Analysis What has happened since quarter time in Round 17?

[jj1978]

Given the news about Russell's departure, it seems to me that the club has given its answer regarding the reasons for our season fading away.

2 seasons of playing fill in the blanks as players keep going down would be part of that. Recruiting and giving up both of Dow and Fisher who at least filled in last seasons gaps quite reasonably was beyond stupid - unless someone thought our injury prone players would come good. But then that could lead to coaching who thought some kids would step up and fill that breach by those departed if we needed them.

Something got broken, it just didn't happen overnight it was festering for a while just the dam wall broke round 17.

• Fitness and High Performance
• Recruitment, List Management decisions
• Coaching (Senior and Line)

All play a part. Players not sure how much to put on them, but they just look a shell of what they were a few weeks ago, they're trying somewhat as we're not being smacked and in games but they have no mental or physical drive it seems at present.

 

[jpfalvo]

We went from the hunter to the hunted.

Its obvious opposition coaches paid more attention to stopping us in the middle.

Add in team selection issues.

GWS game we were dominant on the scoreboard but statistically GWS was in the game in Q1

Sent from my SM-N981B using Tapatalk

 

[MITSUHIRATO]

I have to put my hand up and take some ownership of this one fam

I moved into a new house on the day of the GWS game and without a word of lie … my wife decided at quarter time that night to move an arm chair that was positioned one side of the room to the other.

It’s clear that the bad feng shui kicked in and we’ve been struggling ever since.

 

[Blue1980]

I got the flu the week of the Richmond game, I got out of my gym routine and we have sucked ever since.

 

[Soapy V]

I see a number of issues that have taken their toll

1. Lack of depth Highlighted by injuries
2. Injuries to key players. TDK Cerra Walsh Docherty Jack Williams Martin etc
3. Many better players have struggled with form. Walsh Cerra Saad Charlie (recently) haven't been in great form
4. Sides working us out

I don't think we have really got going all year yet can still win games.

The key for me now is can we get our best 22 on the field and in form because if we can we can beat anyone

 

[Juddernaut08]

It's baffling. Looks like we over-tinkered with selection and gameplan and the magic was lost.

The corky to Weitering in the GWS game was pivotal too. Our defensive confidence and system was vulnerable and some of the belief and effort dissipated.

 

[gbatman]

1. Too many injuries. Simply can't sustain success with so many of the best 22 out.

2. List holes. It's easy to look at the most commonly played side this season and see all the holes. 3rd tall forward is too often a ruckman type or none at all. Small and medium forward quality has often been really poor. Often lacked a genuine CHB and rebounding defenders. After Cripps and Walsh our midfield falls away. Particularly with pressure, tackling and speed.

3. Coaching. IMO we are too precious about who we allow to go into the middle. Our midfield rotations aren't high enough. This contributes to injuries, fatigue, soreness and not finishing games off well.

4. Figured out. Teams know we are slow. They know that they can apply high level pressure to us close in around the ball and force the ball to spill out into space and to get it out in the open teams can take away our strength. Our once good clearance game based around heavy bodies is beaten when teams apply good heat and tackling pressure to those players. Because we are slow, when the ball gets out in space our pressure and ball winning ability drops right away. Hammer us with pressure and tackling on the inside, smash us with run on the outside.

5. Recruiting. The holese and lack of pace come back to our recruiting. Kennedy and Hewett added to Cripps means slow. Dow, SPS, Cuningham, Fisher, O'Brien, Stocker, Philp, Durdin and Carroll. A huge long list of mids who have failed or are failing. The only quick mid who can play is Walsh. Cerra has come to us and got slower and slower and now can't stay on the park. We have had to make up for poor drafting with trades and it's all becoming too much.

6. The pressure? Our pressure in the middle is poor. We are more about winning the ball. When better teams are getting beaten they seem to adjust the midfield game to a more pressure orientated game and get the game back on their terms. When we are getting beaten, we just get beaten, nothing really happens we just give way to an avalanche of goals. It cost us in the prelim last season and many games this season. Is it lack of speed or coaching? It's both IMO.

7. In summary we have been figured out, we aren't good enough and injuries have been too high.

 

[The Bighouse]

I have to put my hand up and take some ownership of this one fam

I moved into a new house on the day of the GWS game and without a word of lie … my wife decided at quarter time that night to move an arm chair that was positioned one side of the room to the other.

It’s clear that the bad feng shui kicked in and we’ve been struggling ever since.

Likewise. Sent the champagne text <QT at GWS, fell apart thereafter.
Also said Charlie should kick 8 against PTA, not sighted since…

 

[The Bighouse]

It's baffling. Looks like we over-tinkered with selection and gameplan and the magic was lost.

The corky to Weitering in the GWS game was pivotal too. Our defensive confidence and system was vulnerable and some of the belief and effort dissipated.

That pretty much was the moment the needle shifted..
A lot relies on JW to perform. Would like to find a suitable KPD assistant to help out down there.

 

[MITSUHIRATO]

Weitering’s kick in board which was intercepted during the dying stages of the first quarter vs. GWS is where it all began.

 

[gbatman]

What we need to do is find a CHB. Not just a gap filler. Someone who can intercept mark, fulfill the running and strength requirements and shut down a good forward. A younger one would be ideal. An older one who can fill a spot for a few years at a high level while we look for a younger one also works.

Forwards. We have too many makeshift forwards. A couple of smart, skilled half forwards would change our team and our ball movement significantly. No one is talking much about this. I think this is equally the biggest hole in our side. Problem only goes away when those regularly injured players are fit.

