http://carltonfc.com.au/News/NEWSARTICL ... wsId=70747

..often maligned by oppo supporters and our own, and until recently played a lone hand down back.. ..under appreciated, but with cohesive support can provide leadership down back..

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He sounds pretty pumped, but as he says talk is cheap. I think the club burnt themselves a bit when we all got a bit excited by making the 8 around mid-season.

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..didn't realise that he's been having post season ops every year until this year either.. ..once he too gets a bit more confidence in those around him, he'll play better as well.. ..poor sod's prolly been shellshocked a bit, having to play kpb during the clubs dark years..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

Well said Kahuna. I think TBird cops a fair bit of undue criticism. He got the biggest strongest opposition forwards EVERY week during our garbage years & did a damn good job considering how often the opposition were pumping the footy inside 50. His pre seasons have often been interrupted, hopefully he can have another good year in 09 & prove his knockers wrong.

Good luck to BT & our defence for 09 and beyond. We're behind you!!!!

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Really he didn'y have an interupted preseason last year. He finished the season early (maybe for us to tank), got the ankle operated and recovered for the preseason.

Thornton's preseason was so strong last year he was a standout. If you look at the B & F votes for the irst 6 rounds in 2008, you'll see it reflects the preseason he had.

I would like to see Thornton play a more direct attacking role in 2009. He can do it. It's all the zig zagging and sideways stuff which he wouldn't be doing if he was with the Hawks that I'd like to see him change.

He's got what it takes to play on the 3rd or 4th tall, as long as they're not too tall for him.

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In thinking about it - what Thonkers has gone through for Carlton and to have stuck with us and to still have such an inspiring mind set at this stage of his career at Carlton..

He deserves full recognition.

Not Southby, Not SOS...

But still..

he was my smokey for our BnF.

I think the problem with Brett is when he puts his head down...if he gets outmarked or outpaced, he seems to crack it at himself and be down for a 3-6 minute period after that. If he has his tail up, he is really good.

Reading that make me think he finally feels some pressure is lifting off his back and is shared more around. With the growth of Bower and Jamo (and hopefully aussie) Thornton should have more confidence in doing his thing and not have to carry the defence

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I reckon the only thing he did a damn good job of was throwing his mouthguard into the dirt 13 times a game. To me, Thornton remains a very visual part of the darkest days in our history. Austin, come on down.

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Haha, this is true - his on-field dummy spits were both disheartening and damning. It showed a lot about his character. Nonetheless... we may not have to worry about what happens when the going gets tough any more... on the way up, up, up...

Thonkers?!



Y'know Camelboy -

admittedly everyone affiliated with Carlton would have gotten a wee little bit excited when we hit the 8 in Round 12, but the way I look at it - for many of the younger players on the list (and thousands upon thousands of young Carlton supporters around Australia it was for the first time... if nothing else it showed everyone what we are capable of - and went a small way towards instilling belief back into both the supporters and the players.

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When Thorton's natural reaction is not to look back or sideways to pass then the knockers will ease off. Until then...

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No matter how long it takes Carlton to rebuild, they will still win a premiership before Essendon* and Collingwood.

FWIW, my spy tells me that TBird is absolutely flying at the moment. He has been lurking around the club for the best part of 30 years and he said "Of all the players in all the years, I don't think I have seen any of the boys bust a gut like him this pre-season. He is looking fabulous too"

Big wrap!!

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My problem is simply that he goes up the flanks and with short kicks each and everytime. We subsequently lose a massive amount of advantage in our counter attack. We need someone willing to break the lines, go up the guts, or spot someone lace out 30-50 metres away to our advantage. Chip passes out to the flank is not good, especially in the frequency it's done.

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My favorite Thornton move is the "Thornton Three-Sixty" - otherwise known as the "Bret Thornton Pirouette".


You know what I'm talking about!

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Agree to a certain extent as I have made some criticism in the past regarding effort and commitment to a contest

However I'm not sure a player of T-Bird's ilk would go sideways consistently of his own accord and continue to get a game

I think the lack of support and poor game plan (or overall execution of it by the team) forces him to play the safe option and find a target rather than just blaze away and turn the ball over

I think you will see a much better, more committed and direct Brett Thornton as the team improves and start to follow a better game plan


IMO of course

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^^^

Don't worry Essendon* ....... We still hate your guts

^^^

IMO, you're both correct.

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I actually refer to that as the patented SANFL spin... a lot of the SA boys have it: Bucks, Gibbs, Roo, etc

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T-Bird has contributed much over the past (dark) years, but in 2009 should nolonger be considered a fixture down back. His body language is poor and he is too short/light to play and key forwards and too slow to play on small forwards. It is time to give others a go, if only we traded him to the Hawks for 2 second round picks last year...

I'd say he's neither too short or too light (listed at 95kg). He's about right. Drops his head too often but it's a young defensive unit, his experience, disposal and composure outweighs the negative side.

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