Autopsy 2024 Round 1 Blues hold on in yet another heartstopper

[CCurnow3picks]

Tom is a nice guy and his ruck coach is a nice guy.

I love “ball players” not blokes relying on finding a physical edge to be competitive. But, absolutely get your point about “making them earn it”

Tom remains a developing ruck. It has been a slow process for him with some injury impact as well as Covid and perhaps his laid back nature. He will learn, a few years of cheap shops from opponents does that to you. He brings heaps to the table and still has another couple of layers to add.

Rejoicing that he stood up when he was needed. We have a good one.

Tom needs to drop the nice guy, easy going attitude and apply his body and efforts for 4qts.

His last qtr was great - come on Tommy, bring it in the first!

 

[CCurnow3picks]

But by jeez ya wanna bloody throttle him sometimes.

Looks like he’s trying to rush at times.

Need to take a breath and play percentages with ball in hand.

 

[Coops93]

It's good to get the win.. but that wasn't a great performance overall.

I thought a few moments late especially we showed a real lack of composure. Had we had the ability to settle and compose ourselves I think we could have pulled away and won by 3 goals. Instead, we kept them in it through recklessness. Curnow in the goalsquare and Kemp in the middle come to mind but there were several moments we rushed and butchered. Could be early season settling needing to occur. Maybe in rd 10 we're able to capitalise on those.

Young down back is not something I like. I think next time (hopefully there isn't a next time...) Weiters is out Durdin should get first crack. Young doesn't like physical contact and with ball in hand you never know what he's going to do, you just know it'll take him 45 minutes to do it. Unfortunately, it seems his strong form when Weiters was last out was an aberration and a hot streak and not his mean ability.

TDK was beaten by Nank in the ruck, but he had a few moments in the last qtr. Strong marks and a big goal. Despite the commentators complaints the 50 was 100% there, and he made the most of it. He seems to be making a habit of taking big marks late in games, seems to have a big moment sense. As for the ruck, this is a game where you can see Pittos value. Nank was too strong for TDK at this point. 2 rucks is hard to carry but in this game you could see the benefit.

McGovern had a real hot and cold game for me. He was mostly brilliant and his rebound and kicking was elite. But there was also a handful of moments he would want back - I think a couple times he got intimidated by Dustys presence.

Cripps was our saving grace in midfield. On a night we were roundly beaten in the middle and on contested possessions especially he single handedly kept us in that contest. But what else should we expect at this point? Putting the team on his back and dominating the contest is just another week for the champ.

McKay has the presence of his Coleman year back. He's as imposing and confident as he was then. It's amazing what a few straight kicks can do for the mind. Suddenly he's hitting packs hard and clunking everything.

Conversely, Charlie looks to be figuring that out a bit. His positioning and composure need work. Composure has always been an issue, he's always been liable to play on from anywhere inside 20 and try a quick snap or something. I don't think he loves the pressure of a set shot - which is odd considering he's a good kick. Even with this spotty form he's kicked 4 goals and 2 goals 3 behinds (with one in the goalsquare being rushed through and not on his score sheet...) so it's not all doom and gloom. 6 goals in 2 games while looking out of form is an excellent return!

One of Saads best games imo. He is just so clean, ball in air or on ground, and he seemed to be running better than the back end of last yr. Not sure if he had a niggle or something but he didn't use his trademark dash as much last yr but last night I think he was back to his damaging best.

I thought Durdin had a few strong moments in the last qtr. Hit the ball hard and applied great pressure. Not sure if he even had a possession but he caught my eye with a few of those efforts.

I liked Voss' demeaner after the game, and the players tbf. There was a real subdued feeling afterwards and I think the players knew we got away with one and it wasn't a great performance. They were happy, but it wasn't as up and about as you'd expect after a close win like that.

Voss didn't seem overly happy in his press conference, and I think that's a great sign. Winning and still being slightly disappointed at not being up to our standard is something we probably haven't had for 20 yrs. The difference in the press conferences was interesting, Yze almost seemed happy and proud, whereas Voss seemed mildly flat. I'm used to that being the other way around for us!

 

[blues4flag]

Yeh, he looked awful.

My ragging on him is not just random punching bag stuff either. I WANT him to improve and be good.

His problem is he looks indecisive and weak in everything he does. For a 200cm, 100kg professional athlete, he looks grossly unprepared to accelerate, change direction, hold his ground or attack anything/anyone. He has great size, OK hands, and can competently kick a long drop punt to the wing from a free kick or mark.

But anything dynamic he looks all at sea. He seems to lose contests in every conceivable way - too far behind opponent, too far under the ball, out-bodied. An unfit Tom Lynch sidestepped him several times last night. And god only knows what Williams or Saad are thinking handballing it to him, when he is ALWAYS flat-footed and prone to getting caught.

He looks like a poorly animated video game character when you tap the controls. He goes from still to flailing without going anywhere.

He needs to do a LOT of work to physically build some core and hip strength to be ready to move explosively, and also mentally ready to go 100% at whatever he's doing. For mine, that's why Kemp looks a far better player - even though he makes mistakes and howlers (a few last night), he goes at the mark or spoil or rebounding run at 100%. Young seems to second guess everything.

