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#1
This game was an unimportant NAB cup first-round fixture and was played exactly as though it was an unimportant NAB cup first-round fixture. I felt that for most of the game Geelong looked the better team per se but they kept on trying to be too cute and the impression was certainly there that Carlton cared about this one a bit more than they did. That's not to talk down the Blues, but the reality is that there was a fair gap between the two sides last season and the thing which really kept the game close was the scrappy, rusty play from both clubs. Geelong in particular looked as though they were stuck in second gear all night long and didn't look like anywhere near form until the last ten minutes. That said, had the Blues kicked straight in the second and the third, they probably would have won - something that you feel Mark Thompson really wouldn't have been too upset about, to be honest.
Particularly worrying for Carlton was the fact that, bar Saddington, they had almost a full lineup in place and yet didn't really look any stronger down the spine than a depleted Geelong. Blake was outpointed in the ruck by the more experienced combination of French and McLaren but all three struggled to have any influence around the ground. More importantly, Waite, Fisher and Fevola all played cameos at times but only kicked four goals between them and all of them got beaten by their respective Geelong opponents, who were missing Harley, and Scarlett did not play the last quarter. O'hAilpin was handy but not intrusive. The quality of the entries was not the best but none of the fowards stayed on form long enough to be a real thorn in the Geelong side.
More worrying, however, was Whitnall's matchup against Gardiner at CHB. Whilst Gardiner was more promising than inspirational or a matchwinner, he probably came out slightly the better than his Carlton opposite and exposed him for lack of mobility. Saddington MUST be a better answer than Whitnall at CHB - Whitnall is not a natural backman. Perhaps, more importantly, Gardiner is not even Geelong's first choice CHF (Playfair being rested) let alone a top-quality CHF. Put another way, the way he played tonight, Whitnall would be murdered by Riewoldt if given the chance. It's not his fault so much; he's just not a natural defender. It doesn't help him that Kingsley kicked nine at full-foward; well done Kent, although again the opposition wasn't the greatest. That will shut the critics up for a while.
The usual suspects were amongst the best for Carlton, such as Lappin, Stevens, and a vastly bigger and much-improved looking Ryan Houlihan. The Carlton midfield did look quite thin all night and does look in need of a few more top-line midfielders to throw in with these three. Walker and Murphy are expected to fill this gap and on that note, whilst both did some handy things, they were also fairly quiet over the whole game.
Simply put, Geelong's best three in the middle were not up there with the Blues' best on the night but weight of numbers, especially from half-back to the centre, told the story. On a night where top-line players were often taken from the coalface to give others a go, Geelong had more quality (though I am loathe to use that word in such a game) across the board and had more options to turn to. Players such as Corey, Bartel, Mooney and Ling didn't play for all that long on the ball but still had more meaningful contributions than their Carlton counterparts, Mooney in particular doing some good work. Milburn, Enright and Johnson all had good games in the back six but it was Byrnes who was the best midfielder for the second half, his ball-getting and running really being let down by his kicking. The only player who really stood out for Geelong was Kingsley, and it is fair to say that without him, Geelong would have lost a game it was threatening to lose.
Points of note -
- N.Ablett and Lonergan, and, at the other end, Spencer, didn't have great nights. Lonergan did have a few good cameos though and his two goals were excellent. In their defence, none of them were given particularly important roles.
- Carlton was over-reliant on Houlihan, Lappin and Stevens. Houlihan looks primed for a big season.
- Although beaten tonight, good signs were shown by all three of Carlton's young fowards in Fisher, Waite and O'hAilpin. Setanta in particular, you feel, was unlucky not to see more of the Sherrin and looks a "likely type".
- If this is the future of umpiring in the AFL, then would someone please buy me a rugby ball for Christmas. Far too trigger-happy, and this kick-out rule just SUCKS. The problem that AFL fans have with basketball is that it doesn't balance white with black; it's just score, score, score with limited pressure. Free-flowing football must be balanced with pressure and contests. All this kickout rule does is makes everyone flood and creates a few easy touches to the HFF. The interpretation of the fifty-metre rule tonight was really, truly depressing and destructive and I would rather have it cut out altogether than see it like that again.
- Geelong seems to have plenty of depth in its light brigade and its defence. Egan was the standout defender for tonight barring of course Scarlett who was just superb. Byrnes was very encouraging but all of Kelly, Ablett, Bartel, Mooney, Ling and Enright offered something to the game when it was their turn, whilst Stevens, Houlihan and Lappin just didn't have that backup.
- Mark Blake still has a bit of a way to go. He should have been more mobile around the ground than French but that didn't eventuate. McLaren looked a bit handy in the ruck.
