Last year the Swans won the flag with a midfield of a dozen or so players who all do their job
run hard both ways
tackle
play inside and outside
they won with 3 goals from their key forwards in total

You need midfield depth that goes 10 or more deep or you are [REDACTED] when it comes to competing in top 4 let alone winning flags


Geelong told Motlop last year that unless he improved his aerobic capacity and was able to be part of the midfield rotation he wasn't going to get a regular guernsey because the Cats realised that to keep pace with the top teams they had to improve their midfield depth.

Motlop has responded accordingly. The standards are high at Geelong because if they arn't they know that they will drop off the pace.


Now lets go to Eddie Betts
Betts was fantastic last year.
So the club reward him with a $600000 a year pay packet.
This despite the trends in the game I have just mentioned
This despite the fact that Betts hasn't proved himself in the midfield
And this despite the fact that he is 173cm

It is a situation that is seriously ridiculous.
Motlop would be on half that money.

This post isn't about slagging Betts
if the club offer him that money he should take it.
but he is crap in the midfield
and he has gone backwards up forward because opposition teams have worked him out.
Its about the people above him who have lower standards than others at similar positions of better run clubs who wouldn't allow this shit to happen.
That's CEO, development staff, coaches, player manager and ultimately it comes back to the board

I played golf today with a guy in Hawaii who is a CEO of a computer company in Wellington.
When we got off the discussion of the All Blacks I told him about the number of people on Carlton's board.
He looked at me and laughed when I said the number 13
That says it all
And that's why you ultimately get stupid situations like the one I have mentioned

Hopefully one day someone will run this club with some brains

Don't necessarily disagree with all your points, but Betts is not on 600k. That is his reported asking price as a free agent.

He signed a 3 year deal in 2010 for $1 million.

_________________
"They're [REDACTED]'

Sorry - where is the link to the CFC press release saying they have accepted that price??

You have managed to really top yourself today. An entire post based on total fabrication and BS about Eddie's pay packet. That 18 holes must have felt like 36 for your CEO BFF by the time you had bored him to death with your theories on all things Carlton FC.

Regards Cazzesman

_________________
Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

Well argued Cazz as a representative of the CFC.

It more and more fills me with confidence re: our recruiting department.

_________________
#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Another example is we play 20 games a year at the Princes Park so why dont we train there.

Yep, $600k is just speculation but Keogh's point is valid in that we are being held back by the inability of our small fwds to run thru the midfield rather than the occasional chop-out.
Do our boys have any less talent than Motlop? I know this gets done to death but you have to sometimes wonder what Yarran would do in the Cats system?

_________________
I just want my old club back ... (edit) maybe I have!

Maybe they wouldn't even have picked him?

_________________
#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Swans have 12 mids and they run the footy, hunt in packs and defend the entire ground.
MM has a game plan that involves defending and attacking along one side of the ground and centreing the footy at the F50.
If we had 12 mids, how would that work? he doesn't like players running with the footy because it upsets his forward setup if they have to keep moving as the ball carrier gets closer.
MM's game plan requires several mids and lots of utilities that can play different positions in the zone and contest a 50-50 situation.
When he wakes up to the fact his game plan is passe, he might recruit more mids and use space and pace a bit more.
It will be interesting to see which way he goes.
BTW, the Swans talls kicked lots of goals during the year and they went hard after the draft tamperer and got him. It isn't only about midfield rotations, not even there.

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

Great to see your still breathing Cazzeman
Its hard to swallow the truth isnt it


I only talked for half a hole about it
He wasnt bored but suprised about the number 13. He thought it was a joke

Didnt the club promise 3 flags in 5 years
Talk is cheap
Oh by the way I watched yesterdays game in a sports bar here
The boys played well and ironically there is a very good chance that the last game will decide who fills 8th spot

But the plain truth is the club has no excuses this year for an average performance and eventually there will be needed change that only a fool or overally loyal person cant see

Around half a dozen smart people on the board who have their collective minds not in the 70s and 80s

With the right tools his game plan goes ok

2010 flag
2011 runners up

Next

[quote="keogh"]Great to see your still breathing Cazzeman
Its hard to swallow the truth isnt it


I only talked for half a hole about it
[\quote]

I bet you waited for a 650 yard par 5

_________________
"I had to eat"

TAC Cup future stars revisted the 2008 draft today. Who would you pick right now if the draft was held today.
Jack Watts and Chris Yarran did not make the top 20, they were the big sliders. Collingwood the big winners with Beams at 3 and Sidebottom and 6. I just think more often than not we pick shit players.
This comment is not restricted to just drafting but trading as well, when Fev left for Brisbane Ricky Nixon had more to do with Henderson coming to our club than anyone from our club.

Betts's impact has changed because he isn't the main focal point any more.

We have two real KP's now so he needs to adjust.

Still works hard in his pressure acts.

As soon as you get to the truth about Eddie's pay packet then please let me know. Just making 'shite' up based on media reports is just plain lazy.

Regards Cazzesman

_________________
Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

Actually yesterday was the most impressed I've been with Eddie in a long while. His work through the middle and at the centre bounces was encouraging.

I hope he keeps playing that role as we are much better for it.

_________________
#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

yep, we've got the right tools

_________________
also on twitter @m_j_short

I like Betts but a couple of times, he didn't chase at all out of our forward line when he should have against Richmond.
Let others do the work for him when clearly he was the person closest and in best position to defend.
I am starting to see a little "attitude" appearing of, I don't give a "flower" from 2 of our small forwards. Not good.

..not sure i follow that.. ..it was MM at the pies that really began the trend of highly rotating, deep onball brigades.. ..they were the first with the 2nd string, and even 3rd stringers getting a run through the middle.. ..they might not all be fulltime mids, but the flankers run through the middle frequently.. ..Buckley has just changed some of the names, but the idea of HB and HFs especially running thru the middle has been happening at collingwood for yonks [heh]..

..for years, pies have rotated huge numbers thru the middle.. ..MM is all about sharing the workload.. ..what is happening this season will not be the same next year or the year after.. ..this is about education, on and off field in regards to how and who we play.. ..the correction required to fix the list is almost done..

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

..... so has the club written a cheque for $600k yet ?
Any confirmation ?