I agree we were smashed in the clearances but I disagree about Kruezer and Hampson. Kruezer got his hands to the ball plenty of times and I'm not sure on the hitouts to advantage totals, but Carlton were ahead most of the match.
The problem IMO is our setups. A right handed ruckman usually finds it easiest to hit the ball betwen 9.00 and 12.00 on the clock face. Yet last night and against Brisbane, we are conceding that space. Daniel Rich had a picnic there off our taps and so did the Richmond mids. What's worse, our mids are not only vacating that space, they're positioning themselves on the outside of their opponents to that space. Either they've been instructed to set up defensively or we dont have the structures in place to utilise a winning ruck. Kreuzer got his hands to the ball plenty of times but there was no one there.

The last few years we've had a winning midfield. This year we are terrible. Changing ruckmen wont help. Changing strategies will.
I love Robert Wiley and I suspect he'll be great value at the club as Micks lieutenant but to have him as midfield coach is stupidity. The bloke hasnt played for 30 years and hasnt coached at the elite level for a decade yet we expect him to coach our midfield?
!@#$%& crazy.

Think I'm going to deadset !@#$%& spew if I have to read another comment based on this "best 22" myth or "so and so isn't in our best 22/why are they in our best 22", even more so if its followed up with a comment about No Waite, No Carlton.

Your best 22 doesn't, nor should it win you games (note games, not a game) of footy throughout a season.

Throughout the year, you'll beat teams who are rebuilding/expansion sides/shit, on quality alone, and maybe take advantage of an interstate team with a shit travelling record. Let's say 5-6 wins on that basis.

The remaining 16 weeks are determined on which side has a list balanced well enough to cover player 1 through to 22 on this mythical best 22 from the start of the year, and better than the opposition has done on the day. Same reason why Hawthorn continue on their merry way when Buddy goes missing for a third of the year with a "hamstring", or Roughead does his achilles, or no tall defender not named Ryan Schoenmakers. Why Sydney can make Mitch Morton a premiership hero, rather than that softcock from Richmond they'd rather not play.

Let's pretend that a best 22, let alone a universally agreed one exists for a minute. What is the point of playing it in round 1?

Our chances of winning a flag in the next 2-3 years don't rely on Juddy or Murphy winning a Brownlow, it's when Aaron Joseph or Dylan Buckley come in to the side when they're out, and whilst may not have the same impact, the team structure, game plan and consistency don't go out the window, and we still play to a similar standard.

Wasn't worried by last night by the end of it. Fitness levels were better than I expected. Their worst quarter was worse than our worst. Forward entries were predictable but solid and almost reliable.

Pretty confident for Collingwood next week and the rest of the year.

There's only one reason why we lost last night, and that was the bludging collective of the midfielders from midway through the 1st and all of the second quarter. Absolutely poleaxed in all facets of the middle during that period, the defenders were constantly defending against waves of free Tigers kicking into the 50 with little to no pressure.

Absolutely pulverised out of the centre where its at least a 50\50 contest.

It was as bad as it could possibly get. To come back the way we did showed serious character because it really was THAT BAD.

Happy with a few things last night, happy with the way we rolled different players through the middle, particularly Betts, happy with the way faith shown in Bootsma, he only did 2 things wrong last night and when he was caught late in the game he really took the only realistic option he had at the time and that was to keep playing on and try to get the ball forward.

Liked the way Malthouse tried to bring Casboult into the game by running him on the ball - he can only get better for the run. But our key position set ups in the first half were not what Malthouse usually did with Cloke & Dawes so either our forwards weren't getting it, or we set up wrong but I reckon it was the former.


McLean running riot in the last quarter is a function of his fitness, but his lack of pace exposes us for the first 3 quarters, Joseph clearly not up it as it - and like Rhino says we have to hope that they come in and play a role last night they both came up short.

We just have to suck up this loss - Richmond came out with fire in their nostrils and we were not able to counter it - we need to be harder at it next week.

I understand why there has been a generally negative reaction to Levi's performance, but I will say in his defence that I noticed at the ground last night he was working very hard at blocking for Hammer and others in the forward line. Occasionally he over did it

If we can saw Casboult and Watto in half..swap torso and legs.... wed have a guy that can play and a guy who should be in the stands
instead we have 2 half footballers...

I think its time to usher those two off site and get some surgeons who have done siamese twin ops to see what can be done...

Happy with a few things last night, happy with the way we rolled different players through the middle, particularly Betts.

Liked the way Malthouse tried to bring Casboult into the game by running him on the ball - he can only get better for the run.

I can't decide who was worse out of Casboult & Russell Morris...