I agree completely, but until the players understand and are adept at running the lines and drilled enough at running for each other he needs to adjust the style of game we play. Hopefully it won't be much longer.

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

People can go onto this site and say it was not an outstanding game, but the way i see it is, we won by 40points and the kids developed even further.

Got to give Ratts some credit this weeks inclusions
Fisher, Garlett and houlihan got 7 goals between them. Not bad.

Fisher is a much better option than Wiggins, even if he cant kick more than 35 metres.

I was really impressed with 2 guys tonight.

Shaun Hampson just keeps getting better and better and will be a very good ruckmen in 3 years but whether they persist with him i bloody hope they do.

Mark Austin is the other, he reads the play really well and is developing each week, he will be a very solid defender in years to come.


Here is my questions now who gets Brown and Bradshaw next week?

Bower, Jamison, Austin, OHailpin or Thornton?

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Blue boy thru and thru

PROS
- Why was Brad Fisher ever left out? The ability to take contested marks is a skill few possess.
- I have been critical of Garlett's selection previously, but I thought he was very impressive.
- Paul Bower has had a sensational month.
- Jeez, I think Bret Thornton and Kade Simpson get seriously undersold on this forum and generally by Carlton supporters. These two are very, very good players, and when the ball is in their viscinity, I feel very confident that they will win out.

CONS
- Kreuzer will be great. But does anyone else notice at the centre bounces how he always looks at his opposing ruckman rather than the ball? Only drawback in his game.
- Gibbs' impact has been minimal this season. Murphy gone well ahead of him.
- Jordan Russell must go. Now.
- Robinson's disposal and pace are a concern.
- Jamison beaten. Is Bower better?
- We weren't convincing, but a win is a win.
- Selection of match committee this year has been awful. We are not in the position to let out players of the calibre of Scotland, Houlihan and Fisher. These three are good players. Play them.

[edit]

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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.”

PROS:
- Add Walker, Scottland, Grigg. Carrazzo, Waite and Johnson to the team and we would have smashed them.
- The kids are getting some valuable game time and a taste for it.
- Setanta showed us that he has more to offer than Cloke. Glad to hear Ratten say on radio that they are going to play for the next three weeks.
_ Krooze, Bower and Austin were all impressive and maybe the loss of waite is kind of a blessing in disguise.

CONS:
- No way can we play both Fisher and Houlihan in the same side. Its one or the other as both are far to slow and are liabilities and i think both are fighting for there spot.
- Ugly game and have to say if we were playing a team inside the eight the result would have been different
- Our hands inclose is a concern considering at the start of the year i thought this is where we had improved most.

[edit]

PRO
Garlett
AJ !!!
Browne
Army

CON

Kick-ins are ABSOLUTELY HORRENDOUSLY RIDICULOUSLY BAD !!!!!!!!!! Get Scotland back in ASAP

JR - people will defend him because of the tackle he made in the second half, but that one tackle was his ONLY impact on the game. If you sit there and watch him in isolation, he just runs around in circles looking lost, taking up space. Teammates will not honour his leads, and its only getting worse. For his own sake he needs to drop back down and take some of the pressure off

Pros -
FEVOLA FINALLY PLAYED AT FF FOR THE ENTIRE GAME!!!
Hampson is really winning me over...he will make it!!!
AJ - a very important player for us.
KREUZE - cant wait to see him at CHF when Warnock returns.
40,000 fans against an interstate team is very impressive.
Browne, Gartlett and Austin should be persevered with.
Murph - our next Brownlow medallist.
Juddy - I still cant believe he's wearing the navy blue.
Simpson and Stevens both stood up.


Cons -
Playing Setanta at CHF wont work against good teams.
Gibbs - I love the bloke but he has been disappointing the last few weeks. Im worried that he looks a little disinterested and may be homesick?
Robinson - maybe we have been overating him? I love his attack on the ball but his disposal last night was embaressing.
JK - I WANT HIM BACK!!!
Just like Collingwood 2 weeks ago, this should have been an 80+ point win.

_________________
Walk on, Walk on,
With hope, in your heart,
And you'll never walk alone,
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE!!!

08/02/1981 - GATE 7...Our brothers will never be forgotten!!!

Pros
Fish had an impact first up
Joseph, love his pace and intensity, he can tag and contribute to the team, really coming along well
Fev back at full fwd
Bower, just great
Houlihan, limited touches but jeez his disposal is top notch
Judd - Brilliant
Our tackling was v.good

Cons
Robo struggled, still love his intesity though. Thegreat thing is although he had a shocker he still contributed in other ways with his anger
Jamo got beaten, don't see that happen that often.

