Welcome Mots That's one hell of a gutsy first post, standing up for Brock McLean!

Personally, I thought Brock had played his last game for Carlton, but the injuries to Carrazzo and Murphy and the screaming (justified) about our lack of contested ball and clearance work mean that the stars have aligned for him once again. This is his last chance to play a string of games in the midfield and make a case for why his many deficiencies are outweighed by his strengths. But he will need to do a lot better than he has ever done before, and I cringe at the thought of his midfield opponent running off him to bounce and goal with Brock trailing helplessly in the wind. Diesel Williams used to get run off but he was in a class of his own in many other ways and the game was very different defensively back then.

Your thoughts are appreciated. Lets hope for all our sakes he does well.

Silly post Synbad, he can kick the ball reaaally far and that. Ok?

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Lawrence Lawrence, The man who knows all the rackets and all the racketeers!

Not in the last month he hasn't

Gibbs stays in with Murphy out. Not much we can do there. Given you can put 7 on the bench at this point it's no surprise Curnow is there for now. I'm guessing he won't be come Sunday given Ellard and McLean will play. Ratten is just one vote on the MC and quite often coaches get outvoted. Ratten will have more control after it is selected. So we best not see 2 ruckmen in the 2 key forward positions. Guessing Hendo's surely playing forward looking at the side.

I disagree about Gibbs. What better message to send to the playing group than dropping a number 1 draft pick/club leader. If we are a genuine top 4 club then we shouldn't miss Gibbs against an absolute basket case in Melbourne.

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Lawrence Lawrence, The man who knows all the rackets and all the racketeers!

Why would that be a good message?

I don't think you can play Curnow and McLean in the same side

Also 3 ruck men in wet weather is not right...

I have a good feeling about Collins this week, I reckon the conditions will suit him and wouldn't be surprised if he kicked 2-3 goals

Because at the moment he doesn't deserve his spot. We expect more from someone with his skill level, especially being a leader at the club. How many contests has he shirked in the last 4 weeks? How many times could he have stood up and really took control? Dont get me wrong, I like Gibbs but he's not playing anywhere near to his own standards or the clubs.

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Lawrence Lawrence, The man who knows all the rackets and all the racketeers!

No way should Gibbs be dropped rght now ...


Anyway.... after listening to Bowies Space Oddity.. and for some reason finding myself singing Major Ratts instead of major Tom....


"Space Oddity"

Ground Control to Major Ratts
Ground Control to Major Ratts
Take your protein pills
and put your helmet on

Ground Control to Major Ratts
Commencing countdown,
engines on
Check ignition
and may God's love be with you

[spoken]
Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Liftoff

This is Ground Control
to Major Ratts
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule
if you dare

This is Major Ratts to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating
in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today

For here
Am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do

Though I'm past
one hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much
she knows

Ground Control to Major Tom
Your circuit's dead,
there's something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Ratts?
Can you hear me, Major Ratts?
Can you hear me, Major Ratts?
Can you....

Here am I floating
round my tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do.

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Not convinced about 3 ruckmen even if it was dry. Now they've been selected though I reckon Kreuzer will stay at CHF and Hendo might go to FF leaving the other 2 to ruck.

Do you reckon if we still had Jacobs he would have been selcted also on the big wide expnases of the MCG on a wet sunday???

Do you think Warnock is ready ????

Love his preparation....

Sounds ready to go... i mean he might be.... but you wouldnt bet your bottom dollar on it..

a game in 8 months???

Ratts is Major Tom

Hopefully Kreuzer is a late withdraw if we go down that road

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

I am glad they have tried the three ruckman approach. I guess if the staff were dead keen to give it a shot, Melbourne was probably a better team to try it against than perhaps Port next week, even if the weather doesn't look the best.

Not sure I am sold on the idea, but I am definitely sold on making changes when things aren't working. Three losses now, to teams who have used similar tactics. One or two can be argued away, but three strikes and you're out for mine.

Unfortunately I wont be able to watch the match live... bloody work has be out in the scrub all weekend. Will be in my own cone of silence as soon as I come back to town until I get to my PC and watch the match replay lol

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"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman

So apart from us getting flogged by 100 points and Ratts getting hung, drawn and quartered in the middle of the MCG after the game, what will be considered a positive out of this game by the good folk on TC?

Gibbs trying to turn into Jono Brown and getting knocked out in the 1st contest of the game?
McLean to do a blind turn around Watts and run in to kick a goal from outside 50?
The 3 ruckmen to win every hitout? We then win every clearance?
We crowd the midfield with every player except for Judd, who sits a kick behind the play?
Curnow to have 15 clearances, 5 goals, 7 assists and 45 possessions?

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when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth

Feelgood Hit of the Winter - GHRP-2, GHRP-6, CJC-1295, AOD-9604, Humanofort and Hexarelin

I have a feeling Henderson might get a rest.
Bower CHB, Watson might go forward and Warnock/Kreuzer sub.

Major Tom must address the structural concerns.
I argue.. his big ruckman forward line if he chooses this set up .. will not make it in finals footy.. so no point addressing shortcomings with other shortcomings....

There is no way this setup has any longevity right now regardless of what happens in this game.
I say this because the 2 ruck keyforwards are rucks not key forwards and the guy who came in is also a ruckman...Thats 3 rucks.. means less run and clearance players than we have.

I also argue that talls arent setting the world on fire as forwards these days...
As a matter of fact there arent too many talls that kick more than 50 goals a season anymore.

And ours are ACTUALLY ruckmen not forwards !!!



What we had to do in this game is get our midfireld setups right againstt the opposition and then worry about forwards.
One thing at a time....the crucial problem first and then the other.

My guess is Betts is no longer our CHF and were launching scuds into the forward line and banking on rucks out of form to catch them.

Sounds very Major tom

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Krooz out
Hendo CHF
Bower CHB
Lucas where army is
Army where Joseph is

Would be better for a start

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

I can kind of swallow that.

But 3 rucks on the G at the same time .. on a wet day.. all currenty not taking the world by storm would be unbearable for the mind...

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Yeah hence I dropped krooz

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

West coast have had
Nic Nat , Cox , Kennedy , darling and the Q stick all in the same side and sll pushing forward

We name 3 and everyone says it wont work

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

perhaps they spring a suprise like last week and start either K or Warnock as the sub

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'‘He had an enormous capacity to pump himself up and get the best out of himself when it mattered. He had a fire in his belly – a passion for the contest like few other players’' -- D Parkin in reference to the dominator