We came on the bottom of the ladder last year. We were the worst team. 2/3rds of these players probably won't be on our list by the time we are good again in 3-4 years.

I'm not sure what the fuss is about - I thought it was a pretty good effort by the blues and the game was an accurate reflection on the two clubs positions

I think a few people got a bit ahead of ourselves after nearly beating Richmond. It's Richmond - no matter how crap we are, we always do better than our true form suggests.

We came dead last last year. We would've lost that game by 100+ sat year. I know it's not an excuse or good enough, but it should be expected that a team like Sydney would have their way with us especially if our senior players have pathetic games.

I agree.
What are we all expecting right now?
The great Hawthorn dynasty started with a year or two of absolute crap. And they also made TERRIBLE draft selections (the two 'Beaus', Mitch Thorp come to mind) and very average trades. Remember how bad they were when Dermie finally draw the line in the sand?? Remember Clarkson keeping Dawson on Rocca?
We are two games in to a MASSIVE rebuild.

Stop all the bitching and whinging. This is going to take a while although I suspect it will be faster than many people believe.
We still probably have to turn over half the list before we get back to top eight/competitive. Therefore, many of the players we are currently moaning about will not be there.

In the meantime, we are sorting out who has what it takes to play and contribute physically, mentally and strategically.
Some of these guys are being tested in the seniors; some are being asked to develop further in the VFL.
I suspect Bolton has told a few of them that they'll get a few games in a row to show something rather than chop and change.

Seriously, some people complain when too many changes are made and also complain when not enough are made.

At the moment, I am looking for three things:
1) Some semblance of a game plan - I have seen this, although of course want to see more of it and for longer periods
2) Some good signs from the young guys - Weitering, Charlie, Cripps, Boekhorst all showing something (Cripps is only in his third year FFS, JW his 2nd game)
3) The more experienced guys showing some passion and intensity - mixed bag. Thought Murphy was excellent in Round one but not as effective yesterday although was still engaged. Gibbs floats in and out. Kruez tries hard all day. Thomas was good on this front. E Curnow as well.
4) The rest - just trying to sort through who are the fillers and who are the stayers - pictures and impressions are being formed but VVV early days.

GWS and GC have not yet made the 8 5/6 years down the track and they are basically made up entirely of first round drafts and classy experienced trades. Chill.

PS. The 4th thing is the extra bit... I am still mostly interested in the first 3points for now

Not a bad first quarter boys but as soon as Sydney started to hit its straps you faltered - badly.
Too many lazy players in the team and the leadership does not appear to be facing up to the reality that they have some personal responsibility. Tell me which one of them really stood up last night? Answer - NOT BLOODY ONE!
Sam Rowe has got to be the dumbest laziest player in the AFL. Why we had to persist with him after such a poor effort last season was bad enough but to give him a game cos Walker was out was an absolute waste. We would have been better giving a "no name" a run. The damaged couldn't have been any worse.

Like others, I ma getting tired of the excuses for such poor form. The Swannies (whilst not at their peak) gave the hapless Blues a football lesson last night and they should have learned heaps from it. The best way to score is to get the ball to the scoring end as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Try to do a bit more team building Blue Baggers and try to build some confidence in your ability rather than this apparent fear of having a go at getting the ball forward

You don't think the Swans are at their peak?

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I hope Essendon* folds.

Too many turnovers in vulnerable positions which is a massive problem and smashed in the contest which is I believe one of our strengths.

Not going to get close when both of those happen.

Sydney are a top 4 side, yet effort was there against them. Disappointing yet hardly a surprise.

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

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

We got Maxibonned as expected.

At least we all agree where we suck. We know what we need to fix.

I agree that we need to give Plowman and Sumner a chance to prove that trade worthwhile. Phillips hasn't played that much senior footy and at least has the physical attributes required to improve. The Kreuzer tale is a sad one, he does give everything.

We were never going to win, Gibbs almost looked like he was playing to avoid injury. Frustrating to watch.

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We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion.

Edited for accuracy.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

I've always seen Phillips and Lamb as the weaker components of that trade, and if we had our pick of their ruck depth I wanted Lobb, but accepted that on the aggregate, the 4 were worth pick 28 and us getting pick 8 at the draft for a future draft pick that was likely to be slightly less in value the following year.

A fit Sumner and Plowman are worth a lot more than 28.

