No chance, because if we call their bluff and say he's yours at that price, he'll be shot.

Agree however we aren't the only club with deficiencies.

- Lions don't have a key forward now that Danniher has retired.
- Swans have Amartey and McLean as key forwards
- Hawks have Chol and Dear as key forwards
- Geelong's midfield is weak (even after adding Smith) and they will rely on ageing stars like Cameron, Dangerfield and Stewart.
- GWS have lost Perryman, Cumming and Peatling
- Port lack both quality key forwards and defenders

I think with some natural improvement from the likes of Hollands x 2, Moir, Cowan and a few others plus a bit more luck with injuries we can contend next year. Hopefully Cerra, can overcome his hamstring issues and Walsh gets a full pre-season. Our 'top 6' of Cripps, Walsh, Weiters, TDK, Charlie and Harry is pretty damn good and our best footy can match it with anyone.

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There is no footy god

We are good for key forwards for sure. We need pressure crumbing forwards.

And if Weitering goes down, we are exposed down back. McGovern is unreliable and injured prone. Who will play on the likes of Lynch, McAndrews (in a few years). and Cameron ? Tall forwards nowadays will be built quick agile and fast.

We need an aleer or McAndrews. Hard to find, but i wish we took and would take some project agile talls to see if we can unearth a good one.

Our list is unbalanced for good defenders. Who are the good defenders? Weitering? Then who? Newman ? Saad? We have lost Saads dash because we cant afford to have him run off. And when he does we are exposed.

But we can cover some of the defensive issues if the midfield was more two way and defensive too.

If Cripps doesnt do it all, no one else steps up. Walsh injury prone and out of form. Cerra injury prone and out of form. Hewitt - aging and slow. If they all click of course we are gold. But we need some youthful grunt and outside run and speed.

Problem is Voss doesnt play the young kids and develop them unless he is pushed in a corner. I liked Lord, Binns, Moir.

Of course every team has deficiencies and we largely have the nucleus of a successful team, but we wont have Cripps for long especially what he is expected to do every week.

We need strong pieces to make us better.

Time will tell what we do. As i said i will shut up and see.

But gosh darn i wanna win a premiership. For this club who has been pushed from pillar to post from the AFL, the media and the public.

And for us fans who are used to seeing this team be successful. And the younger ones who didnt know this cocky successful Carlton.

And if Harris Andrews goes down the Lions are exposed.
If Nick Daicos gets injured the Pies are no chance of making the top 8.
Yes I wish our list was more balanced and had more depth however other clubs have the same problem.

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There is no footy god

Yep true. So then the problem for us is game plan, and players sticking to it. And desire to work together. Which is what i suspect to be most likely scenario for us and always has been.

Because you wonder every single year why we are failing.

You have to admit though that too much is left to too few in our team. Ie Cripps is being bruised and battered every week as no one joins him consistently in the midfield.

And the frustration you see on Weiterings face too down back.

And Charlie trying to do too much up forward.

Our players lack of faith in eachother is apparent. To me anyway.

Players were playing for each other in the 2nd half last year, and that continued right through to the Richmond game, so the faith was there for everyone to see.

What happened after that to make you feel the players lost their 'mojo' is the million dollar question.

I have no doubt, the questions you and I ask have been asked internally under the experienced eye of Cook.

I am sure the people in charge have come to some conclusions on how to fix some or all of our weaknesses, and they will fix some, but like all clubs, we will have our achilles heel, and that's where Vossy and his team must conjure up a way to provide cover for our weaknesses.

We are not helpless nor hopeless. I get the feel you think that way. The positive results last year and this year prove that wrong, as does the fact we end up 4th last year and 8th this year, after periods of being crap. Well, we overcame that, and will again.

I want a Premiership. Not sure if one of Perryman, Houston, Cummings, Battle and Barrass were going to give us that without selling the farm, but have the feeling a 23yo SDK could give us a spine for the to compete over the next 5 years for a Flag, extending our window beyond Cripps era. We couldn't afford 2 first rounders for Barrass.

There's only 1 winner at the end of the year, and as a result some think the other 17 teams are losers. That's not right. Its a case where everything went right for the winner at the pointy end of the season, and had the depth to cover injury. We are not far off.....just need a one KPD to replace Young, imo. Midfield group is fine on its day, just as is the case for most other top 8 teams. Its the game plan which needs to be worked on throughout the preseason and ready to execute it from round 1 with everyone on the same page.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

We've had a rough trot with injury for years. Get over that and we will be competing for the Flag with gusto imo.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Good post. There's a tendency to over dramatise on this and no doubt other forums, which I indulged in with relish at 0-60 but less so when the dust has settled. As a result, many assume that our collapse must have been due to a catastrophic breakdown behind the scenes. But the evenness of the comp in 2024, and the way every team had elongated peaks and troughs, supports the theory that even a slight disruption to one part of the machine can be the difference between premiership contention and mediocrity. We've discussed plenty of these - changes in rule interpretation, fitness management, complacency at selection. Until we see compelling evidence of behind the scenes catastrophe, there's no reason to make personnel changes on that basis. But there are weaknesses to be addressed and other areas where supply outpaces demand, and it seems we are working on that basis. At least I hope so.

Our main problem is list deficiencies, lack of speed, agility in midfield , over reliance on Weitering down back and lack of a speedy , skillful small forward.
One must keep in mind other teams are improving lists continuously, Hawks, Crows , Power , Cats will be different propositions in 2025.
We can’t stagnant, we’re in a jam with 4 or 5 elite players and the odd boo boo contract strangling our salary cap mobility.

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Go Blue Boys

According to afl.com.au we are hoping for the following trade:

Carlton
- Give 2025 1st and 2nd round, pick #34
- Get Gold Coast pick #13 and Essendon* 2025 2nd round

Essendon*-
- Give 2025 2nd round
- Get Carlton pick #34

Gold Coast
- Give pick #13
- Get Carlton 2025 1st and 2nd round

I think Essendon* would need our pick #34 to match bids on Kako whilst we need their future 2nd round to comply with the AFL laws regarding not trading out of both the future 1st and 2nd rounds.

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There is no footy god

I thought the plan was to keep 34 to pick a player.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

i see the talk of us being interested in membrey is firing up again. another key forward?

does this mean we're more actively shopping harry behind the scenes?

No.

Good .

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All my dangerous friends

Maybe a straight swap for Young?
The Saints might need some backup depth to cover the loss of Battle.

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There is no footy god

"That won't be happening (Tim Membrey). We really want to go to the Draft." - Nick Austin

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The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

Ronald Reagan

that's good then ... another key forward doesn't help us. unless charlie's surgery is going to take much longer than the club are saying, to rehab from. but even then, we just hand the keys to harry and moir and whichever small we're bringing in to cover owies.

Worth a read:
https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/16741 ... ade-period

I like the approach. If Houston comes at a price that suits us, great. If not, by all means go to the draft.
Some will complain that we don't get the deal completed but they'll also be the ones that will probably complain at the cost if it goes through.
Austin appears to be going in with an open mind and a view to the future. That sounds good to me.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

More than some....we have one of the worst fanbases in the league.