I hope you are right.

Don't get me wrong ... I am on board with Dr Strangelove. I have stopped worrying and now I understand why we move the ball so slowly up the wings. Suddenly ... without the worry ... it all makes sense.

We can't afford to drop this game ... there are bigger fish to fry later in the season.

Go Bluebaggers!

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

Ummmm pretty sure we haven't played a game yet this year

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I'm shocked to be sitting here

Crows?

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Congratulations CK95

Agree a bit lacklustre not opening at the G BUT still going sunday night
I want to see daisy in his first real hit out for the blues - he was really good against the dogs
I want to see cripps Watson menzel tuohy show that bloody Lloyd that our young players are as good as anyone else

I want to see jeffy yazz walker burn up the turf

I want to see gibbs and murphy be pre-eminent in the midfield

I want Henderson and waite lead the port defence a merry dance

I think Mick is renovating this team and it is exciting

No one in the media gives us much of a chance for the year -a great chance to stick it to them all

Rick J on 27 March I will be doing that walk from CBD to the G wont have the same anticipation because its not the first match but will still enjoy -particularly if we beat port and the memory of that finals win last year will also resonate whilst I'm getting to the ground

GO BLUES

When compared with 2012, when we only won 3 out of 9 there. Including 2 losses to the Saints. I'd say there was an improvement.

I was actually very impressed with how Port played last year.
As a team, they played well above their talent.

Beating Collingwood at the MCG in the finals and then going the distance with a still very impressive Geelong showed that they aren't the easy-beats everybody thought they were!

I know we're playing at Etihad, but with a questionable fitness on Gibbs, Hendo and no Carrazzo and Judd............... i can't see how the odds aren't more closer than they are.


I only hope that Carlton plays with a bit of heart, something i feel we've lacked over the years from a few players (not all mind you - just a few).
We have the talent there...................

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

I find it odd that so many are picking Port to plummet this year

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"I had to eat"

From watching training and practice matches, I think we'll start this season without Kruzer. He’s looked indecisive and hasn't held too many big grabs up forward. Kruze started out as the tractor (big body mopping up and firing out handballs to fleet footed mids), but Bell and now Cripps have made this part of his game obsolete. Would love to see the big fella step up and smash it as a big marking ruck/forward but don’t think he’ll get a chance on Sunday as his confidence looks way down.

I think we will have a slow start to the season but start to gather some wins in a months time.

Haven't seen anything this pre season so suggest improvement on last year. Hope we have some tricks up our sleave.

Will still enjoy following the mighty Blues in 2014.

Did you watch the Bulldogs match? Thought Matty was superb.

Love the game but Sunday night footy isn't as enticing as a huge 70K crowd, Thursday night opener against the Tiges!

..many of us didn't, krooz didn't get mentioned much, other than the odd 'decent game, worked into it'.. ..a bit more detail would be appreciated if you think he had a good match.. ..it would be good to have the ruck combo ready to go round 1..

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

I thought he comprehensively beat Minson around the ground and had some crucial passages of play where he kick started a run of goals. We were talking about how agile he was in 2009 and how we haven't seen him show such promise besides a few games here and there when at the moment he gathered the ball in the centre below his knees, did a Menzel like turn out of congestion and gave it off with beautiful hands.

..he is pretty good in close with his hands, has very good extraction to adv. via handball.. ..did he run out the match well? [fitness?]..

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

Still looked underdone to me but really only started late in second quarter - always creates for those around him and did so in that match - may be a slow start to the season but want him up and running at the end of the season - which he hasn't done because of injury the last 3

I think he is crucial to our chances this year and if injury free will be very helpful in both ruck and up forward

x2

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Let slip the Blues of war (with apologies to William Shakespeare) (and Sir Francis Bacon, just in case)

Practice games don't really count though. We lost to the Pap Smears and yep a different story.

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I'm shocked to be sitting here

Kreuzer not holding onto grabs is par for course and not something I expect he will ever improve

He gets his mits to the ball...just doesnt seem to have the clamps work for him.

Surely something has to click.

I know he gets his arms chopped a fair bit and doesnt get frees for those, let alone for over the shoulders, but its when he's up there on his own and gets hands around the ball and then just lets go is what we need to see improve.

Its an idiosynchracy.....but he wasnt like that in the U18's when he was a man child...and then in his first year he grabbed a few too...so I expect improvement coz something is missing.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

At least two grabs grabbed it eventually.

I think it's a major issue for us. Two ruck man who can't mark. Two talks that can't mark.