Carlton v Geelong NAB Cup

BlueWorld

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#26
Bluemike said:
Agree about the kicking up forward - Geelong were creative, used run and short kicks - we kicked long to the contest where Mooney or Scarlett zoned off. Maybe we don't have the run/creativity or the coach asked them to do that. There were reports from training that we would be reducing the long bomb but if that game was any indication it doesn't look like we've changed the forward movement of the ball at all
Not sure but my guess is we probably reverted to what we're used to under pressure.
 

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iameviljez

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#27
Stanton said:
If this game is anything to go by neither us or geelong will be seeing september. But its not just the players out of form, the umpiring has been horrendous. Still hope we can pull it off
What an atrocious game and I'm very happy that we have 1/3rd of our team out of this one. From your side, a few good signs from your young tall fowards (O'hAilpin in particular) but geez you guys have some worries in midfield and down back.
Houlihan looks primed for a big one. Someone's pulled a finger out of his you-know-whatsit!
 

XXX KINGS

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#28
Here are my views regarding some players from the match:

If Houlihan can back up his performance tonight, I'll take back any negative comments I have made regarding him. He gets a lot of slack, including from myself, which could be considered unfair. Tonight he had a real dig at it and if he keeps it up he can only be a benefit to the team.

Thornton really disappointed me, Kingsley constantly got in front of him. He has to work on getting in front of his man. I would have much rathered Livingston tonight. He might not have the perceived flashiness of Thornton, but he gets the job done. Although he cops a lot of crap from Carlton supporters, imo he does a pretty good job at keeping his opponent out of the game. He reminds me a lot of Prestigiacomo.

Setanta looked awesome! I was sitting behind the goals and his presence out there was huge. In a few years I am sure he'll be considered one of our best players. His disposal was pretty ordinary as expected, but he is still learning and in a few years time I can't wait to see the progress he, as well as aisake, have made.

I liked the look of Marc Murphy. He was constantly putting his body on the line and leading into the right spots. His kicking doesn't have a great amount of penetration but he has pretty good accuracy. I don't think we have to much to worry about regarding him.

Fevola was ok, nothing too spectacular, but still servicable. It was funny watching Pagan pull a Grant Thomas and bench him straight after kicking a goal.

Hartlett, Betts, Carazzo, Fisher, Simpson and Walker all looked in pretty good nick. I think these players will become some of our most prolific in years to come. I think Fisher might have already reached that status.

Whitnall looked pretty good. I honestly think Pagan shouldn't give him the responsibilty of manning up and simply let him float and zone off the entire match. He is much more effective this way rather than constantly getting lead out of the contest and beaten by an opponent much faster than him.

Deluca is simply not good enough. He is at a stage now where there is no excuse for butter fingers. His kicking is not bad, but for a player his height who can't tap ruck for his life, if you can't catch a ball then you shouldn't be playing AFL. Pretty simple I would have thought.

I don't think we played too badly tonight. We were extremely wasteful in front of goal as well as our atrocious kicking into the 50. One thing I was happy about was that, even though we were destined for a loss in the last quarter, the boys heads didn't drop and they kept going on with it. This is the right attitude and hopefully we can keep it up. I don't think we should be aiming too high this year, however, a finish around 10th - 12th is not Unforeseeable.

Go Blue Boys! :)
 
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#29
Unfortunately I'm in the US so I haven't seen any of the match yet. Anyone got some more info on how Waite went? Haven't heard much in this thread.
 

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#30
Waite, Fevola and Simpson were all underdone and nowhere near 100%.

http://www.theage.com.au/realfooty/news/match-reports/cats-do-enough-to-win/2006/02/25/1140670305520.html
Carlton coach Denis Pagan didn't appear too disappointed that his side's campaign to defend its pre-season title was ended at the first hurdle.

"We're a bigger, stronger side (compared to last year) and I think that was evident tonight," Pagan said.

"We're only going to get better from here. There were a lot of positives to come out of tonight."

After trailing at three-quarter-time, the Blues took the lead in the final quarter, but Geelong added seven majors to run away with the victory.

"The biggest difference tonight was just the polish and the usage of the ball," Pagan said.

"Our hardness, we were equal, our (forward) entries equal, we won the clearances. But just our usage of the ball — turnovers — that was the difference in the finish.

