Carlton Football Club: The Round Nineteen Review

You've got to be kidding me. Three in a bloody row?! What on Earth is going on at Ikon Park? Well whatever it is, I'm glad I've hung around to see it. Carlton look like a completely different side to that under Brendan Bolton earlier in the year. People around the nation are finally praising the blues for their brand of exciting football. Several of the players have found their footing in certain areas on the ground and are showing off their best work yet. David Teague also looks to have built some respectable relationships with the playing group and they seem to enjoy his direction. The club as a result of this, looks the healthiest it has been for a while. With each coming result, the board are slowly losing their options and are pressured into considering the current man in charge. And so they should be. The players love Teague. The supporters love Teague. Even most of the media see the advantages. The president and the board just have to look into it. They wanted wins and they are now getting them. Come on guys! Don't fall back into old habits, because we well and truly how those worked out.

MARGIN

(Predicted : Real)

-60 points : +27 points

Difference: + 87

This was just about the best performance from the blues so far in 2019. Even with Patrick Cripps the clear dominant player of the game, it was still a very even contribution from his teammates. Enough for another four-quarter effort (the second for the year). The boys played much of the game at the forward half with their immense pressure on Adelaide and the entries inside attacking 50 were some of the cleanest I have seen in a long time. Carlton did enough to make the crows look ordinary and slow in their attempts at keeping up with them. Cripps and his fellow mates in the centre had successfully exposed Adelaide's one-paced midfield while the formidable squad in defense were unfazed by the underwhelming triple threat of Taylor Walker, Josh Jenkins and Tom Lynch. It was a fantastic turnaround after the 105-point thrashing the blues copped by the hands of the same mob just over eleven months ago. Another sign that things are looking great for the Carlton Football Club.

First Quarter

Due to a late gym session, I was left missing the opening minute or two and streaming much of the first term on my mobile unsettled. I did however manage to see Adelaide get off to a flying start with the first two goals of the game. There was me thinking the blues were once again going to make work harder for themselves, but things started looking so much better when I finally got to sit down and relax. A lot of the play happened in Carlton's attacking half which was a beautiful thing to see. The blues outplayed the crows in forward pressure, having led both the tackle count and contested possessions to allow themselves more scoring shots. Patrick Cripps delivered the first from a brilliant stoppage, though he did let teammate Sam Walsh know about it in an unpleasant way. Following him for majors were Darcy Lang, Matthew Kennedy and Jack Silvagni. Jacob Weitering had some difficulty with Taylor Walker and further gave away a silly 50-metre penalty on the back of another to make it 100 metres and an easy goal for Adelaide. Kennedy created a scare for blues fans after landing awkwardly on his ankle.

Second Quarter
After some treatment and warm-ups on the sidelines, Kennedy proved his ankle was okay and started on the field for the second quarter. Harry McKay drew first blood with a forward 50 mark and a 50-metre penalty to take him into the goal square within the first two minutes. Levi Casboult in his career best form, came around approximately eleven minutes later with two quick ones. The first coming from a superb bit of play from Will Setterfield, beating Matt Crouch to the ground ball and turning his body out of danger to allow for the setup. Casboult's second came from the very next reset and it was arguably the play of the day. Levi with the ruck duty , provided the excellent tap of the ball down to Marc Murphy and ran almost 100 metres forward to get on the end of the passage as Kade Simpson, McKay, Walsh, Cripps and Josh Deluca all helped out in delivering it to him. Carlton continued their dominance in the contest throughout most of the term despite Adelaide turning up the dial on their pressure. Cripps at his finest made up for last round's horror game in just one half of footy, topping many of the stat areas.

