Forward scout: Carlton
Assistant coach Jade Rawlings runs a rule over the key battles:
richmondfc.com.au
March 30, 2007
Our backs: “We have some players in good form down back, such as Andrew Raines, who won the pre-season player award and has been a real solid part of the backline. In fact, the whole defense has become quite a tight bunch with the way they work together. I look forward to seeing how they will work together throughout the year.”
Their forwards: “Brendan Fevola is critical. He sets the team alight and is usually the catalyst for the rest of Carlton playing well. Between Fevola, Lance Whitnall, Brad Fisher and young Josh Kennedy, they have got some real talent in their forward half.”
Midfield battle: “Carlton has some serious talent going through there – Nick Stevens, Marc Murphy and even young Bryce Gibbs. They have a lot of hard runners who work overtime to win possession. However, we have our fair share of speed in the midfield, too, so it should be an exciting battle on Sunday.”
The ruck dual: “The Blues’ combination of Cameron Cloke and Cain Ackland has been working well all pre-season and the pair seem to have a good working relationship. Our ruck duo of Adam Pattison and Trent Knoble will be critical as to how Carlton perform against us.”
Our forwards: “In their own right, Matthew Richardson, Jay Schulz, Kayne Pettifer and Andrew Krakouer all command a bit of respect from the opposition. We have worked really hard through the summer and throughout the practice series on the way we set up in the forward line. When they have stuck to the game plan we usually get a good outcome.”
Their Backs: “Carlton’s back six have stuck close together in the four weeks leading up to this weekend’s game, so, we have had a good chance to have a look at them. Hopefully, that means we can get a good result from our forwards. Carlton’s team seems to be a lot more confident on how they approach the game – the have minimal inhibitions. However, we expect the footy principles Denis Pagan is famous for will still apply.”
Final thoughtsFrom Jade Rawlings: “Our fitness levels, to win the ball and put pressure on the opposition, have improved as the practice match series has gone on. It should be an exciting and high-energy game on Sunday.”
From Brett Deledio: “We need to try and restrict their main goalkicking power in Fev (Fevola). They also have some dangers in Marc Murphy and Nick Stevens on the ball. Hopefully, we can restrict them, as well as all their outside players, who can also step up and grab a few kicks and be quite dangerous. We’ve really got to cover them right across the board.”
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsId=40317
