If we are loose on the weekend we might lose. Then it would be another loss.

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"our electorate seeks less to be informed and more to be validated." Sad times.

Good chance for the team to get away and change routine. Also have quite a few who will want to show something... On the other hand, it's been a long season and the efforts could be wearing a few down. We'll know in the first quarter, but my fear is the latter.
The complete sloppiness of last week reinforces that fear.
Anyway, while it is disappointing, we do have to keep an eye on the big picture.
Not sure, in terms of 'green shoots' any of us predicted how good a season we would have.

Go you good things

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“Every single element of the Club has to be the best in the league, meticulously and methodically, and only by doing this will we be elite and challenge for number 17.”
Greg Lee

I can sympathise with this. Even though there are signs that Carlton are doing things the right way this time, I don't get too carried away with "potential" these days. After all, we looked like we were on the up-and-up with Ratten's crew, then we had a bad season with injuries and the club panicked and went with the Madhouse. In the English football, my team Liverpool came close in 2008/09 and then their midfield general bailed; five years later they came even closer and their superstar striker bailed. In the American basketball, my team Utah went for the long rebuild and were getting better and better for 7 years, then when they were on the cusp of something special their best player pissed off in free agency with no compo. Between the three teams I support in this world, I've waited 22+26+28 (let's say I started supporting Utah in '89, they've never won anything) = 76 years for a league title. I no longer take for granted that gradual development will get you to the promised land. It doesn't necessarily matter - the Ratten era gave me some of my fondest memories as a Carlton supporter; we didn't win a flag but boy was it exciting watching that young, dynamic team grow - but it gets pretty bloody hard watching failure after failure, watching your team get hit by the avalanche at Camp 2 time after time. Sometimes you just bring on the gallows humour, other times you get a bit tired and say boy, I'm tired of being shit.

I wonder if they'll try Boekhorst on Zorko again?

I vowed I'd never vote for Kevin Rudd.

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#DonTheStash

It was nearly a career killer last year for him

Why not

we probably not expected to win this time ,considering our injuries and brisbane playing some good footy. This to me smells like a carlton victory .

We have two in common, but being a Lakers man, I know what a rebuild is all about. Lonzo Ball is the centre piece at the Lakers now, Lebron the next piece.

At Carlton we have the main pieces nearly lined up, (One more draft) then we go get our Lebron and George to complete the rebuild.

My god I want to win this one too. I don't want the spoon. No way. Three games clear of the bottom pace setters? For free? I'll take it.
If in the sad event we do lose, I'm not giving up hope we can win one, possibly two more before the end of the year. But this site will explode in negativity and hopelessness if we lose. I know that and you know that too.
This year is as even as we've ever seen. Again, I want to see us win it and at least hope to as well.
The other one, or two wins, fingers crossed will come against Essendon* and Hawthorn. Pretty please Blues, make this happen.

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Essendon-Only team to have ever been found guilty of salary cap breaches in a premiership year!

BRISBANE LIONS
In: D.Gardiner, M.Paparone, M.Close, J.Barrett
Out: N.Robertson (suspension)

CARLTON
In: D.Thomas, D.Armfield, B.Smedts, D.Cuningham, T.Williamson, H.Macreadie, H.McKay
Out: A.Silvagni (knee), D.Buckley (hamstring), L.Sumner, C.Byrne (groin)
New: Harry McKay (Gippsland U18)

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"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

that's a few talls in

CARLTON'S EXTENDED SQUAD:

Backs 20. Lachie Plowman 14. Liam Jones 15. Sam Docherty
Half-backs 26. Harrison Macreadie 23. Jacob Weitering 6. Kade Simpson
Centreline 46. Matthew Wright 4. Bryce Gibbs 39. Dale Thomas
Half-forwards 1. Jack Silvagni 41. Levi Casboult 13. Jed Lamb
Forwards 11. Sam Kerridge 30. Charlie Curnow 25. Zac Fisher
Followers 8. Matthew Kreuzer 5. Sam Petrevski-Seton 3. Marc Murphy (C)
Interchange from: 27. Dennis Armfield 12. Blaine Boekhorst 28. David Cuningham
32. Nick Graham 10. Harry McKay 16. Billie Smedts
31. Tom Williamson
In: Thomas, Armfield, Smedts, Cuningham, Williamson, Macreadie, McKay

Out: A.Silvagni (knee), Buckley (hamstring), Sumner (omitted), Byrne (groin)

McKay being gifted a game wouldn't worry me at all.

The problem is, Williamson and Cunningham are first 22 players and with Thomas and Macreadie already on the field.....there's no room for a gift!

I'm going to hazard a guess that Williamson won't get up.

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We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion.

yeah!

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That’s not a political statement — it’s a harsh reality, and we must act,” she said. “He is a clear and present danger to the things that keep us strong and free. I support impeachment.”

Good ins. We've missed Cuningham and Williamson. Hope we play McKay.

happy to see cunningham and williamson in.
Also hope Harry gets a gig, although expectations are low.
Feel for byrne and ASOS.
Like dennis but didn't see him blow the field away in the twos last week...

Time to give Harry a go I think. Away from the spotlight in Melbourne in a twilight Sunday Fox match might relieve a little pressure, and Brisbane aren't the strongest team defensively.

Maybe the plan is to bring Harry into the fwd Line to allow Charlie to spend more time in the midfield to cover for Cripps absence.

Good guess. Willo would be named ahead of Macreadie if they were both fit so Willo must be questionable.

This is the perfect game for Harry to debut but I'm not convinced exactly how. Fingers crossed.

Well, any doubts that KJ is GAWN are officially GAWN.

What a shame. It would be very nice to have a talented tall in his early 20s pushing for selection; putting pressure on the likes of Weitering et al to keep performing.

I accept it's over now.

On the face of it, it does make a bit of a mockery of 'form based selection' though. While he hasn't always set the world on fire, he hasn't exactly had a bad year in the VFL. Over the season there's been a few guys given games who have shown less at VFL level this year than KJ. He is obviously persona non grata for whatever reason.

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It's never as good as it looks and it's never as bad as it seems.