3 kicks, 2 handballs, 1 mark, 0 goals and a meagre 12 hit outs against the Crows absolutelly stellar ruck line up.... GREAT GAME! If only we had two of him.....

I'm flying up to watch the game tomorrow night; just checked the weather forecast for Sydney which states rain for most of the day especially in the evening when we are playing.

An even bigger test for us against the bigger/stonger more determined sydney players. Would these weather conditions suit Mclean or Army better? I'm guessing they wont risk Yazza for this one.

Off the top of my head, Hammer is averaging one mark a week, for the last 3 weeks. Simply not good enough from a forward OR a back-up ruckman! Time to try something different.

If Yarran is out, I'm tipping Scotland to go back into defence and sweep off halfback and maybe McLean to get a promotion. This will be a tough inside contest so if he's going to play, this would be the one.

I'd also drop Betts and bring in Kerr (showed plenty in the NAB Cup) but I'm not sure where he's at for fitness / form / etc.

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In WADA we trust

So your master plan is for Carlton to kick goals and kick more of them than the opposition?

I think a lot of people in the football public fail to understand what scoreboard pressure actually is. It's about keeping the opposition on their toes, and not allowing them to have long periods of unanswered goals.

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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.

Heading up also and the weather sounds terrible at the minute.

Looking forward to it none the less.

I am a huge Armfield fan.
He has proven his doubters wrong, and its good to see 'em supporting him.
I love his raw pace, his aggression and confidence to take the opposition on and break the lines.
He has sorted out his kicking and disposal on both sides of the body (regardless what Ando from the Heraldsun and some supporters think)
We all know why he should be in the team.

I am one of those supporters who believe we are on the right track and the MC are doing a good job this year.

I believe the MC NEED to have a look at the list to determine where the players who are knocking on the door fit into the team, and where they are at with their development. Hence Armfield's selection in the Ants to make room for that to happen. I believe Tuohy is ready for the big league and will not be surprised if he is selected to play against the Swans.

I am under no illusion that we are too short in defence (I'm not going to highlight the posters who don't, and, didn't see it coming against the Crows or Pies). We can't fix that even if Bower, Austin, Setanta, Henderson etc are/ were available because they are either out of form or can't make up the extra height needed to combat a White, Pyke, Mumford (resting), Bradshaw (he wont play tomorrow).

I do not believe that playing Watson in the seniors is going to destroy him.
I do not believe the MC destroyed Livo. I don't think he developed from the man child body he used to batter kids in the under 18's.
He didn't make it because he wasn't good enough.
I would like to see Watson selected to at least take on one of their giants in the forwardline...and that boot would be a deadly weapon at the SCG.

The talk about dropping Gibbs is unnecessary and silly talk. He's going fine, and will improve as the year progresses. No one knows what the coaches instructions for him are, so for all we know he did his job. I think he did fantastic against Pendleburry and others. He's a keeper.
I do not want to see Gibbs on Goodes when Goodes plays forward. I don't think Gibbs is fast enough for an in form Goodes.

I'm hoping Tuohy is selected, and given the weather, I'd say we'll have a slow track and the conditions will suit Brock and he will be selected.

Joseph worked well but he had the advantage coming on the ground fresh as a SUB. Bettsy didn't have me convinced that he's back in form despite the 7 tackles. So there's a couple splayers which can make way for Brock and Tuohy.

Regardless what you may feel about Hammer, he's needed. I am anti short ruckmen. Have a look at Hammers fingers next time you are next to him. Those fingers are in no condition for finger tip marking, but he can ruck and give Warnock a rest when needed...and in the heavy conditions he will be needed. Don't worry Kreuzer will be back after the bye, as will Houla and probably Army too.

We are primed for this game. We've come from behind and won twice, which shows great character. We've beaten the reigning premier for 2 quarters to show we have improved by 10 goals from 2010. We should've won against the Dons but at least we didn't let it slip, and we really thrashed the GC. We are 4th on the ladder. We've been decimated with injury thus far (and as a result played underdone players like Hendo). We have some players playing below par (like Betts and Russell), and we've only dropped 1 game in 5. I don't know why so many are complaining about season 2011.

I have a strong feeling we will surprise the footy world this year.

Oh yeah, and if I come across Carlton supporters abusing their own players at the SCG like they did at the Dome last week, I will give them a bloody hard time (by stealth) and be in their face later on, like I've done before. No need to disgrace the Carlton team with bad behaviour, so remember to SUPPORT our team and BAG the OPPOSITION. Don't be an embarassment to the club and the jumper. Remember there's a no flower policy over here.

It's never easy at the SCG, and I'm hoping we can scrape over the line against the Swans. We should, because their height in the forwardline will not be such an advantage in wet conditions tomorrow night, and will suit the shorter but faster Bluebaggers.
It's raining right now, and the ground will be slippery tomorrow night, because the forcast is rain rain rain for the next few days...and when it rains it pours. I reckon we will more than match em for the contested ball.

I look forward to seeing some of you at the Spirit of Carlton function tomorrow arvo, followed by...

Carlton by 1 point.

Go Blues

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

I thought scoreboard pressure was leaning really hard against the scoreboard.

Well said Bondi...

I will be at the function tomorrow with three of my Carlton crew.

I thought scoreboard pressure only applied to those inflatable ones?

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

I'd be keeping (albeit reluctantly) Hampson in the side.
But....................
He's on his final chances though cause what he's putting in, an Option like Setanta or even Thornton would be better.

His taps go to nowhere and he is deadest useless in front of goal (thats IF he marks the thing). But with Kreuzer still 4-5 weeks away (i'd be giving him a couple of runs in the twos) then Hampson needs to shoulder the burden of the ruck from 206cm, who can burn out pretty easilly!

Setanta isn't the greatest in the ruck, but geez he'd offer a truckload more than what Hampson would.

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

Expecting it to be low scoring.

Blues by 165 points

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#DonTheStash

Did you say "Carlton Crew"?

If I see a group of 4 at the function, I'll, I'll, I'll ....say 'hello', no matter what you're up to.

Enjoy the win.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Are you talking scoreboards or Dolls?

I am a supporter of Setanta, but I almost hope he gets picked and has a stint in the ruck so we can put the "Setanta as a ruck option" myth to bed.

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Expect a close one..


Blues: 47.22.304
Swans: 6.3.39

Hammer 14 goals

Sounds about right

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#23: Lachlan Henderson

Look for the 4 Eddie Betts look alikes (if you know what i mean)

HUGE shorts?

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The boomerang cafe down by the river shows all the AFL games on Australian Network, they are showing the Blues vs Swans at 5:30pm Friday.

Disagree with you. Hampson's tap outs to advantage are very good. Consistently rate well in that regard. Would still drop him though and give Warnock the duties on such a small ground.
We need a forward who can read the play. In fairness to him still developing and if it weren't for Kreuzer goingdown he would not be under so much scrutiny.

Disagree with you. Hampson's tap outs to advantage are very good. Consistently rate well in that regard. Would still drop him though and give Warnock the duties on such a small ground.
We need a forward who can read the play. In fairness to him still developing and if it weren't for Kreuzer goingdown he would not be under so much scrutiny.