Preview AFL Round 11 - Carlton v Geelong, Etihad Stadium, 7:50PM Friday 8 June

[AM]

Disagree about Etihad, despite our record against them there. This time around, possibly no Wojo, no TV, Menzel, no real zip. Blues are a different team at Etihad, seems they struggle in the elements. Actually seems they struggle everywhere at present. Absolute toss of the coin game. Can we imagine Blues losing 4 in a row??

Um! Think we're on the same page re Etihad and the Blues. Not sure where we "disagree".

 

[winty]

Really dirty on the match commitee to bring bundy back through the 2's.

Was an unnessesary risk and one that costs us a gun player in a season defining game.

He was only out of 3 weeks, hes young and wasnt lacking match fitness.

If we was fit for 60% of game either dont play him at all, or manage his minutes in a manageable game vs GWS.

Who's to say the same thing wouldn't have happened to Bundy in the seniors yesterday? What happened was one of those things that occasionally happen in a contact sport.

Might as well blame the match committee for playing Menzel in the VFL yesterday as well. After all, Scott was saying his recovery was going so well he could've been put straight into the seniors this week.

 

[AM]

Did they say for which side.

Where would you be without the emoticons, picky.

 

[AM]

Who's to say the same thing wouldn't have happened to Bundy in the seniors yesterday? What happened was one of those things that occasionally happen in a contact sport.

Might as well blame the match committee for playing Menzel yesterday as well. After all, if he was still wrapped in cotton wool, he wouldn't have got injured.

This ^

 

[Gaz_Brownlow]

Don't understand the angst against Gillies. He is coming along nicely and looks very comfortable in the back 6 at the moment...lets not forget he even came back from what looked like a pretty severe knee wrench.

I think people honestly think that Scarlett, Enright, Milburn, Harley, Lonergan and Taylor were all gun players from the very start! If you would cast your minds back a little you will find that every one of these players....including Scarlett himself, took sometime to find there feet within the game. In comparison, i think Gillies has come on and acquitted himself as good as any of the others - he is on what, 10 or 12 games? Will be a very good player and a very reliable defender, would be happy if he kept his place this week.

 

[romeoh]

Carlton have a really tough run coming up-they probs see this as the winnable one. We will beat them but will not be easy. Shut Juddy down. But then we can go into bye in good shape and a couple of winnable games after bye.

One aspect of this year is -for years and years I have spent hours, regularly throughout the season, trawling the fixture, calculating which games were wins and maybes and possible losses etc. It was fun. Then during our brilliant run in last few years, I didn't pay much attention to the fixture as I knew we would win all the games regardless of who we played. And I quite missed it, and this year it is great to be back trawling and plotting again. Go Geelong.

 

[JUBJUB]

Who's to say the same thing wouldn't have happened to Bundy in the seniors yesterday? What happened was one of those things that occasionally happen in a contact sport.

Might as well blame the match committee for playing Menzel in the VFL yesterday as well. After all, Scott was saying his recovery was going so well he could've been put straight into the seniors this week.

Amazing the things some people bitch about.They probably wouldn't even bitch if the same thing did happen in the seniors.

 

[Vdubs]

Um! Think we're on the same page re Etihad and the Blues. Not sure where we "disagree".

Only that you'd rather play them at Etihad. I'd prefer the risk of the elements at the G, or Geelong. Again, I think these teams that play most games at Etihad struggle with wet, windy real footy like last pm, like the 09 GF, 2011 GF. NM are crap away from Etihad. Blues struggled at Port Park last pm. Just a theory based on some observations, but no doubt I'll be proven incorrect.
I think our relative lack of speed could be exposed by Carlton, et al.at Etihad.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Don't understand the angst against Gillies. He is coming along nicely and looks very comfortable in the back 6 at the moment...lets not forget he even came back from what looked like a pretty severe knee wrench.

