Who in the hell thought it would be a good idea the schedule games at 7.40 on a Sunday night? Only 24,000 there. And we have more of these to come.
I have never been less enthusiastic about a footy season, just about over it.

I can't believe how many posts I'm reading here saying we are finished - its round 1 for Pete's sake!

The only disappointment I get from tonight (besides losing) is Walker's actions. He's usually pretty cool, this is going to cost him some time ...

All is not lost, and I don't believe for a minute that was the best this team has to offer by a long shot. Its going to take a few games for many of our players to find match fitness. Things are not certainly as bleak as half the posts in this thread make out. Sheeesh you'd think it was week 20 and we just got rolled by 100+ points and there goes finals ...

Its only Round 1, but there should be no excuses to the lack of Fitness and so many players running out of legs by half time. I was at the game tonight and this is what I was able to note down:


CONS:

** Dale Thomas: He had an OK Game, but I put him as a Con because there is a Serious concern over his Kicking. He had no power in his legs, and could not kick past 20m. He missed few easy shots on Goal. Is his Ankle injury has anything to do with it? if so, Then we are in real Trouble!!!


** Watson/McInnes: Totally Ineffective. Both are 3rd Talls at best... They can't both be in the one side. McInnes was very average and I am begging to think that he is not really an AFL standard player.Watson has proven to us tonight that he is just not a KPP. He is not big enough. Westoff gave him a touch up.

** Midfield Fade outs & Centre Smashing: This is a Serious Concern. Bell, Ellard, Mclean, Robinson & Curnow all did few good things early and it was great to see some of them kick some goals, but its the same Old Story. They never do enough all game. They fade out badly and become below average players. This means that we can not keep playing them all in the one Side.

** Andrew Walker: He had a game to forget but it happens. Move on....

** Warrnock: I hear many people saying he had a good game but I disagree. He had 4 dispoals all game. This is not good enough. You can't just tap ball ups and do nothing all game. He doesn't Impose himself enough on the ball and doesn't run hard enough either way to hurt the opposition.


PROS:

** Waite/Henderson: Getting through the game with no Injuries. It won't take long before they go down and be sidelined, So we better find some alternative plans. We are in for a long long year...

** Still have some Kids to play so play them. Cripps and Buckley needs to come in for Round 2.

..poor team culture has been our weakness for years, everything else stems from this in my opinion..

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

Pros: Gibbs, Curnow, Yarran's superb goal, Everitt was ok.


Cons:

1) McLean should never play for Carlton again unless we have too many injuries and we are forced to utilise him. He was like a deer in the headlight in the heat of those contests, and he can't run and create positive space. I was shocked when Carlton used their sub for Bell instead of McLean. Bell was at least in the contests - contesting. Bizzare decision.

There was a particular "contest" in the 2nd or 3rd quarter near the boundary line where McLean just let a Port player run around him. It left me fuming more than any other moment.

2) tackling - this "put my arm out and hope it slows his momentum" type tackling won't work. Sometimes you have to pile drive them around the waist. Yes, sometimes it is a matter of wrapping up the arms, but a good footballer knows there is more than one type of tackle. Also corralling players to slow them down instead of attacking them annoys me.

3) Kreuzer - our recruiters made our bed and we have to lie in it, but I often wonder what Carlton would have been like if we had got Cotchin instead. Yes, Kreuzer is a real trier, and he does his best, and he is an above average ruckman, but Carlton used to always have more than just above average ruckmen....actually a long line of good ruckmen in a row- Nicholls, Jones, Fitzpatrick, Madden..and all of them could go forward and kick goals.


In: Cripps, and 2nd spot out of Casboult?, Holman? ??, Docherty or Wood

Out: Kreuzer, McLean

Hale 24 games - 20 goals 2013
Mike Pyke - 25 games - 28 goals 2013

Kreuzer -17 games - 8 goals 2013

Kreuzer comes over as a lovely guy...but this isn't the "lovely guy" business. This football team has been going for 150 years...I want it to be going for another 150 years at least. Unless we get harder and tougher as a team, we are going under.

In: Viagra

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#DonTheStash

In: spoonful of cement

Seriously Carlton are the biggest bunch of pretenders in the game. Are they stupid, lazy or just plain uncoachable?

Sorry, but I'm not as sold on Gibbs' game as some of this forum. With all the talk of GWS and Gold Coast this weekend, seven years in, I'm still waiting for our number #1 draft pick in 2006 to deliver on his promise.

With you all on Kruezer and Warnock though.

Seriously though - watching this team is like pulling teeth. From your dick.

We've more or less been watching the same team for ten years now.

For those of you who watched True Detective - time is a flat circle.

http://www.footyalmanac.com.au/afl-round-1-the-peoples-elbow-carltons-carcosa-time-is-a-flat-circle/

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that the midfield actually kicked goals. They're still unaccountable as all hell though.

