Preview Rnd 2 - Carlton v Melbourne Saturday 13th June 4.35PM @ Etihad

[HARKER]

CB is on the money. I think you’ll find SPS become our defensive midfielder, where he becomes the spare if needed.
I feel Newman, along with Doc and Willo (long term), kicking skills are pivotal in our attacks from half back.

I don't know. Maybe. Depends on how the holes get plugged up.
I'm somewhat buoyed about the prospects of Stocker and Philp in the backline.
I just see SPS's ability to slow the game down and pin-point passes through the midfield and into the forward line, more of a weapon than for what he may be in the back-line.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how we get there but just to get there.

 

[Love the Drake]

Can’t have Simmo taking the kick outs this year. Who takes over? We need a player who can look at all options. Not just kick it short or long down the left boundary line.
Weiters?
Doc?
Willo (if selected)?

 

[Earls Smother]

Russell's interview reveals we are miles ahead physically but are we miles ahead mentally?

The great unknown.
Round 1 indicated we were not ready to go mentally from the start. There were extenuating circumstances, but that aspect has to improve. Most of our wins last year, we were probably the inferior side early, then finished stronger. It's ok to have the belief that you can do that, but we can't sit back like a racehorse and expect to swoop with a perfectly timed run every week.
Russell can only prepare them to execute. Then over to Teague.

 

[Beer n Skittles]

CB is on the money. I think you’ll find SPS become our defensive midfielder, where he becomes the spare if needed.
I feel Newman, along with Doc and Willo (long term), kicking skills are pivotal in our attacks from half back.

The sooner SPS graduates to be that player the better -we really need a mid who loves to tackle. Sit him on the defensive side of the stoppage, to go in hard if they win the ball or to swing out and receive the handball if we win it.

 

[Beer n Skittles]

is plowman most likely to play on petracca? Petracca 96 kg v plow 86kg. may be too strong?

Plow always takes that power athlete mid/forward matchup when they're playing forward

 

[HBF]

HBF, you will not be disappointed. Jacky Russell is an absolute gem.

Just watched it now. First class performance thats for sure.

 

[HBF]

He's a mid and one we're going to want playing midfield soon enough.

We're all slotting him into the HB line for now, but I feel that will change as he's too much of a creative force through the midfield and going forward.

With SPS and Doc at HB, we have two very good users of footy coming out of defence which we have been crying out for ages. I agree that SPS will move into the midfield at some point, but only when we have someone at HB that can replace him.

 

[HBF]

Can’t have Simmo taking the kick outs this year. Who takes over? We need a player who can look at all options. Not just kick it short or long down the left boundary line.
Weiters?
Doc?
Willo (if selected)?

Doc for sure.
He was doing before he injured his knee.

 

[HavUEvaSeenTheRain]

I know my mate who I usually go to games with has been telling me all along SPS is our Sam Mitchell which I can sort of see.

 

[Sweet Seventeen]

It is 50/50 but an indictment on the playing group, if after 5 years rebuilding, we can not win games like this

Dees will start favourite and we will whip their proverbial. How many have they got in the sweet-spot of their career's? Meaning 23-27, a lot more than us, for sure. 50/50 game maybe, but how will they handle our new forward set-up? I reckon Blues by 17 points.

 

[Sweet Seventeen]

Can’t have Simmo taking the kick outs this year. Who takes over? We need a player who can look at all options. Not just kick it short or long down the left boundary line.
Weiters?
Doc?
Willo (if selected)?

Willo would be my first choice.

 

[Beer n Skittles]

I know my mate who I usually go to games with has been telling me all along SPS is our Sam Mitchell which I can sort of see.

Can see it, maybe a bit more like Burgoyne for mine.

 

[FitzroyBlueBagger]

Can’t have Simmo taking the kick outs this year. Who takes over? We need a player who can look at all options. Not just kick it short or long down the left boundary line.
Weiters?
Doc?
Willo (if selected)?

Willow wouldbe my first pick then Doc, i like the idea of Weitering being a contested marking option if needed... if Samo plays back there enough he would be after Willow next pick...

 

[DirkDiggler]

B: Plowman Jones Newman
HB: Simpson Weitering Docherty
C: Newnes Curnow Walsh
HF: Martin Casboult Cuningham
F: Betts McKay McGovern
R: Pittonet Cripps Murphy
I: SPS Silvagni ? ?

Assuming Fisher isn't ready, this is the clear first 20 we'll go with IMO. 2 spots left between Setterfield, Dow, Gibbons, Williamson, and O'Brien.

