Why can't we win? 3 years in the cold? We have been poor the past 4-5 weeks, and you suddenly have us in rebuild mode? Do we forget the side won 13 games last year, was 7-4 and still in the 8?

I know we have been bad, really bad, but things can/do turn around. We may lose every game the rest of the year, but even if that did happen their is more than enough talent in the group to still be expecting good things going forward (this would mean changes, but more tweaking of on field issues, and would definitely see changes off-field).

FWIW I think we will win by 28 points. West Coast wont be able to exert the same pressure as the Doggies and the Swans, and we will be stung into action (we better be!).

Can someone please explain to me the logic of having our strongest marking forward playing on the half-back line? If it is a psych out for the Weagles, then fine... dumb but ok. But if it's for real, I am absolutely dumbfounded! Please help me understand this.

We'll really confuse the Eagles by having Bettsy and Ellard doing the tapouts.....and someone has to accidentally push LeCras over the fence resulting in a rotational penalty to us.

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No ones listening till you make a mistake.

Don't pay any attention to the named line-ups. They haven't been accurately listed in years.

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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 can't remember Waite taking a contested mark in the forward 50 last week. Took
a couple on wing. Not really his fault - the delivery was awful. I'd start him at half back just because I think that's where he plays his best football. If it's not working out you can always move him the forward line as part of plan B.

Personally, I'd be happy to start Hammer about 20m out with the express direction of making a contest. With Eddie, Jeff and Yarran getting the crumbs, we're half a chance to kick a goal. Unfortunately, I believe we've been too reactive and tried to be a bit too clever with our forward structure. The option to go long and quick into your forward line is still a strong option. Against the Bulldogs we were poor in our ball use going forward but it wasn't the fact we kicked it to Lake that was the problem, the problem was created by letting the Dogs get numbers back and then allowing Lake to mark the ball. Had someone created a contest and bought the ball to ground, we would have performed far better.

If you disregard structures for a moment and focus on contested footy, the minimum expectation from a one on one contest should be an approximate 50% positive outcome. In other words, if I man up the opposition backmen one on one, I'd expect a minimum 50% contest wins (Considering our team have control of the ball when going forward)
Yet if you look at our statistical outcomes in our past 2 games, we've had 18 scoring shots from 52 and 53 inside 50s respectively.
In simple terms, the ball has been in the control of a Carlton player gouing forward 52 times per game for approximately 1 scoring shot per 3 entries! That tells me the opposing players are rebounding 2 out of every 3 entries.

What is the answer? For starters, be quicker when our forward entries and stop looking for the perfect option. Secondly, tell our forwards to forget the lazy option of leading to the boundary line.
I'd rather a predictable option of going long to a 3 on 3. Then the onus is on our forwards to work hard enough to get 1 scoring shot from every 2 opportunities. If they cant get close to that on a consistent basis, they'll struggle to make AFL football anyway so It's better that we find out asap. If the opposition start dropping backs off to the hotspot, we need to hit up the forward who has been freed up. At the moment, we are playing a game we're not capable of.
Lastly, I'd play a one on one forward line. If they want to play with 8 backs, we need to play 8 forwards. As long as we play smart footy and lead up into the midfield, there will be space. The most important aspect is to gain a contest at every forward entry. If our mids keep working hard and getting us 50-55 forward 50 entries, we should end up with 25-30 scoring shots which will win more games than you lose.

With the Frenchman, I'd play Carrots on him. He made his name at Carlton as a back pocket and he has the smarts and size to go with LeCras. Plus, I think he plays better when he has a job to do.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

I wonder if Worsfold will allow Gibbs 45 disposals again like he did in round 10


Carrots was given the job on Hurn last outing and did a very good job - I suspect he will be given the same task


Jeffy had his best game with 9 tackles and Ratts gave him the votes

Hadley and Maclean both played and Gibbs Judd and Murph racjed them up

AW best game of the year


the Frenchman kicked 5 and had several opponents including Joseph- Russell and Jamo and Joey

JK kicked 4

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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

I think Russell on LeCras. You need your best tackling defender on him and Russell is a decent spoiler.

Jamo on Lynch and Bower on Kennedy.

I wouldn't even mind seeing Henderson roam down back allowing the forward 50 to Waite/Hampson and Waitanas/Hammers three little helpers running back with the flight. Henderson should be used as either a lead up half forward or a loose man in defence.

