Gibbs is an exit player. He is our pressure valve release. This is one of the most important positions in modern day football. The presses and rolling zones and all that other mumbo jumbo have made it in increasingly hard to hit up targets and find space coming out of the backline. Gibbs is better than anyone else in negotiating such situations. Gibbs plays a step ahead of the game. It would almost be a waste of his talent having him banged up and under packs.

Those who criticise him really dont understand that you need DIFFERENT types of players in the team and his worth is equal to that as Waite as a KPF and Murphy as a midfielder. You dont need to be getting it 30 times a game or kicking multiple goals a week, there are other players doing that. VITAL COG is Bryce.

You think Essendon* supporters are going nuts over Heppell not being played in the midfield? No and nor should they because hes bloody good at what he does ala Gibbs.

Can we all just accept this and move on.

Carlton by 57 pts

G'day guys, long long time reader, first time poster.

Just couldn't help myself really....

"JR is a pea heart", Gibbs is "soft"... and while I'm here I might as well mention the other one I've despised reading on here over the years "we'll never win a premiership as long as Carrazzo is in our best 22".

Are some of you blokes for real? How much footy have you played? Do you really understand how good these blokes are? How overweight, lazy and stupid are you as you sit there typing your vitriolic rubbish?

I was lucky enough to play some underage footy with a good mate of mine who went on to play AFL. The guy was just an amazing footballer really - fast, strong, skilled, committed, lived for his footy. He played maybe a dozen games. He didn't make it, he wasn't good enough.

For this reason I've always been reluctant to criticise AFL footballers too much.

Are some of them soft? yep? Do we have a handful in our team? Probably. So does evey team. But just about every bloke that runs out there has immense talent and they are not deserving of what is directed at them on here (and at games - I've only made it to maybe 10 games in my life and every time I leave disgusted at the insults thrown at Carlton players.... from Carlton supporters!).

Every player has their weaknesses.... Judd is not the best kick ever to have graced the field, Franklin gives away too many frees and misses too many goals, Jono Brown doesn't lay enough tackles, the list goes on.

I mean, I'd love a team of Koutas, but where does this obsession come from that every Carlton player must not have a single deficiency? Look at the premiership sides of the last few years... is every player perfect on those lists?

JR has deficiencies, I'm not his biggest fan. He seems to try pretty hard though. Is a good size and has reasonable pace. Injury has wrecked his last couple of seasons. Personally I think back to the elim final a couple of years back when he spent much of the game on Ryan O'Keefe. He kept him very quiet and I remember him taking 3 or 4 contested marks in the 3rd quarter (I think) and keeping us in it. I'd love to see him back to that form... the coaches I'm sure would love to see him back to that form... maybe that's why they are backing him and giving him a chance to find some form and fitness. You might disagree with that, but he's not deserving of being called a "pea heart".

Is Gibbs' attack on the ball like Robbo's? Nup, not even close. But so what? He brings other strengths that we need. I understand that it is a little frustrating that he maybe hasn't come on quite as quickly as we would like and he rarely dominates games. I believe that will come. You may not... but again, doesn't mean you should sit here calling him names...

I won't even start on the Carrazo one!

Waite back in the side should straighten us up this week. Betts and Garlett need to lift as they have been really poor in recent weeks.

With Bower staying in the side you would hope that this would release Gibbs to play a more attacking role this week.

Joesph on Milne is the logical matchup.

Not sure why youd worry about Milne .
Russell and just get russell to play more attacking.
Milne is one lazy fupp.!!!... Joseph is your tagger.
I wouldnt tag M/ilne id play someone head to head with him... that guy would be Russell.

Hard to provide evidence when he rarely plays in the middle. Often he has more roles on game day than the runner does kilometers. With his talent, if he was penciled in to play in the centre for 22 games a year, I'm sure he would soon become an elite AFL midfielder. But at the moment Rats uses him in ways that are more beneficial to the overall structure of the team.

