Pros: We didn't lose.

Cons: We couldn't hold on to a lead to win.

I dare say it is far better to get a game like that under the belt so early in the season. It is far easy to learn from mistakes and develop a better stratergy for future games, than when you win all the time. I'm guessing it means Collingwood are in big trouble once they miss a beat. Minimal injury issues helped them last season so much, along with the deepest list in history.

What the f@rk, I don't know what is wrong with me. We are gone, and better start getting the pocket knife out ready to carve another spoon, and we may as well what the Filth win another 3 trophies. What a yoyo of emotions it is to be a Blues supporter. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

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

We have got to persist with Hendo. Look at JK at West Coast now. JK at Blues = Hendo at Blues.

As for Collins, yes he looked like a deer in the headlights occasionally and stuffed up a few times but the kid has a dip and looked genuinely disillusioned when he did muck up. He will be a keeper with some time and muscle. It was baptism of fire entering two games against Collingwood and Essendon*. He is on a steep learning curve.

Collins has shown on numerous occassions in his short career that he does have what it takes. Don't write him off.

_________________
"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

Dustin Fletcher almost always gives our forward line structure problems! Last year
Mitch ROBINSON played a great game on him and used his phyiscalalty to upset FLETCHER. Hindsight suggest that perhaps that was the better match up especailly with ROBINSON'S improved endurance to run with FLETCHER for 100 minutes. Perhaps it is something that the match committee will consider next time against the Bombers!

Pros:

We didn’t lose. We didn’t lose another tight game.
No cheap free kick goals to Essendon*. Umps ignored More-frees patented diving.
Think we’re much better drilled, and play much smarter footy. Didn’t get blown away early, but kept the margin under control.
Like that Collins got another week to show his wares. Hope Hendo is given the same opportunity.

Defence was terrific.
Jamo was good again. We’re a much better team when he’s in.
White was terrific. Great to see the same form he showed at VFL level last week. Love how he plays team defence. Really helps his fellow defenders out, giving help to teammates in aerial contests. Nice rebounder as well.
Duigan. Wonder if the doubters will be as loud. Fantastic game. The fact that he pantsed More-frees made it even sweeter.
Yarran.

Midfield was terrific.
Warnock again. Midfield runners as a group were terrific. Best of the lot was Murphy.

Struggled up forward.
Waite and Garlett up forward. Waite isn’t always the smartest player, and oversteps the mark occasionally with his aggression. But I actually like him playing aggressively, and in our (somewhat timid) team, I think it’s actually pretty important.

Cons:

For a whole lot of reasons a very winnable game, but we didn’t win. We again failed to win in a tight game.
We need a better going into our forward line bail-out kick. Far too often it went to a contest where we were outnumbered and outsized.
I love that Robbo has been playing midfield and performing terrifically. Would have loved to see him though again on Fletcher. Niggling him, bothering him, competing in the air and on the ground every step of the game. Fletcher is an outstanding loose defender. Doesn’t like playing on a ‘threatening’ opponent.
Conceding some fairly cheap points at the end of the third quarter.

Henderson. But I think we need to persist with him.
Betts. Although showed a little more intensity which was good.
For a highly skilled player, Collins looks to have Lewis Jetta style yips in front of goal.

Michael Christian’s commentary.

PRO'S:
Duigan - superb down back, took some very important marks and won some key contests on the ground, super game
Yarran - This bloke is flying, love his dash and use of the ball out of the backline
Curnow - Unlike a few bigger name player ( which ill get to in the CONS section ) this bloke has a go and really puts his body on the line
Murphy - Put his body on the line and went and got the hard ball, needed him to stand up and he did
Waite - when we were desperate for a focal point up at CHF he stood up

CONS:

Bryce Gibbs - This guy is playing like he knows he wont get dropped... i say drop the bloke and make a statement. He doesnt stand up in big games and needs to get more physical
Russell - i was talking this bloke up big time at the start of this season, but the past 2 weeks he has panicked and been caught out of position far too many times for a ' leader ' in the backline
Carrazzo - Hurts us too much with his bad skill errors, i cant see how he can remain in our team
Collins - I know we had to get something for Grigg, and thats fine, but surely we have seen enough, offers nothing and hurt us with some shocking cruicial turnovers
Hampson - very disappointing. Gave nothing, we needed a big bloke down forward badly
Henderson - I dont see why everyone carries on about this bloke, he again gave nothing and what disappointed me most was not only was he not marking the ball, he was being outmarked by his defender?? MAKE A CONTEST