"We had a few blokes who were really underdone. (Kade) Simpson and (Brendan) Fevola, they're going to benefit from that sort of stuff … Jarrad Waite's been a little bit underdone."

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18277587%255E11088,00.html

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18277586%255E11088,00.html
While Carlton coughed up seven goals in the last quarter, it remained in touch throughout most of the night and had a host of strong performances from the youngsters of the team.

Top draft pick Marc Murphy's first goal in AFL football smacked of something special, Setanta O'hAilpin presented strongly and took six marks, and the batch of kids continue to come on.

Carlton coach Denis Pagan continues to preach the message that there is plenty to like about the Blues.

"We are a bigger, stronger side than last year and I think that was evident last night. We are only going to get better from tonight," Pagan said.

"There were a lot of positives to come out tonight, and a lot of Carlton supporters should go home, even though it was four goals in the finish, thinking gee, (Adam) Hartlett, O'hAilpin, Murphy, they are going to be good players.

"The biggest difference tonight was the polish and the use of the ball. Our hardness was equal, entries were equal and we won the clearances, but we made turnovers and that was the difference in the finish."
 

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#31
From what I saw we were ordinary.
I could not see the big bodies we need. For example, Simpson was pushed off the ball with ease.
Other observations were:
Betts: Looked lost at times, needs to prop around the forward line and stay there. His team mates need to make space for him. Every time he got the ball he was tackled in a second.
Houlihan: The only one who really looked bigger. Would suit either up as a forward, or in Thorntons position.
O'Hailipin: Looked good, a bit more bulk and will be better. Cant believe though that with all the kicking practice he must have had he still misses too many.
Fevola: Looked frustrated a couple of times, and went for late tackles but did not get his opponent, if only he could get less frustrated.
Murphy: Kicking power is poor. Saw a floater or two which is hard to understand given his standing as a # 1.
Thornton: Once again too light, caught out, too short. Maybe Saddington could help, and possibly Livingston. The experiment with Thornton playing in the crucial defensive position must end. He is not good enough and we will have plenty kicked against us by the big forwards if Thornton is our last brick in the dfensive wall. Maybe he could play on a wing ?
All in all I was dissapointed that the guys did not look much bigger, despite the fanfare that they had....Geelong players looked like big gorillas against our mostly small frames.
I dont know where Kouta should play, he could perhaps be a floater, put out fires where they occur, back or forward.
Whitnall: Has to be a roving defender, as we all saw he is too easy to get around if he plays on one individual.
Very early days yes, but it is the same for all teams, and from the NAB cup games so far our team looks behind in skills and big bodies. Hate to say it, but it could be a long season.......just hope Kennedy and Saddington can add something really positive in the season proper.
 

stokesy

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#32
The player I was most disappointed by last night was Thornton.

We are better off playing crap in the pre-season however and I'm certainly not worried about the performance of some of our players last night.

Get them away from the lime light and play them in the regional areas so come round one, we are ready to play without being on TV in the lead up.
 

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#33
XXX KINGS said:
Thornton really disappointed me, Kingsley constantly got in front of him. He has to work on getting in front of his man. I would have much rathered Livingston tonight. He might not have the perceived flashiness of Thornton, but he gets the job done. Although he cops a lot of crap from Carlton supporters, imo he does a pretty good job at keeping his opponent out of the game. He reminds me a lot of Prestigiacomo.
Go Blue Boys! :)
Yeah...surely they could have squeezed Livo in. He could have done a better job than the rest of them you would think. I'm glad they played Hartlett but maybe they could have dropped Prender to make room. Being unable to cover Kingsley was probably the difference in the end.
 

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#34
I might put up a review on the game later today or tomorrow. Not sure if I will at this stage.

Brief thoughts

Houlihan : still lacks that strength in his legs and goes to ground to quickly. Made a number of errors and handpassed wildly when tackled and resulted in 2 shots for goal from Geelong. Still did not accelerate away and got caught. We need him forward of the centre in my opinion. Not around the packs. He is not strong enough over the ball. Ran better got the ball and made a number of mistakes. Half forward flank with a brief stint on the wing is how I would play him in the future.

