Elimination Final: Blues v Swans Match Thread MCG

[Auntie.Gerald]

We lost the game, but in the end we should have won. Our opportunities to win were greater than theirs - and for much of the match - we just couldn’t convert.

Carlton were not in control or dictating terms. That is not a true reflection of the contest last night. 23 scores to 19 says a fair bit, as does Parker’s comment after the game that we ‘had them on the ropes’.

I respectfully disagree

I would have had a lot lower heart beat and pulse if I was not Horse Longmire last night. It felt like we had a lot let pieces on the chess board vs a full stack at Carlton.

10.6 versus 7.9 is exactly where any team in a final would want to be at the end of 3qtr time against a formidable finals team like Sydney.

Carlton made this lead happen through severe pressure and then shaped to the areas of ground that worked for them.

Only 20% of teams win a game of AFL if behind at the end of 3qtr time. Control the game and increase your probability of winning.

As a Carlton coach….. would u say that the blues largely shaped the game to parts of the field they wanted to contest in…YES….….Geelong did this also last year in the GF and at the beginning of 2023…….they both shaped the games to where they felt we don’t have good answers and they could capitalise.

Even when we put on 40pts in the 2nd qtr they surged again with another few goals to keep us at bay.

Scores or entries are not the only barometers for making another team stay behind on the scoreboard and shape the opposition to how you want to play the game.

Seeing some of our best players tag the Blues mids so heavily is such a strong indication of where our midfield is at and the significant compromises we had to tactically make to even keep close enough to maybe snag a win.

I was surprised by the change in exits by Carlton from prior games I have watched and this allowed them to break open our corridor zoning and advance their field position and lock in.

When they were under pressure they found very good long leads from Mackay, Curnow, Cottrell and DeKoning which gave them time and space for their next moves.

[KSAS]

To further fuel the Carlton fairytale consipiracies, HS paywall article headline "Why The AFL Are Breathing Sigh Of Relief After Blues Win". Stating AFL will be privately grateful Carlton won last night. Not sure if their relief is related to the Adelaide Goal Umpire gate or for dream of a Collingwood v Carlton GF.

[waswan]

Seeing some of our best players tag the Blues mids so heavily is such a strong indication of where our midfield is at and the significant compromises we had to tactically make to even keep close enough to maybe snag a win.

Agree with most of what you said but the above is more of an indication of where our Midfield coaching is at.

If im Horse and Cox is asking me for Heeney so he can tag, im telling him to start again. Same with Mills.

We have enough personnel to be a good midfield.

Mills, Paps and Heeney are non negotiatables... They are out match winners, they have a license to do whatever they want.

Blues mid coach must have had the easiest week of his life, dont worry about anyone in their guys, they will follow you.

[liz]

I thought Carlton dictated the shape of the game in the second quarter but only in the second quarter. That's when they really got on top around the contests.

Apart from that I think we matched them in the midfield but our delivery forward left a bit to be desired. Their defence held up well against our movement into the 50. Even then, we missed so many gettable shots and had two good strikes (maybe) just touched on the line. Carlton weren't perfect in their conversion (cough cough, McKay) but we missed more gettable shots.

We didn't win, but we played well enough that we certainly could have won. And had we done so, I wouldn't have felt we fluked it against a better team.

[waswan]

Wasnt overly disappointed, playing in front of 90k interstate is always going to be a big ask.

But not sticking tackles and consistently being nowhere when they had 3 around the loose ball was frustrating.

Defence was enormous, glad we signed Mclean when we did, would have been alot harder getting his signature next week.

[gloveski]

I noticed in the after game press conference Buller got a mention by Longmire A fit Buller is going to at a minimum drive the likes ofMcDonald McLean and Amartey come preseason We can’t play the 4 of them , on last nights effort I think Amartey has to get fitter , for a guy that’s been in the system for awhile his fitness base looks along way off . I know he has had injury issues but without a big preseason he might miss out .


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[Auntie.Gerald]

For me shape is when you are in defence, in attack and at the contest.

The transitions by Carlton were next level and really caught our corridor defensive shape hopping.

Contested ball we dropped away by 20 in the last qtr which is an amazing gap between two teams in a final……..20 !!!!! ……. Considering Carlton played generally plus one in the last qtr that is an incredible effort by Carlton but a real concern for us. Carlton shaped us to areas where they dominated the contest. They did this exceptionally well in the last qtr where a team behind throws everything at u including an extra man around the contest and the differential at the contest was negative 20.

I think it is too easy to say we didn’t kick straight because Carlton made it happen under pressure and we didn’t. That’s high performance at its best or worst ie performing under pressure and nailing it or failing it. If every team was judged by their chances vs goals made it would be a different game of football.

I do love that that the scoreboard looks close at the buzzer and that we did really run out the game and kept within a whisker points wise……but tactically it just worries me that we can’t be the midfield team that is hunter and tagged????

We had to pull Heeney from his critical marks and leads and get him to tag. If required for long periods of a game that we tag that sort tells me the acid vs base ratio……..bit of a litmus test that we were hunting and tagging not the hunted in the midfield.

Not much more exciting then seeing your mids dominate, apply extremes pressie and provide a banquet for your forwards which Carlton definitely did first half and enough in the 3rd qtr to keep a buffer and a distance so the opposition has to play catch up and push forward in numbers.

Yet still we were negative 20 last qtr at the contest.

