A Roughy short of the Finals
May 12th 2008 12:02
As hard as it is for most people to accept, Carlton are actually good now and are playing some OK footy. I know I preferred it when they were a guaranteed four points, but a quick glance over their list shows why they have turned out some good performances so far this year.
Combined with a smart coach, the Blues have really taken off this year, and could potentially push for the finals. But they are one key forward short of real success.
Compare Carlton with, say, Hawthorn, starting in the middle. Hawthorn's engine room boasts established stars such as Crawford, Hodge, Mitchell, and Sewell. Their counterparts at Carlton are just as impressive - Judd, Stevens, Carrazzo and Murphy, with Gibbs a star in the making.
Down back, both Hawthorn and Carlton have moderately leaky defences. Hawthorn has countered this by forbidding the ball to get there. Carlton just make sure they can kick more than they concede. Which is good enough, for now.
But up forward is where Hawthorn outshines the Blues. While Carlton has a genuine goalkicking sensation in Brendan Fevola popping goals like Maltesers, Hawthorn are spoilt for choice with three potent, talented forwards to choose from.
Even if Lance Franklin has a bad day, the ball can be delivered to Jarryd Roughead, who can take one-on-one marks like the best. Even if that fails, Mark Williams pops up to kick 60 goals in a season.
The best teams always have two key forwards. Think Carey-Longmire, Lockett-Loewe, Lloyd-Lucas, Brown-Bradshaw, and more recently, Franklin-Roughead.
Being one-dimensional is equivalent to being predictable. If Franklin kicks 2.11, Hawthorn can still win by 86 points. If Fevola doesn't kick goals, Carlton don't kick goals. They kick to him roughly three times per four entries into the fifty. If they had a second potent goalkicker - a Roughead, if you will - to share the load, they would be a safe bet for the eight.
They might be ruing the trade of Josh Kennedy, a young, talented forward, for Judd, a very old 25-year-old.
So, while they won't win a premiership this or next year, they are on the right track. Drafting a big man for the forwardline would be the biggest step they could take.
Combined with a smart coach, the Blues have really taken off this year, and could potentially push for the finals. But they are one key forward short of real success.
Compare Carlton with, say, Hawthorn, starting in the middle. Hawthorn's engine room boasts established stars such as Crawford, Hodge, Mitchell, and Sewell. Their counterparts at Carlton are just as impressive - Judd, Stevens, Carrazzo and Murphy, with Gibbs a star in the making.
Down back, both Hawthorn and Carlton have moderately leaky defences. Hawthorn has countered this by forbidding the ball to get there. Carlton just make sure they can kick more than they concede. Which is good enough, for now.
But up forward is where Hawthorn outshines the Blues. While Carlton has a genuine goalkicking sensation in Brendan Fevola popping goals like Maltesers, Hawthorn are spoilt for choice with three potent, talented forwards to choose from.
Even if Lance Franklin has a bad day, the ball can be delivered to Jarryd Roughead, who can take one-on-one marks like the best. Even if that fails, Mark Williams pops up to kick 60 goals in a season.
The best teams always have two key forwards. Think Carey-Longmire, Lockett-Loewe, Lloyd-Lucas, Brown-Bradshaw, and more recently, Franklin-Roughead.
Being one-dimensional is equivalent to being predictable. If Franklin kicks 2.11, Hawthorn can still win by 86 points. If Fevola doesn't kick goals, Carlton don't kick goals. They kick to him roughly three times per four entries into the fifty. If they had a second potent goalkicker - a Roughead, if you will - to share the load, they would be a safe bet for the eight.
They might be ruing the trade of Josh Kennedy, a young, talented forward, for Judd, a very old 25-year-old.
So, while they won't win a premiership this or next year, they are on the right track. Drafting a big man for the forwardline would be the biggest step they could take.
| 87 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
