Carlton Football Club: The Round Seven Review

Another year and another game where Carlton go on to make a battling mediocre football club in North Melbourne look like premiership contenders. There is no excusing anything here. This was a game where just about everyone expected the blues to put up a good fight. In the end, the team destroyed any chance for victory as soon as the very first quarter. It was the same old, same old. An unwanted story forever on repeat. High hopes, rubbish quarters and patchy play to end up as another loss followed by monotonous censure and ridicule. A performance that would undo everything from two weeks ago. Can one honestly blame any blues fan for feeling depressed about this? Carlton for the past six years has been nothing but telling supporters to be patient, believe in the process and throw excitement towards one of countless future possibilities. Pardon me for the doubt and potential despair, but I have to get this out of my system. The loss to a North team such as this one has told me the progress is clearly not good enough.

MARGIN

(Predicted : Real)

+5 points : -58 points

Difference: - 63

I'm not going to say this performance is the worst I've seen. In fact, nobody should be saying this. We should all know by now that the blues have tainted the word. 'Worst' has become far too overused when referring to Carlton matches over the past two or three years, because it is now the norm. The truth is clear to us. The blues are a terrible side and arguably have fielded some of the poorest teams in the modern era. They cannot communicate. They cannot cover their losses. They cannot measure their kicks and hand passes. And they cannot make the most of the very few opportunities they get. I can't see how anybody can keep defending this. Sure the kids excite me and they are bound to have more influence as they build on their bodies. But their teachers don't strike me as being good teachers. I don't want to be wasting my time viewing these efforts, because I've seen them long enough. I deserve better than this. I deserve success. 

First Quarter

It was the very first clearance of the game when Andrew Phillips tapped the ball down and Sam Petrevski-Seton started bursting away towards attacking 50. I thought that we would be in for a pretty good day. But it turns out I had not learned my lesson about jumping the gun. It was a horror start. Liam Jones could not account for Ben Brown. Lachie Plowman was turning the ball over down back. Jacob Weitering couldn't even get the ball to hit his foot, having been pinned twice for it. The troubles down back saw North Melbourne nearly put the game out of our reach, kicking 5 goals to nothing. Carlton couldn't even create a clean passage. Patrick Cripps was easily kept quiet by Jack Ziebell, while Ben Cunnington was the one to dominate the contests. All I was praying for was the end of the quarter and another chance to reset. But even that wouldn't be the answer. The problem was connection. The blues had absolutely none of it here.

Second Quarter
Much of the same here. The kangaroos were feasting on our turnovers and lack of pressure. Ben Brown slotted another goal to add to his three from the first term. Cameron Zurhaar also enjoyed registering a couple of majors within two minutes. It was nearly one way traffic throughout much of the quarter. The blues were scrapping it forward and getting nothing in return. Levi Casboult made a couple of significant errors (successive ones as well) within the dying minutes, conceding a goal and blowing the easiest of chances he had for the game at the other end. These ruined opportunities almost led to another goalless quarter. Thankfully our captain Patrick Cripps saved us from that possibility, although his goal came in the form of a free kick. Surprised to not hear any booing from the supporters come the major break. I probably would've done so, because the blues should be well past this stage of half-arsed efforts by now.

Third Quarter
Still nothing had changed. Bar a couple of reasonable goals, the blues couldn't fix up their ball use nor apply the necessary pressure up forward to kick a bigger score for the term. It made it easier for North Melbourne to go one better, increasing the margin to 69 points going into the final change. Zurhaar was having a field day in just his 13th game, with another two goals to add to the two he kicked in the previous quarter. Carlton at times looked to have not even cared, allowing the North players to run in packs and protect the ball-carrier. This was especially the case when Zurhaar kicked his first of the two in the quarter running into the open goal. All the North players were in front as a few blues including Andrew Phillips, Jacob Weitering, Liam Stocker and Zac Fisher applied no pressure, instead persisting to jog in the same direction. Jog! This is a serious problem. The boys weren't bothered with chasing. Might as well sit and watch the match with the crowd. Hope the coach has an explanation for this because it was without a doubt the defining moment of the game.

