Preview Round 11: Carlton v Essendon, Friday 7th June 7:50pm, MCG - Team post #834

[Big Sim]

I think if Levi had kicked straight and scored more goals the other day then there would not be any debate in the Levi v Warnock

By the way I mentioned in another thread that fans and commentators can see faults in Levi's kicking action. Is the club focusing on this ie: bringing in someone to help him such as Dunstall ?

Levi has never kicked straight, and that is the problem. A BIG problem in a key forward. And given that he has been at the club for a number of years, I would have thought his action would have been analysed to the minutest detail to try and fix the problem, but to no avail.

Sorry folks, but facts must be faced. I love his contested marking, his pack crashing, his effort, his attitude. But I hate watching him line up for goal from anywhere outside the goal square, and even then I watch from between my fingers.

 

[jimsta10]

Kreuzer's 1% ers is incomparable. The guy is a freakin work horse. Cant say the same for Ryder.

 

[Kramer1]

I really want Menzel to stay in. Maybe I am seeing what I want to see just looks like a game changer. Didn't look over-awed and put himself in the right spots which a lot of rookies are tentative to do.

Will also assume Lucas hamstring strain keeps him out at least another week given his history.

In: Judd, Betts
Out: Bootsma, Bell

I'd take Laidler for White but if White avoided the noose with 0 touches I think he is safe with 21. Curnow and Cachia are just doing things a little better than Bell at present, but the game won't be decided on whichever two of the three play.

Danger in going too defensive I think...doubt MM will let that happen though. They have a handy midfield and certainly roll deeper than years past. I think we need to back ourselves to go head to head in the key battles (Watson & Goddard) and win a few skirmishes elsewhere.

With Dempsey unlikely I think we have an opportunity to cripple their outside run. Curnow to Stanton would appear a good match-up and Armfield to Heppel who is developing a nicely balanced inside/outside game. Keeping Denis around the stoppages for a quick release also gives an opportunity to hurt them with a fast break forward.

With an improved defensive line-up we are going to need precision entry and I want Gibbs freed up to deliver the ball in as much as possible.

Really hope Sydney beat the shit out of them last week.

 

[Omega Blue]

Levi has never kicked straight, and that is the problem. A BIG problem in a key forward. And given that he has been at the club for a number of years, I would have thought his action would have been analysed to the minutest detail to try and fix the problem, but to no avail.

Sorry folks, but facts must be faced. I love his contested marking, his pack crashing, his effort, his attitude. But I hate watching him line up for goal from anywhere outside the goal square, and even then I watch from between my fingers.

I agree with this, and because of this I don't think he'll make it as a longer term afl forward.
We all rave about his contested marking in the forward 50 but if he cant slot the goal whats the point. I think we have more success with hammer who doesn't mark the ball but brings it to ground to let the lil guys ply there craft

 

[Omega Blue]

-I would like to see Robinson play as a defensive forward on Goddard with one instruction "Break Him"
-Cachia to show Watson how to tackle
-Curnow to run with Zaharakis

That's as far as i'd go with direct match ups.
Let everyone else play there natural game with a couple of players swinging throughout the game and I think we could win.

 

[AndyLucimitis]

I agree with this, and because of this I don't think he'll make it as a longer term afl forward.
We all rave about his contested marking in the forward 50 but if he cant slot the goal whats the point.

The point is to have someone crash a pack and take a mark in the forward 50 (or even the forward 70) !!

I agree - I cringe when he is kicking for goal but I truly think he is the 2nd best contested mark behind Travis Cloke.

This is such an invaluable trait, particularly in modern football, that I would persevere with Casboult.

 

[HARKER]

Disagree. Kreuzer will have his hands full with Ryder and Bellchambers. So it would be prudent to play 2 rucks (Hampson NOT Warnock) and let Levi settle into FF?

The Bombers will play 6-7 talls over 193cm. Do we stick with 5 or play an extra tall knowing that Hawthorn and Sydney (with Tippett) also tend to play tall?

Early days but Casboult has been performing better when allowed to ruck and roam the ground, rather than a stay-at-home forward, as was the case again on Saturday.

The fact that his ruck-work has also improved suggests to me that we'd sooner have the extra runner than to again carry three ruck-men into a game.

Can't see it happening.

