It's been different to last year. Last year I had this strange sense of calm because I thought we would have lost to Collingwood if we'd got through, so it was almost relief. Plus last year the overall campaign had been good, with 2 ripping wins at the MCG.

This year the disappointment & emptiness has been a real slow burn since the final siren. It's really crept up on me how shit this feels, & I hope the players feel the same. As I said to my kid before the game, I just didn't want it to be over yet, I wanted to be still in it, still in the news, still maybe planning a Sydney trip, still giving our returning players another week to tune up.

I can't help feeling incredibly bitter at Brisbane aswell. I've never hated that club - I've barracked for them in plenty of Grand Finals over the journey, & I like their coach & would be happy for him if he had success. But right now in my mind, Raynor, Neale & Loehman are just public enemy number 1 & I hope they choke on their own spew against GWS.

Been reading social media sparingly but scrolling past anything that might make me say something I'll regret, especially among friends .

I'm off SEN & the shows for the next little while, always good catching up on TV series & movies in the offseason, but I know I'll be back in a few days to follow the finals & barrack against the villain teams & then eventually attend the GF.

It's the weirdest psychology, this business of being so heavily invested in the fortunes of a group of blokes, most of whom we've never even spoken to before. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Non sports fans just don't understand.

For me it feels like the season's absolutely flown by, which is weird because it's been the longest ever or something. But seriously that opening game against Bris, then the close win over the Tiges just feel like a couple of months ago. I think I'll look back on season 2024 as just one big WTF just happened then moment.

On a personal note this season's been intertwined with just yet another part of the journey of being a dad. Had to park my own emotions after a loss or two & make it more about easing my young one's disappointment. He's needed me, but then, if I'm honest, other times like yesterday morning, I've been inspired by him & his ability to just get on with things & point out that at least we made it respectable. When I started following in 83-84-85, we lost 3 elim finals in a row, & I came out the other side OK. So I'm sure my lad will be right, even though I feel tremendously guilty & abusive at times for some of the shit I've put him through, making him wear our colours .

Thanks for another good season everybody.

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#DonTheStash

I wouldn't worry about the young 'uns. If you don't know what you're missing, it doesn't hurt as much. Do St Kilda fans wallow in misery? No, they just go around acting like total bellends, as god intended.

One of mine is actually a St Kilda fan. And you're spot on

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#DonTheStash

:lol: So true.

Onya Cee Kay….

well said brother…!

my emotions are very 2021-2022…last year
was fantastic really…so the summer felt
Ok…this season…?

YUK…!

that’s all…yuk…!

just yuk…!


kindest regards tommi





the whole club should be embarrassed by the
season they’ve produced…!

very embarrassed…!

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that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

For me the slow burn started much earlier.
I initially put down the GWS loss to an 'off day' however when we lost to an understrength Dogs the following week I started to fear the worst. The subsequent losses against Port, Collingwood (minus DeGoey and Mihocek) and Hawthorn just confirmed that we weren't good enough.
Prior to the Lions match I wasn't even nervous and now that the season is done I feel a sense of closure.
On a positive note I am hopeful that if we can get Charlie, TDK, Walsh and Cerra fit and firing, some more smart recruiting plus some natural improvement from the likes of Moir, Binns, Lord, Hollands x 2 and maybe some others we will back in the mix again next year. Remember that every team has their weaknesses, for example the Swans are premiership favourites and have Amartey and McLean in their side.

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In the Truth there is no news, and in the News there is no truth.

The Swans have actually been pretty ordinary since the beginning of July, and the only thing that's dragged them through is superior fitness. Therefore stealing their fitness guy is my main source of copium for the summer.

I just got a text from a mate who is a Doggies supporter.

He wrote.....

"@#$% those Carlton supporters on SEN are feral"

He should read the angst on here.

I've already moved on to the Baltimore Ravens and the freak that is QB Lamar Jackson.

Regards Cazzesman

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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.”

I think it's pretty clear a number of people on this board do not have robust coping mechanisms.

There are 3 year-olds with better.

Regards Cazzesman

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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.”

Thanks for sharing CK.

Your kids will be OK; you're a calming influence.
You've chosen to be considered with your emotions for the kids sake.
Good idea. One of my kids has become me at the footy: loud as hell. I love letting it all out at the footy.
The other kid just can't trust Carlton, and his love for the game is waning because of the rule changes, and the AFL Commission in general.

I'm coping OK.