My main concern with Young is the mental side. He's too often battling his own demons in his head. Far too big of a gulf between his best and his worst, which is something you just can't afford as a key defender. Not an easy thing to fix...

He's good under the high ball when he's got a run and jump at it, but struggles otherwise. His spoiling frustrates me no end (often spoiling it back into the corridor), and he seems a generally destabilising influence in defence with poor defensive positioning + confusion when he's got the ball in general play.

Straight back out once Weitering is back. I'm hoping Sam Durdin builds into some form and gives us another option.

 

[Canyouhearthedrums]

Cardiac Carlton

The misleading thing about this stat is two games were finals, and another two against top 4 sides. Not exactly games you expect to blow out.

 

[blues4flag]

One of Saads best games imo. He is just so clean, ball in air or on ground, and he seemed to be running better than the back end of last yr. Not sure if he had a niggle or something but he didn't use his trademark dash as much last yr but last night I think he was back to his damaging best.

Agreed re Saad. Convinced he was playing hurt last year. Looks back to his AA best.

 

[CCurnow3picks]

I'm so happy to have won our first two games - it makes the upcoming weekend so much more relaxing and enjoyable.

Now the team can have a rest and bring back more players - if and only if, they are fully fit.
What a great position to be in as a club

So who can come in?
EHollands, Martin, Motlop and Marchbank?
Give Weitering another week if there's any doubts.

The hard question is who to omit? Most likely Fantasia, but after that it's really hard.

In Weiters, Martin, E Hollands, Motlop

Out O Hollands, Fantasia, Kennedy, Young

Marshy into the 2s

 

[NavySteel]

I was there last night. We were jogging and pressure was poor. Played as Individuals.

It’s early in season and a long way to go but the standard of effort needs to improve.

Keep doing this and you develop bad habits

Hoping it’s due to the solid training block and calibration that was talking about in the post-game presser.

Also hoping the bye will let the boys rest and come back in pristine form against NM.

Can’t underestimate Walshy and Weit’s influence not only as players but onfield leaders to keep the standard high across their lines.

 

[agro]

But by jeez ya wanna bloody throttle him sometimes.

Sometimes Brodie Kemp needs to realize that he’s Brodie Kemp.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

This probably sounds like it makes no sense and I'm talking out my hiney, but players like him I think almost think too quickly for VFL.

Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[HaydossJ]

Love Curnow and part of what makes him great is that he does play on instinct, but geez...did anyone else get flashbacks to the R23 Collingwood game from 2022...

Team is up in a close game, just go back and take your 30 at the very least.

Yep.. his composure was great last season. Luckily we walked away with a lesson + the 4 points.

 

[Canyouhearthedrums]

I think any Kemp criticism is a bit misguided. Dude missed his last year of school footy with a knee, then played 6 games in first two years here. There is genuinely no substitute for experience and he’s really only coming into his second ‘proper’ year.

Yes, he’s making some mistakes but they are the kind that tend to improve with reps. What’s much harder to teach is being in the right place at the right time as a defender, and I’m pretty impressed by that part of his game. He had 8+ marks in 7 games last year and is 2/2 this year. Need to persist with him for sure.

 

[HaydossJ]

The entire backline was poor last night McGovern and Saad aside...and even they had numerous moments.

Young is easy pickings. Was good last week and his direct opponent last night had little influence on the game.

Disagree - was directly responsible for 3-4 goals with poor positioning and missed tackling. Straight out for Weiters.

 

[Sector 7G]

While we just scrapped in, I walked away relatively happy. Had more of the ball but just didn't make the most of it. The pressure rating was higher. In the past we lost these sort of game.

Richmond had 15 premiership players playing plus 2 recruits they gave up first round picks for. They are a 6 goal better side with the ins they had for the game than the side that lined up against GCS.

They got us a number of times with the slingshot footy that won them 3 premierships. While they are going nowhere they will still pull some surprise wins this year.

It was as windy as I can remember at the G with a 2-3 goal wind to the punt road end. We made the mistake of not getting the ball in deep enough make shots at goal difficult and opening ourselves up to the slingshot game.

CC seems to be a little off at the moment, which is kind of strange to say when he should have kicked 4 for the second week in a row. Hopefully he can have a big game against the Roos who don't have a key defender.

 

[HaydossJ]

I was there last night. We were jogging and pressure was poor. Played as Individuals.

It’s early in season and a long way to go but the standard of effort needs to improve.

Keep doing this and you develop bad habits

Interesting views - I thought our pressure outside the contest was outstanding and the tackling was strong. Pressure rating and tackling statistics were all significantly in our favour and kept us in the fight. What almost cost us the game was the clearance and inside contest, as well as careless disposal and poor composure going inside 50.

 

[jj1978]

No brain?

oblivious/not thinking things through/poor decision/unaware....... look at the context of my post.

 

[blues4flag]

I think any Kemp criticism is a bit misguided. Dude missed his last year of school footy with a knee, then played 6 games in first two years here. There is genuinely no substitute for experience and he’s really only coming into his second ‘proper’ year.

