Hurley is shaping up nicely could be a superstar at CHB or CHF - not many 19 year olds have the potential to be Scarlett AND J Brown

Anyhoo - I've been a bit worried about Kreuz as a tap ruckman since 07. Not big or high-leaping enough to dominate hit outs, but if you play him forward you lose his tremendous ground level and around-the-ground ability. Has to become a CHF to fill our gap, but does he have that contested marking ability in body-on-body contests? We've seen him soar beautifully for marks (not recently) but rarely taking marks in one-on-ones. Has he got the speed off the mark? The ability to change direction quickly? It's a tricky one. His attributes allow him to be a good ruck and maybe a good forward, but does he lack the complete skill-set to be a dominant player in either role????

I feel that CFC shared my concerns on Kreuz as a true number 1 ruck when they chased Warnock so hard. The plan must have included Kreuz up forward to solve that problem. Waite says he likes playing back but I'm praying that Jamo gets fit and Bower recovers form so Waite can really give us that x factor as a lead up forward / wing-forward or backup FF for Fev.

Garlett Fev Betts
Yarran Kreuz Waite

Hopefully Garlett Betts and Yazz can rotate up the ground in time and we can recruit a couple of 185-192 powerful, skilful and agile players to complement and eventually replace Fev. In the meantime I hope Walks regains his flexibility overhead to become an option, Setanta stays on and is insurance, expecting Fisher, Hartlett, Edwards, Houlihan and Cloke to drift away.

Not any more .......



Regards Cazzesman

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Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

Three tall forwards with our first three picks?

Rohan isn't a tall.

Is our list that well off for ball users that we can just take three of the one type of player and ignore a gun - one we rate - slipping through?

And pass on a better footballer to draft for need?

Robinson should have been overlooked for a key position player...

Why are you over Hurley and something that you and the club couldn't control?

Does Scarlett run 20 metres in 3.11 seconds like Hurley?

Hurley might struggle on the last line of defence and to hold the quicker leading forwards who are agile and just as strong.

A quicker and smarter forward would get on their bike and not get sucked into a wrestling match like those amusing Carey v Jakovich duals.

Carey smashed Jakovich when he lead and didn't try to wrestle a stronger opponent.

We could use a Hurley or someone as a forward, yet I don't think finding a CHB and full back is a huge problem for Carlton like everyone in the media believes.

I think we have become far too concerned about developing key position backs rather then KPF's.

under 24yo KP backs
Jamison (23yo) - Genuine FP
Bower (21yo) - Rebounding defender capable of playing tall or short
Austin (20yo) - Could easily play CHF or CHB, but has spent all of his time in defense
Hartlett (23yo) - Drafted as a CHF, but has spent the last couple of seasons in defense AFAIK
Edwards (21yo) - As above

under 24 KP forwards
Tiller (18yo) - at least a couple of years away

I guess Kruezer may end up playing out of CHF, or Austin might be developed into a forward, but at present, neither are happening.

It is so frustrating to watch the blues and think how stuffed we would be without Fev, and then go onto TalkingBullants to read about how Fisher and Cloke are the only options up forward

We need some young forwards and we need them now.

Kruezer is Carltons best option in the ruck and around the ball Sentanta should have been used as a tall defender he should been given a job to do on a tall forward each week he is confused and ineffective at the moment Johnson Browne and Yarram were ridiculous selections we were one week out from finals exprience now is everything. It is impossible to understand why Grieg was left of the team Bentick and Fisher would have been better options than the changes made
Anthopides

Until Setanta gives a decent contest in defence, he will be a liability. He continues to play "non contact" footy by jumping around the contest and attempting to reach in and spoil. Montgomery needs to take him aside and teach him to crash into the pack/player and drive his fist through the ball. it has been an issue with setanta since day 1.
I understand their thinking (desperation) in throwing him back but he needs to be more of a physical presence for it to be successful.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Austin has nothing to do with the fwdline, in so far as he has primarily been played as a defender so far.

Ditto Jamo.

Sure, Setanta had to go back bec there was no depth down back, but he wasn't doing much up fwd as it was (hasn;t for 3 weeks!), and even then he doesn't get a great number of opportunities bec we constantly kick to Fevola.

And regardless, I'm not sure he is the real answer.

Kruezer is the best option, in terms of blooding a young KPP with genuine talent.

Hammer struggles to hold his marks. Might or might not make it as a fwd.

And then there's nobody else.

That's the issue.

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It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it

Cazzesman,

I carefully chose this weekend to make this thread, granted a loss was needed for me to press the buttons but regardless the point is I only made the thread because this weekend we had Warnck and Jacobs available, so IMO we should have brought in probably Jacobs and Hammer, and then played Kruezer a a permanent fwd, to start developing that young gun fwd, but we didn't.

It's not about Jamo and Austin.

It's about fast tracking our next fwd. Now is the time, surely?

Or do we really think we can win the Premiership in 2009?

I blame the recruitment, the coach, and the MC.