Thornton : this is what I mean by not having great speed off the mark. An endurance athlete rather than an explosive one. Thats what I wrote in the "list breakdown" thread. That means that a player like Kent Kingsley who is quick over 5 meters gets a gap on Thorton most of the time. On a longer lead Brett will catch up but not on the last line on a short lead. He is better suited at CHB and in motion. He has very good running ability and good agility and sideways movement. Much prefer him in that role than on the last line. His bodywork was not good and Kent was to strong for him. Thornton is down on confidence and is a shadow of the player he was 2 years ago. He will improve but would love to see him moved out to CHB. Lance moved out to the flank on the 3rd tall and Livo or Hartlett played as the full back.

Walker: Played on Ablett and held him reasonable well. Very hard for him to cover for Lance who zoned off all night. Andrew had to move over and meet the ball carrier/forward with Lance back in the hole. This sometimes resulted in Ablett getting a few cheap possesions based on Andrew trying to cover for others. His speed was there for all to see. He looked great when he ran and he ran straight and with purpose. His kicking was a little bit better but still needs a lot of work. He did not have any targets out there when he had the ball. I taped the game to watch and have seen it now. Live at the game you could see there were no free targets when he had the ball and 3 or 4 tall defenders sitting back waiting for the long kick. So there was not much he could do. I realise it does not look good on tv but at the game there was no free target to hit. We kicked long and players like Scarlett and others sat back waiting for it. Andrew was okay for mine. Not great but is improving. That rushed kick for goal was a let down. However the confidence to run hard down to the goal square and fly for the ball I was really happy with.

I wish he was played on the wing and then given a run on the ball as well. Get given the ball as often as it could be and really take off and break the game open. Not play as a tagger/back flank with to many unaccountable players back there for him to try and cover for. Give him the ball and let him run and kick long. Watch him make plenty of mistakes and also plenty of quality disposals as well. Thats how he develops and how he improves. Playing the role that is natural and where he is best suited. Its not as if we have a lot of other ball carriers in the side.

What are we doing to our young players? Are we trying to kill the flair and natural instincts they have?

I will leave it there I think and might put up something more later.
 

iameviljez

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#35
XXX KINGS said:
Whitnall looked pretty good. I honestly think Pagan shouldn't give him the responsibilty of manning up and simply let him float and zone off the entire match. He is much more effective this way rather than constantly getting lead out of the contest and beaten by an opponent much faster than him.
Really? I know that I'm biased and all that but I felt that Whitnall got beaten fairly badly out at CHB; he got the ball a bit going out but he got beaten going the other way by Charlie Gardiner for goodness' sakes. This isn't Lance's fault; he is NOT a defender. Defenders need to have great all-round games to keep up with a myriad of opponents and Lance's mobility lets him down at CHB. I think from an opposition's perspective, Fisher or Waite would have been by far the better option at CHB on the more mobile Gardiner whilst Lance could have served up a few more headaches at CHF than were present.
 

DIG

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#36
pauld said:
From what I saw we were ordinary.
I could not see the big bodies we need. For example, Simpson was pushed off the ball with ease.
Other observations were:
Betts: Looked lost at times, needs to prop around the forward line and stay there. His team mates need to make space for him. Every time he got the ball he was tackled in a second.
Houlihan: The only one who really looked bigger. Would suit either up as a forward, or in Thorntons position.
O'Hailipin: Looked good, a bit more bulk and will be better. Cant believe though that with all the kicking practice he must have had he still misses too many.
Fevola: Looked frustrated a couple of times, and went for late tackles but did not get his opponent, if only he could get less frustrated.
Murphy: Kicking power is poor. Saw a floater or two which is hard to understand given his standing as a # 1.
Thornton: Once again too light, caught out, too short. Maybe Saddington could help, and possibly Livingston. The experiment with Thornton playing in the crucial defensive position must end. He is not good enough and we will have plenty kicked against us by the big forwards if Thornton is our last brick in the dfensive wall. Maybe he could play on a wing ?
All in all I was dissapointed that the guys did not look much bigger, despite the fanfare that they had....Geelong players looked like big gorillas against our mostly small frames.
I dont know where Kouta should play, he could perhaps be a floater, put out fires where they occur, back or forward.
Whitnall: Has to be a roving defender, as we all saw he is too easy to get around if he plays on one individual.
Very early days yes, but it is the same for all teams, and from the NAB cup games so far our team looks behind in skills and big bodies. Hate to say it, but it could be a long season.......just hope Kennedy and Saddington can add something really positive in the season proper.
hmmmm. Houlihan at full back's certainly a new one.