I'm a Gillies fan and thought he was ok this week. He'd be out of my side, simply because we need to pick our best available 22, ahead of the bye (particularly for such a critical game) and he's just not there yet. If the last two Round 10 games go to form, we'll be on 6-4, a game (and a crapload of percentage) out of fifth place and two games out of the top four. Essendon and Sydney face each other next week, which will either take Essendon to 8-3 or Sydney to 7-4 (equal with the winner of our game).

If the results of this week don't confirm that it's anyone's flag at this stage, I don't know what will.

 

[couchy555]

I think Carlton will be fired up after the abuse they'll cop this week but i think that it will also make them vulnerable. If the Cats get a cpl goals up early in the game the Demons in blues heads will come out and they can fall away.

I dont think the blues like the physical stuff at the moment and this is an area the cats havent been at their best this year as we all know, so if ever there's a week to rectifiy this stat, nows the time.

Cats by 30

 

[Linx]

Don't understand the angst against Gillies. He is coming along nicely and looks very comfortable in the back 6 at the moment...lets not forget he even came back from what looked like a pretty severe knee wrench.

I think people honestly think that Scarlett, Enright, Milburn, Harley, Lonergan and Taylor were all gun players from the very start! If you would cast your minds back a little you will find that every one of these players....including Scarlett himself, took sometime to find there feet within the game. In comparison, i think Gillies has come on and acquitted himself as good as any of the others - he is on what, 10 or 12 games? Will be a very good player and a very reliable defender, would be happy if he kept his place this week.

I agree.

He has the poetential to be a very good 2nd or 3rd KPD. One thing about Gilles is he has good disposals and seems to handle pressure well. What he struggles now is his body positioning and reading the ball flight. That will improve with experience.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Only that you'd rather play them at Etihad. I'd prefer the risk of the elements at the G, or Geelong. Again, I think these teams that play most games at Etihad struggle with wet, windy real footy like last pm, like the 09 GF, 2011 GF. NM are crap away from Etihad. Blues struggled at Port Park last pm. Just a theory based on some observations, but no doubt I'll be proven incorrect.
I think our relative lack of speed could be exposed by Carlton, et al.at Etihad.

I think it's a fair call, VEEDUBS. Essendon seem to be better this year, but for the past few years they've played like a top four team at Etihad and basically rubbish everywhere else.

 

[Gogeelong]

I'm a Gillies fan and thought he was ok this week. He'd be out of my side, simply because we need to pick our best available 22, ahead of the bye (particularly for such a critical game) and he's just not there yet. If the last two Round 10 games go to form, we'll be on 6-4, a game (and a crapload of percentage) out of fifth place and two games out of the top four. Essendon and Sydney face each other next week, which will either take Essendon to 8-3 or Sydney to 7-4 (equal with the winner of our game).

If the results of this week don't confirm that it's anyone's flag at this stage, I don't know what will.

The coach wants to play Gillies as they see long term development to replace Scarlett. I would be playing Walker all day long. Gillies is not an inside type player and will not take a pack mark.
Yesterday he cost us directly / indirectly 3 goals in the first quarter and one in the last

 

[tomthabuddah]

Yesterday he cost us directly / indirectly 3 goals in the first quarter and one in the last

Can you please name these 3 direct/indirect goals?
Also explain how he indirectly caused these goals?

 

[Gogeelong]

I watched the game several times and I suggest you do the same.

If it is replayed please let me know and I would be glad to do so.

If anybody else has a replay please do so on my behalf

 

[you pick one]

Where would you be without the emoticons, picky.

