Ordinary.... bottom team made us look rank in that first half...

2nd half..... only looked good because wet toast dropped off the pressure...

....we are a very average football team....

absolutely no pressure from west coast in the 2nd half, made the midfield and skills look good when able to run free, hence murphy and judd kicked a few goals in that 3rd qrt.

First time on the forum - thanks for having me.

I agree wholeheartedly with Conundrum. Huge concerns over our defence - Walker and Jamieson particularly poor. Jamieson just doesnt seem to have any INTENT in his game. The really good defenders relish roughing their opponenets up a little, Jamo has absolutely none of that in his game and we need him to BADLY. He's a big lad, kicks it nicely but.....it must be the coaching!

I think the same can be said of the Blues accross the board - we have so little mongrel in the team. Judd, Waite, Russell being the exeptions, when it gets tough, we simply don't have the grunt. I'm resigned to Murphy always being soft, but I'm sure Gibbs could be coached to be harder. We miss Kreuz more than I thought in this area. I really do put this down to coaching.

Sigh, I don't know. Maybe we're better off missing the finals if it means giving Ratts the boot. I just don't see a team knowing what they're meant to be doing out there. Since the success we had with our 'move it on at all costs' type of Kamikaze game, we have been found out as horribly one dimensional. Our 'tempo' game they spoke so much about is just kicking it sideways on the halfback line when the oppo has kicked a few goals against us. We do that until it's turned over.

I'm just a punter and dont pretend to have the answers. But the other thing about Ratten is that he doesn't SEEM intelligent. I know its surface level but all of the Premiership coaches I remember conduct themselves in a way that makes you think - he's a smart dude. I DO NOT get that impression with Ratts. He comes to press conferences with 2 meaningless statistics about the game and tries to sound like Mark Thompson or some kind of sports scientist. Unconvincingly.

We lifted our work rate, backed our skills and team mates for a change and our confidence rose. West Coast couldn't respond.

Our play in the first and the second halves were chalk and cheese; West Coast's was remarkably similar.

Hi stroby..I think Ratts is most likely a very intelligent person..maybe what he says at times is just the way he re-acts under stress.
ie..he strikes me as an introverted nature, so when the lights and camera come on, he probably wants to hide, and covers himself with stats,and other deflective clothing.
I like him very much, because I know how much he loves Carlton, and I can see that he is entirely earnest.
After watching Mathew Knights and his vindictive 'I know who you are now' alienating speech, and his stupid death stares, I would hate for us to have someone like MK. no integrity...that to me is unintelligent.