Strategy Changes & Pre-match Discussion - Round 20 vs. Carlton, MCG, Fri 28/07, 7:50pm

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I am sure Pendlebury will spend plenty of time on Cripps at stoppages.

Other option (high risk ) is to do what Swans did with Heeney on him and try someone like JDG to exploit his lack of leg speed

It's a good thought RE JDG but I'd question whether you a) JDG has the discipline to stick with the task relentlessly for 4 quarters and b) whether we'd want to take away JDG's instinctual game style from what we're doing at the moment.

I like the Pendlebury stoppage-only style where he positions himself to stop him running rampant from the stoppage. We don't seem to nor need to do a hard tag.
 
I know you’re a big fan of Cox. Surely you can still see that he is in poor form at the moment.
AJ deserves another crack at AFL, and Cox needs to find form. In the VFL.
He has had a few below par games but is still impacting in important moments. He is also a point of difference with his height as opposed to having three smallish marking forwards in McStay, Checkers and AJ. I've seen too many games under Bucks in his final year when Checkers was shut down and we had no tall targets to at least make a contest. I have faith in Coxy's ability to stand up when the heat is on. I do not feel the same about Ash.
 

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I don't think it will really be about individuals. Unless it's wet, I'll be surprised if they're well enough coached to stop us sling-shotting the footy with our running waves. One thing though - Fly had previously talked about the July block and Adams or Bruzzy said we'd just gotten through a block of games. This might be the week when we begin a block of increased training loads to peak for finals. The next block of games we might be a bit flat.
I feel like that post probably hasn’t done my thoughts justice because they’ll need to win contest to even get close and a close result for them could be a leading indicator of where they’re at. Normally I’d be on the same page re personnel not being a factor, but my feel is contest work is a bit different and that’s turned their season around.

For instance picking Macrae this week and putting him in the guts against a fit Cripps, Walsh and Cerra would have a material impact, IMO. Without Walsh though they don’t have anyone like Rozee, JHF or Butters who challenge you with their movement. I’m not convinced we beat them there if Cripps has a blinder, but I am convinced we do more than enough to avoid a -13 I50 differential from the loss in territory.

I think their defense is underrated and they’ve been defending the ground better than Port this year. They might be able to blunt our slingshot if they’re winning the territory game, Weitering’s form is every bit as good as Aliir’s at the moment, but where I think it’ll be decided is ground level ball I50 at either end. I don’t think they’ll win enough contests to shut out Hill, McReery, Elliott and a rotating mid or challenge Maynard, IQ, Noble and Crisp up the other end.

That tapering is coming though so it’s definitely one to be mindful of. Two more wins and I’ll be at ease.
 
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I don’t think we’ll actually know until 11pm Friday night. Port were all eyes on us last week, but the Blues still needed to do the business. They’re better at the contest than last time out and we struggled there v Port so that’s where it’ll be won and lost. My thinking right now is that they’ll probably need a Cripps Rd 23 2022 type performance to knock us off without Walsh and Kennedy.

I think our standard midfield set up will be fine. Walsh will be out, and Cripps and Cerra are slow. Wombat will not likely be shown up for pace with Nick and Jordy to feed.

Looking forward to playing these muppets without Harry McKay, and Walsh missing makes it even better.

Time to extend the H2H lead.
 
It's a good thought RE JDG but I'd question whether you a) JDG has the discipline to stick with the task relentlessly for 4 quarters and b) whether we'd want to take away JDG's instinctual game style from what we're doing at the moment.

I like the Pendlebury stoppage-only style where he positions himself to stop him running rampant from the stoppage. We don't seem to nor need to do a hard tag.
If the coaches consider playing JDG on Cripps.....it would be a thought that would last about 1.5 seconds.....

JDG isn't playing on anyone....not his job.
His job is to be the guy on the move. He's never stationary at stoppage.
Win or bust for him.
High risk / high reward.
When he wins it, usually its a super clean take away and we exit the stoppage with pace.

Its the other guys jobs (pendles, adams, mitchell) to initially hold fast and defend.
So any one of those 3 is a better matchup with Cripps and a far more logical approach.

Even Nick isn't the guy on the move. He still holds his area until the initial tap has being made.
 
Carlton look pretty depleted coming into this game. I said it was a danger game based solely on the game we're coming off but it's a simple must win when you consider:

Cripps - call it rested, but he didn't train with his cork so could be below 100%. But no doubt he'll play.

Cerra - hamstring, facing fitness test, I assume plays?

