, Cuningham, Fogarty. Kemp for Young has - frankly - completely transformed our back 6; we've gone from stagnant, stop start play from the back half to scything through a zone like a lightsaber through butter. Boyd, Saad and Cinc are all quick, and Boyd and Saad are fast. Gov's form has been nothing short of exceptional for a month now, but it's his defensive efforts instead of simply his disposal that stand out now; defensive tackling, smothering. I defy anyone who thinks Boyd isn't a significant out to suspension; his disposal, speed and hardness has been ******* stellar. Saad shines when he's not needed as a star; if he slips under the radar, he'll hurt you badly but if you focus on him you're going to struggle. The current method works because there's not a meaningful difference between him and the others; he doesn't stand out, so you don't notice him cutting you to pieces by foot or saving goals by taking 5m out of nowhere.
Plenty has been said about Cuningham's inclusion, and why the * not? He's been the player we've known he could be; tackles, breaking clear from congestion, neat clean disposal and a bit of class to complement the more workmanlike other smalls inside forward 50 in Fog and Owies/Motlop.
I've always had more than a soft spot for Fog. He's a coach's footballer; he's not going to win many awards, he'll never win a BnF, but what he'll do is work his arse off for you. His tackling and speed - meaning, the tackles he can make that others can't - has been nothing short of transformational in the front half of the field; legitimately, there's nowhere that's safe for opposition now. Cyril Rioli had the softest footfalls in sport because how the * did he blindsight so many players so suddenly; well, Fog's got a bit of the same sort of thing, a suddenness, a leaping smothering grasp that turns clean disposal into panic and error. His name is referred pressure; there's nowhere front of half back you can consider yourself clear of the possibility of his presence.
He's averaging 5.2 tackles and a goal a game. Drop him at your own risk.
The gravy for me is that we didn't just do it to Port, the club I hate the most. No; the real beauty of the thing is this victory has turned the tides. No longer are we outside chances for the 8. We can now beat any side with our best footy, and we've been consistent for a month; thinking we'll drop the ball is a bit of a forlorn hope. The only thing that could cruel us is injury, but even then we have the d word now in certain positions to cover them.
Bring on WC. They've been playing some better footy of late, but this game's over here. Let's see if - over the next two weeks - we can kill two birds with one stone.
.