Regards Cazzesman

Bryce Gibbs is an exceptional footballer, but he's no midfielder. The argument made that he could play anywhere he likes was lost last week against GWS. Why would you play Gibbs as loose man across HB for 97% of the game and not give him an opportunity in the middle when the team was getting smashed in the clearances? He can play two roles. The one he plays now, or forward of centre. He's still my 1st or 2nd player chosen every week...but I hate hearing the case being made that he's a mid when there's precious little evidence to back that up.

Thornton had 13 possessions, eight marks and three goals. Sure, it was against GWS but calling his performance terrible is laughable.

No, start on the Carrazzo one.

Just cos someone is ok at your level and went on to play AFL footy doesnt mean you have all the answers/

Truth is everyone but you and me are making it in AFL footy these days.
Rugby players union and league
Soccer players
Basketball players
Gaelic players
Hurlers
even Americans or Canadians.

These blokes went to school with alot of other guys.. who know even more guys...


Whats your point????

No, start on the Carrazzo one.

Just cos someone is ok at your level and went on to play AFL footy doesnt mean you have all the answers/

Truth is everyone but you and me are making it in AFL footy these days.
Rugby players union and league
Soccer players
Basketball players
Gaelic players
Hurlers
even Americans or Canadians.

These blokes went to school with alot of other guys.. who know even more guys...


Whats your point????

elsewhere with Judd, Murphy, Simmo, others in the midfield...said it before...we have midfield depth...otherwisw we'd need him there.

Got no idea why the MC didn't put him in the guts against GWS... we did have the defenders not playing out of their skin along with the mids....but I bet it wasn't because the MC don't believe he can play there.

G'day guys, long long time reader, first time poster.

Just couldn't help myself really....

"JR is a pea heart", Gibbs is "soft"... and while I'm here I might as well mention the other one I've despised reading on here over the years "we'll never win a premiership as long as Carrazzo is in our best 22".

Are some of you blokes for real? How much footy have you played? Do you really understand how good these blokes are? How overweight, lazy and stupid are you as you sit there typing your vitriolic rubbish?

I was lucky enough to play some underage footy with a good mate of mine who went on to play AFL. The guy was just an amazing footballer really - fast, strong, skilled, committed, lived for his footy. He played maybe a dozen games. He didn't make it, he wasn't good enough.

For this reason I've always been reluctant to criticise AFL footballers too much.

Are some of them soft? yep? Do we have a handful in our team? Probably. So does evey team. But just about every bloke that runs out there has immense talent and they are not deserving of what is directed at them on here (and at games - I've only made it to maybe 10 games in my life and every time I leave disgusted at the insults thrown at Carlton players.... from Carlton supporters!).

Every player has their weaknesses.... Judd is not the best kick ever to have graced the field, Franklin gives away too many frees and misses too many goals, Jono Brown doesn't lay enough tackles, the list goes on.

I mean, I'd love a team of Koutas, but where does this obsession come from that every Carlton player must not have a single deficiency? Look at the premiership sides of the last few years... is every player perfect on those lists?

JR has deficiencies, I'm not his biggest fan. He seems to try pretty hard though. Is a good size and has reasonable pace. Injury has wrecked his last couple of seasons. Personally I think back to the elim final a couple of years back when he spent much of the game on Ryan O'Keefe. He kept him very quiet and I remember him taking 3 or 4 contested marks in the 3rd quarter (I think) and keeping us in it. I'd love to see him back to that form... the coaches I'm sure would love to see him back to that form... maybe that's why they are backing him and giving him a chance to find some form and fitness. You might disagree with that, but he's not deserving of being called a "pea heart".

Is Gibbs' attack on the ball like Robbo's? Nup, not even close. But so what? He brings other strengths that we need. I understand that it is a little frustrating that he maybe hasn't come on quite as quickly as we would like and he rarely dominates games. I believe that will come. You may not... but again, doesn't mean you should sit here calling him names...

I won't even start on the Carrazo one!