Bloody Port.
We are no doubt improving but it also seems that our best is not quite good enough.
Other teams are going past us.
We have to play 100mins of perfect, strong, focused footy just to remain in the game.
Other teams can have 1 quarter of inspiration or less and beat us.

If in doubt, ask yourself whether you are 100% confident that we'll beat Gold Coast or the Kangaroos... Or even Port Adelaide in final round? We should be.

I've been a big fan of our list but it is becoming clear that it is not quite good enough.
Not sure where to back the youngns and where to move on but change is afoot.

We could well beat Collingwood this week but still need some major work if we want to be top 4/premiership contender with this crop of top draft picks.

We are just lazy footballers. Won't improve until that is sorted out. We need midfielders who run both ways. Too many similar types in McLean, Cachia and Curnow. Too slow... Don't get me started on how stupid Lucas looked at times on Friday. He wasn't the only one either.

+1

No chance of a premiership with this group. What we need to do is change our recruiting personnel......which has been a failure. Hughes been in since the start of 2004 right? Unbelievable we have made no change there.......Then we need to focus on a development program to rival the elite clubs. However I'm with a few here in thinking not much will change until the position at the top changes.

Personally i think we will beat collingwood if Gibbs plays in the backline and we lost the third tall type we play there.

I admit Gibbs is playing better as a midfielder than i thought he could and longterm it could be better for the club to play him there continually but if we want to win against collingwood moving him to the backline is what i would do.

We have only won one game with him in the midfield this season and that was against GWS. We looked our best in games against Westcoast Adelaide (first half before Gibbs got subbed out) and Brisbane and our second half against the cats looked ok. He played back in all them games. I think this is because he stops goals and sets more up for us from the backline.

He would need to be replaced onball which at this stage is hard unless Murphy comes back and/or Bell and Carrazzo come in.

Touhy Jamo Simpson
Walker Henda Gibbs

This backline still does is for me. Gives us extra run and rotations onball so we can keep doing what we do well for longer.

At the minute i would play Yaz as a small forward and drop one of Betts or Garlett.

Lucas sub.

I think the MCG under lights this week will bring out our best and re ignite our season.

..not enough class thru the middle to spare Gibbs, fwd or back in my opinion.. ..If Muprh comes back, he's rushed and won't be up to grade.. ..Carrots likewise has missed over 2 months of senior footy, and will be rusty first game up.. ..i think Murphy needs another week rest, and Carrots another game in the ressies.. ..i think for the most part, as a sport, we rush our players back more often than not..

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

Going to be another wet and rainy ride on Friday night.

Though surely it'll be a better ground than the horrid SCG turf. How an AFL sanctioned ground is allowed to contain ankle deep puddles is beyond comprehension.

I was in Sydney on the weekend for the game, the amount of rain pre, during and post the game was incredible. Clearly they've stopped building the new stand and turned their attention to an Arc.....

Seriously, it took 1 1/2 years to build half of the G..it's taken them more than a year to put 3 bays of seats behind the goals.

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"I will rejoice in their anguish, delight in their failure and revel in our success"

We are Carlton, @#$%&! the rest !!!!!!

In: Murph, Carrots, Laidler
OUT: White, Bootsma, Lucas

Bit more confident against the Pies, as they haven't been playing well and we match up well against them. Belted them twice last year, and should ve beaten them early this year too, but Boots got found out by Elliott (who has done nothing since) and we were still getting used to the MM game plan. Reckon we re a big chance.

A win here and it could give us the confidence to really kickstart a bit of a storming run home.

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James Hird and Essendon* FC - #FOREVERDRUGCHEATS

Think it will be White and Cachia making way for Carrots and Murphy. Should be White and Robinson.

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BLUES 2010: PAV AND JUDD = FLAGS. DOING IT FOR THE LOVE OF DICK PRATT.

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR TALKINGCARLTON SUPERCOACH 2009 YET?

I thought Bootsma was quite okay against Sydney. Not sure he deserves to go but your point on Elliott is a good one.

Lucas does deserve to go. Curnow or Cachia for Carrazzo. White for Laidler I'd love to see.

Eddie Betts has been mostly poor other than the Hawks game. Time for him to step up.

I don't think Murf will play.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

Lucas will play.
And he'll be here next year playing again.
If MM agreed with the majority of Synbad followers here he's be in the twos with Laidler and Duigan.

Lucas has far moe upside than downside and despite the growing band of Lucas-bashers here can actually pay football OK. He has his faults but so do they all.

Judd is a crap kick for goal and can't kick over a jam tin any more. He never tackles anybody and only runs hard one way. But he knows how to get the footy and many others in the team don't.
Modern footy has many faces but the old adage of not being able to win games if you can't find the football is as true as ever.

Lucas can find it. He wins his share of one on ones and his kicking efficiency is better than (guessing) Robbo.

Contrary to what many people think, MM does not come here for advice as to whom he should drop.

Lucas is the new Houilihan/Wiggo (before he became a cult hero)/Russell. Every team has a whipping boy.

It'd be nice if he got more support from the 'supporters'.

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

Nor do I

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"I had to eat"

MM was pretty dismissive of his chances of playing at the post game presser last Friday.

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James Hird and Essendon* FC - #FOREVERDRUGCHEATS

What you are really saying is even with 20 hbfer types on the list and not enough mids.. were struggling at hbf.. and Gibbs should keep playing there??

Yeah i agree....!!!.. but only because we [REDACTED] up recruitment and list management...and Gibbs can play BOTH even though he is a midfielder!!!!
We are just so dumb arent we???

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

What's wrong with this back-line?

Simpson Jamison McInnes (I'm confident he'll be in this week)
Tuohy Henderson Walker.

Forget the HB flankers you keep talking about.
Many of these won't be there next year. i.e. Davies, Duigan, O'Keeffe and probably Laidler..............quite possibly Scotland and even White can't be 100% safe yet.

..i think White is safe.. ..he's a solid type, plays with gusto and still inexperienced.. ..plenty to go ahead of him, and you need some depth retained..

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

I think that's a fair assesment.

The fact he's in and out of the side probably puts him in the top 30 players comfortably.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

Totally agree. Lucas gets very bad press here.

Personally I'd be questioning Garlett's place at the moment. Last year he seemed to be undroppable for a very long period of time, during which he didn't contribute much. If he's going into this sort of funk again I'd rather see him rested sooner than later.

Based on Saturdays performance Graham, Bell or Duigan are worthy of selection IMO.