The three playmaker outs

[therubbernub]

Since yarran, carazzo, and laidler have been injured, we have struggled and seem like a different team.
All 3 play vital roles IMO towards giving the side the poise under pressure that we seem to have lost.

Carazzo. Clearly our stoppages work and clearances have fallen away dramatically. What is now clear, is that he was vital to giving us that clean possession from the clearances that we now lack. The tagging of Judd and Murphy have seemed much more effective since he got injured. That quick release from stoppages giving us the break towards our goal and giving us a chance to wrong foot opposition defenders is being sorely missed. We are no longer as effective from set plays that lead to a forward entry and a likely score. Instead it is rushed into the forward line where it is often rebounded or turned over.

Much of our poise has started from the back line. Laidlers ability to direct the football out of defense and initiate the forward spread has been sorely missed. Even Jamison and Henderson seem to have lost their effective rebounding out of defence since laidlers injury.

Yarran. With his run lout of defense and into the forward line he has caught the opposition out by breaking the zones creating forward opportunities. A thoughtful quick forward entry into the forward 50 provides very effective scoring opportunities.

The above 3 players have proven irreplaceable elements of our team structure.

Just my 2 cents

 

[SBYM]

Yep, yep and yep.

It was interesting last week that when Sanderson was asked about using his inside knowledge to stop Geelong (resounding success) he highlighted Mackie, the third tall down back who often plays a bit loose, helps out with the double team, and who uses his solid to excellent delivery to set-up play.

Pretty much how I see Laids tbh. Massive massive loss. And don't get me started on Carrots. Would go as far as to say I want this bloke more than anyone on the list to retire with a premiership medallion. Any bloke Sticks looks up to as a servant of our club is alright by me.

 

[mike ockerts]

The loss of three key players will always hurt but the general quality and intensity really hasn't been there for protracted periods of time this year.
The thing about that though, nor has it been for many other teams you would have thought to be contending for premium positions.

I just wonder whether the tables may start turning after we enter the second half of the year.

^^^^^^^^
THIS
I have a feeling we are going to hit rock bottom before we start seeing some changes in performance and attitude, and that goes from the top to bottom, in other words from sticks to, let's say um the boot studder, a huge reality check is heading to visy park, and you can smell the god damn stench of it it's that close, by god I hope I'm wrong, and will happily cop my whack from anybody on here, but my footy sense is telling me baton down the hatches coz there is a huge shit cloud upon us.

 

[GoBlues!]

Since yarran, carazzo, and laidler have been injured, we have struggled and seem like a different team.
All 3 play vital roles IMO towards giving the side the poise under pressure that we seem to have lost.

The above 3 players have proven irreplaceable elements of our team structure.

Probably more coincidence than anything. Our team's intensity over the past few weeks has dropped off shown by our dominance in the hitouts but being beaten comprehensively in the clearances.

We have missed these players, particularly Carrazzo, but the lack of intensity shown by the other 19 players shouldn't really hinge on these 3, if it does then we've got real problems.

 

[audas]

Probably more coincidence than anything. Our team's intensity over the past few weeks has dropped off shown by our dominance in the hitouts but being beaten comprehensively in the clearances.

We have missed these players, particularly Carrazzo, but the lack of intensity shown by the other 19 players shouldn't really hinge on these 3, if it does then we've got real problems.

If watched last nights game, and compared it to the spanking Essendon handed us, and then consider what we did to the pies - here is the washout ->

Blues were overwhelming teams with high intensity, fast ball movement and dominating the clearances with this tactic aided by first taste of the footy from the ruck,


Pies were not prepped for this new style.

Essendon responded by taking our own game straight back to us, super high intensity around the stoppages - If you watched Pies Cats it was insane, the attack on the players and ball did not stop for four quarters.

Since this is now being served BACK UP to us - and we are having to deal with it - we simply have no answer, we are being swamped, run down, overwhelmed.

Declaring that we are losing because Laidler, Carrazzo and Yarran are out does not stack up - the score boards are definitely flattering us - Saints decimated us, we were so, so bad.

Our main issue is delivery into the 50 - if you watched the Cats this is where they were struggling as well, while the pies were having fantastic insides, but then wasting their shots - Cats in the last quarter swarmed it into their 50 - but had no opportunity.