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It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it

and I'm pretty certain when certain teams had certain players out and we beat them, the reason given by certain posters was that said certain teams had certain injuries that made it a certainty we'd beat them.

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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!

IMO there are a few things here to consider.

1. As optimistic as we love to be, did we really honestly think that the Blues were a serious premiership contender this year? I'd love to say yes but I dont think so. Our goal at the start of the season was to make finals and we have done that. Still a couple of years away from the ultimate glory though...
2. After a bad loss it is easy to point fingers and take pot shots. Fact is Ratts has done a great job with what he has available to him. Our backs have done a good job considering the injuries to Waitey and Jamo and our forwards too have battled on well. We'd all love a Johno Brown or a Nathan Bock but thats not gonna happen over night.
3. Fev is a star as we all know but to me he seems like the type of forward that needs to be the sole focus otherwise he gets a little lost. Yes I agree for the good of the club and our future we need more options but for the time being I really do think that having Fev 'one-out' is our best option to win. Complementing him with a couple of small forwards is the right move for now.
4. Kruze is definately a forward option for us - in fact I'm sure CFC have basically said so themselves. And if I remember correctly, CFC came out earlier this year and said that their main focus at year end will be to find the best young kids out there capable of playing key forward roles and developing them. So dont fear Blues fans - the club knows what is required and they have a plan. We are naive to think that we are the only ones who realise this and the club do not.

Having said all that I do agree that for the future of the club we need a couple of key forwards to take over the forward line in years to come. I wouldnt bother with a ready made player from another club. I would focus on drafting the best 2 or 3 in the, give them time to develop and see how it goes. A fit Jamison and Waite, together with Thornton, Bower and Austin are the nucleus of our defense for the next 5 years. Our mids with Juddy, Gibbs, Murph, Simmo, Grigg, Hadley and co are also gonna be around for the next 5 years. Just a couple more options up forward and the development of Kruze up there which I have no doubt will happen in 2010, will hold the CFC in good stead and with Fev being the key we will be in premiership contention over the next few years which is very exciting.

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HENDERSONALENKO......YOU BEAUTY!!!!!

Yes we were never going to win the Flag in 2009, so why don't we start blooding young KPP forwards?

Probably bec we haven;'t recruited any of late.

But Kruezer is there.

But that's it really.

KPP take time right, so why are we leaving it so late to find some who can play fwd?

Look Fev and Waite can do it for a few years yet, but I just think we'd want to be developing the succession play pretty soon.

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It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it

I dont worry about knee jerkisms like you...

First i said we didnt Hurley.... as much as a player who can run through the middle... and i stand by that...
second..... take your comments to the Nick Holland/Tom Hawkins thread....!!!

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What a strange interpretation of my comment. He went one pick before us - missed him by "that" much - hence the

Kruezer will not be a KPP. He would be wasted in this role. He is going to play a Cox type ruck role. More of a Ruck Rover. This will allow him to drift in to the forward line.

When you look at his results and add them to Ohalphins together they have kicked, Approx 25 goals. How many CHF did that?

I think that given where Fev and Judd are age wise we will be working hard to find a mature age CHF. Maybe Hansan or Lynch. We need somebody with good hands who can cover gound and push up the ground. This is until Fev retires.

Our Window will be start to open next year and will close with Fevs retirement in 4 years time.

While we approach the recruiting of a mature age player. We should also draft only KPP players.

So 1st two picks, take kids and use 3rd round on a mature age player.

Next year

FB: Thornton Jamison x
HB: Bower W
C:
HF: x Lynch/ Hanson x
FF X Fevola Waite

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

our window will not close in 4 years time - Fev's window might but ours will stay open for a fair bit longer - say 15 years (with small tweaking years required, like when Fev retires).

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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!

It was implied that if we could recruit some young KPP, then we should manage the retirement of Fevola.

Waite will become the key. We need to really look for KPP. We are ok in the midfield for at least 10 years.

Murphy, Gibbs, Walker, Joseph.

I think you're right to suggest we need new talent in our forward line. We do need to start planning now for the post-Fevola period. I'm not sure your method, or reliance on Warnock is well founded though.

My biggest issue in 2009 has not been our talent pool, but more they way our current players have been coached. It's bad enough that we have such a reliance on Fev, although it is clear the club is trying to address this (uptake of our mids scoring goals is one example), but we just seem unable to develop and create space for cohesive forward 50 entries. Too often our forwards either choose to, or are forced to, lead wide. And when that happens and the bloke is lining up on the boundary line is appears as though we rarely try to create alternate options to score from a more preferable position. We seem to be too static. I know its not easy to break down defensive zones and so on, but we need to have a crack and generate some movement.

When we're good we're very good. Much of the first quarter against the Crows was first class. But, when we're bad, it's not so much that we're very bad, more that we just don't seem to work hard enough to create better opportunities for our teammates. Be that in the D50, midfield of F50.

I understand we're still a developing team, though, so perhaps we just need to keep faith that the club is providing the players and coaching staff with the best chance to fulfil their potential.

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..agree, with those 4 mids we'll be ok in the midfield.. ..ok isn't good enough though..

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