Autopsy AFL 2026 Round 5 - Crows v Blues Thurs April 9th 7:40pm AEST/7:10pm (AO)

[Madas]

They reviewed it, ump said he thought it was touched behind, then it was called a behind on screen. Confusing because it looked like it didn't cross the line.

It was a behind when it was rushed through
The first tap was still in play
Correct call
Nothing to see here

 

[Dirty Bird]

How many for Ben Keays?

He only burns the one way running Saad,
With him out, it wont be as many as normal.

 

[PP34]

Jagga

And Walker next year

Oh and surely Voss is at Centrelink in a few week

Jagga has looked incredibly meh the last two weeks.

This is the most vanilla bunch of shit kickers I can remember watching

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Jagga has looked incredibly meh the last two weeks.

This is the most vanilla bunch of shit kickers I can remember watching

He looks knackered needs a break. Now whether Voss is smart enough to realise it is another thing. Was better when he was in the middle the second half

 

[Dirty Bird]

I havent watched Carlton before this week but what I took out of it.

I love Voss's plan A. It'll cause many issues with opposition in the league, and could be the best gameplan for someone who loves attacking football.

Problem is, the team isn't built for the gameplan. They're just not fit enough. Which explains the drop offs.

Close/late handballs to people running past with speed. While using the outside/space at centre clearences. It'll be extremely effective when they can get it going, as we saw early this week. But halfway through the qtr I was telling those I was with 'they'll hit a wall, they wont be fit enough to keep it up. It'd explain their late collapses'

If Voss did this with a fit team like Adelaide, or a team with a deep midfield and good forward line like Fremantle or Western Bulldogs and maybe Geelong and Sydney. Voss could have them top of the league. But Carlton isn't built for it right now.

From what I've seen from Carlton/Western Bulldogs/Geelong/Fremantle/Collingwood/Adelaide. I actually feel Carlton's gameplan is the best (Bulldogs a close 2nd, but I feel that'll get shut down and wouldn't be shocked if Hawthorn embarrass them this weekend). It's just Voss doesn't have a team that can pull it off. He's going to get himself sacked because he's not winning. The irony being, it's probably the type of gameplan that could take a good team to another level, such as Geelong 2007 under Thommo.

I've honestly felt for a decade Carlton's problem has been it's recruiting/development.
Sure, they've nailed Walsh/Cripps/Curnow.
But now that they have probably the best coach in 25 years.
The fitness staff haven't prepared them for the gameplan Voss wants.

Voss will get sacked, simply because this team isn't fit enough. But it's a gameplan I have faith in, and if the Crows played with it, I believe we'd be top of the league right now (unless we had more hamstring injuries than we have right now)

 

[GoldbergsGold]

We’d lost to 3 likely top 4 contenders by less than 10 points, I find the idea that we were majorly off track to be weird.

Because it was 3 matches in a row of it. It's similar to the 2023-24 games where the Crows kept losing close ones and that resulted in no finals.

There’s a lot of work to be done tactically, particularly at the start of games, for us to potentially contend but we’re clearly on track to make finals.

Haven't even beaten a contender yet this year, not sure how that's a shoe in for finals.

 

[mick500]

Haven't even beaten a contender yet this year, not sure how that's a shoe in for finals.

I wouldn't say we are a shoe in but right now we know our best is at the very least good enough to make finals. So I don't really get your disposition. Don't forget it's a top 10 for finals now. I don't think we are in the bottom 8 sides in the comp. Could be wrong though. And freo is one we dropped that we probably should've won imo.

If you know anything about our team it's that we don't have many easy wins and we generally don't get blown away either. It is frustrating when we play lesser teams and don't have the killer blow but I still don't think you could mount an argument that we're not good enough to be top 10.

Collingwood haven't been easy beats at the G for quite awhile now so that was a decent win which kind of allowed the close losses to not be as bad as it could've been. Bulldogs were hot when we played them. Geelong are also very tough to beat at their home ground and we were as close as we've been in about 25 years there.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

I wouldn't say we are a shoe in but right now we know our best is at the very least good enough to make finals. So I don't really get your disposition. Don't forget it's a top 10 for finals now. I don't think we are in the bottom 8 sides in the comp. Could be wrong though. And freo is one we dropped that we probably should've won imo.

I was going to say maybe a wild card week chance, but I don't think Collingwood or Carlton are really that good, this season. It's yet to be seen if the Crows can beat a team who is clearly making finals, so I'm not sold on the shoe in finals prospect yet. Those 3 close losses in a row were very similar to 2023 and 2024.

I still don't think you could mount an argument that we're not good enough to be top 10.

That's all based on last season's performance, though, this season they're showing repeat signs like I already said of 2023 and 2024, those close loses, it was 3 weeks in a row.

Collingwood haven't been easy beats at the G for quite awhile now so that was a decent win which kind of allowed the close losses to not be as bad as it could've been. Bulldogs were hot when we played them. Geelong are also very tough to beat at their home ground and we were as close as we've been in about 25 years there.

