Round 18 – Melbourne v Carlton
Pre Match:
• With just a six day turnaround from a hard running game against the Western Bulldogs, our main focus this week was on recovering well.
• Forced to make three changes, with Byron and Aaron out with hamstrings, and Travis a late withdrawal with leg soreness. We welcomed Brad Green back from suspension, and promoted fresh players in Daniel Bell and Paul Wheatley.
• Our loss to Carlton in Round One was a huge disappointment and a reminder to us what can occur if you don’t bring your A grade mindset to the game. We were keen to make sure this wasn’t the case this time around. Carlton are more than capable of playing good football as evidenced by their performance against West Coast a few
weeks back where they led all day only to be robbed of victory at the finishing post.
• We expected Carlton to flood back heavily, so our ball use going inside 50 had to be smart.
• Keeping control of Stevens, Houlihan, Scotland and Lappin and reducing the influence of Whitnall would be critical to stopping quality supply to Fevola, Waite, Fisher and company.
• Relentless team defence has been the cornerstone of our best performances in 2006. Bringing this to the game against Carlton would go a long way towards helping us achieve victory.
• An intense effort in the first quarter was also a priority, as teams towards the bottom of the ladder at this time of the year can grow a leg if they get away to a good start. Carlton would also take some confidence from the fact that they beat us in Round One at the same venue, so dampening their optimism early would be essential.
During the Game:
• Started poorly, making a number of unforced errors which resulted in turnovers, and Carlton made us pay. Our own inaccuracy in front of goal also proved costly. Despite having one extra shot at goal, we trailed by 14 pts at ¼ time. Carlton’s confidence was up and our work rate and intensity was well below par.
• Carlton scored first in Q2, putting us further behind the eight ball. We continued to make mistakes with the ball, and our willingness to run hard to defend was disappointing. We weren’t working with and for each other, which was a real concern. We managed to square the quarter but a real lift in team cohesion and effort was required in the second half for us to wear down the Blues, who must have been smelling a scent of victory.
• Our intensity lifted somewhat in Q3, and we created a number of chances to capture the lead, but skill errors again cost us many opportunities in front of goal. After creeping within two points of Carlton late in the quarter, it was disappointing that they were able to score a goal in the dying seconds to retain a nine point lead at ¾ time.
• We were hopeful of finding that extra effort required to drag ourselves over the line in Q4, but this wasn’t to be the case. Again we had our chances but failed to convert, and Carlton capitalised on our turn overs.
Post Match:
• This was a bad loss, but Carlton must be given credit for the intensity and purpose with which they approached this game. With nothing on the line but pride, they demonstrated to us the level of commitment required to achieve victory. They deserved to win.
• We need an even team contribution to play our best football. We simply didn’t get that on Saturday, which is puzzling, given what we were playing for.
• James McDonald again tried hard and two of our younger players in Matthew Bate and Nathan Jones played with some energy and purpose. Matt Whelan continued his strong form in defence.
• Our defensive game was well below the expected level of intensity. Carlton out-tackled us, and we allowed them too many uncontested marks.
• Had enough entries inside 50 to win [58 to 47] but didn’t use the ball well going forward. We also got beaten comprehensively at the drop of the ball in the front half [27 to 51]. This was a stark contrast to our efforts against the Bulldogs just six days ago.
• The only choice we have now is to rebound strongly. This is something we have been able to do consistently throughout the year.
