imo the Essendon* loss was probably the most acceptable. Losing Carrots and Laidlaw in the opening 4 minutes, then we lost another not long after.

gameplan out the window. interchange run off it's feet. 19 verse 22 is always going to be uphill.

EFA
Curnow and Yarran both injured in the first quarter

Gwilt out with a knee.
And Hayes back from a knee reco.

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Just watched the replay and tried to look at it from the viewpoint of ,'what happened?'
To that end I used the manner in which the goals were scored as a benchmark because it is usually an indication of how losing teams are playing. If teams are slack in defence, usually there are lots of leads to space or running into an open goal.

they scored their goals like this:

1. Snap from a stoppage
2. Stupid 50 m penalty.
3. Kicked to a leading forward in space.
4. Snap in traffic after two horrible umpiring decisions Simmo's mark and Betts not getting a free.
5. Lead and mark
6. Running through 50 after advantage paid for HTB. (How we can be pinged for HTB when the opposition is running with the footy is another question)
7. Fumble inside 50. Turnover.
8. Player running back marks one handed.
9. Free dead in front.
10. Lead and mark.
11. Hail Mary from outside 50.
12. Player in space marks
13 Chain of handballs and run through 50.
14 Fumble. Turnover.

Ours:
1. Contested Waite mark in the pocket
2. Casboult roves and snaps after a Sydney player should have been freed.
3. Lead and mark
4. Waite alone in space marks and plays on
5. Chain of handballs running through 50
6. Free dead in front.
7. Free in pocket
8. Free in marking contest
9. Mark
10 Free in front.

From that I propose that they are better structured in attack and that we relied on frees for half our goals. The best goal of the night was Yarran hands off to someone then to Armfield, who finished off well (#5)

Another thing that jumped off the screen at me was the number of short-distance (1 metre or less) throws from Sydney that went un-penalized. Some of them, maybe most were just blatant. This has been pointed out before (WCE or ADELAIDE?) but it is the first time I have seen it so obvious and the umpires have to do something to maintain the integrity of the handball.

Another thing (picky, I know) byt after the siren went, Jetta bounced the footy and kicked it a mile downfield. It reminded me of when Waite was pinged for kicking the ball into the fence WHEN THE CLOCK WAS STOPPED AFTER A GOAL, was awarded a free against for TIME WASTING and the opposition had a second shot at goal.

I agree we were never in it after they got away in the second quarter even though we broke even for the rest of the game. They run like rugby union players backing up the ball carrier. There always seemed to be someone outside to receive the handball. We need to look at this sort of tactic, which is also used by Collingwood, Geelong, Freo and maybe more. If we are a running team, which we supposedly are, we have to have running options.

I had hoped we might get up but there you go. Next week Brisbane on the way to a probable 9th spot after Rd 22.

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

We lost two players entirely early in the piece and had another couple playing lame against Essendon*. If anything this is the only game for the season where injuries are a legitimate excuse.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

They scored 11.2.68 from turnovers

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"I had to eat"

True, but how do you know that we couldn't have gone from finals to a premiership?

Over a four-year period, Ratten took the side from the bottom to less than a kick away from a Preliminary Final. The curve was trending upwards year on year and as recently as Round 3 this season, we looked irresistible, even if you thought that suggestions that we merited premiership favouritism were slightly premature. Either way, there was genuine belief among most people that we could at least challenge for a premiership. There was no conceivable reason, bar the onset of an injury crisis, to suspect that things would not improve yet again.

From Round 4 onwards, the list was ravaged by injury to both key players and their likely replacements, putting paid to our premiership (and probably finals) hopes for 2012. Ratten was not given the chance in 2012 to show whether or not he could lead us to a premiership largely because of factors outside of his control.

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Formerly Blues-Back2003.

Actually Ratten took a side with 3 number 1 picks and Chris judd .. to one eliminational final win against a team most pundits didnt have in their top 8.. and lost to the previous years wooden spooners.