Fourth Quarter

It was a small win for the boys, but once again too late. The kangaroos looked to extend the margin further, going as far as 77 points late in the final term. But the blues managed to fire back with a few. Carlton won the quarter, piling on five goals to North's three and bringing the final margin back to 58. It allowed them to keep some percentage and avoid the bottom of the ladder for at least another week. David Cuningham showed off his strong goal sense to slot one of his own against the tide. The Curnow brothers combined their scrappy but reasonable efforts for a nice goal (consider it the tiniest of presents for Ed's 150th game). Lochie O'Brien took his time and used whatever space he could find to sneak in a late goal as a consolation prize. Jack Silvagni showcased a bit of his athletic ability with a mid-air goal in the square for his second. And Cripps to no one's surprise booted his second major (and the last of the game) from a reasonably tight angle. Unfortunately it didn't change the day being miserable enough to see the coach in hot water.

PLUSES / MINUSES

1. I mean sure we won the last quarter. But I'm not going to be hanging my hat on it.
2. It was nice seeing Tom Williamson getting through the game unscathed. But given our luck, I could be speaking way too soon.
3. Jack Silvagni seems to have picked up a few new tricks during the preseason. He is really beginning to convince me that there is a spot in the best 22 for him moving forward.

1. C O M M U N I C A T E !

2. Please don't tell me it's going to be another season of losing our entire backline again. Excluding that unfortunate Liam Jones incident (which was indeed hard to watch), our defense is made of glass. To think we walked into this season, excited to view the potential trio of terror running of half back (Sam Docherty, Nic Newman and Kade Simpson). ALL OF THEM ARE F***ING OUT INJURED!!! I swear the gods hate us.
3. It just wasn't a day for the back six. Jones had his time cut short, Lachie Plowman made some horrendous decisions and Jacob Weitering was too easy to bring down.
4. There was not one bit of passage to really enjoy. The best was probably from the Curnow brothers and even that wasn't entirely fun to watch.
5. Put me out there, blindfold me and spin me around ten times. I bet you I can still find the space between the big sticks by foot. Some of these set shots were just humiliating. Levi Casboult, I am looking at you!
6. People keep saying there is depth. Nope, there is absolutely none. Once a player goes down, Carlton are well and truly screwed. And it doesn't matter whether it is before the match or during the match. This has been the case for four straight years.
7. Is this the way to repay an 8-year servant of the club in his 150th game? He fought for an AFL career the hard way and his reward is a winning percentage of 36. Poor Ed.
8. Only 5 blues had a disposal efficiency of 70 percent plus (Caleb Marchbank, Marc Murphy, Jacob Weitering, Patrick Cripps and Dale Thomas). North Melbourne had 16 players achieve this. Pretty embarrassing don't you think?

SCORES

1. PATRICK CRIPPS 20

2. Dale Thomas 10
3. Andrew Phillips 9

4. Zac Fisher 8

5. Sam Walsh 7
6. David Cuningham 6

7 = Charlie Curnow 4.5

7 = Jack Silvagni 4.5

9. Levi Casboult 3

10. Jacob Weitering 2

11 = Michael Gibbons 0.5

11 = Caleb Marchbank 0.5

13. Sam Petrevski-Seton -1

14. Marc Murphy -2
15. Lachie Plowman -3
16. Paddy Dow -4
17 = Ed Curnow -5.5
17 = Lochie O'Brien -5.5
19. Liam Stocker -7
20. Liam Jones -8
21. Tom Williamson -9

22. Harry McKay -10

TOTAL

1. Patrick Cripps 103.5
2. Sam Walsh 49
3. Marc Murphy 45

4. Dale Thomas 42
5. Nic Newman 35
6 = Zac Fisher 31

6 = Sam Petrevski-Seton 31
8. Ed Curnow 21.5
9. Andrew Phillips 20.5
10. Kade Simpson 9.5
11. David Cuningham 7
12 = Matthew Kreuzer 5
12 = Jack Silvagni 5
14. Harry McKay 1
15. Matthew Lobbe -2
16. Lachie Plowman -2.5
17 = Will Setterfield -6
17 = Jacob Weitering -6

