Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne has revealed some alarming numbers around the form of Carlton star Sam Walsh.
Albeit entering this year following back surgery, Walsh has struggled to fully re-capture the brand that saw him make the 2021 All-Australian team.
Returning from injury against Adelaide in Round 5, Walsh is still averaging 30 disposals, 6.6 score involvements and 326 metres gained, numbers that put you in the “elite” category of the competition’s midfielders.
But it’s what Walsh is doing with the ball in hand that is a concern for the Blues.
“Sitting back and watching Walsh this year, I understand that he’s coming off an injury-interrupted pre-season, but the impact that he’s having on matches from a ball use perspective, and we’ve spoken about this a fair bit this season, but this is actually a common theme with Walsh’s career so far,” Hoyne told SEN's Sportsday.
“So far this year, in terms of the impact he’s having from a bull use perspective, is 252nd in the competition, that’s a mile off.
“Last year he was 187th for impact with ball use, in 2019 he was 323rd, 2020 he was 172nd, the only season where he’s been relatively damaging with ball in hand was in 2021 where he was the 54th highest rated player for ball in hand.
“With that 2021 season, the damage was coming with hands, it wasn’t coming by foot, the impact he was having by hand in 2021 was the 14th best of any player in the competition, but this year it’s 322nd.”
Hoyne says the Carlton midfielders should be looking to get the ball in the hands of those that are strong by foot.
“I think they need to change him to be that handball and release player and actually get the ball to the outside and in the hands of Adam Saad, Nic Newman and the more damaging hands as appose to him,” he added.
“A lot of people think that he should be the outside ball user and creative type, but his career suggests that that’s not him.
“His field kicking, in terms of when he actually does try to take on a more damaging kick, he’s not getting the returns from it.
“When he actually does when it on the outside, when he is getting the returns it’s the safer, lateral and shorter options that are not really impacting the play, you’re not looking at it and going ‘Carlton are in a better position here to actually score’.
“Adam Cerra and Saad are the ones that you’ve got to get the ball to.”
Melbourne hosts Carlton at the MCG on Friday night, with the opening bounce at 7:50pm.
The Blues will be without Ollie Hollands, Nic Newman, Marc Pittonet, Corey Durdin and George Hewett after suffering injuries in last Friday’s loss to Sydney.