I reckon we need a Didak type, here's hoping Jake Edwards can be it - he has the swagger

Almost totally agre Agro.
I loved Earl as our CHF, but I think Kennedy can be more.
This kid needs to be given more responsibility. Let him know he is a main man. For that is what we want fom him.
Our ball carriers should be looking for him.
Yes he will make some mistakes, so be it. If he is half what we think he can be, he'll learn in good time..
He won't learn a lot from being a foil for someone else all the time.
Regards Pedro.

Kennedy will take many more marks than the duke, and with a very good kick for a big kid will convert plenty through the big sticks.

He is still young and inexperienced, and the game style does not suit his ability to dominate in the air.

All this will change given time and a new coach, and believe me Kennedy will take some big pack marks that will blow your mind in the future.

He will eventual replace Fev in the square you would think in 5 or so years.

I would love to give Hartlett a go at CHF as he can take a grab and send the ball in beautifully for a Fevs and Kennedy to dominate in a two prong attack...

Hampson will no doubt pinch hit in the F50 at times causing headaches too.

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What about sending Matty Lappin back down forward and telling him to play a role similar to the one he played 6-7 years ago. He has made all-Australian playing as a small forward. He would add a bit more flexibility and slipperiness to our forward line. If we're just going to bomb it to Fev who will always be 1 vs 2/3 then we might as well have someone like Lappin there anyway getting to the fall of the ball if it comes off hands, helping a bloke like Eddie out.

Something like:

Betts Fev Lappin
Fisher Kennedy Wiggins

It's a shame that Wiggins isn't a great kick because he is one of the better marks in our side (sort of like a smaller version of Fisher in that sense). We need to kick the ball to Kennedy more often, as others have said he needs to lead hard and strong up the middle of the ground and we need to use him. But as I said if we are just going to continue to bomb it in long to Fev against 2 or 3 defenders we might as well get some smalls in for if the ball spills to ground, so get Lappin down there to support Eddie. Incidentally what has been interesting so far is that Fisher is kicking quite a few rover-type goals but not so many from marks as we aren't kicking the ball to him as much for whatever reason. We can't and shouldn't rely on this to continue and this isn't Fisher's role anyway.

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Formerly Blues-Back2003.

A Ryan O'Keefe/Alan Didak type of player up forward would make a big difference. Maybe in a couple of years a forward line of Fevola, Kennedy and Hampson (part time - mainly ruck) will be a handful for the opposition.

I am hopeful that Kennedy will be turn out to be a forward capable of kicking 40-50 goals a year on a regular basis.

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Can't believe I am saying this, but I actually agree with Agro. Also agree with Blues2005.

I like Fev in the goal square. Kennedy leading from around 30-40 out. Fish working the flanks and pockets. And Wiggo leading up the ground. Must have Eddie betts at Fev's feet. Eddie's tackling and pressure in the forward 50 is key for us. Only problem is he leads too much. Leading as a small forward is fine as long as you double back and get to the next contest - ie, Fev and Kenndy's feet. I would also love to see Matty Lappin back in the forward 50. Maybe an option changing with Wiggins. We also need one more player who is a good chaser and tackler in the forward 50.. Gibbs has shown he has excellent tackling skills, the only problem is we want to continue to develop his defensive side in the back half. So its a trade off for immediate gains (playing him half forward) and his development (run with roles and defensive roles in the back half).

Ideally (if development wasnt an issue) the structure would be:

FF Betts Fev Fish
HF Wiggo Kennedy Gibbs

Lappin rotating with Wiggo and Gibbs
Murphy rotating with Gibbs
Fish, Kennedy and Lance rotating

.. ..yeah i agree with this set-uo, except i'd swap wiggins for hartlett.. ..he's also a good mark, and a long penetrating kick which, if he moves it on quick enough,, won't give defenders time to get back and clog our forward-line.. ..wiggins is on the way out.. ..and as much as i've always tried to stand behind the big red, he's just far too out of sorts.. ..i understand the off field dramas and possible injury, but regardless of the reasons or excuses..he's playing terribly up forward and down back..a run in the 2's is silly for good players since the gap between seniors and reserves is too wide to regain form down there..i'd rest him, have him fix his knee, organise his court shit..and train hard..

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I like Fev in the goal square too, with Kennedy about 30-40mtrs out. Fisher & Whitnall in the pockets.

But.....................i just don't think our forward set up is the problem. I just don't think our mind-set going forward is gonna suit any of those players. Put it down to the game plan or inexperience or whatever, but it ain't working.

If we're gonna continue to just bomb it to Fev inside 50 (*shudder*) then i would prefer Fev lead up to a CHF role as Jimmy suggested & leave Kennedy in the goal square.

What i love more than anything about Fev over the past few years is his improvment at the 2nd efforts. When he can't take the mark he will always look for some other way to palm it off to a team-mate. Let that frigen team mate be eddie betts. Run with Fev all day within a 5-10mtr radius.................

Hell, it's not the ideal place i would use Betts but if we're gonna CONSTANTLY kick to him then you might aswell have a pacey forward to crumb.

Fisher..............can take a mark!
Fev.................CAN take a mark!
Whitnall...........can take a mark!
Kennedy..........we drafted him BECAUSE he can take a mark.

So why is it that we only scored 1 goal from a mark inside 50 last week. Just ONE goal! That shows flaws that better be address or something is seriously wrong at Carlton.

I loose count of how many times we just bomb it inside 50 but i STRUGGLE to remember when we hit a leading forward on the chest!

If it we're up to me (yeah, then we'd REALLY be screwed! LOL! - no, just kidding!) then my ideal forward set-up would be.......

F: Betts Fev Whitnall
HF: Fisher Kennedy Edwards

But..................................It would be interesting to see what kind of results we'd get if we swapped Fev with Kennedy's position.

If we are going to continue bombing it inside 50 then atleast work around that. Push Fev up to CHF (atleast that way you'll hit him leading up the ground), Kennedy & Whitnall are good at the contested marks so use them in his place.

Whitnall, unfortunatly is just to slow & to low on confidence to play down back anymore.

Fisher takes the marks that look like they aren't gonna be taken!!!!!!!!! Inspector Gagdet hands i'm telling ya's. But he's kicking is a little of.

Edwards is a good leading & marking forward but is also very effective in the midfield. Tough as nails too.

Can't see why Ackland couldn't drop back there every now & then either?

I think at the end of the day, we just need to change a few things in HOW we go inside 50. We have the Forwards.............GOOD FORWARDS.................but the idea is just not working and we need a new one.

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

Isn't that too tall? Where is the variety in those four? When the ball hits the deck they aren't quick enough/mobile enough to chase their defender. Only Fev has good skills from that group.

Edwards Fevola Betts

Hartlett Kennedy Benjamin

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That's better - Benjamin probably wont be ready for a few years but his mobility is what we need up forward.

i think that would see us pretty sweet.


2 talls-fev, kennedy
2 mids-Hartlett, Edwards
2 quicks-Benjamin and Betts.

I really admire Wiggins endeavour and his courage and persistence but i cant find room for him in the team, and with someone like jake coming through, i think he and fish may be playing for the same spot.

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Back like a raging case of pubic lice

I disagre.................from what i've seen of Kennedy (albeit in the VFL) he is unusually mobile and good at the 2nd efforts for a man his size. Tackle's & Chasing are supurb!
Whitnall, although down on form, is smart enough to know where to direct the ball if a mark cannot be taken...................ditto that with fev.

But when you include a Betts & Edwards into the Forward structure PLUS remembering that we have Murphy & Simmo finding themselves into the F50 quite often then yeah, i think that's got variety!

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

good stuff guys... a good productive discussion without the bagging. I agree with most of whats been said. I like the idea of two-three talls, a mid or two and at least two smalls. We need those smalls as much for crumbing as for tackling, chasing and keeping the ball in.

The thing with Saturday night is that the delivery into the forward line was terrible. The guys have to be smart enough to adjust. If they have three guys on Fev, find the lose guys in the pockets or flanks... or even better, run the ball into the forward line and then short pass to the leading forwards or kick long for goal. Can't bomb it 40-50 metres to forwards... the arc of the ball is just too difficult to take an easy mark. Geelong were so effective in running the ball to the half forward line and then short passing it to leading forwards. A 20-30 metre pass to Fev or Fish is so much more effective than a 40-50 metre bomb/pass.

Grigg may have taken Benji's spot in the forward 50 this week and provided more at ground level.

Kennedy is still young so it's not unusual for a CHF to have a bad game when our midfield was smashed. But he didn't present and lead hard at the kicker when Walker put the ball right out in front of him in the third quarter. He'll get better with more experience and a game plan that doesn't have them outnumbered three to one at every contest.

The Dogs' players didn't come to play yesterday after a great win in round one, but with us it's a reason to whinge and throw the baby out with the bath water when that happens.

I think Effes and Bnz ideas are also where I am at....its that extra mobility and flexibility of Edwards and Benjamin we are missing...or if you like Okeefe/Didak/Oloughlin type players.
These players are not one dimensional..we have too many of the one type(mark and kick) but none of the multi purpose clever type...
Eddie is fine as a our small pocket goalsneak.

Whitnall and Fisher are the players to miss out IMO....

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i think i can see the dropping of wiggins and the inclusion of edwards coming sooner rather than later.

personally i would prefer if it was

In: Edwards, Bower, Hartlett, Anderson
Out: Fisher, Whitnall, Wiggins, Lappin


but there is no chance of that happening.

to me our team looks a lot better as this.

B: Houlihan O'hAilpin Thornton
HB: Bower Waite Walker
C: Simpson Stevens Scotland
HF: Hartlett Kennedy Anderson
F: Betts Fevola Edwards

R: Ackland, Murphy, Gibbs

Int: Cloke, Russell, Bentick, Carrazzo

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Back like a raging case of pubic lice

Me too.

Fev, Kennedy and Fisher as talls. Betts as the midgit buzzer. And then two of Wiggins, Lappin, Simpson, Gibbs, Murphy, Stevens rotating through half forward.

Right, that's it then, selection for this week done!

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Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

No mention of Blackwell or Ryan Jackson coming in as that small forward crumber?

The mids must also share some responsibility for crumbing - the rover (usually Murphy) can also apply that forward pressure. The spare man from the opposition is invariably a midfielder - that midfielder has to stay away from the contest but keep with his man so that he can't just run it out of defence quickly.

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