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29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

i don't subscribe to this whole shit opinion, we were a crap team last year, therefore we should expect to be crap again this year.

watching the swift and sharp rise of the bulldogs and port before them. bottom 4 teams with apparently no list depth and void of positional players but they come in with a new coach and new philosophy and they win off the bat and now they're looking like top 4 material in a few seasons.

i'm bound by frustration, not blue.

I can imagine the responses in this match thread. It may be ugly.
I thought our endeavour was good, but our senior players didn't really stand up.

I live and coach amongst a sea of Swans supporters. They all felt for me and my Carlton.
Normally I would shit stir them etc but I along with the footy world knew Swans would win this well.

I knew the Swans were the toughest mids in the game.
I knew we would be smashed in the midfield.
I knew they would hit the packs and Cripps hard.
I knew whoever won the midfield battle would win the game.
Their smallest Parker and Mitchell showed so much fight, vigour and never say die attitude that the bigger bodied mids on the outside a lot of the time, Hannaberry Jack and Kennedy were going to hurt anyone chasing their smaller team mates.

The ONE thing that really got me was our inability...well Kreuzer's inability to compete and be "comfortable" making his opponent "uncomfortable" and was dominated by Sinclair and as a result we were against the flow of the ball from the get go. Swans mids had an arm chair service, so we did well to be within 10 goals.

IMO Kreuzer peaked in NAB 1. If he can get close to that again this season it will help, but I think we need rucks who can add value around the ground by marking, competing and hitting the scoreboard and the opposition, so they "hurt".

That's the engine room and that's where I think our issues start. Kreuzer got beaten by Sinclair, and when we were in an arm wrestle it was Sinclair who stood up ...exposing Kreuzer.

Sure we have "reset", but it is a rebuild.

We need to find/ develop a bonafide ruckman to lead a midfield who need bigger bodies to compete against the bigger bodied midfields or show some frenzied attack on the ball and man like the Doggies do. The commitment should come from between each and every players ears.

In fact one bloke I coach with flew to Melbourne after our morning game to mentor a Carlton player then fly back after the game.
This was not because he needed that extra 5% help between the ears to get us over the line, but because we are young, developing and facing a juggernaut.

It is a rebuild and we have to be mindful of that. Great to see its the kids Curnow, Weitering and Cripps showing good signs, coz the seniors are in fact oldies and slowing down.

Endeavour was good. Would have been a 100 point thrashing last year, so while 60 points is a smashing, we hit 4 posters and continued to fight out the game.

I just feel sorry for my kids who cant bare to watch the 2nd half of Carlton games knowing the result.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

When are posters going to stop equating straight line runs from HB to HF to take a shot from 50 as midfield play in modern football.

Tuohy is an exceptional attacking HBF, yesterday had Simpson playing back pocket on Papley and he was exposed. He's the first bloke to get back into midfield.

FWIW I don't think Tuohy has the right kind of acceleration to be useful around stoppages.

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29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

i think tuohy's tank is what prevents him from having a run in the middle.

Yep. A whole lost generation in fact. It's hurting us.

Can't think of any imports who have played midfield well apart from Hanley, even he isn't consistent.

There are a lot tricks you learn playing the game all your life.

Zach isn't a midfielder.

The holes in our list will be ominously exposed when we play these expertly structured and highly cultural sides who know success and how to achieve it.
We have no foundation of success to build on and are starting from scratch.
Taking a player from a position he is pretty handy in, only to watch him flounder as a stop gap, is counter-productive and will only put our development as a side further behind.

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We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion.

Jack, Hannebery, Kennedy and Parker is a fair base to build around. These boys smashed us and taught us many lessons in effort, attack on the ball, tackling and pressure, and disposal efficiency.

Sydney is the best team I've seen so far this year by the way.

My first game for the year, took the whole family.

Good to see Charlie kick his first goal and my 6 year old Charlie kick his first on the ground after the game. Alas he was saying go swans late in the game in spite of wearing his Carlton jumper. This I fear is what is happening with many other Carlton kids. However, I will persist.

We were all puzzled a season or so ago why Tom Mitchell couldn't get a game in Sydney's side and many were touting inside information that he was a lock to come to us.


Sydney's message to Tom and the media was consistent during that period.


Tom Mitchell 34 possessions.


Brenden Bolton's press conference, "well oiled machine", "it's where we aspire to be".

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

The Bulldogs rolled along the bottom for the McCarthy years. They were putrid.

This is season 1 of a rebuld Braithy.

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I hope Essendon* folds.