I think the Value of Bentick and co would show up if we compared the clearances between the 2 teams

From what i am aware of the Blues had 40 Clearances to the Kangas 26 that is a lot of the reason why we won this game and that has to come from Bentick / Carrots who are the in and under players

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

Bnz, you just gotta enjoy the ride and have faith in the club that they will ensure we improve over the year.

The improvement in terms of setup , structure and run this year has been as good as anyone could have expected from the side that came 16th. Our attack has been ferocious and attitude good.

True, when we make mistakes were woeful but thats true of any side in the comp, cos the opposition consists of 18 super athletes (in most cases) that arent very forgiving.

Gibbs will be a star, he has poise and skills, ok he maybe made a mistake but who didnt, what about the half volley pick up, the tying up of 2 defenders and handball to Simmo, the kicking etc

Were looking OK , if anyone told me this would be the outcome last year id take it in a flash

Gibbs is finding the pace of the game a bit more difficult than Murphy did first up...the SANFL game is more open and you have more time and he just needs to adjust and get used to thinking and acting a bit quicker.
He has all the skills as he showed early in the game when he baulked a few players and just missed a goal.
Like Adam Cooney i think he will have a fine second half of his debut year after a slow start initially...weight of expectation isnt helping him either...

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Just received a barrage of SMS and voice mails from Jars and KK asking for the result.

I take it my last 1/4 text updates weren't received

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Richard Pratt - A Carlton legend.

* - Bentick's best game for the club by far. Just looked untouchable in that last quarter and a half.

* - I'd dare say that Ryan Houlihan is now in our 5 most important players at the club. Don't think he missed a target last night by foot. Smokey for All Australian I think.

* - Could almost consider Cloke as an extra midfielder, did some nice things when the ball was on the deck in the first half. Try as I might not to get what can be called the Callum Chambers Hard-On, I can only be impressed by his efforts so far.

* - Hartlett showed a bit. Racked up the possies pretty quickly too. Takes a grab better than Kennedy does too.

* - As much as Whitnall is currently a liability, he's nowhere near the liability to the side that Kouta is. I'd be dropping Kouta before Whitnall.

* - If Denis still has any control over who plays what and where, I could see Gibbs being dropped for next week's game, as a way of attempting to toughen the kid up mentally. You wouldn't drop him based on form/skill etc, but I do have to wonder whether he is emotionally mature enough for league level, given he is bottom age. Maybe I'm just reading into that shonky torp attempt a bit too much.

* - Would it be fair to say that Kade Simpson is one of the top 5 best outside, running midfielders in the comp at the present time? Judd - Black - Dal Santo - ? - ?

Nope, and I was breaking the golden rule of no mobile phones in the cinema as well to read the updates, I was also breaking the other golden rule of no football while out celebrating my wedding anniversary!

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|♥♥♥♥♥♥| http://www.blueseum.org |♥♥♥♥♥♥|

Shit. Dunno what happened. Sorry guys.

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Richard Pratt - A Carlton legend.

Dropping Gibbs would be a mistake...he is developing a rapport with Murphy in particular and I want that combination getting as much game time in the seniors as possible...
Nothing wrong with his mental side either...he is tough enough...just needs more games in a quicker more physical environment.
Cooney and Griffen took their time...not everyone is a Judd ..slowy does it for Bryce Gibbs will be fine...

re: Ryan Houlihan....loose down back picking up kicks is an easy gig as Lance can tell you from last year. I think Houlihan is a liability on the last line and gives away goals.....wouldnt be anywhere near in my best 5...as I rate the role he is playing with a low degree of difficulty....

Hartlett did do well and has nice skills...always remember JK's second efforts..he isnt as showy as AdamH but he does all those 1%ers and keeps on keeping on....

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Agree. Gibbs will be a gun. Just a question, in regards to his thumb injury, is he still affected by it? He seems to have changed his kicking action since I saw him in the carnival last year, and could this be due to the thumb injury. It may explain the wobbly kick he had from the set shot.

I reckon he could benefit from a full 4 quarters of football too. I get the feeling the coaching staff are still a little unsure as to whereabouts to play him either.

No doubt he'll come good eventually. However, I reckon Blackwell deserves a run more, and it'd be the sort of mental toughness thing that Pagan thrives on.