Pretty disappointing last night but there were a couple of positives, esp Houlihan and O'Hailpin. Thought Lappin played well too.

Lets face it tho, after last year's fall from grace from pre-season premiers to wooden spoon, we can't be too worried about the result. There's still a few practice games between now and round 1 vs Demons for us to get ourselves together for the serious stuff.
 

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Funkalicous

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#37
Probably easier to talk about the positives at this stage.

In general we were very sloppy and lacked direction. Sloppiness is a popular NAB cup attribute, but lack of direction is a Carlton exclusive.

So, I liked Fisher, Bentick, and Simpson as our better young players. Betts and O'hAilpin played alright too. Mind you, there's a fine line between confidence and overconfidence, and I think Simmo is teetering a bit close to that line. He's a speedy SOB though, so perhaps we should just take the bad with the good.

Murphy: A few nerves, a couple of wrong choices, and 1 or 2 'Welcome to the big times' (whatever that is :eek:). Having said all that, he can find the football. -Likes to run with it too. :thumbsu:

Fev had a good game I thought. Didn't kick awfully straight (thank you very much Mr Shotclock :mad: ), but his leads were golden. -Heaps of pace. Where was that last year?

Lappin and Whitnall were good down back, but they're not Sos. No one is. But then, he probably gave it up at a good time. It sucks to be a defender these days with the crappy interpretations.

What other positives were there?....... hmmm...... suppose the beer was alright... Maybe a little flat.... I don't know...... What did you think?
 

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#39
And now onto the negatives. A couple spring to mind:

This memo goes out to the Carlton back line, expecially YOU Bret Thornton: We are not a good enough side for our backmen to play off our man. We turn the ball over with such ease, that whenever Geelong reclaim the ball, our defenders are atleast 30 meters off their man. :eek:

I've always said "A good team is built from the backline upwards". That means we should be conquering the simple aspects of defence first. - Stick on your man. Help your fellow defenders out. It's all well and good if your name is Bret Thornton and you like to take 4 bounces up the wing, but T-Bird, how confident are you that our midfield won't screw it up? Just remember the saying. "Keep it simple spastic!".

The other thing that annoyed me was the kicking for goal. We had so much of the ball in the 2nd and 3rd quarters last night that we should've buried the Cats. Were this a real game, I'd be tearing someone's hair out. Honestly fellas, practice ya goal kicking. :thumbsdown:
 
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#40
I was also at the game last night and there was some frustration and also some positives. Any Carlton team that has both Deluca and Prenda in the side is not going to move forward. They have now taken of the mantle of Co Captain Turn Over which Beaumont had for many a year. Deluca should either wear gloves or get his eyes checked , the bloke never takes a one grab mark. I would have Chris Bryan in that team everytime a head of Deluca.Murph did ok, Blackwell will get better with time, Houla , lappin steve and lance good. Harlett showed signs, just keep playing him. I would prefer Lance up forward. At least we can see some changes next week at PP in the practice match.
 

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#41
I was also at the game, but did not manage to tape it on the TV some my thoughts are limited to waht i could pick up last night - A few brief thoughts on the game

O'Hailpin - I must admit i dint' really believe the training reports, but he looked the goods. Good size to him, strong, quick on the lead and looked really solid above his head. Played with more confidence (i think he picked one up on the half-volley at full pace) than i thought he would....kicking can be improved, he will make it no doubt. Even looked like he might have potential as a mobile CHF. The guy really impressed me for it only being his third year playiing the game.

Houlihan - While i agree he has improved his strength and committment to the ball, and he got enough of the pill, I can't believe some had him listed as our best. I'm with mojo on this one, still not composed enough and did give off a few dodgy handballs under pressure....i still prefer him forward, a few turnovers hurt us.

