Training report 17/1

[marcmurphy3]

This training report is from Conundrum over at Talking Carlton. Hope you all enjoy reading it.


Logged on to read today's trainig report and have been left somewhat disappointed no one has stepped in to fill the void left by PJ. I actually arrived late and missed most of it and spent most of my time chasing my 1 year old.

What I can report is that I parked myself behind the Legend Stand to watch key match ups between fthe forwards and backs who were all clustered within the 50 metre arc. Players would take it in turns to kick it from outside 50 to a leading forward being hotly pursued by his immediate opponent. Saddington matched up on Josh, Thornton on Fev, Flint on Fish forget he rest. Playing for the forwards was Josh, Fev Waite, Fish, Eddie and a few others Ross Young being one of them. Was disappointed to see the Fish positioned to play up forward. I prefer him playing as a half back. For the defensive unit I saw Saddinton, Jamieson, Mark Austin (no sign of Hartlett which was most disappointing) Thornton Anderson Teague Flint (cannot recall the rest)

The kicking to the forward initially from Setanta (hope I got the right brother) was substandard to say the least Not one hit the mark and a few where miskicked. He may have come along leaps and bounds but his kicking should be a major concern in this modern game of keeping possession. Cannot recall the others who got the opportunity to kick it to the forwards. Fish read it the best leaving his man to take a few grabs. Josh Kennedy looked lost (having little room to lead) but it would have been tough under those conditions with over a dozen players in close vicinity to one another.
Austin doesnt look as tall as the reported 195 cms. What imporessed me most about him was preparedness to back himself and play from the front and also spoil from in front of his opponent.

Also Flint looks like he has growen taller. Seems to match Fish in height. Still underrweight in my opinion.

The highlight for me was walking back across the ground and seeing Pagan address kids from the AIS. Sitting amongst them wasa Micahel Voss, It took me a while to register that the great man was at training today. Heard him mention to someone to pass on his regards Murphy, Murphy must have made an impression on him when the Lions were chasing him.

Another highlight for me was watching Ratts in action. His enthusiasm is uplifting, you can tell from his mannerisms that he just loves the job and the mentoring aspect. At the end of training he was working with both Cameron Cloke and the big Unit in Josh Kennedy. Cameron Cloke may or not make it but unlike Bryan is at least giving it everything he has got. For that he has earnt my respect. Collingwood have lost in that player exchange scenario. Does not deserve to be bagged by Carlton supporters.

Conundrum



P.S. Anyone planning to go to training on Friday?

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Thanks for that. Not very heartening but the drills were probably extreme. Setanta is a worry here.

 

[AndyWalkersGirl]

Voss at carlton....

 

[HBF]

Not the most encouraging training report I have ever heard. Did anyone get a pic of Vossy in a Carlton shirt?

 

[BlueBelle]

Was disappointed to see the Fish positioned to play up forward. I prefer him playing as a half back.

Correct me if I am wrong but when has Fish ever played on the half back line??

 

[parrot]

Correct me if I am wrong but when has Fish ever played on the half back line??

Fisher is a natural KP forward. His strength is his unbelievable judgement of the flight of the ball, allowing him to take pack marks in heavily contested situations. I might have seen him once or twice move up to the wing or in the defensive half to provide a link-up option. Big mistake playing this guy in defense.

 

[marcmurphy3]

Even though many on here would like to see Fisher on a half foward flank I would prefer him in a pocket. Get him take those great marks so close to goal that he can't possibily miss.

 

[audas]

Good to hear the negatives makes for an honest report. Would like to hear more about the waywardness of setanta, murph can you enquire.

Fish in defense.....hmm waite maybe. (Kennedy ?)

Either way, our delivery into the forward was our biggest down fall last yaer. We looked for Fev and he was marked, beyond that things fell down and returned the ball to our defense which put them under the pump and exagerated our defensive inneficiencies. The only time we looked good was when we had another forward option, mainly Lance, and this meant our defense was genuinely undermanned.

