I can just see it now. 325 passes to Wiggo for 89 behinds.

Anyione can be positioned at FF, but that doesn't give them the make up required to be an effective FF. There's more to FF than defensive pressure. Wiggo is not a FF.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Don't be suprised.

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With 12 seconds to go in the 1947 Grand Final Fred Stafford snaps a left footed goal. Carlton beat Essendon* by one point..

Number 17 in Carlton's 25 Greatest Moments.

You'll get more 2nd efforts from Hampson as well than when we had Fevola there.

Defensive pressure is all over the ground - that includes FF; Fevola often forgot that, to the team's detriment. He sometimes did it but St Kilda and Geelong are the teams they are because they are disciplined all over the ground.

Needs to work on his goal kicking - I hope this is a major focus because he has the attributes to be that Tippett-type 200cm marking forward.

This will sound bizarre as well but I wouldn't mind trying him at FB in the pre-season competition as well because he has such excellent athleticism. He will learn to read the play coming at him better by playing in the backline.

In fact, I haven't seen a guy with Hampson's raw attributes in the AFL before. Get his marking and his kicking right and this will require practice and more practice, and he could be scary.

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"A good composer does not initiate. He steals."

- Igor Stravinsky

..the Hammer is good.. ..he's tall, strong, fast, naturally athletic.. ..but he's still relatively new to footy, and is still learning the ruck game.. ..by all means rotate him thru the F50, cos he's usually a straight kick and is a nightmare to match up on.. .... ..but as far as FF's go, i reckon the Krooz has the instinctive understanding of the position.... ..-if- Knockers comes good, i'd have him and Hammer as our ruck combo, with Krooz at FF and Hendo at CHF...... ..if we think we want a 3rd tall, then Waitey playing a loose roaming fwd role would suit..

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

Waite O'hAilpin Houlihan
Kreuzer Henderson Betts

I know we dont want to put pressure on the kid but let's face it - Henderson was part of the Fev trade and we lost not only our FF but essentially our main forward option. We now have Henderson who has already declared he sees himself as a forward and would prefer to play there. Ratts has stated that Henderson will play forward. Most posts talk about Setanta, Cloke, Fisher, Waite, Krueze and even Austin as being options. I agree they are and they will rotate thru there I have no doubt, but why not give young Hendo a go first! Sure the pressure will be on, but lets face it he was part of the Fev trade so he will unfortunately have that pressure hanging over his head for years to come.

Let Hendo make the most of it and play the kid at FF. At 196cm and 95kg with opportunities and patience he may surpirse us all and become a dominant goal kicking forward.

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HENDERSONALENKO......YOU BEAUTY!!!!!

Waite,Setanta, Henderson
Kruezer, Warnock, Hammer

Kick it high and long

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I see you watching me watching you.

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I AM DISENFRANCHISED

Too short - waite to the backline and jacobs to the FP

I love it. Salivating.

Dry day, fast pitch, winning midfield...Whose in the ruck? Austin?

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Kouta???

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one you knock back is one you never have

Nic Natanui??

Sauce in the ruck....knocks it down to Betts, Yarran or Garlett......Judd, Gibbs and Murph on the bench to come on as impact players

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I see you watching me watching you.

Shit..hang on...what about Cloke? WGAF!

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I see you watching me watching you.

The problem with that is that we have to play Yarran and Garlett in the Ants.
Play Houla on the wing or in the mids, Rotate Betts off the bench a la Vin Catoggio with Garlett and Yarran on a flank. Play Waite running loose like James Hird and Kouta. There's no point having someone like him where the ball aint. (Sorry to Jack Dyer for the misquote)

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

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"A good composer does not initiate. He steals."

- Igor Stravinsky

Often before the ball hits the ground too.

Lol the bad news is that kicking and marking, the two things you are saying he needs to get right, are probably two of the most important skills in football. Especially if he is to be a FF.

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Carlton Premiers '10

But the thing is that these two things can be worked on and less difficult to teach than positional awareness, reading the play, desire (!), heart (!) and attitude (!). It's clear that he has the latter 3 in spades.

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"A good composer does not initiate. He steals."

- Igor Stravinsky

Sure we've seen Hammer fluff a couple of shots at goal, but if you care to look at all his shots at goal, right from the first shot, he's not too bad. He started off his kicking at goal in a blaze of glory.

I think it's just confidence in himself, and self assurity that he belongs is the difference between consistent good kicks to goals and sporadic erratic shots. If he concentrates on the end goal and the process in his execution he'll be right.

Some of his shots at goal from the boundary or from 45-55 metres out have been fantastic; better than Fisher who was born into the game imo.

All this Setanta-type talk that he hasn't been born in the game and that he isn't a good kick are off the mark, and no cause for alarm. If that was an issue there would be no Tippett, Kennelly, Stynes etc

Hammer is a damn good player. His 2nd and 3rd efforts and his courage are a great ingredient to add to the mix from our 200+cm player. Forward pressure isn't a problem, it's an assett, and he proved that in the latter games of 2009; he created goals from his 'frontal pressure'.

If we can get the game plan right, and that is not a Hammer issue, but an issue discussed throughout 2009, then I'm sure that with practise and intelligent indoctrination it will prove to pay dividends for both player and team.

Go Hammer

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue