I would have thought the emergencies went over with the team.

@#$%&! all else going on with yet another VFL bye.

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

I’m tipping 99’s WhatsApp ‘mates’ - guaranteed to be highly credentialed ITKs - are all bots that have come to rip him off, but spend most of their time talking him off a ledge.

It’s easy to fall for the AI catfish when 11 fingers and 74 teeth on the top row is what greets you in the mirror each morning.

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

Our defensive stats are a bit flattering. Deadset horrendous ball movement will do that.

So many chains broken by fumbles that become rushed, weak disposals. Turning what should be uncontested ball into 50-50s. Pressure mounts, then whooshka, back it goes.

Credit to them, they play through it. We’re as good as you’d want to be for forward half intercepts, tackles, crumbs, loose ball… there’s effort on display.

I don’t know that we cheat at the contest. There’s nothing on the list that’s going to improve our spread without getting bullied at the coalface. That’s just the reality of our regeneration. The Smith-Camporeale-Walker era is a little way off.

Maybe the ruck gather (which is working for us, so far) could come with a handball over the congestion, or into it, if he gets turned around. It’s becoming a tad predictable.

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

I love your optimism and hope we can turn it around

In 2023 of the 6 of 7 losses the win was against West Coast. 4 of the losses were against top 8 sides and the other 2 losses finished 9th and 10th
We won 9 of the next 10 home and away games
6 of those wins were against teams at the bottom end of the ladder .
We had 3 wins against top 8 sides
Port which was the start of a 4 game losing streak for them
Melbourne by 4 points with a dodgy call that went our way
We beat eventual premier Collingwood
We lost to GWS in the Curnow Coleman game.

Whilst 2023 was a great ride it masked some list deficiencies and instead of strengthening the list we thought we were good enough and went in trying to do rebuild with the draft.

Macrae said i want players not picks that strategy currently has them 2nd on the ladder
Where they can enter a game missing 3 of their better players against last years grand finalists and win comfortably because they brought in depth.

Carlton has done the complete opposite and as you rightly stated we have been missing our forward line and have zero depth to fill the void

Collingwood lose 2 forward and half back flanker and go out and put swans to the sword

We lose 2 forwards and a half back flanker and lose to last years wooden spooners

We have been a house of cards ready for collapse and blind Freddie could see it but Austin and his recruitment team couldn't

Sent from my SM-F956B using Tapatalk

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

to BV; the cheating i'm referring to, is we send an extra player to every contest, who stands on the defensive side of the contest. and most teams has worked this out, and they get their spare player, and let them roam free in defense - dogs letting Jones roam free to intercept and double charlie etc, great example.

thing is, yes, it's starches us up defensively and our defensive numbers look good. but there's no going forward from the contest. hence the long bombs to no one.

maybe what Cru said is true, i hadn't thought of it like that before. our list is cooked and we can't afford to send even numbers to the contest and run and spread from them if we win stoppage.

and really ... none of this explains why we are vfl standard at defending stoppage. second season in, and this hasn't been addressed. sending the extra player isn't working.

Shame on you.

If you've had enough, don't watch.
Of course you will. We all live in hope.

You're lying to yourself in an attempt to prove your disappointment.

I get it. Everyone has different coping measures.

Enjoy the game. The weather has turned it on for you

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

If we win today, I'd like it to be emphatic.
10 goals would be nice to get us back to 100%.

And put Elijah in.

Did you watch the preseason games Trav? Did you at least hear who was showing something? Who surprised? Who has their hand up for a spot? Who showed the spectacular?

Despite good form, the round 1 team didn't reflect the selections. I've been onto that since the first bounce of the year.

Fantasia was one of our best 5 players. Carroll was great. Lucas was great. White was very good. Young looked much better playing FB against Harry. Harry was in top form, kicking a couple goals every praccy game in first quarter then going off, even kicked 8 in a half against DGB, Smith looked amazing, Cerra back to his best....

WE wont see Smith, who we lost to injury, Harry hasn't really played, Carroll finally making his debut in round 5, White last week, in round 4, and Fantasia, when fit will help our transition game, more than you want to believe. Have to reward form players.

I don't want us to change our defensive mindset, and the return of Harry is HUGE. The selection of quick players Carroll and White is warranted, and the return of our best small forward is further reason that our season can be back on track.

The difference between the camps within the Carlton brethren is, not to be confused as the optimists vs the pessimists is

Group A Pick a Team to Play to win. To give us a chance.

Group B Play to develop the kids ... hoping we lose, to prove a point about the kids, or have an excuse for the loss.

Sorry, but that is ridiculous after 4 rounds of footy, and not an enjoyable state of mind to watch footy imo unless you're a masochist, or an attention seeker....

