Preview Round 6 2024 – Carlton vs GWS Giants, Saturday April 20, 4.35pm AEST, Marvel Stadium

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Watching Aleer quite closely in reserves last week if he can play back shoulder and use his leap and wingspan he is as good as anybody at spoiling his opponent.His issue is when his opponent can just body him and take away his leap.So as others have said Buckley for Curnow and HH for McKay and Aleer/Idun third man in .

If there ball movement is slow we can contain them and pretty confident we can run off them with Ash and Whitfield who were both great against Saints .Not sure about Aleer pure 1 on 1 against Mckay though .Will be interesting how Kingsley set it all up..At the dome it also suits our fast pace coming out of the backline.With all there injuries even though Cogs and Taylor are massive outs we should win.Our mids especially Briggs,Green and Callaghan need to be on though and better than last week.

After this there is a 5 day break to Lions game so im sure Jones,Gothard , Rowston ,Haynes,Fahey ,Gruwzeski and Stone (was good in seserves)will be closely looked at...Preuss to me looked a fair way off it at this stage though to be honest .
 
Watching Aleer quite closely in reserves last week if he can play back shoulder and use his leap and wingspan he is as good as anybody at spoiling his opponent.His issue is when his opponent can just body him and take away his leap.So as others have said Buckley for Curnow and HH for McKay and Aleer/Idun third man in .

If there ball movement is slow we can contain them and pretty confident we can run off them with Ash and Whitfield who were both great against Saints .Not sure about Aleer pure 1 on 1 against Mckay though .Will be interesting how Kingsley set it all up..At the dome it also suits our fast pace coming out of the backline.With all there injuries even though Cogs and Taylor are massive outs we should win.Our mids especially Briggs,Green and Callaghan need to be on though and better than last week.

After this there is a 5 day break to Lions game so im sure Jones,Gothard , Rowston ,Haynes,Fahey ,Gruwzeski and Stone (was good in seserves)will be closely looked at...Preuss to me looked a fair way off it at this stage though to be honest .
Do you think we will want HH as third man up? His kicking is a fantastic weapon to kickstart a counter attack
 

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Do you think we will want HH as third man up? His kicking is a fantastic weapon to kickstart a counter attack
Yep, Aleer's kicking wasn't fantastic IIRC from last time he played AFL. Not saying it was downright terrible, just that he needed (& seemed) to know his limits, and deliberately pick the easier option kicks to make.

As opposed to HH, whose kicking can be a weapon (though occasionally blunders badly, but that's the case for most players with his generally-superior skills).
 
Do you think we will want HH as third man up? His kicking is a fantastic weapon to kickstart a counter attack
Yeah that's true on HH.I did forget about DeKoning though.My bad..Aleer probably our best match up for him when he goes forward.Has he been playing much forward ?.Haven't really watched many Blues games closely in the last few weeks to be honest.
 
Yeah that's true on HH.I did forget about DeKoning though.My bad..Aleer probably our best match up for him when he goes forward.Has he been playing much forward ?.Haven't really watched many Blues games closely in the last few weeks to be honest.
Dekoning on McKay will be a great match up for us …. He brings the ball to ground so our smaller defenders can get to work
 
I watched the whole VFL game against Sandy (admittedly on TV) and the impression I got of Leek was that he jumps around a lot but that other aspects of his game are still works in progress. I think he is still more athlete than footballer; but also that he shows enough to eventually make the grade. Probably the three 'talls' in the defence will be Bucks, HH and Haynes, but one from left field could be Derksen on debut. He is being trialed in defence, a role he is new to, but is experienced as a forward so 'knowing thy enemy' might help!

Yeah I worry about Leek in this game. Really hope he has a breakout game but not sure he is ready for Carlton


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Giants forward mix firing as blockbuster Blues clash looms

By LACHLAN MCKIRDY

NSW AFL REPORTER

NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA SPORTS NEWSROOM

19 APRIL 2024

When Callum Brown finishes training at Giants HQ, the Irishman is always quick to check his phone.

