Round 1 Carlton v Sydney

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Share your thoughts, preferred line up, match ups etc in this thread. Helps keep it all nice and neat.

Cheers

 

[HBF]

I'm actually going up to the game next week and i'd love to see Carlton get over the line. The main match-ups I believe might turn out like this:

Barry Hall/Beaumont or Martyn.
Adam Goodes/Koutoufides
Michael O'loughlin/Beaumont or McKay
Scott Stevesns/Martyn, Manton, Thornton or Livingston

Ratten/Crouch
Murphy/Bolton

Whitnall/Schauble

Can't really think of match-ups for McKernan and Fevola, perhaps Goodes will start off in defence.

I can see Carlton starting off the season with a win - say 10 points

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Anyone got any idea on Martyn and if he will be right to play? He certainly will be underdone. If Micky doesn't play, then Merrington may get a run just to leave Corey up forward and leave a bigger body down there. Maybe Allan will get on the paddock instead?

Not my preferred team but the preseason might have tipped Pagan's hand a little considering the players that got a run or didn't get a run.

I'll assume Martyn and Allan are unavailable since they have no ground time. Maybe Manton to make way for Prendergast or Merrington depending on how tall the Swans are? Livo, Campbell and Beasy seem to be out of favour. Here is my current guess at Pagan's thoughts, not in position.

McKernan
McKay
Ratten
Whitnall
Hickmott
French
Lappin
Davies
Camporeale
Murphy
Manton
Fevola
Hulme
Beaumont
Waite
Fletcher
Thornton
Houlihan
Wiggins
Sporn
Koutoufides
Franchina

 

[eagle_10]

is micky martyn ready for round 1 is he

 

[HBF]

Micky has indicated that he will be ready for round 1. Seeing that he is one of Pagans favourites, I think he'll give him every opportunity to play round 1.

If Pagan wants Kouta to play up the ground, and that does leave us a bit short for defensive players. Don't think Livingston is up to playing on Barry Hall just yet.

Go Blues..

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Flashback: Round 1 2002. Blues go into St Kilda game with several players very underdone. We got rolled and the die was cast for the rest of the year.

We need to be careful. Martyn might get a run but we should be wary of rushing Allan back too quickly.

 

[LordLucifer]

I don't think Martyn or Allan will play in the first game, too much of an injury risk with both of them.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Martyn should play where possible though. This is his one and only season with us and it seems if he sneezed during training he will break down again. Better get a game while the getting is good!

 

[meg]

Originally posted by The Old Dark Navy's
Martyn should play where possible though. This is his one and only season with us and it seems if he sneezed during training he will break down again. Better get a game while the getting is good!

Hope he proves everyone wrong and has a blinder!
Never thought I would ever like Mick!

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

From Old Dark Navys.net
http://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s7/st22065.htm

Of the 19 Carlton losses in 2002, the round two performance against the Sydney Swans wasn't the biggest but it was arguably the most inept. An almost full strength Blues lineup was torn apart by the Swans with ridiculous ease.

On that occasion Carlton managed only 4 goals in attack whilst Barry Hall lead the Blues defence a merry dance at the other end.
In Carlton's favour this time around is the comparative strengthening of the forward line. Early last season, Corey McKernan was horribly out of form, Brendan Fevola was marking time until his inevitable delisting and Lance Whitnall was coming off an injury ridden preseason, extremely out of shape and forced to play down back to cater for the loss of SOS and the inexperience of the backline. Entering this game, Corey is set to be permanently stationed at full forward and reap rewards from a long kicking game plan. Fevola has found a new lease on life and is a preseason standout. Whitnall is possibly in the best shape of his career at this stage of the year. The imposing Blues forward line can also take heart in the fact that rough and ready Swans fullback, Andrew Dunkley, has retired to pasture leaving a huge gap in the Sydney back half. Also set for a big season is Ryan Houlihan while Matthew Lappin will appreciate not having to carry the Blues attack.

To answer part two of the puzzle, new Carlton coach Denis Pagan has recruited Mick 'Gorilla' Martyn for the express purpose of playing on the Big Bad Bustling types, while at the same time showing the young ones what to do and freeing them up to play their own games. The situation is delicate, as on the surface any injury to Martyn means we are back exactly where we were before. Micky has declared that he is right to play round 1 and regardless of match fitness, it seems that Pagan will not leave him on the sidelines. On top of that, it looks like McKay, Sporn, Thornton and Beaumont should have the ability to counter O'Loughlin, Davis and the occasional foray by Adam Goodes on the Swans forward line.

