it is

the thing about that loss is that it hurts the way a loss should hurt.

Not like the smashings that leave you numb, or angry, despairing, left with no sense of the way forward, no light.

This was a loss because two evenly matched sides slogged it out and one wins the other doesn't.

It hurt because we could have won. We had the chances. Not just that last shot, many chances.

But it is the right sort of hurt, the sort that says, @#$%&! 'em we'll beat them next time.

That's better than the slump home wondering how we'll ever win another game again.

A few more tweaks with players, a few more steps in the path down disciplined football at all times and we will not be coming we will have arrived.

_________________
This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

What I find encouraging is that we have young players like Grigg, Yarran, Robinson, Hampson, Browne and Austin pressing for selection and an established player in Hadley (who should have been selected in the first place).

_________________
There is no footy god

Spot on Danny boy... we took it right up to the Hawks... when we would have normally packed it up when we were 25 pts down with 8 mins to go.

I LOVE THE BLUE BOYS

_________________
Matty Kruzer you star!

You're early this week, Danny.
It hurts enough to last all week because Fev should have kicked that gimme. As I wrote elsewhere, he didn't lose us the game but he didn't win it for us when he had the chance.
There's a difference.

_________________
Let slip the Blues of war (with apologies to William Shakespeare) (and Sir Francis Bacon, just in case)

That's a great post Danny....really sums it up nicely...so nice that I'm off to Visy Park today (i have been granted permission) to watch the Bullants reserves and seniors! Great day for footy again in Melbourne town!

it hurts bs and then I find myself smiling cos @#$%&! it was a great game of football - as good as a game I have watched for a fair while. It'll go down as one of the games of the season because of the skills, the hardness, the pace.

Things that really make me smile.

that when the bodies crunched in the packs we held our own. They crunched us and we crunched them.

AJ's run down and then run past Bateman , I swear you could see Bateman think 'what the @#$%&!?'

the comeback. We may not have won but @#$%&! we gave it a shake. Could have let go and lost honorably, but no, the lads busted their guts and almost got home.

Fev - equal to any forward in this competition

I mean it was great watching that game, my voice is gone, it does hurt and then I smile again.

Dr I'd love to get down their too but the lad's playing and he comes first.

_________________
This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Go Blues...........!


kindest regards tommi

_________________
that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

This sounds rediculous, but I think it was 'the perfect loss'.

The hunger in the boys will grow...

The confidence gained from the 'we should've won' thoughts will be huge...

In terms of personel, the lessons learnt by the MC from a 'big stage' game like that are invaluable.

Not far to go... they know we're coming...

_________________
There's so much I could say...

Everyone is hailing it as a great game of footy. I didn't see 99% of it, unfortunately and I'm not sure I could bear to watch it now I know the result. Besides which, a spectacle needs to be seen live as the TV can't really do them justice. I think we will have quite a few tussles with Hawthorn over the coming few years as we bot have young lists and will both be playing finals for a while. Bit like the Carl/Rich/Coll era of the 70's and early 80's. Bring it on, I say.
It's good to know that two teams can still turn on a great spectacle in this era of dour defenses and arm wrestles. When teams who play fast, high scoring footy win the flag, all this other stuff will become pase'.
Hope so anyway.
By the way, Danny, do you talk poetically as well as write that way??
Edit) sorry, had to correct a couple of spelling mistakes

_________________
Let slip the Blues of war (with apologies to William Shakespeare) (and Sir Francis Bacon, just in case)

na I'm a @#$%&! pig with words

think deano but with good looks

_________________
This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Good post - thought the same way yesterday and a Hawks mate said the same thing. The team and Ratts will learn heaps from today.

That they can compete at a very high level - finals intensity
That some of the scrappers who have done jobs this year are deficient against the cream
That we're on the right track
That there's plenty of work to do
That we now know more about what sort of work is needed

Yeah it sucked to lose and drop to 3-3, but I left the ground feeling pride as well as pain, that my team can play flashy footy against the Dogs and grinding footy against the premiers, that i saw the game of the year, and that my team has it's self-respect back.

That's what excites me Humpers.

Add Garlett and Anderson to that list and when fit Warnock/Walker/Jacobs and there is some real reason to see us improve quite dramatically.

and without the chronic flatulence

_________________
Richard Pratt - A Carlton legend.

na that I have - sometimes i ask m,y students to do something just so I can duck out of the room and express myself privately (like tommi but not like tommi).

_________________
This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

I don't pass gas.............!


kindest regards tommi









that's the work of the DEVIL.............!

_________________
that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

Good post DB!!!

These losses are some short term pain for hopefully long term gain.

Yesterday's game was close to finals footy pressure. Most of our boys haven't played in finals so that experience yesterday will be invaluable.

Go BLUES!!!!!

Great post DB- I left with my mate Tez after the game and we both agreed, "We can mix it with the big boys now...."


BTW, did anyone read in today's Hun that a Dawks fan wrote in, "Ooh, that was a reality check for Carlton- Hawthorn would have won by more with a full strength side in." I mean, WTF! Unbelievable arrogance!!

_________________
Be positive to all those @ TC- the wait is almost over!

It was a beautiful day with a great finals atmosphere at the G.

An honourable semi final which we lost when the footy world knows we should've won.

We're still alive and have another week to have a crack at the Flag.

That's what it feels like to me. They know we're coming: everyone does.

And I know, like the players do, that we can beat the reigning premiers with or without Walker, Warnock, Grigg, Hadley, Yarran, Garlett, Robbo and Aussie.

Great thread for the believers DB. Thanks.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Yes!

Go CARLTON!

it was 1 of the best games of footy i have seen all year and shows how much we have improved from past years....


another thing in my opinion it wasnt tarred with the umpire crap we have seen all year the umpires done a reasonable job in this game to allow the game to flow...

yes they made some bungles but the game flowed

totally enjoyed yesterdays game seeing passion and commitment in the boys was great