We all know he can teach them to think............the question is IS HE?

Anyway, regardless of that, I'm with you Mrs. Cazz...............i think Whitnall is and still can be very valuable to the Carlton football club.

There would be a few things i'd want changed thou.

For starters, give the Captaincy to Murphy, Waite or Simpson.
& Second, he'd have to be on a reduced contract wouldn't he?

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

Lance has been a great ambassador of the football club. A great footballer, who at 27, looks unfortunately to be washed up.

Interesting where this one will head.

If the club is serious in wanting us to go forward, he has to be cut loose.

He, like Wiggins, Teague, Bannister and McLaren, must make way for us to develop the young kids.

As for Lance, what is the point of retaining him? Do you reward him for his past glories?

Look at what he has been and hope he can be once again?

Or do you realistically make some emotional decisions for the betterment of the football club?

This is why Swann is there!

He has started writing names in his little black book already. He is there to do a job. He is there to rectify our off field situation and create a culture.

He would be letting all of us down by continuing to go down the path of the names previously mentioned.


My point is, I don't want to be having this conversation again in 12 months time!
The culture is changing peoples!!

In the game against...the Bulldogs, I can't remember, when lappin kicked about three goals in a row, Whitnall was there almost every time (I think) and shepherded half a pack of defenders which allowed Lappin to mark easily. Of course, Lappin was able to jump through one or two defenders himself, but my point is, without whitnall, we have Waite, JK, Fisher, Hartlett, Setanta and Fev at different times, usually 2 or 3 of them going at the mark - if three are at the contest, one or two should shepherd, and one or two should go at the ball, to mark or spoil an opponent.

So, Whitnall still has his value, IMO in the forward pocket, and should focus a lot on teaching.

Valid points Mrs Caz but does that override the following factors that he continually does not adhere to
 Getting his body right.
 Being up front and honest with the club
 Not having to sit on the bench for extended period because the pace of the game is too fast for him
 Going with or picking up his man when they are running off him when playing in the forward line
 When playing in defence sitting on his man and not continually trailing 5 or 10 metres behind him
 working hard for his team-mates out on the ground. (ie being prepared to chase and not continually having his hands on his hips)

1. His degenerative knee problem is part of the problem.

2. Who is?

3. The game has changed. Maybe when all we have are fast players someone will change the game again by introducing a few smart players who can outwit them.

4. Fair point. Point it out to the other forwards too.

5. Fair point. Point it out to the other backmen too.

6. He can't play a chasing game, but he can read the play better than some of our players.

So...my valid pointsvs your valid points....stalemate?

I think everyone one would agree that they hopes he can come back as a valuable senior member of the team. The question is whether he can actually do that.

Personally I think he should probably get a 1 year reduced deal without the captaincy and no guarantees on playing. If he doesn't want to accept he is welcome to try his luck elsewhere.

The problem is atcho, that there are far too many who don't hope that he can. I find that very sad.

If he cannot prove his fitness for next year then an ideal role would be captain of the Carlton Reserves, presuming we get extra reserves-only (something like a senior rookie) spots on the playing list.

In the past many a Carlton great faded via the two's (or the Saints and shared valuable experience with the kids on the way.

Sadly our hopes and dreams are too quickly smashed these days...and we are all becoming hard-hearted as a result.

Personally I am sick of the Whitnall arguments on whether he shoud be retained or not.
He aint playing for at least the majority of the season maybe he has played his last game.

Either way it goes there is no room for sentiment in footy.

Being hard hearted actually does have its good points sometimes

Hope he can teach other players how to point and give instructions on the field.

Scotland and T-Bird are starting to wear a bit thin in this dept.

Also have to say that Whitts was hobbling yesterday but didn't seem to be putting on any.
The cross training must be working!

I hope he does come back and I think he will get a 1 year contract.

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“Every single element of the Club has to be the best in the league, meticulously and methodically, and only by doing this will we be elite and challenge for number 17.”
Greg Lee

No stalemate Mrs Caz.


