“Miles ahead”: Carlton has the best kick in the competition coming out of defence and must use him more
Carlton needs to score more from their back half if they want to be a premiership threat in 2024, says Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne.
It comes after the Blues only had 38 inside 50s against Collingwood on Friday night, with the Magpies controlling territory and Carlton unable to move the ball out of defence.
And even with Adam Saad, Sam Docherty and Mitch McGovern out of the side, they have the personnel to do better.
According to Champion Data’s stats, 25-year-old defender Jordan Boyd is the best kick coming out of the backline in the entire AFL – and comfortably.
However, he only averages 12 kicks per game, with Hoyne saying the Blues should feed him more of the footy.
“We’ve spoken a lot about Carlton on this show. The ability for teams to be able to score from their back half is becoming more and more important,” Hoyne told SEN’s Sportsday.
“The reality is, over the last five years, four of the premiers have been number one for scoring out of their back half. Melbourne were the only ones who weren’t.
“If you’re purely investing in scoring from forward half work, when the territory battle doesn’t go your way, which is every chance to happen at some stage over a finals campaign, have you got the ability to get out and score off the back of your ball movement game.
“We saw on Friday night Collingwood dominate territory against Carlton, +26 in inside 50s, and the question was whether Carlton could actually get out off the back of their ball movement and the answer was no.
“Across the season, Carlton are 12th in scoring from their back half at the moment. Over the last four weeks, they’re 15th.
“If you think about at the moment, Sydney, GWS and Geelong are all in the top four in scoring from their back half.
“I look at what GWS tries to do with Lachie Whitfield and what Geelong tries to do with Max Holmes and Tom Stewart and what Sydney are trying to do with Nick Blakey and Ollie Florent, they give them the footy.
“For me, for Carlton, Jordan Boyd is the one that I’d be trying to give the footy to more than what they are at the moment.
“His ball use coming out of defence is miles ahead of any other player in the competition at the moment. Miles ahead.
“His ball use coming out of defensive 50 is almost 30 per cent above expectation, which is just off the charts.
“For me, try to give him the ball – and yes there’s no Saad and no McGovern there – McGovern’s ball use is okay, it’s not through the roof, Saad is a really good player, but I think Boyd is the one.
“Give him the footy and try and give him the ball 23, 24, 25 times, like we’re seeing with a lot of the other creative half-back flankers because the return he gets is superb.”
Carlton selected Boyd in the 2021 mid-season draft off Footscray’s list in the VFL.
He has played 24 career games and every match in 2024.
