If Cameron Polson is part of Brendon Bolton’s blueprint for success at Carlton, but Harry McKay isn’t, Blues fans should be worried. Very worried.
How is it possible that McKay’s form can’t warrant selection in the senior side, when Polson has played three games in a row and been nothing but detrimental?
Polson, selected with the 59th overall pick in the 2016 national draft, has played five games for Carlton this year, including in their most recent three outings.
In those last three games, Polson has averaged 6.7 disposals, 0.3 marks and three tackles, while kicking no goals butchering almost a third of his rare disposals.
A particular lowlight of Polson’s three-game stretch occurred with about 15 minutes to go in the last quarter of Round 14, where Carlton were remarkably within three points of Port Adelaide.
The Blues were streaming forward on the counterattack and Polson had the ball in the midfield with time and space. He kicked long and straight into the arms of Port defender Tom Clurey.
Polson then gave away a 50-metre penalty, the turnover resulting in a goal to Steven Motlop to put the Power nine points up. It felt like the moment that hope was lost for Carlton.
Cameron Polson mustered up seven SuperCoach points that game. And yes, he played the full game. Ouch.
And then there’s Harry McKay, taken with the tenth pick in the 2015 national draft. The 20-year-old sat in the grandstands on Saturday and watched Charlie Curnow get monstered by a pride of Lion defenders, being the Blues’ only target up forward.
Granted, McKay hasn’t been brilliant in his six games this year for Carlton. He also hasn’t shown a whole lot at VFL level. But surely 12 goals and 24 marks in six games can’t be as bad as what Polson has dished up?
Maybe McKay just needs some continuity at AFL level? You’d think the back half of Carlton’s already completely derailed season is the perfect time to get valuable experience into the 200cm forward prospect.
And surely having another forward line target would help free up budding superstar Curnow.
It feels wrong to single out one player in Polson, when it should only really be Patrick Cripps, the Curnow brothers and Kade Simpson holding their heads high at Carlton. There are plenty of others who aren’t pulling their weight.
So let’s not make it a bashing of inexperienced players like Cameron Polson. Let’s shine the spotlight on Brendon Bolton and the selection committee.
Why, Bolton, are the Cameron Polson’s of the world getting a game every week, while Harry McKay sits on the sidelines?
Kane
Guest
Obviously we don't know how fit McKay was last week but what better bloke to play him on in Martin to make him realise just how hard u have to work to make it.
Raimond
Roar Guru
You have to wonder about Bolton's mentality here. Just get as many games into the younger players as you can, they're going to finish last anyway.
Macca
Guest
I agree they should play McKay as much as possible but it isn't hard to see why they didn't pick a player who has never done a full pre-season, has issues with staying in the whole game, according to Bolton has been on restricted training program due to illness and played only 3 games in the last 5 weeks to come up against one of the best endurance ruckmen in the league in Brisbane in warm and humid conditions. But I do agree with your sentiments and whatever coach it was that said if you let these players play VFL too long they become VFL players (I think Malthouse did that to Graham)
Paul D
Roar Guru
See that’s the part I don’t agree with if you go in telling a young player who is 200cm and still a big unit regardless, sorry but we don’t trust you to handle the opposite ruck - and then the guy they pick ahead of him gets injured early on...well I know it’s a bit of hindsight but I just think McKay needs to get in amongst it sooner or later, this leaving of high draft picks in the shrink wrap baffles me. Gold Coast did it with scrimshaw too, I just think you have to play these guys and let them sink or swim, because otherwise they don’t play and they wind up leaving or getting delisted regardless Ethan Hughes at Freo is another prime example, highly rated played 18 games last year and hasn’t been sighted at all this year beyond 1-2 appearances, from the outside i just don’t get it sometimes
Macca
Guest
With LeBois, Schumacher, MacReadie, De Koning, Glass-McCasker, Cuningham, Weitering & Williamson are all on the injury list and Dow, O'Brien, Silvagni, Kennedy, Pickett, Marchbank, Polson, SPS, Curnow & Fisher are in the side I am not sure who is left to spring to mind!!
