Essendon vs Carlton Pre - Match Discussion Thread

[paddyl90]

Since a lot of the focus around here is about last week, what's everyone thinking about this week's game?

I honestly believe we will win. This is not just another JP's over positive remarks, I've got this feeling in my guts we will win...something I didn't have the past 2 weeks. Same feeling I had against the Saints last year. We'll see if I don't myself look like an arse this time

The key for me about this game is about midfield goal scoring. Neither have really productive forward lines. We have Monfries & Williams on the HFF and FP respectivley with Gumbleton and Neagle? Laycock? chuck Hille down and they have Waite, Betts & O'Hailpin. Murphy, Gibbs, Simpson & Carazzo can all / and have all kicked goals against us so we need to be able to kick just as much the other so hope that we can get a few goals out of Winders, Zaharakis, Stanton, Watson etc. The midfield contests are crucial with the Carlton boys having a better midfield by far IMO. Rucks in Ryder & Hille v Kreuzer & Warnock will be interesting. God Paddy is good, so clean with his ball handling skills, didn't do much last week but can snap out of it you'd think.

Betts & Waite are my only worries for goal scoring for them as well as their midfield. Betts is a notable serial pest for us and Waite could be a problem and is a pretty decent shot for goal. I think Tayte & Cale along with Fletch and Dempsey can provide reasonable cover..just interesting to see what happens there.

Once again MIDFIELD is the key this time around.

Bombers by 30 <---- don't ask me why

[robrulz5]

I think this will bea very different game against Carlton than the trend of high scoring in recent years. Ratten has come out and said that they will try and slow us down so I'm expecting a bit of a slog. We do still have the ability to break the game open if Watson, Prismall and co. can get the ball out to Winderlich, Dyson, Dempsey and Reimers*

I'm expecting Williams to have a much more productive game this week, our small forwards usually do well against Carlton.

[Windy_Hill]

They will toast us.

Our confidence is gone. We have no forward line, our key players are sadly out of form, they are due.

I am simply looking for signs at the moment - more improvement from Gumby, Zaka to kick a couple more goals, Davey to touch the footy, little things

[Mrs Mercuri]

This will be a very interesting game... im expecting either a hard slog or for us to run away with it.

We dont have Lloyd and Lovett this time and they were two players who have terrorised the Blues in the past. We need to find a gamebreaker... i have a feeling it might be Mark Williams this week. Its time for him to show the Ess faithful why Knighta brought him to the club. Reimers also needs to be included to add some grunt.

Pears, Hooker, Fletch will have the Blues talls covered... it is their smaller players that could pose a problem. If Slattery plays on Betts or Yarran i will vomit....... Dempsey should start on Betts.

Im really looking forward to Sat night and seeing which Ess team comes to play!!!

[BenDoolan]

Not expecting anything less than a 5 goal win. If not, then I'm ready to explode.

[dom_105]

Nothing less than a win is acceptable.

[Gyoza]

Betts a cereal pest ?
"they'll toast us" ?

=D>

We'll get smashed. We suck right now.
Then again our trait the last couple of years has been rollercoaster form.
No upturn coming this weekend though.

[Gimps]

Bower isn't going to play. So, I would be stacking our forward line with talls. I'd bring Laycock in, sit him in the square. Gumby doing all the hard yards 50-60m out. And a resting ruckman to hover around 30m out. Jamieson will take one (likely our tall in the square) and Thornton will take another (i.e. Gumby). If we play a 3rd tall down there, they will have problems. Our bloke will either have a distinct height advantage, or they will have to pull Waite out of their forward line. If Waite plays down back, they lose firepower up forward, not a bad result for us.

If the above happens, kick the F****** thing long and straight. One up, one down. Basics of footy. Davey should be at the base of the pack where he belongs, getting crumbing practice. Zaharakis can do the same, or wait for quick hands. Monfries can provide the other lead-up option, and maybe get a couple of cheap ones out the back. Williams can either be a diversion, or lead to the opposite side that Monfries does. Another that could pick up a few cheap ones.

In a nutshell, let's exploit them with our height. Get the footy out of the middle and kick the thing. If we have someone down there permanently (at least near the goalsquare), we can belt it down to them if there are no other options. I'm sick if seeing everyone a mile out from goal and our midfielders hesitating cos there is f*** all to kick to.

[MH_Bomber]

JP, I put down our predictions about beating the Saints round 20 last year as really lucky contrary optimism. If we could play like that again we are huge show. I have no such optimism this week. There just wasnt any grunt about the squad last weekend.

We need the likes of NLM, Reimers and Lonergan as definite INS if we are going to have any impact on Caaaaaaaaarlton. All these guys have that certain bit of niggle and passion about them - something we sorely missed last week.

