If Waite keeps up his current form, I think he's too valuable up forward. He looks like he could become a CHF (bearing in mind that the role of a CHF nowadays is different to what it used to be, and is tailor-made for someone like Waite).

I would actually like to see Setanta given a go at CHB. I think having a set task helps him, but at FB he is out of the game too much, and when he is in the game, he is chasing tail. At CHB, he still has a job to do, is mobile enough and quick enough to keep up, won't spend all day trying not to get caught out on a lead, and can get more possession and run and create, which is what really gets him going and boosts his confidence.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

Too many holes in defence: Carlton

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/ ... 62,00.html

Looks like "Weakest Link" Saddington is the number one culprit averaging 2.67 goals a game.

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

Which leaves us looking for a FB...

Jamison? Could be a Glass type.

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29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

I strongly believe our defence is being let down by the midfield, we just don't have enough ball winners and the ruck situation amplifies it. It has nothing to do with pace - I think we're actually a very quick team - and last start we were smashed by a midfield of Mitchell, Sewell, McGlynn, Crawford and Hodge. All one paced, but skilled, hard at it and all find their own ball.

Murphy and Gibbs will eventually be our Hodge and Crawford and Simpson will continue to break lines and provide options, but right now our ball winners are really Carrots and Bentick, and Adam doesn't win enough ball. Stevens will hopefully come back next year and AW is teetering on the edge of becoming a powerfull and effective clearance player, but as it stands now, we're largely inadequate in that area the most.

Saddo needs to go from the backline, he's never been a great decision maker and his body seems to be forcing him to make more decisions each game, Hartlett is as big as him now so if we're gonna play a startled deer in defence we may as well play one with a semblance of a future at cfc. Anderson will play AW's role on the hbf and I'm very confident that we have a long term solution there. Tbird will slip into his Milburn style role and hopefully take over from Lance as a director of the kids out there. Bower needs to play some AFL games, he is torn down for his tendancy to play off his man and be too offensive, but perhaps it's because he's getting away with it that he continues to do so. Carlos needs to go back to FB/CHB, he really is an exciting prospect there and I can't see him failing. But untill those kids get games and untill the midfield rotation consists of Stevens, Murphy, Gibbs, Carrazzo, Walker, our defence is always going be getting the ball kicked at it quickly and regularly.

Too true for words. The inexperienced midfield plays to a losing ruck every week. The ball comes into defence a million times a week at a milion miles an hour. We need to find a stable back six and let them play together.
I agree with Setants as one of them, either FB or CHB (FB for mine) If we have to promote a ruckman, so be it. If the ruck is still losing, at least we will have Setanta in his right place.
Waite is ideal at CHB but isa matchwinner up front until Kennedy is a fixture at CHF. Once again, we have to decide where Waite is going to play in the interests of stability. I am going to put him at CHB and punt on Kennedy or Hartlett for next year to be theplayer we are looking for at CHF.
Saddington is at best serviceable but we need to make a decision about his future. Same with Bannister. On the face of the last month I am going to drop Saddington and keep Bannister for one more year for balance.
Anderson looks the goods. I just watched the Adelade game and liked what I saw. He has a good sized body for it and seems quick. One or two of Hartlett/Edwards/Bower/Austin will make up the rest when Gibbs goes to the midfield maybe next year and Bannister goes the year after.
The jury is still out on Hartlett. but he looks as though he may be able to play at either end.
So my backline looks like this ofr next year

Anderson S O'hAilpin Bannister
T Bird Waite Bower/Austin/Edwards?

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

I think that you're right there Blu. Here's my take on what we need to do (apologies for the repeat, some of this I have posted previously)...

Firstly, there are too many attacking players in our defence. This is doing two things, making our back 6 less accountable than it needs to be, and robbing our midfield of strength and options. We need to have a better balance between attacking backs, and dour, defending backs who will simply shut an opposition forward out of the game.

For our backs, I would be looking to take Houlihan out, and replacing him with Bannister in a defensive role. I would be trying Hartlett down back this week, and when our ruck stocks allow, giving Setanta a stint at CHB. I would also like to give Wiggins a shot down there, also in a defensive role. Guys like Anderson and Russell can be rotated through there depending on match ups, but I would also like to see them, and Gibbs, given some time in more attacking roles.

For the midfield, we need to start playing our guns in there more permanently. Clearly we have a ruck issue, and that is going to take some time to redress. But a ROTATION that includes Murphy, Carazzo, Walker, Simpson, Houlihan, Gibbs, Bentick, Betts, Blackwell, Russell and next year Stevens is starting to have a bit of a look about it. The key is playing Walker and Houlihan in there more often than they have been, and even perhaps giving Scotland some stints in there.

A word on Houlihan. No doubt, he has his limitations. No doubt he is not as hard at the ball as others. But he is a possession winner, can find the footy, and this year, his disposal has been significantly better. He turned the game when thrown into the midfield against Essendon*. I would rotate him through the centre, wing and half forward, let him get the footy and create. He is too talented not to have in the team (when we are not overly flushed with talent) and we just have to accept that he is a certain type of player, and that he will give us certain things, but not others.

The other big issue we have, as I have posted previously, is the ease with which the ball is coming out of the forward line. We are too top heavy there, and the bombing in is killing us. Having Fevola, Waite, Whitnall, Fisher and Wiggins just means we are too tall and to slow (Lappin is also slow).

I think we need to rejig. Fevloa at FF. Waite as a mobile CHF. Fisher as the third tall who is very good below his knees, but not quick. Lappin, also slow but very slippery. And then two quick small or mid-sized players who can crumb balls, get to the contest (and that should be their primary purpose, always be at the contest, front and centre, at the fall of the ball)...Murphy, Betts (doesn't get the ball enough at the moment, MUST improve his possession rate), Houlihan, Gibbs (his tackling is SO good, he would be brilliant on a HFF, creating AND applying pressure to keep the ball locked in when we haven't got it) and Simpson can all play this role and be rotated through. Think Johnston and Bosustow applying forward line pressure in the 80s.

The delivery into the forward line is key here. At the moment, it is being bombed in (a sad indictment on the tactical abilities of our coach, IMHO), and if it is not marked, then the opposition sweeps it out at will, and because we have been attacking, we are not manned up, and the opposition invariably sweeps it out and gets it inside their own forward 50. Pagan does not even seem to have set a strategy to have someone at the fall of the ball in these situations. It is laughable.

I love the direct style of footy we play, and it works well until the entry inside 50. Here, we have to be more selective, and perhaps bide our time before selecting the inside 50 target. We should have Fevloa leading, Waite roaming, and Fisher providing the third tall. Three options, choose the one that is most clear. And have smalls at the fall of the ball to get the crumbs, or apply tackles.

This may lead to us scoring less than we have been, but it will mean the opposition scoring less too. Think about it, we only need to cut the opposition's score by 2 goals a quarter, and we're down to conceding 79 points a game instead of the current 127. By restricting the run out of our forward line, opppostion teams could have 3 or 4 less shots at goal per quarter, a massive difference.

So, tighten the backline by putting some more defensively minded players there, and not having it as an all-out attacking backline. Move some of those attacking defenders into the midfield, which will strenghtn the midflield. And restructure the forward line so that the ball is not waltzed out of there everytime we don't take a mark insdie 50.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!