Thats in his five years plus seasons as head coach.
He didnt have a gameplan that has his print and couldnt find any real leadership and backbone in big games... and players hardly progressed to a higher level.. and when they did it was snakes and ladders...

Thats what he did.. all this in FIVE YEARS plus...

Over and above all that player after player just falling away in confidence... and the players dont want him.

Great coaching record...Thats real Carlton swagger right there!!!

Lets keep him..surround him with mentors and a new lot of assistant coaches...... whats another year???

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I agree. See the umpiring thread.

Well if that's the case then the club should commit to Ratts long term and next season we have to pray that we have minimal to no injuries so that another year is not wasted....

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"Truth, for the tyrants, is the most terrible and cruel of all bindings; it is like an incandescent iron falling across their chests. And it is even more agonizing than hot iron, for that only burns the flesh, while truth burns its way into the soul"     — Lauro Aguirre

Actually thats correct.
If people think Ratts is such a good coach.... hes been there 5 years so has proven himself beyond a mediocre unlucky injury riddled season.... should the club commit to him and show faith in his improvements by giving him 2/3 seasons more????

What does 4th chicken/Cimm and BB2004 think???

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No, but Ratts is contracted for next year and the club should commit to that and then assess things as we get toward the end of next season.

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Formerly Blues-Back2003.

Hold it... the club was commited to Pagan too.... and that didnt stop Ratts from being coach prior to the end of the contract....

Its footy!!..

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How can the Pagan situation even be compared with the Ratten one?

In Pagan's last three years at the club (2005-Round 16 2007):

2005: four wins
2006: three wins, one draw
2007 (until Pagan was sacked after Round 16): four wins

Yes, at times we probably tanked a game here and there but with Pagan at the helm, we were terrible and showing few genuine signs of improvement. Not all Pagan's fault but the record speaks for itself. We suffered 100+ point losses in two of Pagan's final five games as coach, with the 117-point loss to an average Brisbane side in Pagan's final game a clear indicator that things had to change.

Now, let's look at Ratten's five and a bit years at the club (Round 17 2007-today):

2007: zero wins (but this is what everyone wanted/expected so it's unfair to hold these losses against Ratten)
2008: 10 wins (six-win improvement on 2007; even allowing for the possibility that we tanked in 2007, this is a huge difference)
2009: 13 wins (a nine-win improvement inside two seasons) and a close elimination final defeat interstate
2010: 11 wins (fewer wins than 2009 but first year post-Fevola, the mainstay of the forward line and one of the better forwards in the game - team widely perceived to have exceeded expectations in even making finals) and a close elimination final loss interstate
2011: 14 wins, one draw (a clear improvement yet again, a thumping elimination final win before a close semi-final loss interstate)

Ratten's curve until the end of Round 3 this season had only trended upwards. We were flying and were made premiership favourites. An extraordinarily poor run with injury ruined our season. Without injury ravaging us as it has, there is nothing to suggest that what has actually happened would have happened anyway.

So the curve trended upwards until something out of Ratten's control derailed season 2012.

Ratten is contracted for next year and deserves the chance if we can get things back on track (we couldn't possibly have another year like this) in 2013.

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Formerly Blues-Back2003.

Im pretty sure if Ratten coached what Denis had to coach we would have had Deledio too...

Ratts.

Three number 1 picks plus Judd and Fev for part of the time... for one eliminational final victory against a side that was not supposed to make finals and limped in.
And got knocked out by WC previous seasons wooden spooner.

Ultimately....

Thats his success record.......

And no leadership and a side that folds easily...

Thats in five plus seasons of coaching...

WOW!!!

Again.... he will never coach an AFL side again...if he was any good.... youd think someone else will notice it and sign him up.. lets see.....

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yeah unfortunately Fev although he was a pillar of the club, was marching to a different drum ...

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Bawditawaba

Indeed and Ratts used him as one half of his very sophisticated gameplan.. the other half was Chris Judd.

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Wrong thread

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

this game already happened

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

hehe

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.