I don't think Collingwood's going to be a contender, this season. And the Crows should have won at least one of those close matches against the stronger teams if they were a reasonable threat, this season. Maybe the Crows do a 180, later this season, but at the moment they haven't shown any sign they're even a top 10 team, I don't think Collingwood or Carlton are, either.

 

[Blueboys11]

I would love a coach or player to have the fortitude to directly address the AFL while being interviewed by the media and criticise the rule changes and over interpretation of the umpiring. The lasoo rule has been absolutely butchered with these ridiculous frees given for incidental toe pokes and the umpires in general are looking for reasons to get involved in the game ratter than trying to stay out of it. That second half the majority of Adelaide’s goals were via free kicks for infringements that were being turned a blind eye to up the other end.

AFL is broken at the moment

 

[loopy0812]

I was going to say maybe a wild card week chance, but I don't think Collingwood or Carlton are really that good, this season. It's yet to be seen if the Crows can beat a team who is clearly making finals, so I'm not sold on the shoe in finals prospect yet. Those 3 close losses in a row were very similar to 2023 and 2024.

That's all based on last season's performance, though, this season they're showing repeat signs like I already said of 2023 and 2024, those close loses, it was 3 weeks in a row.

I don't think Collingwood's going to be a contender, this season. And the Crows should have won at least one of those close matches against the stronger teams if they were a reasonable threat, this season. Maybe the Crows do a 180, later this season, but at the moment they haven't shown any sign they're even a top 10 team, I don't think Collingwood or Carlton are, either.

Collingwood are simply because they'll win enough games against the lower teams. Adelaide overachieved last year as sort of an unknown quantity plus a very good run with injuries / their better players in form. None of these things have been the case so far this year and so Adelaide have regressed to where they actually are which is a side that can push the top teams and will beat a couple of them but won't do it often enough to be a flag threat. That being said, both Collingwood and Adelaide will win enough games against the lower teams / teams around them that they'll finish higher than 11th.

I haven't seen anything from the early games this year that make me doubt my pre season thoughts of who the bottom teams are. North, Carlton, St. Kilda, Richmond, Essendon, West Coast definitely miss out, Port are an 80% chance of missing and the final team to miss will be one of Melbourne, Collingwood, Adelaide, and GWS with Melbourne the most likely.

 

[My Tilly]

Why is McKay so soft in marking contests?
For a guy standing 205cm/100kg, he should be able to hit the pack hard and at least make defenders know he's around.

This is why I have always been critical of the hype. He is massively overrated. Will have a brilliant game once every 6-7 weeks and then he's back to standard.

 

[Bostonian]

Um….if it comes off your toe and goes over the goal line from 2cm out it’s a goal, same as out on the full - those are the rules. What can’t people get?

Um if you toe poke it for a goal you've done it deliberately.

If the ball touches your toe during a contest near the boundary line and it happens to roll over the boundary line it's a completely different scenario.

Why can't you get that?

 

[Osho]

If Blues can tackle and pressure a lot, a real lot, for 4 qtrs, who knows. Crows aren't as slick as I once thought, they can go stretches without being able to move the ball that fluidly. If Blues can exploit and extend that scenario... footy's a funny game. Remember that Dogs Bombers boilover all those years ago? With all the hysteria over Carlton losing a lead again against North, they did show some ticker q3 and part of q4, dare I say they have made an incremental improvement, even though they fell short.

But more likely the Crows defense which is now real good will shut down Blues, and without Weitering it's hard to see how they can quell Crows moving the ball into attack with their various threats.

Latter scenario is far more likely than former.

However, expectations on Blues are low, on Crows are high, that could play into the outcome. Don't be surprised by an odd outcome.

Blues by 10 points in a desperate tense surprise that noone saw coming!

Geewizz.
Missed by that much?

 

[Mr MysteryGuest]

He's not the perfect player and he went missing in finals last year with a few one handed attempts then as well and no second efforts but he's far from a "spud". Can take a good mark and usually finishes well. I think he's in the best 22 of most afl teams pretty easily.

lol not really
He got lots of criticism for the Collingwood game but he still hat 2 goals (should have been 3) 2 contested marks, 13 contested possessions

But apparently he had bad game because the midfield kept kicking over his head

 

[Elixuh]

Adelaide might throw the ball the most of any team in the league

 

[loopy0812]

I don’t think that’s what the arc said
The goal umpire got it perfectly right and should be commended
Those muppet commentators have no clue , basically shock jocks

You know you are in trouble when the caller making the most sense in that situation was Riccuito. Notice how quickly the other commentators other than Riewoldt shut up after Riccuito coercion pointed out that the goal umpire was 100% in the right in that situation and explained why. The arc would have said the ball clearly crossed the line referring to the rushed point. As the goal umpire (correctly) allowed play to continue and the field umpire asked the goal umpire for his thoughts which was behind, the review needs to go all the way to the end of continuous play to either confirm or disprove the goal umpires thoughts.

