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I know one of the biggest problems is our players smarts, positioning and our game plan but what also is our biggest problems is our "soft" midfield. Our midfield is not that good, well not at the moment, it's full of outside players who are not willing to put their bodies on the line, who are not physical and rough enough, who don't bump and hurt the man and take players out of the contest with hard physical football. Sometimes we do turn up and play hard and tough footy and that's often when we win against decent teams.
Judd - tough hard nut who hits the ball hard and the man hard but unfortunatly can't kick. He keeps us in it really, he's the only player we have that is willing to put his body on the line, attack the contested ball 100%, put his head over it and lay good solid body contact. That is why he is our stand out player.
Murphy - lacks intensity, doesn't put his body in, doesn't bump hard and doesn't compete well enough in one on ones. Classy player but is only interested in contests when the intensity is off and when in the open. Needs to attack the ball harder and take more oppertunities to lay heavy body contact.
Gibbs - A really dissapointing player. Gets a lot of the ball and generally uses it well but is bloody soft. He doesn't put his body on the line, never lays decent bumps with intention to take players out of the play. Pulls out of physical contests, doesn't put his head over the ball and doesn't attack the contested ball with enough physicality.
Mclean - The idea was there when drafting him but he looks like a slow wreck at this stage. Body looks stuffed. Useful when playing but is never playing.
Hadley - sort of player we need but is no where near up to it.
Carrazzo - good at getting lose and getting cheap posessions but is as soft as they come. Never lays any body on and doesn't attack the contested ball that 100%. His impact on games is next to nothing.
Simpson - has a real go. Is not very big but really puts his body on the line but is not built strongly enough to really physically impact. The guy attacks the ball and uses his body to the best of his ability.
Joseph - not sure he's all that good at winning the ball in the thick of things, looks to have lost intensity at the contest but is miles from our worst.
Scotland - Intensity is ok, he's an ok outside player but always gets in to close to the contest and always gets the ball under pressure. For an older player should be better at positioning himself around stoppages. Once again a player who refuses to lay any body on.
Grigg - Just an average player. Doesn't lay any body like most of our players, doesn't have great intensity. Not a natural inside player and not a great outside player. Is just a quicker version of Hadley but is not as good as extracting the ball.
We desperatly need some hard grunt players in the center who are big, strong and have a physical mentality. Players who naturally take every oppertunity to hit bodies and hard. Players who play with with good intensity. Players like Mitchell, Sewell, Goddard, Hayes, Swan, Corey, Selwood, Hodge, Cooney and Boyd. Players who when they attack the ball they attack it at 100%, who take every opportunity to hit opposition hard and take them out, players who put their heads over the ball and commit to it 100%. Not our hord of skillful but soft players.
Our game plan, position, decision making and smarts might be terrible but our attack on the ball and the man are a disgrace. We are all bark and no bite, come out saying we'll improve but as far as I can see a leopard doesn't change its spots. Sure we have seen these guys go hard at times but never do it with consistancy.
I know what every one is going to say, we are young, blah blah blah... That's crap, I've been watching Richmond and North Melbourne play and their young players really go in hard and have a real dip.
What to do? That's the problem. You can't drop all our midfield bar Judd. But you can change a few of the bad culprits. Murphy, Gibbs, Carrazzo, Scotland and Grigg are the main offenders. These guys are as soft as butter and haven't deserved to be playing on the ball. They are our core players but haven't been playing like it. These "core" players are a big part of our problem. We have too many players on the ball who are not physical and do not play contested football well and that is the most important thing when playing on the ball.
Perhaps it is Gibbs who needs a spell in the reserves to work on his deficiencies and learn to play contested footy. I'm sick of watching him shirk body contact. He might get a lot of the ball but his impact on the game and contribution to the team are not great.
Ellard needs to be played, we are desperate for a decent inside player who goes hard and and plays tough footy. Johnson needs to come in for Carrazzo. Johnson's attack on the footy when he played last was fantastic. I think that Davies and Touhy need to come in too. They might be young and raw but maybe that is the spark we need. The top sides have a lot of hard and tough midfielders in their side and on ball group. We don't, we have 1 maybe 2 if Mclean is worth a game. Perhaps if our passengers in the center want to play like periferal players then perhaps they should be playing on wings and flanks. Maybe Johnson, Ellard and Tuohy need to be put through the center. They definately need to come into the team, you don't win flags with soft unphysical players.
Carlton need to draw the line and give passengers like Gibbs, Murphy, Carrazzo and Scotland a real shake up. They are ment to be our core midfielders but they are not playing like it. They are not getting the most out of themselves, they are letting the side down and there are no excuses for it. They need football is not all about getting posessions but wearing the opposition down and working as a unit to win games. If they are going to play second rate football they can do it in the ants. Sure it might cost us a win and position in the 8 but the line must be drawn because we will not last one game in the 8 playing like this let alone make it.
Ratts and Co. have a lot of work getting our game plan right and educating our players but it's going to be a real test in getting this problem right.
Every time we go shit we bring out the axe and cut all the "periferal players", wont suprise me if Henderson, Robinson or Armfield are dropped when it's not them who is to blame it's our core players. Thornton will probably be back...
The MC must bring out the axe and cut players like Gibbs, Murphy, Scotland and Carrazzo for some youth and have the balls to play these kids in key positions (on the ball). We will find out this Thursday if our MC are a bunch of gutless wonders or not.
Last edited by gbatman on Sun Jul 18, 2010 7:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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