He'd likely get a game with their VFL team and that's about his level.

What have you heard Surrey?

I can't see Cats looking at Setterfield after they got rid of a similar type in Constable: an inside mid who can accumulate, when in form, but doesn't hurt the opposition.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Atkins doesn't hurt the opposition either. The Cats have turned their game upside down and possibly the approach going forward of most other teams. Blicavs has a defence first approach in the midfield. As does Atkins. Selwood its putting far more time into his opponent as well.
Their focus is stopping the oppositions best mid, applying significant pressure against the next best and using brute force to get the ball going their way at any cost.
They've gone from being a methodical, slow mover of the ball to fast movement and backing in their forwards. Exactly what several of our posters whinge about when we go long to our forwards.
So if Setterfield can stop his opponent and win his own ball (which he showed later in the season), he's as likely as several others to get a game at the Cattery.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Well said BV. The very reason why I feel we are stupid (yes stupid) to even consider trading Setters but what do I know.....

His last two games suggest otherwise . Scott is already laughing at us i.e. Touhy and Grigg . We need more midfielders , not less . You need at minimum six to have the ability to run through there . The bloke has just hit his straps and is coming into his prime . And we are gonna gift him to Scott ?

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All my dangerous friends

The point I'm making is consistency and familiarity is good when you can perform the task better than anyone else but if you can't, you have to evolve. Look at how a player can weaken your opponent instead of just focussing on their individual weaknesses.
Geelong have 1 player in the top 50 centre bounce attendees this year. Cam Guthrie. They've evolved their game style to stay ahead of the curve. They spread the work and rely on removing the oppositions strength.
They're aware that last year they were 14th in the AFL for centre clearances and their list was only slower and older this year. So they manufactured. Atkins is a hack but he is tough, disciplined and he plays a role brilliantly. With Blicavs manning up the bigger bodies, they're 5th for centre clearances this year with less representation from the midfield "specialists". Their game is pressure and brutality.

We had a high quality difference for the first half of the year but teams go to work on you.
In the first 11 rounds we had 162 centre clearances to our opponents 124. We won the ball, handball forward and had quality clearances coming out the front of the centre bounce stoppages.
Rounds 13-22 we had 110 centre clearances to our opponents 131. Our strength was being thwarted and exploited.
So don't just look at the hurt factor of players, you also need players who take away the oppositions hurt.
We have to evolve. Not copy Melbourne or Geelong. Be inventive and courageous. Our better performances were when we took something away from the opposition instead of freewheeling.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Thanks for the education & POV BV Nice.
After 8-2 on the board injuries hit the tipping point.

I'm convinced we have the list to be a Top 4 team.
Acres on a wing, Pick 10, 28 is a nice top up for me.

Pittonet & TDK are our rucks and there's nothing better on offer so he build as they do.
We have the Fab 6 in the midfield group, led by the Brownlow Medallist.

We dont need to get rid of Setterfield for what? A 3rd round pick? 2nd round?
Ed can be rookied and fogarty is the other unknown part.

I'd be happy with that.
I'm sure the brains at the club have your metrics on their spread sheet.
We're lucky to have them here.

Great stuff.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Acres, Pick 10 & 28 should make us much better.

We have a list with much upside. Carroll TDK Motlop Durdin Boyd Kemp Young should improve greatly next year
A fit Williams Hewett Cerra McGovern Pittonet Martin make us much better
We need Cottrell O'Brien to keep improving. Having Acres means they are fighting for one spot

A midfield of Cripps Hewett Walsh Cerra Kennedy Docherty can beat anyone. It's the help they can get around the wings and flanks that will make a big difference

If the 8th or 9th banana is eyeing off 3rd or 4th money, then he should take it wherever he can get it.

But, he can’t get it here.

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

I wouldn't give up Setterfield unless we really had to.

If Setter's has an inflated price tag (whatever that may be), oe he has been deliberately low balled (reflection of his 2022 output before the last 2 rounds), he should be allowed to explore his options.

Dow and Setterfield are good depth players to have on our list.

Will lesser names be able to equal the output of those two, or even surpass them in 2023-24?
Carroll, Kemp, Philp, Cuningham? Can Honey and Durdin build their engines?
With a fully fit list (rarity) are 2022 regulars Fisher, OBrien and Cottrell depth players in 2023?

IMO, list is in a good spot with or without Dow and Setterfield.
Lets face it, if Hewett wasn't out injured with Walsh and Kennedy, then Setterfield would not be playing AFL in rounds 22-3.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Thats it though isn't it Bondi . There is always someone injured . Always . Kennedy , as strong and tough as he is has a poor injury record . And George Hewatt ? great player but with back problems . Does anybody ever recover fully from back issues ? As much as i love George i am on high alert with this guy . Back problems seem to be ongoing .

PS.............how is your young bloke going with his footy ? sounds like he is showing promise .

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All my dangerous friends

I tell you what a fit Hewitt might have just been the big bodied mid that Sydney needed to win a few of those Centre Bounce Clearances last Saturday.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

Yeah , for sure Aggs . And chuck a Will Setterfield in there and they would have made a real game of it .

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All my dangerous friends

Yeah a fit Hewett might have been handy in the last 2 rounds for us.

Good onya Mickstar.

Like Errol Gulden, my boys are Marcellin boys, and mad and proud Carlton fans, and in The Swans Academy.
My son's nicname since he was 6 or 7 was "Silk" because of his skills and ability to make things look easy.
Another coach in U9's named him "Diesel" because of his Carlton roots plus his ability to win ball and connect.

But, now 14, his health hasn't been good for 3 years. In bed most weekdays and gets out of bed to play footy and cricket on weekends.
Amazing the Academy have kept him on the list after cutting 20% of the squad at the end of every year for the past 3 years. They must like him.

We are not of health management now, but unless he plays for Carlton, we are not keen on him taking footy too serious.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Success for the Cats came from success with the rookie selections.

I remember the success we had years ago with rookie selections when our draft selections were generally duds: Jamieson, Thornton, Carrazzo, Joseph, Ellard, Tuohy, Byrne, Gartlett, Ed Curnow ...



https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/09/26/the-underrated-aspect-of-geelongs-recruiting-and-the-best-draft-pick-of-all/

Cottrell, Honey and Boyd are showing promise. Lets hope we improve our free hits (rookie selections) moving forward Mr Austin.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/09/26/the-underrated-aspect-of-geelongs-recruiting-and-the-best-draft-pick-of-all/

Can't afford to waste picks and can't afford to get too many wrong, but there has to be a few Moneyball players to work out. Hewett was a good start.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Yes, agree with that, that's why I got the shits when Carlton fans celebrated wooden spoons in the 00s and 10s,as though building through first round draft picks was a guaranteed success. I blame computer games

Absolutely.


The injury gods were cruel (again) for us this year.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill