Mods, feel free to move this if you so desire, but after watching the game tonight I have renewed hope for my Navy Blues and can see some improvement and desire.

Sure we lost and are now sitting 0-3 but we have not been blown out of the water in any game so far this year. We have had the lead at times but we are yet to be on the end of a 10-15 goal thumping.

I was listening to Triple M before the game and Simon Madden brought up some good points, he said a player would have to play 100 games to fully become a consistent AFL Player. The first 50 he would be learning the game and the next 50 being comfortable with it... or something to that effect anyway - if anybody else heard him say this, feel free to post!

I then started to think immediately of the group of players that we have at the moment, as much expectation and hope we place on them at the moment in the hope of immediate success, I can't help but think it is going to take a little bit of time. And I am patient and will wait!

We showed some great signs against Essendon* tonight, I am dissapointed we lost but I even said to myself that we had ran out of legs in the last quarter. That third quarter was something to enjoy though, I havent seen us play in this manner for a long time...

I think there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is becoming brighter every week - we must be patient with the current crop of players and talent we have on the list. Some will be delisted or traded at the end of the year but we should trust what is going on at Carlton and be ready to enjoy the good times ahead of us!

I for one, am sick of any doom and gloom posted on any forum or mentioned on talkback radio - we are ONLY three games into this season and anything could happen. If we are to "peak" around the second half of this year that does not worry me - I would rather that we can run out the matches later in the year than tire like years before...

Lastly, I see Carlton at the moment in a similar mould to what Hawthorn, Geelong, Brisbane and other teams went through. We have had the era of sub-standard recruiting when we poached recycled players due to the draft penalties and in hindsight, was a bad move. We have given Pagan the flick and I hope we are willing to give Brett Ratten a chance.

You look at Hawthorn and Geelong particularly, they have re-built their lists and recruited players over the years - they have been in our shoes hardly winning matches and getting belted on the scoreboard on most weeks. But from what I have seen of Carlton this year - we are looking better and we are BUILDING a new side to put on the park.

Have faith in this team, we will be going places and you can be sure that I will be along for the ride. If you were at the game tonight and heard the "Carlton" chant go up after another Fevola goal... well let me just say this is one of the reasons I LOVE this club, and also another that I will not throw in the towel and give up - NEVER.

Hope to see you (yes, the one reading this post) at the MCG next week for Collingwood on Sunday afternoon. If we put in a performance next week like we did tonight - we will give them a shake.

I am happy to say that I am a Carlton supporter, and I would not have it any other way - that day when we taste September action again, and perhaps a Grand Final, this will be sweeter than any other that I have experienced since my passion for the Blues ignited in 1993.

Thanks for reading, feel free to post... just have the faith and know that we are actually going places. It can be frustrating as all hell - at least be happy that Pagan is not at the helm!

GO BLUES!!!

_________________
37°47'1.59"S - 144°57'43.30"E - Home

Hope the tunnel isn't too long.

_________________
THEY LIKE TO SEND UP!!!!!!!!

Until each team plays each other the same number of times, the AFL, as a fair dinkum competition, cannot be taken seriously.

He (Mr Swann) said the honour and pride associated with the club's traditional navy blue jumper was priceless.

great post and while reading i was also thinking our next premiership will be the sweetest of all.

I think even Simon got what he was trying to say a bit muddled up, but what you've said is effectively what he was saying.

We do have to wait for that rung of players, Murphy, Gibbs, Bower, Russell, Kreuzer, Grigg, O'hAilpin (x2), Anderson, Benjamin, Austin, Hampson, Hartlett, Armfield, Browne, Pfeiffer, Edwards, to reach 50-100 games. Obviously they're not all going to make it, but a few I think most will and will start displacing Scotland, Houlihan etc from the team. That replacement needs to be a gradual process though.

If you doubt this theory, look at Eddie Betts form over the last two weeks. While it is only two weeks he appears he's really starting to hit his straps now.