Third Quarter
Both sides made it hard for each other by foot, kicking below 50% efficiency. It saw scoring dry up for the first seven minutes. Casboult with everything going his way lately, broke the silence with a masterful one-hand receive from a Kennedy handball out of congestion and an awe-inspiring blast from just inside 50 to make it three for the day. Andrew Phillips who stepped in for the managed Matthew Kreuzer, too produced a major whilst regularly rotating with Levi and matching Reilly O'Brien in other ways. Paul Seedsman and Tyson Stengle did what they could, kicking the next two goals to get Adelaide within three. But Simpson like the ageless player he is, pushed into attack and made sure the blues were three from three in quarter victories. Despite only scoring two goals and one behind for the term, the crows were relentless in their tackling pressure and made things a little harder for Carlton within the final minutes.

Fourth Quarter

It took twenty seconds for a blues major, as Cripps stormed out of the centre with clearance number fifteen and a 60-metre kick that saw the ball somehow end up in the hands of Deluca running into the open goal. Carlton for another twenty minutes, struggled to add further damage and put the game out of reach. Their kicking out of defense was poor and allowed Adelaide a few opportunities to close the gap. Brad Crouch was the first to answer on the back of a 50-metre penalty from an ill-disciplined Nic Newman. Josh Jenkins followed shortly afterward with his only goal for the game, exposing Jones by finding space on the lead. The win was still within reach for the crows, but all it took was another damaging Cripps stoppage to assist Setterfield in nailing the coffin. Michael Gibbons poured more salt into the wounds on his day out with the last major for the match. Four quarters from the blues to make it another win and three on the trot. 

PLUSES / MINUSES

1. Winning all four quarters for the first time under David Teague and for the second time this year.
2. Sam Petrevski-Seton and Will Setterfield with those incredible gathers and spins out of trouble.
3. Levi Casboult with another three goals next to his name. His fantastic resurgence continues. That effort to do the ruck work and then run up the ground to present himself as a forward option in a single passage of play was nothing short of exceptional.
4. The forward 50 pressure was simply divine. The amount of marks taken inside there was also great to watch.
5. Five players with 30 or more possessions (Patrick Cripps, Marc Murphy, Kade Simpson, Ed Curnow and Sam Walsh).
6. Michael Gibbons played his best game for the blues so far. 22 disposals, 7 marks, 6 clearances, 5 tackles and 1 goal.
7. The defensive teamwork from the backline led by Kade Simpson.
8. Matthew Kennedy coming back on and playing out the game after hurting his ankle.

9. Sam Walsh is so damn consistent.

1. Jacob Weitering's first-quarter efforts against Taylor Walker.
2. Nic Newman and Jacob Weitering giving away obvious 50-metre penalties.
3. Harry McKay's set shot kicking since returning to the side remains a problem.
4. A couple of poor umpiring decisions here and there, but nothing that bad compared to the previous week.

SCORES

1. KADE SIMPSON 20

2. Patrick Cripps 10
3. Marc Murphy 9

4. Michael Gibbons 8

5. Levi Casboult 7
6. Sam Petrevski-Seton 6

7. Ed Curnow 5

8. Dale Thomas 4

9 = Will Setterfield 2.5

9 = Sam Walsh 2.5

11. Andrew Phillips 1

12. Jack Silvagni 0

13 = Matthew Kennedy -1.5

13 = Nic Newman -1.5
15. Jacob Weitering -3
16. Josh Deluca -4
16. Darcy Lang -5
18. Lachie Plowman -6
19. Lochie O'Brien -7
20. Liam Jones -8
21. Paddy Dow -9

22. Harry McKay -10

TOTAL

1. Patrick Cripps 155.5
2. Sam Walsh 133
3. Nic Newman 125.5
4. Ed Curnow 121.5
5. Marc Murphy 87
6. Sam Petrevski-Seton 79
7. Dale Thomas 65
8. Matthew Kreuzer 51
9. Kade Simpson 40
10. Andrew Phillips 21.5
11. Charlie Curnow 20
12. Levi Casboult 15

