Hopefully this is not the case...If Ratts does not perform his position must be reviewed just like all other positions should be....but I get your drift...i.e. fat chance of it happening....

People made fun of Clarkson's gameplan in his first two seasons. When it came to fruition and the players were comfortable executing it...he was a genius and had revolutionised football

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Yep would take a complete disaster like multiple 100pt thrashings. Pratt, Sticks and Swann would have drawn up a 5 year plan and I am positive it will be seen through.

But without Fev are we back to square one with the game plan? We shouldn't be as the players are fitter, older, more experienced, and should be able to pick up new plays more quickly. That's if there are any. Let's hope so. No one is arguing that Ratts was a gun player but will he turn out a gun coach.

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"Get ready, Teddy - you're on": Ron Barassi half time 1970 Grand Final

New plays? I'll settle for less predictability. Playing against teams with good defences - you knew that they were going to sit someone in front of Fevola, force a hurried entry into the forward line and flood back quickly to fill in the holes, then when turnover occurs - move out of their zones in multiple numbers to move the ball down quickly into their own forward line. Collingwood and St.Kilda games probably the better example from last year.

We need to have every player on the same page. Some didn't execute their roles well last year. Either that's lack of repetitive drilling by the coaching staff at training, poor understanding/delivery by both coach and/or player when doing video review or simply lack of footy smarts or discipline by the player.

It's not enough to play 'keepings off' at training. Players need to know where to move, what their role is and how to think and act quickly. If they're slow on the uptake - then it's repeat, repeat, repeat until they get it right. It's little wonder Bret Thornton throws his head back and fires off filthy looks at teammates. He gets it. I reckon most of the back 6 get it...a little over half of the midfielders get it (although some in numbers under 11 are slow to react...and we don't really know if the forward line gets it. I think given that CHF position each week and told to play like Riewoldt (which is what Worsfold tells JK), Henderson will get it...it's the ones around him I'm a little concerned about.

Doc, I agree totally. It starts with the forward line and opposition kick ins from defence. How often have you seen the ball taken the virtual length of the field for the opposition to score? Where is our zone. I don't know where you sit but where I am fellow supporters are ready to jump from the third level of the MCG after they have seen the same thing for the umpteenth time. If we can see it, what is the coach doing about it?

And if our midfield is as good as any in the competition and I say it is with the addition of McLean and an injury free Hadley what are we doing chipping it around wide instead of going down the corridor? If you want the midfielders to kick goals have them shooting from in front not from the pocket. Makes sense doesn't it?

Our spine this year could be great. Starting from fullback - Jamison, Bower, McLean/Gibbs, Henderson, O'hAilpin/Waite.

Again, why stuff around the flanks?

Why not base the gameplan on winning rather than trying not to lose. That would be a novel idea, woudn't it.

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"Get ready, Teddy - you're on": Ron Barassi half time 1970 Grand Final

Starting to lick my lips at the thought of a roaming Henderson at CHF and Waite as permanent FF. Hope Waite gets through Saturday fine and is up and running round 1.

I think the pre-season tension stems from most of us not really knowing how we are going to go, and this going against the grain of hope in recent years of constant improvement. Some on the forum (all forums) have already made their mind up based on a few games and / or their own views and / or success last year; others are waiting for more substantial evidence. With the first 8 rounds in the draw, I think we'll be waiting a while.

A lot of pre-season threads highlighted that it might take a while for the forward line to work, and we might be in for a frustrating opening. I agree with this - Im expecting a rough start (watch this place then!) but improvement from mid year onwards.

A lot of the talk about missing the 8 is solely based on Carlton IMHO. There are 16 teams and you have to assess who will improve, who is going through a change, and who is likely to bolt through. On that basis whilst the top 6 teams or so are pretty set IMHO there are alot of other teams with weak or emerging lists that are not likely to make the 8. I still think we'll make the 8 but you wont think so by Round 8.

It is the unknown which makes this pre season so great. Without Fev no one knows how the team will go.

Waite is coming back from a knee reconstruction, Warnock all sorts of injuries, Murphy a groin operation, Judd out for the first 3 weeks, its going to fall upon the lesser lights to pull their socks up.

This is what guys like Robert Walls have been saying is Carlton's weakness, the bottom 6 players of the team. If they can improve Carlton becomes a genuine premiership threat. A bit of philosophy - adversity maketh the man. Fingers crossed.

In a finals game against Geelong at VFL Park, I think it was 1994, several of Geelong's stars pulled out because of injury. Carlton was an almost unbackable favourite. Geelong won because their lesser lights rose to the occasion (and Gary Ablett Snr kicked a few goals). Point made.

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"Get ready, Teddy - you're on": Ron Barassi half time 1970 Grand Final

http://www.blueseum.org/tiki-index.php? ... al%2C+1994

It sure was, Teddy.

From the Blueseum

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Check out www.blueseum.org for all of your Carlton information needs.

Team Leaders have a big part to play in this as well Doc. Ideally you want everyone to have a complete understanding of all roles within the team, but as we well know that is an ideal, as due to age, experience and just being plain slack many, at all clubs, only have an understanding of the roles they are likely to play(sometimes not even that ) . Thats where the team leaders come in.

They are the guys who should know all the positions inside out. Including specific instructions for individuals and variations on general teamplay that may be used against different opponents come gameday. The runners and coaches can't micro-manage everything on the ground so having good team leaders who can not only do their own jobs but make sure others are doing theirs are vital...but importantly and I can't stress this enough they really need to know their stuff as if they don't they are just going to confuse things especially for the kids if they give conflicting instructions.

