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I posted this on BF, thought I'd bring it here as well.
At the half way point of this season we had made big improvements from the previous season. We were playing a style of footy that was working for us and we were going about it in a good manner. Since then we have slipped big time, we have really got worse significantly. We have slipped back to the level we were in 2008. Possibly worse. There have been many reasons thrown around as to why we have slipped so far since the mid year break. But where are the improvements going to come from, not just for the remainder of this season but the next season?
1. Body use. People here often go on about how we need to block for Judd. Thing is if we are looking to block for individuals we are going about it wrong and never going to have success. Our players don't shepherd, bump or block instinctively. This is the biggest problem we have. We must not train to block for certain individuals. What we need to do, and this is Ratten's biggest challenge over the coming preseason, is to program our players to take every opportunity to block, bump and shepherd. Players should never be consciously thinking to block, bump and shepherd. It must be an instinctive thing that players do naturally so they do it for all players and at all opportunities and in every situation. This is our biggest issue and we need to drill it into all our players so they take every opportunity to do these things.
2. Our game style. Said it before but we play a style that works brilliantly against some sides and horribly against others. We need to look at how and where we run, our players aren't running to the same areas the players in good sides do. We play a game style similar to Essendon* where our midfield runs forward hard at all cost but does not get in a good position to defend turn overs.
Good sides, particularly the dogs get their numbers in a position where they don't have to run back hard. They don't play with many forwards inside 50 and the midfieldres keep well away from the forward 50. They get numbers back and back them selves to turn it over in defence, they do their hard running when they win the ball from defence, they look to run in lines, similar to a rugby set up where the ball is allowed to be passed forward. Players who are out of the contest don't run forward, they get back and this is their rest time. A few little tweaks to our game plan and we'll go forward. Getting the forward line functioning as a unit with a good structure and with players going to the right areas is crucial. Kicking to our tall forwards more than our small ones is crucial for proper function.
3. Fitness. Every year it's Walker and Judd and then daylight from time trials. It's about time that other's stepped up. Murphy has struggled this year to improve his work rate but has an excuse as he had an interrupted preseason. Gibbs hasn't taken quite as many steps forward as you would have liked. Grigg, Johnson, Russell, Robinson, Joseph, Yarran and Garlett are players who need to catch up to the top runners in our club. It's about time we had a group of players, particularly midfielders who are up with the top runners in our club. Many of our players will also be looking at improving their body size and strength. O'hAilpin, Gibbs, Fisher, Anderson, Bower, Simpson, Henderson, Armfield, Austin, Lucas, Robinson, Warnock, Garlett and Ellard are not big enough or strong enough for AFL football. All these players need to get stuck into the gym and bulk up. Possibly Murphy could be included in this group. We don't have the endurance, size and strength of the top sides and we must catch up. We need to be able to run with the top sides, run like the top sides and run in numbers like the top sides.
4. Injured players.
Mclean needs to get himself right for the 2011 preseason. Perhaps lose a little upper body mass. We need this guy going. We need this recruiting move to work, we need him fit and going.
Murphy missed out on having a big preseason but this year he needs to get stuck into it and have a big one. Missed the opportunity to improve as a player and hasn't gone forward this year.
Austin is always injured. The guy needs a big preseason to bulk up and improve his running and then find some form.
Bower looks to have got his body right, if he can have a good preseason we will be right.
Chris Johnson has looked alright and with a preseason, no injuries and a decent run could be valuable for us.
Kreuzer is our biggest out. We have missed his size and hardness at the ball around the midfield. Is as courageous as Selwood and puts his head over it and attacks it 100% all the time. There is no doubt we have missed his leadership and hardness. Hopefully he is able to have a decent preseason and the injury doesn't effect him too much in 2011.
Kane Lucas has been really good for us and having him out really hurts us.
Waite being out and suspended has not helped our cause. Hopefully he keeps playing well and steps it up for 2011.
5. Our hardness at the ball and our tackling. Players Like Judd, Simpson and Kreuzer are the only players who are up to scratch in this area. Senior players like Scotland and Carrazzo have failed to show the way in terms of on field leadership. Our Top liners like Gibbs and Murphy have been very poor in this area. It's a shame considering Gibbs' potential and the fact Murphy was a hard nut when he first started. All the players other than Simmo, Kreuzer and Judd are not up to AFL standard in the physical attack on the ball and the man. Perhaps if we can increase the body size of some of our players and get point 1 right and get Kreuzer back and Mclean and Robinson going we might get some where. If we take a hardened approach to selection and players on field disciplines and drop a few big names things might turn around.
6. Dylan Buckley. I believe our midfield and premiership chances wont happen until he is up and going. By then you would hope our current crop would have also made significant improvements. Our midfield is far from where it needs to be as seen from the touch up received from the Bulldogs and Collingwood.
