http://spiritofcarlton.com/blog/2011/04 ... day-night/

This Friday night we will witness one of the most hyped Carlton versus Collingood games for quite some time. Both teams undefeated, both with a long and traditional rivalry.

If you read the papers, watch the TV and peruse the net you would be forgiven for thinking that Collingwood are an invincible winning machine. This is a team that scraped through by the barest of margins for a second chance at a premiership against a club that has one premiership in over a century. Since then they have beaten Port Adelaide and North Melbourne, two teams currently in the bottom four and looking likely to stay there.

This scenario brings back some memories.

After Essendon* convincingly won the 2000 premiership they won their first two rounds of the 2001 season. They were being praised as possibly the greatest team of all time, they seemed invincible.

The two teams they defeated in the first two round were ..... Port Adelaide and North Melbourne.

Essendon* were due to play guess who in Round 3?

Yes, Carlton.

This was the game where the Blues had Silvagni, Bradley and Kouta as late withdrawals before the game. The Blues were given no chance at all against the invincible Bombers.

We won by 17 points!

Lets just see what happens on Friday night. No team is invincible.

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The Spirit of Carlton compels you!

Great call SOC - I hope you are on the money here

But hopefully Judd, Murphy & Gibbs aren't late withdrawals.

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"I had to eat"

Oh yeh.

The only win sweater than this Friday would be the GF. I hope this omen comes to fruition.

Like the spirit here. Nothing is impossible.

Just need to take a few players out of their normal games. Lets see;

Swan
Pendlebury
Wellingham
Thomas
Beams
Didak
Dawes
Macaffer
Cloke
O'Brien
Shaw

Can these guys cut it against the above,

Judd
Murphy
Gibbs
Yarran
Waite
Russell
Betts
Garlett
Walker
Thornton

Plus Simpson, Curnow, Robinson, Hammer types too.

The list of guys I have highlighted, need to cause plenty of troubles to keep the Pies above at bay. It will not be an easy task at all. To be honest we will win it in the middle of the ground, or get smashed all around the park if it doesn't work. Hope we drill them a new one. haven't in the past as they have owned us. Time to turn the tables. Starting to feel a bit strange in the tummy. Not a good strange either. Please do it guys, please, please do so.

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Bring the season on already. The wait is killing me.

I wonder though, if the football gods said to you, you can have one win out of the next 2 games against Collingwood and Essendon*, which would you choose??

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T E A M

haha, now that is one cruel god.

I'd pick the stronger team, so Collingwood, then I'd take the credit for the win and blame the football god for the loss.

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The Spirit of Carlton compels you!

Collingwood every time.

I hate Essendon* but I hate collingwood plenty more.

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Congratulations CK95

Probably Essendon* actually.....

I'd probably say Essendon* only because of their supporters and the fan club in the media.

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T E A M

Essendon* for me.

At least Collingwood are a legitimately good side. The scum on the other hand..............

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I hope Essendon* folds.

This. If we were good enough to beat the best team in the country one week, only to again come up short against that overrated pack of nancy-boys, I would be livid. I could at least stomach the alternative (as long as we didn't get smashed).

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

I bet this has been said before but there is one tiny sliver of good to come out of it amidst all the horrors of Collingwood winning last years premiership; that's the fact that they can take back their rightful place as most hated side for those that might have been teetering towards Essendon*. Karma has been reset, let's just hope they don't win this next one.

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Just because I'm offended, doesn't mean I'm wrong.

I think this weeks game will be about a couple of things.

1. Gut running for 120 minutes - which has not been our forte' over the years
2. Taking the small amount of opportunities on offer and kicking goals to apply scoreboard pressure.
3. Backing ourselves that man on man we are a better team.

I am under no illusion we are capable of doing all 3 but the Pies are the bench mark, so the game should help define our progress.

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.”

Actually it's had the opposite effect on me.

Now that Collingwood can rightly point to their onfield success to back up their 'greatest ever team in the history of world sport' outlook, I find it harder to hate them. Can't help but admire their efforts.

But Essendon*... the outrageous hype and unwarranted love-fest that we've had to endure, despite them winning precisely nothing, makes me hate them all the more.

I probably have more hatred for Collingwood (mostly historical to be honest). But to counter that, I have a heap more respect for Collingwood than I do for Essendon*.

Head says beating Collingwood is clearly better for our club. Heart says we have a duty to all that is decent to smash those red and black #&%@'s.

Essendon*. Cannot stand their half-arsed bandwagon supporters jumping on when it suits them to do so, how they carry on like a pack of teenage girls at an Usher concert, and how their players have the most punchable faces in the game.

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Premierships: 1869, 1871, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1877, 1887, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1914, 1915, 1938, 1945, 1947, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1995.

"GIBBS."

Dawes and Cloke will cause us plenty of headaches. Cloke is easier to keep out of the game because he chases the footy down field of he is not marking it close to goal.
Dawes is a monster and we have nobody who can go with him body on body. IIr he kicked 5 in this game last year.
If we are to cause an upset, we have to win the midfield, which will be the mother of all battles given theirs is pretty red hot. It also gives us the chance to look at Murphy vs Thomas and Pendlebury again.
The other place we got done last year was in the coaching box. Ratts follows in a long line of Carlton coaches who were slow to throw people around on game day. Malthouse isn't and this battle will be interesting. I also agree with the poster above (can't remember who) who said we have to take our chances. No luxury this week of kicking badly.

Win or lose, we will at least know where we need to be to challenge for a flag. This Collingwood team is not invincible but it is bloody good.

Bring it on.

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Let slip the Blues of war (with apologies to William Shakespeare) (and Sir Francis Bacon, just in case)

Red and Black scum any time!

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"our electorate seeks less to be informed and more to be validated." Sad times.

Yep. There is absolutely no point in knocking off Collingwood if we throw it away the week after.
I wouldn't mind losing to the Filth twice and beating the Scum twice in the H&A, and then knocking off the Wobbles when the real stuff is on September/October.