Given it is almost certain we will have to win an interstate final against them to make the Prelim, we should have in the back of our mind a view as to how we can beat them. To me that means the following:

1. Get Hampson in the side. Warnock can't compete athletically or around the ground or in marking contests with Cox or Nicknat.
2. Keep Davies in the side. He is a good matchup for Lecras and keeps our back line flexible.
3. Get Russell in, we need good ball use coming out of the back half to beat the press. Duigan goes.
4. Drop Thornton for Setanta. Can't have individuals outrun.
5. Bring in Lucas for Saints. Give Robbo extended rest. If Lucas does well, drop Carrots who is unreliable. If he doesn't do well, leave Carrots in and tolerate him when we bring back a refreshed Robbo for the finals. Lucas would really add to our run.
6. keep AJ in the side for Kerr.
7. Go a bit bigger. Waite for Armfields spot by finals. He will play I am sure.
8. Keep bringing Walker on ball for run as has happened the past two weeks.
9. Cur now gets Ellards spot. Need more ball winners in midfield.

Some may say that's getting ahead of ourselves. I am not assumin we win the first final, I am just suggesting we think through the second game, should we be good enough to win the first.

Nothing is certain. Can we win week 1 first?

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"I had to eat"

I wouldn't bet a win in week one is a done deal.
North Melbourne & Sydney both match up well and give us trouble. We will need to be at our best to beat both these teams over 4 quarters. I'm starting to think this team cannot play 4 quarter football on a regural basis and this is a major concern.
You know the other 2 in StKilda & Essendon* will love to play us as well if they got an opportunity, so all in all, as I mentioned after the doggies loss, we've stuffed up and thrown 2011 away.

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"I had to eat"

... you heard it first then.

So if we don't win the flag this year...it isn't because we're not good enough....it's because we had a bad day against the Dogs?

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"I had to eat"

What if WCE knock off Collingwood?

Lets not get ahead of ourselves here.

Carlton's goal this year was to win a home final, that's it.. pretty sub standard low goal.

_________________
31-3-2015 - R.I.P AFL, corrupted lying pricks
12-5-2015 - Go WADA
18-8-2015 - Suffer Hird* u lying flower
12-1-2016 - CAS goes bang, happy new year.. Drugcheats forever..

Doggies have finished out of the eight.
Doggies have not won a game since our loss.
We have been in the top 3/4 all year until this round.
For mine, if a team is in the top4 all year it is "good enough", it just flowers up somewhere towards the end!
Maybe just maybe we "choked" or maybe just maybe we became quite "over confident" within or ....
We were good enough to win the flag in 2011, we just lost our way again. I hope we know what we're cooking because 2012 will not get easier.

The point about giving anyone a rest is now moot given that we have a bye. Robbo stays. Carrazzo will play VFL, and Lucas has surely pressed his claims enough for a senior berth. Ratten would be mental to ignore him again.

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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.

yeh nah just taking it one week at a time

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

If you play at Subi, you don't go taller.

The only changes I would like to see for our finals campaign is:

Waite for Thornton
Russell for Davies

Harsh for both those players to miss.

Regards to our rucks maybe in round 24 give Kreuzer a rest and bring in Hampson and see if he is up to playing Kreuzer's role after his 8 weeks off. If he plays well then drop Warnock for Kreuzer the following week (or even play all 3). Kreuzer should be our number one ruck but the club may think he is not ready this year for that role after his op. It's also a good game to try Waite. We will finish 5th no matter what, so why not bring in those two players to see where they are at?

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Koperek.

With the concerns to our forward line exposed on Friday night, and the likelyhood of us having to again play at damn Etihad in the first week on the Finals, i wouldnt be getting too ahead of ourselves at this stage. A lot of water to go under the bridge between now and the 2nd week of the finals...

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James Hird and Essendon* FC - #FOREVERDRUGCHEATS

With the Swans win today, there is more chance we will be at the G in the first round. Might be against North or Ess. Also a chance we would have to play the Saints at Etihad.

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Koperek.

We had our worst team in for the year against them at Etihad. Gibbs will not be matched up against Lynch again and our midfield will more than match West Coast's on the open spaces of Paterson Stadium.

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You heard it here first!

JR is struggling in the ressies, and Duigan has been outstanding this year. not gonna happen.

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i don't wanna spend my life explaining myself. Either you get it, or you don't- Frank Zappa

Yep, being also rans is an acceptable culture at the modern day Carlton

Confucious' Book on How to Get Ready for West Coast

1 - Earn the right to play them.

Firstly, 1 week at a time.

Secondly, what if it rains? We can't predict that.

Thirdly, what if we get injuries in the last game against St Kilda?

Fourthly, what if West Coast get injuries in their last games?

Fifthly, what if we lose in the first week of the finals?

Sixthly, what if West Coast knock off Collingwood (which given the Pies' injuries is not fanciful)?

We are at least 2 and probably 3 weeks away from thinking about the possibility of playing the Weagles in Perth.

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"A good composer does not initiate. He steals."

- Igor Stravinsky

For the finals:

There is no way in the world Carrazzo or Duigan will be dropped. I also reckon Armfield has given us a spark when we needed one. Setanta for Thornton is probably a good one. I would also bring in Russell for Davies. Of course if Waite is fit he should play instead of Setanta. Ellard or Curnow is a flip of the coin. Hampson might be a better bet that Warnock ... depends which one of them starts taking marks (they are both pretty woeful at that).

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I am as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!!!

I think we need to plan for finals without Waite.

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The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect
So hard to earn, so easily burned
In the fullness of time
A garden to nurture and protect

#DopeThenStash