After the Carlton game, I'm team Buku.

[mjp]

OK.

When I'm wrong I say I'm wrong.

Buku might just make it. Playing in front vs Curnow, flying at the footy...he's still not a first choice key back for me but if he can play on Curnow he can play on Cameron. Give him a shot.

And that was NOT a free kick for holding in the last q - that was rubbish of the highest order...and yes, Curnow still had 10-shots on goal but the kid was great and broke up a heap of attacks.

Pick him against Geelong. I'm still not a total believer but that was a huge leap in - um, basic defensive competence?

Well done to the development team and backs coaches and well done to Bevo and the MC for giving him another go at it.

[Grantysghost]

Totally agree. I've been on the fence, I thought there was too much of a gap in basic feel for the game to overcome; but wow I'm happy to be wrong. He looked the part and was in the right spots more often than not.

That was a watershed performance. I'm super happy for him. He was getting under their skin too as the longer the game went the more Mckay in particular started to try and verbal him and get under his skin to put him off.

[Mitcha]

Solid effort on a very good player. Sure Curnow had a heap of shots on goal but Buku must have taken at least a half a dozen intercept marks. Weitering is regarded as one of the gun defenders in the game and although the commentators couldn't shut up about how many intercept marks he picked off they failed to mention that Marra had a breakout game kicking 4, having 13 score assists and career high possesion numbers. Buku was every bit as influential as Weitering.

[Eastdog]

Really good game from Buku. I thought he did really well. Gave him 1 vote on the Woof player awards.

[1eyedog]

OK.

When I'm wrong I say I'm wrong.

Buku might just make it. Playing in front vs Curnow, flying at the footy...he's still not a first choice key back for me but if he can play on Curnow he can play on Cameron. Give him a shot.

And that was NOT a free kick for holding in the last q - that was rubbish of the highest order...and yes, Curnow still had 10-shots on goal but the kid was great and broke up a heap of attacks.

Pick him against Geelong. I'm still not a total believer but that was a huge leap in - um, basic defensive competence?

Well done to the development team and backs coaches and well done to Bevo and the MC for giving him another go at it.

I dunno 3.7 and one miss kinda tells me otherwise.

[Happy Days]

I think to the eye live he played much better and didn’t do any of that stuff (getting out bodied badly one on one, running under the ball, etc) that’s made him so tough to watch, but giving up 11 shots is crazy even if one or two were from rubbish free kicks. I was shocked when I saw Curnow’s stats post game as it really seemed like Buku mostly put the clamps on him.

[Grantysghost]

I dunno 3.7 and one miss kinda tells me otherwise.

That's not a fair guide to the way Buku played.
Curnow went roaming high a lot to get kicks and was having long pings that missed.
Buku was still very good despite that stat.

[GVGjr]

I enjoyed his performance but I do wonder if Curnow had a 5 goal and 5 point match and we lost the game how his performance might have been viewed.
Happy to keep Khamis and Gardner on the list as back-ups and Khamis might even force his way into a regular spot.

[Sedat]

He did as well as could be expected for someone with limitations against the most prolific key forward in the game. Never shirked any contest and on occasions when he was beaten, it was simply fair and square against a better quality opponent.

Also the free against him in the 2nd qtr that kick-started Curnow was garbage - if that is paid all the time, there would be 100 frees a game.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Nice post

If any other coach had beaten Carlton with Buku and Lobb as the two key defenders they would be being hailed as a coaching genius

[chef]

Yeah nah, not for me. We need JOD and Jones back desperately.

Would prefer Buss to be getting these opportunities.

[SlimPickens]

Good god no. Buku tried his guts out but Curnow destroyed him, maybe as the third tall if others are missing.

[MrMahatma]

I saw the good stuff he did, and he did plenty.

But if you're a defender and your opponent is kicking 3.7, you've not only been soundly beaten, you've been slaughtered.

Now, Curnow is one of, if not THE, best forwards going around, so getting beaten isn't really a surprise, nor proof that Buku can't make it. But the performance hasn't changed my view that he's limited as a defender, and we don't need him as a forward.

[angelopetraglia]

We all universally thought Jamarra was BOG. He had 13 score involvements.

Guess who else had 13 score involvements? Curnow.

Marra 13
Curnow 13

Daylight

Then a number of players on 7.

Curnow had 10 marks. Marra had 6 marks.

Curnow had a huge influence on the game. I did think that Buky did some very nice things. But he didn't really curb Curnow's influence. The Bulldogs also went inside 50m ten more times than Carlton.

[Ozza]

Fascinating discussion as to whether Buku did well or not.

I would say that 4 or 5 of the 10 shots were fairly unrealistic throws at the stumps. Curnow's had 10 shots from 15 possessions. 13 score involvements - which is the same as Jamarra, who many thought was best on ground.

I would say for the gap between expectations of a fringe player playing on a champion player....Buku has at the very least - had enough good moments to support MJP's optimism. 3 contested marks of his 7 marks overall were all pretty crucial.

I'm still frustrated that we missed out of some development time with him playing forward ruck for 18 months. Ideally he doesn't have to play on Curnow/Cameron level players...but very good to see how he is competing in the air.