O'Brien and Gibbons is my preference, unless they are confident Willo can play higher up the ground for majority of the game.

Is it me or does the Carlton side look very slow? I worry because its not as if our execution by foot is strong when it comes to ball movement.

 

[SOS Rules]

He's a mid and one we're going to want playing midfield soon enough.

We're all slotting him into the HB line for now, but I feel that will change as he's too much of a creative force through the midfield and going forward.

Loved his round one game. As cool, calm and collected under pressure as I've ever seen him. If he could bring that to the middle and deliver the ball forward consistently it would encourage our forwards to lead more and create space. This is a much better way to create scoring opportunities rather than us constantly bombing it forward hoping for a grab from Levi or Mitch.

 

[HARKER]

I know my mate who I usually go to games with has been telling me all along SPS is our Sam Mitchell which I can sort of see.

Maybe I like your friends idea, just because I like it and not because I can see it but......maybe.
Look at the traits and there are correlations there; Not the quickest body but a quick mind. Not the longest kick but finds his targets. Good core strength. Good attitude and good balance. Able to make something out of seemingly little. Good in tight.
The one area in particular SPS would need to step up is the possession count and that's easier said than done.

IF SPS could get more of those games he had against The Dogs in the first half.....
He's a weapon and I don't know why, but I have little doubt he'll get a lot better and sooner than some may have thought.

 

[BlueTang]

A potential reason that our mids like Dow and SPS get lower possessions then there equivalents at other clubs, could be due to how Cripps, Ed and Kreuz collect the ball in the centre & throw ins. Often blindly kicking the ball forward. If they spun the ball quickly around with handball's like say the Sydney mids do, all the sudden there numbers rise and our forward entries look better.
One of my biggest frustrations watching, is seeing the blind bomb into the forward line, very rarely they come off.

 

[agro]

IF SPS could get more of those games he had against The Dogs in the first half.....
He's a weapon and I don't know why, but I have little doubt he'll get a lot better and sooner than some may have thought.

Cripps fed him at least 80% of his possessions that first half - almost telepathically.

 

[HARKER]

Cripps fed him at least 80% of his possessions that first half - almost telepathically.

That's fine too, if you're going to rack up 25 in a half.
SPS has just turned 22 and is capable of finding his own ball.

The only thing halting him from becoming a regular mid, is for others to have gained more opportunity and made good.
Like I said: I don't care what comes about is long as it's favourable for the whole.

 

[DirkDiggler]

Cripps fed him at least 80% of his possessions that first half - almost telepathically.

Now we need Setters to do the same as our no 2 big bodied extractor

 

[agro]

Now we need Setters to do the same as our no 2 big bodied extractor

Hope so, otherwise we’ll need to wait for Kemp and Cripps’ body might be shot by then.

 

[Drexl 31]

Will they be doing the fake crowd noise thingy?

 

[BoundbyKreuze]

Can’t have Simmo taking the kick outs this year. Who takes over? We need a player who can look at all options. Not just kick it short or long down the left boundary line.
Weiters?
Doc?
Willo (if selected)?

Kade kicks to himself 50% of the time. So I’m not sure what the issue with his kick-ins. He dies it more than any player in the AFL. We are overreacting because 1. Were bored and need something to talk about and 2. We want the guard change and 3. The one bad decision he made v Melb last year which lost us the game but how would have Newman done in that situation. He was blind and kicked around the body to clear the congestion Melb had created. He was not to know the carlton players were downhill skiing and sitting way too forward of the contest. They should have been man on man. He did the right thing to kick to the contest 25 metres away not blast it 50 m and turn it over.

 

[norway blue]

Will they be doing the fake crowd noise thingy?

I think they will . My question is do the players hear it through stadium speakers or only the tv audience?.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Coona Blues]

The only thing halting him from becoming a regular mid, is for others to have gained more opportunity and made good.
Like I said: I don't care what comes about is long as it's favourable for the whole.

Don't be surprised if it has a bit to do with his soft tissue injury issues. I only get to see a couple of training sessions each year, but both Qld camps
have shown SPS as doing little more than walking laps. Clearly for a couple of years, he was reluctant to kick further than about 40 metres.

It makes perfect sense to have him working "behind the ball". While a decent level of fitness is required, it is a level below a high output on baller.
Russell is no mug, if SPS is prone to injury with his body not having the make up to do the work to get to the elite fitness level required to compete
for four quarters in the midfield, then why not a defensive distributor role?