Not ideal, but if you'd told me at Xmas that the key stories from our pre-season would be:

Kouta out for 8
M Alouf replaced by Swann
Smorgon replaced by Pratt
NAB Cup Premiership
Membership 5000 above target



.....I reckon I'd have taken it.

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"I had to eat"

That was my exact thought last night Humpy. That filthy smirking Gingha, came on Sports Tonight with something like "and the bad news continues at Carlton" and I'm just wondering who resigned, got caught with their hands in the till, beat up a copper etc. When it was just the kouta story I was very relieved!

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The only way for some people to understand is for them to be on the receiving end

Left wing moralists
In self serving denial
They shit me no end

not good news for kouta and is a loss

but will give another player an opportunity

this season kouta was not going to play every game (travel) and was going to spend more time on the pine than ever before, this injury may benefit kouta and the club in the long term, if he only has to play 1/2 a season then we may not have to 'nurse' him through the season as we would have if he was available for all 22 games

could this mean he will play on in 2008?

..i'm not so sure kouta's gonna actually get replaced, since with the season proper our nabcup squad is 2 players lighter.. ..with kouta now out of that squad, there's still another player to get the chop, before any other players get juggled about.. ..as for walker moving into the midfield..hell no.. ..sure we all love the idea of him running rampant there, but if he goes there he may get tagged, and more importantly we'll lose both his drive off the half-back flanks and also his ability to relieve setanta as well when the irish has the ball..

..our backline has been woeful for too long to finally get a winning formula and then begin tinkering with it.. .the backline looks the best it has in yrs, leave it that way i say..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

Are we able to elevate someone?

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Writer for SuperCoach Paige www.scpaige.com.au
Twitter - @johnfeeney24

Latest update...

Matt Granland on SEN just reported that the surgery was successful, and that they are now saying 4-6 weeks.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

Which means no to elevating a rookie.

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“It is a state of mind, a system of belief, a way of seeing the world, a deep faith that, because you are Carlton, you belong to something great.” - Mike Fitzpatrick articulating what Out of the Blue means.