I’m just having a rant but equally I am genuinely concerned what i have watched the last few weeks vs Melbourne, Adelaide and Carlton.

I really do feel we need to inject some maturity and ability into a few key areas.

John was asked whether we have improved on last year post game…….gee he stumbled in response and was evasive.

[lwjoyner]

3 general comments.1 I think I need to write to chennel 7. Broadcast the game stop your commentators from barracking for either side, This soft call business is crap.Goal umpires and reviewers scared to call in Swans favour now, might get dropped (note one of the commentators said he thought 1 was goal and could not see the touch). As for the field umpirers , even though the umps were better than usual in our games its the missed frees that are getter worse (thought 4 umps were supposed to stop these) throws etc
Now to general about the Swans Bad kicking is bad football 9 g 14n v 11 g 8 b. so often the case with us. Maybe Nic "bloody "davis needs to help the guys as well as the gals.. Backline I thought did well, Curnow and McKay did not dominate. Tom Mc ,Lewis M, Ramps etc did vey well. (second time this season) so why the push for McKays brother ben from nth Upgrade both Arnold and Buller (maybe Buller would put pressure on Amerty who at this stage is too soft). We also need to ruckman chase grundy using money Mckay would want (dons want him too but wont overpay ($850k suggested). get a key defender in draft and a Josh K look a like (maybe trade picks to get higher in draft for Larke Medalist . Dont offer Wicks huge money if at all, to resign, is a fringe player only. Warner (chad) needs his confidence lifted so he can get back to 2022 form (dash and daring) play like Walsh from blues. Mc Inney also needs to get confidence and dash he had early in season and last year Hayden Mc was excellent perhaps Swans best. Hayward has dropped off lately and goes missing in games regularly. Overaal a good effort for year ,

[Auntie.Gerald]

It’s funny how different coaches answer how they see a game

A game that was similar in that the opposition shot out of the gates first half and held a lead to the end albeit a very small lead at the end of the game.

Simon Goodwin said that he felt that his team played the right way for 3qtrs similar to what Horse said……but Simon Goodwin went onto say that early in the game when it mattered most they didn’t start well and then had to chase every qtr for the rest of the game ie Pies controlled the game via defence and shape.

Melbourne lost by 7pts

Sydney lost by 6pts

Sydney also didn’t start the first half well enough and had to claw back and chase the game

Melbourne had 70 entries but Goodwin said pretty simply his team didn’t win enough contests early in the game when it mattered but then came home winning the contested ball by 15 and field position

[Nico]

Assume you weren’t at the game? Watching him before the ball got there, where he positioned himself and his efforts once it hit the ground showed that he had a shocker. Almost to the point of being embarrassing.

I don't think he got used at the centre bounce. I doubt he has much of a tank. The games where he has kicked multiple goals he has done so in the first half. He's not the answer up forward.

[Markwebbos]

Good to see the Mongrel Punt call out the HTB that wasn’t against Lloyd. Amongst other things

Carlton v Sydney - The Elimination Final Good, Bad, and Ugly - The Mongrel Punt

[Markwebbos]

Amartey has played 27 games, McLean 52. If Joel worked as hard on his game and fitness as McLean allegedly does I think he could be quite handy

[Blood Fever]

Carlton dictated terms. Let’s be frank. Make no bones about it.

They controlled the game which enables you to win by one goal or five due to their lead and being able to shape the game to their advantage. There was only a small moment or two where their control of the game was tested. These surges were repelled.

I thought our backline defence cobbled together in the end but Mackay going off after being so brilliant with his long leads and marks let us back in due to Curnow increasing his long leads and then not being in scoring spots much.

I feel this season we are off the pace keeping up with the talent building in the top8 teams in 2023.

Our backline transitions make us look like a pretty good team to watch…….but wouldnt it be nice to have another electric player up front who can score points and a midfield that doesn’t have to tag or run with a fellow top8 team?

Wouldn’t it be nice if our pick 3 who is now 26 years of age (Callum Mills) was tagged in the midfield. Let him loose !

Wouldn’t it be nice if our 27 year old gun old Issac Heeney did t have to tag but was let loose on the ball?

These guys are getting the clean ball rather than the crumbs?

I don’t think it is ever looked so obvious that the Carlton Mids dominated.

Cripps, Docherty, Acres vs our starting centre line of BJ, McInerney and Warner just looked chalk and cheese.

Let Warner tag if he is playing in his shell.

It felt like the mids of Geelong in the GF last year where they dictated terms and we played catch up.

Will be fascinating to see how our coaching and recruitment isolate what we really need to make us the hunter and stop doing the hunting.

A lot of deep thinking here yet we generated four more scoring shots and would have won if we kicked straight.

[barry]

I have to question Amartey's value to the team. When the ball hit the ground he was useless. On the side where I was sitting, twice Weitering gathered the ball but Amartey was too slow to pick up the play, or just too slow. He put no pressure on Weitering.

Yeah, He gave zero second efforts. Just stood there. Hopeless.
Delist.

[Roadrunner]

Yeah, He gave zero second efforts. Just stood there. Hopeless.
Delist.

Bit harsh, Barry. Agreed he needs to improve heaps, especially his tank and overall fitness. But he has the ability and hence potential so let’s see if he has the desire and the right mentality. Too soon to write him off! An intense preseason would be helpful.