I said to my daughter a couple of weeks ago (as id have to get her out of school early). We won't go if pouring. Looks like we will make it...just. we heart Peter Dean

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I got back from overseas last night and looking forward to season 2026 and to catch up with the TC Sydney contingent to talk Carlton before the Swans game. I look forward to attending next weeks Lions game, and watching our boys praccy game at Ikon v Cats in two weeks with my TC buddies.

SB is great fun, and he knows his football. He will admit he’s a bit of a pessimist with all things Carlton, and he makes a great point here. Yeah, ithe fixture is always unfair to teams (except Collingwood, Richmond and Melbourne). How much if a hindrance ithe fixture will be for Carlton is debatable.

As always our challenge is to find a way to beat whoever is in front of us wherever we play them. Home advantage is a thing, but apart from a few metres in width and depth, footy grounds are similar in shape, and the rules and weather are the same for both teams.

When the ball is bounced/ thrown up players don’t think about the suburb, city or state. There’s a game to be played. 18 v 18. The best team usually wins. Carlton support is strong in every state and every ground in Victoria. The players don’t feel alienated, and they say sometimes playing interstate feels like a home game, such is the support. Playing either Marvel or MCG is a home game for Carlton.

Hopefully, we have a great year and rise to the top 4 as a powerhouse, and put our club in a position to influence the H&A fixture like Collingwood does. In the meantime, we have a game to play.

It’s easy to find reasons to feel pessimistic, but I don’t think our last 30 years have been shaped by fixture. Just look at last year. Injury was our enemy. Our challenge is for us is to stay fit, and play team football. We have talent and stars on every line.

Our list, and team looks better without Charlie and SOS imo. I feel we will make Finals, and history says we don’t rely on TDK, Charlie or SOS in Finals since 2023. IIRC when we fell 3 goals short of a GF, Pitto was our No 1 ruck. Let the Jagga-Walsh era begin.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

McKay Hayward & Ainsworth > Curnow McKay & Durdin

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Ainsworth is underrated . Reckon he's gonna be the surprise packet amongst that lot .

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All my dangerous friends

Reckon we just lost the one player we couldn't lose. We're going to pay the price for our continued ignorance in recruiting key position defenders and probably means Derksen becomes an SSP shoe in, but not sure he does a whole lot for us. Expectations rise and fall significantly depending on the outcome of Weitering injury

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Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

We haven’t lost Weiters yet, and we will get KPD cover. Weiters will be OK.

At 194cm I don’t think Derksen is a bonafide KPD to handle bigger players like Hogan. A similar stature as Curnow, he may match up with Curnow athletically, but Curnow has him covered in the air imo.

Curnow needs someone bigger or taller, with speed. I think Young will get him if Weiters hasnt recovered in a months time. Who knows, Haynes may be rushed back, a bit underdone to close down Curnow and release Young for MacDonald.

Surely you don’t think Weiters will miss more than a couple games, let alone the season. We have a bye after first 2 games.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Dead right Mick.
He’s quick, smart, elusive, dual sided, tough, team first and knows where the goals are.

Can’t say that about Curnow.
I don’t want a Coleman Medal, I want a Flag.
Can only win one of those with 23 players committed to a team first attitude.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Carlton's Gameplan in 2025 vs 2026 | Titch & Ginni Show - 003

Watch from the 18 minute mark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9brDvdjsJ8

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"I said I'd tell you the truth. Didn't say you'd like it." - Finch

A good watch. The emptying out detail shows exactly why players like Cripps or resting rucks can be a liability when playing as a forward. We saw it numerous times last week where the Swans pushed Gulden behind the ball (including kick ins) and they created the loose man with our unwillingness/inability to chase and pressure. Teams train consistently on how to create and use a spare player. 17 v 18, 5 v6, whatever. The lower the number gets, the more likely they are to exploit you. They torched us with their back half run in the 3rd.

The other thing I noticed last week was the Swans rolling the dice and intentionally leaving a player 10m attacking side of the stoppage in the second half, and allowing us the extra at the ball. The instruction was to just jam the ball forward by any means forward of the contest and they were away. Knock on, scrubber handball, whatever. When it doesn't work, people will saying you're "cheating" or hanging out for the easy ball but when get your hands on the ball inside, everyone's on the same page and it works, teams can put on big scores quickly.

No doubt Richmond will do the same this week. Clubs scout how the oppo exploit you and they'll jump on this one. Usually a half forward will push up or the skinny side wing will man up the loose so hopefully our coaches will have a solid counter strategy.
Let's face it, the spare defender did very little for us last week. Especially Kemp when he had the job. Instead of filling the leading lane or pushing up to become a 3rd man up, he anchored himself as the deepest defender and consistently watch it sail over his head for a goal.
If the spare isn't influencing, change the strategy. Hopefully with Carroll coming in this week, our ability to shift the ball off the line will be further enhanced. He's probably our best exponent of it.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Which had been going on a year and a half
I don’t totally blame the coaching staff
Players as well
But why do we keep playing basically the same players
Make them unaccountable
Drop them
Play kids and see how it goes
There should have been 6 changes this week not 3

Exactly the reason why some of us are frustrated with having everyone inside the contest and not playing anyone outside for run and give. It's just so obvious and frustrating.

Good watch.
Getting quicker players in the middle and in the F50 should help us a lot.
The other thing to note is in the Sydney game their mids kicked 6 goals and ours kicked 0.

A complete waste.

A coach focused on self preservation persisting with failed senior players to grind out the worst wins in our history.

We are in a state of limbo until he’s sacked or he walks.

I think I said somewhere I'd eat andrew walkers hat if carlton only won 5 or 6 games in 2026. I'm looking up some recipes.

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On the evidence of the first two games, we are clearly a bottom 6 side. Probably bottom 4.

Not happy about it but that’s the reality.

Reading between the lines with some of the language coming from the club (players, coaches and officials), the club know this too.

The unannounced rebuild as I posted previously. Can’t openly say this in preseason or early in the year when trying to sell hope.

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We are on our way back...

There is this concept called improvement. Maybe last night was a very low base to start from, & it gets better as these players learn to sync with each other.

We underestimate also how much of a difference guys like Cottrell make. We always look a better side with him in IMO. Would have been handy last night when we needed players to run past for the receive instead of just standing.

Last night was garbage but we get a fortnight break then the dees & North. Let's see how we're tracking after that.

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#DonTheStash

I'm not feeling great but we always struggle against Sydney in Sydney and Richmond.

my fear is the game is even faster, the rigid stand rule, the last touch rule, the new ruck rule, these are all designed to make the game faster, we still seem intent on picking blokes with @#$%&! all speed.

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Because we're an "awesome contested ball team".

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Congratulations CK95

I asked CoPilot what adjustments should be made based on Carlton's 2026 list....

Below is an 2026‑specific revision of the analysis, grounded in Carlton’s actual 2026 list profile and recent structural changes following the 2025 off‑season reset.

This version reflects:
The post‑Curnow / post‑De Koning / post‑Docherty squad
New additions (Hayward, Florent, Ainsworth, Chesser, Reidy, etc.)
Carlton’s revised age curve and list balance going into 2026
Carlton AFL – 2026 Amendments to Selection & Playing Style

Context: What’s Different in 2026
Carlton enter 2026 as a rebalanced but transitional list:
Less key‑forward dominance
More mobile, medium‑sized forwards
Increased reliance on system, pressure and ball movement
A defence still anchored by Weitering but no longer Docherty‑directed
The list profile now forces evolution — which is a positive if embraced. [scplaybook.com.au], [afl.com.au]

1. Team Selection Adjustments (2026)

1.1 Forward Line: Two Talls Max, System Over Stars
With Charlie Curnow gone and Harry McKay as the sole elite key target, Carlton should resist rebuilding the old twin‑tower structure. [carltonfc.com.au]
Preferred forward mix (weekly):
1 true key forward: McKay
1 developing tall / relief option: Kemp, O’Keeffe or Moir
3 pressure / hybrid forwards: Hayward, Ainsworth, Evans
1 rotating midfielder: Cerra / Walsh / Chesser

✅ This supports:
Forward‑half pressure
Cleaner ground‑ball retention
More varied inside‑50 entry methods

1.2 Embrace Speed and Turnover Pressure
The 2026 list has more runners than markers.
Selection priority KPIs should include:
Defensive acts inside forward 50
Efforts to close space post‑turnover
Ability to hit up at half‑forward and link possession chains
This directly suits:
Will Hayward
Ben Ainsworth
Ollie Florence
Campbell Chesser
…rather than over‑playing extra mediums or fringe talls. [scplaybook.com.au]

1.3 Defence: Stability Around Weitering Is Critical
Carlton’s defence now looks like:
Weitering (anchor)
Haynes (experience, short‑term)
Dean / Young (development)
Newman / Saad (rebound)
Key adjustment:
Keep roles fixed, even if names change
No weekly re‑tasking of intercept vs lockdown duties
This matters more because Carlton no longer has Docherty’s organisational voice behind the ball. [carltonfc.com.au]

1.4 Ruck Selection: Pick One, Stick With It
Without De Koning, Carlton must avoid ruck rotation instability.

Selection principle:
One primary ruck (Pittonet or Reidy) for 6–8 week blocks
Second option only used for matchup necessity, not form swings
This reduces midfield disconnect and clearance role confusion. [keeperleag...pod.com.au]

2. Playing Style Adjustments (2026)

2.1 Inside‑50 Method Must Fundamentally Change
Without Curnow, bombing is counterproductive.

Carlton should prioritise:
Low‑trajectory entries to hit leading targets
Chaos balls behind defenders (not to packs)
Mid‑forwards receiving on the move
McKay becomes a space‑creator first, scorer second.

2.2 Transition Defence Becomes the Non‑Negotiable Focus
Carlton’s 2026 list is less forgiving on turnover.

Adjustments required:
One midfielder always stays goal‑side post‑clearance
Half‑forwards start deeper at stoppages
Saad / Newman released one at a time, not together
This sacrifices some rebound flair but stops momentum runs — crucial for a list without elite aerial bail‑outs. [scplaybook.com.au]

2.3 Offensive Chain Building: More Possession, Not Slow Play
Carlton must become comfortable holding the ball laterally.
Target behaviours:
Short kicks across half‑back to draw press
Corridor entry only after shape is reset
Controlled surge, not reactive fast play

This suits:
Walsh
Cerra
Hollands
Florent
…and reduces reliance on contested marking. [carltonfc.com.au]

2.4 Forward‑Half Defence = Selection Gatekeeper
In 2026, forwards must defend or they don’t play.
Non‑negotiables:
First chase before second mark
Lock ball in at all costs
Tackles inside 50 weighted heavily in selection
This is where Carlton wins games without star power.

3. Structural Identity Shift (2026 Reality)

Old Identity:
“Win contests, win air, win games”

2026 Identity:
“Win movement, win pressure, win repeat entries”
This aligns with:

Squad age
List makeup
Coaching restructure
Absence of dominant match‑up monsters [carltonfc.com.au], [en.wikipedia.org]

4. Bottom‑Line Summary

Selection
Two talls max forward
Pressure forwards locked in
Stable defence roles
Single dominant ruck option
Speed‑based tactical sub

Playing Style
Controlled but proactive ball movement
Stronger post‑turnover structure
Less aerial reliance
Higher forward‑half defensive standards

I said to my Blues-supporting mate saying maybe I should send this to Voss. He responded saying just use AI to replace Voss

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Carlton - Nothing's changed
I still love you, oh, I still love you
Only slightly, only slightly less
Than I used to, my love