What’s up with Cripps?

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A bit of a combination of factors I suspect, and Beer n Skittles ' observation is a good one too.

I do wonder if he's watched too many Dustin Martin highlights and tried to become that, especially with the change in game style. He needs to stick to what he's best at, because at his best he has claims to best player in the comp. At his worst, and at times lately, he's just a good dangerous player (who admittedly cops way too harsh treatment around the ball).
 
I think he needs to put the weight back on. As well as being stronger in the contest the extra weight helps him obsorb contact. He's probably feeling hits more now than he has in the past.

His outside game wasn't poor, it wasn't a strength but it wasn't awful - just look at the Brisbane game.
 

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I agree with most of the sentiments posted in here and he probably is carrying injuries.

Also, If we can land another strong, talented midfielder to take some attention away from Cripps, watch this team surge.
 
don't think the 3kgs makes a difference
He is injured - shoulder from this year
That knee has been strapped for all of the 100 games and the crash and bash can only last so long. Who knows what else is wrong with his body.
Greg chapell went through that form slump, its crippas time.
Cannot kick to save his life though and that is not something new, has always been an average kick
You don't trade a top 5 player unless he wants to leave and indications are not there.
Just needs to work through it and lead us to good times. His co cap Doc needs to lift also
Our 2 A graders are B at best at the moment
 
Not sure how accurate, however a mate knows a relative of Cripps and it appears he is carrying a groin injury. Again, not sure of the truth behind this but thought I would share what i got told. Seem to believe it today as he struggled to sprint and even change position using his legs.
 
Keeps losing UNO to the boys in the hotel and now is quite fed up. Injury in shoulder looks more a card-holder's shoulder than anything football related. Only logical explanation imo.

Reverse, Skip, Draw 4
 
Lets just hope this is the shyte year he needed to have. He's mentally and physically shot at the moment. Lose to Freo as a club I'd just consider giving him a good month off, or shipping him off for surgery if required. If no surgery let him play the final 2-3 games with strict instructions to enjoy his footy, and for Teague to go, F*** IT.. brings in a player who is on the chopping block anyway with strict instructions to go all Alistair Lynch in his final game on Cripps' opponent.
 
Not sure how accurate, however a mate knows a relative of Cripps and it appears he is carrying a groin injury. Again, not sure of the truth behind this but thought I would share what i got told. Seem to believe it today as he struggled to sprint and even change position using his legs.

Like you I’m not sure how accurate your intel is, but the eye test backs this up. He has never been super explosive off the mark, but lately his turning circle has been like a cruise ship and there was an inside 50 kick yesterday that went as high as it did long - indicating to me that he has no power in his kicks.
 

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Mentioned numerous times already. But I think Cripps needs to go back to what he was doing best...beast mode at stoppages with a handball out to a runner, while parking himself in the forward 50 when resting.

He needs to work on his goal kicking routine...it looks terrible right now.

Needs to remove the push/fend off into running, and go back to push/fend off and release handball. He's not Dusty or Dangerfield with his explosive pace off the mark - he's just been running himself into trouble by trying to take on players without releasing.
 
Not sure how accurate, however a mate knows a relative of Cripps and it appears he is carrying a groin injury. Again, not sure of the truth behind this but thought I would share what i got told. Seem to believe it today as he struggled to sprint and even change position using his legs.
This would make the most sense. Not bad enough to keep him out, but is affecting running, agility and kicking. Also explains the frustration with umpires, in that he is just generally frustrated that he can’t do what he knows he is capable of.
 
Clearly injured. Lacking mobility, struggling to change direction and bend over. Needs to go back to focusing on his strength - at his best, he's clearly the premier inside mid in the comp. Being marginally better on the outside doesn't make up for his reduced strength in the contest.
 
The groin injury / OP makes a lot of sense.. He needs to either put himself on ice, or spend the rest of the year as the 3rd tall in our fwd line, although needs to get better at set shots.
 
I see parallels with whitnall, first 100 games elite. Now he has lost pace and looks bashed up. Moving from A grade to B grade. Maybe better as a forward from here on end with occassional moves on ball, otherwise he may have to retire at 28/29.

Ridiculous comment. Lance's although an elite player and great, his issues towards the tail of his career were around work ethic and diet.. None of those have anything to do with Cripps.
 
Lost a lot of weight and with that goes muscle mass as well, he will come good next year, don't really know why he lost weight? He didn't need to.

And I think he is playing injured as well, maybe needs a break, we won't be playing finals this year.
 
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From my observation the main difference is a change in role and game plan under Teague.

Under Bolton, Cripps was the main ball winner and tap target and we would sling the ball around with a couple of handballs to try and free someone up off the line. He was involved in every chain, one way or another.

Now, he’s often used as a decoy when he is copping a hard tag. The opposition ballwinners follow him, we knock it the other other way and Kennedy/Martin/Cuningham become the target instead. Very interested to see how Dow goes in this role if he gets to play this week.

In additon, we rarely sling the ball around and instead prioritise fast forward movement. So he doesn’t get the ball coming back to him when he’s in that decoy role - instead it goes inside 50. Our mods generally sit behind other teams for disposals (compre to the Bulldogs for example)?

He’s had patches where he didn’t cop a tag (first quarter vs Hawthorn for example) where he’s looked like the old Cripps, just run around and done what he likes.
 
Carlton has a Cripps problem and Cripps has a form problem.

Cripps has lost weight and that has added nothing to his game and taken away some of his contested abilities. Not sure what he's doing differently but it's time to reverse that and put the weight back on. Forget trying to build better running ability.

Carlton also has a problem with being too Cripps focused and therefore too predictable and easy to stop around the ball.

This is what needs to be done. Cripps needs to recognize as being purely an inside midfielder who can get around the ground and be a marking target. We need to use him the same way Richmond use Dustin Martin who is a big strong guy who has never tried to lose weight. When Cripps is out of the midfield a lot of the time we look better because our other midfielders can hold their own and we aren't predictable.

Cripps needs to spend a lot more time forward and put his size and strength back on. Be more of a powerhouse impact player than trying to be something he is not.
 
If it is OP/groin... off to surgery! We're seriously not winning the GF this year, get him mentally and physically right. Send him off to a surgeon this week in WA he can re-coup at home with his family on the farm for a month.

Russell's biggest mission this off-season is to get him going again.
 

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