 

[HBF]

I think the 'likeliest' result is Hurley/Crameri; though I would much prefer Hurley and one of Gumby/Daniher. If Gumby is fit he'd be my choice. Had a shocker against the Swans but has otherwise been playing well.

Was BOG in the ruck for the VFL side a week ago; looked pretty good.

Hurls was on SEN this morning, and declared he was right to go. Agree with you, likely to be a Hurley/Crameri forward line, with Ryder/Bellchambers pushing forward also. No doubt that Daniher is a talent, but in such a big game, it might just be asking a bit too much.

 

[Omega Blue]

The point is to have someone crash a pack and take a mark in the forward 50 (or even the forward 70) !!

I agree - I cringe when he is kicking for goal but I truly think he is the 2nd best contested mark behind Travis Cloke.

This is such an invaluable trait, particularly in modern football, that I would persevere with Casboult.

I agree he's the second best contested mark in the afl in my opinion. I would like to see him playing a more chf role roaming and crashing packs around the 50 arc then dishing off to someone like tuohy to slot the goal.

 

[etsal1]

All good & well that Hurley said he would play on friday night.

But so did Carrots the day of the saints game

 

[Jade]

Hurls was on SEN this morning, and declared he was right to go. Agree with you, likely to be a Hurley/Crameri forward line, with Ryder/Bellchambers pushing forward also. No doubt that Daniher is a talent, but in such a big game, it might just be asking a bit too much.

I think the logic is that with Hurley to run alongside, Carlton's defense if the 'best' way to introduce him. That and the fact the MCG gives him a hell of a lot of space to work into.

I don't think they will debut him though; but certainly a few that want to see it this week.

 

[AndyLucimitis]

he's had a bad run. But saying he's soft is just so wrong it's not funny. He usually gets injured because he hits the contest so hard. Sorry, but there's one thing you can't accuse Hurley of and it's being soft

I agree with you - foolhardy to call Hurley soft. Maybe the poster was referring to his susceptibility to injuries ??

He is looking fit though and far less 'obese' than in previous seasons - What's his secret ?

 

[AndyLucimitis]

I agree he's the second best contested mark in the afl in my opinion. I would like to see him playing a more chf role roaming and crashing packs around the 50 arc then dishing off to someone like tuohy to slot the goal.

Yep - Barry Round made a career out of it .... although a little harder to do these days as sides are more well drilled and would look to cut off his handballs.

However, even if you know he will just mark and handball, you still have to be good enough to stop it. If you had the mosquito fleet swarm around him when he marks it makes it tough to stop !!

 

[Sector 7G]

Funnily enough for some strange reason so is Ryder. He never gets to play on his own, as Bellchambers simply can't be dropped; but he does exceptionally well as a sole ruckman.

Have heard some rather left field opinions (that I don't totally disagree with) they we may be best served giving Bellchambers a spell and using Gumbleton as the second ruck for this game to really stretch your defense.

I would have thought if you wanted to stretch the Carlton defence you would need Bellchambers in the side as he is kicking more than a goal a game despite taking the majority of the ruckwork.

A more sensible approach would be to just drop Ryder because he is the lesser ruck and a poor forward 3 goals for the year. He is a major part of why the Essendon forwardline is "disfunctional" at the moment. Essendon need to then hope that 2 of the other 3 options up forward can find some consistency. For all the talk about the KP depth, none of the tall forwards are contributing on a regular basis.

 

[Mr.Kennedy]

Levi has never kicked straight, and that is the problem. A BIG problem in a key forward. And given that he has been at the club for a number of years, I would have thought his action would have been analysed to the minutest detail to try and fix the problem, but to no avail.

Sorry folks, but facts must be faced. I love his contested marking, his pack crashing, his effort, his attitude. But I hate watching him line up for goal from anywhere outside the goal square, and even then I watch from between my fingers.

This is why I ask if the club has done everything possible to rectify the problem. Levi could turn out to be the Bees Knees big forward we so desperately need.

 

[BM123]

Levi has never kicked straight, and that is the problem. A BIG problem in a key forward. And given that he has been at the club for a number of years, I would have thought his action would have been analysed to the minutest detail to try and fix the problem, but to no avail.

