Sydney vs Carlton Match Preview

[desredandwhite]

<a href="http://redandwhiteonline.com/content.php?id=362_0_2_0_C">Click here to see what Charlie has to say about this week's game......</a>

[NMWBloods]

I think that was a pretty decent and fair review. However, I think we need to win by at least 5 goals!! This is one of the few chances we have left for a percentage booster. Of course saying that, we also need to make sure we are focussed on winning first!!

[liz]

An interesting perspective on Carlton's midfield. I remain less convinced by it. No doubt it has improved on last year's (not hard) but it has also been made to look very ordinary by some teams. You don't lose games by over 100 points unless your midfield is pretty brittle.

Carlton fans can be encouraged by three wins on the trot but they need to remember that their opponents were Richmond, Hawthorn and Adelaide. Adelaide has a good midfield on paper but, Riccuito aside, it hasn't been firing much this year. And to say that Hawthorn and Richmond's midfields lack something is a bit of an understatement (she says, conveniently ignoring the Swans' own lacklustre performances against these two teams).

I think both teams are going to learn quite a bit about the quality of their midfields on Saturday. Sydney will find out if their's has regained enough confidence to perform closer to the Saints level than the Richmond level against a MOR outfit. The Blues will discover how their's copes against an even, hard working unit that has few stars but (or thus) is impossible to stop by just shutting down one or two players.

[Charlie]

I half-agree, Lizz.

Their midfield is still rather raw and lacks depth (as do all parts of the Carlton list), but the top five are class. Kouta, Stevens and Campo are all A-list players when fit and firing, and Heath Scotland and Brett Johnson are enjoying the opportunity to have a sustained run in their team's midfield, yet are still avoiding the attention being given to the bigger names.

Kouta gives them the marking power that is the reason I want Goodes back in the midfield as soon as possible.

They are still brittle, I'll agree. That's because the next tier falls away quickly, and they lack a class ruckman. But the group they'll be putting out on Saturday will be quite competitive.

Yes, their wins were against low teams, but they were games in which Carlton had to respectively a) come from behind, b) fight and scrap throughout a match and c) defend a lead against an opponent making a late charge. They answered all three challenges. What's stopping them from being finalists is the lack of depth.

NMW - I'd love to win by 25, however I simply don't think that at Optus Oval, we are that much better than them. We deserve to be favourites, and at the end of the day I think we'll win solidly... but I'd be worried if the team is thinking about percentage boosts.

[liz]

Originally posted by Charlie
I
They are still brittle, I'll agree. That's because the next tier falls away quickly, and they lack a class ruckman. But the group they'll be putting out on Saturday will be quite competitive.

Yes, their wins were against low teams, but they were games in which Carlton had to respectively a) come from behind, b) fight and scrap throughout a match and c) defend a lead against an opponent making a late charge. They answered all three challenges. What's stopping them from being finalists is the lack of depth.



It's partly a lack of depth, but I also question whether they like having sustained pressure applied. None of the Richmond, Hawthorn or Adelaide midfields would have applied much of that. I get the impression that players like Stevens and Campo don't really enjoy this.

When Sydney turn up with their minds switched on, they are one of the best teams for applying sustained pressure right across the ground. It's the reason why they are able to shut down the classier teams, like the Saints and Lions, while other teams can't, and helps make up for a lack of class in their own midfield. Whatever we might say about their finesse at times, few teams can match (for numbers) a list of running tough nuts of Mathews, Crouch, Bolton, Bevan, Maxfield, Kirk, Williams and (now) Fixter.

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by Charlie
NMW - I'd love to win by 25, however I simply don't think that at Optus Oval, we are that much better than them. We deserve to be favourites, and at the end of the day I think we'll win solidly... but I'd be worried if the team is thinking about percentage boosts.

So would I, but if we're serious we should win comfortably. The Bulldogs beat them 25pts at OO a short while ago, and I like to think we are a few goals, at least, better than the Bulldogs.

[chammond]

Optus Oval is a bit like AAMI Stadium in that the weather can radically change the dynamics of the game.

