...you don't belong" or something like that, was what the boys on 'On The Couch' were banging on about last night. And they're spot on!!! ...and they mean run hard and run your guts out and break the lines and create!

I'd say Simmo and Juddy are far and away our best runners. Murph AW & Scotto go pretty hard as well but there's not much after that.

We need more?

Who??

..and whom do they replace

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There's so much I could say...

Budzy, if you don't run 12km in a game, you should be dropped IMO.

Richo ran 14km and he is a lumbering oaf, but will bust a gut to get to the ball when switched on.

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“It is a state of mind, a system of belief, a way of seeing the world, a deep faith that, because you are Carlton, you belong to something great.” - Mike Fitzpatrick articulating what Out of the Blue means.

And he smokes like a cowboy! (well at least everytime I’ve seen him out)

This was probably the most infuriating thing on the night (also our sh!teful tackling) was the lack of running, especially off half back and to create options up the field. The amount of times we had possession in the back half and players took too long to run into space was a joke! It gave the ferals a chance to fill the space. And the longer the game went the worse it got

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C'mon Blueboys!

On the Couch....Pppfffttttt...

Hunt with the hounds and run with the hares!

All based on Essendon*'s demo of the Roo's...

We played that style.

Pre season cup winners 2005 and 2007....


Nothing more and Nothing less!

Banno and Houlahan.

Both have no future with this club. As talented as Houla is, he is to slow and to soft.... kick him to curb and throw Banno out with him

So, nothing meaningful to contribute to the thread then Melvey?!

Didn't think so - just shitcanning players in the team you support at any opportunity again, right??


Anyway...

One of the only positives I've seen come from the Richmond game was Simmo and Judd carrying the ball through the corridor from half-back to half-forward - like you said budzy, creating something.

The wonderful thing about carrying the ball is that - apart from being run down and tackled - you are not at risk of dodgy possession or turnovers... and if you are quick enough or have enough support from your team-mates you are not going to get run down in the first place.

Grabbing the ball and running is THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY of getting the ball from the forward to the back with no errors.

Betts has the pace, Banno has it - who knows if either would be effectively used in that role. Apparently Anderson is damn quick too, right? Apart from that you would probably look at Carazzo (better for him to run with the ball than kick it anyway ), Armfield, Pffeifer... heck I dunno.

But running with the ball is definitely the way to go.

Apparently our quickest bloke is also our tallest bloke - I'd say we still have a major deficiency in the pace department.

I think we have too many similar mid fielder types in the list - good footballers but not many that can apply an afterburner.

We looked like a hash house harriers group after half time against the Tigers.

Guess Clinton Benjamin was earmarked for this role - as I guess his main attribute is his speed.

Comments about Houla are completely stupid - has some pace and brings something more important which a consistent ability to use the football brilliantly.

We need to get our hands on the ball first and then have a good forward structure to be able to receive the ball - this wasn't evident in the first game because Hartlett and Edwards weren't providing that much of a target (or they weren't in the right areas or ignored).

Give it time - we have enough pace and ball-winning ability. I love how everyone makes broad statements based on Rd 1 - Essendon* wont make huge inroads this year and we wont be as bad as everyone is predicting.

Good thread budzy...and I totally agree with you.

This has been going through my head for 3 years now. In the last 2 years I started a thread "whose our fastest" for the reasons you mention. Most of the argument became the footballers vs athletes argument.

I think we have pace, but those with pace need to improve their skills and knowledge of the game (experience). I believe we need some injection of pace into the team with the likes of Hampson and Aisake and Benjamin, Anderson and Armfield...at one stage this season.

I believe we don't play for the jumper and as a result we don't play with the required level of intensity, desire and passion.

We have some really unique fast guys in our team (youngest and tallest in the comp)

Aisake (203) EXPRESS
Hampson (202) EXPRESS
Setanta (199)

All 3 are very tall and very fast.

Others:

Jamison (195)
Austin (195)
Waite (194)
Bower (193) EXPRESS
Fevola (191)

Walker(190) EXPRESS
grigg (190)
Judd (189) EXPRESS
Benjamin (190) EXPRESS

Simpson EXPRESS
Anderson EXPRESS
Ellard EXPRESS
Stevens
Scotland
Betts EXPRESS
Armfield EXPRESS
Browne EXPRESS

I have penned a fast team and it does have weaknesses in terms of skill level and footy smarts.

I do believe an improvement in intensity from the abovementioned would make an enormous difference to our results. Run Run Run and break those @#$%&! liines...that's what I loved about Simmo and Bower in round 1.

Pace + Passion + Desire = Possession

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

How is what i said deemed as being not being meaningful.

I ask you and please be honest, would either get a gig in any other of the 15 teams.... hell no we wont go.