While he’s known for his athleticism and flair on the field, off it, his teammates have turned to him as the club’s resident hairdresser.

“Honestly, if anybody wants it they can text me around the club,” Brown said.

“A lot of the boys spend time together, especially a lot of the forwards. I’ve gotten into the haircutting business and it’s good for me because I get a bit of a chat and love for everyone.

“They can come around to my house after training or on days off. On trips, I always bring the clippers as well. I’m good with a fade, Cal Ward’s a bit better with the scissors than I am.”

A career shift to open up Brown’s Barbers isn’t on the cards anytime soon, however, it speaks to the togetherness of the Giants’ forward group that is spearheading their premiership charge in 2024.

Adam Kingsley’s side is undefeated, sitting on top of the ladder and holds the best percentage in the competition. The second-year coach believes it’s their forward mix that makes them so dangerous.

“We’re scoring well and we’ve got a variety of scoring options,” Kingsley said. “I think that makes us difficult to stop. Not impossible, but difficult.

“Our ability to spread the load in all lines, not just the forward line, is a really important attribute that I think we have.”

Jesse Hogan is the focal point of the Giants’ attack. The 29-year-old is leading the Coleman Medal race with 18 goals in five games and has his side’s most targets inside 50. But it’s the spread of talent beneath him creating headaches for opposition defenders.

Brown, Toby Greene, Aaron Cadman and Jake Riccardi have all been targeted 10 or more times inside 50 this season, profiting off Hogan’s ability to take the number one defender and combining for 33 marks inside forward 50.

It’s a stark contrast to their opponents on Saturday night, Carlton. Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow are far and away two of the best forwards in the competition. But if you can keep them relatively quiet, like the Giants did during their win in round 24 last year, it goes a long way to victory.

Matthew Owies, Patrick Cripps and Matt Kennedy are the next most regular targets for the Blues. They only have a combined eight marks inside 50 in 2024.

Giants v Carlton forward targets in 2024

GWSF50 TargetsF50 Marks
Jesse Hogan4526
Toby Greene189
Aaron Cadman1710
Jake Riccardi167
Callum Brown117
CarltonF50 TargetsF50 Marks
Harry McKay4317
Charlie Curnow3616
Matthew Owies83
Patrick Cripps83
Matt Kennedy72
“I think if everyone’s playing their roles, that’s a reason why they’re getting goals,” Brown said.

“Like Hoges who has kicked five (in a game), if we can get him one-on-one, we want to do that every time because he’s going to win it nine out of 10 times.

“You can see how much it means to him to finally get up and going again and playing his best footy. It brings more energy to everybody, encourages him to play better and if he’s playing well it means we’re doing our job right. He’s the leading goal kicker, we want to keep it that way as well.

“All of our forwards are good one-on-one players, so we want that for everybody.”

After coming to the club as an incredible athlete from the Gaelic football system who could play anywhere, Brown has finally found a home in the forward line. He knows he’s far from the finished product, but 10 goals in five games suggests he’s on the right path.

Ultimately, he wants to absorb aspects from each of his teammates – Hogan’s marking, Greene’s trickery or Cadman’s leading – to create the best version of himself.

“I’m still trying to learn my forward craft never mind the positioning of where I’m playing,” Brown said. “I go through vision every single day with coaches or players – I play a bit of Toby’s role so I go to him a lot more and see what he does.

“I want to become a player who can light the game up. Toby does it every single game, he always kicks some amazing goal and I want to be that kind of player who does that and give a name for myself.”

There’s no better chance to do that against a Carlton side missing Mitch McGovern in a battle of two teams contesting for this year’s top four.

“I may have dropped a bit of form so I want to lift this week because it’s one of the best games to do it,” Brown said.

“They’ve got a great defence, they’re so hard to work up and down because they like to rotate so early. They communicate well and like to support the other backs.

“We want to play our game and our system. If we do that, I don’t think they’ll be able to keep up with us like every team this year.

“If we can knock off one of the top teams like Carlton then I think most teams will be scared to come up against us.”
 

