Carlton need to build on gutsy performance against Richmond

By Julia Montesano / Roar Guru

The Blues are a proud club of 16 premierships, however in recent years their form has slumped below Carlton standard.

They claimed the wooden spoon last year, only recording four wins in a season that saw the dismissal of coach Mick Malthouse and departure of club legend Chris Judd.

Playing off against Richmond in Round 1 has always been a tough challenge, however with the Tigers pushing for a top-four spot, the stakes were even higher.

Richmond have won every game against Carlton since succumbing to defeat in the 2013 elimination final.

With new coach Brendan Bolton stepping up to the plate with a rejuvenated vision and mission for the club, the Blues were out to prove that they meant business on Thursday night.

Carlton managed to play the best game they’ve produced since the Brett Ratten days, but somehow they still came up short against an elite side. Thanks to some gutsy performances, the brave Blues tipped the stats towards their side, as they won the disposal count (376-332) and the inside 50 count (57-46).

Skipper Marc Murphy wore his heart on his sleeve, popping up just about everywhere on the ground to notch up 27 disposals in a true captain’s performance.

He combined well with partner-in-crime Patrick Cripps, who picked up where he left off last year and continued to star on the field and wedge his body in the depths of the contests on the wide dimensions of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Carlton’s recruits also showed promising signs, thanks to the expertise of club legend Stephen Silvagni. Matthew Wright kicked three goals in the third quarter to give the Blues the lead – and the hope they needed to run away with a surprise Easter Thursday victory.

Number one draft pick Jacob Weitering had the weight of the world on his shoulders and was expected to defy the nerves and keep Ty Vickery quiet. The centre half-back was remarkable in his first game, as he racked up 17 disposals at 100 per cent efficiency.

The stats don’t lie – Weitering didn’t put a foot wrong on Thursday night.

Overall, Carlton’s decision-making was much better – they looked sharper and determined to make amends for their woeful 2015 form. Despite the Blues leaking out tremendous positives, however, the game slipped out of their hands when they were in a position to claim the first four points of the season.

This was largely thanks to the little errors that they conceded, especially in the fourth quarter.

This included a dropped mark by Andrejs Everitt early on in the fourth period. If he had claimed that mark, it would’ve set up a certain goal for the Blues and created a platform for them to run over the top of the troublesome Tigers.

The fourth quarter proved a challenge too tough for Carlton’s youngsters, as they simply ran out of legs. However, these kids can’t be attacked too harshly, as after all, it’s only the first round of a long season.

All the same, they must learn that even though you play well for the whole game, all four quarters need to be played consistently in order to claim the four points.

Levi Casboult was arguably the only player that disappointed in front of 75,000 at the MCG. His kicking needs major improvement, as he failed to score a major from three opportunities to do so.

The 26-year-old is Carlton’s only tall option up forward, as ruckmen Matthew Kreuzer and Andrew Phillips are required to combine forces in the ruck. Sam Rowe needs to establish himself as a defender, too.

Therefore, the Blues need to work on match fitness, goal-kicking and continue to develop a determined mindset going into the game. That starts in Round 2, where Carlton play Sydney at Etihad Stadium at 4.40pm on Sunday.

The Blues like Etihad and generally perform better on the smaller ground. It may benefit the younger players, who are lacking that little extra fitness.

However, Sydney just annihilated Collingwood by 80 points on Saturday night. Star forward Lance Franklin was back in fine form, kicking four goals after recovering from his battles with mental illness.

Emerging star Weitering will really be tested after a stellar first round performance, one that made him unlucky to miss out on receiving the Rising Star Award.

On Sunday, the Blues need to have all hands on deck. They need to get off to a good start in order to avoid the Swans running over the top of them early.

If Carlton have any chance of winning this game, they need to show the gutsiness and integrity that earned them respect against Richmond.

The Crowd Says:

2016-03-30T22:03:28+00:00

macca

Guest


Gecko - " it does look like you IMPLIED that ‘the Blues played more finals in the past decade." Appearances can be deceiving. As for the debate, Carlton could win by 100 points this week and PD will still find fault.

