Carlton Football Club: The Round Five Review

No you are not seeing things, and neither am I. It turns out Carlton do know how to win and win comfortably. Easter Sunday of 2019 was a day to leave every blue-bagger smiling. To finally have some of the weight lifted off the backs of so many. A day that felt like the gods were for once on our side. The blues caught their Footscray opponents at a perfect time. Almost nothing was going right for the doggies. They couldn't dominate the contests, they couldn't connect with their teammates and they couldn't make the most of their scoring opportunities. Similar problems to what Carlton have been dealing with for the past month. This time it was the blues turn to inflict a little pain, and they did so without relying entirely on Mr. Reliable (the skipper Patrick Cripps) or his trusty sidekick, Sam Walsh. It was a chance for some different faces to shine and a chance for these faces to shut down the unnecessary scrutiny they copped in the days leading up to this game.

MARGIN

(Predicted : Real)

-42 points : +44 points

Difference: + 86

What the heck is with this club always disappointing me and proving me wrong? Not that I'm mad or anything because there is no reason to be. For me, it's forever a win-win situation. Just when I think the bulldogs would run us off our feet and stun us with their clean use of the footy, it would turn out to be the complete opposite. For the first time in a while our kids were super clean with ball in hand. 17 of the players used it at least 70% or greater. Goals were more common and many of the set-shots were sublime. It was nearly the perfect performance, especially for a team in Carlton's position. It was a win driven by pain, misery and a tough review of the game from the week before. You could see the fire in every single one of the players' eyes. They were desperate to get a W next to their name. In the end, they pulled it off in brilliant fashion. Arguably the biggest upset of the round, and one that gone on to shock almost everybody including me. Regardless, it's superb and us blues fans will happily take it for what it is!

First Quarter

Unfortunately I can't go into too much detail about this quarter because I may have slept into the early hours of the afternoon (I missed it all). Oops! But having both seen a few of the highlights and picked up a few key points, I can safely say that the blues performed very well. They did after all come out leaders at quarter-time. Harry McKay was clunking them and kicking goals from tight angles. Talk about immediately making up for the forgettable performance he had the previous week. Late inclusion Levi Casboult too got on the scoreboard with a thumping kick from just outside the 50-metre arc. Dow on the run and Murphy out of the congestion. This was like a completely different Carlton side on the field. Nothing like the one of recent years. And did my ears play tricks on me, or did I hear both Cripps and Petrevski-Seton were doing it all in the middle (both 13 disposals and around 3 clearances each). I mean I know to expect that from Cripps, but my goodness Samo. Talk about incredible!

Second Quarter
Missed the opening minute but rushed to my phone to stream the second term. I was surprised Carlton were in front, and even more surprised by the sustained effort. Cripps and Petrevski-Seton continued to own the half, winning the clearances all on their own. Harry McKay wasn't any different, with 3 contested marks and 3 goals before the major break. We also can't go without mentioning him shrugging off Easton Wood and sprinting from the wing to deep inside the 50 with four bounces. Of course he couldn't finish it off properly, but it was McKay showcasing his incredible agility. Must I remind you he is over 200 centimetres tall? The man was even spoiling the ball to his teammates' advantage, with Jack Silvagni dribbling a beauty. Let's not forget Gibbons kicking his first ever AFL goal in a game that made his story all the more sweet. It was another quarter we won, with the margin extended from 12 points to 19 points.

Third Quarter
Started off with a nice interception from little Zac Fisher, taking advantage of the slow ball across blues half-forward (kicked by Lachie Young). A pass to Mitch McGovern that saw him with his only goal, which was still enough for him to pull out the classic Dr. Evil celebration for the second week in a row. The third quarter was also home to one of the most beautiful pieces of play I have ever seen my team produce. A play where nearly every young player got involved. Dow, Petrevski-Seton, Walsh, Fisher, Gibbons, J.Silvagni, you name it. A series of clean electric hand passes and a couple of clean kicks, all leading to a mark in the goal square by none other than Levi Casboult. And yes, he did get the 6 points. After two goals in succession, there was a growing fear Bulldogs would bite back as the margin closed. But who better than Petrevski-Seton to continue his memorable day with his own intercepting mark and goal for reward. Another win, with the margin growing to exactly 4 goals.

