On a rainy sunday afternoon Mrs Igauna and I sat down and watched this year's R19 win over this year's Premiers. An enjoyable experience which got me thinking how little time in this particular game, when Fev actually had an impact.

Most time seemed to be spent either with our attaking midfield or equally attacking backline, with our attacks at goal being relatively brief and generally effective. When we add the fact we almost popped this year's R/U for the first time in ages some weeks before, makes me feel quite a little tingle for 2010. We still have an attaching midfield and attacking backline to be enhanced by the return of Waite and Jamo.

Our rucking should also improve with Warnock playing but then again Jacobs shows potential and I'm glad he has been promoted from the rookies list. A combination of Warnock and Jacobs with Kruezer causing the opposition grief up forward is something to think about. I think the newcomers if they are good enough to get a game, will only improve our prospects.

We are still a few years away from competing for No.17 and think we may take half a season to settle the new approach with our Fevless forward line. Well, enough day dreaming and back to work.

We still sit down on Boxing Day and watch the 99 Prelim, it kept the fires burning at the Igauna household during the dark days and will only be relegated, once NO.17 is securely in the trophy cabinet at Princes Park.

Happy thoughts

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NG
S M C , S F L

With the Test over and a stinking hot day for the beach mid arvo, I watched the same game and the St Kilda game yesterday....for a bit of fun, and to see where we're at with or without Fev.

I, like a couple of others thought that it's worth putting the punt (I am going to put on) the Blues for a Flag in 2010. Anything can happen. I don't think we're that far off. In fact, I think our opponents above us are not going to get any better than 2009, and we will bridge the gap.

Didn't we just relentlessly attack the lines in that Cats game? And it was the kids.

Against the Saints, if we had Judd on the field a bit more (rather than stewing over the multiple misses from Fev and that last kick from Houla) we would have beaten them too.

We are damn close. I'm glad we've added more quality midfielders to the list this year.

Attack of the Killer Blues.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

I watched the Melbourne match and thought the exact same thing...

Watching our midfield streaming down the ground in numbers was a snapshot of the future.

I am more concerned of Judd missing the first 3 matches than Fev not being there at all.

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"...that's the thing about opinion - you don't have to know anything to have one..." Andre Agassi commenting on Pat Cash 2004
"...the less you know - the more you believe..." - Bono 2006

The key to modern football is confidence. If we get a few wins then there is no reason we can't push for top four (and for something even better from there ).

The two best performances for 2009 were against Geelong and St Kilda. And you guys are right, the contribution from Fev in both those games was minimal (with the exception of taking out Setanta in the St Kilda game!). We need to make sure we apply pressure all over the field and run, run, run (like we did in the first quarter against Adelaide in the final round before we ran out of legs). We have the list to do it, if the coaching staff can develop the gameplan, then there is nothing that says we can't win a flag.

Seriously guys being realistic our chances of a premiership next year a pretty slim, even though i say Carlton Premiers '10. The premier should come out of one of Geelong, St Kilda, Bulldogs and maybe even Hawks and Adelaide (Collingwood have no hope, even though outsiders seem to think they do).

Our time should be '11 onwads.

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Carlton Premiers '10

Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, St Kilda

Collingwood and Geelong just outside of that.

Lets see.

Hawks came from no where 2 years ago...with a very young team.

And in 1993.....lets not go there.

Of course I'm serious. Odds are fantastic. Worth a punt...so is making the 8, the 4 and the GF.

We beat the Dogs and the Cats, the Hawks and the Pies. Saints we had on toast and the Crows exposed our weakness with our midfield rotations. We've fixed that weakness in the off season.

So why not?

It's still a punt if you put your money on the Dogs, or Cats or Saints. That's life. Expect the unexpected and work hard.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Mate you guys are absolutely trippin if you think by not kicking a big bag Fev had very little influence in these games.

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You want the flame? Give us the marbles!!