well done to the boys, but its just pre-season. I want 4 points against Richmond.

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"Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
and that has made all the difference."

Robert Frost

You beat me to it Bunks. Thanks 95perfection. I am in Mexico as you can see. I listened ot it on a shocking stream until 430 a.m. and your comments are a big help. Looking forward to next week. I think we are a show if we all do our bit. Brown will be underdone and I think we might be able to put Santana on him as he has a big body, reads it well and may be faster once he gets loose.
I was a bit confused when we lost Kennedy and put in Bower but played Hartlett in the back half. From all reports he has been playing really well at CHF in the Ants and I was surprised he didn't just slot straight into Kennedy's spot.
I think both Whitnall and Kouta have limited value in this team. We have a young, fast team. Whitnall is still young but not fast and Kouta, well he is neither. Plus he can't kick goals.

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

i was going to post this in the positives thread but figured it'd be safer to put it here, not really keen to be hung, drawn and quartered today.

While we are amazing at our best this year, last night shows very clearly that at our worst, we are still very very woeful.

I am very proud of the boys for what they have achieved so far this year but last night there were some very worrying signs:

Perhaps the most worrying last night was Whitnall. He was slow, cumbersome and got in fev's way on more than one occasion and did not look like a front line player last night, let alone a captain.

Fisher needs to keep his feet.

Still far too many turnovers from silly mistakes and thinking too much about what to do with the ball. from juniour footy onwards, everyone is taught, first option is the best option. murphy epitomises this.

i'll put it down to 3rd game nerves but bryce looked very shaky in a couple of patches last night.


Like i said, im not having a go at the team, @#$%&!, it showed true heart and courage to come back like that, and i think we can beat the lions, but lets just keep it real.


let the criticism of me commence.

i know two people that will do it, just not probably on here.

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Back like a raging case of pubic lice

Almost poetic justic to complete a perfect week.


And what was with the Sunday's pitiful newspaper coverage,

nothing in the Sunday Age - who would normally stop the presses to include anything negative the Super Whore Caro would write about us.

And the Herald-Sun Sports Cover Story is Luke Darcy's comeback over a Semi-Final in the AFL Pre-Season Competition - this from the football newspaper.

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

Winston Churchill

Waite is the one that overthinks more than anyone on the team, Thornton used to do it alot but recently he has improved.

I remember Fisher losing his feet at times as well.... which is pretty much a fundamental.

Gibbs is just practising
didn't you see that move in the 1st quarter

let the criticism of me commence.

i know two people that will do it, just not probably on here.[/quote]

Nah, bnz. I think most was justified. Gibbs still has to adjust to the pace of the game but the commentators on MMM on the net were drooling over his first couple of possessions in the first quarter.

Most of the Whitnall comments have been similar.

Fisher doesn't do enough for mine. If he falls over, that doesn't help but he does have a knack of bobbing up at crucial times.

I think we had a lapse for about 20 minutes but were on top for the rest. Youth and inexperience but the comeback was great.

I doubt we will be thrashed this year by anybody if we can keep the run going under adversity like we did last night. The problem as I see it is that we will revert to our old style if we get too far behind instead of backing ourselves. That's a coaching issue though.

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

I thought we were fantastic last night... Our pressure against the opposition has been first rate since we've started the NAB cup campaign..

Murphy... well, what a star!! Just wait till he gets bigger and stronger! This kid is only half of what he will be in the future and he is a true genuine leader.. And you can always rely on him for some class, his disposal is exceptional.. and can kick those classy goals on the run that most of our players cant... A GUN and there is nothing more to say...

The FEV!.... What a champ, and yeh i admit he wasnt having his best game... but had still kicked 3 goals... His playing for free kicks was a little childish, but overall he booted 8 goals for the night! With more class and better delivery from the midfield, The FEV could yet take another step up this year... One day he will kick 100 in a season... A star spearhead!

Great to see young Hartlett putting in a solid game and finally we have some genuine competition for spots!! And better yet, the competition isnt coming from washed up hacks, but young developing talented kids...

Eddie Betts was just brilliant and i just loved his game last night.. Just about the best i've seen him play and i think a lot of people underestimate him as the one dimensional forward pocket type but i think he's much more valuable tha that! And he's only young and still learning! If he puts in performances like that more often than not, he will have a great career at carlton!

Cameron Cloke against provided a real solid effort and did a great job.. I was pissed off we were taking him but he has really knuckled down.. Good on him.. Ditto Ackland as well.. the two boys are contesting very well..

I certainly like what i see of young Gibbsy! Stevens was very good and may be returning to his best form this year which is awesome to see! Kade Simpson done well, Setanta O Hailpin just continues to take big steps each week and wiped the floor with Thompson.. Jarrad Waite is coming along very well in the backline....

I didnt see many passengers at all last night... except for our captain Lance Whitnall! i dont know why he was chosen and personally would have rathered Stevens or ven the FEV over Whitnall.... I'm hoping its just the pre-season and he will be much better in the season proper.. but our spine is looking pretty good as it is and Lance would wanna make a good contribution....

