For those who think we can’t beat Freo, GC, Adelaide and the Swans

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Our tradition demands success!
Mens sana in corpore sano

I’ll believe we’ve beaten these teams only once the final siren goes, we’re in front on the scoreboard and there’s not a shot after the siren (i.e. Robbie Gray). Unfortunately I can’t be confident when we go in as favourites, even against Adelaide who look like they couldn’t beat a SANFL team. For too long, we’ve dished up our worst performances in games we are expected to win or against teams around the same ladder position as us. However, these 4 games are a good chance for us to start rectifying these issues in preparation for a finals tilt next year.

Really hoped Adelaide would finish the job against Collingwood - if they're 0-12 when we face them then we'll definitely lose.

My sentiments exactly. No confidence at all regardless of who we are playing, especially after the Hawthorn debacle.

I'm amazed that the pundits expect us to beat Freo? Is that based solely on ladder position?
Based on recent form - past 3 weeks and fact game is in Perth, I wouldve thought Freo start favourites.

We are playing a good enough style of footy to beat them all if w play 4 quarters.
W have the cattle despite a few long term injuries.
However, I am thinking we will beat Adelaide and lose the rest, putting us in 15-16 spot for the year, which would be completely unacceptable given the bright start we had and the chances we have blown.
At one stage had we won we would have been 4th but instead went from 8th to 11th with a stupid capitulation.
For years we have lost important games with ladder positions on the line at the end of the season, milestone games, getting beaten by GCS when they never looked like getting a win and do on.
It's becoming a mindset.
The next six weeks will tell us what the boys are made of and whether Teague can do the job.

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

Play like we did against the Eagles and we will win.

We can beat all 4 teams and should. CG are playing well and will be our toughest opponent but we need to get over Fremantle, so 1 week at a time.

You can bet your arse then that we'd then beat Brisbane, Collingwood and GWS. That's how Carlton rolls...lol.

This taken over from the "Worry Room"? Now the "Nervous Nellie" room?...lol.

These 4 games might be some of the most important in this rebuild.

I don’t have too many concerns about us playing against good teams - this year we’ve generally shown up for these games. Beat Geelong on their home deck. Lose to ladder leaders Port due to an amazing after the siren goal. Serve it up to West Coast (who look like the best team in the competition on their home ground) but ultimately fade out late. Beat the Dogs by 50 points who were red hot at the time with 3 wins in a row.

My concern is the games we should be winning against mediocre and poor sides. Lost to Melbourne who were there to be beaten. Lost to Hawthorn after going 5 goals up. Got 5 goals up on North but let them back in and just fell over the line. The examples multiply if we go back a few years.

Apart from developing and recruiting talent over the rest of the season and off season, rectifying this failure to perform against bad teams (which we have the opportunity to do in these 4 games) will be a big contributor to our success in 2021. If we lose the majority of these games and fizzle out to 15-16 on the ladder, then our chances of playing finals in 2021 are fairly slim. All clubs will still be full of confidence to play us (because we can’t win when we should) and our guys still won’t have confidence to be ruthless and put away bad sides. If we win the majority of these games and finish 10-12 on the ladder, then we’ve got a good platform to play finals in 2021 and our guys will have more faith in their ability to put away bad sides. We need to finish off the season well, even if finals are out of sight.

There's one personnel decision that will perhaps be the key indicator of whether we will win or not.

The real question is how we have progressed overall in 2020.
The midfield is definitely a work in progress
The players who were recruited to assist Cripps so far haven’t delivered
So that means 3 things in my mind
1 are these players still got plenty of room for improvement
2 have they reached their ceiling
3 need to be traded or played with different roles in mind

For too long Carlton have overrated its list internally waiting for the improvement to happen
You have to bat 8 to 10 deep in the midfield these days to be a top 4 team

That’s why I would like to see Teague try some more youngsters in the remaining games looking towards the next 2 years of his contract
That’s why retaining Murphy for one more year is wrong in my view
That shows a lack of foresight

Who did SOS recruit to assist Cripps?

I thought that was the promise/ plan but failed to deliver last 2-3 drafts.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

That was pre Malthouse times.

I don't think anyone has overrated our list other than the media, and the rest of us have had their fingers crossed the High Darft picks will be developed.

I think the issue is with development in the 12 v 12 praccy games.

We have at least 10 or so under 23yo mids.
With Fish finally selected, 5 played last week: Walsh, SPS, Setters, Fish, Kennedy.
Kennedy rotated there. Didn't see Setters in there much.

Basically the midfield group was Cripps, Ed and Kennedy/ Setters

Problem with our depth seems development ... and that's been an ongoing problem we hope is in the past, but......

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Agree we have the players. Now it is down to development. Luke Power been in that role for less than 12 months and came in very highly rated.
You'd think we'd see significant improvement in that area going forward.

You could almost bet your house on it.

We could be playing Adelaide in the final round - with a finals berth on the line

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Our tradition demands success!
Mens sana in corpore sano

Setterfield and Kennedy were the 2 SoS traded to help Cripps long term.
Short term, he tried to get Coniglio, Shiel, Gaff and Kelly but with the little luck. More to do with our progress and external factors.

I would say both have improved a lot this year. Consistency still building, but Setters is at least 3/4 good, Kennedy 3/5.

In respect to our blues ability to make the finals in 2020, I recall Bill Collins race call in a cox plate saying, ...and Kingston town can’t win...so which racehorse won this horse race? Kingston town!!
So we still can make the eight. Beat freo then the suns and we’re six wins six losses or in racing talk, just starting a run coming round the home bend.

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Blue is the colour, Blue is our colourful conversation, football is the game, talking carlton is our aim, we're all together, we're all together, winning is our aim, arguing is a pain, let's debate for gain. .. .!