I have mentioned it before we are missing some spark, some flair. The team we fielded was to one dimensional, no tricks in the bag, no player who can burst and weave through a pack, do that something out of the ordinary but is natural.

Banno did his job on Deledio but shutting down one player is not enough these days. He turned the ball over, has no pace to burn, he doesn't win enough of the ball.

Houlahan is soft. The quicker the club moves this bloke on the better we will be. He does not work hard enough. We all witnessed over round 1 you got to run and run hard. Houla has been fortunate over the years to be selected in a side that had no depth, he didn't have to work hard for his position and the day he dived out of the way when buddy took that mark was the last game he should have played for this club.

These tough decisions have to be made just like they made with Lance. We need to inject pace into the squad.

We have to learn to let go

Banno no - Houlihan yes. Honestly, Houlihan would be in the best 22 in most sides - his problem has been that he hasn't been utilised properly in the last few years because he hasn't had the cattle around him. He has been played as a back pocket - and in all honesty - done a reasonable job. He has worked his guts out to improve his endurance to get more time in the middle of the ground and if you watch games - does a lot better in one on one contests when there is a race to the ball and it has to be won. Sure he is never going to be a Byron Pickett type - but you are kidding yourself if you think we need 22 players like that. I believe he will go when he is required and thats all you can ask.

MOST DEFINITELY IN OUR BEST 22 and would be in a premiership year as well!

Our run has to come from the back line - you don't need to be super fast, just run the lines and add 20 - 30 metres every possession. Thornton was good last week but he would have been brilliant if his first instinct is to put 20 paces straight ahead at every opportunity.

Watch Gram and Montagne this week. Gram's not super fast but he is well drilled to add yards.


We miss Andy Walker doing this.

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This might sound extreme in the context of alleged sexual assault, drunken violence and a drug trafficking charge...

houla isnt super quick, but hes certainly not slow.

i think its more his laconic style that gives the impression hes running at 1/2 rat power. when he does have to sprint, and id like to see him doing this more when hes got the ball, he can move with pace.

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"In fairness it did seem in the early days of the draft teams would just pick a name totally at random out of a hat. I'm pretty sure we picked James Cook at #2 one year. The mediocre forward, not the explorer" - Me, 12/9/2011

Carlton 2012: Lets remind them why they once feared the Dark.

Good list Bondi... But I'm more interested in your assessment of foot speed v. game speed in those players listed above.... By 'game' speed, I don't just mean a player's ability to find space in congested areas (although it is the most visible result), but the combination of agility and awareness.

Also, how you would rate those players' pace if they had to turn and sprint the other way... Call it a 'second effort' if you like - How far are those blokes going to be able to run at top pace in the opposite direction? How many steps will it take for them to hit top gear?

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

I see foot pace as a more defensive weapon, the ability to chase down and harrass opposition players. Attacking wise speed by hand or foot is what opens up spaces and gives the forwards the 1-1 opportunities to break open games.

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Mjonc signing off at 8888

When you have not got the footy....

You always look slow.

Crusader wrote



mjonc wrote



That's a good point if difference Crusader...the pace in the second effort, or are you also taking about brain speed? (awareness)

mjonc makes the point in a defensive effort (when they have the ball). The use of pace defensively is one things that stood out from Round 1. An Aaron Daveyish defensive skill because he made a trademark of the effort of chasing down has become the expectation of the modern footballer...or at least have an even sprinkling of lightning fast players over every line to provide this defensive tool.

I suspect the bigger/taller guys would find it slower to turn around than the smaller player.

I really don't know who can and can't turnaround quickly. I don't know if lightning quick Benjamin can turn around quickly, but I want to find out. What I do know is to be able to close down on players you require leg speed regardless...in fact a burst of leg speed.

However, I believe that if we can get the ball first and that comes from passion, desire and a devlish commitment and we retain possession, then after that it's what we do with the ball in our possession.

I believe that with pace we can break lines, move the ball faster into the uncrowded (from flooding) forwardline. The result is more goals more often from forward thrusts. A better return.

The name of the game is to outscore the opposition.

We waste too many scoring opportunities because we don't move the ball quick enough, we don't break lines, hence we don't give our forwards a reasonable opportunity to receive clean passes or to advantage. Result is wasted opportunities.

Have a look at how often we broke down at the HF line. Have a look how the opposition flooded our forwardline. Why? They got there before we got there!

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

It was the combination of both.

I guess the point that i'm sort-of alluding to is that the difference between good and great players is the work that's done when you don't have the footy - and are nowhere near the contest.... I guess its a team cohesion thing. They used to be called 'one-percenters'.

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

..a few people kidding themselves in here...

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There's so much I could say...