2016-03-30T13:35:35+00:00

mattyb

Guest


Gecko,Carltons 2016 tragic trajectory as the AFL St.Kilda has commenced in earnest. As bulldog fans we can smell patronising a mile off. Carlton were the more experienced side with their experienced players well on top,had the game there to be won and yet again were let down by their so called leaders against an opponent there for the taking. The end result is people clamoring around to congratulate the Blues on their hard fought defeat and the once proud supporters lapping this up. Carlton fans may consider some talk as kicking them while they are down but let me offer a differing view. How has this once proud club got to the point they are now being patronized? Dougie is showing the blues great respect for what they have achieved with a bit of friendly banter which is a lot more than those jumping to pity the tragic state of the ongoing affairs at Carlton to make themselves feel more sporting. What is to become of Carlton? Will people be jumping to claim them as their second favorite team soon? Tragic really and the patronising has clearly begun as the blues move ever so closer to the AFL version of the Saints :(

2016-03-30T12:07:38+00:00

Gecko

Guest


Macca I guess you and Dougie can resume your debate next week when we're all a little wiser about Carlton's 2016 trajectory. In the meantime, just for the record, it does look like you IMPLIED that 'the Blues played more finals in the past decade.' Even Carlton supporters can be wrong sometimes.

2016-03-30T11:10:47+00:00

mattyb

Guest


pretty poor form to mention my name in a post i havnt even contributed to Col. You seem to have no problem doing this yet complain to high heaven if anyone dare say the truth about the tragic way Carlton has conducted itself. Sure you blokes can end every outrageous statement with I think Carlton will finish bottom four but it doesn't excuse your total lack of understanding or excepting how Carlton got there. I'm far from impressed with what I have seen from the blues so far. The whole idea of building a list is to try and eliminate as many list cloggers as possible but Carlton has seemed to actually be able to add them. Long season ahead I know but in a re build you need to lose rejects not gain them and I saw a couple running around on the weekend. Should get Plowman back soon though.

AUTHOR

2016-03-30T08:59:51+00:00

Julia Montesano

Roar Guru


Yes, Plowman should be good for Carlton. I trust Silvagni's expertise! I just want Rowe to show some fight for his spot in the back line. He should be working even harder knowing that the younger guys are fighting for his spot. Let's not forget Rowe is a good-sized backman and if he does show some fight, lay some hard tackles, take some strong grabs- he will reap the rewards later on. However, I'm not taking anything away from the talent of the Blues' young blokes. Plowman will be a major player once he gets some more game time and Jacob Weitering has already shown his potential.

2016-03-30T08:08:57+00:00

Floyd Calhoun

Guest


Thursday night was too close for comfort for Tigers' fans like me. Five minutes into the last quarter, I thought the worst. It took two mature age non draft recruits like Lambert & Lloyd to get the team over the line. Very unconvincing win to say the least. Against the odds, Carlton were impressive.

2016-03-30T07:42:48+00:00

Macca

Guest


I look forward to day Rowe is out of the back line to be honest Julia,he is a hard worker but is slow at making decisions and doesn't use the ball well and doesn't offer a lot of rebound, hopefully Plowman can have a good 1/2 this weekend and build some pressure over coming weeks.

2016-03-30T07:41:16+00:00

Macca

Guest


Agree Julia just think we oshould celebrate the positives and give him time, instead of jumping on every miss, I mean Dangerfield missed 2 similar shots on the weekend. The more his confidence grows the better his kicking will be.

AUTHOR

2016-03-30T07:04:46+00:00

Julia Montesano

Roar Guru


That's the way Samantha! The only way to get better is to gain match experience. You can't play in front of a packed stadium at training! Once they get used to match intensity, they'll be rewarded for their rejuvenated, gutsy performances.

AUTHOR

2016-03-30T07:01:18+00:00

Julia Montesano

Roar Guru


Good call Wilson. I'm interested to see how Sam Rowe stacks up against the Swans forwards. Time for him to own the back line, as Jamo's close to the end of his career and the back-up of having Henderson doesn't exist any more

2016-03-30T06:59:04+00:00

Macca

Guest


Gecko- Only the ones who live pathetic lives. Dougie- can't you just admit your mistake so we can get to the laughing and move on.

