Tom De Koning is the subplot to the subplot of Carlton’s spiralling season.
Probably the best ruckman in the AFL in the first half of the year he is now not even Carlton’s first ruck. And yet, he is almost certain to leave for St Kilda at year’s end on a long-term deal that looks more bewildering by the day.
Due to injuries, primarily to Harry McKay but also to an extent with Jack Silvagni, De Koning is playing almost exclusively forward. As a forward he makes a very good ruck.
It is a matter of necessity due to those injuries, but it remains odd to see a player who can be so damaging as a ruck used as a forward and be so thoroughly anonymous.
In the last quarter he dived low for a ball and marked it. He got the Bronx cheers from the Carlton crowd who were still there on this cold Thursday night when the game was already a fait accompli. He at least kicked the goal.
Tom De Koning flies high for this mark.Credit: Getty Images
While De Koning’s form had tapered from its hot start, a fact that senior Carlton people privately admit probably has much to do with the weighty burden of his next career move, he is plainly still a good ruck. It begs whether he is being played there because the club is looking to the future without him and so is using Marc Pittonet in the ruck.
Michael Voss said after the game that was conspiratorial and wrong. He wanted the best team to win, and they needed another player forward.
It still feels like they have created a bigger problem by trying to solve a lesser one.
Voss admitted there was a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul by moving De Koning out of the ruck and playing him forward.
“There is probably a bit of that. Probably a bit of that,” Voss said.
“But we need him forward from a personnel view point and Pitto has more than earned his right to put his hand up to be in the team.
“I think he (Pittonet) did a great job today.”
Marc Pittonet’s massive torpedo kick on its way to a goal against the Lions.Credit: Channel Seven
Indeed, despite rucking he had more impact as a forward than De Koning did. He booted a magnificent 60-metre torpedo punt after the siren at the end of the first quarter, then kicked one from a metre out in the next term. He was good, but the disappearance of de Koning as one of Carlton’s best players is mystifying.
Charlie Curnow was willing and pushed himself up the ground, but he had no one else forward to be a presence.
Admittedly, it is an awful place to be in Carlton’s forward line at the moment. The field kicking, especially forward of the centre was again deplorable. Targets being missed was the rule not the exception and made Brisbane’s rebound game which they play with ruthless speed and efficiency so much easier to play.
Patrick Cripps was far better on Thursday night, as was George Hewitt, but they stood out because they used the ball well and played with desire
The match itself followed a similar plot as last week. The Blues were wiling in the first quarter and were in the match. The class of the opposition told in the second as they edged slowly out to a five-goal lead, the match was blown up in the third quarter and in the last term Brisbane, as Collingwood did last week, played not to get injured and to save their legs coming off a five-day break.
Carlton were trying but privately in the rooms after the game even senior players were baffled by why it was their field kicking that was again so poor. They train well and play badly. A truism of sport is you play how your train and Carlton feel a little cheated by that.
Voss was asked whether they had spent sufficient time on skill training in the summer, his response was candidly honest when he said he thought they had, but the evidence on the field would point otherwise.
“The outcome would suggest maybe not enough (skill work),” he said.
“We got more (effort intensity and tackling pressure) tonight. But it’s still not good enough. There are still things that are in our control that we can do a lot better.”
After the month of misery that began with losing to North, didn’t improve against Port and then ran head first into the two best teams now leaves Carlton able to come up for air.