Was thinking the same BV. Then after beating Collingwood we will lose the next 4 or 5. Another season of winning 4 to 6 games at best. Yes, some players showing more but as a club we finish bottom 4 again and then by round 15 our attention turns to the list management and recruitment again looking for saviours. Seriously this is so frustrating.

I feel your pain Frank.

I do think the effort was there for most of the game what really stood out for me was the lack of skill and the set up of our backs. Went to the game and watched the game again on TV last night and could not believe the simple marks, handballs and kicks we stuffed up. How was Lynch given so much space.

Anyway this is the round 3 discussion, I think we can win this one as I expect the CFC to tease us with a win and then lose the next 5. It's what they do to us.

fair changes I would add Bryne out to that list. Makes too many simple mistakes.

Give Schumacher a taste of it, see what he has while Williamson is still out injured.

Polson and/or Cunningham will be dropped

_________________
If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!

That would be typical of us....

Wouldn't have thought Cunningham will be dropped
I thought he was OK - made a few errors but which of the players didn't?
Even with the errors he had 21 touches at 86%
He's only played 12 games so he needs continuity. Should get better with it. Aside from all this with Byrne out again it doesn't leave us with many guys capable of running off half back

Polson unlike Cunningham hadn't really showed any form in the reserves the week before so his selection was strange to begin with.

Polson deserves an extended run to find his feet & settle - not like after his debut.

Cuningham should definitely stay (particularly if Byrne goes).

Polson should only stay in if there's no other option.

_________________
WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

Understand what you are saying Sue and generally agree that this is an exciting list but with all that talent and potential how do you explain yesterday's performance and you can understand why some of us after the ineptitude of yesterday would be disappointed with the performance and would not be looking forward to next week against the Pies

Cuningham was one of the top 6 in the team on actually winning it and disposing of it! He's in for sure. Good size too.

I think the squad had a lot of sameness to it on the weekend - very little size and speed differences and very bland. Polson looks quite little so he'd want to be pretty zippy.

Luckily the Pies ain't that good. The Blues will swing 4-5 players and win by a goal.

_________________
Formerly: Ackland the Wonderkid / Army the Wonderkid / quivering mess / molsey / Tony Lynn Fan Club

A) We will beat the Pies - as several have pointed out, that is our pattern
B) I expect Bolton to be able to recognise that we need to pull back a notch towards a more basic approach, as we have shown we’re not quite ready yet (either skills or mentally or both).
C) This recognition will differentiate the current coaching group from previous - who would be pushing through with their game plan irrespective of personnel or team readiness
D) I’m not as critical as some about the decision to replace Kruezer with a runner (although I was v surprised that Polson was chosen to be that runner). They probably calculated that none of our available replacements would be able to compete w Witts and so we’d be better off trying to rove to Witts and add extra run. MIScalculated, as it turned out. But not a terrible option.

I hope we don’t write this off as an abberation b/c it is a recurring theme for us and highlighted some genuine weaknesses which we must address.
I am pretty confident we will beat the Pies but even if we do, I equally hope we don’t take that as evidence either that the GCS match was a blip or that we have truly rectified our weaknesses.
I see the loss to GCS as evidence of how far we still have to go.
I am hoping the Coll match shows that we realise this.

I am most concerned about Jones - that he is unable to maintain his good form from last year or has been found out.
I am confident Weitering will find his way and become one of the best defenders in the game. But he may need some time in the VFL to rediscover his form and confidence.
I think all the rest are pretty known quantities and we know who will/won’t be in our team when we become top 8 competitive in 18months - 2 years from now. I am sure the plan is to bring the good youngsters through over that period as suits their development needs and that of the team.
Not really too worried about the minutia of how that happens week-week.

Stop making sense

_________________
If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!

I definitely can understand it Frank. But remember that most of the current players and coaching staff were not part of the failures of the past. We have endured 17 years of pain but I think we should not be letting it blacken our view of this group, over half of which yesterday have played less than 50 games. Dow was 3 years old when we were done for salary cap breaches!

2016 was ‘ground zero’ for me. We have played 46 games under Bolts. We haven’t won many of them but I am prouder to be a Carlton supporter than I was from 2002-2015, which were absolutely wasted years. By the end of 2018, we will only have 4 or 5 players on our list who were there before Bolts arrived. Three years to turn over an entire list is incredible and speaks to exactly how far back we are coming from.

A complete youth focused rebuild (which we have never done before) never moves forward in a linear movement. I was always expecting a tough year. 3 of the top 4 in our B&F did not play yesterday. A team that only won 6 games for the season can’t afford to lose that talent. Add the fact that we are tinkering with our game style and have new line coaches, and it doesn’t surprise me at all that we’re lacking cohesion and consistency at the moment.

I’m far from happy about it, but I am not surprised by it.

_________________
It's never as good as it looks and it's never as bad as it seems.

I thought about Byrne and his footy nouse and took great interest.
All in my company (Carlton supporters) agreed he didnt look confident or maybe worse.

We all agreed he doesn't seem to get the nuances of the game.
The nuances instilled in us in the southern states from childhood.
He doesn't have a background from early exposure.

I've seen Byrne play some crackers too, and periods he's changed the game.

Maybe the MCG suits him better.
He looked like he wanted to break lines last round, but GCS press was too intimidating.
He'll be better for this last round...if he sticks with the basics.

MCG. I'm hoping it suits us more against the Pies.
Pies have impressed me thus far in 2018.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Cuningham fumbled last game too, and he wasnt on his own, but he showed more composure than anyone when he ran the ball.
Cuningham and Williamson have shown plenty of glimpses: quiet achievers. We Need Speed.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

GCS did get the cream of the free trades.
They have untapped diamonds. Who knows?
We got found out.

The GCS front on pressure we just couldn't handle it, nor against Hawks in 1st half in JLT game, Tigers in 2nd & 4th qtrs, and it was relentless every quarter from GCS barring 10 minute lapses, which to Carlton's credit, took advantage and scored heavily.

We need it fixed.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

I've seen enough to think he's got the talent to become special. It's not quite clicking at the moment. I think the defensive problems we're having are making it harder for him, given he's more of an offensive weapon than a lockdown defender. I also think the loss of guys like Docherty and Williamson has increased the pressure on him. Means he's playing on better players.

Some posters just put that in every week because they think people will agree with them.
Casboult is our FF/Ruck, not our Ruck/FF. He plays one role well enough but the other night he was just out of his depth, especially against Witts, whom I suggested we get three years ago before being laughed off the page.

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

spot on, i'm afraid - need Cripps to captain

_________________
my last one was rubbish

poor leadership

out: hope, respectability

in: resignation

_________________
my last one was rubbish