Fourth Quarter

Casboult continued surprising me, banging them from nearly all angles outside 50. McKay kicked a second one around his body and though Dwayne Russell isn't a favourite of mine in commentary, he was right about one thing. Everyone was wild about Harry! Fisher contributed with a major of his own towards the end, with just a goal away from breaking a 59-game drought. Personally, I was hoping that the blue boys would record triple figures just to shut the masses up. It was 4 minutes and 46 seconds of play where I just grew anxious with the numerous blown chances to crack the 100-point mark. With six seconds left and a throw-in to take three off the clock, I lost all hope of it happening. Then the miracle came in the form of you guessed it... Mr. Samuel Walsh. The gift that keeps on giving. Something so close to perfection right now. To think he would step into the club and break the hoodoo for us. Nobody would've saw this coming. Nobody! A four-quarter display and a final margin of 44. It was nothing but smiles and cheers all around!

PLUSES / MINUSES

1. Brendan Bolton might not care about it as much, but I see it as something to shut the media up for a little while. Carlton after 1051 days and 59 matches, had finally broken the hoodoo and recorded a triple-figure score (101) within the final six seconds of the game. It's all thanks to our youngest man on the field along with a little help from Dow and Kreuzer.
2. Speaking of the youngest man. He has gone on to make history of his own. The first player in AFL/VFL history to record 24+ disposals in each of his first five career games. If this continues, I honestly think it won't take long for superstar status. Sam Walsh is f***ing amazing! I loved him before his name was called on draft night and I love him even more now. Help me!
3. Forget Charlie Curnow for the moment (still an exciting young player though), it's all about Harry McKay. I knew there was something exciting about him. No joke, but this guy has the potential to be the best tall forward in the league. He is breaking records and doing things you wouldn't expect him doing.

4. All we asked from the blues is that they put in a four-quarter effort. We didn't mean that they had to win all four quarters. Far out! And to think Carlton would be one of the last teams anybody expected to pull this off.
5. It would be rude for me to ignore Samo's performance. But I'll be further discussing it down below. Here's just a little extra praise for the 'Halls Creek Cowboy'.

1. Yeah, I know I shouldn't really go deep into the negatives after a win like this. But despite the 44-point victory, it still wasn't exactly perfect. Around the middle of the match, I noticed a small disconnection between the backline and the midfield. For quite a few minutes, the blues defenders were struggling to get it out of the back 50, especially from the kick-ins. A little more practice in communication and creating space for viable options, then we'll be guaranteed many more convincing victories. Oh how exciting it will be when everything clicks and works effectively together.
2. A few of the players a still lacking some polish and others are failing to have an influence. I won't name names in this area of the piece because it is not much of a problem after a win.
3. Yes Harry! I do believe you should have nailed that goal on the run. But all is forgiven. There's just no getting mad at you mate.

SCORES

1. HARRY MCKAY 20

2. Sam Walsh 10

3. Sam Petrevski-Seton 9

4. Marc Murphy 8
5. Zac Fisher 7

6 = Patrick Cripps 5.5

6 = Michael Gibbons 5.5

8 = Nic Newman 3.5

8 = Kade Simpson 3.5

10. Jack Silvagni 2

11. Lachie Plowman 1

12. Matthew Kreuzer 0

13. Levi Casboult -1

14. Paddy Dow -2

15. Ed Curnow -3

16. Caleb Marchbank -4

17. Dale Thomas -5

18. Jacob Weitering -6

19. Mitch McGovern -7

20. Lochie O'Brien -8

21. Liam Jones -9

22. Cameron Polson -10

TOTAL

1. Patrick Cripps 74.5
2 = Marc Murphy 41

2 = Sam Walsh 41
4. Nic Newman 35

5. Sam Petrevski-Seton 24
6. Kade Simpson 19.5
7. Dale Thomas 17
8. Zac Fisher 16
9. Harry McKay 14
10. Ed Curnow 12
11. Andrew Phillips 11.5
12. David Cuningham 2.5
13. Jack Silvagni 2

