Carlton’s fatal flaw has been laid bare as they prepare for a Friday-night blockbuster against arch-rival Collingwood.
The inconsistent Blues have had a horrible three weeks defensively, conceding an average of 105.3 points through losses to Adelaide and Geelong, and a come-from-behind win over Greater Western Sydney. They had conceded an average of just 77.5 points a game in their opening four wins of the season.
Only the winless North Melbourne (130) have conceded more points over the past three weeks, and the Blues also ranked 17th for marks against inside defensive 50, while being crunched on scores from turnovers and stoppages.
Work to do: Jacob Weitering and the Blues have work to do to improve defensively against Collingwood on Friday night.Credit: Getty Images
Veteran Sam Docherty, now working on the bench on game day as he recovers from ACL surgery, said on Monday the Blues had to tighten up defensively.
“Ultimately, our defence probably hasn’t been good enough for a few weeks now. When you are conceding 120 points … internally, we are probably a team that doesn’t stand for that,” Docherty said at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre on Monday.
“There are many elements of what that represents … we don’t want to be a team that is playing in shootouts. We really need to tidy that up and, coming up against a really quality side in Collingwood this week, it will be really important our defence is on.”
The “elements” Docherty alluded to may have been what Magpies great Nathan Buckley referenced on Monday, that the Cats and Giants are two of the best teams at slicing opponents by run and carry, and by hand from defensive 50, troubling the Blues on the rebound and their set-up behind the ball.
The Cats – led by star forward Jeremy Cameron, who has free licence to push into defence – put on a show against the Blues in a 13-point win on Saturday.
Now the Blues must deal with the premiers on Friday night, another side Buckley said embraced end-to-end dash when in form.
“Geelong are running the ball out, and GWS run the ball out, and Collingwood, which is why they will be in the [premiership] mix for a long time, is because of the way they set up the ground. They set up the ground to protect their defence, and they are one of the best teams when they are going, at going from end to end and scoring from the back half,” Buckley told SEN.
Led by the indefatigable trio of Marc Pittonet, Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh, the Blues won the clearances 44-38 and contested possessions 139-120 on Saturday, but Buckley has questioned whether stoppage work is as important as it once was, noting Richmond’s recent premiership dynasty was built on having a spare man behind the ball.
Despite full-back Jacob Weitering holding Tom Hawkins goalless, premiership great Matthew Lloyd said the Blues’ team defence had work to do, noting the Cats beat the Blues on the rebound.
“I don’t like their defence compared to other team defences. Their midfield has to be on to protect this defence,” Lloyd told the AFL website.
Geelong great Jimmy Bartel said the Blues needed to match opponents with more scoring from the back half, noting the Cats booted five goals from this facet compared to Carlton’s one.
“It felt like Carlton dominated field position, 66 inside forward 50s. It’s a big room for improvement for Carlton when they get to the pointy end of the season – when the pressure is on, they have got to be able to find those easier ones inside forward 50,” Bartel said.
That the Blues squandered several opportunities in front of goal did not help their cause.
In his post-match media conference after the Crows pinched victory by two points in round five, in his pre-game media conference before the Giants clash and, again, on Saturday, Blues coach Michael Voss has demanded greater defensive accountability.
“We’ve got to be better, we’re going to expect better from each other. We conceded 118 points, it’s just too much,” Voss said on Saturday.
What to do: Michael Voss and his Blues need to find a way to stop opponents from scoring on the rebound.Credit: Getty Images
“It was too easy for them [Cats] to score at the other end. Let’s just put it under the banner of defending when you need to – we haven’t done that in this game.”
Wingman Blake Acres leads the league in points conceded (42) from turnovers over the past three weeks, while half-back Zac Williams (25) is equal fourth. However, Champion Data stresses there needs to be context in this statistic, given an effective disposal can still result in a turnover.
The defensive woes have contributed to the Blues’ inconsistent in-game performances, for they have a 14-13-1 record in 28 quarters of football this season.
They have been impacted by hamstring injuries to front-line defenders Mitch McGovern and Adam Saad, the latter’s speed and creativity from half-back sorely missed. Voss said McGovern would be “around the mark” for a possible return on Friday.
The absence of midfielder Adam Cerra has also hurt in providing greater midfield flexibility.
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