- In the end, this didn't really end up being a game worth winning. The points to take home for both sides was the performance of a few young guns (O'hAilpin, Byrnes, Egan, Fisher) but in the finish I think it also gave the Blues a few reasons to be worried too. Both sides looked rusty but I expect that to vanish on both fronts come round one.
Particularly worrying for Carlton was the fact that, bar Saddington, they had almost a full lineup in place and yet didn't really look any stronger down the spine than a depleted Geelong. Blake was outpointed in the ruck by the more experienced combination of French and McLaren but all three struggled to have any influence around the ground. More importantly, Waite, Fisher and Fevola all played cameos at times but only kicked four goals between them and all of them got beaten by their respective Geelong opponents, who were missing Harley, and Scarlett did not play the last quarter. O'hAilpin was handy but not intrusive. The quality of the entries was not the best but none of the fowards stayed on form long enough to be a real thorn in the Geelong side.
More worrying, however, was Whitnall's matchup against Gardiner at CHB. Whilst Gardiner was more promising than inspirational or a matchwinner, he probably came out slightly the better than his Carlton opposite and exposed him for lack of mobility. Saddington MUST be a better answer than Whitnall at CHB - Whitnall is not a natural backman. Perhaps, more importantly, Gardiner is not even Geelong's first choice CHF (Playfair being rested) let alone a top-quality CHF. Put another way, the way he played tonight, Whitnall would be murdered by Riewoldt if given the chance. It's not his fault so much; he's just not a natural defender. It doesn't help him that Kingsley kicked nine at full-foward; well done Kent, although again the opposition wasn't the greatest. That will shut the critics up for a while.
The usual suspects were amongst the best for Carlton, such as Lappin, Stevens, and a vastly bigger and much-improved looking Ryan Houlihan. The Carlton midfield did look quite thin all night and does look in need of a few more top-line midfielders to throw in with these three. Walker and Murphy are expected to fill this gap and on that note, whilst both did some handy things, they were also fairly quiet over the whole game.
Simply put, Geelong's best three in the middle were not up there with the Blues' best on the night but weight of numbers, especially from half-back to the centre, told the story. On a night where top-line players were often taken from the coalface to give others a go, Geelong had more quality (though I am loathe to use that word in such a game) across the board and had more options to turn to. Players such as Corey, Bartel, Mooney and Ling didn't play for all that long on the ball but still had more meaningful contributions than their Carlton counterparts, Mooney in particular doing some good work. Milburn, Enright and Johnson all had good games in the back six but it was Byrnes who was the best midfielder for the second half, his ball-getting and running really being let down by his kicking. The only player who really stood out for Geelong was Kingsley, and it is fair to say that without him, Geelong would have lost a game it was threatening to lose.
Points of note -
- N.Ablett and Lonergan, and, at the other end, Spencer, didn't have great nights. Lonergan did have a few good cameos though and his two goals were excellent. In their defence, none of them were given particularly important roles.
- Carlton was over-reliant on Houlihan, Lappin and Stevens. Houlihan looks primed for a big season.
- Although beaten tonight, good signs were shown by all three of Carlton's young fowards in Fisher, Waite and O'hAilpin. Setanta in particular, you feel, was unlucky not to see more of the Sherrin and looks a "likely type".
- If this is the future of umpiring in the AFL, then would someone please buy me a rugby ball for Christmas. Far too trigger-happy, and this kick-out rule just SUCKS. The problem that AFL fans have with basketball is that it doesn't balance white with black; it's just score, score, score with limited pressure. Free-flowing football must be balanced with pressure and contests. All this kickout rule does is makes everyone flood and creates a few easy touches to the HFF. The interpretation of the fifty-metre rule tonight was really, truly depressing and destructive and I would rather have it cut out altogether than see it like that again.
- Geelong seems to have plenty of depth in its light brigade and its defence. Egan was the standout defender for tonight barring of course Scarlett who was just superb. Byrnes was very encouraging but all of Kelly, Ablett, Bartel, Mooney, Ling and Enright offered something to the game when it was their turn, whilst Stevens, Houlihan and Lappin just didn't have that backup.
- Mark Blake still has a bit of a way to go. He should have been more mobile around the ground than French but that didn't eventuate. McLaren looked a bit handy in the ruck.
- In the end, this didn't really end up being a game worth winning. The points to take home for both sides was the performance of a few young guns (O'hAilpin, Byrnes, Egan, Fisher) but in the finish I think it also gave the Blues a few reasons to be worried too. Both sides looked rusty but I expect that to vanish on both fronts come round one.