Jack Martin - calf, won't play.

Silvagni - knee, assume won't play?

Motlop - calf, assume won't play?

McKay - knee, won't play.

Boyd - suspended (I honestly don't even know who he is)

Kennedy - knee, won't play.

Owies - calf, won't play.

Pittonet played VFL coming back from a knee, may come back in.

Also Williams obviously out for the season with his knee.

A lot of those players have been decent against us over recent seasons.
 
I think their defense is underrated and they’ve been defending the ground better than Port this year. They might be able to blunt our slingshot if they’re winning the territory game,
The difference is that you've got to defend us differently. You can't just set up really well behind the ball. You've got to also defend against the runners and release handballs - otherwise we chain up and get it straight over the top of the structure. It'll be a big challenge for them. I'll be surprised if they're up to it.
 
Carlton look pretty depleted coming into this game. I said it was a danger game based solely on the game we're coming off but it's a simple must win when you consider:

Cripps - call it rested, but he didn't train with his cork so could be below 100%. But no doubt he'll play.

Cerra - hamstring, facing fitness test, I assume plays?

Jack Martin - calf, won't play.

Silvagni - knee, assume won't play?

Motlop - calf, assume won't play?

McKay - knee, won't play.

Boyd - suspended (I honestly don't even know who he is)

Kennedy - knee, won't play.

Owies - calf, won't play.

Pittonet played VFL coming back from a knee, may come back in.

Also Williams obviously out for the season with his knee.

A lot of those players have been decent against us over recent seasons.
Walsh their biggest loss.
 
Carlton look pretty depleted coming into this game. I said it was a danger game based solely on the game we're coming off but it's a simple must win when you consider:

Cripps - call it rested, but he didn't train with his cork so could be below 100%. But no doubt he'll play.

Cerra - hamstring, facing fitness test, I assume plays?

Jack Martin - calf, won't play.

Silvagni - knee, assume won't play?

Motlop - calf, assume won't play?

McKay - knee, won't play.

Boyd - suspended (I honestly don't even know who he is)

Kennedy - knee, won't play.

Owies - calf, won't play.

Pittonet played VFL coming back from a knee, may come back in.

Also Williams obviously out for the season with his knee.

A lot of those players have been decent against us over recent seasons.

Can probably add Walsh to that list as well...
 
Carlton look pretty depleted coming into this game. I said it was a danger game based solely on the game we're coming off but it's a simple must win when you consider:

Cripps - call it rested, but he didn't train with his cork so could be below 100%. But no doubt he'll play.

Cerra - hamstring, facing fitness test, I assume plays?

Jack Martin - calf, won't play.

Silvagni - knee, assume won't play?

Motlop - calf, assume won't play?

McKay - knee, won't play.

Boyd - suspended (I honestly don't even know who he is)

Kennedy - knee, won't play.

Owies - calf, won't play.

Pittonet played VFL coming back from a knee, may come back in.

Also Williams obviously out for the season with his knee.

A lot of those players have been decent against us over recent seasons.

Jack Martin is turning into a modern-day Harley Bennell.
 
The difference is that you've got to defend us differently. You can't just set up really well behind the ball. You've got to also defend against the runners and release handballs - otherwise we chain up and get it straight over the top of the structure. It'll be a big challenge for them. I'll be surprised if they're up to it.
True, but for 90% of the first outing they managed it well. We gapped them with a 5 minute burst in the 1st quarter and didn’t break them down for the rest of it. Don’t get me wrong they’re no Melbourne and we might have taken the foot off the pedal, but if they own territory they could trouble us. I do agree though that I’ll be surprised if they’re up to taking us out. I do though go into this one less confident than last time against them.
 

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"Back"? They have been locked in a stasis of mediocrity for most of this century. They haven't yet left that state so "going back" is an impossible concept.
Back to mediocrity from complete and utter impoverishment?
 
Maybe Bobby Hill. Those two are competing for the same spot and don't know Bobby has done enough lately to retain it ahead of Ginnivan
Ginnivan hasn’t done enough in VFL to make a case to replace Hill.
He needs sustained performances like his last game to warrant a recall IMO.

Without making a case that his game is now so we’ll rounded as to negate the deficiency of pace, he’s got very little chance to be recalled.
 
I would consider bringing in Frampton, Johnson and Ginnivan.

But I would find it hard to drop anyone from the side at the moment, possibly Cox, maybe Mitchell who have both been a little below their best, Lippa; a bit harsh on any of the three really.
 
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