He is well known to have developed favourites in the past. Players that on first look arent the most obviously selected. Usually they become much greater players under mick, some are always giving some debate within the supporter group as to why they are always picked.
Ok its round 9. Injuries and limited rounds played means that this list is still a work in progress. But i believe that there is enough to give us an idea.
I would like to point out that this is NOT meant to point out the obvious players, the ones that any coach would select due to sheer tallent. It is meant to give an idea of the players currently being moulded into regular afl players by mick, by the following

Instilling Belief and confidence
Persistence with a player
Change of or identifying a role.

For discussion purposes i am going to eliminate from nomination the following players, who most would believe at the start of the season were already walk up starts . 13 players. Our core playing group.
Walker
Murphy
Gibbs
Judd
Simpson
Kreuzer
Yarran
Betts
Henderson
Scotland
Waite
Jamieson
Carazzo

Group A : players that mick has tried, and they have shown already that they are the type that mick likes and wants. He has persisted with them and they seem to be locks for team selection at the moment. 9 players

Lucas
Robinson
Mclean
Armfield
Garlett
Tuohy
White
Curnow
Cachia. His role on moloney v brisbane. Mick kept him on brent despite 2 quarter

Group b :players that are being sifted and sorted through trial and error. Significant number to be promoted to group a by years end.some may already be there eg warnock hampson bell.

Warnock
Rowe
Hampson
Bootsma
Casboult
Joseph
Ellard
Bell

Group c : players that are clearly out of favour.

Watson
Laidler redefining his role as a forward?
Mccarthy
Mitchel ?
Duigan speed an issue?


Group d :players who are untried due to fitness or fragility or rookie list . suspect menzel and mcinnes will eventually move to group a .
Menzel
Buckley
Temay
Mcinnes
Davies
Graham
Collins
Okeefe
Dale

I would like to think that by years end that the number of players in group a will
have expanded significantly. I think the malthouse philosophy is; try them this year, give them a chance, and then either delist or trade for need. This is in contrast to ratten who kept 4 rucks for too long for example.

Mick will be particularly keen to have decided by years end on:
1. our rucks .
2. our key forwards

Currently there are 22 players in the combined core+group a.
Another 3-4 from group b by years end
Another 1-2 from group c
Another 2-3 from group d
So by years end we will have a good idea about micks team. 28-30 players who either pick themselves or have become entrenched favorites of mick.
The other 14 have to reveal themselves as either worthy of a second chance or Will be moved on.

I open the discussion to all about the validity of the groups and the names within......

Laidler as tried but out of sorts (maybe getting close again, emergency). Talk of Watson pre-season as a back line weapon with his boot but seemed to lose everything gained with his performance in the NAB Cup vs GWS. Mitchell still has to get games into him, VFL level is enough for the moment.
Hopefully not out of favour but more to go back in the 2nds and work on deficiencies & improve strengths.
Think all players will get a guernsey this year (not necessarily Temay, McInnes, Graham & how they go from return from injury, and O'Keefe and maybe Collins) to be assessed under AFL pressure.

Every coach has its favourites. Really showing faith in Lucas, Warnock and Cachia.

Re Lucas pretty easy to show faith in a goal kicking , quick young kid

Shame ratten couldn't see what most others can

Yes, Ratten and Synbad have a lot in common.

Is the team really that different though? Even MM has tried the 3-ruck team; we're still struggling up forward with or without Waite. The main difference probably is a settled and more seasoned defence with Simpson and Gibbs sharing a lot of work down there...

Seriously for Lucas though given the past 2 years he needed to be given a stretch of games to see if he was worth it, and he's coming through well. Did we ever really have the chance to do that in 2012?

_________________
Formerly: Ackland the Wonderkid / Army the Wonderkid / quivering mess / molsey / Tony Lynn Fan Club

Team is totally different

Warnock first ruck
Walker moved back
Yarran moved forward
Light bodied players replaced by bigger bodies in the midfield
Less midfield time for Murphy and Simpson and more for bell Dacia mclean

_________________
"I had to eat"

Yes, the team is very different from last year.
The fact half of our players are available and not on the injury list might have something to do with it.

But lets not miss the opportunity to pretend Warnock as a ruckman is a brilliant tactical manouevre.

Lets be serious. The boys are playing some reasonable footy and hopefully they'll all continue to develop. It has very little to do with being the "coaches favourite"
If a player is motivated or improves his output because the coach likes him, he probably doesnt have the mental application required anyway.

_________________
Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

I get the injury list in 2012 bit but still don't think the playing personnel are that different.

Players in for last night's game v. our last 2012 fixture against the Lions:

2012
- Watson, zero games in 2013
- Yarran, injured for last night
- Betts, suspended for last night
- Casboult, in the 2's
- McInnes, injured for last night
- O'Keeffe

2013 - In
- Warnock
- Judd, mainstay in both season
- Lucas
- Cachia
- Bootsma
- Jamison

So yes in 2013 we benefit from Warnock and Jamison being fit, Judd not being suspended, and there are a few others in, but I wouldn't say it's that dramatic from any other week to week proposition. The list is pretty similar year on year and the playing list in the firsts is pretty similar.

_________________
Formerly: Ackland the Wonderkid / Army the Wonderkid / quivering mess / molsey / Tony Lynn Fan Club

Come on Bigredisback. Blaming Ratten for Lucas poor start to his career is a bit of stretch.

Ratts loved him at first and gave him every chance. Then he got injured and injured again before getting injured. Then he had to learn how to run again with a different gait. One that would not get him injured. Then he had to re learn how to kick a drop punt. If you had watched Lucas in the twos last year you would not be saying what you said in that post.

Good on him for getting it right and clinging to his spot in the team. He has some good aspects to his game along with some aspects that really need improving.

As an exercise why don't you go through his career to date week by week and write a little report for yourself.
Tell us your findings.

Can't really argue much at all with your assessment.

Nice thread.

What is this positivity bullshit? Get with the program.

_________________
dane's trolling again

In terms of personal favourites I think that Jeffy Garlett is Mick's Daisy Thomas at Carlton. I know that Jeffy is the one that has kick to kick with him in the rooms before the match and I also recall in one of the 'No Limits' videos Mick at training telling Eddie how he thought Jeff lacked abit of confidence and had to back himself more.

Smart move by Mick to point Jeff out in particular as a favourite considering the well known personal issues he had to deal with last year. Say what you like about Mick but he is a father figure to these boys, something Ratten could never emulate.

_________________
Carlton. Yes, Carlton are into the grand final!!!
- Drew Morphett, after 1999 prelim final

Yes it is very much a garlett type player that i ad in mind for group a. He has really thrived under mick with the belief in himself that mick as instilled.

http://www.blueseum.org/tiki-index.php? ... %2C%202012

Only 3 weeks earlier we took on the Bulldogs and won, yet only 9 Blues from that game played against the Lions this week.

From the Blueseum

_________________
Check out www.blueseum.org for all of your Carlton information needs.

Ah remember that night with the 3 debutants and Collo playing his best ever game for the Blues

And I believe Bower and Russell's fateful last games.

He was in the votes!

From the Blueseum

_________________
Check out www.blueseum.org for all of your Carlton information needs.