You stalking me Ammo

 

[Gogeelong]

Judd has not been playing well this season

This week he had 23 disposals with an efficiency of a miserable 43%

I would be more concerned about a couple of their other players

 

[darren forssman]

Only that you'd rather play them at Etihad. I'd prefer the risk of the elements at the G, or Geelong. Again, I think these teams that play most games at Etihad struggle with wet, windy real footy like last pm, like the 09 GF, 2011 GF. NM are crap away from Etihad. Blues struggled at Port Park last pm. Just a theory based on some observations, but no doubt I'll be proven incorrect.
I think our relative lack of speed could be exposed by Carlton, et al.at Etihad.

i agree with your observations vd, i said the same thing in the general discussion thread.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

The coach wants to play Gillies as they see long term development to replace Scarlett. I would be playing Walker all day long. Gillies is not an inside type player and will not take a pack mark.
Yesterday he cost us directly / indirectly 3 goals in the first quarter and one in the last

Walker hasn't been available to play all year; when they've promoted rookies, they've gone with Simpkin or Stringer ahead of him. Taylor, Lonergan and Scarlett are automatics (when healthy); I'm not sure you could put Walker in as well. With Taylor and Lonergan taking the two key forwards, I don't mind Gillies as a third tall with good agility and a fair bit of creativity. I think if we adjust our expectations of him from the next full back of the club to him maybe playing a Milburn-esque role, he could be a keeper. The jury's still out on him, but the jury was well and truly out on Lonergan too until he was about 26. I never thought I'd see him again after he got destroyed time and again in 2009 and I'm sure I wasn't alone.

Gillies turned 22 this year. When Lonergan was 22, he had his horrific injury and nobody could know if he'd play another AFL game (to the point where Geelong delisted him from the senior list and put him on the rookie list). And he's been on the scrap heap a couple of times since. At 22, Taylor was in his first season in the AFL. Like the rest of our players who have made their senior debut, but are yet to reach 20-25 games, Gillies needs to be fast-tracked to his 50th. I think he's shown more than enough this year for us to persist with him, but with almost every established defender expected to be available this week, he's probably on the outside looking in.

 

[Vdubs]

I agree.

He has the poetential to be a very good 2nd or 3rd KPD. One thing about Gilles is he has good disposals and seems to handle pressure well. What he struggles now is his body positioning and reading the ball flight. That will improve with experience.

All true, and I like his closing speed, gets to contests surprisingly quickly, has true leg speed which WILL become an asset when he is used more and his confidence grows.

 

[winty]

Hope the Carlton match committee take a leaf out of one of the posts in the match preview thread on the Carlton board, and decide to drop the likes of Gibbs and Garlett and load up on talls to try and stretch our backline height-wise.

Where Carlton hurt us the most is pace, and having the likes of Garlett sitting in the stands would help us. Lonergan, Scarlo, Taylor, and even Mackie and, surprisingly, Josh Hunt, can play tall if needed (I think Josh played on the resting ruckman against Collingwood late last season and did pretty well). Would love it if Carlton lined up like that poster suggests they should.

 

[you pick one]

Scotland is a big out for the Blues,he had it on a string last time we played them.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Hope the Carlton match committee take a leaf out of one of the posts in the match preview thread on the Carlton board, and decide to drop the likes of Gibbs and Garlett and load up on talls to try and stretch our backline height-wise.

Would love it if Carlton lined up like that poster suggests they should.

Definitely. Looking through their preview thread, I'm loving that every single one of the posts is calling for Garlett to be dropped. I don't care how out of form he is, if Carlton is to beat us, it's because Garlett, Betts or Walker gets off the chain. And, without Garlett there, it makes it much easier for us to lock down on Betts and Walker.

 

[fpm84]

For the record - last time we played Carlton, Scotland had 34 touches and got 3 Brownlow votes in a losing side, Murphy had 32 touches. Both will be huge losses for the Blues.

From memory Stokes tagged Yarran. He must have done a great job - Yarran had just 7 touches, Stokes had 15 and kicked 2 goals.

 

[Gaz_Brownlow]

I am hoping we are bold and play Wojack on the ground to start with. I know he hasn't played a game thus far, but geez we are missing him (and Varcoe). Could even be a suitable matchup for Walker who to me, looms as our biggest threat this week given that Enright will most likely go straight to Betts.

Going to be very interesting at selection table.