AUTHOR

2016-03-30T06:57:33+00:00

Julia Montesano

Roar Guru


Hey Dougie, I reckon the respect was definitely there. Richmond fielded a young side, some who wouldnt've had the chance to play against the likes of Murphy and Gibbs, and see Patrick Cripps up close. Blues supporters nationwide couldn't be more prouder to don the navy blue- not because Richmond played bad, but because Carlton played the best game since the Ratten days.

2016-03-30T06:53:01+00:00

Pumping Dougie

Roar Guru


Hook, line and sinker

AUTHOR

2016-03-30T06:50:23+00:00

Julia Montesano

Roar Guru


G'day Macca. Casboult's marking was certainly strong and he did really well to bring the ball to ground for his crumbers. It was a great start for him, however, Carlton's a side that needs to score more goals. A nice mark here and there won't cut it. Levi's a great assett to the team and he looks like he's gotten stronger during the pre season. Right now, he's looking similar to Travis Cloke. Great presence up forward, not a great amount of goals. It's easy to score goals at training, but in front of 75,000 is a different story. What Cas needs is a bit of self- belief. He's got the build, the height and the hands sorted. Time for him to step up and own that forward line.

2016-03-30T06:46:05+00:00

Gecko

Guest


Macca sometimes I think Roar respondents enjoy winding you up more than they enjoy watching Carlton play footy.

AUTHOR

2016-03-30T06:43:06+00:00

Julia Montesano

Roar Guru


Hi Neil, Not at all. Carlton's strength and conditioning program has improved dramatically over the pre-season! They're doing a fantastic job in nurturing the young boys and getting them in the right shape. Unfortuantely, match fitness is something you can't really teachers or practice. It's up to the players themselves to be able to run with the best athletes in the competition for a solid four quarters. I understand Richmond fielded a young side, but most were the young guns of last year. The likes of Menadue, Lambert and Lloyd have all played together and therefore have had the chance to get used to each other's different styles of play. Contrarily, the Blues debuted five youngsters, who'd only shared a couple of NAB challenge hit outs together. They hadnt taken on the dimensions of the G' before, nor had they played understand their skipper prior to Thursday. They'll eventually be able to work more efficiently together to be able to run out games for the full four quarters, but for now, there's nothing more that Carlton's strength and conditioning team can do. It's up to the players to take the next step beyond playing gutsy and hard footy. The Blues need to sustain this determined footy for four solid quarters. It won't happen in the blink of an eye, but after round one's performance, they're certainly on the right track.

AUTHOR

2016-03-30T06:32:50+00:00

Julia Montesano

Roar Guru


Hey Michael, Thanks for the feedback mate. History does show that Carlton havent done well at Etihad, however, I'm tipping a different year at ol' dome. It's a great surface for young teams to utilise the small dimensions- and the home crowd- to allow a bit of run and carry on game day. A prime example of a young team taking a liking to the surface is the Bulldogs. Havent they been great! They have an impeccable record at Etihad as they've been able to manipulate the size of the ground and use it to challenge the best sides in the competition. Carlton have just as good a chance to do the same. Hopefully they can begin this weekend!

2016-03-30T06:24:42+00:00

Macca

Guest


Col - We both know which one it was.

2016-03-30T06:20:55+00:00

Col from Brissie

Roar Guru


Dougie on another article today you commented "strange to see Richmond being mediocre against Carlton, but good for football to see spirited competitive football from Carlton, St Kilda and Brisbane" yet on this article it wasn't the spirited, competitive football from Carlton but that Richmond took Carlton lightly and won when they "flicked the switch" in the last quarter. Having two bob each way or just trying to bait Carlton supporters?

2016-03-30T06:06:56+00:00

Macca

Guest


Shelley - Go and find what I have said in the past - you will find that I have always referred to this century and always the same (I think the full line is "the same number of premierships, the same number of Grand Finals and the same number of finals series") As for my question, it was a question, I didn't know the answer but I knew it was very close and whether it was 4-5, 5-5 or 5-4 doesn't matter to the point because one team can not be "very, very poor" and the other team brilliant if there is only 1 finals series splitting them.

More Comments on The Roar

Read more at The Roar