The AFL Missing Links: Carlton and Collingwood

The second instalment of ‘The Missing Link’ explores two Melbourne clubs that are predicted to struggle this season.

However, with the introduction of a young key position player and the development of a big midfielder for Carlton and the improvement from a playmaking halfback and ex-Giant from Collingwood, their seasons don’t seem as bleak as some have predicted.

Essendon, too, will look to a youngster to help them go further into the finals in 2015. This follows a developing Crow and returning Lion as points of difference from last year’s campaign that may just be what their team needs to elevate themselves up the ladder.

Carlton
New recruit Kristian Jaksch is exactly what the Blues needed in a talented young key position player. Drafted as a swingman with pick 12 in the 2012 draft, Jaksch will play a key role in Carlton’s backline this year after moving from Greater Western Sydney.

At 196 centimetres, Jaksch has the size to tackle most key forwards, but will likely play as a third tall defender as he learns off Michael Jamison. Here he will look to intercept the ball and rebound from defence where his skills will shine.

He was a key player in Carlton’s win over Collingwood in the second NAB challenge where he had 17 disposals at a disposal efficiency of 82 per cent, which included team highs in marks and rebound 50’s (both six).

Most importantly for Malthouse, he teamed up well with fellow key defenders Rowe and Jamison to restrict Collingwood’s key forwards to a combined two goals for the match. The added stability to the backline that Jaksch brings will be the missing link for a team that conceded the fifth most points in the league last year.

Another first round draft pick Patrick Cripps will provide the missing link to an undersized Blues midfield. The term undersized is usually restricted to key position players and ruckmen, but when facing Josh Kennedy (188cm), Jobe Watson (190cm), Scott Pendlebury (191cm) or even Marcus Bontempelli (192cm), only sheer size can compete.

Unfortunately for the Blues, they have been restricted to using classy number one draft picks Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs, as well as the ageing Chris Judd, to compete with these monstrous midfielders. Twice Murphy has suffered serious injuries in attempting to do such a thing.

With Cripps now ready to compete at the highest level, this burden will be lifted from the key trio, with Murphy in particular able to reach the heights of his 2011 season as a damaging, goal kicking midfielder which earned him a place in the All-Australian team.

As shown throughout the pre-season, Cripps will not simply play his role but excel as an inside midfielder after collecting 32 disposals, 14 contested, in a strong display against Geelong in the final NAB Challenge match. If he can string together dominant performances like these throughout the season, then all of the Blues midfielders will improve.

By simply playing their role (although Cripps appears set to do more than just that) this year, both Cripps and Jaksch will provide that missing link that will ensure Carlton improve on last year’s campaign.

Collingwood
While most will see 2011 All-Australian centre-half Ben Reid as Collingwood’s missing link in defence, it was actually the Pies’ offence that fared far worse in 2014. Collingwood had the fourth worst offence in the competition last year primarily due to stagnant ball movement that allowed opposition defences to outnumber their forwards.

Paul Seedsman is the man who can overcome this stagnant ball movement with his damaging run and carry and penetrating kick off the backline. In this way, he will be Collingwood’s missing link in a similar way that Daniel Rich is for Brisbane.

With the loss of Heritier Lumumba, Seedsman will be given more responsibility as Collingwood’s chief rebounder. If he can finally overcome his form and injury woes (that will keep him out for the first two rounds of the season), then his work off half-back will rapidly increase the speed of Collingwood’s ball use.

This will finally give Travis Cloke a chance one-on-one in the forward line. In recent seasons, it has been the ball movement towards the key forward that has separated Cloke and Tom Hawkins, the AFL’s two power forwards, with Hawkins the recipient of frequent one-on-one contests inside his forward 50 thanks to the ‘Geelong Highway’, while Cloke is consistently swamped by defenders coming third man up as he attempts to mark.

No one can deny that, more often than not, Cloke will win any one-on-one marking contest inside 50. If Seedsman is able to perform consistently this season, his play off half-back may be what it takes to return Cloke to his All-Australian form, which in turn will propel the Pies back into finals contention.

Another player that is in contention to be Collingwood’s missing link is ex-Giant Taylor Adams. After losing Luke Ball to retirement, the Pies went after Levi Greenwood to fill the void that he left. Unfortunately, Greenwood was yet another casualty from the NAB Challenge so it will be up to Adams to be the inside midfielder that the Pies are after.

Last year, the Pies were second to last in the competition for clearances and centre clearances and the sixth worst in the competition for contested possessions. Nathan Buckley will look to Adams to step up this year and be the key figure in improving these statistics.