For most of the year i've thought that, although we've improved, the rest of the comp , apart from Collingwood and the West coast, has gone backwards.

Today we played last years Prelim finalists, who have finally started to show their class and more than that they showed their willingness for the physical stuff.

We are now reliant on the Saints, the rejuvinated Bombers (away) and the Doggies to help us make top 4. These guys have to beat the WCE or we are sunk.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

You would have to be joking.
I just love the way the 'supporters' of this club turn on them after a loss.
Here's a question for you? We are in 4th spot on the ladder after 16 rounds and have got there with one of the worst injury lists in the comp to strategic players. What does that tell you?
Here's another one. We played ten minutes of bad footy against Collingwood and had Warnock been able to see the goals we would have beaten Geelong. What does that tell you?

This is what they tell me. With a full list we can potentially beat anybody. We have eight weeks to get everybody on the park. In the meantime, the players we have left, have to do what they've been doing all year and win the games they can win and try not to lose the others. They will finish in the eight. They have a hard run home but the other teams competing for the eight have to win more than we do to knock us out.

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

Yes he should be.
and we should maybe lay the jar down sideways in the pantry.

Re Hoops...
he was good when he played as a defensive forward.
I hope he will get a chance to try that role again.


edited for a spelling mistake.

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That’s not a political statement — it’s a harsh reality, and we must act,” she said. “He is a clear and present danger to the things that keep us strong and free. I support impeachment.”

Bloody freezing
Uncommitted team
Apart from Murph and Judd and a few others too many guys looking to bludge and wait for things to happen
Waite looked injured early on and looked like groin. He will be out a few weeks. They need to get it right, really right.
Happy for Houla to get to 200 games, but his future is limited. He looked very slow, and not suited to the ubercontested style of game footy has become.
Warnock won many knockouts but when sides contest hard as the dogs did, knockouts can be negated and he does little around the ground compared to Hudson and he hardly takes a mark
What's with Bower up forward??
Why would you not bring in Tuohy to replace Carrots?
AJ and Ellard are tough battlers but their lack of class lets them down
Forward line was diabolically bad. When we play like this you wonder how we ever got as high on the ladder. This insipid effort may well have cost us a top four spot. We may get a first final against a rejuvenated Dogs or Saints - very costly slip
Anyone in the 2s showing form has a chance
Without Waite and Jammo and even Hampson for the next month we will struggle.
Hope we don't get flogged by the Pies, but can't see us getting near them. This season might soon start looking like last year.

yep, i'll let sticks know

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"I had to eat"

Taff, you said during the match thread the difference was in the coaches box, now you agree with Doc that Ratts hands were tied, which is it?

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

I'm with you BS. we've been good this year and thoroughly deserve our position on the ladder. we put in a shocker today, and paid the penalty. we'll need to improve on today's performance to finish top 4. simple as that

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i don't wanna spend my life explaining myself. Either you get it, or you don't- Frank Zappa

We lost it at the selection table

Bower should never have been selected they should have stuck with Touhy his form was good

and if they new carrotts was injured why not pick the bloke who has been in the best players nearly every week in the Ants - Bloody select Brocky FFS

We need to stop stuffing around with this forward set up - find a forward and play him there be it Casboult , Watson , Hendo who ever but if we go into a final relying on Garlett Betts and walker to kick our goals we will go out in straight sets -- those guys should be the icing on the cake not the be all and end all like they are at the moment . Waite obviously got injured last week and they risked him this week - Dumb selections

and if some one suggest Ohalpin I will bloody scream

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

Murphy and Gibbs played in sides that didn't win a game for two or three years. Feed that into your stats.
And as for spouting a garbage response, saying Bower will either make it or he won't is hardly overrating him.

My point is, if you want to make stats prove something, it is easy to find a way to do it.
Did you break down the games he played in by team and position on the ladder? Nup.
Did you break down the games according to the other players included in the back six on the day? Nup
Did you break down the games on whether the forwards kicked straight or not? Nup.
Did you analyse his minutes per game in winning and losing games? Nup.

The basic tenet of using statistics to prove a point and deflect criticism is to have the broadest possible base with the most factors considered. You should try it sometime.

And thanks to KK for the enlightenment.

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

Whats wrong with Setanta?
The bloke will bust a nut, go in as hard as anyone, never give up, always provide a genuine tough contest..... thats more than can be said about half the mob today!

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i AM CARLTON

You don't win finals without key position players. We haven't got good ones
Kreuzer & Waite have to play permanent forward
Warnock is not strong enough to play as an AFL Ruckman but we have to run with him.
Please Please Please play Setanta. He has the physicality that our other KPPs don't have. I will live with the turn overs because, until someone better comes along, he offers us hardness.
Persist with Hendo. His more athlete than footballer but he is only 1 year older than Jack Watts and he might learn the caper.
Thouey is a must and Austin deserves another shot

I find it a bit rich using the injured players excuse when we have players performing well in the VFL and dont give them a shot.
We were just outworked by a more committed team IMO.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

I'll give u a stat. Were fourth on ladder but have only beaten one top eight side and haven't beaten any top four sides. And iirc we didn't beat any top eight sides in the last ten or so games last year. Sandpit bullies

I think you will find that those talking about the injuries are saying that the issue was with their selection. Nobody is using injuries as an excuse that i have read. Everyone is saying what you are saying - that we should have used the fresher players that played reserves.

I mentioned the coaches box because at the time it seemed that way, I suspect it is a combination of both because a coach can only work with what he has available and Eade obviously had more to work with

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"our electorate seeks less to be informed and more to be validated." Sad times.

True.
Here's another one.
Of the four top four sides we have played only two.

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

So what? Fact is we've lost both and couldn't beat eagles or ess. Here's another one for u - since round eight 2010 we have only beaten one top eight side !!!

Here's a stat, more than 75% of teams would like to be in our position.

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

youve made your point. what is it exactly?

Tried to be cute with the ball and overused it
Doggies did not allow us any space to work in
Caught badly out of position on ball turnover and did not work hard enough going the other way.
No movement from the forwards once Waite went off
Footscray wanted the win more than we did and it showed in the 1%ers. They played 'grunt' footy, we tried to play 'slick' footy and it cost us.

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A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" -Winston Churchill

L.M 35-06