There is some genuine talent and we are finally reaping some rewards after so much bullshit and pain... Im about to go get the paper and have a read....

Enjoy the day guys and the season as well... because we now have an exciting batch of players to follow and while we will still have our moments when we are not up to it, i think there is a real cause for optimism, and the team is looking good!

Just wait for 2008 onwards... The building blocks are in place for our re-emergence...

Not to mention off the field aswell, with our President Dick Pratt getting the wheels turning...

Yes, it's blue skies ahead at Princess Park!!

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Corinthians 9:6- 8

You are correct BNZ i was on cloud Nine that the Blues showed the ability to turn the deficit around from 37 Down to 25 Up and does show character and should instill more belief in the young group.

I hope we come out all guns blazing for the NAB Cup..... even getting there will have given the group a good start to the season and will do wonders for Members / getting supporters on board / sponsers will like the publicity especially as the Blues still in the spotlight and the media presence on there logos in the paper. Its good to have the media talking about the blues in a more positive light even though they have had several cracks along the way. So we achieved the first goal get to the NAB cup GF.... but under no illusions in how the season will unfold and would rather wait for the first 4-6 rounds before i pass judgement on our prospects and individual players....

Essentially i have seen some great glimpses
Murphy: just backs up what we saw last year the real deal no ifs or buts even though i have never thought otherwise
Betts: Really stepped up and seems to have more endurance and definately his defensive pressure seems to be delivered much better this season so far. Looks much more dangerous than he was last year.
Gibbs: i have seen what makes this kid good he is also the real deal just needs to get to the Pace of senior AFL his kicking and disposal is sublime except for that one clanger dunno where that came from. His ability to make judgements you can see already .... his current weakness is his body with lack of physical size but i think that will be corrected pretty quickly over next 12 months.
Cloke: Surprise package didnt expect much but so far he has done everything you could ask and i guess if he maintains his enthusiasm / training and dedication to succeed he could be the Bryan we wanted but never got. Think The pies will be dudded a second time first Scotland now cloke both may come back to bite em well Scotland definately has already.
Russell: Again has started to establish himself and seems like its a win win for himself and blues since he decided to stay.. he looks like he stepping up and showing the potential we all expected.
Hartlett / Santanta / Waite / Kennedy and there are a few others ..... think all will start to feel they are all part of something good and new.

About season proper as in 2005 we all went one step ahead of ourselves and am sure we wont repeat the mistake.. If they can improve and settle and work together like they have shown in the NAB aim to be consistant ... put in 3-4 quarters prefferably 4 Quarters it will start to bear fruit. It seems different but 4-6 rounds in the season will give us a much better indication.

Re Lance / Kouta / Lappin with question marks again really cant comment so far has been a mixed bag on all 3 and if you look at positive and maybe preseason issues off field distraction .. lance and kouta. I prefer to think that they will all be scrutinised on how they lift and the difference now is that all 3 are replacable with hungry young options ready to step up. They either pick up there pace, be fit and offer experience and input to the side or they should be under no illusions that there are kits that will fill there position. We Havnt had that luxury in the past we are starting to get in that position by 2008 that will be far more prominent.

So far Stevo out of the more senior experienced players ie Lappin / Kouta / Lance and Stevo. Stevo is the only one who has stood out and in the end could easily take over the Captaincy. I wont be negative out any at this stage of the season we have won 3 of 3 but like always will watch how they go come the season proper its up to them and all of them are now not certain starters except maybe Stevo. Lance has been given captaincy and its up to him, he can get back to early 2006 form be an asset and lead this young group to early season success or if he fails to lift his standards thus far he should be judged just like any other player same with Kouta and lappin. We now have options to cover all these guys now and that can only be a good thing as we improve the list depth.

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CFC TAC Squad everyone over 25 must be traded sounds like Loguns Run

For FLOWER SAKE will you people putting question marks on Gibbs just give it a rest for even a nano second. What the FLOWER do you want from him. He is an absolute baby in football terms and he stepped around some of the opposition last night like they were standing still.

The contested ball he won on the wing to hand off to Simo in the last when it was 2 on 1 was what you can expect. Smarts, composure and awareness.

Just lighten the hell up on him and think before you post. He is not Judd, he is not Murph. He will be a 250 game player for CFC and I dare say 80% of them will be crackers.

Regards Cazzesman

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Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

Heard on the radio that Whitnall had a total of 11 possessions in the last two games.

Captain material?

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************************************************************
NOW YOU'RE JUST SOME CLUB THAT I USED TO KNOW.

Its amazing hey Cazz. Still negativity amongst a great win last night.

Of course he is going to be nervous, on the radio he is being compared to Selwood, Murphy etc.

He USED to barrack for the Kangaroos, how do you reckon he felt last night. He was bloody amazing I reckon, that first point he kicked had me gasping for air.

Those player baggers out there, no one can possibly dispose of the ball perfectly every time, especially the young guys. Now Lance being unfit, and slow and not chasing is a different matter............

I still believe Big Red has something to offer.

But should he not deliver, would he be dropped? How often does a club captain get dropped due to lack of form?

Would the match committee be prepared to cop a bit of egg on its face for the sake of overall team performance?

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THEY LIKE TO SEND UP!!!!!!!!

Until each team plays each other the same number of times, the AFL, as a fair dinkum competition, cannot be taken seriously.

He (Mr Swann) said the honour and pride associated with the club's traditional navy blue jumper was priceless.

Never was imo

Nothing positive to our game last night?

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Oompa loompa doompety dee
If you are wise you'll listen to me

I agree re Gibbs. Don't compare him to Judd, or even to Murph.

Judd is a freak. Murph is an old soul in a young body, and has potential for a Judd-like early career.

Gibbsy is a super talent and must be given time to work his way into senior AFL.

You know what?

I love the fact that Gibbs has had three quiet games.

You know why?

Because the attention is diverted elsewhere. The attention is on the team, Fevola, O'hAilpin, Stevens, Murph etc.

I love it.

Had the same thing occured two or three seasons ago, there would have been a few articles already about why Gibbs hasn't performed.

But boy he looks good doesn't he?! I like his skills and his dash. However, next week, I'd stick him in a forward pocket. I like the fact that Denis has faith in him to chuck him in the guts for a quarter or two, but I'd like to see him slot into a forward pocket and run amok.

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Writer for SuperCoach Paige www.scpaige.com.au
Twitter - @johnfeeney24

BNZ, bit of a silly comment there mate. Third game of AFL football.

Echo the comments re: Lance in this thread, but like Mordan said, maybe we should judge him after 4-5 games in the REAL season before hang drawing & quartering him, huh?

One of the most pleasing aspects of the side is the fact that we have DEPTH, after so many years of gap filling. Kennedy out -- Hartlett in. I thought it was a great first up game from him, he presented really well.

Bentick in the second half was very strong in the packs. Very happy that he drilled that pass to Fev on his chest in the third quarter -- great to see him linking up successfully like that.

And good to see Houla have a good game -- with more support from the younger blokes Hoops & Stevens will hopefully be able to take games from the scruff of the neck.

Very happy at the moment. Bring on the Lions!!

Gee, I don't think I saw Houlihan miss a target all night and was close to best on ground.

Liked his work from half back and his delivery into our forward line was as crisp as they come.

Bentick and Eddie have such clean hands in the packs. The amount of times Bentick got a clean handball out to someone when he had 3 or 4 Roos jumping on him was something to see.

Doing the #7 guernsey proud.

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Writer for SuperCoach Paige www.scpaige.com.au
Twitter - @johnfeeney24

Gibbs ... Murph.... Betts.... Stevo..Simmo this looking like a talented Midifled or what

And i agree wih all other Gibbs the real deal i have no problem of what he has done or what impact he makes he is just sublime in his awareness and disposal

Cripes why even question marks on Gibbs the other top picks like Burger / Hanson / Gumbleton / Hawkins have not done much so far but i have no doubt they will be very good future players.

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CFC TAC Squad everyone over 25 must be traded sounds like Loguns Run

I saw 3 things in the last year to see what I needed to see:

Murphy's first game; 15 posessions and 3 passes to Fev; I was convinced and excited about the 18 yo's future at CFC.

Kennedy taking a pack mark against Geelong, when he was out of position; he won that with strong body work, a tidy spring in the heels and very very strong hands....I was convinced and excited about the 19 to's future at CFC.

Gibbs' first touch, clean, under pressure baulk, baulk, baulk shot ar goal...should have been a goal, but was pretty amazing...I was convinced that this 17 yo has a brilliant future ahead of him with CFC.

Now Bower, Setanta, Russell, Simmo, Carrots, Fish and Waite have stepped up...I'm convinced they will have a fantastic future for the CFC in the decade ahead.

If you've played footy at a high level, you will know the value of the Bentick types. Every team needs one, and there is no one else close to bentick in the things he does. He makes the tough going easier for the rest around him. Bentick adds value.

It's too easy to ignore Bentick's value when we have so much young classy talent. It happens to me when I try and fit everyone of those classy talented kids in the first 22.

But when I think about the game for real, against the mature bodies of the elite teams' midfields, I always slot in the tough small blokes like Bentick and Carrots to match them; we don't have much option in such a young team.

They're not peripheral but central to a game plan that requires plenty of run and skill; the reason...you've got to stop the opposition getting the nut in the clearances to avoid chasing tail, and on the flipside, you've gotta get the hard nut in the trenches, sometimes against 2 or even 3 opponents; Bentick has the strength and stamina to do this for our club.

Bentick will get better with experience, and refinement of his skills. People tend to forget he's only 22, and he hasn't played his 40-50 games yet.

When the going gets tough, Bentick steps up.

Bentick at 22 = Ratten at 22 (for those who remember him at 22)

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue