Round 13 - Carlton

[Cheer Squad]

Seems like only yesterday we played Carlton at the SCG. The result was a shock.

Have we improved enough to reverse the result on Sunday? It depends a great deal on how much we can negate Judd's influence, which is unlikely.

Our record on the road this season is very good, and it will be dry inside the stadium, but I still think we'll have our work cut out for us to win, to be honest. Carlton are a team on the up. We're still not settled.

I'm afraid it will be Carlton by about 30 points.

[RBS1]

Carlton are on the up but still very suspect when the heat comes .. Remember last year at the dome we jumped them and turned them over .. They have been up for a while now reckon we might pinch this .. Mumford in could be huge and having jack back to sit on Judd can only help

[BlueRay]

This is a danger game for us (Carlton), but one we should win if we are serious about making a dent in finals this year. The last couple of weeks Judd has put in cameos rather than being dominant across the game and players like Robinson, Ellard and Curnow have been extracting the ball and feeding it to Murphy, Scotland and Gibbs. This is the best Carlton team this millennium and it's a team effort that is getting it done, staunch defending with great run and spread from half back and a multi pronged forward line with defensive pressure across every line.

RBS1, your suspect comment when the heat comes on is no longer the case, in previous years I would have agreed with you, however we have toughed it out in several games this season against you guys, Adelaide and St Kilda where they came at us in the last quarters then we dug in and gutted out a win and anyone who watched our game against Geelong would have to agree that we are a tougher more disciplined side in 2011. The addition of Brown and Richardson to our coaches have really added some steel to the players resolve.

Kruezer and Henderson will be better for the run with both looking good. Hampson is in career best form and his combination with Kruezer should be able to match your ruck combination of Seaby and Mumford, Gibbs no doubt will try and match up on Goodes, although it has only worked once for us, but apparently once is enough O'Keefe wil lbe looked after by either Duigan or Russell with Jamison and Thornton taking Reid and probably your resting ruck with either Waite, Henderson or Bower being the third tall.

Up forward Walker is on fire, someone who is similar to O'Keefe in your premiership years and Betts has turned the corner with a few good games in a row. Waite and Henderson will no doubt swap across from defense through the game depending on match ups and Kruezer showed on Sunday afternoon just how valuable he'll be up forward taking a couple of big contested grabs and feeding of several more, stats have him down for 6 score involvements.

Carlton has won (or was competitive in)many different types of games this year, a real hard slog against you and St Kilda, Geelong was a game of speed and ball movement. Adelaide and Melbourne flooded back and used a spread and run game. This is a real "eight point" game which will either entrench us in the top 4 or bring us back to the pack.

[swansprincess]

I don't see how we'll be a real danger to any of the teams above us on the ladder if we don't have any genuine forwards or goalkickers. Reid is good but at the moment he's just not good enough and Goodes is out of form also.

[Dosser]

This is a danger game for us (Carlton), but one we should win if we are serious about making a dent in finals this year. The last couple of weeks Judd has put in cameos rather than being dominant across the game and players like Robinson, Ellard and Curnow have been extracting the ball and feeding it to Murphy, Scotland and Gibbs. This is the best Carlton team this millennium and it's a team effort that is getting it done, staunch defending with great run and spread from half back and a multi pronged forward line with defensive pressure across every line.

RBS1, your suspect comment when the heat comes on is no longer the case, in previous years I would have agreed with you, however we have toughed it out in several games this season against you guys, Adelaide and St Kilda where they came at us in the last quarters then we dug in and gutted out a win and anyone who watched our game against Geelong would have to agree that we are a tougher more disciplined side in 2011. The addition of Brown and Richardson to our coaches have really added some steel to the players resolve.

Kruezer and Henderson will be better for the run with both looking good. Hampson is in career best form and his combination with Kruezer should be able to match your ruck combination of Seaby and Mumford, Gibbs no doubt will try and match up on Goodes, although it has only worked once for us, but apparently once is enough O'Keefe wil lbe looked after by either Duigan or Russell with Jamison and Thornton taking Reid and probably your resting ruck with either Waite, Henderson or Bower being the third tall.

Up forward Walker is on fire, someone who is similar to O'Keefe in your premiership years and Betts has turned the corner with a few good games in a row. Waite and Henderson will no doubt swap across from defense through the game depending on match ups and Kruezer showed on Sunday afternoon just how valuable he'll be up forward taking a couple of big contested grabs and feeding of several more, stats have him down for 6 score involvements.

Carlton has won (or was competitive in)many different types of games this year, a real hard slog against you and St Kilda, Geelong was a game of speed and ball movement. Adelaide and Melbourne flooded back and used a spread and run game. This is a real "eight point" game which will either entrench us in the top 4 or bring us back to the pack.

Good call, although I think we may have the edge in big men (I think Kruezer is more of a forward than a ruckman) but Carlton will smash our forwards with their backline. In addition, Carlton seems to have found some mongrel in the clearances - just watch them throwing themselves in at the ball.
All up, I think Carlton will be too good at home, which I hate because I just know I will be getting texts from my brother-in-law all evening...

[Triple B]

This is the best Carlton team this millennium....

It should be, you spent the first 80% of it tanking for draft picks.

And when you got caught cheating, they took a few draft picks off you. This of course made you even more pathetic, enabling you to pick up some priority picks and landing Judd. Nice work AFL....

[BlueRay]

That's the easy perception but it's wrong. People seem to forget how crap we really were.

Yes we were caught cheating the salary cap, and had a few picks taken from us as well as about $1 million in fines.

We didn't tank to get Walker, Murphy, Russell or Gibbs. Kruezer and Judd there may have been some funny business going on in the last couple of weeks, but we still were bottom 3 six weeks out when Ratten took over from Pagan so it's not as if the team can just flick a switch and be stars overnight.

Our first round picks are Murphy, Walker, Gibbs, Russell, Yarran, Kruezer and Judd a nice collection. But what opposition supporters fail to see is the very good recruiting we've had to do to make up for the draft penalties and years of list mis management in the Elliot era. Last week we had Jamison, Thornton, Touhy, Carrazzo, Ellard, Curnow and Garlett who are all rookie drafted players, add to that Betts who was a PSD draft pick up, so another 8 that were picked up after the main draft of 80+ players. Then take 3 very important players in our current structure all taken after pick 35 in Simpson, Robinson and Duigan and you can see we've balanced our first rounders with some solid picks in late rounds.

We don't have your extra 600K per year to get players from other clubs. No other club had the extra money to offer Mumford the same as what you guys did and Geelong who is in desperate need of him once Ottens hangs up his boots had to be resigned to the fact that he was going. So while you jeer the AFL, just make sure you're not biting the hand that feeds you, cause they help Sydney more that any other club to stay up.

[GoSouth33]

Just a reminder of what happened in Rd 6 from the afl.com match report......


"CARLTON has secured its fourth win of the season and a rare victory in Sydney, overcoming the Swans by 16 points in a tight battle at a soggy SCG on Friday night.

Post-match, a furore erupted over a controversial free kick and 50m penalty for an interchange infringement that led to a goal to Carlton at a critical stage of the third quarter, with the AFL announcing it would investigate the incident.

The Blues trailed by 17 points midway through the third quarter, but three quick goals in succession to Eddie Betts helped them to a one-point lead at the final change.

As expected, the Swans charged hard in the last quarter, but the Blues, thanks to a dominant performance from captain Chris Judd, who had 33 disposals, held off the home team.

Brett Ratten's side kicked four goals to the Swans' two in the last term, winning 12.15 (87) to 10.11 (71)."

This was also the game in which K. Jack sustained his injury and although it's hard to measure it made us less effective. The incorrectly given interchange infringement also shifted the momentum in what was a very tight, close game.

[BlueRay]

I think some people forget how crap we really were Triple B, We didn't tank to get Walker, Gibbs, Murphy, Yarran or Russell. Kruezer I'll give you but even then we were bottom three that year so hardly that great. In fact if you look at the side we trotted out last week there were 7 number round 1 picks Judd included but also 7 rookie listed players Jamison, Garlett, Thornton, Curnow, Carrazzo, Ellard and Touhy. Plus Betts who we picked up in the PSD so while we did benefit from being so rubbish in the early 00's we got some late gems as well.

[Big Al]

I stopped reading when I got to "we didn't tank...".

You're probably a nice fella Blueray but credit us with some intelligence please.

[Peace]

We beat them twice last year and i think we are a much better side now. In the last two games we have been demolishing the contested possessions and inside 50's, granted its against lesser sides but if Kennedy, Jude, Jack etc. keep doing what they are doing at the stoppages, our forwards will see a lot of the ball.

Haven't lost an away game either, that is a huge confidence booster for our boys

God, im so optimistic hahaha.

[Big Al]

I don't see how we'll be a real danger to any of the teams above us on the ladder if we don't have any genuine forwards or goalkickers. Reid is good but at the moment he's just not good enough and Goodes is out of form also.

Created 30 scoring opportunities in the wet against a committed opponent and kicked 13 goals in a half the previous week so I think the forward set up is coming together.

Will it improve sufficiently to challenge for a top 4 spot this year... Probably not but the Swans are a club you bet against at your peril.

[Melbourne_Blood]

If we play our best footy for the year, we will go very close to winning. We've been pretty average this year, despite our wins and havent really had everything gel in one game. eg. Disposal against Essendon, WC, Geelong, was terrible. Our forward set up against Hawthorn and the doggies ( probably other games too ) was non exicstent and our midfield against the Kangas was piss weak. ( i dont need to mention our goal kicking on the weekend) Despite all this, the postives are that we have 7 wins on the board and have had chances to win against good sides in Geelong and Carlton. We still have half a season to go and this week will be a great great opportunity to prove we're a serious side, IF, we can put everything together over four quarters.

[Peace]

Created 30 scoring opportunities in the wet against a committed opponent and kicked 13 goals in a half the previous week so I think the forward set up is coming together.

Will it improve sufficiently to challenge for a top 4 spot this year... Probably not but the Swans are a club you bet against at your peril.

There is no chance of the wind affecting our kicking at goal this week either...

[707]

I think Carlton are a much improved side over the last month and don't have any real deficiencies that I can see. They have a number of previously spare parts players who have really stepped up so this will be a serious test for us.

We can win but would want to do everything right from containing their midfield stars, keeping a tight check on the small forwards and kicking straight! Nothing like scoreboard pressure to hurt the opposition.

As for Blueray's assertion there was no tanking by Carton, give me a break. I will admit however that Melbourne's tanking was even more blatant two years ago, so much so that Vlad (he who said tanking didn't exist) promptly changed the Priority Pick rules to stop it, even though it wasn't happening ..... Vlad? are you there Vlad? I'm glad Melbourne are experiencing some bad games recently, well deserved, the same for Carton's 6-7 years in the wilderness, nice work John Elliott.