With last night’s loss and our ridiculously tough run home I was starting to think about the changes that we can start to make to our team in terms of building to next year as our finals hopes start to fade. I’m not saying we should tank but I think the focus should now switch to building what will be a finals team in the next few years. This will probably be the last time for a few years at least where we will have a run of home and away games that will be played at a high level without really mattering.

Ruck - This one has been mentioned by a lot of people, Hampson needs to play every game from here in. yes he is raw, but every minute he gets in the top flight will help him when he ineveitably becomes our number one ruckman. This is the one thing that really must happen as Cloke is not a top ruckman (last night proved that) and Kreuz wont be at a ruck level for a few years, even if we do decide to go down that route (+ Ackland wont be on the list in a few months).

Waite - Need to decide in the next few weeks what we are going to do with him. He has too much forward potential to not give him another shot and he showed last night that he isnt going to work as a standard defender on key position forwards. I think that for the next few weeks he should play at CHF with a bit of freedom such as what Richo has, then Fish can play in closer to goal where he performs better. If waite doesnt work in the forward line in the next few weeks then we should commit to him as a backman, but i think one more run forward when we have a chance is more than worthwhile.

Other Forward options - OK this is a bit strange, but i think that our forward line looks best when we roate players through, edwards, hartlett, o'halpin,kreuzer, anderson even waite. When the structure is static we seem to fall. I think that for the next few weeks we should experiment with these options find out what works so we can provide other options to Fev. Also we need to make sure that midfielders start to use these other options so that we can give them a chance, last night at one point eddy and fev went out on the lead gibbs kicked to eddy, but eddy had already stopped running and turned to crumb, expecting the ball to go to fev, if these other options are going to work then they need to be given the chance to do it with some consistent delivery.

Carrazzo - I still dont think he is best used in defence, he got slaughtered last night against a player that should have been suited to his style and build. He still doesnt seem to have the awareness, time and again I see him running and often cutting off a lead only to see the ball go flying past because he was concentrating on his player, I think there is a better use for him.

Returning players - walker will come back and can slot in pretty much anywhere, but there are others who should come back whose positions and use are uncertain, at least in my mind, Armfield, Hadley and Houlihan, all should be first team players but with the exception of Hadleys use as a backup midfielder, i’m not sure how we should use them; again experimentation needed I think.

Anyway those are just a few things, im sure there are many more, but I feel the key is experimentation. This year more than previous the focus shouldn't be blooding new and young players rather experimenting with the set up, trying options both forward and back to see what fits and what works. Last night was a perfect example, Jamison on Riewoldt doesnt seem like a logical match up, but it worked, far better than when Waite was on him. Anyway I think its an interesting issue as the season come to a close and so ends my ridiculously long first post on this site....

Couldn't agree more with all of what you just said.

Yes. All of it.

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Griggaisagun

I know i've mentioned this several times but i would bring in Walker and Hartlett and settle these two along with Fev as our 3 talls up forward and build around that.

Both Walker and Hartts both provide to strong marking options. Walker can take a screamer, has pace to burn and can be dangerous around goals. Hartlett could be the hit up forward but also play 40 meters out from goal and can take a strong grab.

If both players work there behinds off, present options and team mates looking for them they could form a formidable trio. This will keep opposition defenders honest and think twice about leaving there opponent to double team Fev.

Fev at FF, Walks roaming around the 50 and Hartts at CHF looks promising. Throw in Waite if only Setanta can prove him self as a defender and all of a sudden we look dangerous

Hate to say this but Brad Fisher position in the team is passing him by. I know he is a favorite amongst blues supporters but he offers very little and personally i don't think he has more to offer.

As for Waite we can only afford one guy who shanks the ball in down back not 3.

We have Waitey, Setanta and Carrazzo who consistently turn the ball over and Setanta making critical errors. For us to move into top 4 we need our best users by foot of half back setting up play.

Waite must play CHF. Hopefully Bower bulks up and can hold down CHB with Jammo at FB or hope that Austin turns into a solid unit at CHB

Give Austin a go!

Play Cornelius...oh sorry - I'm posting from 2009!

If we get him his nickname HAS to be 'Doc'.

Hope you get the reference.

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|♥♥♥♥♥♥| http://www.blueseum.org |♥♥♥♥♥♥|

Setanta makes the occasional error but he very rarely turns it over by foot. As for the other tow.......... well they can let themselves down far to often at crucial times. Wait is very frustrating because at times he kicks very well then he has a brain fade and we get the sort of kick that didn't reach JR.