The only issue here was that the commentators are incompetent and don't know what they're talking about and the field umpire didn't stay the f out of it. The ball clearly didn't cross the line from the initial kick (defender in line with the middle of the post at the time he made contact with the ball and ball went forward, ergo ball could not have crossed the line). The only decision that needed to be made was did the field umpire think the subsequent rushed behind warrant a free kick against Adelaide. Once that decision was no, there was no doubt the score was going to be a behind.

 

[voorhees]

Why is McKay so soft in marking contests?
For a guy standing 205cm/100kg, he should be able to hit the pack hard and at least make defenders know he's around.

This is why I have always been critical of the hype. He is massively overrated. Will have a brilliant game once every 6-7 weeks and then he's back to standard.

what hype?
people know exactly what they will get from McKay.
big pay cheque- below standard contribution

 

[loopy0812]

Huh?

He’s been a known fraud for years , that’s why Sydney got rid of him

Sydney got rid of him because all he is and was ever going to be is a role player and Sydney were overpaying for someone that is just that. When he's in a top of the table team and can just play as a pressure player he's okay and his mistakes get hidden which is the reason Sydney offered him overs on a contract at a time other clubs were interested. Sydney had injuries to a couple of players last year and his deficiencies got exposed.

In a top of the table team where he can just play as an elite pressure player that feeds the outside mids he's serviceable and gets a spot on any list. The issue is that the good clubs already have those types of players in their team and don't need another and the lower teams need him to be more than that and he's not good enough to do it.

 

[cactuscall]

The Crows dominance in the middle at the start of the second was built entirely on free kicks handing them clearances.

Rachele's throw in the second cost Carlton an easy shot on goal.

Finbarr's goal in the last for a ridiculously soft free that they ignored MacKay.

Soligo flopping for a non existent hold for the sealer.

The blatant deliberate for Murray.

Walker's throw for Rankine's last.

If you see this sort of analysis from a Carlton or Port supporter, please ignore and jump to the next post.

 

[JPetro83]

What's this Rachele talk about?

 

[Soggy2112]

He didn't have people around him initially. He had the ball had plenty of time and space and then he chose to put himself under pressure by racing 7m to the goal line.

I agree with you that it SHOULD be deliberate. But that’s not what the rule says.

Within 9m if you are under immediate pressure you’re entitled to deliberately rush the ball over, whether you tap it, run it over or handball/kick it over.

The umpire’s interpretation of “immediate pressure” is was there a player within a certain distance (I think they say a metre).

Murray stands there initially, Cripps runs up to him and then he runs it over. There will be a number of similar instances this week where players wait for the pressure to come, and then rush it over, none of them will be called either.

People take their frustrations with the rules out on the umpires too often. The umpires called that correctly based on the rules they were given.

 

[carlton_99]

I agree with you that it SHOULD be deliberate. But that’s not what the rule says.

Within 9m if you are under immediate pressure you’re entitled to deliberately rush the ball over, whether you tap it, run it over or handball/kick it over.

The umpire’s interpretation of “immediate pressure” is was there a player within a certain distance (I think they say a metre).

Murray stands there initially, Cripps runs up to him and then he runs it over. There will be a number of similar instances this week where players wait for the pressure to come, and then rush it over, none of them will be called either.

People take their frustrations with the rules out on the umpires too often. The umpires called that correctly based on the rules they were given.

Unless it has changed the rule says "immediate pressure" or "has time and space to dispose the ball". He definitely had the latter and I'm still not convinced there was immediate pressure. He was alone when he got the ball.

Edit: This is the 2026 version I could find

 

[Grangeroad]

Nothing like a pear supporter to put things right about the crows. Lol.

That’s because we pear supporters know the rules.

 

[Grangeroad]

It was a behind when it was rushed through
The first tap was still in play
Correct call
Nothing to see here

It certainly was rushed through. He sprinted.

 

[Hoops]

Nope.

It's when, and you'll just love this, a player intentionally rushes a behind.

Umpire has to 'interpret' if they had 'sufficient intent' to keep the ball in.

As he handballed it and it hit the post next to his teammate, an umpire would assume he was attempting to get the ball to teh player, not rush a behind.

As an aside, what do you think of that horrible missed HTB then massive throw in F50 for Adelaide that was completely ignored?

18.11 DELIBERATE RUSHED BEHINDS
18.11.1 Spirit and IntentionPlayers shall be encouraged to keep the football in play.
18.11.2 Free Kicks - Deliberate Rushed Behinds
A field Umpire shall award a Free Kick against a Player from the Defending Team who intentionally Kicks, Handballs or forces the football over the Attacking Team’s Goal Line or Behind Line or onto one of the Attacking Team’s Goal Posts, and the Player:
(a) is greater than nine metres from the Goal Line or Behind Line;
(b) is not under immediate physical pressure;
(c) has had time and space to dispose of the football; or
(d) from a Ruck contest, hits the football over the Goal Line or Behind Lineon the full.