Please, please, please don't mention the dreaded word Athorn in any post. It brings back terrible memories for me.

I didn't mind Powell, I admired De Iulio's grit... but Athorn. It shouldn't be mentioned.

Football is ruthless these days you say - I wish Carlton was ruthless and went out onto the field after listening to Rocky theme music or something that inspired them to be world beaters. Ruthless... I would like to see more ruthless.

They were scared of the Cats. No more fear please.

Who would you like to see being given a bigger role in the forward line?

It worked in the Freo game - Fev only kicked 2? in that match, and the goals were shared around.

I would like to see Pfeiffer given a proper go in the forward line for starters.

re: Forward line options - why not leave Kreuzer in the forward line and get him to do the rucking when the ball is in the forward line ala Nicholls in the 1972 grand final.

He is a big presence that will take attention away from Fevola.

we havent got the muscle to play contested foot nor have we the muscle & experience to kick it in one on one situations in particular against the cats when they have their momentum going... i believe we did well , we didnt lose by 150pts.

Some people on here just need to pull their heads in and let the people who are paid to do the job - do the job. If anyone on here is claiming to have a better idea of what is going on at training, behind closed doors in team meetings and during games - then they are just completely deluded.

No one knows what is being drilled into the players by the coaching staff and dont base it on how well the application of these messages are being applied by the players.

Geelong got smashed by Collingwood 2 weeks ago because Collingwood created more pressure, were harder at it and tackled relentlessly. Does that mean that Mark Thompson wasn't instilling them with the 1%ers or that they didnt know how to play the basics of footy? No! Just meant that on the day, one team was a little more switched on at the other and able to APPLY the game plan more effectively. If that can happen to one of the best teams of the last decade that is full of mature bodied players, than why is it surprising that it can happen to one of the youngest teams in the league?

To say that we haven't been instilling a defensive side of our game is rubbish. Go to the game and actually watch what is happening out on the field. Our shepherding has improved significantly, players are blocking for other players at the clearances and in general, our defensive manning up and spoiling has improved as well.

Can we still improve in these areas? Definitely! Should we be providing more help for Judd around stoppages? Definitely! But this is all about instilling this mind-set into the players and because they had a lapse after 10 weeks is nothing to go crazy about. Stop acting so righteously - your rambles are becoming more and more incoherent and just plain repetitive. Feel free to state your points in one coherent post and then just drop it.

not looking at that game in particular but looking at our forward line structures all year...
looking at our linking up ... all year...
looking at our shepherding and blocking .. all year...
looking at our kicking out... all year...
gut busting running.... all year...

it just so happens a team like geelong magnifies all those flaws better than most teams can....

but the flaws are there.... just against the shit teams they remain underlying but arent exposed...

i dont think we should be comparing ourselves with shit teams but taking a peek at what the good teams are doing and aspiring to be great...

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I think Synbad should be our coach

nah, he'd change his mind too often.

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

Forward line structures and gut busting running maybe, kicking out, shepherding and blocking and linking up have all improved this year.

The question is are we working on improving our forward line structure and just haven't seen that being applied well on game day or is there no thought being put into this? If you think its the latter, than I'd be very surprised.

Also, consider how dramatically our defensive structure has improved this year, which is even more commendable considering the injuries we've had and the instability this has caused.

Here's a dramatisation of Synbad as Carlton coach.



No offence Synners, just for comedic value y'know?!

The tempo footy displayed on saturday night was nothing but desperate. What will anyone learn or take from that.

Opposition teams who come up against us would laugh at that.

You look at the top teams and each of them has a particular part to there game that they are respected for and have opposition teams worry when they play them.

Ours is keeping's off, look back wards, kick back wards, handball back wards

Whatever Melvey.

You fishing for responses?


One word.


Sydney.


You think they'd laugh at tempo football? They've won a flag recently, haven't they?!


Once again, whatever Melvey - fishing for a response...

They play tempo footy when its appropriate
When they are in front
When they want to control the game further
We went into survival mode

Big difference dont you think

And incidently dont you reckon Sydney are playing more attacking footy these days.
And when they chip they still move the ball forwards and spot up O'keefe and others

Comparing Sydney to Sat night is laughable

wat eva girlfriend m hmm (melvey clicks his fingers)

Fishing for no comments. I have this exact arguments with my brothers who will defend Ratts till the cows come home

There just seems to be no spark as if the teams lacking enthusiasm, passion and purpose that we have came came accustomed to sitting in the outer watching Ratten and Brown pay with such vigor and passion

We might be shit but at least could show something. Be notorious for putting up a good fight and when teams know they come up against Carlton kn ow matter where they sit on the ladder it's going to be a tough hard fight to the death.

Not chip kicking keeping's off as if your surrendering and waving the white flag. Why resort to such tactics??

Its just another tactic you can have in your back pocket. Glad we pulled it off. Glad the team can follow instructions and execute them well. I wouldnt want to do it all the time but there is a time and a place. ie collingwood game. We needed a win. We identified we leak goals at teh end of quarters so we killed a few ends of quarters and won the game.

Just a tactic. All teams use it.

Cats did it in the GF when they were up by 118 points!

Lets move on.

Very impressed by the way Mark Riley presents. Would be surprised if he's not made a real difference to the coaching set up and the club.

ok, for all the tempo knockers...watch this video and repeat what he says from 2:40

"That type of football, is not the brand of football that we are basing our game style on, but what I think you'll find, and what supporters of all clubs have found is that it can be quite frustrating, but what we try and do, the whole purpose is stem the damage as far as scoreboard pressure when the opposition have the momentum of the game"

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"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

For 6 min Brad
Starting at the 20 min mark Brad
When we are 19 points down Brad
When are captain starts it because he is physically stuffed from having 3 Geelong shirts on him whilst 3 Carlton shirts are waiting to get the cheap and easy Brad
When we dont have attacking option B Brad



We will get knowhere unless the real issues that have infested this club for so long are addressed rather than avoided with tempo footy Brad

Keogh, do you think we were a realistic chance of winning last weekend?

Do you think it is important to let the players try tempo football when they think they need to to?

'There just seems to be no spark as if the teams lacking enthusiasm, passion and purpose that we have came came accustomed to sitting in the outer watching Ratten and Brown pay with such vigor and passion' - Melvey - now lad do some research on how people twist the facts to suit their world view.

We have now gone from Ratts is an inexperienced coach to Pagan Incarnate!


so i guess now we can drag out all the stuff written about Pagan and do an insert Ratts for Pagan?

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

I dont think our inability to use Chris Judd to his best advantage or look after his health has anything to do with 6 minutes of slowdown football when we were under the pump. I dont think anyone is suggesting Ratts, or Carlton, has got it all right at this stage, indeed there are a few things we are struggling to do - kickouts, use Judd on the burst, protect Judd, move the ball with fluency through half back (but our 3 best running defenders were hurt or didnt play last week), but other things we are doing better, and ceasing to mindlessly crash forward when we're covered for a short period of time is a good thing in my opinion.