Wind is almost always a factor at Princes Park this time of year, and horizontal rain is a distinct possibility because the stands aren't very high.

If the sun shines, it will be low and end-to-end, so one team will be staring into the sun each quarter, and there'll be big shadows across the ground.

This may actually work to our advantage on Sat, because Carlton are going into the game with a taller team than Sydney - if conditions are really tricky, it will be the smalls that come out on top.

[Barry Schneider]

De Luca has looked handy but he has been picked up by the oppositions 3rd defender and has had the luxury of floating into contests as opposed to being the focal point.
Crouch is always named as a back pocket but to my eye he has been a run with midfielder for quite a while.
I would like to see him pick up Brett Johnstone as he would be able to burn off that slow coach when we get the ball and kick a few, what is becoming ,trademark running goals.

[DST]

I was watching the replay of the Pies game on Foxtel during the week and they flashed up some interesting stats.

It basically showed that Sydney was #1in almost all statistics relating to closing down the opporsition and #6 for points conceeded.

Yes Carltons midfield has improved, but it has yet to come up against a team so good at locking down the opposition.

Can't see them being able to give their forwards enough opportunity to kick a winning score and if they somehow do they are missing their strike force to kick it.

If it rains it will tighten the game up but not change the result.

DST
:D

[TheHood]

Originally posted by DST
I was watching the replay of the Pies game on Foxtel during the week and they flashed up some interesting stats.

It basically showed that Sydney was #1in almost all statistics relating to closing down the opporsition and #6 for points conceeded.

Yes Carltons midfield has improved, but it has yet to come up against a team so good at locking down the opposition.

Can't see them being able to give their forwards enough opportunity to kick a winning score and if they somehow do they are missing their strike force to kick it.

If it rains it will tighten the game up but not change the result.

DST
:D

Sounds obvious I know, but I reckon if we can get the CCs, we will cream them because they won't contain Baz and Mick etc.

In fact, this sounds rather arrogant but I don't even see us having to lock down too many midfielders and can see Leo and Tadhg running riot finding lots of space.

We play well and have a pretty good recent record on OO.

[dendol]

but the forecast is for "windy, with showers". This will probably make for a tighter game, and given Sydney's great skill in playing in the rain, Im not thinking about percentage boosts.

[Go Swannies]

Here's the current Melbourne forecast for tomorrow:

Saturday
A fine day with a strengthening northerly wind. A few showers at night with a westerly change. Min 9 Max 16

We really need a percentage boost. And I hope this can give it to us. Yes, Carlton has been playing okay lately but if we can't beat them we're in trouble. I still think that the competition is a lot more open than the experts say and there will be many "upsets" over the next few weeks. That will level the field a lot and our position - and potential top four - will come down to percentages. After the Port game, ours is woeful and we need to boost it - this is one of the few games that gives us a chance.

Incidentally, I was overseas last weekend and foolishly believed Ch10 that the game was televised from 7.30 - so my VCR missed the last quarter. Having heard Magic and some Irish bloke stood up, I lashed out and bought the "games delivered" CD of the game (great quality). But they rushed it to me and didn't check their edit. After the broadcast finished you hear the guys in the commentory box talking off air. All agreed "well that stuffs my tipping for the round" and "Sydney really isn't playing very well, is it?" I, on the other hand, watched a really tough match with great respect for the level of commitment by both teams. Yes, we all know that Sydney sometimes lose the plot but I think we have learned that our depth is much greater than we all thought at the beginning of the season. Though it isn't good enough to stand up to an injury list like we had for the Port game - I don't think any team (including Brisbane) could.

If the Swans still want a tilt at the flag - and we hear that the team rooms are buzzing - this has to be a game to grab by the throat.

Yesterday I took advantage of the Qantas sale to book my flight to Melbourne for the Grand Final. I reckon by Saturday night I'll know the worth of my investment.

[Old Royboy]

Umpires for this week.

CARLTON VS SYDNEY
#3- Stephen McBurney, #24- Craig Hendrie, #28- Kieron Nicholls