14. Paddy Dow 1

15. Matthew Lobbe -2
16. Lachie Plowman -2.5

17. Will Setterfield -6
18. Levi Casboult -8.5
19. Caleb Marchbank -11

20. Jacob Weitering -12

21. Charlie Curnow -13

22. Jarrod Garlett -14

23. Alex Fasolo -15
24. Michael Gibbons -16.5
25. Lochie O'Brien -20

26. Cameron Polson -26
27. Mitch McGovern -28.5

28. Liam Jones -36

THOSE WHO IMPRESSED ME

Michael Gibbons

The coaches were finally wise enough to allow our smallest man play to his strengths. Gibbons benefited from the open space, pushing up the ground and recording his best numbers of his career so far. 21 disposals, 6 marks, 3 tackles, 43 pressure acts, 5 inside 50's, 10 score involvements and his first AFL goal. Not only was it a small taste of his best and the work that saw him rewarded in the first place. It was the performance that put many of us back in our seats after the harsh, inequitable criticism for his lack of impact. Gibbons has been one of the few unfairly labelled scapegoats, after failing to deliver in a position unfamiliar to him. The previous week saw him a victim of poor direction, taking on the unsuitable deep forward role when teammates wouldn't answer for it. While I will admit that I've called him out for his recent inability to influence games, I knew very well he was not where he was supposed to be. All that was needed was time and for coaches to right the wrongs. The result was pleasing. Not just for Micky, but for everyone.

Sam Petrevski-Seton

Last match for this young man was good, but this match was so much better. Miles better in fact. This game of Samo's nearly came out of nowhere. A freakish day for a potentially freakish player. He was on fire early and was nearly everywhere throughout the day, from intercepting up forward to defending down back. Petrevski-Seton ended up with 35 disposals at 89% efficiency, 7 marks, 7 clearances, 4 inside 50's and a goal to go with it all. It was career-best numbers on an unforgettable day for him. Not only that, but it was on the back of some harsh criticism from some media people including former editor of 'The Age', Caroline Wilson. Petrevski-Seton answered a lot of our questions here and even went on to prove me wrong. The youth is strong, the development is working and the depth is building. Could've just about been the best on ground, and is very likely to snatch the three Brownlow votes off our best chance at the medal in Cripps.

Jack Silvagni

The first of Stephen's boys has gone through some significant changes, and none involve his crew cut hairstyle. Coming off last season, I felt Jack wasn't really getting his hands dirty. He was very slow and hesitant with applying pressure. But my how things can quickly change. First you hear him gaining some midfield experience. Then you read about him laying 16 tackles in a VFL practice match. And then you learn of him coming into the squad after arguably a best-on-ground performance in the twos. The boy is growing up and doing everything he can to make a name for himself. J. Silvagni in this match did what was asked of him and did it well. 18 disposals at nearly 90% efficiency, 3 tackles and a dribbling goal during play. Sure his set-shot kicking is still a work-in-progress, but everything else about him seems different to before. It makes critics look stupid now. This 'getting a game because of his name' nonsense could very well lose its validity (not that it probably had any validity to begin with).

Honourable Mentions

Levi Casboult, Patrick Cripps, Zac Fisher, Harry McKay, Marc Murphy, Nic Newman, Sam Walsh

THOSE WHO DISAPPOINTED ME

Paddy Dow

There is no need to go too hard on the players this time given the result. But I'm sure a few of the players would not be entirely satisfied with what they conjured up. Dow being one of them. The burst and linking via hands was one of the more pleasant things I had seen from him on the day. Not forgetting he also kicked a nice goal from this work in the opening term. But once again and for the third consecutive week, his disposal by foot has occasionally let him down. It was most noticeable in the dying minutes of the game when Dow blew two opportunities for the team to crack the ton. The first being a set-shot from 20 to 30 metres out on a slight angle (this has been a bit of an ongoing problem for him). The second mistake being a delivery inside 50 which although looked to be to the blues advantage with a couple of teammates in front, failed to hit either chest and skimmed over the boundary line. Thankfully Dow made up for it with a nice goal assist in the very last play, handing it over for Walsh to finish the job. 