19 = Paddy Dow -7
19 = Liam Stocker -7
21. Charlie Curnow -8.5

22. Tom Williamson -9

23. Levi Casboult -12.5

24. Jarrod Garlett -14

25. Alex Fasolo -15
26. Caleb Marchbank -19.5
27. Michael Gibbons -22
28. Cameron Polson -26
29 = Mitch McGovern -33.5
29 = Lochie O'Brien -33.5

29. Liam Jones -42

THOSE WHO IMPRESSED ME

David Cuningham

Cuningham only went to show all why we sorely missed him. The guy has speed and he can find the sticks. Although his use of the ball wasn't great (to be fair, barely anybody used it well), I just anticipate what he can do with it. He is a potential excitement machine. I could even go far as saying he has the makings of a modern-day club great. His work rate is super impressive and rarely does he get on people's wrong side. The only problem with him is one all can agree on, even Cunners himself. It's the ability to keep fit and get a good run at it. Injury-wise, David has never had the luck on his side. As soon as he starts hitting his straps, he finds himself out the very next week and on the sidelines for a lengthy period of time. Thankfully it wasn't the case this time around and hopefully it won't be the case anytime soon. I've been starved of this Cuningham. We all have. It wasn't his finest performance, but his ceiling remains high. We are bound to see the absolute best of him sooner or later.

Zac Fisher

Here is where I must sing the praises of the little Fish. When other teammates hesitated to push forward, Zac broke through the congestion and tried creating something special on the run almost every time he had the ball. He was second in the clearances with 6 (behind the obvious leader in Cripps who had 9). He was second in the inside 50 count with 5 (behind Charlie Curnow who had 6). And whenever he found the space to impact the game, he tried using it. The way Fisher displays himself on the field is enough to earn endless cheers. The heart and energy he provides every single game is a thing of beauty. He keeps his ground, always meaning business and never breaking face. Zac always knows what's required of him and immediately aims for it without question. And although he has his bad days now and then, he never lets them get the better of him. We could certainly do with more of this kid. Fisher could've arguably been Carlton's MVP this round.

Dale Thomas

It has gone from criticising Daisy to respecting Daisy. Now I'm even starting to feel sorry in a way for him. Thomas is now left carrying much of the work all of Docherty, Newman and Simpson have left behind for him, especially since the fresher faces are still in a learning phase. In this match, I caught glimpses of this man's courage and endeavor. It's similar to that of Simmo. When things go wrong and you're then shown his displeasure, you can tell how much it means to him. The guy has copped a lot over the years by critics such as myself, but forgiveness has already been found. It's now become a matter of how more ashamed he leaves us feeling. This was another solid performance on the back of last week's. 17 kicks, 7 marks and 5 rebound 50's (equal most of any Carlton player). If he continues this, then any hate for his game means nothing. I'll keep naming him here if I have to. I wouldn't even be afraid with offering him another year or two at the club right now if I were in the position to. 

Honourable Mentions

Patrick Cripps, Jack Silvagni, Sam Walsh

THOSE WHO DISAPPOINTED ME

Levi Casboult

Based on that set shot alone, Levi gets named here. Excuse my emotional frustration, but this is just not acceptable. The way he rushed it carelessly off the boot. It was a kick that painted much of the day's picture. There was no thought or concentration put into his use of the ball. His attempt to even switch play down back a couple of minutes before that shocking attempt in front of goal, was stuff that left many red-faced. Casboult finished off with a percentage of 42 for effective disposals from 12 and a score of 0.3 from three attempts. It was typical Levi, making mistakes that no other AFL player would. His best work is high-quality, but it's forever weighed down by inconsistency. And to think he is in his twlight years of footy while still being trained on his kicking. It's nothing short of ridiculous. Casboult though is likely to see another match, as the team continues to take hits around the ground. It wouldn't surprise me the least to see him persisted down back (which isn't by any means exciting).