I would love to see Ellard start in the middle.

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Koperek.

Agree...was that the game against Port?....his attack on the footy was very very good....

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"Truth, for the tyrants, is the most terrible and cruel of all bindings; it is like an incandescent iron falling across their chests. And it is even more agonizing than hot iron, for that only burns the flesh, while truth burns its way into the soul"     — Lauro Aguirre

Not sure about that BV - I still have nightmares about Monfries kicking 4 or 5 goals on Carrots in the 1st qtr in a match in 2008.
Bower, Russell or Jamo for mine.

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There is no footy god

West Coast by 19!


Sorry, not being negative or anything but as it stands, they are the better team ATM.

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

But they are paying over $4 and are last on the ladder....

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"Truth, for the tyrants, is the most terrible and cruel of all bindings; it is like an incandescent iron falling across their chests. And it is even more agonizing than hot iron, for that only burns the flesh, while truth burns its way into the soul"     — Lauro Aguirre

Most betting outlets have Carlton as slight favourites at about $1.80-$1.85 and West Coast as slight underdogs at about $1.90-$2.

Not sure where you're getting $4 from. But let me know!

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Formerly Blues-Back2003.

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"Truth, for the tyrants, is the most terrible and cruel of all bindings; it is like an incandescent iron falling across their chests. And it is even more agonizing than hot iron, for that only burns the flesh, while truth burns its way into the soul"     — Lauro Aguirre

Plus last 2 games we had over 50 F50 entries.

Just a few minor adjustments with the entry, a dash of intensity and continue the run plus some, and we can easily get back on our bike against the form team at the bottom of the ladder with the 3 giants in the forwardline and no Kerr and no Hansen.

I'm also expecting The Bower's and Hammers' legs to be working a bit better after last week's run as well.
Warnock, Johnson and Ellard to play like there's no tomorrow.

We have a good chance of winning.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

WCE have Lynch 194cm 101 kg, Kennedy 197cm 100 kg, NicNat 201cm 96 kg (swapping with) Cox 204cm and 106 cms playing in the forwardline.

Thank god we don't have the opportunity to play Jamison on Le Cras. Jamison is so loos and so out of form, the nippy and elusive LeCras is the last thing he needs on his plate. Jamison has a lot to prove this weekend so we could see a big turnaround, but I think he's coming from a long way back...there's alternatives to Jamo for the game, but he's been picked; we've got what we've got.

Russell or the speedy Armfield for mine on the dangerman Le Cras. Bower to continue his under 18 rivalry with Kennedy.

I was a huge fan of Carrots in the backline till that game against Monfries. Carrots made a fool of himself and me in that game.
I'm a Carrots fan, but I'm not confident in his skills and timing atm, but I'm a fan of his body strength. Carrots' form at present is questionable like a lot of his team mates.

Please win Blues...by a lot would be nice.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

But they are playing tomorrow night and not at the moment.

Does that change things for you Ryan? Come on...we need you confidence or I'm jumping ship.

Come on...I see trees for wood.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Yeah!..........wake up to yourself Ryan............

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No ones listening till you make a mistake.

Stoked to see Ellard getting another game finally. Amazing that he has to wait until he's back in Perth for his second game. Maybe that's why he wasn't getting a game... We were training him up as a Subi specialist..

Looking forward to seeing how he goes on a bigger stage. Hopefully he gets some good time in the midfield, as well as being able to drift forward to kick a goal or two as he seems more than capable of.

Hoping Johnson can show something too. Been a long time for him and hopefully he has a better time of it in the dark blue this time.

Desperately hoping for a win, but dreading a loss. I imagine we will know by the end of the first quarter. Another one like last week and I will have to resort to drowning ones sorrows.

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I would like to thank Collingwood for helping me keep faith in my old man. He always told me that 'People are thick'.

Looking forward to watching Warnokc in the rukc.

Sauce doesn't have the mobility to help out our backline on a normal sized ground, let alone one of the longest grounds in the AFL.

Plodder.

I'm sure Knokcers will have the support of everyone if he isn't BOG in his first game since round five.

We need a team effort to win this game, so the players we've selected are irrelevent.

We knocked off the Bombers in round three of the 2001 season, yet Koutoufides, Allan, Bradley and SOS missed the game.

At least it's a change from bagging the coaches.

Oh wait...

Go Blues.