Robbo - 16 posessions and hard at it all night - some of his kicking was astray last night but um so was some of Judd's and Fevs - I mean it happens. Thought a kid playing his, what, 7th game played okay and was far from struggling. I know we expect a lot but perspective would help sometimes.

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Don't get me wrong Dannyboy, I wasn't potting Robbo. I just thought his disposal was ordinary, which is dissappointing given how hard he works for his possessions. It is certainly no reflection on his application or intensity. The boy will be a star, no doubt.

I should also clarify, IMO his disposal was ordinary last night which was dissappointing as it is usually good.

Pros:

A win is a win
The highlight for me is the continuing development of the kids. Guys like Joseph, Gibbs, Murphy, Kruezer, Robinson, Austin, Bower, Browne, Garlett, Jamo, Hampson, Armfield are the core of our next top level side. Add Walker, Warnock, Waite, Grigg, Anderson to that list and there is real hope.

Cons:

An absolute shocking game of football. Very hard to watch. Lots and lots of mistakes that will be crucified against good sides.
People getting excited about the cameo's of Fisher, Setanta & Houlihan. Judge their performances over the next month NOT on one game. We only beat the worst side in the league (when they travel).
Will only hide our deficencies for another week.

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Complain about the cooking?

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#DonTheStash

Pros;
All of the ins had an impact. Setanta's kicks to position and handballs through crowds were almost all spot on. Anybody who thinks Houla isn't in the best 22 after last night is biased. Garlett will be a genuine superstar of this comp when he gets a bit more self confidence. Fisher kicked with confidence last night.
AJ is already one of the best taggers going around. Nice to see him and Kerr shake hands so amicably last night after a tough game between them.
Austin had a good game I thought. His best so far.
The rest already mentioned elsewhere.
Cons:
I usually don't comment on the umpiring but I thought there were a few ordinary decisions against us last night. They got 3 of their frst 4 from frees. Not how many you get but where you get them. As usual Fev seemed hard done by. Balanced out to some extent by Garlett's poster.
Blue Beatle being out of town and having to watch the game by myself.
Not having a Talking Players thread any more.

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Let slip the Blues of war (with apologies to William Shakespeare) (and Sir Francis Bacon, just in case)

okay lets only discuss games every four weeks or so

oh unless we want to bag someone then we can discuss games all the time.

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Certainly not a great game from JR but I remember a lovely long kick on his wrong foot to Fisher's advantage for a goal.
He contributes.

PROs:

- structure. Fev must be played inside 50 full stop. Forget what the media say about us being Fev-centric, the solution to that is not playing him up the ground.
- Mark Austin had a terrific game, really starting to show signs. Great courage, cutting across to help out and hard work around the ground.
- AJ: Kerr must have thought he'd put an 80kg jacket on for the game ... just an amazing display of hardness and concentration. On top of that, his SPEED ... the guy is lightning fast and TV doesn't do it justice
- Simmo, Robbo and Army for taking the game on ... just what we need
- Browne was tough all night and rate his disposal, a very solid contribution. Shows great composure and maturity for a kid. He relished playing on old teammate Masten.
- Garlett did some very nice things and some of his disposal was superb
- Hammer, Kreuz and Santy double teaming Cox was just great. Kreuz brilliance seems the norm now. Hammer improving and growing in confidence
- Santy's disposal impressed me, much better than expected

CONs:

- defending the kick out. It was too easy for WCE to bring the ball out of their D50 too often. We're zoning wide and leaving the centre open. Surely the goal is to do the opposite and over protect the middle to push them wide.
- players are still going static within the zone giving the kicker no options
- not moving the ball on. We must start to roll the dice more. Run at the zone, pass off to the player going past more, move it, move it ... time taken walking back off the mark and scanning the horizon is time we're giving the opposition to setup the zone. Need greater intensity focused on attack not just defence. See Simmo for instructions on how to do it.
- the form of Jammo. Carrying an injury or restricted by the looks and not enjoying seeing him not playing like we know he can. Having said that he's been serviceable.
- Fev's lost confidence in his set shot kicking ... what was a 70% probability shot looks more like a 30% shot now.

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

And a great low handball through heavy traffic to Murphy in the centre, a much better player than he's credited for, a 6'6" ruck rover.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.