It sticks out like dog balls how well he uses the ball coming out of defence though. He never once looked like missing a target. Walker would probably hit a bloke on the chest 3 times out of 3, Thornton, Waite and o'hAilpin probably 2 out of 4. Whilst the role of the loose man is fairly low on the pecking order, it's still great to have a bloke who can capitalise on it and minimises the risk of having a rebound back into our forward 50, as opposed to say a Jason Cloke?



I reckon JK has a lot more physical presence, and is moreso a "natural" CHF than AH, however, the extra year of development helps a lot.

whitnall should be dropped for the grand final

prefer harts and jk than whits and jk

Not since just after the AWWWWW STEVENS goal.

I thought you were just keeping me hanging because you're a bastard!

I totally ruined my North loving mate's night/morning!

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

But he won't - sadly if the last two weeks are anything to go by.

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"our electorate seeks less to be informed and more to be validated." Sad times.

Totally reckon Carrots deserved a mention. Was a contributor again.

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The problem will be made. for the solution to be sold, to your face before your eyes, tolerance is now the new danger

I'll only say this once. Lay off Lance. For starters he is OUR Captain and deserves respect just for that simple fact. he has done nothing but slog his guts out and bleed blue blood his whole career. His short comings are well documented ie lack of pace and weight...didnt stop him winning b&f last year and kicking 70 goals in a year a couple of years back. In fact for those who claim that their hearts pump blue let's look on the positive side of this. We have a guy who is our Captain who is a magnificent talent. He's been a bit down but look how much we can improve with him picking up. How long have we longed to have Lance as the Third forward. He is going to creme opposition 3rd talls, he's as smart as any going around on the field. You never see the scum or filth degrading Hird or Buckley so let's not do it to OUR Captain. He will influence many games this year and with Waite going back he is the perfect 3rd tall up forward. This is going to be a very exciting season.

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Succumb to your highest emotion!!!!

So you don't think his family being torn apart and the media beating it to death isn't having an effect on his footy. It would effect anyone. You don't drop your Capt for a GF. Have you know common sense?

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.”

in all honesty, i dont really indulge and disect what goes in players personal lives.
if it's effecting his on field performance the more the reason to drop him.

Welcome to Talking Carlton, and meet Cazz......

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Supporting the Blues No Matter What

Having watched the game a second time I've been able to scrutinise more closely.

Everyone played well. When the Kangas got a run in, I can say that they got their goals by taking chances and not by bad play from the Blues.

I don't think Lance played badly, I think he was just not involved in this game. A closer look and you see a lot of our big guys, in and out of the game...its just the way it was.

If I was to be critical of anyone, I would have to say that I expect Ackland to run harder, and respect the 3 years Carlton has committed to him for the first ruck position.

Don't get me wrong because I like what Ackland can offer, and the good Ackland was good for about 35 mins last week, but the bad Ackland this week was very lazy for the duration of the game other than when the ball came to him.

So the upside is that he has more to offer. Cloke has been the find so far of the 2 ruckmen.

I will say this, I will scrutinise him more intensely in future, and I'll have no passengers in the 2007 Blues team, and will be critical of him where criticism is warranted. he's on notice; he's on my radar. I will not accept laziness, and I don't believe for a minute that Lance was lazy.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Drop him... too slow.. and is a liability.
Captain or not he is showing nothing ... unless hes doing it all behind closed doors.
If he has personal issues give him 6 months to get his head sorted out ...

He will play the odd good game or the odd good quarter... but hes too slow and the ball was rocketing out of the half forward line when he was on the ground....
That has nothing to do with his headspace and everything to do with his capabilities...


Give Hartlett a go in the forward line.

There is no way youd put games into Lance right now before Fisher Kennedy Hartlett and Fev.
Rhere is no way youd put games into Lance in the backline at this point of our development before you play games into Setanta Waite T Bird Bower..(and Austin coming up) and if you did how long would you be looking at not playing some of them so you can sneak a slow Lance into a side in this day and age??
Lance is disposable...

Unless he can reinvent himself to run faster .. jump higher.. kick off more than one step (because he cant get back fast enough to move the ball on) take a contested mark.. etc...

Really.. if you have a look at him there has been some gross negligence by whoever chose him as captain...

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