Deep dive: All eyes on Carlton and Patrick Cripps after yet another 0-2 start to the season
Out of contract at the end of the season, Patrick Cripps continues to struggle. And with the Blues slipping to 0-2, there is nowhere to hide.
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Here Carlton is again, zip and two, just like the previous eight seasons.
After all the doom and gloom painted in the lead-up to Round 2 for teams that dare to drop their first two matches, there’s reason to already be pessimistic about the Blues’ prospects.
Coach David Teague says he still believes – and it’d be concerning if he didn’t – but even he must privately wonder where his side fits in this year’s competition.
This was supposed to be the season they finally returned to September action, after seven years without a taste of finals.
“I have absolute belief in this group. We’ll get there,” Teague stated defiantly after the 21-point loss to Collingwood on Thursday night.
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“I’m not going to lose any belief in this group. I know our fans will probably be a bit frustrated and they’re hurting, they’re disappointed – we all are, and the players especially.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we need to do it.”
Teague’s men challenged Richmond for much of their season opener, but the under-siege Magpies mostly outplayed them, outside of a couple of bursts in the second and third quarters.
They conceded five of the first seven goals, eight of the first 11, then three straight either side of half-time.
In that sense, it was the same-old Blues with mid-match lapses that have killed them under Teague. Is the coach any closer to sorting out the problem?
“I was frustrated in the way we started … we want to play 120 minutes of perfect football, but we understand that’s not going to be the case,” he said.
“When we’re not getting it right, we’re getting scored against right now. We need to stop that, and we need to be a little bit stronger in some of the key moments.”
Carlton regained two of its shiny new toys from the past two seasons, Zac Williams and Jack Martin, for the Collingwood showdown and both showed what they can do at different stages.
Williams joined Sam Walsh and Patrick Cripps at the first centre bounce, and set up two shots at goal and had four possessions in a blistering first five minutes that Teague later raved about.
The former Giant finished with only 20 disposals, to go with eight turnovers, but he adds great dash, creative ball use and much-needed variety to the onball brigade.
Walsh was excellent, as usual, but Cripps isn’t close to the player who was discussed as potentially the game’s best as recently as 2019.
Teague insisted post-game that Cripps was injury-free and spoke about how he looked dangerous in attack.
Cripps has 10 clearances through two matches, a total he matched or bettered in single contests on seven occasions two seasons ago – and he had five or fewer only five times.
He’ll be paid handsomely to stay at Ikon Park, and so he should be, but it’s fair to ponder how much of a toll his body absorbed when he was a one-man wrecking ball with little support in recent seasons.
Teague might also contemplate telling ex-Bombers recruit Adam Saad to slow down every now and then.
His line-breaking ability is almost unmatched in the AFL, but he regularly ran himself into trouble on Thursday night, when he could’ve taken the easier option at times.
As for the rest, Lachie Plowman leaked goals for fun; Ed Curnow’s been shuffled onto a wing and isn’t anywhere near as impactful; and question marks remain on Paddy Dow and, to some degree, Sam Petrevski-Seton.
Ten Carlton players on the night were 26 or older, and another two (including medical sub Oscar McDonald) were 25. The impressive Walsh was the youngest at 20.
They’re far from over the hill, but they’re not the Baby Blues anymore.
Carlton faces Fremantle and Gold Coast in the next fortnight, before tough clashes with Port Adelaide and Brisbane after that, so we’ll know where the club’s heading within a month.
WHERE ARE THESE BLUES AT?
Levi Casboult
David Teague used Casboult’s horror miss from a straightforward set shot early as an example of how Carlton failed to capitalise on their chances the same way Collingwood did. The big Blue failed to bother the scorers on the night and, at age 31, will increasingly be under pressure to keep his spot, especially once Mitch McGovern and (eventually) Charlie Curnow return. Is there room for him to go down back again, alongside Liam Jones and Jacob Weitering?
Paddy Dow
The No.3 pick in the 2017 AFL Draft caught everyone’s attention with a standout practice match performance against Essendon, but he’s been unable to replicate in three appearances since. This is season four for Dow and he has 44 games under his belt – he broke into the senior side only three times last season – but his inconsistency and lack of impact remain a problem. Still only 21, but is he the sacrificial lamb to get Eddie Betts in?
Will Setterfield
One off-shoot of Zac Williams’ arrival is fewer centre-bounce opportunities for the likes of fellow ex-Giant Setterfield, who took a big step forward last year. He was largely invisible on Thursday night, winning only nine disposals (three kicks) and one clearance. Setterfield must find a way to adapt, because he’s not going ahead of Williams, Sam Walsh or Patrick Cripps any time soon – but the Blues need to get him involved, too.
Jack Newnes
The Saints felt Newnes was expendable, but he’s proven handy enough as a cheap-as-chips recruit for Carlton. However, with pressure such a buzz word in the AFL, does he do enough offensively to make up for the fact he’s laid one tackle in the opening fortnight of the season?
Sam Petrevski-Seton
It’s hard to know what to make of Petrevski-Seton’s AFL career to date. He’s another high draft pick who’s flashed some terrific glimpses. Immediately you think of his Rising Star nomination game in 2017 against Collingwood. And how about that 35-disposal, seven-clearance special against the Bulldogs in 2019? ‘Samo’ is now 82 matches in and toiling away down back, where he’s done some OK things, including one great spoil on Thursday night. But does David Teague need to figure out a way to get him in the midfield rotation again, where he can hunt the footy again?
Tom Williamson
Williamson was effectively the third tall in a well-beaten Carlton defence against Collingwood and did next-to-nothing offensively from half-back. With Lachie Plowman thrashed on the night, it would’ve been handy to have another versatile option who could step in and douse the flames.
Ed Curnow
As above with Setterfield, Curnow’s been pushed onto a wing and isn’t the same player he is at the coalface. The Blues seem to play a lot of players out of their favoured position but expect the same sort of production. David Teague mentioned post-match that Lochie O’Brien, a more natural winger, was playing pretty well, yet O’Brien was axed after Round 1.
Marc Murphy
At 33, he’s pegged for a forward role this season, having well and truly entered the twilight years of his career. Serving as somewhat of a connector between the midfield and attack, he’s not going to play in a similar manner to Zac Fisher, Mick Gibbons or Lachie Fogarty. Had 18 disposals and eight score involvements in the Pies loss, but needs to continue to adapt to his new role.
DE GOEY, DE FORWARD
All pre-season we heard about how Jordan De Goey had transformed his body and was primed to play more midfield time than ever.
Round one came, and it happened.
De Goey spent 55 per cent of game time on the ball versus 45 per cent as a forward against the Western Bulldogs, and attended eight centre bounces.
Yet his 16-possession return was only so-so. Fast-forward to Thursday night and he was again at the opening bounce, but he zoomed forward afterwards and eventually kicked the first goal.
De Goey had all four of his majors before half-time and finished with 12 score involvements, while still getting his hand on the footy 16 times.
Four of his five centre attendances were also in the opening half.
Whether it was the opponent or a reaction to what happened in the season opener, the star Magpie spent only seven per cent of time as a midfielder and the rest in attack.
De Goey will always have value as a midfielder, but the evidence suggests he’s more dangerous as a forward.
WHAT THE COACH SAID
Carlton coach David Teague admits his side needs to be more ruthless after losing to Collingwood on Thursday night, but insists his belief in his players hasn’t wavered one iota despite the club suffering its ninth consecutive 0-2 start to a season.
The Blues headed into the year with high hopes on the back of recruits Zac Williams and Adam Saad, as well as the promise of further development from some of their exciting youngsters.
Only a couple of months ago, president Mark LoGiudice declared the Blues to be well-placed to end their finals drought, but that ambition will seem a long way off coming to fruition if they can’t defeat Fremantle next weekend.
“I have absolute belief in this group, we’ll get there,” Teague said post-match.
“I am not going to lose any belief in this group. I know our fans will probably be a bit frustrated, they [players] are hurting, they’re disappointed, we all are.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we need to do it.”
The Blues could get a massive morale boost against the Dockers with Teague suggesting veteran small forward Eddie Betts could be included to provide the team with something they were lacking against the Magpies.
“Right now our tackle pressure looked down, Eddie I think was in the top 10 for forward-50 tackles last year so that is something we need – we need to make sure we’ve got a balanced team,” Teague said.
Carlton captain Patrick Cripps seems be to struggling, but Teague insisted he was not carrying an injury and was confident he wouldn’t fall victim to the quicker game the new rules have been producing so far this season.
“I thought he looked dangerous forward actually,” Teague said.
“I think he was still strong around clearances … the game is continually changing and you need to continually evolve.
“I think he’s quite a hard match-up one v one deep forward.”
SCOREBOARD
BLUES 3.2 8.3 12.4 13.7 (85)
MAGPIES 6.2 11.5 13.7 16.10 (106)
LERNER’S BEST
Blues: McKay, Walsh, Gibbons, Martin, Fogarty, Weitering.
Magpies: Adams, Crisp, De Goey, Grundy, Pendlebury, Moore, Roughead.
GOALS
Blues: McKay 4, Martin 3, Gibbons 3, Pittonet, Fogarty, Fisher.
Magpies: De Goey 4, Mihocek 3, Elliott 2, Cox 2, Sidebottom, Hoskin-Elliott, Daicos, Adams, Ruscoe.
INJURIES
Blues: Nil.
Magpies: Elliott (ankle).
REPORTS Nil.
UMPIRES Deboy, Stephens, Harris
VENUE MCG
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
LERNER’S VOTES
3 T.Adams (Coll)
2 J.Crisp (Coll)
1 J.De Goey (Coll)
GUN PIE TO GO IN FOR SCANS AFTER NASTY INJURY
Collingwood forward Jamie Elliott is sweating on scans after he was subbed out of Thursday night’s important win over Carlton with a right ankle injury.
Elliott’s injury was the only sour note on an otherwise positive night for the Magpies, who faced an 0-2 start after a 16-point defeat to the Western Bulldogs in their season opener.
Instead, it’s the Blues who have suffered consecutive losses to begin a season they entered with such hope.
Their Round 3 date with Fremantle at Marvel Stadium now looms as almost a must win, as David Teague’s side aims to play finals for the first time since 2013.
As for Elliott, Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley was hesitant to offer an early prognosis for him.
Jamie Elliott has been helped off the field after this contest. #AFLBluesPiespic.twitter.com/crnlUdALov
— AFL (@AFL) March 25, 2021
“We don’t know. We’ll wait until we see the scan and see what comes of that, but clearly (he was) unable to finish the game, so not a great sign – but we’re hoping for the best,” Buckley said.
The club’s new football boss Graham Wright was hopeful it was only a bad sprain, but reported that Elliott was still pretty sore post-match.
Elliott kicked two of the Pies’ first four goals, and set up De Goey’s match-opening major, but took no further part after landing awkwardly from an aerial contest in the second quarter.
He soared for an improbable mark, but went straight through the pack of players without touching the Sherrin.
Collingwood’s medical sub, Trey Ruscoe, was activated soon after, with Elliott spotted on crutches.
Teammate Will Hoskin-Elliott instead came down with the ball in the same contest and kicked the Magpies’ ninth of 16 goals on the night.
Trainers immediately came onto the field, and the 28-year-old forward looked in significant pain as he was assessed.
He didn’t need a stretcher, but was carried from the field and unable to put any weight on his injured ankle.
Elliott had left ankle surgery late in 2017, after dealing with soreness in the latter stages of that season.
Jordan De Goey kicked four goals for the winners in a dual midfield-forward role, while Jack Crisp amassed 36 disposals and 788m gained and Taylor Adams won 13 clearances among his 29 touches.
Harry McKay booted four majors for Carlton in an engrossing battle with Darcy Moore.
Buckley was pleased not only with the result, but with how his players responded from a “disappointing” first-up display against the Bulldogs.
“We saw a greater intent across the board from our players (tonight). It wasn’t all on our terms in the third quarter, when Carton was coming,” he said.
“We actually defended really well, and our pressure went up and our tackling went up when we weren’t getting our hands on the ball, so it was encouraging on a couple of levels.”.
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