Lochie O'Brien

O'Brien was one of only two blues (alongside Liam Jones) to use the ball at 100% and he was the only player not to register a single clanger. Absolutely clean and too provided himself as an option in open space on multiple occasions. The one issue however, is the same one that has been sticking around for a while. That being his work rate. The stats are very low and the metres gained aren't as great compared to many of his teammates. Sometimes he really doesn't look to push himself towards the play. Don't know whether it's a lack of confidence, soreness or just confusion surrounding his position on the field. I'm even questioning what his role is. For a midfielder/half-back flanker, he doesn't end up seeing much of the ball. Sure he is only in year two and has yet to add many more strings to his bow, but most of O'Brien's averages based on his first three games have been down compared to last year (except his tackling). I have faith that the kid can deliver, but so far it is a step towards the second-year blues.

Cameron Polson

There is no taking away the one or two nice bits of play Polson was involved in. Like that tackle on first-gamer Will Hayes from behind, fantastic! But I say once more, this young man just doesn't seem to excite me like the other kids. He lacks the presence and his numbers are small. He's somebody meant to deliver the pressure, yet he only lays two tackles. This adds to his 4 disposals, with three of them being deemed effective. So far, Polson has shown nothing to convince me he could be involved in a potential premiership-winning team. I don't hate the guy at all. In fact, I praise him for his heart and perseverance. But I honestly cannot see how one can defend him and believe he has a spot cemented in the side moving ahead. For all the running, his work rate doesn't add up. There is every chance of an unchanged line-up for next week. But if anyone were to make way, Polson is head and shoulders in front of the rest in this category. He simply needs to contribute more.

Dishonourable mentions

Ed Curnow, Dale Thomas

OTHER NOTES

- With Levi Casboult having put on a solid display. I don't see any reason for dropping him now. Charlie Curnow hasn't given much this year anyway. I wouldn't be in any hurry to bring him back in. Perhaps take further caution in his knee. Or if he is fit, persist him in the VFL for a week or two.
- Both Bolton and Cripps didn't care about cracking the ton so much. They implied the importance of being defensive. Now while I'm all for not conceding too many points, I'd love for one of the most potentially exciting forward lines for years to come kicking some big scores. That and the fact people will shut up about the blues being unable to score.
- No, I didn't say Bolton wouldn't take us forward. I said there was a possibility. Maybe Bolts is the man. Maybe he isn't. I wasn't convinced for quite a while, but all it takes is for one game to change almost everything. This performance did just that. Hopefully it is that start of many great things to come.

NEXT WEEK

It's a trip to Tasmania for Carlton's third consecutive away game. Last time it was North Melbourne. This time it's the 21st century powerhouse in Hawthorn. The hawks are not in fantastic shape at the moment and have lost their past two matches, albeit by some relatively stronger teams in St. Kilda and Geelong. But I still see them with more advantages over us, and they certainly won't have a similar off day like the bulldogs. I have a feeling the victory over the dogs will get to the boys' heads a little, especially given they have not had many wins in the past couple of years. A premonition of inappropriate satisfaction. The blues won't enter this game, showing the same drive and level of determination. Regardless of how deflating they are, losses have at most times guaranteed the boys to push harder. Since they are now coming off a win, I'm am left a little uncertain. And considering it's on unfamiliar territory, I hold even more doubt. It won't be a blowout however. More-so a respectable margin around the 20's.

PREDICTED LINE-UP

IN - David Cuningham
OUT - Cameron Polson (Omitted)

FB - Liam Jones - Lachie Plowman - Kade Simpson
HB - Caleb Marchbank - Nic Newman - Jacob Weitering
C - Jack Silvagni - Sam Petrevski-Seton - Paddy Dow
HF - Sam Walsh - Harry McKay - Marc Murphy
FF - Levi Casboult - Mitch McGovern - Michael Gibbons
R - Matthew Kreuzer - Patrick Cripps - Zac Fisher
I - Dale Thomas - Lochie O'Brien - Ed Curnow - David Cuningham

E - Andrew Phillips - Matthew Kennedy - Cameron Polson - Patrick Kerr / Charlie Curnow

Hawthorn Hawks by 21 points

Travis "TJ" James