c+p'd with some added visionary thoughts

Pros
- We won
- We won by 55 points - % could be very important come season end
- Sauce, Hendo and Robbo did some smart quick work for the young 'uns. Was impressed with Robbo
- Eddie. Plz don't go to Gold Coast. Great marking and better kicking from him tonight.
- Garlett and Yaz Love watching these guys.
- Judd very classy and appeared to get some support this week from Robbo, Carrots.
- Welcome back Murph, we really missed you against Freo!

Cons
- About 10 50M penalties paid. WTF? I reckon about 3-4 of them were warranted. Knee jerk umpiring, but perhaps we should have been a bit smarter about it.
- About 4 goals to Brisbane from the above, so really should have won by a lot more.
- Umps rubbish in 1st and 3rd quarters.
- Horrible, horrible first quarter from us and we'd be 8 goals down at half time against a better side with that start.
- Walker, Russell, Thornton, Jamo...massive clangers all night from first 2, barely noticed latter 2.
- Setanta made some absolute blunders (tho he did work hard around the ground, just failed at disposal)
- AJ, please stick to tagging and stop trying to be cute when you have the ball.

Pros:
Lions were atrocious

Cons:
So were we for 3 quarters

_________________
Gaga and The Hoff party hard in London

If we are going to improve these guys are not going to get us there. We will float between 6th and 12th with them in the side. Their best isn't good enough so make the hard call 2 years early and get 40 games into a kid, who can replace them.

PROS
- A win over Brisbane + the 4 points
- Scotland (support this guy ever since he came to the club and he gives his all for Carlton)
- Midfield (numerous players looking to help Judd out)
- Yarran (an absolute freak)
- Judd getting protected by the umpires around stoppages (finally!)
- Henderson & Betts (exciting pair)

CONS
- Defensive half (almost need to close your eyes when Carlton are kicking out of their defense)
- Basic skills (some of the players looked like they had forgotten the basics in their week's break)



Ratten is getting Carrazzo to play a very different style of football these days. I remember when Carrazzo would float around the ground and be at every single contest. Those days are gone. Carrazzo is much too important to the team to be doing that. He has had some outstanding games this year. He generally goes to the opposition's toughest player to play on and does exceptionally well. I guess a lot of people are saying that he needs to be dropped because he isn't flashy but he is doing the job Ratten assigns him to do week in, week out. He is integral to the team's structure.

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"I think everyone at the club and supporters are impatient (for success) and to be honest that is a good thing" - Chris Judd

I strongly disagree with many of those bagging Setanta O'Spalding.
He presented well most of the match.
Took some good marks. (He has taken some strong contested marks in most matches.)
Brought the ball to ground for our smalls.
Chased opponents all day and even into the backline.
Several times when he had the ball in an awkward spot, he centred the ball either directly in the path of a running Carlton player or to the hot spot rather than fire a wayward, useless shot at goal as did a few of his teammates. That the players he kicked to were unable to make something of it is not his fault.
He has a lot to improve on but he is also learning every game. He may be getting tired but we are much better with him in than without him.
I reckon he is worth 3-5 goals every game. Plus, his attitude is important in this team (as is Robinsons).

Fair dinkum, at quarter time, looking back also on the previous 2 matches, I couldn't help but think we have been playing like a tam who cancels an intraclub practise match because its raining!

We will have to harden up a fair bit to beat the Bulldogs or any other team prepared to put a bit of pressure on.

Pro: But we still won by 9+ goals, kicking 6 on the 2nd and last qtr.

_________________
And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

Pros: 4 points

Cons: The worst 55 point win I have ever seen. I only felt frustrated after that game. We still have SO much improvement to make. I just dont think we are a top 8 side. Last night didn't sway me to change this opinion

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C'mon Blueboys!

Agree with this.

Pro: We won

Con: Yes that's exactly what we are

_________________
If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!

ABSOLUTELY AGREE. My thoughts exactly, it may have been a 55 point win but when you look at it from the perspective of a top 8 side, we looked like a rabble. Once again, call it structure, processes, skill execution, gameplan or WEYWTFCI, we were a dogs breakfast. Thank god for us Bris were a pack of dogs breakfast.

_________________
If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!

I agree too - it is hard to believe we are a top 8 team. That first quarter was some of the worst football I have seen - we are lucky we played Brisbane. the remaining 3 qtrs were better as we settled down, we started to switch the play and players like scotland started to work hard both ways.

