RiverRodent says that Santy was sitting in the stands with Jacko and Walks well before the time he had to arrive, so it looks like you're plain wrong when you say he was late to the game.

Don't think we should go for Seaby or Brogan. And only for Warnock either if we think Hammer or Krooz won't end up making it as a ruckman. Otherwise, let's develop K & H.

I don't really like the idea of Kruez and Hammer getting smashed week in week out in the ruck contests before they fill out.

We need an experienced, servicable ruckman to share the load with the boys for a few years - otherwise we'll see two young ruckman getting smashed up and burnt out inside 5 years.

Last year at trade time, I was screaming on TC for us to get Steven King -he would be exactly what we need right now - few years left to play, happy to share responsibility and a decent player for the young rucks to look up to...

He can't talk about what he does not know! I wish more people on this World Wide Web thingy would do the same.

My only insight is having the occasional chat with some of the players and having the occasional player live with Caz and I for short periods. The chats and the living arrangements make you realise they are just kids who happen to be lucky enough to be on an AFL list. Outside of CFC they have all the normal issues of life to deal with.

They have to get over disappointments, injuries, breakups, homesickness and form slumps very quickly.

The season and their lively-hoods can quickly slip away if they have some bad luck and can't get their heads right. Situations happen over which they have no control. They might have had a slow start to the year then be out for a month with injury.

They come back through the VFL and play at Ballarat where it is near on snowing, blowing a gale and the Ants get belted. Then the week after they are at Frankston, where the player is played out of position and can't find a matchup so he spends 50% of the game on the bench. He has had 50 Minutes in 7 days to show his stuff. All of a sudden the pressures of life for a 20yr old start to mount.

Half the season is gone and they are struggling to show much. The supporters start to ask questions and the Internet footy site runs a poll about who is going to get cut at the end of the season. The kids parents see their sons name mentioned and more pressure builds.

Supporters talk to people in the Coterie groups, who talk to Board members who ask cryptic questions to those either in or on the edge of the MC. The snowball gathers plenty going down hill when someones says..."Is Fred up to it?'.

There's an amazing amount of pressure on some 20 year olds at AFL clubs. Most of it generated by the media and the supporters. The media want stories 24/7 and the supporters want instant gratification. That's were the distorted view comes from. Plus we have those people at the club who are feeding snippets of information to some of the posters on sites like TC. All snippets do is produce speculation and hysteria. The media get a sniff and we are off to the races.

You are not going to get all the information and nor should you because it is simply not possible. To try would cause more problems than it is worth. Put some trust in those running the club and if they fail to produce then move them on.

In the end if the MC want to pick a player, then the supporters have to respect that the MC have all the data to make an informed decision. The MC have to balance the short term goals i.e the win, with the long term goals of building Carlton's list for the future.

Ask 10 supporters to name CFC best 22 and you will get 10 different teams. No doubt those involved in the MC have a slightly different 22 they would like to see run onto the field but as a group they work through the why's and wherefores. They try to strike a happy medium between the short and long term goals of the Club and the player.

My insight is that you have 44 individuals who are trying their best to be good at something. Some by nature try extremely hard but don't always make it. That's just life. Let the MC decide who comes and goes and if the MC ultimate get it wrong then someone better will get the gig. Until then have some faith in Ratts, Swanny and Co. Remember we are coming from along way back.

Regards Cazzesman

Essendon* cheated, simple as that

In's for Sunday, Walks, Mark Austin and probably Harts.

ManSue..I think your post is more relevant to the discussion we all had regarding posting criticism of players and the manner in which we do that. (No i don't want to start that up again in this thread! )

I think CM's post is not about expressing opinions but more about how we have many posters on TC (and other sites) who can give us snippets of info, others who give us snippets they profess to be true (but aren't), and how many of us pick up these posts and run in a million directions scattering seeds of misinformation that gradually gets relayed through pages and pages to become "Fact".

Quote from the coaches review "I new you were in for a bad day when you were late for the warm up"

He can't talk about what he does not know! I wish more people on this World Wide Web thingy would do the same.