Blues need to have Eddie leading - Hammer Leading, waite leading etc - or we need to be creating space and letting Yarran, garlett, Walker, Betts do their thing one on one.

Bombing it into the fifty is going to hurt us every single day of the week.


I also have a new rule, when we kick the ball blind, snaps etc from the back line or into the 50 we do not kick it into the air. This is KILLING US, a clearance from the back or midway with a blind kick which lands in the opposition hands is a direct re-entry back into our defensive 50 for a potential mark and goal. STOP THAT SHIT.

We have running players, kick it along the ground, sounds ugly but it would work a treat. At the VERY WORST it gives the opposition the ball, but no free kick as they can not mark it, at evens it provides a one on one contest between the players, at best it is afoot race, or ends up with one of our players - we should win both.

This blind snap from 30-100 out is a disaster.


We also need to get our defensive running game back - we were caught out far too often. On top of this, we need to hold a player back at the last point on the ground at all times -


Yarran is the only one on that list I feel we really miss - he is fantastic at breaking the lines - and provides great drive - is probably one of the best players in the league in this regard and is massively underrated even for someone so highly rated. But to be honest would look better in black boots.

TL;DR


No More bombing it into the 50 - either lead or kick it to space and one on ones. - Not packs.
If we win the ruck we should be winning the clearance - why not ?
No More bombing it from defense, carry it or kick it to space or kick it along the ground to our advantage - no blind bombs.
Defenders stay goal side.
Last person on the ground away from our 50 should always be a carlton player
Get your running game on for defensive rebounds - minimise them with no bombs.
Look to bomb it over the zone into our fifty but to space or definite lead - not to marking contest - we never, ever win them.

 

[gbatman]

this is a factor no doubt, but i think our structure is very physically taxing. Because we lose the clearances and rely on gaining possession from defence and setting up attacks from there, we do twice as much running as most sides and we are wearing out.

 

[skadoosh]

Why is it so hard to play with intensity every single week?
They are supposed to be professional sportsmen who get paid for what they do.
It's 100% effort for a few hours once a week.
What gives?

 

[audas]

Why is it so hard to play with intensity every single week?
They are supposed to be professional sportsmen who get paid for what they do.
It's 100% effort for a few hours once a week.
What gives?

We have traded and trained for athletes, our entire game plan is all about running. We forgot about the fact they also need to be footy players.

 

[mediumsizered]

We have traded and trained for athletes, our entire game plan is all about running. We forgot about the fact they also need to be footy players.

Who are these athletes we have traded for? Judd? No. Warnock? No. McLean? hmm, I don't think so. Laidler? No.

I don't see too many athletes on our list at all. Murphy, Gibbs, Yarran, Kreuzer, Jamo, Henderson, Simpson, Carrazzo, Ellard, Russell, Thornton, Tuohy. I don't think so.

Buckley, Bootsma, Watson, Mitchell, McCarthy. Still can't find any athletes, although I will probably give you Walker & even Hampson, but then he was a soccer player before who moved to Aussie Rules.

Kouta was an athlete who turned into a handy footballer. Prendergast & David Clarke jnr were athletes, but the less said about them, the better.

What we do have is a list of footballers, who have worked hard on their fitness to enable them to play a game which requires a lot more running than even 5 years ago. A game that still requires footballers, but also an elite fitness level to survive.

 

[SBYM]

Why is it so hard to play with intensity every single week?
They are supposed to be professional sportsmen who get paid for what they do.
It's 100% effort for a few hours once a week.
What gives?

My heart completely agrees, but my head says it's too simplistic to look at it in those terms. If the intangible aspects of sports performance (psychology, intensity, application etc) could be controlled so easily we would see nothing but optimal performances, an obvious impossibility. This is why the Michael Jordans and Maradonnas of this world are so revered as sportspeople; the vast majority of their performances were at the highest levels of their ridiculously high abilities.

This is also why coaches are so important. The elite ones know how to get the best performance possible on that particular day out of their charges. And even then, the very best can't get it done every single time.

It's a dilly of a pickle. They'll turn up today though, I'm very confident.

 

[Kaladin Stormblessed]

Sounds like a bunch of excuses mate. We should be able to cover the loss of those three if we are aiming for a premiership.