_________________
"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

hope the light isnt a train

_________________
Can smell the gf its there for the taking we are the form side

It was a pleasure to watch the Blues last night.

We not only had Gibbs, Murphy, Cloke, Kreuzer, Hampson, Jamison, Hadley, Bower, Russell, Pfeiffer in the under 50 camp (including 4 under 10).

But we also had Waite, Fisher, Carrazzo, Bannister, Betts, Simpson in the under 100 camp.

16 players who have yet to cement themselves as AFL players.

It's bloody exciting stuff.

Sticks
Perfectly put and this post should be sent to CFC to be emailed to every Carlton member. Our performance last night was good and better than the week before and the week before that. One could reasonably argue that we are punching above our weight already. We do not have many players with more than 50games/100games. Look at Eddie's gme last night. The best I have ever seen from him and yet he is just above 50 games from memory. The bagging that Russell gets ignores the fact that he is less than 50 games

Yes I too was heartened last night. The fact that this group has had very little game time TOGETHER reflected the end result. The talent individually is there for all to see, at times throughout the game each player did something very good. We are a very talented Side. But as a TEAM we still fall very short of the mark, but alas I feel that will just take time.

nice work sticks

agree completly, its only now i think we are starting to build our team.

as i constantly say

2008, 6 to 8 wins
2009, 8 to 12 wins
2010 and beyond is when we should be playing finals again

_________________
Got to love the stare Down by Setanta on Llyod

We are playing better each week, plenty of positives, just still shattered losing to Essendon*. I'm still confident of 8 wins.

_________________
Mjonc signing off at 8888

Agree we have improved. The team we put out last night is a completely different team that was playing this time last year. Not only do we have young inexperienced players but a few new players to the club. The improvement has come from the team playing together and getting to know each others games.

Last week we could not get a clearance and last night we killed the clearances and kicked the majority of our goals from clearances.

The other thing last night was the midfielders were kicking goals but they need to put more pressure on the opposition when we dont have the ball.

5 years at least i think
the reality of it is that with players like ackland, bannister, bentick, bower, grigg, hartlett, houlihan, russell, saddington, scotland, wiggins on our list and playing in our team occasionally we arent gonna play finals footy for a long time. i dont see how setanta and jackson have been dropped, but ratten still thinks that russell, bannister are good enough to get a game???
i reckon over 4 years at least till we start to climb back up the ladder. im just sick of losing and sick of watching extremely frustrating players make stupid mistakes. im sick of copping sh*t from collingwood and Essendon* supporters for being at the bottom of the ladder. to be realistic, its gonna be a while till we start winning on a regular basis.

In Bannisters defence hes been doing his job every week.

How much of Deledio(was it him?) did we see in Rnd 1?

Same with Dal Santo last week.

His problem is his poor decision making and selling his teammates into trouble.

_________________
Lawrence Lawrence, The man who knows all the rackets and all the racketeers!

jackson should be his replacement. he's a great tagger and has good decision making (better than banno)

Agree FM2! ... and I forgave a few of his sins when he checksided that goal from the pocket!!

_________________
"It was like calling your ex girlfriend after a night on the booze, just a really bad decision".

Agree

_________________
Lawrence Lawrence, The man who knows all the rackets and all the racketeers!

Give these three a bit more of a chance.

haven't been blown out of the water???
a 5 goal loss to a shit team like Richmond is paramount to a thrashing.
St Kilda were paying shit yet were still 10 goals ahead very late in the last quarter. Carlton kicked 3 junk time goals to get it back to 40 points.
Carlton have been blown out of the water twice in three games...

Carlton has been blown out of the water twice because other teams were playing shit. Sorry but I can't see the logic in that.

Ok then mate, so give some constructive feedback then!

I've heard a lot of incessant bagging coming from you, but not much else..

_________________
Corinthians 9:6- 8