Regards Cazzesman

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Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

i'd like any of the following to happen

IN: setanta, pfieffer, jackson, austin, blackwell, hartlett, 1AW
OUT:russell, edwards, wiggins, fisher

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"You don’t get much more Navy Blue than Stephen Kernahan" - Marc Murphy

So true.

Setanta can do some silly things (those spoils in the Essendon* game, etc etc) but he's disposal by foot is actually more accurate than most give him credit for.

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

Agree with most of it tamer.

As I have posted elsewhere, here is what I would be doing:

I believe we will be much better with Fev out of the side.

One thing I believe we haven't done is progress with our game plan in regards to the top 3 sides. Forward and Defence structures need to be more mobile.

I REALLY BELIEVE WE ARE PLAYING TO TALL AT THE MOMENT.

We are definitely to Fev reliant and Jamison and Thornton have been forced to play on smaller players thus slowing our run from defence. Jamo looked much better against Reiwoldt.

Hawthorn, Geelong & the Bulldogs play mid sized mobile defences and launch their attacks from there and get it in to a mobile fwd line that rotates constantly and creates space.

Walker & Waite on wings (playing like Richo) along with our midfield would stretch any opposition.

Even Hawthorns fwd line with Buddy and Roughead relies alot on rotation and the options of Rioli, Williams and sometimes Hodge.

Geez - how is it I miss all of Setanta's tunovers. Every time I see him kick he hits his target low and lace out. Sometimes I wonder whether people pick on him just cause he's Irish. Anyway, if anyone has access to stats on his clangers/kicks ratio we could maybe sort this one out. Wouldn't mind seeing Carrots rato as well next to Judd's and some other elite midfielders, just so we know how good/bad he really is.

And we'll be getting Andrew Walker back to massacre the ball off half back.

More BS - flower the vultures that come out of the wood work after a loss.

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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.

If the forward line is such an issue, we should stack it with talent:

HFF - resting ruckman- Waite - Hartlett
FF - Fisch - Fev - Eddie

This gives us at least 3 taller type options to kick to when streaming from defence, then Fev or Fisch on the next line, closer to goal, suiting Fischer, with Betts roving to them.

Let's give the opposition something to worry about rather than being reactive to the opposition tactics.

I think that's a fallacy - I don't think we'd do that much better if we had Franklin, Reiqoldt & Brown in there at the moment (ok, clearly we would do a lot better with them in the team but I'm trying to make a point here....).
I think the problem is with our strategy coming in to the forward line, less than the personnel.

I'm more in the camp (not that there's anything wrong with that) that we need to settle a ruck combo - and I'd be looking to slot in Hampson and Jacobs for the rest of the season.

Kruezer to spell out the year playing deep forward. Fev a bit higher and Hartlett at CHF. We need another crumber in there with Eddie - maybe Armfield or similar.

Also Carlos back to the backline and Waite to match up according to opposition - could be a wing, could be CHB.

I don't understand having one of the best (and still developing) midfields in the comp and not trying to develop rucks to go with them. From what I've seen of Jacobs hee'd be just as capable as Blake from Geelong and they have bitten the bullet to develop him.

Clokey I like but he is a fringe deep CHF replacement for your first picked (Hartlett) at best.

We already know his limitations - I'm not sure by continuing to play him and not restructure to get Hartlett Jacobs and Hampson into the team that we are not wasting good development time for these guys. We're not going to win anything this year so let's not waste development.

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

I disagree. When you're holding the winning cards, your opponent must react & make decisions to try & win the game.

For too long, we did not have the cattle to force our opponents to be reactive to our teams line up...we were always reacting to our opposition & worrying about their players.

We now have some cattle that the opposition need to match up on & negate, especially in the centre & possibly the forwarsd line, as I mentioned preiously. Trying to match up on 3-4 tall forwards aint easy for any team.

My view might be simplistic, but don't we need to discover a winning structure in these last few weeks?

I am looking forward to see 1AW take the field but you have to admit he has poor foot skills. He is another Waite, fantastic athletic ability but poor foot skills

This is why he and Waite should play forward.

1AW does have poor foot skills, so play him off half back or wing where they shouldn't hurt us as much.

There's no doubt he can win the ball, which is more than 1/2 the battle, but he need to be placed in a positon where he does not need to be precise with his foot skills, i.e. kick to a leading forward in space or a pack, rather than a defender with a opponent not too far away.