Blue Sombrero wrote:
Glass half empty, you lot.
Last night I watched the Collingwood game. In the team were Stocker (2 games), Dow (<20), McKay (<20), Fisher (<20), Setterfield (<20), Walsh (7), David Cuningham (<30), Tom Williamson (<20), Michael Gibbons (7)
Collingwood had pretty well their best team on the park less Cox.
We stayed with them for 95 minutes. A couple of silly mistakes coupled with a couple of trick shots on their part at the end cost us goals.
We were without Jones and Newman in the back line. Marchbank and Plowman did really well against a non-conventional forward line.
Jason Dunstall made the point early in the game that he knew Collingwood would play 4 quarters but he didn't know if we would or could.
The potential in that team started to get realised later in the season when things clicked and the belief rose. Despite being without several key players, these same kids and the depth players like Kennedy, O'Brien, Lang, Newman when he got back, started to win games. The list for next year is better with Doc, Charlie (who did play in the Collingwood game), Betts and hopefully Martin realising his potential plus we have added depth with Newnes.
If Teague can get them off to a half decent start to the season and they go in believing they can win, they shoud jump up to 10-12 on the ladder with an outside chance of finishing 8-9. A lot depends on injury and as I said, those early wins.
Most of the names I have mentioned came to us under SOS's tenure. Yes, there have been misses as well as hits. he wasn't to know illiamson would miss two seasons due to a back injury or that Cunningham would get so many niggles.
Recruiting from the draft is not an exact science. Some recruiters seem to get is better than others. Others like Hawthorn just poach players from other clubs. Yet others have their players on a platter from their zones.
One of the big bitches about SOS revolves around Jack and Ben. We all know he stood away from those decisions. Jack was in our best in the Collingwood game FWIW. He is still developing as a player and looks set to make it without being a star. Ben is obviously still not playing. From the perspective of the club and Liddle's comments about having a list manager who was unable to tale part in any discussion about his kids, I see where they are coming from and perhaps they are right. All the chat here about politics and best mates, people being or not being 'Carlton People' is just a smokescreen.
In the next three years we will see the legacy of SOS unfold. The team that plays finals or not will be made up of his selections with a few either side of his time. That's when he will be judged, It's far too early yet based on a few misses. He inherited a sow's ear. Some of you want a silk purse overnight.
Cripps was Superman against the Pies
Apart from Walsh, the wins in the 2nd half of the year were built on the veterans not the kids...Dow and Fisher made zero contributions, and SPS was also moved out of the middle to the backline...
After 5 trade and draft periods, if Cripps gets hurt our midfield will be led by Murphy (33) and Curnow (30)... all three were there before SOS returned to Carlton... the only young midfielder Teague trusted last year was Walsh
There are gaps everywhere on the list... our best (and only) runner out of the back half goes to ground too easily... which is understandable, he’s 35
I can guarantee you SOS is no longer at Carlton because the club believed he did a poor job (and they are correct), it has nothing to do with his boys...
As great a player as he was, who gives a flower about his legacy as a list manager... the club acted based on his performance... I would have thought people would be more interested in the success of the Carlton Football Club than being worried about SOS’s reputation as a list manager