Jack
Guest
Interestingly noltln was asked about playing anymore “kids “ this year in press conference and said none spring to mind we may have to wait until 2019 to see de koing but all reports from vfl is that he is very promising indeed. Wouldn’t mind seeing him get a sneaky game in round 22 or 23
Macca
Guest
every game of his career in fact Doran with 3 goals from 2 games last year (1 & 2)
Macca
Guest
I agree Cat and I think the blues will be looking at doing that (I think that's why Polson looks like holding his spot). But with the way things have gone for the blues this year he will probably get a season ending injury 2 minutes into the game tomorrow night.
Macca
Guest
Not trying to establish definitive proof just understand the opinion because it seems counter intuitive to me - if the blues were simply in rebuild mode and didn't care about the here and now they would be playing McKay regardless of form but somehow you believe playing a more mature body who will offer less to the club in the long term but a stronger presence now is reflective of a rebuild mentality. I do agree "McKay would have puffing like an old steam train trying to keep up with" Martin but if what Bolton said in his press conference today is true it probably points to why he wasn't picked - Martin would have blown him up on a warm day after he went in underdone.
Jack
Guest
Looks like Bolton is on board now. Maybe min 3 weeks let him get a run out there
Doran Smith
Roar Guru
Harry Mckay has kicked a goal in every game that he has played this season.
Cat
Roar Guru
Now if the ... *
Cat
Roar Guru
No if the Blues are smart they just tell him he is playing for the rest of the year and just do his best. Don't worry about making a mistake and being dropped. Go out and learn, make mistakes so you know what not to do next time.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Well, stef martin would have been an ideal workrate coach for him, his coverage around the ground is extraordinary for such a big unit. McKay would have puffing like an old steam train trying to keep up with him. I don't bother trying to talk to you when you're trying to engage in the futile exercise of establishing definitive proof or untruth around something that is clearly an opinion I'm glad you like the line though, you've quoted it twice now.
Macca
Guest
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-07-12/wild-about-harry-blues-finally-recall-forward
Macca
Guest
Jack - I am agreeing with you just pointing out a reason why the MC have done what they did. It is a bit hard for the blues to play Cuningham more this year - he has only played 2 VFL games (28th of April and 19th of May) along with his 5 AFL games (31/3, 6/4, 14/4, 26/5 & 1/6) and has been injured the rest of the time. As for De Koning he is just a first year player but I think he was getting very close before he got injured
Macca
Guest
Not really sure the blues have left Curnow out by himself that much, at various times this year they have played Curnow Casboult & McKay, Curnow, Casboult and Kerr and Curnow McKay & Kerr on top of Kreuzer in the ruck. The point on McKay though is that he was clearly dropped to work on something (work rate seems to be it but that is only from the outside) and if he hasn't shown a willingness to fix the issue at VFL level how can you bring him back and it not be "indicative of this cancerous rebuild mentality where the here and now doesn’t matter"
Jack
Guest
I have to respectfully disagree Macca I think with McKay’s quality he should be getting a lot more games same for Cunningham before injury. Dow and o brien have been given and virtually game time to allow them to develop . I really like Bolton but he has got this wrong, I think degoing mckay and Cunningham should of got some more games this year as I think all 3 should be viewed as long term players. I have big question marks on Polson he has hardly touched the ball in 5 games
Paul D
Roar Guru
Has anyone been smashing down doors at Carlton? No one is really presenting with a HERES JOHHHNNNNY atm. At least we agree McKay should have played. Leaving Curnow out there by himself to get smashed is the same thing the pies did for yonks with Darcy Moore I don’t buy the ruck excuse either, stef Martin would have just run McKay all over the park he’s not a bash and crash type ruckman. Good for his fitness
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Big Trav Cloke was at the end of his career to be fair but when he went back to VFL he said the one thing that stood out was the lack of space and the moment he got back in the AFL it was so much easier to present as a key forward. The other thing he mentioned was the delivery in the VFL is also a challenge as you would expect with the drop in midfield class and the often windy conditions.