You don't seriously expect rookie listed mids to be rounded mids do you ?
Or we can bring in what's in the reserves for midfield depth ?

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Betts goes AWOL again in a finals type game

Yarran is a cheater ducking out the back instead of contesting the ball on its merits. He's lazy is Yarran

Kruezer good effort as always but once again can't kick a goal, lacks polish, too blue collar

White simply isn't made of the right stuff. He shat himself under the true heat. Piss poor attempt to tackle gifted Ess a goal then he completely shat himself - just embarrassing and not good enough. His papers are marked IMO. This is what Malthouse is talking about - finding players who know what cards to play under true pressure against the top teams. White failed miserably

Fair points raised re: what Lucas brings to the team in terms of being the link, run and carry player.

Having said that, he flat out refuses to put his head over the ball and pick it up. Even worse, his big soccer off the ground is never thought out or to advantage, it's just an under 10s style hack out of there every time.

I understand that we need to play him in lieu of so little else from that age bracket coming through, but that sort of shit can't be tolerated.

Similarly, I feel that Robbo is no longer in the team as he's one of our best 22 players, but because he offers that hardness that so many in that best 22 don't offer at all. I think he's on borrowed time.

Gibbs' short steps rather than putting any pressure on Daniher in the first quarter was embarrassing. I thought the 'G were taking steps to get rid of the seagulls from the ground, yet the bloke wearing #3 looked just like one last night too.

Thought McLean was our best player over four quarters. Smart with his ball use, and slightly underrated as a resting forward. Possibly the only one in the side who knows how to lead properly, not to the pockets/boundary.

Hendo fantastic all night until Yarran's stuff up. Waite is never going to play a game that good again (let alone kick as straight as he did to take advantage of it), and it was all for nought. Happy with Casboult's contributions, but reckon Warnock still offers more. This idea of judging a ruckman based on possessions is @#$%&! stupid.

Feel for Davey Ellard. Two severe hamstring injuries at a time when it looked like Malthouse really wanted to give him a go, and Cachia and Curnow have come in and basically ended his career. Both of them were fantastic in their roles last night.

White wasn't great last night. If McInness gets some form together, he could be in strife. Tackle first, don't attempt the bump. That one where Winderlich bounced off him as if it were nothing and goaled was putrid.

Strangely optimistic about next week, and the rest of the year. Hoping its a catalyst for change if nothing else.

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BLUES 2010: PAV AND JUDD = FLAGS. DOING IT FOR THE LOVE OF DICK PRATT.

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR TALKINGCARLTON SUPERCOACH 2009 YET?

I must be missing something

Scum plays a tough match on a heavy SCG pitch

We play witches hats at Etihad

We run out of puff in the last qtr

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Cheats never prosper (except in the AFL)

Can we be critical of Lucas? Against a average side he'd have nailed that kick for goal. But in a pressure game he choked?

Hard to be critical but in first quarter Murphy should have had a ping for goal instead of the poor short pass. As a leader he needed to back himself and kick the goal we needed. 40m on a so so angle he should have had a shot

You seriously think that golden boy coaches that side? He is the puppet. The puppeteer is the bloke they stole from Geelong

Agreed re Robbo and Gibbs.

My wife said half way trough the game "Gibbs never puts his body on the line".

Robbos lack of polish is significant. For such a tough nut it is ironic he sheets himself when under pressure always throwing the ball onto boot and kicking blindly usually to the opposition

Not sure we can carry al three amigos. Last night was an example of how small forwards often struggle in finals like low scoring pressure games. Can you have three in the one team??

Out coached in first Qtr, DOns stoppIng our midfield run and clogging up our forward line. But seriously, smart players can adjust before the end of the quarter. Smart players realize the long kick is t working and start to drop their eyes. Too many stupid players in this team and too many soft tops

I've been saying this for years

When u watch us. make a mental note on who can contribute if we played finals footy.
With some guys its guts
others its quality of touches.

and look at who you cannot imagine playing in the pressure cooker.

Thats one way of doing it

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Some people expected more than they should have. We've beaten mostly poor/average teams and our performance has floated along at a comparative level all season.
I thought it would be a tight result and it was.
I dont agree with the razor approach however. Its up to the coaches to extract the potential out of what we have. Forget trading/sacking blokes. Thats 5 months down the track.
The key for the coaches is to extract consistent performance and an improvement with our set plays. Thats the area we have real control over.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

I agree, we probably just have to suck it up and improve the organisation from top to bottom. We should consider trades, but end of the day we have to develop largely what we have, draft better and develop them, and be patient.

No other choice really.

Robbo on borrowed time - yes
Gibbs, stupid old chesnut trotted out whenever we lose, having a very good year and one of our best last night.

We really needed Touhy to follow White when he received the 50m penalty, receive the handball and slam it through post high from outside 50.

What are the issues with Yarran?

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"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

Indeed.I mentioned the same thing.They had plenty of time to think about that play as the umpire marched up the field working out his 50m.
That is an example of where we lack leadership.I dont expect Zac to have seen that, but i expect the leaders around him to
have worked that out in the 30 seconds it took to get up inside their 50m. At Geelong, 3 players would have been trailing White looking for a handball receive.

Never said he can't play and isn't one of our best players, but if we want to be in the top four everyone has to look in the mirror

Gibbs is soft , if you can't see that then I suggest you don't know much about football

Ideally he'd harden up because that would be leadership and probably a couple more balls going our way as opposed to the oppositions way which in pressure finals like games is crucial

I don't expect him him to Robbo or Danger but when it's your time to go you have to go and be never goes in those 50 50 put your body on the line moments

It's about leadership

It's about what each player needs to eradicate from their game to be better

Yarran needs to stop cheating and needs to work harder like Jeff

Betts needs to find a way to impact on games which are finals like pressure games

And Bryce needs to put his body on the line when the 50 50 contest presents himself... If he wants to be better than he is and a leader

Oh and Kreuzer needs to work on his goal kicking

And Sugar needs to harden up and tackle better

And Levi needs to keep working on his kicking

And Robbo needs to show more composure under pressure

Etc etc

We need to get better as a team and as individuals

Else forget about top four and being a chance to achieve the ultimate glory

Sugar just needs to pack his bags.....

dunno about the rest...

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Well clearly that's not going to happen if he is immediately named after a week off with injury.

I agree with synners