really the weak links have yet to be fixed

and yes it is great to win and I probably get as excited as anyone

but at the start of the year

I expected a bottom 4

and the reasons are still the same

our weakest links

our backline is crap and I wish Waite had been played at CHB all year - I haven't a problem with our forward line - yes at the moment JW is better than JK - but shouldn't he be?

And shouldn't we be looking long term?


Play JK, tell players to look for him, use him.

Play Waite at CHB

Play Santy at FB

Play Hampson, or Jacobs or Aisake - @#$%&! play all three in a rotation, three games each... do something!


And decide on pace - who do we need where to make our side more able to handfle fast games.

Where should JR play?

What about Edwards? Or Raso? Or Benj or Griggs (injuries I know but the next half of the season).

What is the role for Harts?


We must ask ourselves what are the weak links? How do we eradicate them?

No more patches please, I want foundations laid! If we win so be it, if we lose so be it, but win or lose the right way - because we are working towards the right team. We just dabble

Carlton the great dabbling debate!

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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!

Our potent forward line becomes void when we concede a lot more than we score.
I was all for Waite playing back until he stepped up to the plate in the last month up forward.
I'd like to see Setanta go back there as although he does some flashy things while playing ruck, he has been pretty ineffective at the ball ups.

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"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

I agree Waite has played well but our Forward structure is not the problem. Who is our CHB?

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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!

good post, dannyboy. Agree with all you've said.
I think Pagan is playing for self preservation, and maybe, just maybe, this mid-season break may adopt the philosophy of playing all the kids.

Look to see Aisake debut against the the fockers in the ruck and Setanta back into the back line....

Hopefully Edwards is not far off, either.

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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!

Saddington? Lance?

I agree that we look a lot better with Thornton, Waite and O'Hailpin all back there.

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"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

Maybe we should use Waite the same way as the Eagles use Hunter. Have him always start as a defender with the option of using him in attack if we are struggling to score.

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"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

Coach and Captain

dannyboy wrote



Maybe it's Hartlett, maybe it's Thornton, maybe it's Waite. But yeah we have to stabilise and devlop our backline.

My bet is that it should to be Hartlett in the 2nd half, if Waite is needed in the forwardline, and Thornton plays on the 3rd tall.

Whilst Waite was playing CHB, he was able to use his pace to close down many attacks into the backline. So really, it's Waite, if we are after stability, with Hartlett doing some sort of apprenticeship in the BP, and Setanta at FB.

What I do know is that Jamieson, Flint and Austin also have some KP attributes for the backline, but they are not going to make their mark in 2007.

The big question I have involves Thornton. Hawks made a play for him to play FB. I don't want to second guess, but am interested to hear why Thornton can't be our CHB. If only he could fill this position, with Setanta at FB and Hartlett at BP, then that would surely free up Waite for the forwardline.

We need stoppers in the backline and plenty of pace to run it out; Setanta and Waite have it, but wouldn't our backline gain pace with the inclusion of Anderson and Benjamin? Walker is an obvious choice, but I prefer him in the midfield.

It's time for Aisake to serve his apprenticeship in the ones, with Hampson as 2nd ruck. I know Hampson isn't ready, but I'd like to give him a taste for a couple of weeks, at least, before the year's out, to learn what it takes to make it, and we need to make a statement to 'Mr cozy' on $450K and 2 1/2 years to run with that sort of money. He hasn't got a Navy Blue drop of blood in his body.

As for pace. I am a Bentick fan, but what I would do after the break to inject some pace into the middle is drop Bentick and Blackwell, and let Russell 'harden up' in the guts with Carrazzo and Murphy, and bring in Benjamin and Anderson and possibly Grigg (if he's up to it).

Edwards will get a go in the second half; no doubt....and with that I would suggest that Wiggo, Banno, even Houla are on notice tp play their best week in week out....or watch out...someone has to make way for change.

In addition, as far as pace is concerned, improvement in our pace will happen in a blink as soon as Lance, Saddo, Ackland and Kouta are replaced with it.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

That’s our problem...

Houla plays as a defender but clearly needs to play on a forward flank...

Whitnall starts forward and if he can’t get a kick, he moves to the backline to get a few cheap kicks while his opponent kicks a few goals...