1. Don’t think so. How many times has he arrived to preseason overweight?? How many times has been sent to a health retreat farm???
2. Did he inform the club prior to appointing him as captain the full extent of that family circus drama?? What about the situation where he wanted to a play in a cricket grand final a week before the season proper and he didn’t let the club know?? (on a cricket oval that is rock hard) So much for the degenerative knee hey!!
3. Not fair that we have to carry him by having him on the bench for extended periods due to his lack of fitness. Today’s game is all about rotation and using it as tactical advantage and not to hide someone for long periods. Its also not fair for guys like Murphy, Bentick, and Simpson to name a few bust their gut while captain courageous sits on the pine because he is not fit.
4. Other forwards work harder them him in keeping the ball in the forward line.
5. He was 10 metres away from Jarryd Roughead of every occasion against Hawthorn. Roughhead isnt that fastest going around either.
6. Fair enough lets not worry about him chasing his man, we can let others such as Murphy, Gibbs, Simpson and Walker do that because he has a footy brain.

Sorry Rhys...we are sooooo going to have to agree to disagree.

I'm a bit 50/50 on what to do with Lance. I still believe that at his best he still has much to offer in the forward line. He does useful things that aren't necessarily obvious such as shepherd, block and position himself etc which pave the way for teammates to win the ball/kick goals etc. He also provides some handy goal assists. But I would agree that at times the game seems to go by him.

I would probably offer him a one-year reduced-money contract. I just don't think you can lose your ability as quickly as some on here are suggesting you can. The bloke can definitely play footy, he has shown that. I can understand what people are saying when they declare him finished but if he can get his knee right I'd offer him a one-year deal.

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Formerly Blues-Back2003.

If Lance could really think.. he would have thought about maintaining himself as best he could.
He reminds me of that statue... 'The Thinker'...doesnt do much but always thinking...

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Whitnall wont be a part of the new Carlton.

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My Blue Heaven

Its not about hoping .. he cant do it!!!
Got nothing to do with hope.....


i mean i can hope i win tatts but i shouldnt believe it...

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Well for what its worth I hope he is given a base pay, one year contract and stripped of the captaincy. There are several players on our list that clearly can not deliver the goods so why not start with them.

If he does depart I will still respect him and remember what he achieved as a teenager, yeah maybe he hasn't been as good as late but I bet we can name 30+ donkeys that have represented Carlton over the past 6 years that have never achieved what Lance has.

200+ games
330 goals
32 brownlow votes
All Australian

..i like the Lance, i dig the Lance.. ..the travesty, is that with a degenerative knee condition the best of the Lance will be less and less for each game he may play for us.. ..and i'm dissappointed that the Lance did not apply himself correctly over the seasons he has been with us.. ..it's because of this, that now with his knee he won't have any true long standing chance to make amends, and now at 27 instead of us having 10 odd stellar years from him, we have perhaps half that number.. ..i will always like the Lance, but next year he can perhaps help the club best as a forwards specialist full time coach.. ..ditto with teaching the big men how to position themselves to take a contested grab, and aid in goal kicking practive.. ..he can study the games with the team to teach them how to read the play.. ..hell, he can be a runner and while delivering the coach's message, he can deliver a few of his own.. ..he can do this.. ..i know he can pop up in a game and deliver the soft touch to assist in goals.. ..the problems lies in his ability to keep doing this, which we know will be on the decline with no chance of reversal.. ..this is not what i hope.. ..i had hoped, each and every year to see him playing to his full potential.ability.. ..he didn't.. ..now, i have those same hopes with the Fev.. ..likewise, he can dissappoint and let down.. .we'll give them our all, when they give us their all.. ..it's not rocket science..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

The question we need to ask is whether Lance has any trade value. If he doesn't and no one wants to go near him then he is used by goods for us as well. TIME IS UP.

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WE ARE CARLTON, WE ARE ARROGANT AND WE LOVE IT!