While it seems to be the trend to bag Fev for not kicking 17 goals per match, or hanging shit on JR for not getting a Rising Star nomination each week, a bigger frustration for me over the last 3-5 years is our lack of crumbers, especially in comparison to any club in the comp which is considered even an outside chance at a Flag.

Far too many times each match a ball goes forward towards Fev and a contest. The mark goes to ground or is spoiled, and rather than a Carlton crumber swoop on the ball and grab a goal, the defending team crumbs the ball and sweeps it out of defence far too easily.

Do we have any crumbing players on our list? Eddie seems to be the logical player for this role, but only plays that part sporadically.

The sort of player I'm thinking of is Peter Bell/Shannon Grant/Brent Harvey When they played with Wayne Carey

When Fev has his own Harvey or Bell at his feet, then surely we'll see far less of the ball being repelled from our F50?

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

Totally agree KK. Too many times the lack of crumbers at Fev's feet is a glaring worry and with Eddie being everywhere and most times disappearing from the game, the ball shoots out of F50 far too easily.

To me a crumber is a freakish player who can kick on either side of his body. Eddie has that, but no one else in the team does.

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“It is a state of mind, a system of belief, a way of seeing the world, a deep faith that, because you are Carlton, you belong to something great.” - Mike Fitzpatrick articulating what Out of the Blue means.

This is why i say we have a long way to go. When you sit there and list we need a CHF, a lightning quick midfielder, hard running defender, small to mid size forwards, some exciting indigenous boys. One draft just not going fill those gaps, and with our first pick in this years draft to you go for KP or midfielder??

i say we must draft KP. Boy how i would have loved to see say Josh Kennedy and a Jarrad Roughead in our forward structure.

I reckon Eddie plays the role quite well. He may be able to improve, but he has scored some great crumbing goals. Not every time the ball spills can a goal be scored. It used to be that Eddie got hassled for only being a crumbing forward and that he needed to work harder so he could get a gig in the midfield. Crumbing forwards are also there to apply offensive pressure on their opponents. Is there a better small forward at chasing down opponents running our of defence than our Eddie?

I reckon you're just looking for a new scapegoat.

This comes back to my theory that we'll know we're a stronger side when we can afford to play Houlihan solely in the forward line.

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I'm not scapegoating anyone. I'd love it if we could clone Eddie and hve 2 or 3 of him in the team at any one time. I don't expect a goal to be scored at every crumbing opportunity, but I think we should at least give ourselves the opportunity of scoring more frequently when the ball does go to ground in a marking contest. The main problem I see is not that we're not scoring every time there's crumbing possibilities, but more that defensive pressure that a good crumbing forward is able to provide isn't happening in our team, because of a lack of Eddies. So to speak.

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

You don't have to be 4ft tall to be a crumber, you've just got to have the courage to run until your gut busts - and then run some more to get to the contest.

Justin Cordy has got himself a near-impossible task for the next year or so. Athletic ability can only get you so far.

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

Crumbing forward is the politically correct term for short aborigional footballer who can kick 3 or go missing for the whole game.

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Ecclesiastes 1:4, "One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but The Blues abide forever."

RACIST!

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Congratulations CK95

Yeahhhh................

oh well..............i thought this was a thread about Lance.........!


kindest regards tommi

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that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

Last time I checked a crumber was someone who kicked on either side of his body and create goals out of nothing.

They are ususally quite freakish. Crumbers tend to not run too far to create goal scoring options as the jump all over opportunities presented by their forwards.

Gut running, is not a crumber's major asset.

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“It is a state of mind, a system of belief, a way of seeing the world, a deep faith that, because you are Carlton, you belong to something great.” - Mike Fitzpatrick articulating what Out of the Blue means.

Yes, but by that logic, the 'Crumber' would spend his entire football career providing a double-team for the forward target. One blocks, the other takes the mark - all the while, the 'Crumber' is left standing front and square with nothing but his pecker in his hands.

Is the crumber an identified role - or is it just the bloke who gets to the contest?

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

like Stephen Milnenajarra

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“Every single element of the Club has to be the best in the league, meticulously and methodically, and only by doing this will we be elite and challenge for number 17.”
Greg Lee

...

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There's so much I could say...

crumbs?

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

no - not racism - weight of numbers and observation.

Calling Eddie Betts, the Davey boys , Wiz Farmer, Neon Leon, Rhan Hooper, Matthew Stokes, Cyril Squirrel, etc aboriginal is not racist - calling them a small crumbing forward however is racist - particularly if they can play midfield

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Ecclesiastes 1:4, "One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but The Blues abide forever."

The aboriginal boys are very good at providing goals from crumbing opportunities and our own Eddie has been very good at giving us some freak factor this season....in fact Eddie has gone better than I thought he would and credit to him. Like to see him get a bit more of a run on the ball at times when we run out of steam in the midfield.

Clinton Benjamin has some freak factor about him, speed, great jump and kicks straight from what I have seen of him and coming off the bench could give us a lift......I think Steven Browne showed that Bullants form doesnt mean much. Browne stepped straight into the seniors and showed more than he has in any Bullants game and I'd like to see the selectors give Benjamin a run when he is fit...

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

I think you will find that most of the designated crumbers in any team, usually play front and centre in the F50.

Its not common that the designated crumber is playing in defence.

Look at the freakish players, who without being racist, are Aboriginal, they mostly play up forward or half forward, with bouts in the midfield.

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“It is a state of mind, a system of belief, a way of seeing the world, a deep faith that, because you are Carlton, you belong to something great.” - Mike Fitzpatrick articulating what Out of the Blue means.

I think you will find that, for most teams, crumbing is a skill or competency rather than a designation.

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

Whilst that may be so, you will find that most teams have a designated crumber and they don't play down back and rarely play midfield.

So I would say that a Rioli or Davey or Betts or Davis or Chapman or Aker or Brown [Nathan G] are the designated crumbers for their respective teams.

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“It is a state of mind, a system of belief, a way of seeing the world, a deep faith that, because you are Carlton, you belong to something great.” - Mike Fitzpatrick articulating what Out of the Blue means.

I would say that Aker, Chapman, Brown and Davey play wherever the @#$%&! they want because they know how to get the footy. Betts does a lot of work up the ground. Rioli stays forward because there is more ball down there than anywhere else.

I don't even know why I'm continuing this... I'll try mathematics.

Crumbing = Roving

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.