Our list isn’t that bad!

We just aren’t developing our players quickly enough because we give our players negative roles rather than trusting them...

Look Walker had a bad day today, but I couldn’t believe it when he was tagging Pendlebury...

Pendlebury is in his second season and we have our main young core players still doing tagging jobs, even worse tagging a second year player...

While Pendlebury, Thomas etc are getting told to back themselves, take runs and chances...Pagans telling Walker to tag, Gibbs to tag, Russell to tag!

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"Dont count the games, make the games count"

One reason for this might be that we do not have the senior players to lead and this necessitates the younger guys having to step up and they are not ready for it.

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

Pros:

- We never gave up like we did against the Saints when the run was on.
- We tackled hard and stuck up for our mates.
- Saddington played the type of game that made him such a good player for Sydney prior to injuries.
- Murphy, Gibbs, Carrazzo, Scotland, Fisher were all solid.
- Was very happy with the MC positional match ups. Carlos needed to have the leash taken off and he played Ok in the ruck. Saddington gave us some solid game time and experience.
- We conceeded basically 20 goals again.

Cons:

- We are like a pancake factory, turn it over ever few minutes.
- Lack of help for Eddie chasing and crumbing up forward.
- We won't win another game until we kick 20 goals in the match.
- We have no midfield after 3/4 time. They are stuffed and out of run.

Fabulous, you need to understand the influence guys like Burns, O'Bree, Lockyer, Holland and Didak have on the younger players. These guys take the heat of the kids and allow them to play uninhibited as such. It is simply a lack of senior, seasoned players that we lack at present.

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Mjonc signing off at 8888

I must have been at a different game today if the consensus is that Saddington was good! Why the hell is he being played? Did his form in the Bullants warrant selection?

Why was Blackwell dropped? Anderson the same.

And for those who would be happy with 6-8 meaningless wins this year wake up to yourself. We have a long way to go in rebuilding this team and I for one don't wan any shortcuts taken (like recruiting duds like Saddington).

I want the priority this year and I don't give a stuff what others say.

Blackwell was dropped because you can't play both him and Bentick in the same side, especially against a quicker team like Collingwood. Bentick's tackling and body size is what gives him the edge at present.

As for Saddington, watch the game again and give credit when it's due.

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Mjonc signing off at 8888

I also thought Saddington played really well

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Cheats never prosper (except in the AFL)

Just on the Bentick and Blackwell issue I would like to here Pagans press conference after the game again. He was asked a very good question "Have you any mid fielders pushing for selection" he touched on Blackwell and I'm sure he mentioned something about the challenge of playing Bentick & Carrots in the same side. Did anyone else here this?

If we are to be any sort of force again the likes of Bentick and Carazo won't be part of it. Neither is up to it and those who are honest in thier assessments will agree. Saddington is in the same boat. Why the hell did they play him?

Ross Young? What were they thinking? How he got a game against the Saints escapes me. And then to retain his spot ahead of Blackwell the MC must be joking.

I would rather see Blackwell (who shows some class), Anderson & Hartlett (in defence).

Positives

Saddington was serviceable
Scotland as usual
Simpson gave his all and played well
Carrots got heaps of the footy
Murphy had a great start to the game

Negatives

Why do we use early dratft picks (Walker and Russell) in such negative roles. Why would Walker play a negative tagging role on Thomas. Why can't some of our young guns be given the freedom to strut their stuff? Thomas in his second year being tagged by a young gun selected number two in the draft and in his 4th year of footy Walker was almost used in each position today. For flower sake let him develop on the wing or on the ball.

Lance playing well in the last two weeks starts in the back line


Ackland - what the flower

Now I accept Houlihan assists with at least three goals a game but he is so lose in defence. Didak got the 4 easiset goals he will ever get. Houlihan has not one defensive bone in his body. Must play forward of the centre.

Seriously, Young is not up to it. Mentioned this last week and once again he is not the future. Ando and Blackwell should have played before him. Heath Shaw is a very good player and he really towled up Ross today.

Pros

- Eddies tackle on that tool Holland
- Mark Murphy - Sheer class..That mark running back was sensational
- the fight...we needed to show teams that we will not stand for MM being pushed around illegaly..First time in a long time
- Whitnall on Rocca (bar for 10-15 mins in the 3rd)
- Ohailpin did well in the ruck
- Bryan showing everyone, including a lot of people on this board, why we let him go
- JK showed some great signs, especially early


Cons
-Ackland showing everyone, including a lot of people on this board, why Stkilda let him go
- JR was soft on a couple of occassions. Have been a fan of his this year, but needs to watch Murphy's effort and learn from it
- Denis Pagan.Has no idea on how to use the bench.
- Denis Pagan, signs Ackland for 3 years.
- Denis Pagan, Picks Kouta to play yet refuses to use him. We are so full of quality at the moment we can afford to play 1 short so we can ease him into action.
- Denis Pagan. Changes Waite to the forward line and his opponent scores 3 in the last. Change is made when we are down by 1 point
- Denis Pagan. Picks Bower and then keeps him off the field as Kouta's chaperone for the day. We are effectively 2 short for the day..Any wonder we tired in the last.
-Denis Pagan. Midfield rotation.Even put Young or eddie or Houla in the middle for 5-7 minutes per quarter to give the other guys a rest.
-Denis pagan....oh well you get the drift
-Umpiring (again)

This is a big issue at Carlton - Players like Walker (who was tagging Thomas in the 1st half, yes tagging Thomas!!! ) need to play with the flair they did as juniors.

Josh Kennedy needs to learn to take one grab marks - drops too many marks for a tall - needs to go back to the twos for confidence.

When is Gibbs going to get a run in the middle and be creative?

The young players are being burnt out by Pagan. He will not see 2008 - mark my words.

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For some silly reason, you people want to assassinate him, and it's just rubbish. You people. All of you, ALL of you!

I agree Wangers, I feel for Walker. What the flower are we doing with this kid What position are we developing him in? is he a back, on baller or a tagger. He was a gun junior playing attacking football and we have him starting back today on Thomas. At any other club Walker would be the player being tagged.

Russell was picked at selection 9, at the time he was playing half back in the sanfl. Are we trying to turn him in to a tagger as well. Many have suggested he isn't the toughest player going around. May be we should use him on the hbf running straight and allow him to use his best assets PACE and SKILL. He is no good in traffic and in close.

+ Carlos is developing well, he just needs to be able to dispose more effectively
+ Lance is beginning to fit the shoes - 'bout time!
+ Matty Lappin!
+ Eddie Betts!
+ We can fly the flag!
+ No blatant flower-ups (from my memory at least)
+ At least there are two other teams more-crap than us

-- Geelong can't play when it matters, although watch this space if they win tomorrow: we can't play for four quarters (or when it matters)
-- Murphy on the bench for too much of the game
-- The two teams who are more-crap than us can either play for a whole game or fold from the outset (could this be a positive?)
-- We really missed our star injured!
-- Where was Kouta?!
-- We let it go!
-- We lost
-- The Filth won
-- It doesn't look good for us next week!

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[Sam Jacobs] looks like a 7' Lance Whitnall, and [Mitch Robinson] looks like a 4' Lance Whitnall
(The SEN team during the Carlton v Cats 2009 pre-season match)

Pro - I just figured out how to maximise my time in the office

Con - I will miss the interaction with some of TC's more insightful posters.

Not one word of useful information in here. Only Sparky was making sense, but he fu*ked up.

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

I was at the same game you were KERMIT.

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

Setanta & Murph were terrific.

Saddo stood his ground and took some important marks. Good game from him but he's not the future.

Fish is a marvel ...so important to the team.

Scotto was good again as was skinny.

Lots of cons but I can't be arsed going through them.

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There's so much I could say...

There's been a lot of talk recently about great hands. Apparantly Polak has great hands.

Fisher has the best hands in the AFL, and would have some of the best in history. Its amazing how the ball just sticks and how he plucks them from the middle of a pack against much bigger bodies.

Credit to Fev too. When we get the ball in quick so he's one on one and spot him up rather than bombing it in, he's almost unbeatable one on one.

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

Pros
Battled oin okay with depleted side, really missed Cloke and Thornton and Stevens
Murph great
Saddo, let's be fair played pretty well
Setanta battled well but don't make him tag Fraser, let him run, try something different make Fraser chase him.
Carazzo and Scotland
Bit of flag flying

Cons
Josh Kennedy, we make every excuse in the world for him, but he just can't get near it. Be interesting to see where he and Paddy Ryder are in a few years. Josh is big but not Rocca esque, he appears one paced and lumbering, he goes to ground whenever he contests a mark, and he has an ordinary spring and doesn't appear overly agile, not exactly the make up I had in mind when we used a #4 pick on him. And please no-one tell me just how hard it is being a drafter. We cannot absolutely cannot use top 4 picks on guys who aren't going to be elite. If you are a CHF with out pace and spring, chances are you won't be elite. Josh has another two years to make it, but the signs are not good, and he must go back to the Ants to try and get some form and confidence.
Ackland- who the hell recruited him, our worse pick up since Craig Devonport, did we even watch him play before we got him? We are so unprofessional and stuck in the past.

Pro's

- Yeah, Saddo was good, one of the best. Hopefully that kind of game continues.

- Gibbs isn't quite the player he was last year (for Glenelg), not sure why, but his tackles are still as strong. Very hard to break a Gibbs tackle.

- Marc Murphy is just beautiful. I love him! That running back with the flight is some of the best football i've seen from a Carlton player in a while. I love that stuff! Show balls...........we i think most of our players don't seem to have.

- Fev's antics. He's gonna cop a bit of shit for what he did. But i'm glad he did it. If i was coach, i'd go on just letting Fev be Fev! For god sake we have been treated like bitches for almost 6 years now and are constantly being pushed around...................why shouldn't we start pushing back!

- The only thing i will congratulate Pagan on for yesterdays effort is the move of Setanta to the Ruck..............i've been talking this move up for ages but i just gave up thinking Pagan would consider it!


Cons

-On Kouta...........i'm massive fan, always have been and always will be, but i cannot seem to understand why we would pick him ahead of Blackwell yet only play him for 40min? Why?

- And Bower? If your gonna play him, for the love of christ play him for more than 25min!

- The midfield was dying in the last quater. Nothing was done about it.

- When are we going to stop this 'bombing inside50' business?

- Kennedy to the ruck in the 3rd.

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

In the 2005 draft we had to take a KPP with pick #4 and the options were:

- Kennedy
- Paddy Ryder (too short for a ruckman / not enough power or grunt for a KPP)
- Beau Dowler (hasn't done much too date - apparently not making a big impression for the Box Hill Hawks either)
- Mitch Clark (talented but injury prone and supposedly had a question mark against his attitude)

At this stage I think we made the right decision with Kennedy. KPP's take a long time to develop and it must be difficult for Josh considering how weak our midfield is. I'm confident he will be a quality player for us in the future.

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There is no footy god