What’s up with Cripps?

[Gethelred]

Lethal was spot on when he made that comment. Does the OP know when that was?

Stuff you for making me agree with you, Kwality.

 

[Gethelred]

How was Lethal spot on when he used comments like "He's become like a journeyman. He's just aged so badly." By using those words, it infers that it is irreversible and that would be his level of output from that moment on.

He's not wrong; if Cripps career trajectory continued at that rate, 'aged badly' would have been a decent resuly.

Instead of being grumpy that others went a little early, be thankful that he turned it right around. He was well below his best last year, and below his best the year before that; pointing it out doesn't make one wrong.

 

[Gethelred]

Has nothing to do with me. Lethals comments suggested that his top end output from that moment was merely a journeyman, which not only were bizarre at the time, even moreso now that his body is healthy

Perhaps what he should have said was, "Right at this moment, Cripps looks like he is playing injured and until he gets his body right, his output will continue to be at a level dramatically reduced from what we saw in 2018/19"

Requires knowledge not available to him at the time.

People give those of an older vintage a hard time sometimes. I'd be interested to know wheter Lethal's been offered financial incentive to have an opinion, because the parts which are more salubrious are not the ones shared.

 

[TENACIOUS]

Just busy being an absolute superstar

 

[therubbernub]

Crippa currently in career best form - the only thing which aged badly here is Lethal's analysis.

to be fair that was in 2021.

 

[therubbernub]

Dunno how fair that is. Cripps, on 2020-21 form, was not nearly the player he was in 2018-19 or the player he's been in round 1 and 2. Matthews said in that piece, various times, that we don't know what we don't know and we don't know what's happened injury wise.

I'm all for castigating the media when they get it wrong. Matthews deserves decidedly better than that, after what he has given to the game of Australian Rules.

yep. spot on. AAAND we all must remember that these guys are paid to have an opinion. If they dont then they have nothing to say. Unfortunately it brings the best and the worse out in them. But at the time lethals opinion was shared by many. it wasnt an outlandish statement given the evidence at the time.
But we are all smart in hindsight.... of course he was injured!

 

[RPCB]

Eh, Lethal’s comments are no worse than lots of posters on this board who were making the same comments over the past 2 season, most of us were disappointed in Crippa’s last 2 years.

And I am positive that if you were to ask Leigh Matthews today about those comments, he’d be thrilled that they have aged badly. Because he’d prefer every superstar player in the competition to be playing well. It’s a better spectacle.

 

[Ash24]

to be fair that was in 2021.

Which is why I said that his analysis aged badly

 

[smashbox gill]

A lot of supporters on this thread have egg on their faces. Can’t keep the champions down

 

[MITSUHIRATO]

StR8 SwAP 4 PeTRUCELLi

 

[JustaBattler]

Cripps was playing under distress and under a coach who was clueless and trying to do too much himself - was obvious to some on here - not so obvious to others. Same people bagging Cripps were bagging Wines - both considered to be out-of-date dinosaurs which the 'new game' would expose ...

Typical BF nuffery and all part of the fun.

 

[btdg]

Just an observation, but what's up with Cripps? Form has dropped off quite a bit:

• Rounds 1-8 (allowing for him getting injured): 33 disposals, 2 goals, 6 tackles, 17 contested possessions, 1.5 marks inside 50.
• Since round 8: 25 disposals, 0.5 goals, 5 tackles, 0.5 marks inside 50, 13.5 contested possessions (will actually tweak slightly for last night, so slightly higher disposals and lower everything else).

He's gone from the best player in the comp over the first 2 months to just 'good', and is closer to his 2021 'slump' (23.5 disposals, 0.65 goals, 4.6 tackles, 12.3 contested possessions, 0.15 marks inside 50) than Brownlow favourite at the moment.

Our midfield has also changed the way it is working a bit I reckon, and maybe that explains it. Early season they were zinging the ball around by hand to release team-mates and surging forward, now it looks a lot more sideways and then bang the ball long. But then also playing more defensively too - Cripps has had no goals and only 1 mark inside 50 in the last 4 matches

Anyway, just an observation but so much of our early season success saw our captain leading from the front, hitting the scoreboard and that's noticeably dropped just as the team hits a bit of a mid season form slump.

 

[La Dispute]

Hits huge highs very few players are capable of, but his ‘low’ games are worse than the weaker games of the very best in the comp. Even in his AFLPA award winning season he played a few stinkers.

Probably not helped the team is just trying to scrape by and grind out games - trying to find the best possible formula to win in spite of a lack of personnel.

He was good last night, I just don’t think enough of his teammates were switched on and in sync with what he was trying to do. Opposition are a little more aware of his aerial capabilities in the front half and blocked his run or double teamed him at times. He also dropped a couple he would have taken earlier in the year.