Yes, he’s making some mistakes but they are the kind that tend to improve with reps. What’s much harder to teach is being in the right place at the right time as a defender, and I’m pretty impressed by that part of his game. He had 8+ marks in 7 games last year and is 2/2 this year. Need to persist with him for sure.

Absolutely. He's being asked to play undersized as well. With Weiters and Marchy back, he slots into a 3rd tall role and can focus more on intercepting.

Given we love to control the territory, Kemp positioned 40m behind the ball as that interceptor will be invaluable.

 

[marcmurphy3]

In Weiters, Martin, E Hollands, Motlop

Out O Hollands, Fantasia, Kennedy, Young

Marshy into the 2s

Agree with Martin, Weiters, Motlop. They're like for like swaps with Kennedy (based on current role), Young and Fanta. Would keep Kennedy as sub.

I had Fanta ahead of Owies but Owies has taken his opportunity and Fanta not.

Wouldn't swap the Hollands brothers. Different positions. Happy to give Ollie another go.

Happy for E.Hollands to start in the VFL or come in for one Cotts, Cunners, Fog. None
really deserve to be dropped but at the same time haven't locked down their positions either.

It'll be interesting as E massively impressed during preseason but I think the coaching team would be mindful of not swapping out so many players at once. Same goes for Marchbank.

Other guys on the borderline would be Boyd (does some great stuff but also super dumb stuff) and Carroll (solid performances but not yet at the level you'd expect from an onballer for a flag contender) but happy to continue with both for now.

Ollie also needs to improve or Binns could bump him out if he starts the vfl season like he finished the last one.

 

[Show_Me_The_Money]

Very underwhelming performance TBH.

• TDK amazing last quarter
• McGovern went from BOG in the first half to god knows what he was doing in the second
• Carroll continues to impress, I was one who did not rate him at all but obviously he's gone to work on his deficiencies and come back a much better footballer
• Harry just a completely different footballer and kudos to him
• Charlie very disappointing last night, went back to the old Charlie
• a win is a win I guess and the great sides still win when they play poorly

 

[branedotorg]

Pro:
We saw transition football that we've not really shown before. Handball chains from D50 to F50 through the centre corridor, as well as 45 degree kicks to pierce our way through their zone.
Con:
Just so many calamitous clangers that cost us goals (both kicking them and conceding them).
It's frustrating when Boyd runs past for a handball 60m out from goal and the handball misses him by metres which results in a turnover.

Boyd is still in his fledgling days and that moment when he gets a handball receive and dobs it from 55m will help unlock the next phase in his career.

we tried it against Brisbane but they picked it off and punished us on turnover until we went back to contested footy. Same in the two preseason games.

This new transition style will kill poor teams but unless we can refine disposals at pace we constantly will leave huge gaps and easy over the back goals if we turn it over against better terams. Young wasn't great last night but over and over the defence was dealing with balls coming in quick and with no pressure after we lost it up the ground.

glad we stuck with it against the tigers but in future i want to see it as an option to change a game, not the primary game plan.

 

[JuddgementDay]

In Weiters, Martin, E Hollands, Motlop

Out O Hollands, Fantasia, Kennedy, Young

Marshy into the 2s

I doubts if we make that many changes after a win

I think Weiters and Martin would be given another week - so RD4 - to be sure to be sure

O Hollands will be persisted with

In: E Hollands, Motlop

Out: Fantasia, Kennedy

 

[Aphrodite]

Que Cerra Cerra

 

[Arr0w]

Plenty to work on, but winning opens up a fair bit of options

 

[Faz 2000]

There's a great silver lining on the "old Charlie"/Curnow was dumb theme. He still had 5 shots on goal, plus the goal-line HTB, plus at least one snap out on the full. He really did not play very well and kinda had 7 shots at goal. Who in the league can do that? Guys who win multiple Colemans, that's who. On another night, he kicks 5+ last night and blow the Tiges away. Let everyone else worry about him.

 

[haveago]

Yeh, he looked awful.

My ragging on him is not just random punching bag stuff either. I WANT him to improve and be good.

His problem is he looks indecisive and weak in everything he does. For a 200cm, 100kg professional athlete, he looks grossly unprepared to accelerate, change direction, hold his ground or attack anything/anyone. He has great size, OK hands, and can competently kick a long drop punt to the wing from a free kick or mark.

But anything dynamic he looks all at sea. He seems to lose contests in every conceivable way - too far behind opponent, too far under the ball, out-bodied. An unfit Tom Lynch sidestepped him several times last night. And god only knows what Williams or Saad are thinking handballing it to him, when he is ALWAYS flat-footed and prone to getting caught.

He looks like a poorly animated video game character when you tap the controls. He goes from still to flailing without going anywhere.

He needs to do a LOT of work to physically build some core and hip strength to be ready to move explosively, and also mentally ready to go 100% at whatever he's doing. For mine, that's why Kemp looks a far better player - even though he makes mistakes and howlers (a few last night), he goes at the mark or spoil or rebounding run at 100%. Young seems to second guess everything.

Doing a pretty good job trying to fill the Grand Canyon of a hole Weiters has left.
Couldn't agree more though with giving it to him as the get out kicker.