Want to see the running of the bulls? It’s at the footy, not in Spain

By Jon Pierik
April 19, 2024 — 4.30pm

Call it the running of the midfield bulls, when the man who has epitomised the robust role for a decade meets the younger opponent gunning for the crown.

When Carlton and Greater Western Sydney step onto Marvel Stadium on Saturday, there’s more than just the four points up for grabs. On a day when the Blues’ depth will be tested thanks to a rash of soft-tissue injuries, the battle between 2022 Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps, 29, and Tom Green, 23, could influence where “Charlie” ends up in this year’s count.

Mark Maclure, a Blues great and three-time premiership player, said the battle between Green, third favourite on Brownlow Medal betting, and Cripps, inside the top 10 of bookie favourites, would be one to watch.

“Most of the games rely on your centre-bounce clearances … if you get it [the ball] in there [inside 50] a lot more times, you give yourself a chance to score,” Maclure said.

“Let me tell you, Cripps has been a star in that area. He has been absolutely fantastic, and a bull, in a sense. But Green is pretty good, too.

“It’s a good test for both teams, a really good test, and on [Saturday] afternoon at 4.30pm, we are going to find out something.”
The Blues already do know “something” about Green, for the former academy selection was awarded two of his overall 16 Brownlow votes last season for his 35 disposals (20 contested) and eight clearances when the Giants had a 32-point win in round 24. Cripps (22 Brownlow votes last season) was rested from that clash with soreness.

It’s been no surprise that Green has been a central figure in the Giants’ unbeaten and high-scoring (in transition and from clearances) start to this season. He was clearly a player that Blues coach Michael Voss was alluding to on Friday when he spoke of the Giants’ overall talent.


The bruising onballer with an attacking bent is averaging 29.6 disposals a game, bettered at the Giants by only Lachie Whitfield (32.2). This includes 14 contested possessions a game, while his frenetic workrate is highlighted in averaging six tackles, polling coaches’ votes in three games. He remains a man on the rise, having been one of the Giants’ best in their three finals last season, and finishing equal second in their best and fairest.

Don’t forget that Green, in his draft year of 2019, was compared to Cripps by many recruiters.

“I think I have just been able to contribute nicely to the way that we want to play. I feel that I am playing my role reasonably well … it’s been a nice start to the year,” Green said.

It wasn’t so nice through the week when he was accidentally elbowed by teammate Lachie Ash at training, but Green was patched up, and typically got on with business.

“He has got some flair, but he is strong and gets to the ball, and he is hard to move off it, and those sorts of things,” Maclure said.

“He is really good, but Cripps is no different. There is a match between the two of them, which will be pretty interesting.”

Cripps has also been in excellent touch, averaging a team-high (of those who have played at least two games) 24.8 touches, including almost 14 contested possessions, a game. Importantly for the Blues, George Hewett continues to ease Cripps of the clearance burden, with a team-high 33 in five games.

“It’s his job … he has to go and do what he has to do. And he has been good at it,” Maclure said when asked if he was amazed how Cripps continued to do the heavy lifting a decade into his career.

“He is a good leader – a great leader.”

Cripps will even hope to have more of an impact in possession chains now Sam Walsh is back. That Cripps has booted a goal in four of his five games helps to give the Blues a balanced scoring arsenal. Cripps had only nine goals last season, coming after 20 in his Brownlow Medal year.

Green has three goals this season, but faces greater opposition focus on Saturday, as midfield veteran Stephen Coniglio (knee) will miss.

Maclure says it’s not outlandish to suggest this clash could be a grand final preview, with each side experiencing preliminary final heartbreak last season. The Blues are seeking a quick response to last week’s fadeout against Adelaide, particularly as premiership contenders Geelong, Collingwood, Melbourne and Sydney await over the next month.

Cripps said the Blues were ready for what awaited.

“I wouldn’t say how difficult, I would say we embrace it,” he said.

“We love playing against the best teams.”
 
Next up a Bigfooty Giants pod for that open slot of Thursday to discuss team selections etc 🤣
Followed by Topkent hosting a Podcast on the Dee’s Board

It’s a Grand Old Tsunami
 
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