7. Coaching. I think we need to stick with Ratts, I don't think he is completely to blame, I reckoned he's improved in areas and is aware of our problems. What he needs is the right men at his side and all the extreme mates of his and B grade players in assistant coaching roles are probably not helping. A review and clean out of the assistants and getting guys with recent experience at various successful clubs who can bring different training methods, different ideas, different problem solving and identification skills, experience in developing talls, a more defencive mindset to midfield play and a forward coach who can get things working.
8. Our young developing players players. Players like Touhy and Davies will have to be played next year. Davies skills and ability to read the game look fine, he's a great build and size. He's playing down back in the VFL but we should be looking to play him on the ball a bit too. A big strong player if he is hard at it like Davies could be would be very valuable for us. We have a lot of players who are too small, light and not strong enough for AFL and Davies could help with this issue. Touhy looks the goods, ball handling might not be 100% below his knees yet but he like Davies is a good strong build, he's confident and likes to run, carry and evade tackles. He's also a good kick. Both these boys need to be played and soon but perhaps not this year. Casboult is another player who will be big and strong enough for AFL. He's got the height and good hands to make it at AFL but his kicking, leap and smarts aren't there yet but he will be interesting to keep track of in development. O'Keeffe is an interesting prospect. Troubled by injury but if he can find the ability to hold down opposition forwards he will be valuable to us with his size and strength. We need these later picks to turn out or we might never be a top side.
9.
Carlton need to give Scotland and Carrazzo the arse, they are senior players they are past their best, they are bloody average players and they are soft. I recon next year we will line up like this:
B: Armfield Jamison White
HB: Russell Bower Touhy
C: Lucas Mclean Murphy
HF: Yarran Waite Gibbs
F: Betts Henderson Walker
OB: Warnock Davies Judd
IC: Kreuzer Simpson Garlett Robinson
EM: Casboult Johnson Ellard Grigg Joseph
Players like: Scotland, Carrazzo, Fisher, Hampson and Thornton are depth players if we are serious about making a decent team out of Carlton.
What I want to see is Davies become a midfielder and be played on the ball. No soft players in the center. Touhy get a game very soon as with Davies. Joseph to only play midfield and never defence if at all. Get rid of some all the smaller and average players and replace them with bigger stronger bodies. Casboult might be worth a game.
This is my team to play Essendon*...
B: Armfield Jamison Walker
HB: Russell Bower Touhy
C: Simpson Grigg Murphy
HF: Yarran Waite Gibbs
F: Betts Henderson Hampson
OB: Warnock Davies Judd
IC: Ellard Johnson Garlett Robinson
Truths about our onballers
Judd is a good tought player and a genuine onballer.
Mclean is a good tough player and a genuine onballer when he's fit.
Murphy is a reasonable onballer but has slid. Has lost his intensity and attack on the ball and has become too much of an outside "fancy" player. His work rate has not lifted to that of an A grade AFL footballer. This would have a fair bit to do with his injury interrupted preseason.
Gibbs is not a genuine onballer at the moment, his attack on the footy is shocking and he wont put his head over it. Has the potential to be a superstar AFL onballer but he doesn't have what it takes mentally. Until he does he's only a good winger or flanker.
Simpson tries hard but he is too light and is not a genuine onballer. He's a winger/flanker/pocket utility.
Carrazzo and Scotland are poor players who often get belted when tagging good players, don't put their bodies in ever and don't win their own ball, they are as far from a genuine onballers as you can get. At best they are attacking half forward flankers suited to playing up the ground. Problem is this means Carrazzo gets a lot of the ball and the more he gets the more he butchers it.
Cachia is an interesting prospect. I hear he's improving in the seconds. He's a bit of an unknown quantity. The fact he has been brought up through the VFL and playing a type of footy where you have to win your own ball is good and might make him better in the long run. With another preseason he might be in the mix.
Lucas is a gem. I hope to god he doesn't take the path of some of our other higher profile mids and lose intensity and hardness at the contest and end up relying on being an oppertunist at winning lose balls and being a reciever. At this stage I would say that he wouldn't, I recon he'll be a good onballer for us.
Davies is played at the half back flank as it's the "learning position". It's the best position to learn the game and get into the play. That's where many players start. Hell, Kouta was played at CHB to learn the game for years. If the club had the attitude they have at the moment where they won't try blokes in differnet positions then we are stuffed. It was this move that saw Kouta moved from CHB to center, and we all know how that turned out. Dean Bailey did it with the Deamons last year and look what good it did them, they are performing fantastically for such a young side. I see Davies as big powerful on baller who will perform when the going is tough against good sides unlike many of our onballers do now. It's not going to happen now, but in the future it should definately be on the cards. The way the Ants are travelling they could do no worse than to throw him in the guts.
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