Sometimes even experienced players can forget in the heat of the battle what role they are playing at a specific time and position themselves in the wrong place ie wing/mid etc etc. Again your team leaders need to be with it, as that is much tougher to workout due to rotations, changing roles on gameday etc etc so a sense for the broader team pattern is a must. I actually don't think team leaders have ever been more important than they are now IMO.

I think a lot is made of our opponents in the first 8 rounds but reality of football these days there is not a hell of a lot of difference between sides and on any given day any one side has the ability to cause an upset and team preparation is more important than who and where we are playing i'm quite happy with the first 8 rounds if you look at in depth

round 1 richmond thursday night- should win
round 2 brisbane thursday night - brissy 4 day break carlton 7
round 3 Essendon* saturday night - Essendon* 6 day carlton 10
round 4 adelaide saturday - crows 6 day carlton 7
round 5 geelong monday - geelong 8 day carlton 9 day
round 6 collingwood sunday= pies 7 day carlton 6
round 7 st kilda monday night - saints 10day carlton 8
round 8 port sunday - port 8 day blues 6



those extra days preperation will be very helpful during the first 4 rounds and is often an overlooked statistic - shortest weeks we have are 6 days and the extra days against Brissy and the bomber will be very very helpful

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You could be right Sydney but I still think there's a few Top 4 wannabes in that list and Top 4 wannabes dont drop games to mediocre teams if they can help it. If we win 4 of the 8 we'll be doing very well.

I agree with some of your post Teddy, but not all of it. I agree that at times our defensive structures including the zone weren't that great, but especially with the zone, all it needs is one bloke to doze off and it is rendered ineffective, especially against the better skilled teams.

Where I disagree is about the corridor and scoring to a degree. We were a top 4 team offensively last season (that will probably change without Fev) but mid pack defensively. The top 4 from last season were a nice contrast. Two had a preference for the wings, two through the middle neither exclusively though. Importantly to me though they were generally having shots at goal from similar positions(although the pies weren't early in the season)

So as you rightly point out it is much better to shoot from in front than the flanks (I think we shot from the flanks more than any other team last season) but I think that was more to do with an unwillingness to share once inside fifty as for example Johnson and Mooney do for Geelong rather than how we brought it down the ground (we'll leave out skill for the purpose of this ). Undoubtedly going through the middle does open up more areas, but there are a few cons as well. That though is the big debate, but for me considering our defensive record I didn't mind the defensive option. Without Fev there we may not be as easy to rebound against so once we workout our forwardline things may change. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

I like to consider the blues as a top 4 wannabe and we wont be dropping games to mediocre sides

watched Carlton v Collingwood rouns 12 2008 the other night - there will be 17-19 players from that team lining up round 1 this year - this group is growing together - and looking at that game where Fev kcked 8 he spent most of that game dropping his head a few brilliant efforts from Waite simpson Armfield and Kruezer really turned that game -

I've been down on this team for years now but I'm confident we are on the up now

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

Wishfull thinking unfortunately Sydney !

Ahhhh.... this is a lesson in how a thread can be turned around. Fantastic debate on gameplans and tactics, etc from Doc Sherrin, Teddy Hopkins, and Molsey.

I'd contribute, but I reckon I am a bit of a strategic dummy when it comes to understanding AFL tactics

We were getting goals from the flanks because Fev was kicking them from there. Eddie is not a bad shot from the pocket but I really wouldn't want anyone else lining up from an angle. Mind you I haven't seen Henderson live yet.

I reckon the team needs to make every effort to control the corridor. When they do, they play great offensive footy. I don't think that's going to happen as its not really in Ratts gameplan.

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"Get ready, Teddy - you're on": Ron Barassi half time 1970 Grand Final

I could see us winning 3-4 out of our first 8, but it could be completely random which ones we win. I could see us losing to Richmond (causing this place to explode, and them promptly losing their next 15).

I think it will be touch and go if we make the 8, but I look at it like this:

a) If everything goes right - maybe 5th or 6th
b) If everything goes wrong - maybe 11th or 12th

For A to come off we need:
basically no or little injuries
Waite back as good as ever
Continuing development of our number 1 picks to elite players (Murphy & Gibbs All Australian, Kreuz making the list of 40 behind Sandilands and Cox)
Either more from Betts, or Yarran to become a regular week-in week out contributor.
Warnock to not get injured/or Hampson to become an AFL quality ruckman, both in hit outs and around the ground.
McLean/and or Hadley to be playing a role as the in and under
Hendo & Santy to be regular weekly contributors

There are some more caveats in the mix, but I think top 4 would require improvement greater than we have seen thus far. Of course if you flip around to what could go wrong I couldn't see us going below 11th or 12th, unless we copped the motherload of all injury crisises (most of Judd, number 1 picks, Jamo, Thornton, Waite, Bower, Simpson missing large chunks of the season) and the non-injured ones don't develop or go backwards.

My prediction of where we will finish - 8th on home and away ladder, but win a final (12/10 win record).

BTW Synners, if your reading would love to see your prediction of how we will go (as I have above), in exact measurable terms, not vague subjective 'I just want to see a gameplan', which can never be accurately measured.

Much like pre-sexual tension, I think I could burst at any second.