Mids. I have been saying for years our midfield needs to go through a mini-rebuild. Cripps, Cerra and Walsh are the core of our midfield. We have ballsed things up badly with the supporting types we have put in to play around them. Terribly. we needed to add pace, physicality and pressure. Instead we have added more slow, immobile big bodies. One dimensional types. The game has gone away from this over the last few seasons. The better teams have much better closing speed around the ball. This is why teams go to big efforts to get the ball out into the open against us and not let us control things in close.

I think we need to step things up tactically as well. I don't like our midfield setups a lot of the time. I don't think there are plans in there to implement when we are getting beaten. Good sides when getting beaten at the stoppages at least apply pressure and give the next line a chance to win the ball. We don't. Part is tactics, part is not having the closing speed to be able to do it.

I think we are 6 good players away from being a premiership side. Both because they aren't on the list or they are never fit.

2 fast mids who apply elite pressure and can run and carry the footy.

2 half forward flankers. Real ones with pace smarts and skills. Not players who stay out of the play and don't get involved. Playmakers.

1 medium forward who presents and is a threat in the air.

1 CHB.

And yes injuries have played a part. Marchbank could have played the CHB role and there would be no problem. His luck with illness and a career of being a reckless and accident prone player have caught up with him. Williams as a half forward would be perfect on the forward flank yet he's been injured a lot. Martin as a half forward and marking target is exactly what we need as is Silvagni as a third tall. Cerra has been that unfit and injured all year he has been irrelevant. Now we find we need to move away from these players, instead of saying "what if" every year.

Cook was right a few years ago, we are a long way away. Our drafting has been good enough to put a top end in our team but again, same as the Brett Ratten

Brett Ratten

Age

53

Ht

184cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.4

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

10.3

5star

M

2.9

3star

T

3.0

5star

No current season stats available

D

26.4

5star

K

13.8

5star

HB

12.6

5star

M

3.4

4star

T

1.6

4star

era, we arrive with an incomplete team.

This is make or break for us. We are exactly where we were back in 2011. We are a little bit better. But we are at a point where we will either crash badly as we did then or we will steadily build up.

This is a massive draft and trade period for us. It's not easy getting to the top. But if we are good enough we will get there. If we can get the players we need we will make it. If not, history will repeat and we will crash.

 

[JustOneTime]

My two cents worth...

I respectfully accept that we have a current squad that can get close. We were top 2 before falling off that cliff. But respect for our current list/coaches does remain. I personally agree with the Russell exit just to try a diff approach for dumb luck to kick in.

1. I'm not going to over-egg it with our midfield. If Cerra/Walsh fire it's a good baseline with Cripps/Hewett/Kennedy. I'm ok with others pinch hitting in their like a Doch. Yes, if a nice speedy mid came along you grab him. It's seriously hard to keep asking for more A graders. We just need Walsh and Cerra firing at their best next year.
2. Our biggest requirement is a Collins/Petty/Pies - Murphy type for our defence. Someone cheap who is a strong committed body. Someone cheap but that turns out great. I'm not a fan of Young/Kemp/Mcgovern being forced to play 2nd key defender. they don't have the physical/competitive profile. In trying to attain continual improvement I dont see young playing more than a few games per year before we delist him.
3. Again with the defence which is where i see most of our problems. Mcgovern is our designated interceptor but he is really not completing the role 'at all'. Haynes can and I like that idea. Will help us a lot to have a higher AFL IQ interceptor rather than a player who is just fast.
4. I'd like to see Kemp and JSoS switch roles based on their traits. JSoS's key trait is splitting 50/50 contests. He sort of never wins them but also doesnt lose them. This competitive spirit would suit as a backup 2nd key defender. Likewise Kemp's most attractive trait is a free run and jump at the ball/mark. With Curnow and Mckay Kemp's opponent will try and help vs Charlie/Mckay leaving Kemp some opportunities to fly unrestricted for the ball. That will mean goals for Carlton.
5. Lastly, my wish list would be for the coaching group to design more run/uncontested goals. Right now it is high down the wing and high into the forward pocket. This leads to 'HARD' brutal contested footy and soreness. It also sets the opposition up for quick counter attack leaving us flat footed. If we dont change our players are likely to arrive season end completely cooked, battered and mentally fried.
6. We need to remove the calamity from our onfield performance. It used to be via Plowman, Jones, then Young, then Kemp and sometimes Mcgoven. That calamity rubs off on the wiider group causing panic...specifically in defence. Changing just one or two players can completely eliminate it.

I recognise we have a lot going for us. Just incremental improvement is required.

 

[haveago]

My take is fatigue, an endless run of injuries, selection blunders (Hewitt, Kennedy and Kemp for one game not playing. Cotters, Fantasia playing for a start), an element of lacking hunger/desperation before the young ones came in V Eagles and gave the team a real shot in the arm.
Players like Charlie, Blake, Walsh, and even Saady at times not performing like 2023 for various reasons. (primarily playing hurt I think)
Pittos very poor form, again up till Eagles game.


All of the above could be reversed come Saturday night......... The signs have been there last few weeks.

 

[SurreyBlue]

1. Selection Integrity - not making players earn their spot and not selecting players who busted the door down.
2. Playing injured players
3. Getting the fitness programs wrong - team and individual
4. Selecting unbalanced structures - playing favourites and allowing opposition teams to take advantage

 

[Mentallo]

I can tell you what happened...
I am in a group chat with about 13 other mad Blues fans, at qtr time of that round 17 game one of the members said in the chat...

This maybe a better team than 95.

I felt my pulse raise and thought uh oh.

I replied...

Let’s just finish the job.

We didn't.

And we have all been blaming him for our poor form since then.