Waite doesn’t know what his position is, because he plays were Lance is ineffective on that day!

Setanta is still learning he game, and I don’t think he can learn if he is getting shifted every few games....

Meanwhile too many times I have said Gibbs taken to the square by his opponent (he is not a defender)

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"Dont count the games, make the games count"

Mate thanks christ you have nothing to do with the club.Waite is a CHF who wins games as a CHB he is just ok and will not win nor lose so you play him where he can win it for us.

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"Go blues"

Feel my love...............

Gibbs has to play in the backline to learn how to have defence in his game.Pagen isnt coaching for today he his planing for the future at his own cost but small minded fools can not see it.

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"Go blues"

Feel my love...............

Gibbs knows how to defend if you've seen his efforts on Ebert and Aker, so he has a defensive side to his game. Bryce is being played in the backline because he isn't built like a Joel Selwood and we don't want him being "Copelanded".

It's too early for Gibbs to be thrown in the middle.

How is Ackland the future?

Lance in the backline?

Houla as a backpocket?



show me how this is coaching for the future.

As for Waite well no I am not the coach and so I give opions give yours and try to be civil. But funnily enough the coaching staff understood oiur dire need for a CHB at the start of the year and went to play Waite there but what happened?

was it

a) plan for the future

or

b)get results today?

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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!

I think anyone who is suggesting JW is a CHB should pull out a tape of the Collingwood game - Travis Cloke TOWELLED him up and whilst he is a promising young player he shouldn't let that happen. He is loose and unaccountable, and looks MUCH better inside F50. Scrap the JW to CHB idea, his ability (or lack therefof) to man up has already killed it (same as Brennan at the lions)

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Cheerio to my friends KN, BC, TT, GP, DK, AE, MS, SC, TC, JL, MO & LF

we have to hope hartlett steps up and plays chb we havent got anyone else coming through. mundy & chaplin are ex vic boys playing at w.a & s.a. not fussed who we trade but we need a chb.

not interested at recruiting a kid, we need someone that can play chb from day 1.

Small minded pfft, You’re kidding right, Pagan coaching for the future...

Why is Bannister, Kouta, Lappin, Ackland and Lance playing?

If he was coaching for the future Blackwell would play more than 38% of the game. Why isn’t Hartlett/ Bower playing instead of Saddington?

Look I don’t mind not playing Gibbs in the middle yet, but clearly he shouldn’t be playing inside defensive 50... Play him on a flank and let him learn there...
NO Pagan plays him in a back pocket and too much time he’s stuck 1 on 1 having to do the spoiling...

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"Dont count the games, make the games count"

IMO the weakest link is marked XXXX and possible to fill the void is marked in ( )

B.........XXXX ........Setanta..........Thornton............>(Anderson)
HB.......Scotland........XXXX ...........XXXX..............>(Hartlett)...(Bower).... (Benjamin)
C.........Simpson.......Stevens ........Walker ............>(Russell).....(Grigg)
HF........Fisher ...........Waite ...........XXXX..............>(Houlihan)..(Edwards)
F..........Gibbs............Fevola............XXXX.............>(Kennedy)

FOLL:....XXXX...........Carrazzo.........Murphy..........> (Aisake)

INT:......XXXX......................................................>(Hampson)

I haven't included Lappin, because he's only got a year left (maybe)
Lance, Ackland, Saddo, McLaren, Teague and Kouta are the weakest links.

Wiggo, Banno, Bentick, Blackwell, Betts, Cloke, Raso, Flint, Austin, Jamieson, Jackson, Young and Jacobs can work their way through the system.

We need a ready made ruckman (over 200 cm) and CHB and a pacey midfielder (first rounder) or 2.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

pick a single game game - okay I pick mine as the St Kilda game - gee Waite played well down back on Reiwolt, @#$%&! accountable or what?

Maybe he isn't the answer - but he is more of the answer than Lance.

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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!

I have a bit of a theory.
In junior footy (und 11's,12's) the most talented player in the team tends to get thrown around from position to position,wherever they are required.
I think that's what's happening to Waite and until we get more depth(or Lance gives it away)it will continue to happen.

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I see you watching me watching you.

No problem Bondi, the gurus reckon that this will be all sorted with Picks 5, 21, 37, 53, 69, in this years National Draft.

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

Winston Churchill