..because we play two-bit KPFs, with a different set-up season after season.. ..make no mistake, a smart, hard working creative HF line [right across the line] is the biggest weakness, mids bombing it is the sympton of this is all..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

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Thought we'd get absolutely smoked this week and was pleasantly surprised to see such a tight contest. 17 points while accurate isn't really indicative of the match - should have been us or them by a kick at best, pretty evenly matched through large periods of the game. Lots of errors and 'shoulda woulda coulda's which are nice in post-match hindsight but in the end they snuck home...we'll meet again and I'm confident we'll have their measure by then.

Never been a major coach basher, I always try and lump it back on the players. I don't believe MM can turn around our list with all its bad habits in one pre-season nor in 2 regular season matches. 0-2 looks bad but let's not go overboard here - Collingwood dropped noticably during Buckley's first year also, and that was without the laziness, selfishness, brain fades etc that MM has inherited at Carlton. It's a simple case of reprogramming, but it won't happen overnight.

Most of MM's pressers have really demonstrated a patient undertone - week by week, get better, work on things etc. This would be cliched in any other presser but I believe this is actually what is required - complete retooling is a gradual process, one thing at a time til there's positive, consistent change. It really is a mental thing - these guys are fit enough - and that's something that's far harder to change than body fat and muscle mass. Makes me think that there's lots of stuff MM is trying to get the players to do - both individually and as a collective group - which is misfiring, being ignored or attempted lukewarmly at best. There will be a new system (the lack of which is fuelling much malign from some on here) but it will take time. MM knows what he wants this group to do far and above simply winning, but that doesn't mean the group can get out there and execute it perfectly instantly, nor does it mean even individuals will find it easy after many years to rebuild their playing style/role. It will happen however, and those who don't demonstrate willingness to learn and adapt nor demonstrate this through the year will be looking for work elsewhere.

This is a year or transition, of consolidation and rebirth...don't buy into media hype and don't play Ratts/MM devil's advocate - the greatest coach in history couldn't have turned our list from finals wannabes into premiership faves in one pre-season. Have realistic expectations for this season and watch who develops - there are already some positive signs early. Give MM a chance to enforce his gameplan, to overcome the initial resistance and the 'dumb, lazy football' many of our list have been allowed to get away with for so long. MM demonstrates a great amount of patience to me as a person and as a coach, a first for our organisation and perhaps part of the supporters' "gameplan" that also needs a bit of tweaking after initial resistance.

GO BLUES 2014

Whilst Collingwood had a few out, and Jolly went down early, they still had almost 700 more games experience than us and were the 4th most experienced side playing on the weekend. Sydney the most experienced followed by St Kilda and Hawthorn.

St Kilda are shot.

Also consider it was Malthouse's 666th game as coach.

Malthouse's tenure here is very much like David Parkin's 2nd stint at Carlton Mick still has to weed out the likes of Powell, Athorn, Sholl etc from our list.

Hopefully it doesn't take a Grand Final loss from us first for this to happen.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

That sign was embarrassing. Then again, filth didnt rhyme with one and scum sort of did.

Spooky.......

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No ones listening till you make a mistake.

Should have won but our on-field leaders were hopeless in the last quarter.
We just needed to run hard for 5mins and provide easy targets to slow down the game and we probably would have held on. Instead we try to match it with them when they have the momentum.
Stupid football and it just made our inexperienced players look worse in the last quarter.

Agree with both of you, i thought we would get thrashed so was happy with the effort.
Just lacked poise in the last quarter.

Not sure what everyone else thought but it appeared we played differently to last week. Not hugging the boundary line as much and went more through the middle. I wonder if the game plan has been tinkered with. Unfortunately until we get a strong marking forward we are going to struggle, really missed Betts' crumbing but thought Garlett really stepped up and played one of his best games including that great goal in the last quarter.

Pros:
Pretty impressive performance. We had a lot more good players compared to the previous week.
Fantastic games from Hendo, Kreuzer, Jamo, Robbo, Garlett and Murph.
Gibbs was really influential again in the first half. Walker had an electric start, and finished off his work.
Great to see Yarran rebound and have an impact.
Rowe was pretty good. Lucas was pretty good. Despite some mistakes, Bell showed why he should play seniors most weeks.
Really like the way MC is demanding flexibility of our players (think this will be a huge plus in the longer run). Also like how younger players are been given real responsibility (even if it's costing us in the short run).

Cons:
Found a way to lose another very winnable game. Although we have a good run home, I'm not confident we'll be able to string enough wins together on the trot. Have really struggled to win multiple games in a row. Worried these early near misses are really going to make us pay. Frustrating that our opposition was able to do to us, what we couldn't do to the opposition last week. And actually finish a game off.
No excuses for that last quarter. Just got beaten in crucial contest after contest. Forwards couldn't prevent the ball slingshotting back out again.
Been a disappointing start to the year from our leadership group. Murphy was good yesterday. But Carrots and Simmo have been down. And Duigan was probably lucky to get a game last week.
I like Casbout. But probably needs a run in the 2nds to kick a few goals and regain his confidence.
Not sure why you'd play McLean as a sub. Has barely had a sniff of it in the last 3 games. Probably time to drop back down, which isn't a good sign for his career.
Some absolutely diabolical turnovers that led to easy Collingwood goals.
Collingwood seemed to get a lot of forward 50 frees.

