There are 2 important things Johnstone has over Gibbs - he likes to carry the ball (at pretty good pace - he's a smooth runner), and his kicking is a bit classier. It's shame he's such a flower, because when he's playing well he's a real class act.

Keogh I think you see what you want to see.
I have seen Gibbs under pressure plenty of times in games were he looks like he is going to get caught and somehow he weaves his way out of trouble. You are intimating that he makes mistakes under pressure but from what I have seen he actually backs himself in pressure situations and most times delivers well.
In terms of comparisons between Johnstone and Gibbs I will give you this:
One of those players has been a piss head during his football career and I am pretty sure the other one is pretty much a clean skin. The piss head has got through his career on pure ability but as he got older his lack of professionalism caught up with him. I am sure Melbourne let him go for more reasons than just football. In five years time I will have no problem with the example Bryce will be setting for the 18-20 year olds coming into the club.
Bryce is the package please don't compare apples with bananas.

I agree we may look average at times, but I do believe that its a by product of the change and develop structure we have implimented in the eighteen months.

To learn the game from the defensive end first, will always make you look awkward. As I have posted before, most players entering the AFL system are hunters of the ball. Their first instinct is to play offensively. The easy out, would be to allow them to play on and run at all costs (under 18's footy).

The harder call is to re-program them to develop their negating game first, and then reintroduce their attacking game, with a better understanding of the affect of tempo footy.

The top two sides, at their best will stifel teams from scoring, whilst creating options to score themselves. This is no accident, you need to learn this style of play. It comes at a cost, it won't win you friends early in the peace, but once the structure is in place, introducing new players into the fold will happen naturally, once they are taught through the development program.

We are on the right track. It doesn't mean we won't disappoint at times, but I for one is happy with the decisions especially over the past few weeks.

Consider this: 4 out of the top 5 teams, are playing very good tempo footy, they will score when the oppositions guard is down, and will hold the ball through the midfield when the opposition is pressing. Tempo footy!!!! The only team in the top 5 who does not play in this manner are the Western Bulldogs. No surprise why they only come close to beating the top teams.

Go Blues!!!

I agree we are pretty average right now i think the likes of Bower and browne and armfield co need to show some serious improvement before we can seriously talk premierships.

Bowers improving rapidly.

Browne and Armfield just need more senior game time to acclimatise to the tempo.

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There's so much I could say...

Why was Browne dropped in the first place? Thought he looked good.

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The problem will be made. for the solution to be sold, to your face before your eyes, tolerance is now the new danger

As said previously by me Gibbs is terrific at finding space. He has a great footy brain
But what I see i see with my 2 eyes.
I think he is a good footballer
But because I believe he has a lot to work on he is overrated by some Carlton supporters

To say he is a star is stupid
Thats a no brainer IMO
You are also not respondong correctly to my posts.
I said his kicking is overrated
Not his evasion skills. He is very good at that

So your to blame then...........

We have been the leader of the bottom 6 teams for years now, this year we have progressed a little and i dont have a problem with this.
Come round 22 if we are in the 8 we have progressed nicely, If we finish bottom 6 again, Then we have problems.

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"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on". -Winston Churchill.

Yep

How do reckon it's going so far?



"Bar Keep! Another round for my friends on the MC."



Regards Cazzesman

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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.”

I think people forget from how far back we are coming from ... we were awful ... no players, no spirit and no money ... we have come from the darkest period in the club's history.

to say we are average is probably correct ... we are not below average (Melb, Freo) and we are not above average (Geel, StKIlda). We are in that area where you win your close games and you finish 4th/5th ... lose your close games and we finish 9th /11th.

From where I sit our two most important players are Warnock and Austin. Warnock plays well and it throws a number of options with our talls ... Austin plays well and we can swing Waite back to the forward line ... add Walker to this ... I don't think there is another club in the AFL that has that instant stimulus that we have in the near future.

Good post Da da da - agree