13. David Cuningham 13.5
14. Zac Fisher 9
15. Will Setterfield 5
16. Matthew Lobbe -2
17. Jack Silvagni -5
18. Harry McKay -6.5
19 = Hugh Goddard -10
19 = Harrison Macreadie -10
21. Tom Williamson -13.5
22 = Josh Deluca -14
22 = Jarrod Garlett -14
24. Michael Gibbons -17.5
25. Darcy Lang -21
26 = Alex Fasolo -25
26 = Lachie Plowman -25
28. Cameron Polson -26
29. Caleb Marchbank -28.5
30. Liam Stocker -30
31. Matthew Kennedy -33
32. Jacob Weitering -49
33. Paddy Dow -55
34. Lochie O'Brien -59

35. Mitch McGovern -66.5
36. Liam Jones -71

THOSE WHO IMPRESSED ME

Patrick Cripps

They aren't wrong when they say a week is a long time in football. It was only seven days ago when I along with a few others, questioned the fitness and state of the Carlton skipper after he delivered his worst game of the season against the cellar-dwelling Gold Coast Suns. Patrick Cripps well and truly put all our negative notions to rest, with a phenomenal performance that saw him best his own clearance record to finish equal second on the all-time list. A whopping 19 from his 39 disposals as well as 24 contested possessions, 7 tackles, 8 inside 50's and one goal. I'm probably left to never worry given the big man's insane abilities, but I do care for him as much as everybody else. Perhaps this was bound to happen, especially considering the crows walked in without Hugh Greenwood in the line-up who is known for his grunt work and occasional negating roles. Regardless, having Cripps at his damaging peak again was a blessing after the boys fought tooth and nail for seven weeks without it.

Will Setterfield
This guy has been absolutely firing since the new coach and it was not any different on the weekend. In a game of 24 disposals and 7 inside 50's, Setterfield produced a couple of indelible highlights including a magnificent hard ball get that saw him spin out of trouble and produce a perfect scoring chain. He would even get on the board himself towards the end, feeding off a nice Cripps assist from a forward 50 stoppage and hooking a beauty to further seal the victory. It was always going to take some time to recover from the ACL tear and find his feet at the professional level, but Setters has finally come around to deliver some valuable footy. List manager Stephen Silvagni has copped a lot of flak for his GWS raid, but many of us can see why he was so desperate in this kid. With a little luck, more muscle and another preseason or two under his belt, Setterfield is most certainly going to prove to all why Carlton's chase was worth the time and money.

Kade Simpson

If you ask me, a game like this one warrants at least another year. It has to! Kade Simpson at 35 years of age wound back the clock with his efforts and leadership down back, recording 31 disposals as well as a game-high 25 uncontested possessions, a game-high 12 marks and a game-high 8 rebound 50's. He regularly offered himself in open space and tried the hardest out of his lot in defense to create the long scoring chains. He too found space pushing up the ground, taking a clean and uncontested mark inside attacking 50 to slot number 138 for his navy blue career. No questions here about his future. Come on Kade! I believe you can go around for at least one more year and make it an even eighteen. The team is in an exciting place and I still believe they can do with your experience and wisdom. I also personally think it would look better if the career was to finish in 2020 and I hold onto hope that I will see you in the same line-up with Sam Docherty once more. Fingers crossed Carlton think similarly about this.

Honourable Mentions

Levi Casboult, Ed Curnow, Michael Gibbons, Marc Murphy, Sam Petrevski-Seton, Andrew Phillips, Dale Thomas, Sam Walsh

THOSE WHO DISAPPOINTED ME

Paddy Dow

The kid wasn't supposed to play, but he fortunately got the late call up when Zac Fisher was too unwell. It was a another chance to temporarily find some strengths as a medium forward whilst the middle of the ground was occupied. In the end, it was another chance wasted. Although laying 6 tackles, Paddy Dow just couldn't not get his hands on the ball. There were no goals from him. He did not even register a kick. This makes it five of his last six games where he has struggled to impose himself on the game. At the moment, it seems he is out of form and can't adjust to the short-term change. It leads me to believe he needs some time in the twos. It's both best for him and the team, as he will get to play to his strengths and build some stronger bonds with other teammates of the future. I seriously hope he can be the player Carlton see in him. The player that we supporters see in him. But right now, Paddy in the side makes it like we are a man down.