Point being, along with our goal kicking, any work on our forward line is much needed, and essential. Thats why we have Denis, he knows what to do. And now that we are no longer going for draft picks, we can go for goals.

 

[parrot]

Even though many on here would like to see Fisher on a half foward flank I would prefer him in a pocket. Get him take those great marks so close to goal that he can't possibily miss.

I think his kicking will improve with confidence. The problem our KP forwards had in 2006, was not just the lack of delivery, but the poor quality of the delivery. Most of the kicks into the forward 50 either lacked penetration, or were not kicked to our KP forward's advantage. Think we'll improve considerably in that regard in 2007. Not expecting too much of Gibbs this year, but he's exactly the type of midfielder we need - ie a booming, penetrating and accurate kick. Such delivery clears defensive lines, and catches defenders out of position. Simmo also has that capability. Once we get the midfield delivery - forward line conversion setup right, we'll see a rapid improvement in terms of scores and wins. It might happen in 2007, but more likely in 2008.

 

[audas]

Even though many on here would like to see Fisher on a half foward flank I would prefer him in a pocket. Get him take those great marks so close to goal that he can't possibily miss.

put waite in the other one and Betts at full forward...

 

[blues4flag]

Correct me if I am wrong but when has Fish ever played on the half back line??

Spent more time down the ground after returning from injury, drifted down to half back at times, but never played as a "defender". I think he could be played a bit more up the ground, I think he will do well in a Ryan O'Keefe role, and wouldn't be suprised if he played in that position this year, as he did seem to be doing that at times towards the end of 2006.

 

[AndSmithMustScore]

Fish should be played as a young Tarrant was.

Roaming around the HFF and the Wing as a lead up player, to create a link into the forward line.

Kicking for goal isn't his strong point so playing him further up the ground is no great loss at this stage and it also opens up the forward line for the likes of Fev.

 

[micky_11]

Not the most encouraging training report I have ever heard. Did anyone get a pic of Vossy in a Carlton shirt?

He wouldnt have been in one, he was there with his AIS group, he wasnt there to support calrton or anything, just to show his group wat afl training is like or sumthin

 

[bluesfan]

Good to hear the negatives makes for an honest report. Would like to hear more about the waywardness of setanta, murph can you enquire.

Fish in defense.....hmm waite maybe. (Kennedy ?)

Either way, our delivery into the forward was our biggest down fall last yaer. We looked for Fev and he was marked, beyond that things fell down and returned the ball to our defense which put them under the pump and exagerated our defensive inneficiencies. The only time we looked good was when we had another forward option, mainly Lance, and this meant our defense was genuinely undermanned.
Point being, along with our goal kicking, any work on our forward line is much needed, and essential. Thats why we have Denis, he knows what to do. And now that we are no longer going for draft picks, we can go for goals.

This is a real big problem!! We cannot, I repeat cannot, just rely on the one bloke in the no. 25 to save us and kick a winning score each week. What if he suffered a long-term injury, a form slump or he is suspended? He was suspended for one or two games this year and I went to that Carlton v Hawthorn game at the start of the year and we just looked lost, no forward structure at all. But injuries to Waitey, Fish and the big unit in Kennedy didn't help our causes last year. I think it's time to move Kouta into a permanent forward position this year. Another problem is our defense, I want Whitnall to play up forward this year but our defense is youngand inexperienced. If only we had 2 Whitnalls!! That's why I am hoping Saddo can stay injury-free and play all 22 games. I want Setanta, T-Bird, Saddo, Bower and Harts as contesting big men apart of our defense this year - I want Whitnall forward. Wizard Cup 2005 is a good example. GO BLUES!!

 

[Bluebear]

Interesting that big Red wasn't inthat group.
Why was Carlos kicking inside 50? Wheres Simmo, Murph, Gibbs, Hoops, Stevo etc. Carlos should be marking/spoiling on the back line and firing out to one of these guys for the delivery.
(?Practising for a role up the ground maybe - ruck?)