Lachie Plowman

I don't see Plowman as terrible as some make him out to be, but I've finally come around to understand their frustrations with this guy. This was a day where I really saw the worst of him on show. Some of the decisions he made kicking out were absolutely pathetic and the one on one battles were an extreme struggle for him. But what bugged me the most, came during the third quarter. The scoreboard was hideous and a fellow defender is in the process of getting stretchered off and sent to hospital. Camera then cuts to the Carlton boys gathering around each other. The one person I happen to catch cracking jokes and smiling is surprise surprise, Lachie Plowman. Now I don't mean to be a party pooper or take freedom away from anyone, but this wasn't the time to be fooling around. A teammate just went down, the fans are restless and the club is placing itself under immense pressure. There was no game face or proper discussion delivered by Plowman. I deem the behaviour as pretty unprofessional. In a fit side, it would most certainly see him under heavy scrutiny. He would probably even face the chance of omission. But since the backline is already suffering enough as it is, he may as well be counting his lucky stars. Consider this as a warning Lachie. Act appropriately or face the consequences.

Tom Williamson

Yes, come at me people! Your thoughts however won't sway mine. Williamson just wasn't as influential as I hoped he would be. At no stage did I expect him to deliver Newman or Simpson numbers (same with Liam Stocker), but like all players Willo had a role he was to perform to the best of his ability. In the end, he just could not get into the game. Just 10 disposals at 60% efficiency, 2 marks and 1 tackle. Before anyone comes at me with the excuse of he has only just come back, I remind you that the young man has had two weeks in the VFL. There is NO excuse, nor should anybody express any sort of leniency. Then again, it was a game when nearly everybody disappointed. And considering the defense is taking further hits with Jones another likely out, one can't see Williamson making way for anyone. I don't hate the kid. If anything, I love him just as much as everybody else and anticipate the best of him in the coming years. But when I see a substandard performance that sticks out, I'm not ever going to let it slide.

Dishonourable mentions

Ed Curnow, Paddy Dow, Harry McKay, Marc Murphy, Lochie O'Brien, Liam Stocker

OTHER NOTES

- Interesting fact. The only two players for Carlton to not register a clanger were the Curnow brothers Charlie and Ed. At least I find that a little interesting.
- Not a great debut for Liam Stocker, but I won't be throwing any rubbish towards him. The entire team was a shambles. Hard to soar like and eagle when surrounded by turkeys.
- Not one of our tall forwards kicked a goal. Casboult had three chances and Harry McKay had one. All of them were failures.
- The injuries mount and the pressure is back on the coach, sounds like another case of history repeating.

NEXT WEEK

Brace yourselves! The arch-enemy will visit our regular time slot and then likely come out of it, leaving us to hide in shame. It's a match between two complete opposites. Collingwood: potential premiership favourites, bestowed endless prime-time games and marketing opportunities whilst making Grand finals like they live next door. Then there's Carlton: perennial disappointments in a constant development phase, revelling in VFL achievements as records take a turn for the worst. What's even sadder is that this has been the story for much of the 21st century. The pressure is on all at Ikon Park to deliver something acceptable. The pies will have no problem replacing Taylor Adams, with 20 other players similar to him on their list. The blues however, are going to have a hard time finding their substitutes as players start dropping like flies. Who is going to temporarily fill the shoes of Liam Jones? Will the half-back line hold up? Will Matthew Krezuer be fit in time to step in and make the difference? All pretty significant questions, as Carlton look to answer for this weekend's disappointment in what will be Sam Petrevski-Seton's 50th game in the navy blue.

PREDICTED LINE-UP

IN - Hugh Goddard, Matthew Kreuzer, Will Setterfield
OUT - Liam Jones (Injured), Andrew Phillips (Omitted), Lochie O'Brien (Omitted)

FB - Lachie Plowman - Jacob Weitering - Hugh Goddard
HB - Dale Thomas - Caleb Marchbank - Liam Stocker
C - Sam Walsh - Patrick Cripps - Jack Silvagni
HF - David Cuningham - Charlie Curnow - Marc Murphy
FF - Harry McKay - Levi Casboult - Michael Gibbons
R - Matthew Kreuzer - Sam Petrevski-Seton - Zac Fisher
I - Ed Curnow - Will Setterfield - Paddy Dow - Tom Williamson

E - Lochie O'Brien - Angus Schumacher - Patrick Kerr - Andrew Phillips

Collingwood Magpies by 16 points

Travis "TJ" James