Davies can play either end and is insurance for Thornton and Jamison if they go down early.

Davies will no doubt be the sub and if the game is iced by early in the last then expect Jamison to be subbed off for him.

_________________
You heard it here first!

Source?

_________________
"I had to eat"

_________________

this

Dont be silly now Gerry. The MC know more about what they are trying to achieve on Sunday than you or anyone on this site.
Using one idea that didnt come off, an idea that only some of the MC played a part in as a reason we should all doubt them is ridiculous.
Even if it didnt come off we could look at the way the same team of blokes bounced back with scoring Laidler with a pick in the 50's and Duigan with an equally late pick.

The MC have a plan. They are not trying to lose this game.

Read the pre game thread from the last time we played the Bombers.

I actually don't mind the side ... runs for cover.
If Bower where in and playing back for you know who forward ... I would be extremely relaxed going into this game.

Point taken club29. I guess what confuses me is not the side as it sits, but the amount of changes we have made over three games and the decision to bring Tuohy and Lucas in for one game, and the fact that their form in that game appears to be irrelevant. Going in to the Saints game knowing our position couldn't change and we'd be playing the Dons, I would have thought we would go for as few changes over those weeks - only compulsory ones or players badly out of form and as far as [possible the side we picked for the Saints would be the one playing the Dons.

I suspect Davies is to be played as a defensive forward and that may work, hope it does. If he's needed as insurance for TBord or Jammo then neither should be playing, and he is certainly not the sort of player who could change a game when subbed on.

Anyway go Blues, I think we will win easily.

I think we tried to avoid a tight contested game against the saints. I think the data showed that we were pretty set in that aspect of our game and that against the saints we wanted to play an outside "bruise free" game that could sharpen up our ball control at the expense of a part of our game that we have confidence in getting job done.

The stats are way out of wack for that last game . Nothing like what we have achieved every other week.

We have been focused on this final for weeks and have not left any stone unturned making sure we are as prepared as we can be.

I doubt any of the ideas anyone on this forum have have not passed through the minds of one of the half a dozen football brains we have in our MC. The plan they are going with will be well thought out and based on a mountain of information gathered over weeks and weeks.

Go Blues !

My hunch is there will be late changes.

Oh please let it be Bower!

I don't doubt your first line at all, but your second refers to a game where we opted to go very short, and swing Thornton back when needed. We were made to look silly on the counter and when taking on the Bombers' talls 1-on-1 in that game.

I know our run is good, but we've lost confidence in our ability to enter our own 50 and do some damage. Eddie is still a bit hot-and-cold but he's doing all the right things; Jeff can't finish off his work and is making silly decisions out of desperation. Thornton and Walker are getting crowded out.

We've got one part of the solution in Setanta, the other part was improving the incoming ball. Lucas was the answer, and we've tossed him for a disciplined runner who can't actually get to the right spots as of a fortnight ago. Tuohy was the other answer, but we've held onto him in favour of another disciplined runner.

It's not like either Lucas or Tuohy play loose. If you want my honest opinion, I think Ratten has become impatient from a development perspective in terms of his own coaching responsibilities, and has a squad within the squad whom he spends almost all of his time with in terms of 1-on-1 meetings while others are on the outer. I have next to nothing to back that up, but that's how it comes across to me.

It's a good theory in that can account for Bower, Lucas and the like looking on the outer, while out of form/fitness players like Russell & Ellard continue to get a run. It explains how a player like Henderson can go from moving to Carlton relishing the opportunity to play as a forward, to again accepting a defensive role.

Anyway, not worth harping on about as it's just a theory.

_________________
29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

Thanks for that, I guess my time at Talking Carlton is over now. How dare I come on here and disagree with the MC. I am such a clown.

Enjoyed watching the Cats tonight. Was a stark reminder though of what we don't really have at the moment. A dominating, monster ruckman and key talls that can take grabs.

I really hope our mids can dominate and that our smalls get on the scoreboard early. Otherwise I fear we'll find ourselves in a dogfight.

_________________
We are on our way back...

You could come on and discuss what you think the MC are planning with their selections. Its still fun.

Absolutely. As much as I disagree with the Davies decision, this is the truly bizarre aspect of all this. I don't see how much more Lucas, and especially Tuohy, could have done really. And I felt that Bower to replace Jamison would have been a much better late inclusion than Davies last week. Anyway, let's hope we smash the scum in any case.

Ok, I'm back on now

Interesting point gerry atric made about Davies as a defensive forward. On Fletcher perhaps? If that's it then it could be an interesting move. But as a mid sized defender I think he is probably not needed, when we have Russell and Tuohy in the wing and Laidler and Duigan already in the side. If it's insurance for Jamo then I'd much rather Bower. But anyway, as I said, I really wish the kid all the best and I will take great pleasure in him proving me wrong.

I am also a bit surprised by the changes, and think both Tuohy and Lucas are stiff, but surely Davies has been picked to play on Fletcher.
Tag Fletcher out of the game, and the Scum have absolutely no chance of winning.

Davies is quite underrated it seems.

Imo, will be a very good player for us in years to come and end up with his name on the locker

Gee...(insert tenuous - or tedious - coincidence here)...eh?

Horses for courses.
Davies Ellard will have been selected to play specific roles or against specific opponents to which they are deemed to be better suited than the outs. Doesn't mean the outs won't be selected for next week against the Eagles/Pies. Just because a player is supposedly better one week than another doesn't mean he will be better every week against every opponent.
Games are won and lost by the top 6 and bottom six players. Teh rest just do their job every week. The top 6 are safe every week because, well, they are the top 6 but the bottom six have to be carefully managed because the bottom six in any given game may well be selected from a dozen different candidates every Thursday. It ain't an exact science any more than picking eight winners every week.
I like the way Davies moves and he is a good build for a footballer. He'll be fine.
Ellard is possibly in there to stop Judd from getting monstered too much at the stoppages. I hope so because Essendon* have a history of shutting him down and we all know it is bloody hard to do it legally.

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

Agreed.

We've picked a team with guys like Ellard, Armfield, Joseph, O'hAilpin and Davies who are not superstars but they will really get their hands dirty and are suited to the intensity of finals football. Should be able to manhandle the Bombers.