We are the No 1 team for defending ball movement. Full stop.
That is so important in the modern game, only fools would dismiss that.
You start with defence and we've got that right despite the fumbling hands, missed opportunities, and missing our 2 best kicks in defence.

Our season is only beginning. I hope you enjoyed the warm up.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

You watch the games close.
Tell me was it Durdin's ability or the role he was playing as small forward in the backline plugging holes that influenced your decision?

I'm curious. I am really shitty that we have 9 small forwards on our list. Tell me which ones are better than Durdin?

IMO Durdin has the most potential to succeed, and I dont expect Fantasia to play beyond 2025.

AS long as Durdin stays in the forwardline, he will put more pressure on oppo defenders more than any other, because of his desire, effort and natural speed. I'm not saying he's got tricks like Eddie Bettes, but neither do any of our small forwards. Motlop goes for snaps, but he only kicks one in 5 when he could have found a team mate.

Watch Durdin today. I'm expecting he will make a huge difference to our forwardline.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Injury derailed Collingwood last year. Same list as their premiership year. They didnt make the finals. We did.

You are wrong to say we won only x amount of games in the 2nd half of the year, because with up to 17 out injured we could only bring our VFL team to the field to play.

I know injurywill determine who makes the Finals and who doesn't.
We all know, that you only need to be 5% down on effort and form, and you will lose to any team in bottom 8. That goes with anyone.

Its only 4 rounds down, and we have players, important players coming back.

Our best kicks are Newman and Boyd in the defense (both missing), Fantasia in forward half (imjured), Elijah (out), Cincotta as our tagger/ versatlity (injured).

Our defence is sound. Our mids are sound. Lets see if we can fix the forward connection with a few tweaks and our spine back in place before we throw the baby out with the bath water.

We are all shitty at 0-4, but lets not drag this club down to match supporter vitriol and conjecture.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

That's the only way a win will be a great win.

10 goals.

Not just for percentage, but because we didnt spill the ball, fumble the ball, handball to feet, bomb it no noone....

I heard the players are a bit nervous about the game. About time they showed a bit of nerve.

I expect to see a steely resolve amongst the players before the game and again at half time befor ethey run out to WAR!!!!!

4 quarter effort against a team who think can beat us after their great 3/4 effort against the reigning Premiers.

This is a huge game for us and our season.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

i just think durdin is miles off. he tries, he works, he has pretty good pace.

his instincts to be where the ball is; read the drop etc, just aren't there. his skill, illusiveness and creativity with ball in hand, is not there. he's a faster version of fog, with less mongrel.

in a good team, he's depth and that's it, imo. someone who will try his hardest and give his all for a span of weeks filling in for your injured number 1, 2 or 3 small forward.

wrong

Vossy gave a derved kid a spot for his Debut

White's speed remains

Boyd the surprise.

Vossy must have totally surprised you braithy. Don't tell me your a fan now?

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Emergencies and Newman with no VFL game on.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

I can't find that post in this thread stating we have been playing praccy games till now, we have given teams a 3-4 game start on us and our season has just begun this round.

I will look for it later. Must be in first coupla p[ages.

Blinkers on. The past is the past.

We move forward. WE seek our goals. We do our best. Play as a team.

We are here for a win...one week at a time.

Plucking an Eagle or 23 today.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

i was wrong about the carroll kid. hopefully he's as good as what you say, and the occasion doesn't overawe him.

gov and doc keeping their spots is what i was mainly referring to, tho. voss rarely drops a vet in favour of a kid, no matter how much it's deserved.

doc would have been my first omission after last weekend. watching him shirk it in front of ollie is a horrible look. watching him jog while sidebottom - who's older, streaks past him time and time again. that's some non negotiable acts he's been getting away with every since the lions semi final last season.

The challenge is that if we win this game, it wont tell us much. It might put some belief back into the players but even that will only go a short distance unless backed up next week and then from there.

Obviously, if we lose it will be a watershed moment.

But even if we win by 10 goals+, there will still be massive questions.
What I’m looking for, beyond a big win, is a strong, consistent performance for all four quarters, irrespective of the scoreline. Im looking for selflessness amongst the playing group. Putting their bodies on the line when called to do so. Passing to a player in a better position. And not doing dumb things like 3 players all rushing the ball carrier leaving easy to hit free opponents. And I'm looking for hand passes hitting chests or outstretched hands, not the feet, of teammates.
If the ball is bombed into the forward line (which I hope I don’t see) I hope our talls intentionally palm it down to well placed crumbles rather than attempt an impossible mark.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1297072/matt-owies-on-tough-call-to-move-to-west-coast-eagles-weird-feeling-of-facing-old-mates-at-carlton-blues
A good article on Owies.
He was a Blue at heart.
I still think it was a mistake to get rid of him and his defensive pressure, especially when we added a player like Evans. FMD.

I still hope we stitch them up though.