Was happy enough with Hartlett and Murphy and Blackwell. I don't know why Hartlett was limping afer the game, but i hope he can stay injury free and provide us with another big body down back....why, because i thought Whitnall at CHB hurt us. He is fine down back when he has the ball, composed and sets up our rebound well, but was too easily exposed when he didn't have it, too slow and not agile enough...got turned easily then too slow to chase. I wouldn't play him back if at all possible...We are in a tough spot there still, and i too was disappointed in Thornton and would like to see him only playing on the third tall or providing some run off the HBF.

Stevens and Lappin were their usual solid perfomances, slightly disappointed with AB, Scotland and Waite (is he carrying a slight injury?). Fisher took his usual couple of strong grabs and hopefully will be set for a good year, it was good to see him prsenting further up the ground and providing a target on the wing occasionally as well

Betts looked a bit lost, esp in the midfield...

No worries about Murphy (or Blackwell for that matter), looked confident and composed playing against the men. A couple of touches were pure class and delivery was spot on...i'm not worried about lack of penetration in his kick, etc... Sometimes seemed to run to the wrong places, or present only to not have it kicked to him....his height might have been a worry here if the defenders who zoned off got to the contest. He looked quicker than i expected and his pace is good. Blackwell has really filled out and given some time will be a good inside midfielder for us.

McGrath seems to have reached some cosistency too, and is solid and composed down back, happy with him in the BP all year.

Overall there were some positive signs for the CFC, esp.Setanta, Murph and Hartlett...
 

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#42
Firstly I am rapped that we finally got to see the Blues in action.The way I see it our defence played poorly last night,but it was missing Livo,Wiggins(BP),Saddo & Teague,and at some stage Bower will come in to the side.Dont forget it was only Hartletts first game,also Whitnal who shouldnt be marking a player one-on -one was often getting sidestepped and bawked which lead to a couple of goals.I hope Waite plays CHB because he has pace,height,strength and strong marking ability,he also tackles very well.I am a bit frustrated with him playing up front as he just doesnt do enough.We did turn over too often and as you know that puts defenders on the back foot.This is what helped made Kingsley look good.Betts did look lost but I think he will end up in the forward line more often than not.Some of the guys did look like that they have beefed up a bit.It will take time b4 we catch up to other teams in this department,even the Lions started off skinny,just look at them now.Please replace Prenda with Bryan as Bryan has far more to offer.Setanta can kick straighter than that just wait and you will see.Terrific in most other areas,a new target for the mids to aim for and if Kennedy is as good as they say,along with Fisher,Fev.Lance and Betts we look like will have a not half bad forward line developing.Murphy looked a little nervous but should start round 1.Once things settle Walker will tear them anew A-hole.
 

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#43
Other brief thoughts

Setanta moved well. Attacked the marking contest and judged when to lead and did not run under the ball. Kicking needs work but was not un coordinated and it is heading in the right direction. Looked up to standard.

Deluca moved well. A couple of his gathers below his feet were very good. Still double grabs those marks. I wonder if the lights were a factor in making it hard for him to focus on the ball.

Fev was way underdone and had trouble when the ball hit the ground. I would not have played him.

Fisher is fitter and moved like a midfielder and has taken another step up. Kicking is the thing he really needs to improve but he looked great.

Lappin was silky. Classy and poised and delivered well. Glad he stayed.

Stevens needed more support around the ball. Tried to bust tackles and he is not strong enough for that against the big bodies of the Geelong mids. Kept running and got better as the game wore on. Liked his work rate and game.

Bentick got better as the game went on. His kicking is still improving and he is a bit quicker and looks comfortable at this level now. His hands were really poor at the start but as he relaxed and worked his way into the game he was a lot better.

McGrath is solid and I liked his efforts. He is the opponent for Ablett and for Walker to be released in my opinion.

French was good in the ruck. Did a little bit around the ground. Looked fit, assured and knowing his role and what he was doing.

Scotland was not hard enough at the ball. His kicking was not good and he lacked intensity in his efforts.

Murphy was good. Was right where he needed to be and a couple of his physical efforts in close were great for such a young player. The tackle on Ling and another time where he took the ball knowing he was about to get tackled by 2 opponents and did so without the slightest hesitation.
You can see his ability to change direction. To move the ball on quickly and his instincts are there. Lacked that polish to finish off his work but at TAC level/U18 Champs his kicking is a good standard. He will never kick the ball like Buckley but he is a good kick and the few flaoters he kicked are not the norm. Despite what people who only see the draft video and his few kicks in his debut will keep on bringing up.
 

