This week on the real footy podcast, Sam McClure, Caroline Wilson and Jake Niall discuss the Blues, who were out-hunted and outworked by the Crows. Do the Blues have a “pick and choose” problem this season?
Though they rack up big numbers when it comes to possessions, Carlton have an inefficient game style. The big numbers are looking like junk stats, because they’re over-possessing the ball and not taking territory. With two big key forwards in Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, moving the ball forward quickly and directly would be the better option. There’s also an issue up forward, where the gap between McKay’s best and worst performances are just too big. And why was Jack Silvagni dropped? Carlton’s team is stacked with enough talent to blow opposition out of the water, but they’ve left themselves at risk of falling out of the eight in the run home to September.
Chasing down the seventh-placed Blues in eighth spot are St Kilda, who kept their final hopes alive by beating Hawthorn. But this week the Saints come up against the Cats. Are they any chance of repeating their success from earlier in the season? And does their season hinge on it?
Richmond also kept themselves in the hunt for a finals spot with their comeback win over Brisbane, but the result said as much about the Lions as it did about their opponents. Some of their misses were inexcusable and a lack of discipline at the end of the game cost the Lions. Will it leave a seed of doubt for the team in any big September clashes at the MCG?
Melbourne and Collingwood will play off for a second spot on Friday night and the Dees look like they’re back in town after beating Fremantle in round 20. Was it a reset for Melbourne, or are there still questions about their form?
At the other end of the ladder, the Giants are struggling and interim coach Mark McVeigh gave an extraordinary post-match press conference after their loss to the Swans. We take a look at the list strategy and decisions at GWS and where they might have gone wrong.
Plus, the latest on where things stand in the broadcast rights negotiations, Jack Ginnivan’s post-match interview about his mental health, the contenders for coach of the year, the likelihood of Alastair Clarkson joining North Melbourne and much more.
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