I hope all the bad press this week and internal gnashing of teeth will have put a rocket up some blokes, including the coach.

[F111]

We're still a good chance this week, despite the odds being offered.

I believe this team has a habit of dropping games they shouldn't, eg recent games v Tiggers. It's why I hate it when we're favourites.

We tend to be UP for games v the scum and that's what I expect this week.

For anyone at the Freo game, did you feel the atmosphere of the game? It was flat, flat, flat..just like against the tiggers when we last played them. If I was a betting person I might've put money on Freo at Q1. The feel of that game was blatantly obvious...there was nothing.

Kreuser will be our problem this week as his form has been good. I like the tall idea down forward, but we still need to cover the oirishman, Kreuser and their crumbers at the other end too.

Murphy, Gibbs, Carazzo need to be held and Watson needs protection from a tagger.

[ealesy]

f*** me, we play about the worst we possibly could against Freo, still stick with them for 3 quarters, a week after pressurizing and beat Geelong for 3 quarters before little more than their self confidence got them on a roll and kick away in the last.

Nope we are shit and will be battling Melbourne and Richmond for the spoon.

f*** me, we don't have a forward line, and Carlton do? Whose going to kick their goals the Irish f***, Tipsy McBetts or Slugger Yarran. Oh don't forget the greatest ever key forward, well you'd think if you listened to Walls, Jarrod Waite.

It is also at the G which will suit our gameplan far better.

[Windy_Hill]

It is also at the G which will suit our gameplan far better.

So we have a gameplan that only works at the G - great. Shame we play 7 games at Etihad

[paddyl90]

Betts a cereal pest ?
"they'll toast us" ?

=D>

Hahaha oops "serial" nice spot up BIJ hahaha.

[Rossoneri]

It is also at the G which will suit our gameplan far better.

So we have a gameplan that only works at the G - great. Shame we play 7 games at Etihad

Under Sheedy, we only had a game plan that suited Etihad.
This year, we play 8 games at the G, 11 at Etihad. Finals are played at the G. It's a catch 22, we have the plan to play well at the 'G where the finals are played, but we may not win enough games to get there as we have alot of games at the dome.

[Gimps]

It is also at the G which will suit our gameplan far better.

So we have a gameplan that only works at the G - great. Shame we play 7 games at Etihad

Under Sheedy, we only had a game plan that suited Etihad.
This year, we play 8 games at the G, 11 at Etihad. Finals are played at the G. It's a catch 22, we have the plan to play well at the 'G where the finals are played, but we may not win enough games to get there as we have alot of games at the dome.

Correct me if this is a stupid question.. Shouldn't our game plan be flexible enough to play well at all grounds? f*** me, what a joke.

[hop]

Correct me if this is a stupid question.. Shouldn't our game plan be flexible enough to play well at all grounds? f*** me, what a joke.[/quote]

I don't know if it is flexible - however, it has been consistent this year.

We have lost at both grounds, with the opposition running away.

[Rossoneri]

Correct me if this is a stupid question.. Shouldn't our game plan be flexible enough to play well at all grounds? f*** me, what a joke.

Maybe it's too difficult for the players to comprehend?

I agree, I would be looking for a game plan that doesn't solely involve "wide open spaces". Then again, it did work at the SCG last year and didn't work at AAMI. Maybe we don't have a game plan that suits any particular ground, maybe we just play well against Carlton?

[swoodley]

St Kilda and the Bulldogs don't seem to have any problems playing at both grounds so imo there is no excuse for not being able to perform at both grounds regardless of the game plan.

Our problem is that we are still not mentally tough enough on a consistent basis.

Why couldn't we put the same effort into last week as we did for the first three quarters against Geelong.

That's not game plan issues...that's head space issues.

If we are switched on this week, we are a real chance....if our head's are stuck up our arse like last week, we will get smashed.

[brad]

no we will not get smashed.

Carlton could barely smash Richmond and it wasn't until the final quarter that they did (oh shit did I just say "final quarter").

I went to that round 1 game and if it wasn't for Richmond's poor start (5 goals to zip) the game could have been a lot closer.

For some reason I think we'll come out on top.

Essendon by 27pts

[Doctor Fish]

no we will not get smashed.

Carlton could barely smash Richmond and it wasn't until the final quarter that they did (oh shit did I just say "final quarter").

I went to that round 1 game and if it wasn't for Richmond's poor start (5 goals to zip) the game could have been a lot closer.

For some reason I think we'll come out on top.

Essendon by 27pts

That would be funny! Especially with Carlton being favorites yet again... I hope you're right Brad...

[-o<