Mirror image off field
Lack of leadership
Lack of direction
Lack of honesty and integrity
Cut corners and laziness.

Its what we are... unless we fix off field we will never fix on field.

What defines us a a club?
What defines us as a team?

Slipped to mid table and falling on and off field.


If people cant see this they are blind, i have been warning about it for years.

HOWEVER, we're not as bad as that.. and Port are a great up and coming side
You cant compare our mids to theirs.. they have guns.
You cant compare our benchmark of honesty with theirs... they play with integrity.
You cant compare our president to theirs... ours is a fossil that has no brains

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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.

Was very impressed with how we set up and what we were doing in the first quarter. If we keep doing that we will be a very good side.

The issue with it is if we have 2-3 players not fulfilling their role it falls apart quickly and IMO that's what happened last night. It's just little things like being closer to opponent, making that little effort to cover a teammate etc.

Port are a good side and are very disciplined and as soon as we gave them any space they carved us up. Ollie Wines is elite!

IMO we need to persist with what we tried last night. It was very good modern football. We just need to sort out who is up to it mentally and who isn't.

I have question marks on:

Watson: Really struggles one on one. His reading of the ball coming in and positioning is still below AFL level.
Walker: Can play but at his age still does stupid things. Become more disciplined or get out
Yarran: Highlight reel one second, gives opponent space the next. Needs to stop picking and choosing.
McLean: Does he need to wait until mid year when some speed is taken from game?
McInnes: Not doing enough
Kruezer: Can't play 2 No.1 rucks. They need to play 80% game time and neither can go forward with any real effect. Warnock better option.
Garlett: Hasn't played well in 12 months. Can't have him and Menzel in same side. Too limiting. May be saved by MCG.

Henderson is underdone and needs to play back until he is fit and confident enough to fill swingman role. Thomas needs games.

No one seems to stand up when we struggle. Any Leaders?

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Dont even know where to start.
Apart from the laziness and mental weakness this list has so many holes in it its concerning.
WH really did a number on us. Even got our No1 picks wrong.

Can i ask who our mids coming through are?
dont say Cripps... he cant handle a game of AFL footy.
Port and everybody else on the rise have been busy picking up mids.They added a couple more this year.
Guys that can run and use the ball.
Were lucky we had Thomas move to us to give us abit more... but we have not been concentrating in this area.
Were looking to play clearance after clearance footy because we dont have the polish in the midfield.
For that to be remotely successful and i doubt it will be truly succesful.. Warnock or Kreuzer must dominate. Theyre both underdone.
But where have we been concentrating with our recruiting? Theres nothing that can play arc to arc .
Hoping Docherty can...but again thats a trade.
And what of all our picks burnt on half back flankers in the last five years?... There is nothing of them.

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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.

i dont think our early picks were wrong.... Murphy Kreuzer Kennedy and Gibbs are all solid footballers.
We got our drafting strategy wrong.... we have nothing from second third rounders.
Nothing.
We went for defenders when we needed midfielders.
We have too many holes because of this. A midfielder can play hbf or hff .. cant be said the other way.
We used to have an over abundance of hbfers.. most of whoch were culled.
Now we have an over abundance of one paced inside mids..
But the game is about the spread.

You need a couple.. you cant have ten.

we overcorrect too much in our drafting
We dont balance what we need.
We get a bunch of hbf... only 2 or 3 can play...
or a bunch of slow inside mids... good for stoppages.. not run
or a bunch of rucks ... were still struggling .. Capuano is a problem
or a bunch of talls all in the one hit... theyre all useless.. except hendo but we almost had bradshaw and rischetelli instead of henderson

But we dont take what we really need ....

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Agree

The difference in midfield talent was depressing. Wines, Wingard, Hartlett, Boak & now Polec have our guys covered for years to come. All young and yet to hit their prime as well.

I thought that Jarman Impey was pretty good too.

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#DonTheStash

Agree that Murphy Kreuzer Kennedy and Gibbs are all solid footballers.
But none are the best player in their draft. And with pick 1 you'd want that. Not just solid.

Maybe not every draft we had No 1 pick.. but at elast one. None are.

It's the club's collective intelligence and ego holding us back.

Too proud to blow it all up and rebuild. Too delusional by actually thinking we are capable of making a final. Too stupid to think making a final and going one and done actually means anything.

This is what happens when you have a drunken el presidente and 13 board members. It's a clusterfcuk from top to bottom.

hathorn lost muston dowler and thorp.. and have won 2 premierships

drafting strategy and dont rely on pick 1s

we havent been addressing the crucial part of the ground and the way the game is played .. we have been taking the wrong types.
heavy one paced mids
hbfers theyre all gone .. more to go.. mciness and bootsma.. etc
had 4 rucks ,.. 2 gone.. still struggling.. cheap ruck coach
but no player that can spread and use the ball

how the hell do you play the modern game...???

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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.