Sorry folks, but facts must be faced. I love his contested marking, his pack crashing, his effort, his attitude. But I hate watching him line up for goal from anywhere outside the goal square, and even then I watch from between my fingers.

Only played 9 games at senior level but I guess that is enough to write him off ? Plenty of key forwards running around right now who have improved their kicking for goal out of sight from their younger days.

 

[ESKIE]

Re the Levi debate

Lokking at totals and averages for Cloke & Franklin in 2013

Cloke : 26 Goals and 26 Behinds average 2.9%
Franklin: 27 Goals and 20 Behinds average 2.7%

(Lindsay Thomas 33 / 14 average 3.3%

Not setting the world on fire.

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pp-kangaroos--lindsay-thomas

 

[blueboy25]

Only played 9 games at senior level but I guess that is enough to write him off ? Plenty of key forwards running around right now who have improved their kicking for goal out of sight from their younger days.

Levi is never going to have the kicking action of Peter McKenna or Bernie Quinlan but Levi and the clun should look at someone like Peter Sumich who could be very wayward in his time but he did enough to control his kicking action that he became a pretty relaible kick with the occasional off day.

 

[BM123]

I agree with this, and because of this I don't think he'll make it as a longer term afl forward.
We all rave about his contested marking in the forward 50 but if he cant slot the goal whats the point. I think we have more success with hammer who doesn't mark the ball but brings it to ground to let the lil guys ply there craft

Hammer's kicking right now is just as unreliable right now with his 2 out of the full's in a game that our 2nds lost by three points . Casboult was kicking a few goals in the VFL so maybe its more a confidence issue with his sets shots when playing in the seniors that is affecting him. Hampson up forward won't work against the better teams and his soft hands will be a liability in finals when the space for small forwards is heavily congested.

 

[BM123]

Re the Levi debate

Lokking at totals and averages for Cloke & Franklin in 2013

Cloke : 26 Goals and 26 Behinds average 2.9%
Franklin: 27 Goals and 20 Behinds average 2.7%

(Lindsay Thomas 33 / 14 average 3.3%

Not setting the world on fire.

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pp-kangaroos--lindsay-thomas

Hawkins is a better example of a forward with a unreliable set shot becoming a sharpshooter.

 

[SE_Blue]

Please get Sticks to teach him the art of kicking the ball terribly but still kicking goals.

 

[Jade]

For all the talk about the KP depth, none of the tall forwards are contributing on a regular basis.

Yeah half yes, half no.

I doubt we'd drop Ryder - he's the kind of player that needs to play into form. His best is exceptional, he is slow getting there though.

Hurley has played very well. We are a substantially better side with him in the team. Gives us great structure, pulls the ball to ground and is just generally a pain in the ass to opposition.

Gumby has played quite well aside from the shocker against the Swans.

Crameri hasn't been playing well despite continually kicking goals, and as you pointed out Ryder hasn't been exceptional.

And of course we have Daniher waiting as well.

 

[Franc de Borges]

Not sure what Carlton team people are watching if they don't want Casboult in. The guy has brilliant hands and will be an asset for years to come.

Forget the kicking action and focus more on the result. He's not the only Carlton player that needs to improve in front of goal.

 

[HARKER]

Hammer's kicking right now is just as unreliable right now with his 2 out of the full's in a game that our 2nds lost by three points . Casboult was kicking a few goals in the VFL so maybe its more a confidence issue with his sets shots when playing in the seniors that is affecting him. Hampson up forward won't work against the better teams and his soft hands will be a liability in finals when the space for small forwards is heavily congested.

That was last week and the game before also had him kicking points where easy goals were on offer.
Hampson seems to be short of confidence whereas Casboult is brimming with confidence right now and is a major reason why he is being preferred.

Casboult is heading into becoming a Leigh Brown type and that's not lost on Malthouse either.
Would love for Casboult to become the player I thought not possible only 16 months ago. There's something quite rewarding about being proved wrong.

 

[HBF]

I think the logic is that with Hurley to run alongside, Carlton's defense if the 'best' way to introduce him. That and the fact the MCG gives him a hell of a lot of space to work into.

I don't think they will debut him though; but certainly a few that want to see it this week.

Don't underestimate Carltons defence. Since the first few weeks, we have really tightened up in this area. Guys like Jamo, Henderson, Walker and White have been functioning as a unit very well.