I'm just a supporter and paid up Member. I'm rusted on and have lived the good days and the bad days.

It has been an awful year for me having to tune in to media outlets (social and Main stream) listening to Carlton supporters eat their own. Feral, personal attacks and vicious.

The 2 rucks debate turned out exactly as I thought. How could anyone think it was never going to happen, when it does, and will, and did so several times at carlton and other teams.
Then on the weekend there was TDK rightly or wrongly named as sub (imo wrongly). As I proved a ruck as a sub had happened a few times in the past, and will happen again.
But FFS I don't want to blamed for the selection of 2 rucks, or subbing a ruck. The MC made that decision. It was bound to happen. That's all I was saying. It isn't a furphy.

Expect the unexpected and don't be surprised by anything. There's a reason for everything.

Right now, I'm evaluating the coach, the assistants and some of the players taking up list spots. But reality is, I don't have the information the coach and MC have and had at their disposal. I found it incredible today to hear Nathan Buckley suggest the players were not overloaded by Russell, but underloaded. Go figure. We are all guessing. We are all hurting. Its just a game and we don't have the pieces to play.

I always look forward to watching Carlton live. This year I really believed. This year I went into every game believing we could win, for good reason. Hence my 50-50 position on the Elimination Final.

Now I have to wait for Carlton to play in 6 months time. Thank god summer arrived early.

Our window is still open, and will continue to be for many years. We are in a better position now than we were 5, 10 and 20 years ago. I'm hoping for a miracle in this years Trade and Draft.

Love youse all at TC, and feel your pain. Remember we are all in this together win or lose: we are rusted on and bleed Navy Blue.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

I think the club needs to petition the AFL for the hardest possible draw in the first half of the season next year.

We are the absolute masters of getting ahead of ourselves over the last 20 years.

Voss doubled down on that when he dropped Hewett and rushed back Cottrell and talked about playing around with things to work out who we are as a team.

Hopefully we’ll be 4-7 at the halfway point with nothing to lose…

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“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
Turkish Proverb

I'm fine, but then I felt we were gone when I read that team on Thursday so no biggie for me saturday - I had told me brother the game would be over at quarter time and it was.

Enjoying more moments now under Voss than pre Voss. Sometimes we really look like we could go all the way. I just think we need more belief in the kids and a better way of managing them so we can use them when we need not when we have to.

In a dark recess of my brain I linked our shittiness over the past 20 odd years with me starting work at trinity. I ended in December so in this corner we went all the way. Well that beautitful recess has slipped into the ether.

I take the joys and relegate the lows to so what.

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

We already had the hardest first 15 match fixture in the league, maybe not based on previous year's performances but on 2024 form it sure was. And we killed it. So for next year we need an easy start for @#$%&! around and finding out, then a horror run in the 2nd half to focus minds.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t need coping mechanisms every bloody year?

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We are on our way back...

Ah but that’s the thing!

We knew it was hard and we did well and then thought we were premiers.

It needs to be harder still!

Maybe playing two teams at once or playing with legs strapped together like in a three legged race.

We need to have nothing to lose by round 15 like in 2023.

Makes sense to me anyway…

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“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
Turkish Proverb

Nice one bondi

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#DonTheStash

Most supporters take a performance like that to heart
I don’t as much as others I think
Two things
The decision by the MC to play and not play certain players smacks of individuals over the club
That’s concerning. It needs to be addressed. Selection integrity is vital for moral. Given the club’s recent history it won’t be addressed. I hope I’m wrong.
2 There are 17 other teams. Some go backwards. Some improve. The cards fell our way last year to make a Preliminary Final but I don’t expect success to be linear. Nobody should. The club have well and truly [REDACTED] up in certain areas that are obvious to all. They need addressing quickly something we have luxury of having with an earlier finish.
If it makes you feel any better CK Brisbane arnt as good as last year
GWS should win this week particularly if Bedford comes in
Certain teams have gone past Brisbane in my opinion

Can't wait to watch the two games this coming weekend and the ones that follow. Going to be a great end to the season.
I am not offended by any of the remaining teams... maybe Geelong...filthy hillbilly scum.

Yep said the same in the post match thread. They weren't that insanely good, we were just diabolical.

Anyway. I had lunch with The Tyrant today. Some of you may remember him.

He supports us having a go at Stringer, so that little curve ball helped me get over myself pretty quickly



Sent from my moto g54 5G using Tapatalk

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#DonTheStash