..can't speak for others [or rather, can but shouldn't], for me it's not so much the constant high injury rate this season,, but rather the way we've played.. ..even with a more experienced side with few injuries to starting players we were showing a lack of system.. ..this was exacerbated by the fact we had to start filtering in kids/rookies which further highlighted the lack of systems in our play.. ..also, the constant moving around of players.. ..the concept of player versatility has gone too far over the last season as well.. ..how uncompetitive and lacklustre we have been over many games this season is what's inexcusable.. ..losses are m ore understandable if you're competitive, given our injury list.. ..but the crappy play [even when our list was fitter] is the problem..

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

#notasbadasbravebombers

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

Definitely.

I heard Rattens press conference. This is where this came from and it shows an inconstant message. On one hand we don't blame injuries but we've had the worst run with injuries?

Lets be very clear. We were struggling well before the injuries kicked in. They are now just a convenient excuse and in all truth a poor reflection on a club that is really struggling in ALL areas.

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Our season fell apart in Round 4 and we really never recovered from then on.
For a very long time we have had question marks over our ability to deal with teams who decide to make us play inside football.
We are as a good as anyone when we play footy on our own terms, we fail to cope with teams who force us to play a different way.
Nothing has really changed, the injuries have just mean't that we will finish outside the 8 rather than making up numbers in the 8.

Can't we just finally take some small amount of pleasure in the fact our torrid injury list is finally being acknowledged rather than turning this into yet another thread ranting about our overall on and off-field performance?

Really?

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Well summed up!

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

It's taken until the end of July for the media to realise that we do have a bit of an injury problem. I'm pleased as I thought it would never happen.

There's probably a good chance that many players have been playing with injuries right from day 1.

Jammo, Judd, Waite, Hendo, Kreuzer, Robbo etc etc. So although they haven't missed the games initially, they've probably played while being under a cloud then broken down due to the injury.

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end of message

..then we're carrying too many underdone players.. ..and most likely have on and off all season..

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

I am not sure why we should be happy or proud that the media is acknowledging the injury toll.
The injuries we have copped this year have been crippling and have been responsible for our slide from expected top 4 to "mathematical" finals chance.
But injuries are not responsible for what we have witnessed on field with effort, strategy, execution and resistance.
I could cop the win-loss record but I won't cop being smashed by the Roos, Power, Saints and Crows the way we were.
I won't cop the midfield domination by every team that we encounter.
Especially I won't cop that a weakness exposed in Rd 4 is just as prevalent today.

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T E A M

CARLTON Round 4 Walker was out and Carrazzo injured in game (otherwise full strength?) - Loss to Bombers

CARLTON R7 (our loss to the Saints)
Kreuzer Previous week injured knee not to play against GWS - Subsequently played (Fake injury or played while sore?)
Chris Judd (soreness) available - Rested for GWS game

INJURED:
Jarrad Waite (hip) available - Soft tissue/Back - Mystery for medical staff - still not right.
Curnow available
Chris Yarran (toe) test (contact (with turf) initiated - but tendon soft tissue? Poorly managed in subsequent weeks - Didn't start to hit form until Rd 16
Mitch Carter (back) 1 week (not 1st Team)
Rhys O’Keefe (heel) 1 week (not 1st Team)
Blake Bray (shoulder) 2-3 weeks (not 1st Team)
Luke Mitchell (shoulder) 2-3 weeks (not 1st Team)
Jeremy Laidler (knee) 5-7 weeks (Still not back now - 10 weeks)
Levi Casboult (knee) 6 weeks (not 1st Team)
Simon White (knee) 6 weeks (not 1st Team)
Andrew Carrazzo (fractured shoulder blade) 6 weeks - Contact injury - Fair enough
Marcus Davies (shoulder) 8 weeks (not 1st Team)
Sam Rowe (testicular cancer) indefinite (not 1st Team)

Ok please point towards the massive injury list of our first team players for these two losses (losing Carrazzo was tough as it happened in game ).

Edit, premature submission ( simultaneously on HUN as well re: Judd captaincy D'oh!)!

I am confident that Carrrazzo and Murphy were handled well, Robbo's hand seems also to have been managed well.

Is anyone confident in our injury management of soft tissue injuries? Does anyone one think the injury management of Yarran, Waite, Kreuzer, Henderson and now rumours about Casboult was anything like optimal?

X2

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Naut's reference was more to the fact that the AFL media don't ever give us any concessions at all. Judd could be assasinated on field and it'd take the back seat to Rioli breaking a nail.

It is not so much the injury toll but who was injured and the clubs inability to fins suitable replacements

Waite going down has hurt the most as there has been no one either available or good enough to fill the void left by him - could be bad planning but not have Casboult , Mitchell or Rowe up and about and ready for football hurt - couple that with Walker having injury problems and having to play more up field

Carrazzo was another - no one was able to do his role - Ellard and co simply not good enough

Laidler - once again we have tried to play several in his role but no one has been able to do that as good as him it has also robbed us of better using Gibbs

Murphy - him going down just puts more pressure on Judd so you lose two guns


Lack of a forward target
Lack of midfield depth
a List full of flankers and none good enough to fill Laidlers role

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

We were pretty good up to round 4. Lost Carrazzo, Laidler (though he hobbled on) and Yaz (limping from the first quarter).
Then we regrouped and chinned Freo over there.
Lost waite. Murphy not far behind.
They are all pretty good players.
Jamo, Kruezer and Henda all in and out of fitness. Judd struggled for a bit.

For me the worse was having our second tear talls all down with injury too.

No doubt our team is a lot better than we are showing lately when we have close to full strength available.

The club are right to review the injury situation. Mainly collision tells me we are too small. All the sore backs tell me we have missed something in our conditioning.

Don't know that pleasure is what she really meant... perhaps some solace?

It has been a shocking season for injuries to those we could least afford to lose. Yes there are other problems, but I don't think its unreasonable to acknowledge that injury has played a part in the overall failure of the year

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Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

I think the injuries are the difference between us missing the 8 and being a finals team.

But our full list, playing with the current structures and gameplan was never going to finish top 4 or challenge for a flag. That much has been clear since Essendon*, St Kilda and Port dismantled our gameplan and force fed it back to us. The lack of any legitimate plan B, constant revolving door of changing players forward and back and the resulting lack of forward structure has condemned us more than injuries, imo.

The review into injuries should reveal we are small bodied and weaker compared to the top 4 or 5 teams in the comp. You can't bring pea shooters to a gun fight, which is essentially what we are doing when we play a top 5 team.

Yeah that's what I was trying to say. Wrong choice of word.

Even back in Round 4 I remember reading an article post game that said Carlton couldn't place any blame on the fact Carrazzo, Laidler and Yarran were all injured in the first quarter (All players who went on to miss multiple games) yet Michael Hurley being subbed out after half time was a factor for Essendon*...

It gets tiresome as a supporter seeing the sheer inconsistency of how the media report on teams. I know the are not the sole reason for our performance this year but they are a factor and it amazes me that we have constantly seen the Bombers "injury crisis" mentioned yet comparatively little on our own situation.

Also, the injuries to Murphy, Carrazzo and Simpson were all out of our control. Both Murphy and Carrazzo seemed to recover quicker than expected, let's hope Simmo does too.