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#44
Quickest way to spot an internet expert is if they mention Murphy's kicking.

For those who went to the game how was Setanta's work off the ball? Was he leading into others space?

Also how did Hartlett go defensively? It was a bit hard to get a handle on his game on TV.

Mojo I agree about McGrath but I was hoping Russell would get a game on one of Ablett or Chapman.
 

Silvagnis

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#45
Walker to Murphy was a terrific play and something we'll see a lot more of in the future when Andrew is released to play his natural game. A great one grab below his knees and that quick handball for Murphy to run onto brought back memories of Diesel handballing to Whitehead for the last goal in the 1995 Grand Final. :)

I can see Dempsey's work paying off this year when Archie actually held his feet and put the ball in the right spot. :eek:

A good sign for Aisake! ;)
 

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#46
MeeSo said:
Quickest way to spot an internet expert is if they mention Murphy's kicking.

For those who went to the game how was Setanta's work off the ball? Was he leading into others space?

Also how did Hartlett go defensively? It was a bit hard to get a handle on his game on TV.

Mojo I agree about McGrath but I was hoping Russell would get a game on one of Ablett or Chapman.

Spot on Meeso. Ellis is a huge pack marker because his highlights in the draft video had him taking one. His kicking is 100 times better because his 2 kicks looked better than Murphies 2 kicks. Its a case of Ellis getting a great edit and Murphy not. Thats all.

Hartlett did not play much (got a corky) . Had an appalling decision played against him when he was on Kingsley in the goal square. If Lockett was playing these days he would kick 250 a season if they umpired that way back then.
He moved well and looked up to speed. I dont think he is a long term answer as a key defender at this stage. I do feel he is better up forward but what he does have is height, good body size for a 19 year old. Is strong, moves with good speed. Can turn and chase and recover. Is not lost when the ball hits the ground. Judges the flight of quickly and does not panic.
Now the problem I see are that his instincts are to go for the ball and mark it. Not punch. Not look to take the path of the forward. But to lead and mark it. Does not make him a poor player just makes him a natural forward and a player who will have to learn the negating skills if he is persisted with as a defender.

The easy answer is to play players where they are comfortable and more naturally inclined. So for me that is Harts as a forward. Walker as a wing.

I was very disappointed with Russell not getting a game. 6 man bench and no room for Jordan was something I did not agree with. Russell takes Ablett if they want and Walker is released to attack. Russell has had a good pre season and is physically ready for the NAB cup. Might not be ready for round 1 in the AFL but will be close. Have to reward good form in the pracrice matches and at training. He is not a stick anymore.
Sends the wrong message in my opinion. Train well, play well in practice matches and get games. Simple as that. Blackwell was rewarded and so should have Russell.
 

Hu$$ey

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#47
On a sidenote, was it just me or did it feel like Fevola was rushing to get his shot on goal far too much? He mucked up a couple and I thought it was because he didn't take his time (thanks Demetriou :rolleyes:) and didn't or couldn't settle down properly.

Did anyone else see it this way?
 
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Moderator #48
Back from the Sunshine Coast. Got to see the game at 11pm last night. I'll give my own thoughts which probably duplicate much of the above.

Note, I have not looked at any stats, just going by my initial perceptions of the game.

1. Walker - Started very well before getting dragged back to defence where he played a negating role. Still doesn't look like a natural decision maker but he does play with heart. Best part of the game was that his teammates were actually looking for him. He will improve hand over fist in 2006 if that continues.

3. Murphy - Knows where to run to and shows plenty of courage with others bearing down on him. Only issue was that he lacked penetration on his kicking on the night. Showed enough to suggest he will be a classy player and play most of the year.

6. Simpson - On the bench a fair bit. I tend to forgive him when he doesn't do a lot because when he does get the ball, he tucks it under his arm, arches the back and goes. I love to see it. Just needs to find better options but it was probably more the forward setup than the delivery coming in.

8. Whitnall - Couldn't keep up. The Cats were opening up their forward line when they could instead of blazing away mindlessly. Pinpoint Lance's opponent in space and you can pack a cut lunch waiting for Lance to arrive. So-so IMO.

10. McLaren - Did his job in the ruck and provided an option up forward. Solid.

11. French - One of the standouts for mine. Just stands tall as a ruck general should. Very impressed with the way Barnaby has developed in his later years.

12. Lappin - Glad we kept him. Our Mr Fix-it yet again. Typical polished Lappin performance.

13. Blackwell - Honestly didn't see him do much at all. When he did get the ball, he was hurried and ineffective.

14. Fisher - Pick 72 ... pick 72 ... By the way, does everyone know we got a bona fide star at pick 72? Gotta love Fish, what an attitude, what a competitor.

17. O'hAilpin - Could be a real forward line enforcer. I thought our forward setup was rubbish and they didn't get enough space to work in. Despite that Setanta showed plenty to suggest he will make it.

19. Betts - Ran around like a chook with his head cut off. Just couldn't get near the ball and was reduced to chaser most of the time.

20. McGrath - Completely justified his position in the leadership group. Has plenty of nous and vision.

23. Hartlett - Did a few good things but the most impressive thing was that he wasn't daunted. Bound to get better and better.

24. Stevens - Decent game, held my breath when he was hopping around on one leg. Will continue to be our midfield leader.

25. Fevola - Geez, that 30 second rule is a killer. It is virtually no time at all. At one point, the clock came up after the ball had been deflected away from the marking player, thus robbing him of nearly 10 seconds. Fevola has no time to focus, just runs back, wipes his hands and pulls up his socks and has to run in immediately after. I think 30 seconds is overkill and long goals will be minimised as a result. Oh and Fev was a little disappointing first time out.

26. De Luca - started very well and presented throughout. Just might be a spot for De Luca this year but off the bench only.

28. Prendergast - little game time, little impact.

29. Scotland - Collected his match payment under false pretences. He was pretty awful last night.

30. Waite - Lacked enthusiasm and couldn't read the play at all.

32. Thornton - Extremely disappointing. Has lost the ability to compete one on one.

33. Houlihan - Looked great with the ball going forward, was all at sea when under the pump going backwards. Looks like we can mark down 1 or 2 goals from Houla turnovers each match again.

40. Bentick - Didn't seem to get much of it but did a few nice things in the packs.

43. Koutoufides - Was a class above most of our players. Just has the confidence to get the ball running our way.

44. Carrazzo - Quiet game by Carrots but then the game was not conducive to free flowing football.

Overall, an ordinary display by both teams with precious little highlights. The umpires were ridiculous, almost as ridiculous as our kicking for goal.
 

mojo31

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#49
Hu$$ey said:
On a sidenote, was it just me or did it feel like Fevola was rushing to get his shot on goal far too much? He mucked up a couple and I thought it was because he didn't take his time (thanks Demetriou :rolleyes:) and didn't or couldn't settle down properly.

Did anyone else see it this way?

He did. I think the thing with the rule is that as long as you have started the kick for goal under the 20 seconds thewn it will be fine. Fev takes maybe 10 seconds from when he starts to move in to actually kicking it and thewrefore was rushed.
So if they allow that in the future (seems silly to call time on when he is having his shot) then he will settle down. I thinks its all the calisthenics they dont like. The socks being pulled up and shirt being ticked in and mouth guards put away. Some do a bit of stretching or put the ball on the ground. Then the grass clippings and so on.
 
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Hu$$ey said:
On a sidenote, was it just me or did it feel like Fevola was rushing to get his shot on goal far too much? He mucked up a couple and I thought it was because he didn't take his time (thanks Demetriou :rolleyes:) and didn't or couldn't settle down properly.

Did anyone else see it this way?
Ridiculously short amount of time because it starts from the time the mark is taken. You have to work out where the mark is, run back to position, wipe the sweat of your hands, pull up socks etc and run in to kick with a 5 second sighter. The brain has no time to visualise the kick, which is important. God forbid, somebody has to tie their laces.

Fev averaged 47 seconds last year but his highest was 72 seconds. I'd imagine that 47 seconds each time would be fine but the 72 seconds is what they wanted to eliminate. As it is the average will now be about 25 seconds which is nothing.

How much time does a tennis player get between points? And they don't have to run to position and line up shots from different angles ahead of time.

Pretty poor idea when all is said and done.
 
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