 

[marcmurphy3]

Interesting that big Red wasn't inthat group.
Why was Carlos kicking inside 50? Wheres Simmo, Murph, Gibbs, Hoops, Stevo etc. Carlos should be marking/spoiling on the back line and firing out to one of these guys for the delivery.
(?Practising for a role up the ground maybe - ruck?)

Maybe it was Aisake kicking inside the fifty. It doesn't sound like he had a fantastic view.

 

[marcmurphy3]

Apparently Clint Benjemin has strained his quad and will be just jogging for a couple of weeks.

 

[C4[2]Yo`DooR]

Aisake is a much better kick than Setanta already.

 

[borissey]

Dont argue with setanta kicking in to the forward 50, with the pace he runs at for a big guy we want him to run through the middle after beating his forward!

 

[BlueWorld]

Interesting that big Red wasn't inthat group.
Why was Carlos kicking inside 50? Wheres Simmo, Murph, Gibbs, Hoops, Stevo etc. Carlos should be marking/spoiling on the back line and firing out to one of these guys for the delivery.
(?Practising for a role up the ground maybe - ruck?)

He's injured and is not training.

I think this group was just the forwards and backs, so the players you mention weren't doing that and were working in a different activity.

 

[Bluebear]

He's injured and is not training.

I think this group was just the forwards and backs, so the players you mention weren't doing that and were working in a different activity.

Far enough.......get Rats or Braddles to deliver the pill.

My point is while it might be great to have Carlos practice his delivery, the forwards need some quality delivery as well (although practising with shyte delivery might not be such a bad idea, y'know....more authentic )

 

[HBF]

Dont argue with setanta kicking in to the forward 50, with the pace he runs at for a big guy we want him to run through the middle after beating his forward!

I agree. Setanta is much better suited to a spot on the Half Back Line. This way he is taken to the ball by his opponent, and therefore doesn't have to read the play as much as he would have to up the ground.

And like you said borissey, with his size and pace, he'd be able to run off his opponent with ease I would imagine.

 

[AndyWalkersGirl]

I think that with his Cork days behind him, he would have enough skill to be able to read the play... let's not forget that Irish game is a small ball, small bat, and a bloody battle field. You need good awareness to survive that.

I think we have a real gem in Setanta. I'd like to see him run off Half Back. He's tall, fast, strong and oh did i mention fast?

 

[Sharks On A Plane]

Spent more time down the ground after returning from injury, drifted down to half back at times, but never played as a "defender". I think he could be played a bit more up the ground, I think he will do well in a Ryan O'Keefe role, and wouldn't be suprised if he played in that position this year, as he did seem to be doing that at times towards the end of 2006.

This has been mentioned quite a bit recently, and let me tell you, this is a complete pipe-dream. O'Keefe has one of the biggest engines going around, hence the extraordinary amount of ground he covers. Like Fisher, he has extremely strong hands and is deceptively tall, but that's where the comparison ends. O'Keefe variously oscillates beetween a fast jog and sprinting for the entire game - in my opinion a player like Carazzo (despite the obvious class discrepancy) would be better suited to this role, poor delivery excluded.

Fisher simply does not have the capacity for the roaming flanker/wingman role. His best position is without doubt deep in the forward line...

 

[BlueFeaver]

This has been mentioned quite a bit recently, and let me tell you, this is a complete pipe-dream. O'Keefe has one of the biggest engines going around, hence the extraordinary amount of ground he covers. Like Fisher, he has extremely strong hands and is deceptively tall, but that's where the comparison ends. O'Keefe variously oscillates beetween a fast jog and sprinting for the entire game - in my opinion a player like Carazzo (despite the obvious class discrepancy) would be better suited to this role, poor delivery excluded.

Fisher simply does not have the capacity for the roaming flanker/wingman role. His best position is without doubt deep in the forward line...

Sorry but I have to disagree, Fisher has all the athletic ability and endurance to play a similar style to O'keefe. What separates the two is Fisher's on going injury concerns, when he has a had a good preseason he has got injured at the start of the season and interupted his year and fitness base. I think with a couple more preseasons he will have the same if not better endurance to that of O'keefe, remember O'keefe has a few years on Fisher.