Campbell Brown - How many weeks should he get?

[Rocco Jones]

Zac Smith is older than Jordan Roughead. GC picked him all the way back in 2008 and he has been warehoused in the years between now and then. Despite only playing 3 games in the AFL, he spent a full season playing in the VFL last season as a 20 yo.

On Smith, I have not rated a young ruckman higher for a long time. He is going to be a superstar.

[LostDoggy]

I haven't seen the game, but what I don't understand is why it makes the aggressor's team stand taller -- shouldn't it make the aggrieved team fight harder to gain justice through the scoreboard?

I would have thought Brown's action made a statement to his teammates that he wasn't gonna take another 120 loss and maybe they took note? Know you'd understood the psychology more.
Also their mercenaries were not going to play that badly again. We were poor but still won by 70+

[LostDoggy]

I can't believe Polkinghorne got away with his hit on Ward last week.
Therefore, nothing would surprise me here.

[LostDoggy]

I would have thought Brown's action made a statement to his teammates that he wasn't gonna take another 120 loss and maybe they took note? Know you'd understood the psychology more.
Also their mercenaries were not going to play that badly again. We were poor but still won by 70+

Fair enough, I understood the point made in your original post, just wondered why it's always assumed the aggressor's team that will stand up (Lloydy vs. the Hawks etc.).

It's funny -- I was happy to reserve judgment after the Essendon game because it was only one game, but this huge win sees me more worried than that loss, because it seems that some of the issues from the Essendon game (mainly contested ball and clearances) are trending the same win or lose, and may become bigger issues in the four or five crunch games we are going to get this year, which our season will really come down to.

You know as well as I do that our season will not be deemed a success based on beating GC, Brisbane, Melbourne, Richmond etc: if a GF is our pass mark (and I think it is), it's a very fine margin between failure and success for us this year, so we all have our standards set pretty high.

The reality is that our season hasn't really started yet -- with one poor hitout, two uncompetitive games and a bye, it's seemed like an extended pre-season, but Freo and Geelong on the other side of the bye will be pretty serious wake-up calls which will see if we're on track or if some drastic mid-course corrections may be needed -- the formline is very unimpressive thus far, regardless of what the W/L ratio says.

[Sedat]

On Smith, I have not rated a young ruckman higher for a long time. He is going to be a superstar.

Scary prospect. He is going to monster opposition ruckmen in 2-3 years. Gorringe is no slouch either, albeit coming from a younger base and will need more time to develop.

[bornadog]

I can't believe Polkinghorne got away with his hit on Ward last week.
Therefore, nothing would surprise me here.

He didn't get away with it he was guilty but the penalty after discounts ended up a reprimand, which was a disgrace

[Doc26]

Blimey, I don't know if we're at cross-purposes here, but clearance counts are everything in the modern game where first use of the ball is paramount. Forget the game against the GC (where any AFL team would beat them on sheer experience and larger tanks in general) -- I would defy anyone to show me a premiership contender that gets regularly beaten in the contested possession stats.

I think you may be confusing 'clearances' with diving on the ball and handballing blindly; the stat only registers a clearance if you actually get it out of congestion into open play (generally to advantage either by getting the pill to a teammate or moving the ball significantly forward).

Skill-levels inside are so good these days with the likes of Mitchell, Pendlebury, Hayes, Selwood, Ball etc. that you can't just expect to seagull-pick off the errant disposal; if these guys are getting their hands on the ball first, the next in the chain of handballs will be a clean take to a flying Hodge, Didak or Montagna, and that's another forward 50 entry. If you think the Pies last year were only 'seagull picking' off other teams' clearance work, you need to watch Jolly, Swan, Pendles and Ball a little bit more.

Considering the fact that we aren't exactly the cleanest team by hand or foot out of congestion anyway (Libba notwithstanding, it seems), winning the contested possession count becomes even more important.

I'm not worried about losing the clearance stats to GC per se, I'm worried about what this means when we play against the other real contenders who WILL make you pay for being second to the ball.

Although this is now off thread, I was baffled hearing Rodney post match state that our "indicators" were apparently acceptable. Not sure what this means but at face value I'd suggest a reassessment of our 'indicators' may need to be looked at.

I don't see that we have addressed the issue of clean and effective use of the ball from stoppages even when we do win a clearance. Too often we just seem to lack the composure and class in hitting up a target from a stoppage that a Pendlebury or Swan are so good at. Huddo's form is also concerning as it appears we're not getting advantage at hit outs. I'm hoping that the form issue with Ben is short term although I'm fearing he could be one of those players where the end comes fast.

[immortalmike]

Blimey, I don't know if we're at cross-purposes here, but clearance counts are everything in the modern game where first use of the ball is paramount. Forget the game against the GC (where any AFL team would beat them on sheer experience and larger tanks in general) -- I would defy anyone to show me a premiership contender that gets regularly beaten in the contested possession stats.

I think you may be confusing 'clearances' with diving on the ball and handballing blindly; the stat only registers a clearance if you actually get it out of congestion into open play (generally to advantage either by getting the pill to a teammate or moving the ball significantly forward).

There is very little actual correlation between clearances and winning...check it out for yourself if you wish.

Also Carlton only just broke even with GC in the clearances last week. In a 120 point win...

[Ozza]

There is very little actual correlation between clearances and winning...check it out for yourself if you wish.

Also Carlton only just broke even with GC in the clearances last week. In a 120 point win...

The stats can definitely be misleading. I was surprised we lost the clearance stats when I heard....mainly because It felt like we had the ball for most of the game.

[Remi Moses]

Is this the same Campbell Brown who claimed Lloyd was a sniper a few years back!
Reeked havoc with my throat screaming abuse at him.
Three weeks he'll get.

[LostDoggy]

On twitter it is reported as saying he got 5 weeks

[LostDoggy]

He didn't get away with it he was guilty but the penalty after discounts ended up a reprimand, which was a disgrace

Yeah, I'd still count that as getting away with it.

[ledge]

I haven't seen the game, but what I don't understand is why it makes the aggressor's team stand taller -- shouldn't it make the aggrieved team fight harder to gain justice through the scoreboard?

If someone from a rabble team with 15 kids and 5 cashed-up mercenaries flattened my teammate I wouldn't stop until I put 30 goals past them. From the final score it looks like the Dogs went back into their shell and just coasted around -- I know it's probably harsh, but the final score is a disgrace to our supposed desire, and I just saw the contested ball stats, which tells me that we're in trouble if we play Collingwood next week .. oh wait, we do.

It's still the first 5 weeks, so I'm cutting the team some slack, but seriously, you have to question our mental toughness if 70 points is the best we can do against a rabble team that Carlton smashed out of the park. It wasn't wet, was it? Can be this time of the year in Melbourne and it's the only excuse I can think of -- just checked, it was at Etihad, so the roof would have been closed (right?)

The last quarter it rained and the roof was open.

[bornadog]

4 weeks all up. Not enough, bloody gutless sniper.

[aker39]

He got 204 points for Ward and 225 points for Hall, then a 20% loading for prior reports.

Upshot, with a guilty plea, he gets 4 weeks.