With a more complete squad I have no doubt he will go back to dominating. We’re slightly vulnerable at the moment, and I could see quite a few of our midfielders second guessing themselves at times.

 

[thylacine60]

has fallen back into the "I must be Superman if we are to win" mentality a bit the past couple of weeks - just be crippa, that's plenty!

 

[motts]

The biggest issue for Cripps is Pittonet missing.

 

[smashbox gill]

The biggest issue for Cripps is Pittonet missing.

I agree. The fact he’s rucking at times is crazy. He’s clearly team first and sacrificing his game for the greater good.

 

[Robbo's my hero]

Cripps is doing captain things. He‘s doing team things. Maintaining the start he had for the entire season is unrealistic. No need to press the panic button.

 

[Blue1980]

Pitt back will be a massive help for Crippa.

 

[Wickzki]

Get Pittonet back and a healthier backline and it'll enable Cripps to take the game on like he did prior to the injury crisis.

Don't underestimate what the back half injury crisis has done to our midfield. They're abundantly aware that if they screw up the backline hasn't got the size or the experience currently to withstand a heap of pressure. This has forced every player both back and mid to take on additional responsibilities.

You'll also notice that the mosquito fleet have dropped off on the attacking front as a result and are forced to play with not quite the same level of aggression they were able to earlier in the year.

Weiters and Pittonet will change everything.

 

[HavUEvaSeenTheRain]

Maybe Pittonet is a big part or teams have also worked out our stoppage game which is where Cripps excels. We aren’t running out of the front of stoppages anymore which Cripps part in all that really set him above.
His goal kicking early I think was just an anomaly.
Freo game Brodie done a job on him and I think it was the Sydney game he was well down, funnily enough our two best wins. Outside of that he has been good to fantastic imo

 

[Sharks On A Plane]

I'm actually starting to think Crippa is a bit of an over-thinker when it comes to footy.

Unpopular opinion no doubt, but I really think he struggles with the mental side of the game.

If he keeps it simple he is unstoppable. I'm not seeing that enough recently, just does dumb stuff far too often.

Don't get me wrong, he is an incredible player, but imo he would benefit from really strong coaching from here on in. Needs to have his assignment simplified, and he and the team will benefit hugely.

 

[carlton_99]

I'm actually starting to think Crippa is a bit of an over-thinker when it comes to footy.

Unpopular opinion no doubt, but I really think he struggles with the mental side of the game.

If he keeps it simple he is unstoppable. I'm not seeing that enough recently, just does dumb stuff far too often.

Don't get me wrong, he is an incredible player, but imo he would benefit from really strong coaching from here on in. Needs to have his assignment simplified, and he and the team will benefit hugely.

This would surprise me - have heard from a lot of players in recent interviews about how crucial Dr Tarah Kavanagh, the club psychologist, has been to their development and the improvement this year. Sounds like she has had a massive impact on the club

 

[jezzatigerbrent]

Maybe Pittonet is a big part or teams have also worked out our stoppage game which is where Cripps excels. We aren’t running out of the front of stoppages anymore which Cripps part in all that really set him above.
His goal kicking early I think was just an anomaly.
Freo game Brodie done a job on him and I think it was the Sydney game he was well down, funnily enough our two best wins. Outside of that he has been good to fantastic imo

the ruck tap to the feet is Pitto's speciality and it favours Crippa... Big bodies running into the pack to gather and as well block /shield the ball is the Carlton Beast strength... If you Tap it to the outside [ala TDK] and make them run then they lose the advantage of the Big body

 

[HavUEvaSeenTheRain]

the ruck tap to the feet is Pitto's speciality and it favours Crippa... Big bodies running into the pack to gather and as well block /shield the ball is the Carlton Beast strength... If you Tap it to the outside [ala TDK] and make them run then they lose the advantage of the Big body

Interestingly Cripps and Pitto have really only played 3 games together this season. Only in one of them did he really have high clearance numbers compared to what he is achieving now. Two of those three games are complete outliers for Cripps where he by far and away done most of his work on the outside. Instead of being around that 1 contested to 1 uncontested possession he usually goes at, he was more 1:2.

 

[Gethelred]

I kind of object to this thread being bumped the week after we play St Kilda. There's a complete failure to acknowledge that Jack Steele

9

Jack Steele

Age

29

Ht

187cm

Wt

90kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.9

5star

K

8.7

3star

HB

12.2

5star

M

3.7

4star

T

6.8

5star

CL

3.6

5star

D

21.3

5star

K

10.0

4star

HB

11.3

5star

M

4.0

4star

T

5.8

5star

CL

4.6

5star

D

16.8

4star

K

5.0

2star

HB

11.8

5star

M

2.6

3star

T

6.4

5star

CL

3.6

5star

has beaten Cripps pretty tidily every time they've played against each other.

An opposition player is allowed to have the wood over you. It's on him to respond to that.