_________________
Matty Kruzer you star!

Pros

Hard at it all day. Great contest.
Yarran. Why does he even bother passing it off.......no-one can get anywhere near him
Duigan. Very solid and composed. Surely silenced most of the doubters ?
Jamo - great game and crucial to our defence.
White justified his selection.
Simmo. Shame he took the gloss off a great game with that skill error.
Murph.
Curnow
More-Frees missing that goal

Cons

Eddie. Send him back to Leo's Gym. Just terrible lately.
Collins Needs a few Ants game now. He can do better but boy he needs to !
Hammer. He's been given plenty of time, but looks like only being a back-up ruck at best. Just not a natural footballer.
Carrots. Watched the game with a mate and every time he kicked it I said "watch this, straight to a Bummer".......he rarely let me down. Should take a leaf from Ball's book and handball most times.
Judd's kicking really lacks penetration, and he rarely kicks a goal beyond 40 now. Great man, but the years of toil have taken their toll.
We should have got the 4 points.

I have been guilty of bagging players a bit on this forum and after reading a fair bit of blatant muckraking I have decided to be constructive from now on. Player bashing just isn't quality reading.
Pro. We play again this weekend
Con. Won't be televised in WA yet again.

_________________
We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion.

pro
we won more 145 CP's vs 132 for them

con

we won 1 out of 9 centre clearances in the last qtr

Compared to the other 3 quarters when Warnock rucked?

_________________
BLUES 2010: PAV AND JUDD = FLAGS. DOING IT FOR THE LOVE OF DICK PRATT.

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR TALKINGCARLTON SUPERCOACH 2009 YET?

Pro's
We played ok and should have won by 5 or 6.
The umpires appear to have lost the love for Monfries.

Cons.
Somethin'just aint right.

_________________
I hope Essendon* folds.

_________________
one you knock back is one you never have

That would be too far logical and patient.

I want a flag now!

Sack Henderson, Russell, Gibbs, Hampson and Betts.

Some Blues fans are seriously touched in the head.

Big Con for playing our sub, Walker deep in the forward line when most players were running on the spot in the last quarter.

We did not take advantage of the situation with 2 Bombers of the field early. Walker should have played midfield in the last quarter to provide extra run that both sides were struggling with, useless in the forward pocket.

Also an issue with playing Walker as a sub. He can run all day. His athleticism is wasted on the bench. Reckon if they don't think he's in the 21, shouldn't be in the side.
Although I think he definitely should have been in the starting 21 on Saturday.

good point, you'd expect a real 'purple patch' player to be sub, a burst player, maybe eddie this week

Pros: Backline has definitely improved.

Cons: There is a monkey which could become a gorilla on our back if we don't win one of these close big games soon.

Bryce Gibbs gets the ball in his hands, 15 metres out. His face lights up like a kid on Christmas morning. He drops it onto his boot faster than a groom getting undressed on his wedding night, and proceeds to blast the Sherrin to the left of the stick.

Collective groans from the Carlton faithful, mixed with hilarity laughs from the Essendon* supporters. I was sitting next to a player's with Kyle Reimers and co having a chuckle.

Oh how telling those 5 extra points could have been at game end!

Actually it was just 15 min of footy against the reigning premiers that hurt us and a draw with a red hot side playing peak footy, and while we were flat. How do you know they won't make the 8? They'd beat alot right now on form as the Dogs and Saints found. They got smashed. Bombers are flying. It's round 4, we're still building, as we should be, they're flying. We've fought damn hard all year when we have been behind when we could've disintegrated. How far were we behind the Bombers, finding something after not kicking a goal for the first 45 min. Then we came back each time they headed us and bar the the error at the end we'd still win. All with a non-functioning forward line, due to team selection. So we had work and scrap to get a draw. As it was we didn't lose. So I'm, given it's round 4, I'm satisfied thus far.

No doubt about footy, losing turns perfectly sane people to lose their minds (I'm talking generally here, bets i say that...lol!). Perspective is not a word in their dictionary.

If we lose to Adelaide then I will probably lose my mind.