Harry McKay

Ever since his return from a groin issue, Harry McKay hasn't quite been able to replicate his early season form. While the strong contested marking and unbelievable small forward prowess hung around, his set shot work on the weekend still raised concerns. He only kicked one goal from 10 metres out directly in front on the back of a 50-metre penalty. Adding to the goal-kicking woes, was the fact that he gave away five free kicks to the opposition. Not cool Harry! If anybody's form was to be likened to a yo-yo, then McKay is the perfect answer right now. After a stunning 14 disposals, 10 marks, 4 tackles and 2 goals for the previous game which saw him finish as one of the best on the field, he came around this time failing to record stats half as good. Given the loss of Charlie Curnow and the poor fitness levels of Mitch McGovern, it's hard seeing Harry losing his spot anytime soon. But blues fans are expecting a lot better from the exciting tall forward.

Lachie Plowman

I honestly shouldn't be talking negatives about anyone in the Carlton backline right now after the wonderful display. But if there was one player I felt didn't contribute to the result as much as they should've, it would unfortunately be Lachie Plowman. It wasn't a bad game at all from Lachie. He produced a nice highlight, taking a solid chest mark just inside where the 50-metre line meets the boundary. A few seconds later he spots a free Kade Simpson across the field and makes no mistake with the delivery. Outside of this however, much of his game didn't feel that special. He's had better performances in the past where his one-on-one work shined on the ground.  He's had moments when he look irreplaceable. This time around, his efforts when compared to others came out the slightest bit more inferior. On the bright side though, if performances like this fall into the disappointing category, then Carlton are well and truly on the right path.

Dishonourable mentions
Josh Deluca, Darcy Lang, Nic Newman, Jacob Weitering

OTHER NOTES

- Regardless of whether we tolerate certain umpires or not, it was a beautiful scene after the match with boundary umpire Dillon Tee proposing to Eleni Glouftsis at the middle of the MCG. Congrats on the two for their engagement.
- Don Pyke not playing Eddie Betts against his former side was strange. Not playing Hugh Greenwood to have him take on Patrick Cripps was stranger. But managing Alex Keath, yet making him he travelling emergency was the strangest thing I've seen. Something doesn't smell right about the crows.
- Surely the Carlton board are not stupid enough to overlook Teague for people like Michael Voss, Brad Scott or Ross Lyon. If they do, then they're to expect nothing but dissonance with the blues faithful. They will likely lose thousands of members because of this.

NEXT WEEK

Seven matches with Teague in charge have seen Carlton record five wins. But what some of us aren't noticing is which teams these wins are against. Brisbane, Fremantle, Sydney, Gold Coat and Adelaide. All of them just happen to be teams outside of Victoria. The blues have a shot at making it six and zero next Sunday, facing their final (and quite possibly the toughest) interstate team for the season. The West Coast Eagles are looking at the peak of their power, coming off a strong 49-point win against North Melbourne. They have also proven in recent times that the MCG is no threat to their chances of becoming back-to-back premiers. The mature-bodied midfielders for the eagles will look to give Carlton a tough time and Josh Kennedy will be hungry to back up last weekend's seven-goal haul. Not to forget Levi Casboult and Harry McKay having the daunting task of overcoming West Coast's sturdy defense. History proves friendly between these two sides and I expect it to remain this way. The eagles by roughly four goals.

PREDICTED LINE-UP

IN - David Cuningham, Zac Fisher, Matthew Kreuzer
OUT - Paddy Dow (Omitted), Andrew Phillips (Omitted), Darcy Lang (Omitted)

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

E - Liam Stocker - Andrew Phillips - Darcy Lang - Matthew Owies

West Coast Eagles by 24 points

Travis "TJ" James