A very underwhelming performance... same issues

We had a strong list out there but looked lost, tactically and structurally... lazy at times

A practice match but you'd hope we'd have our shit together so close to round 1

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“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” ― Richard Feynman

Elijah played VFL too, some discipline issue
Scooper Lordy was great could prolong Cripps career if used well.
There were blokes medically discharged from Vietnam will less bandages than TDK's legs

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Green Shooter

Good summary BV. I was saying exactly the same thing today about more injuries happening when going half power (which we clearly were).

Despite our lack of urgency, we had the game on our terms for most the first half - so it was annoying that we couldn’t put it on the scoreboard. We conceded some very soft goals in the middle quarters and our midfield/forward connection wasn’t good enough (sound familiar?).

Motlop looks set for a good season if he can stay fit. We have a solid batch of young players coming through in Smith, Binns, Moir, Lord, Carroll & Cowan - but they are a couple of years away from their best footy.

Our depth in 2025 will be mostly players in their 1st-3rd seasons so I can’t see us going too far this year unless we have a blessed run with injuries.

Despite the “it’s now or never” external narrative floating around, the club’s list strategy does not suggest to me that we are all-in for 2025. We’re obviously keeping an eye on the future.

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

OK so lets see where we are at after round 11 then. Lets not predict the sky is falling after one scratch match, when they haven't even started the real stuff yet

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Cripps is the man

That felt eerily similar to so many games in 2024.
Start well. 3 or 4 goal lead then get picked apart for 3 quarters for an honourable loss.

Hopefully they didn't play all their cards today.

Go blues

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i AM CARLTON

What was it?
Oh yes, match simulation.
Different everything to real thing.
Have to fix some issues, that’s what it’s about this time of year.

Absolutely, but which team looked like they have more issues to fix - Carlton or St Kilda? Defensively, the Saints look more prepared for the real thing than us IMO.

That’s not to say I’m getting carried away with the loss or writing us off for the year. Just giving my feedback as an observer/follower based on the small sample of action so far.

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

I missed it....do I venture in & watch?

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#DonTheStash

Are you creating an emergency so you can change the laws after a practice match?

Appreciate your observation ABNS…was there aswell…..when we hit the ball first and ran it I thought we looked good. Yes, saints worked much harder from half way through the second qtr.
While I was happy to see a couple of individuals do well, we were once again frustrating when moving it into the fwd line

That's true, was there also, we started rotating heavily into the second quarter, had seen enough of certain players.
For all the negatives there were just as many positives

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Between our dreams and actions lies this world

It has nothing to do with today's practice match. They will go to Canberra next week and get pumped come out round 1 and beat Richmond then the misery will start.
We have 11 players yet to play a game another 3 who have played less than 3.
Key forward who has been injured for 6 months
2nd best defender out for the season
Best tagger out until after the bye
A bloke who is supposed to fill in KPD who has hardly played there and not played for 18 months
2nd best midfielder who has missed half the preseason
Small pressure forward injured again today

Austin went full rebuild mode basically saying to Cripps 2 brownlow are enough but you will never hold up that cup.

They let depth go made the call they were to injury prone and at the same time sacked the fitness coach. Was it the players or the fitness instructor. I guess we will never know.
3 of those 7 should have been kept.



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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

Yeah you are 100% correct. Cancel your membership, if you have one, and go support the Rabbitohs.
You obviously have next to no interest so I’m thinking you are probably wasting your time here.

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.”

SB is catastrophising but I do agree with him on one point - the list decisions we made at the end of 2024 were not centred around 2025. They were for 2027 and beyond. That’s why we have Smith, not Houston.

That approach may have been forced on us by salary cap issues, or maybe Austin & co felt we needed to load up on kids before Tassie comes in.

Not saying the approach was wrong, just noting that it potentially exposes us for depth in 2025 if injuries hit (because our reserves players will be mostly 1-3 year players).

And because we didn’t “top up”, if there is improvement in the short-term, it must come from within our existing core group of players (and coaches!).

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

You really can't handle truths can you.
You spend your whole life in this utopian bubble and refuse to face up to reality.

The club has been rebuilding for the best part of quarter a century. We are the gunner club always gunner be good.
It's time to stop the rebuilding and take the competition on.

And do you really think i would support a team wearing Palestine colours

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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

Other pick ups..

O’Farrell in the ruck looked promising.. won some taps and is mobile.

Not really sold on Pittonet… so I’m glad there is potential for another ruck option.
Pittonet Still gives away a lot of frees, doesn’t win enough taps. Mobility is more important for ruckmen now than previously.

Matt Carroll was quite fast.. that’s a positive.

So in Canberra game think if Lord plays well should be in team rd 1. Fantasia.. sub at best.

O’Keeffe.

HOF didn’t play in the seniors game yesterday. HOK was the relieving ruckman who came on late for us.

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

Pittomet must feature on the rules DVD the umpires watch. Seems to get pinged an awful lot for stuff other ruckmen get away with.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

I have concerns about 2025 are the defense
If Weitering goes down we are seriously in trouble
Young is ordinary. He will have the occasional good game which gives you hope but overall he is not AFL standard
Haynes’ selection is simply dumb
Couldn’t get a game last year and is 33 in May. JOS regardless of whether he played or not is too slow to be a key defender
I don’t care what anyone says
Williams and Mc Govern are so overrated and they have got preference over other players
Williams is now a forward
He has been tried in every position
I like Carroll’ s game
Lord looks good
Binns at least has some shit about him and has a big tank
Motlop is fitter
I always say your bottom tier players win you a flag
Our bottom tier isn’t good enough
And then there is Voss
I still have that Brisbane Final
In my brain
Terrible selections
Terrible tatics
The club haven’t addressed it

That was what I thought too - but on the coverage they were calling him o'Farrell.

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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