We are playing quite a few new and young players.
There are not many under 19yrs, that is true. 3 1st year draftees under 19 have/are in our no.1 team (Weitering, Curnow, SOJ) with McKay still forging his way back from injury (and anyway, I never really expected him to play this year anyway, given his very young age and still developing body....).
You make a valid point but one that is pretty well accepted and not especially insightful: we do not have much depth and have a bunch of mid-age/mid-skilled list fillers as well as older players such as Gibbs, Murphy, Kruezer, Simpson, Walker, Thomas who are unlikely to be around when we are next challenging the top 4.
Great. So are you saying:
- that we should just simply play all our under 20 kids such as DVR, McKay, Dick, Foster etc... even though they are not really doing all that well in the VFL?
- that we should have just drafted more kids under 20 and then played them all?
- that we are shit?
- that our wins mask the fact that we are still shit?
None of this is a revelation.
We have to slowly build a team of good players. this takes a few years. sadly, our recruiting/development did not really achieve this over the past 10yrs, at least outside our no.1/2 picks who have been pretty good.
We have to learn a good, modern and effective game plan. I think we are all seeing evidence of this already.
We have to change the culture of the players and indeed the whole club. This is also a massive, multi-year task but I think we are seeing evidence on the field and off the field that this is happening.

So, I come back to the point: what is your point?
We all know the road ahead will be long and hard.
We are just trying to enjoy the small positives and evidence of growth, albeit limited as we go. After such a bleak few years when we realised, as a club, that our past 10yrs had effectively been squandered, I think it is ok for the fans to enjoy the little things on the journey, notwithstanding that we also realise that a few wins here and there with a bunch of stop-gap and ageing players does not a multi-premiership winning dynasty make...

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Carlton - Nothing's changed
I still love you, oh, I still love you
Only slightly, only slightly less
Than I used to, my love

Well said 17th. What is admired about Hawthorn is their development of some of their kids so they come in more battle ready. Playing kids before they're ready or gifting them games is not optimally developing them. Even someone like Weitering needs a rest now, getting banged up and needs to develop his body a little more slowly


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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Last time we were the hunted. We were coming off our terrific run of wins. Perhaps there was a psychological let down- playing the saints who had just been pantsed by adelaide. They were without reiwoldt, and we got caught out with their changed structures. Stephens was their best and we had an injured curnow playing on him. Membery stood up, partly because we underrated him. We were exposed for pace.
This time they are the hunted. We will probably give stephens to kerridge. Memery is now a known known and will not be let off t.he chain. He is not that great a player that he cant be nullified. Rheiwoldt will be a handful, but hopefully we have a strategy for him. At least we know very well how he plays.
We will need to load up on pace. Boekhorst and buckley will help.
I have faith in BB to respond to our last defeat by the saints. His team are very smart and will put strategies in place that will not see a repeat of last rounds resounding defeat. Look at how we responded to the swans first round defeat. That said, the saints are really playing well and their pace and run will be a problem. They will be stung by their defeat by north last week.
Two young developing sides , with great coaches. One side about 2 years ahead in development. Saints by 2 points.

I am more than happy to respond to this

That said, before I reply- why are not the mods moving your post to another thread as not being relevant to the pre-game thread?

Or are the mods just waiting for my response to then shut down?

Phillips will give a contest. Last time we played them Gorringe let their ruck men absolutely dominate.
The Saints are impressive but they run harder ahead of the ball than any side. If we can win our share of the stoppages, we'll expose their lack of accountability.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

A lot of things went the way of the Saints with their outright offensive attack.
The Saints lacked and continue to lack accountability.
It is all about the stoppages, because we seem pretty even around the ground.

Philips was missing against the Saints and it was during a short period when Gorringe attempted to take the centre bounce, 4 times in a row, and failed to compete (to put in bluntly) that the Saints took it out of the middle for 4 quick, very easy goals.

I can't see that happening again. For a start we have Philips to compete in the ruck, along with Kreuzer, who seems to have hit some form.
They should serve the mids better this time around.

Walkers last game, and I expect a huge effort to get the 4 points.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Walker's last game. I hope he plays forward and tries for MOTY every contest.
And I hope someone tries to rough him up. No pissy jumper punches this week if they do.

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

Apart from a win, I'd love to see Walker get 26 disposals and take MOTY (just a shame that Carlisle won't be there for him to jump on to take it... )

Think we might see one of those Boomer Harvey team-gifted goals on Sunday. Hopefully we are comfortably ahead at such stage.

This wasn't a case of repetitive and deliberate off topic posting. In fact it has relevance to the selections for this round, so rest assured we aren't likely to remove those posts. Feel free to write your response. I'm particular interested in hearing more about how no young guys other than Weitering have played in a win this year... (Curnow has, Byrne has, Cripps has, Plowman has..)

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@cecil_anderson

no no the other young guns

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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!

When I said kids I meant 1st year draftees.

In round 5 charlie and 23 played.
Rd 6 no 23 played
Rd7, 8, 10 and 11 no draftees played

Guys like kerridge wright are stop gap players.
Plowman sumner are trades not a draftee
Philips same
Byrne not a trade nor 1st yr draftee

post of the year

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my last one was rubbish

The original post was about Collingwood playing their kids and not us.
Collingwood first year players- 11 games this season including Tom Phillips who was drafted as an overage TAC player
Carlton first year players- 21 games this season.

As for playing in wins, I fail to see the relevance. The key should be getting games and experience into the young players with an eye to the future.
It seems to me some posters are clutching for things to sook about.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

We have played the kids when able to. McKay and Cuningham haven't been ready. It all comes down the timing, injuries and form. If either of the pre mentioned can perform well in the next couple games I'm sure Bolts will give them a taste of seniors.

Rd20 teams now on club sites / http://afl.com.au Carl v StK Walker, Thomas, Whiley into 25. Fisher, Shenton, Holmes into 25.

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"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

Interchange from: 23. Jacob Weitering 39. Dale Thomas 1. Andrew Walker 32. Nick Graham 19. Liam Sumner 24. Mark Whiley 33. Andrejs Everitt

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"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

Graham and Whiley in the one side might make us a little slow, especially considering the Saints looked too quick for us last time.