You all know I'm a sugar coater from way back and hope the team has a better year than last But at the very least it will be an exciting year to see how our young talent improves and develops

Recruitment and trading has recently at the very least righted our list in terms of getting more young players in with hopefully a huge upside

Menzel cripps Jaksch Docherty Byrne Buckley to name a few will be worth watching and will be good to see them develop together hopefully smith BB Sheehan and Whiley will also get games and be part of it

De Luca should take a couple of grabs.

Paddy Cripps was excellent today and has a huge future. Lots of touches. Influence at the stoppages. Marks up forward.

Clem Smith is a one touch player (something we sorely lack). Not certain about this year but should at least be a serviceable player.

Jaksch has been better than I thought. I figured he might take time and struggle to play senior footy this year. He has been excellent.

Docherty showed last year he has a future. Thought Dick did some nice things today and is a good size. Not convinced yet, but interesting.

Byrne has developed out of sight and is a monster compared to how he arrived. Big boy, good pace, good disposal.

Boekhurst was poor today and might struggle at Etihad where there are more contests. Almost purely outside. Better player for the 'G.

Surprised no Graham this week or last - injured? Not in form? No Holman all preseason either.

We have a few exciting players it seems....but you wouldn't want them to be too good....given the guy who picked them/traded for them isn't at the club anymore

Sounding a bit like Kane Lucas dejavu....

PLEASE GOD NO!!

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'too young to remember 95', have envied other clubs since'

surprised Buckley didnt get a gig these last 2 games?

any insight?

I wasnt at the game but it looked like Boekhurst wasnt on the ground much anyway .Can someone who was there please verify

He was tired. I think he needs a season in the Bullants and another pre-season to build his tank.

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It is not as bad as you are lead to believe.......it is %$#^& worse!!!

..have been saying this since we drafted him, aside from his age, he is NOT mature age in regards to experience, seasoning and ability to slot into the senior side on a regular basis.. ..give him time..

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

First real look at Byrne yesterday. Nicely balanced, decent skills.

Cripps appears to be a legal version of Jobe Watson

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"I had to eat"

Spot on I reckon.

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O say does that star spangled banner yet wave.

..BB has had stuff all development, give him a few years to settle in.. ..i'm not sure what people expect out of him right away..

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

Mature age recruits should be ready to go - which is why there is a high expectation.

Mature age project recruits need time which is the category he fits into. We should not be risking high draft picks on project players.

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It is not as bad as you are lead to believe.......it is %$#^& worse!!!

To give us at least a hint of why he was worth pick 19? Like most of our recruits, it's not that they are on our list at all, it's why we insisted they were worth the draft picks we took them with/traded for them.

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Just because I'm offended, doesn't mean I'm wrong.

..I agree, which is why I wasn't keen on the trade.. ..KJ is good, but if BB doesn't come good, or takes too long therefore giving us only a short span career.... ..we have effectively paid pick 7 for Kj and bit parts..

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

..a separate discussion.. ....but we did pick him, he is now on our list.. ....but being 21 doesn't make him mature age in and of itself..it's just his age.. ..he isn't a mature age footballer though.. ..he has one season in the wafl, volleyballer before that....


..I wouldn't have picked him at 19, I doubt you would have either.. ..but he is here now.. ..we need to be realistic with our expectations, he didn't pick himself afterall.. ..I think he will need a couple of years to settle in.. ..hopefully he is very durable, cos he's got less years to give..

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

How many of the 18 clubs would have picked BB over Laverde I wonder...
I suspect we may be the only one

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Is it? Let's not get surreal.

I don't see it as people having a go at BB's failings as human being. It's a judgement on the Carlton situation as a whole with BB being the particular detail in question at this point in time. I'm not reading the usual "pull your finger out, you're paid to... blah, blah, blah..!" type stuff at this stage. We all know football players are only the product of their genetics and their situations but I'm not reading anything counter intuitive yet.

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Just because I'm offended, doesn't mean I'm wrong.