To me the fremantle games was so telling. Fremantle were able to get a lot of cheap goals through set plays but more importantly their system of moving the ball out of the backline is significantly better than ours. Brisbane were average last night in that department and we scored a lot of goals from their turnovers.

David King was asked his opinion on Carlton about a month ago when there was talk about us being a top 4 team and (Ratten should be interested in this) the stats said we are in the bottom 8 for turnovers from the backline. Based on this he thought we would never be a serious threat until we added some polish in the backhalf and reduced our backline turn overs. He is spot and I personally think if we can address this area it will make the difference. I think our forward pressure is reasonable and our midfield wins enough clearances, our backline remains the weakest link. I'm guessing that is whyRatts keeps playing down Gibbs. Last night we saw it again. It certainly does not help if cant hit a target.

Anyway

Pros
we won and from a confidence point of view this was important
Robbo's best game - I was impressed with the way he played and complimented the hardness we know he has
scotland was the player that turned it around in the 2nd qtr. His last month has been avg but he pivotal last night


Cons
see above

_________________
The glass is neither half full nor half empty. Rather the glass is twice as big than required.

Hammer's tapwork - watch the replay, first time I've seen one of our ruckman consistently tap it to the advantage of one of our midfielders. Saw the stats in the Hun today and it said only 10 hitouts at 30% efficiency, but from watching the game live, his ruckwork has improved out of sight.

If Bullants reports are right and he has improved his marking as well (give him a week to get over the rust and nerves of playing AFL again), he will be amazing. Really impressed.

We were far from out best though. We are carrying a number of players out of form (the whole backline), two first game for the season players and were missing Waite and Bower (and big K).

The ability to play well for 4 quarter and then week after week is the main thing we need to improve.

6-8 is would be a fair spot for us on the ladder at seasons end.

Pro:- Hopefully last nights scrappy 10 goal win is just a stepping block to better form.

Its the mids that worry me. They are just so tentative at times and too reactive. Defensively they don't close down the opposition well enough, tackles are missed and/or let the opposition dispose of the ball. They let their opponent get to the ball first too often. And offensively they just don't run and spread well enough. The synchronisation isn't there with the player who has the ball.

Then again this attack on the ball and opponent (or general lack thereof) is evident across the ground, except perhaps at times our small forwards.

Oh BTW, Garlett is a massive PRO (figuratively speaking... )
He is a ripper!

I don't know, I just look at them and the style of play just doesn't make me think that we are better than 8 other sides and should be in the top 8.

_________________
C'mon Blueboys!

Agree with the last few posts completely. I think the result was a reflection on how bad Brisbane were rather than how good we were as well.

I do however get a chuckle that we are all upset over a 55 point win!!!!
Maybe, just maybe the good ol' days are returning and where not seeing it.

Before the game people were predicting a 4 goal win and stressing about Brennan tearing us apart.

Here's the interesting bit:

Average age
Carlton 23 years 310 days
Brisbane 23 years 328 days

Average games
Carlton 80 games
Brisbane 85 games

Carlton 120
Brisbane 65

Pro:

Being less than over the moon after a 9 goal win.


Con:

Being less than over the moon after a 9 goal win.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

Pro's

- 55 point win (although probably our worst 55 point win ever)
- Betts. God I hope he doesn't go anywhere!
- Henderson looks good.
- Jacobs. Still think he's our best ruckman behind Kreuzer.
- Scotland looked like an elite A-Grade footballer. (we easilly won that trade!)


Cons'

- Umpires. Just @#$%&! disgracefull! Get your shit together........... not only are you making yourself look stupid, your embarrassing the game!
- Setanta's Form. He's down at the moment. Wouldn't call his game a shocker as he tried all night but hopefully he can lift himself up cause I still say he is a much needed member of our forward line, setup.
- Kicking. From Judd to JR....... our skills are shit and need to be looked at urgently!
- Etihad Surface. Seriously needs to be looked at. I hate this Dictatorship stance the AFL and stadium managment (Etihad / Ian Collins) are taking......... "There is no problem"........ YES, THERE IS............ And it's in YOUR responsibility to the game and it's fans to fix it! So hurry up and stop denying it

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

Pro's

8 and 6 whilst being out of form
Winning ugly by 9 goals
Hendo showing his value against his old team.

We're in a pretty good spot I'd say.

Cons
Lucas should have played. We're not that flush with class that we can afford to leave him out.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.