How depressed would you be if Ess won a flag before us?

They're going OK are the Scumbags.

Are we worried?

Who gets to 17 first is ultimately what it's all about for me.

In 3 years, who will have the superior side?

Can we find enough pace or develop the right game plan to stop their run next time we play them?

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It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it

Essendon* wont win a flag before us - shut down and control the corridor and they lose, simple as that. Whilst we are still a young team as well and were unable to do that twice this year (although I suggest Rd 3 was a different story, we did really control it but just kicked ourselves out of the game), they have been shown to get mauled when this happens (eg Geelong). Think we are able to adapt with various gameplans, styles of play and that will see us win 17 before they do.

Not at all. I'd be angry though.


I'm not.


I'm not sure I really understand that. What about the first to 18, first to 19, etc?

You do realise that it (sport) never ends?


A lot of it will come down to recruiting during those three years.

For the sake of this discussion, if we were both to recruit equally (yes I know that's impossible) over the next three years, I think we'll have the superior list.


Can we? Yes.

Will we? Completely different question.

Ask me again closer to the match.

Trying to come up with any sort of accurate prediction this far out is a little .

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I AM DISENFRANCHISED

I'd have to leave the country or even fake my own death and live another life as a Kazakhstany reporter

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I AM DISENFRANCHISED

Gary Odonnell thinks the current side is like the 93 one

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/ ... fault.aspx

You can safely say now after he has said that they will head on a downward spiral pretty quickly

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

The Bombers designed there resurgence different to how we set out in ours.

We decided to stem the bleeding (goals against) and implementing a defensive mindset approach

They've installed confidence by going all out attack and enjoying there football from there they hope to develop a more defensive game plan.

The difference is the Matty Knights has injected his team with confidence, they are having fun out there and ultimately playing great football. Where as Brett Ratten has almost has gone the other way around it by working on the defensive side of things thus having a more negative effect on our players.

The question now is if the Bombers are able to get the defensive/offensive balance right now that they've been programed to attack. At the moment i think the Bombers are a balanced side in terms of players positions. They have defined roles and playing for each other, does this mean they will be a better side than us in a few years?

The question for us is if we can get the balance right with our offensive/defensive or become a little more positive in how we play. I think our balance is wrong and we are a little unstable at the moment.

I keep saying this to myself, the Bombers are playing great football thats clicking and are on 8 wins. We are playing terrible football and on the equal wins with them....... maybe once its starts to all click for us we will come out on top

I won't be because it won't happen.

Almost 100 point more for Carlton than Essendon* thus far seems to shoot holes in your "Essendon* are more attacking" theory Melvey.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

the fact we're even giving them the credit of talking about this means they've got leverage over us mentally. . .and that alone sh*ts me more than i can explain in words.

We're a better team, although there's no basis behind this argument as they keep beating us. Its the un-biased way i feel. I honestly see us in the top 5teams in the league, call me an optimist but i think we've got a FAR better list than them, they've got a good game plan, a few good young kids, and a handful of energy but we have far more class, more matchwinners, and a list with more depth.

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Cuck Follingwood

Attacking doesn't necessarily mean more goals. They are encouraged to take risks, play on, daring, flashy, run the lines and take the game on.

They don't subscribe to tempo football as much as Brett Ratten does.

Have you seen us try and link up with handball and run???? very amateur if you ask me

Doesn't matter, the all important stat according to Melvey is that we are worse defensively...............................................by a mere .75 points a game

I'd also suspect that if it happened Melvey would come out of the closet and tell us the real way he swings

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"I will rejoice in their anguish, delight in their failure and revel in our success"

We are Carlton, @#$%&! the rest !!!!!!

If the play on at all costs gameplan doesn't reap more goals than ours why is it better?

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

Don't underestimate the Bombers. They have 15 players currently on there list that are were picked between 2 and 25 on there list. They have 9 players inside top 10 of the draft.

We have around 11 under 25 and 7 or 8 inside 10.

They have some talent on that list that goes unnoticed because they weren't number 1 selections.

Did i say it was?

I'm saying that the Bombers are being coached to play that way to help build confidence up, a positive mindset and not take a step back. They will eventually tighten up (well Knights hopes).

Brett Ratten went about building confidence by stopping the big scores kicked against us.

I like the Knights approach as i think our boys play like they're intimated especially when we come up against them

This is where I think their list is underestimated a touch. They have a good spread of talented young players and potentially a decent spine once the elder players of monga, Lucas and Fletcher retire.
The question is whether they can use these senior guys for one last flag assault before they move on. They have this opportunity where we don't. They have certainly shown that they can play good footy.

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C'mon Blueboys!

I don't understand this.

Who is they? Essendon* FC? Scum supporters?

Who is us? Carlton fans?

How does it make any difference that some Carlton fans have lost their arrogance?

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I AM DISENFRANCHISED

Right to left not left to right, right?

Sorry, I assumed that your praising of their gameplan while bemoaning ours was endorsement of it's superiority.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

Right......but the stats would suggest we are still more effective, right?