Carlton entered Gather Round with a willingness to disrupt their own patterns, but the result remained stubbornly familiar. Despite a series of tactical shifts and personnel changes designed to break a season-long slump, the Blues suffered a loss to the Adelaide Crows that felt like a mirror image of their recent struggles.
The attempt to implement a Carlton’s new approach delivers same result in Gather Round loss to Adelaide Crows highlighted a growing tension within the club: the gap between a desire to evolve and the clinical execution required to win. While coach Michael Voss demonstrated a readiness to deviate from the established blueprint, the outcome remained the same.
The most striking evidence of this shift was the omission of George Hewett. Dropping a player who claimed the best and fairest award last season is rarely a casual decision, but for the Blues, it was a necessity. The midfield combination of Patrick Cripps, Adam Cerra, and Hewett had become predictable, and as the game evolved, Carlton found themselves unable to maintain pace.
Personnel Shifts and Tactical Gambles
The Blues’ attempt to diversify their midfield was evident from the opening bounce. Zac Williams was deployed on the ball for significant periods, and Mitch McGovern was pushed forward despite the absence of Jacob Weitering and the presence of three tall forwards in the Adelaide lineup. Even Patrick Cripps, the focal point of the Carlton engine room, spent time on the bench at the start of the second quarter—a move aimed at fostering depth and reducing the over-reliance on the skipper.
However, the timing of these rotations proved costly. While Cripps was off the ground, Adelaide capitalized with a devastating nine-minute burst that effectively split the game open. This highlighted the risk of the new approach: in trying to build a more balanced midfield, Carlton momentarily removed their most influential player during a critical swing of momentum.
The weather added another layer of complexity. Pre-match thunderstorms and heavy rain typically favor a contested, “gritty” style of play—the exact brand of football George Hewett provides. Some argued that the conditions should have overridden the demand for a tactical shift, but Voss remained committed to the new mix.
The Walsh Factor and the Crows’ Response
For one quarter, the tactical experiment seemed to be working, primarily due to the brilliance of Sam Walsh. In the first term, Walsh was virtually unstoppable, racking up 15 touches and providing multiple score assists. He was slicing through the Adelaide defense with ease, providing the “run” and drive that Carlton had been missing during their slump.
Adelaide’s response was swift and targeted. After the first break, the Crows deployed Sam Berry as a tagger to neutralize Walsh. While Walsh still finished the match with 29 disposals, the fact that more than half occurred in the first quarter tells the story. By shutting down Walsh, Adelaide didn’t just stop a player; they blunted the entire Carlton drive.
The contrast in ball movement was stark. When Adelaide transitioned from half-back, they found open space and hit targets with precision. Carlton, by contrast, struggled with the basics of execution. Players either failed to see the open option, lacked the confidence to attempt the kick, or simply fluffed the delivery. It was a case of desire being present, but the skill level failing to match the intent.
The Search for X-Factor
The Blues are clearly searching for players who can “break” a game—athletes capable of a quick burst of speed or an unexpected piece of skill to open up a congested match. This search led to the inclusion of Ben Ainsworth, who provided an early spark with two goals as a small forward in the first quarter. The club too brought in Will Hayward, though his suspension proved to be a significant blow for the Thursday night clash.
Ainsworth acknowledged the need for these changes, noting that repeating the same failures is “mundane.” However, he admitted that while the new strategies worked in patches, they lacked the consistency to secure a win.
“We played our moments but not for long enough. Our intent is unquestionable, our pressure was unbelievable. It is probably the method and the detail around contests – whether to hold the ball in, whether to kill the ball out of bounds, stuff like that – that stacks up over a game.”
the loss underscores a fundamental issue: Carlton is attempting to solve a talent and skill gap with tactical reshuffling. While moving players and changing the midfield mix can hide certain flaws, they cannot replace the clinical precision that Adelaide displayed in the closing stages of the game.
The Blues now face the challenge of refining these “patches” of success into a cohesive system. With the Gather Round window closing, the focus shifts back to the core fundamentals of contest and execution.
Carlton will look to apply the lessons from this loss in their next scheduled fixture as they attempt to turn their season around. We invite our readers to share their thoughts on Voss’s tactical changes in the comments below.