If we play like that every week, we'll win more than we'll lose. It was disappointing not to get the victory, but Collingwood are a very good side and we are an OK side. I hate saying that, I don't like it one bit, but we need to face the truth. I'm perhaps less shattered about our performance yesterday than some posters because I reached 'acceptance' that we are years off a flag more than 12 months ago.

I thought the effort was fine yesterday, but unfortunately our opponents played smarter and harder for longer. Why are they better than us? Because they are a better managed organisation and have been for years now. Process comes before talent. It will take Malthouse most of his current contract with us to match the level of discipline and structure that he (and others) have ingrained into Collingwood.

When I think of Carlton over the last decade, the word 'resilient' is not one that comes to mind. Anyone who thinks Malthouse can come in and change that in 2 games is dreaming.

And if any poster says 'but we beat them last year' I will assume that poster gives us no chance this year against GC, Port or St K. I will also point out that they (Collingwood) finished 4th last year and we finished 10th.

Obviously it's disappointing to lose to the enemy in a close match, but some of the tripe in this thread is beyond my comprehension. There's lots of work to do....but didn't we already know that? Didn't we?

I still reckon we might make the 8 this season, but I'm less concerned about that as making sure that, before the end of the year, we see signs that there has been a fundamental change in the way our club goes about its business. There's already a few positive signs from where I sit....

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It's never as good as it looks and it's never as bad as it seems.

Great post ABNS.
I saw yesterday's game as a 50-50 contest pre-game. Same as last week. Losing both is a disappointment but it's a tough comp.
I thought we outplayed them for 3 quarters. Some strong individual efforts and poor umpiring kept them in the game really.
Then when they came hard in the last, we had no answer for about 7-8 minutes, which is all they needed. We were playing catch-up again after that.
Haveing resilience and strength in those situations doesnt come from a pre-season and 2 games.
I'll be a bit pissed if the same thing happens in the next contest against Collingwood because I think we can improve over the next 10 rounds.
Yesterday was much better than Rd 1.
Our draw doesn't allow a reprieve till Rd 6.
If we can sneak past Geelong we'll be tracking OK. I have a good feeling about that.

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T E A M

You keep playing him. He's quick. Good height. Lovely kick. He's one of our more talented players. Terrific upside. Get games into him. It's not as though he's keeping gun players out of the side (Duigan, Joseph, etc.). Both he and Tuohy are getting exposed, and it's costing us at the moment. But the long-term solution isn't Scotland. Or Gibbs.

I actually wonder whether Carrazzo should go back for a few weeks, to lend a bit of help. He was fantastic in that role early in his career. And he seems to be struggling a little in midfield at the moment. Or perhaps even Simmo. He's really struggled to adjust to his new forward role under MM.

I'm with you Stef - get games into Boots.

Tackle count was well up.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

me too boots to be perservered with -as should lucas bell and boulter - Davies gives me a dose of the Josephs but probably deserves a couple of more games
McCarthy Watson and Mitchell -thought we had killed that draft but at least one of these guys has to make it surely -one of those demanding to be picked would be a fillip and improve our stocks

hope Menzel is a gun we still need more talent in the side

good post ABNS a similar one to cecils which was also good

There is another small forward running around in the 2's that has been forgotten.

Kid can play.

It amazes me how well most are taking a loss not only one loss but two losses from the first two rounds of the year. Not only two losses but justifying the losses from two teams we beat and beat quite comprehensively last year. Yes we also lost to Port and GC so I would assume that a loss to these sides will also be justified and excused because we are learning a new game plan and it’s a hard initiation into the year.
Yes we will start winning but again but against the lower end teams(soft games) that we beat last year but we are not improving if we don’t beat the teams that we are not expected to win against and going backwards when we lose to inferior teams like Richmond.
Should we rationalize the losses by different criteria because we had Ratten as coach and not Malthouse. Or the fact that it takes time for a new game plan for the players to come accustom too even though I haven’t seen anything new as far as structures or game plan that differs from last year.
Last year it was Rattens influence and coaching that destabilized our playing group and now Malthouse needs to come in and educate these players into playing a game of footy that has seen them selected as a chosen few who play the game. This must be the reason we need to pay him over 1 million over 3 years because it’s going to take him that long to assess, evaluate and reprogram all the mistakes Ratten made.
Please some people are just politicians and some just buy into the spin.

All good and well, but your reasoning is founded on the comparative basis that the teams we beat last year and lost to this year are at the same performance and development level this year as they were last year, and as a result, there has been no improvement. Id suggest that its likely both of the teams that we lost to this year (and not by much) have improved measurably, and are better than they were at this same time last year.