Goofballs everyone.... high as a kite...

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Now stalking Carlton on Twitter and Facebook!

Holy crap, I guess not too many people on here have the patience to let anyone learn their craft.
No wonder we can never get a plumber or electriction to do a job these days, because after a couple years into their apprenticeships they make a mistake or two and like most of the posters on this site decide they aren't up to the task and ditch them.

How long does it take to learn the guitar or piano before it sounds polished and worthy of being called a musician?

Just a question, do you tell you're kids to give up the guitar or piano because although they definently are improving on it and even learned a song or two to perfection, aren't progressing quickly enough for you're liking?

I was calling for JR's head like everyone else as I didn't think he had it in him, and we were wasting our time....

After Sundays game V Port i can say i was wrong and JR absolutely has it in him.

I think consistency will come now, now that he too undoubtably believes he can do it too.....

His other option is to be like the old JR and have to deal with the non stop criticism and depression that comes with it....

I'm sure he will choose to feel the way he does now, after all he has first hand experiance on how it's done.

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Circumstance has no value. It is how one relates to a situation that has value. All true meaning resides in the personal relationship to a phenomenon, what it means to you.

I'm with you guys.....I reckon it is going to be pretty hard for JR to change the opinions of some people on this site. Yes you hear all the arguments - "he hasnt got more than 17 disposals - he is in his fourth year" etc. etc.- but for christ sake they are getting boring. Like I've said before on this site, when you ask a guy to improve and you get improvement , why keep bagging him?? Ratts and others obviously like enough about this bloke to keep persisting with him.

If he is not up to the standard we will obviously find out in time, but in the meantime wouldnt it be good to see him supported on this site?(where his name appears on the top)

IMO JR was one of the chief instigators of our win against Port.

Perhaps I am missing the thread that asks where th F$%&K Stevens was for three quarters? He also played a magnificent last quarter.

I know I'm adding to it but why do we even need a thread like this under TALKING CARLTON....last time I looked comments on players were posted under TALKING PLAYERS??????

It's just my opinion but this guy is targeted by so many on this site he appears EVERYWHERE!!!!

Incedently the people who are bagging him, who do you envisage comes up to take his place??

JR in that last quarter:

took some strong overhead grabs... in the wet too if you dont mind

he busted through a pack or two with pace and strength

worked hard to create an option and got plenty of the ball

showed good disposal

showed some hardness.... when he rode that bump... and when he slid in for that contested ground ball and the other bloke came off second best

he showed he has got something in him .. showed that he has some capability... so the guy ain't completely hopeless is he?

probably just a matter of getting his head right.... as they say it's a game played 90% above the shoulders... and JR is probably the best example of this

it's obvious that he is becoming stronger and better with the mental side of the game... starting to display confidence as a result of the faith that the MC has shown in him

look I don't think anyone's saying he'll be a 200 game champion yet, but for the 1st time since he wore the Navy Blue JR displayed something I never even thought he was capable of... I can now see why Ratts has been patient and kept him in the side all these weeks.. and he repaid the faith in that last quarter

You've had your break out game JR! Now's the time to go on with it, prove that last quarter wasn't a fluke and prove your critics (me included) wrong!

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When Dick became President, it was as if everyone at Carlton came out of the hailstorm and into the sunshine - Stephen Kernahan

YARRAN!!





.

I must admit that I was cursing some of Russell's errors in the first three quarters on Sunday night and I wondered whether he would continue to get games, however he turned that around in one quarter with some wonderful play and taking risks that paid off...

Regardless of which player performs well (and I am not just talking about Russell here...) they are KIDS. Let them play the game and grow with each performance out on the field, they are only going to learn and become more consistent with more time and effort put into them, and also the key ingredient - BELIEF.

Over the last few years my view on football has changed, I am into my 30's now but I savour the wins, and look for any positives with a loss. I used to be one-eyed and would lose my voice by 3/4 time in most game but now I just sit back and enjoy it - regardless of what may happen.

I understand footballers are high profile now and get paid well for what they do - but years ago I never over-analysed every player that played for Carlton in a certain match. Everything seems magnified in the game, and if a player makes one error he is thrown over the coals for it - I for one don't understand it - just LET THEM PLAY.

That's my 2 cents worth anyway, from the graph that Verbs showed at the beginning of this thread, each players line is going up and therefore they are getting more of the ball and maturing as a player.

I will leave with these remarks - if you didn't want Russell playing in our side, who would you have replace him? From the sides we have put out on the park in the last few years, at least this one has some character and fight about it.

Lastly - yeah I'll finish in a minute - if it was not for some of the sections of play that Russell was involved in, I am not sure whether we would have got across the line. I for one will be cheering for him against the Filth on the weekend, if he makes some errors... well... it's only a game after all!

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37°47'1.59"S - 144°57'43.30"E - Home

I agree with all of zonemans posts here. Russell had a great 2nd half, in particular a great last quarter but I'm not sure that this is enough to laud him a great footballer just yet IMO. He definitely is improving slowly but I don't believe he is at the level of a top 10 pick just yet. He's definitely responding well to the faith Ratts has shown in him & I hope he makes it. I'm still not totally sold on 1 good half though.

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Witty signature required.

It's funny, games take a little bit of time to reach Europe, but I sat and watched the first half of the game yesterday.

Russell directly contributed to no less than three Port goals through direct turn overs or bad decision making. I think, as a whole, Carlton were with Port all the way through the first half we could not capitalize on our opportunities though, so having a player gifting goals to the opposition in such conditions must be extremely demoralising to the team.

In his defence he was not the only one that was producing clangers, but he did seem to be the only one producing clangers that directly led to the opposition scoring.

I can not wait to watch the second half of the game to see how the new and improved JR is giving so much hope to the place, as in my opinion he had a lot to make up for from his first half.

I hope that he succeeds and establishes himself as a regular player that plays with intenisty passion and commitment, we've invested a lot of time in him and I think that he owes it to the club to produce his best consistently.

I'm off to watch the second half now.

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"our guest is dressed by hand-me-downs, hair designed by pillow"

How could you not be happy with his progress?!

He has shown improvement with every additionaly game he has played this season and in this context, I think that is sufficient in a developing team and especially because no other listed player is more deserving of his position based on form.

The conventional view that JR has played enough footy to have shown more by now, he makes critical errors, is a top 10 pick, just seems to save people from thinking. This unfairly critical view of him seems to be posters lamely conforming (it really lacks grounds atm and has for the last couple of weeks) and is getting soo passe..

Go JR hope you keep it up

Oh man... not this whole Russell debate again.

He's good, he's shit - clangers, great quarters. Whatever.

I tried to debate this in the past, although still being impartial on Russell and his ability (the jury's out IMO) - only to have Jordan-huggers jump in and question why this discussion should go on (shouldn't be bagging TC's sponsor player/players could be reading etc.)...

...so I'm staying well away from this - except to pass comment on two things.



Nasal delivery technology?



QFMFT.

A shitkicker like Sylvia isn't a great benchmark. Unless you are benchmarking shitkicker-ness.

jordan huggers

might add that to my sig

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

UP

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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.

Who has said he's a gun or a great footballer?

I keep reading that "he's not a great footballer yet", or "I wouldn't be calling him great yet"..I think those arguing for him are suggesting that he is developing..in a development year no less

Again watching the replay today, he played well in the last but had absolute shocker in the first three quarters.

He needs to back up his last quarter performance

This is my problem with the Russell debate.

He's not a top 10 pick - he's a player on a list of 38. That's what all our players are. Russell didn't choose to be taken in the top 10 - that was our decision. In some years he wouldn't have made top 20.

And yet still he's judged according to where he was picked as if every number 9 pick should be equal.

I rate Russell against the rest of our list. Any other comparison is unfair.

I also rate him on how he's improving and whether he's starting to understand what's necessary. For a kid who's had less than 12 months of genuine development coaching I'd say the results of that attention are paying off pretty quickly.

If people are disappointed in his performance based on where he was picked in the draft then they should blame the recruiting team rather than slagging off Russell at every opportunity.

Is Russell the worst player on our list? No.

So where does he fit in everyone's list of CFC's best players?

My guess is he's not at the bottom (or even bottom 5) of anyone's list.

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“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
Turkish Proverb

Here Here


thats the problem with this stupid draft a player gets taken at 60 doesn't preform in the first year or two then gets delisted - then a player gets taken early and they are given more chances to prove them selves .

I wish people once they are drafted forget about where they are taken and look at what they are actually doing at the moment . Russell is far from our worst player - Grigg has been copping it and yet he is showing signs of developing - Gibbs gets bagged from time to time

I hate the draft much preferr the old system so you didn't know where a player was ranke before he entered the system and you judged him on his current ability

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

If you base your assesment of Jordan Russell on his first half clangers then on last weeks game you'd have to put Murphy's first half in the same category. Not only was MM's first half full of clangers that resulted in goals this has happened in at least 3 games this year. Do we chastize MM in the same way as we do JR? Not at all! Give him a go! All we can ask of our younger players is to continue to improve so that they reduce [to nil] the clagers which cost us plenty.

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PEAKIE

My Man

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Mjonc signing off at 8888

I think the issue has more to do with our expectations. Draft picks are meant to be like gold and a top 10 pick represents a potentially great player. Maybe some could argue that after the top 5 picks it is more of a lottery each year.

Because we had been punished so badly, JS represented our big hope and he has not lived up to the expectations that we placed on him.

And by the by, I saw the second half of the Port game and while he was good in the last quarter there were probably half a dozen players that were equally as good as him if not better.

I think that our problem is that we have invested so much in him and it would be a shame to lose him when he is on the cusp as he is the type of player that has the potential to be a solid player in the future and if you put him in a better team then he would probably not look out of place.

Anyway, I say good luck to the guy. I look forward to seeing him progress like he should have now that he is getting the opportunities.

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"our guest is dressed by hand-me-downs, hair designed by pillow"

When you consider he's getting roughly the same number of disposals per game that Walker was at the same number of games, there's reason to believe he will continue his improvement, as he is.

He's been on the way up for a while now.