Now, I mentioned the defensive problems 'on the surface' because the reality is that Carlton was slaughtered in the ruck in 2002. For the round two match, we now know that Matthew Allan was keeping a serious injury rather hush hush, Mark Porter was wearing blue and white vertical stripes and Corey was forced into the ruck as a result. Don't even get me started on the merits of Merrington and Hotton as first choice ruckmen! Now with Allan apparently over his injury (will believe it when I see it though) and Barnaby French leaping out of his skin to make every post a winner and providing a rare physical presence in the middle, the Blues ruck stocks are soaring. Conversely the Swans are relying on Jason Ball and Adam Goodes to get the job done while relying on the latter to plug holes all over the ground as well.

The midfield contests look intriguing. The Swans have some real drive in this area despite losing Captain Courageous Paul Kelly to retirement. New skipper Stuart Maxfield, Paul Williams, and Darren Cresswell possess a lot of talent and running ability. The Blues are relying on out of sorts skipper Brett Ratten and an equally out of sorts Scott Camporeale, comeback kids Darren Hulme and Anthony Koutoufides and an inconsistent Justin Murphy. Murphy himself is considered to be pivotal to the long kicking game plan and as such a lot of our effectiveness will rely on his at times fragile attitude.

Traveling to Sydney has never been a happy occasion for Carlton. We seldom win there and whether we even know how to put a winning performance together after last season is a huge question in itself. We have every motivation in the world to start the year on a positive note but every other team is motivated to start well and there is a certain stigma associated with losing to the wooden spoon side.

That tag will sit with us all season until we can shed the title and win back some respect. I consider this one as dangerous as any other game this year but I have to have faith in the work of the players and in the difference Denis Pagan has made to the belief around Optus Oval.

By Saturday night, I feel quietly confident we can again bellow out the theme song with gusto and more than a little sense of relief.

 

[thommoone]

-If martyn doesnt play, i cant see how you can combat Hall. Although even if he does play, Hall will probably be to quick.
-Im looking forward to a Goodes/Kouta match up
-Both defences seem a bit weak/short which coulcd prove to be a high scoring match
-Swans have noone to play on Mckernan except shauble who is too weak and saddo who is fairly similiar to shauble but a bit shorter and longer arms and also faster. Neither should really be playing on someone of the ilk of mckernan but what choice do we have.

My tip: Swans by 31

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Originally posted by The Old Dark Navy's
Anyone got any idea on Martyn and if he will be right to play? He certainly will be underdone. If Micky doesn't play, then Merrington may get a run just to leave Corey up forward and leave a bigger body down there. Maybe Allan will get on the paddock instead?

Not my preferred team but the preseason might have tipped Pagan's hand a little considering the players that got a run or didn't get a run.

I'll assume Martyn and Allan are unavailable since they have no ground time. Maybe Manton to make way for Prendergast or Merrington depending on how tall the Swans are? Livo, Campbell and Beasy seem to be out of favour. Here is my current guess at Pagan's thoughts, not in position.

McKernan
McKay
Ratten
Whitnall
Hickmott
French
Lappin
Davies
Camporeale
Murphy
Manton
Fevola
Hulme
Beaumont
Waite
Fletcher
Thornton
Houlihan
Wiggins
Sporn
Koutoufides
Franchina

Well Davies, Manton and Fletcher are missing from the team that I thought Pagan was leaning towards. Mind you, I raised the possibility of Prendergast playing if Allan was missing and Manton may well replace Manton in the side that takes the field.

McCormick is a breath of fresh air. Kudos to Pagan for picking him in the rookie draft.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Oh, the lineups would help I guess ...

SYDNEY V CARLTON
Saturday, 7:20pm AEST, SCG

SYDNEY
B: Warfe, Saddington, Mathews
HB: Barry, Bolton, Williams
C: Kennelly, Crouch, Maxfield
HF: Goodes, Stevens, Davis
F: Nicks, Hall, Fosdike
FOLL: Ball, Cresswell, Bolton
I/C: Doyle, Kirk, O’Keefe, Schneider
EMG: Ablett, McVeigh, Sundqvist
NEW: Davis (Collingwood), Schneider (NSW/ACT Rams)

CARLTON
B: Wiggins, Martyn, Thornton
HB: Beaumont, Koutoufides, McKay
C: Camporeale, Ratten, Murphy
HF: Waite, Whitnall, Lappin
F: Houlihan, Fevola, McKernan
FOLL: French, Hickmott, Hulme
I/C: Franchina, McCormick, Prendergast, Sporn
EMG: Fisher, Manton, Merrington
NEW: French (Port Adelaide), Martyn (Kangaroos), McCormick (Murray Kangaroos), Waite (Murray Bushrangers)

 

[Jars458]

Why did Andrew Eccles not play?

 

[Orangewhip]

Eccles played midfield for the Bullants. He decided it would be less embarassing than playing in the seniors. (F#*K! I'm starting to kick my own club while it's down...)

I just feel so, well,...