I'm the number 1 ticket holder of JR bandwagon, nearly lost faith, but still leading the way.

The kid is a great guy, I've met him a couple of times now, he has always made the effort to discuss his game, how he thinks he is going, what the coaches want from him etc.

Finally in 2008 he has been given a position to make his own by the MC, not his favoured position which the MC know through one on one meetings, but JR takes the challenge on.

JR's form has improved from very poor to listed in the best players list over 6 rounds, that's my opinion. Apart from Bower and Jamo I can't think of many more who have improved each week they have played in 2008?

I was once made an example of on this site by a players dad for certain comments I made on JR when he wanted home, attacking JR personally. It was explained to me the circumstances behind this and I was quite embarassed even though my post was taken out of context. I made the effort to find JR at an open day and apologise for my comments, whether the post had filtered back to him or not.

Some of you posters are a disgrace attacking players, I bet you look in the mirror and think how tough you are, the guy who would tell everyone at school how you want to beat the crap out of someone you don't like, but never go though with it as you hear the footsteps behind you.

If you have something demeaning about a player to say go down to training and actually tell the player face to face what your really think. I want to read, like many others, a critique on his game and performance, where he can improve, things he did wrong, things he did right, most posters can do this while others pfft.

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Mjonc signing off at 8888

Great post!

But I didnt do anything wrong, honest Mr Mjonc, I didnt

Yep !!
JR stays

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I know a little secret. And i'm not sharing.

Couldn't agree more! It takes real guts to bag a player from behind a computer screen using some false name.


While others continue to bag players no matter how well they play or what they do, are quick to criticize but refuse to praise them when they do play well and will never admit they could be wrong.

I'll prefix this by saying I haven't actually seen the Adelaide game yet, but IMO an awful lot seems to being made of the fact that JR kicked into the man on the mark. This is apparently an unforgivable and inexcusable clanger that means he is doomed to never make i as a player ... well I have seen half the forwards in the comp kick into the man on the mark at one stage or another, including Fevola and a half a dozen other Coleman medalists.

Clearly Russell has confidence problems in front of the sticks, but no doubt this new wiz bang coaching panel of ours will look to address that. It's not as if he's alone on that front. I close my eyes every time Simpson has a set shot for goal, and I remember Carrazo playing as a forward a while back and having about 8 shots for goal and missing all of them. Perhaps the club needs a specialist goal kicking coach (if we don't have one already)? Maybe Fev needs to spend some time with him to help him develop a routine??

Anyway, in my view along as JR is improving (however incrementally) then he should stay in the side till the end of the season. If more people read the Bullants reports they'd realise there is noone is pushing or his spot anyway (certainly not Jackson whose name seems to get thrown up whenever JR is getting a bashing) so it's all a bit of a ridiculous discussion anyway.

We can take stock on his future at the end of the season (although personally I think if you can't find 5 players to cut ahead of him you're not looking very hard).

Yes JR is improving, yes he's trying hard and he's doing all the right things and I'm sure he's a lovely bloke ... but isn't the question: does he have a future at the AFL level??

The concern for JR is that guys younger than him are going past him like Grigg and Bower. Browne showed plenty in his 1st game. Ando has already shown he can play at this level. Both Joseph and Ellard are really coming on as Rookies at the Bullies and, if they continue on this path, should be promoted.

I understand TCers instinct to protect young JR as he deserves better than some of the over-the-top attacks he's copping but don't let that blind you from reality: he's going to get overtaken if his improvement continues as slowly as it has been.

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

Well written.

Grade: High distinction

Bower has probably gone past him, but I'd select Russell before Grigg. Browne has played 1 game, Joseph and Ellard none, and don't regularly make the best players list for the Ants.

IMHO, if Russell continues the improvement he has shown so far this year (which I think is significant improvement so far), he will have well and truly established his spot in the team by the end of the year. Time will tell.

As others have noted, some players take longer than others to come on...Deledio is a good example. So is Michael Tuck, who played 90-odd games for the seconds before he got his opportunity to play senior football.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

Great post.

It is all too easy for people to slag off players simply to make themselves feel better or to imagine that they are having an impact on how the Blues are performing or will perform.

JR will make it, he has been improving each week & as far as I'm concerned if Brett Ratten & the coaching staff are pleased with his efforts and improvement then that's good enough for me.

There seems to be quite a number on TC who take vicarious pleasure out of mistakes that players make. They pounce once a mistake is made in a kind of "I told you so" manner.

Rather than bagging players incessantly why not get along to training and inform yourself as to how much they put in, watch a game for the good that a player does rather than waiting for an error. If you can't get to training, write to Ratts - I'm sure he'd be delighted to get some insight from the master coaches on TC.

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A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

i didnt vote because the thread is pointless.

i think he will provide depth to the squad in two years

he has size & speed...he is getting it together.

Brilliant post mjonc, i actually know Jordan Russell personally he is a friend of mine from Adelaide. When Pagan was coaching he never bagged the coach at all, all he said was it was hard to get settled. now he is settled and showing improvement.

Keep him on the list next year definately.

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Blue boy thru and thru

I wouldn't delist him as I like the way he goes about things. For me he is a real goer, a bit like Bannister and every side needs them.

His disposal needs to keep improving! Watching him closely it seems to be a real confidence issue, he always hesitates instead of taking the first option, hopefully that will change.

As with all players though, if the right trade came along?

As for mjonc comments about saying things to players faces, I told Stevens a few weeks ago that he is a disgrace and an insult to the Carlton jumper to be in the condition he is. He just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Does that count?

I'm not here to bag Ando, but hasn't he only played 5 games at senior level?

Not really an indication that he can play at this level.

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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.

Don't think it's really a question of the number of games.

After one game AW had indicated that he could play at the AFL level, MK has played 6 games, he's indicated that he's able to play at this level.

Check his bio on the Blueseum website:
http://www.blueseum.org/tiki-index.php?page=Joe+Anderson
They also see a long term future for Joey at the AFL level based on 5 games. He's only played 5 due to missing much of 2007 and the start of 2008 with injury.

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

As supporters of the game, we have limited knowledge of who will make it and who wont - compared to Ratten and his team. It does seem to me that all above mentioned players show more than Russell, even with limited exposure at the top level. If his issues is confidence as suggested by several posters, why not let him get some in the seconds? This has been the usual approach for confidence issues. It appears to me that Grigg has gone past Russell and I would have dropped him weeks ago, however Simmo didn't get a touch until his third senior game. Ultimately our discussions are nothing more than pontifications from the outer. It will be interesting to see who is right though.

Grigg has gone past Russell?? OK, you've lost me there for sure.

Improving steadly -a work in progress -has one attribute most of our small and medium players dont have pace
Can play a variety of positions
Tagger Russell got more possessions than thomas when tagging him in the game against Carringbush- LIMITED his effectiveness
Played well as lead up forward in a few games -needs a dose of confidence
KEEP

As far as I can tell the AFL have done away with any provisions for a mid-season draft so their is not much point in not trying to develop question mark type players like Russell during a season such as 2008 - which is a season that we are trying to get as much senior experience in our list as possible and try and develop them as much as possible.

The days of cutting players off your list mid-season and recruiting Billy Barrot's onto your list at Round 7 are long over.

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

Winston Churchill

I too would like to see the club perservere with Russell. However the problem is this. His current Effective Disposals this year are the following

12 disposals @ 91.67%
11 @ 72.73%
15 @ 66.67%
13 @ 76.92%
16 @ 68.75%

These figures dont necessarily translate into turnovers but they are an indication he wastes the ball. Now this is after 4 or 5 years of drills, skills acquistion and skills coaches. Is this a problem?

Comment please

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Go BLues

4 years of being told to bomb the ball long and not practicising hitting up shorter targets.