The poor magnet-board man looked as though he was copping a fair spray at times from certain MC members.

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There's so much I could say...

pro: WAITE AND WALKER

Waitey is proving how valuable he is being so versatile. He can play back, middle and forward and the same goes with Walks.

The two are so versatile which gives Ratts more options

I think Jarrad is up there with our most important player. Lets hope Walks can get up cause he will add so much to this team

Look he's not that bad, Morton was on fire last night and if it had of been Bower on him people'd probably be saying Bower's a poor defender.

He may be better served further up the ground such as on a wing, only time will tell. What we do know is that his positives being his precision kicking outweigh deficiencies in defending. He sets us up going forward and ensures that we maintain posession. CFC have looked into the future and seen the Hawk's style spreading across the comp and recruited accordingly. A great asset to the team IMO.

PROS: too many to mention

CONS: nit-picking maybe but Kade undoes his hard work with (i) average field kicking and worse (ii) goal kicking. Whether it's a set shot or on the run I'm always filled with doubt when Kade has a shot and he's better than that.

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"It was like calling your ex girlfriend after a night on the booze, just a really bad decision".

How's this for a cool stat. Judd, Murph, Gibbs and Hadley shared 25 centre clearances between them!!

Pro:

We're hunting in packs again -

A slightly wider version is on the front of the Sydney Morning Herald's sport section this morning.

Pressure!

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

Would that be the only time Cus and Juddy faced off during the game?

"HELLO BENNY! MEET MY NEW FRIENDS!"

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

I beg to differ

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"I had to eat"

Pros

Ratten - He is definitely stamping his own style and football philosophies on the team. Everyone was equal on that playing firld and you give 100% all the time. You are accountable and team oriented - you share it when it needs to be shared but when it its your turn you step up and do what you need to do.

Hadley - Last night I saw glimpses of Kouta - not the leaping, pluck the ball out of the air Kouta, but the hard, put your body on the line, aggression at the ball, ruck-roving Kouta that we saw in the second half of his career.

Cloke and Fevola - Whilst they didn't kick a lot of goals between them and didn't have high stats games. They are the reason that crumbers and small forwards kicked so many last night because even if their marks didnt stick they made each forward thrust a contest and knocked the ball to advantage - (and both seemed happy to play their parts in the TEAM)

Rob Harvey - 384 games of senior footy for St Kilda is perfect preparation for fetching Judd's water bottle

Cons

Key Defensive Positions - I still worry about the Key back positions. Jammo and Thorton were servicable and didn't necessarily get beaten but at the same time not super convincing. Next week will be the real test and if they can do well againsr Brown and Bradshaw I will rest easier.

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Ecclesiastes 1:4, "One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but The Blues abide forever."

Pro

For the last few years a couple of my Collingwood supporting mates have rung me after Carlton games to talk about the game. Usually after we've had a win so they know they'll get me interested. Usually they make comforting noises about "a couple of Carlton's kids look to have something" blah blah blah...

All up it's been strangely condescending particularly coming from supporters of a club that's won one flag in 50 years.

They're not calling today.

My guess is they're sitting quietly in their offices shitting themselves...

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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

You mean the Kouta with dicky knees? Funny that.

Dicky knee Kouta was still a damn good Kouta

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Ecclesiastes 1:4, "One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but The Blues abide forever."

Pros:
- Hadley's tackling and clearance work.
- Robinson. Should get Rising Star nomination this week.
- Our small forwards - Betts and Wiggins played career-best games.
- DEFENSIVE PRESSURE! This was the main pro. We absolutely stifled Richmond and forced them to make errors. If we can play at that intensity every week then who knows how far we can go.
- Gibbs, Judd and Murphy racking up the possessions.
- Kreuzer - still early in the season but looks a lot stronger and gets more possessions. He is starting to look like a seasoned ruckman, not a teenager.
- Winning with 6 of our best out and with 4 debutants - great for confidence.
- Joseph and Jacobs adapted beautifully. Great debuts.
- Smashing the Tigers with Fev kicking just 2.
- WE LOOK MUCH STRONGER! It's obvious that that has been a focus in the pre-season.

Cons:
- Has Fev aggravated his injury? We don't want him playing with injections every week. He didn't look too comfortable last night.
- While this win was fantastic, we don't want to get too cocky. Brisbane next week will be a great test.
- Some unlucky players will be dropped when the others return.
- We didn't capitalise enough. Too many wasted chances. Teams like Haw and Geel punish opponents.

I had a feeling we would win well before the match when I was watching both teams warm-up. Richmond seemed too hyped up and were spraying kicks and Cousins thought he was too good for everyone else and was always last to get into the huddle. Meanwhile, our boys looked poised and focused and the skills were clean in the warm-up. I've always thought that too many Richmond players play for themselves rather than the team. Guys like Bowden, Brown, Richo and Deledio and now Cousins. They come across as a team that doesn't play team footy. Does anyone agree?

Yes, Richmond were bad but we were very good and the margin confirms that.

Put last night together with the effort of our under-strength team against an under-strength Geelong the other week. We matched Geelong on most aspects.

We are developing consistency, a thing we have lacked for so long.

Of course he was. But he was a better inside player after he got the dicky knees and couldn't do some of the athletic stuff he used to do. A bit like Judd when he was half-fit last year. I couldn't believe how good Judd's inside work was last season.

I have another con which I left out and that is Bower. I thought he looked lost at times last night and he is so indecisive when he has the ball. I have to hold my breath when he has it. But I know he is capable of a lot better.

I think PB looks lost sometimes, but that's just his demeanour. He tends to look panicked when the ball is in his hands, but uses it pretty well most times.

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

Particularly with Carrots missing.

for me that joke will never grow old

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"I had to eat"

Pro's : All of the above, plus i have to give an annual career review to a bloke who is a feral Ninthmond member and was at the game last night, he is sitting outside my office ATM waiting for me to fininsh this post (he thinks I am doing some work).

My 1st qustion is going to be:

"dont worry about your career, did you watch the footy last night?"

I might try and slip something in somewhere about a 10 year plan as well

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"Who discovered we could get milk from cows, and what did he think he was doing at the time?" Billy Connolly

Pros: The entire game!

Cons: Kade's errant kicking and Johnston poor defensive capabilities. I worry that teams will target Johnston and play through his man as he is looked pretty poor in 1-on-1's last night.

Otherwise, i'm a very happy and satisfied bluebagger today...

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C'mon Blueboys!

If his career is hanging on this interview I will bet London to brick that if you mention the footy he will bang on about how good Carlton are and what a great side they have etc etc etc - all stuff that you would never have heard him say around the water cooler.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill