Perfect summary...

No silver lining, but let's see who can step up.. (and how we set up with relief ruck/forwards / taggers)

Absolute life and soul of the club that busts his guts with whatever he is assigned to do.

Let's hope Vossy gives him his medal

Go Blues!

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“Every single element of the Club has to be the best in the league, meticulously and methodically, and only by doing this will we be elite and challenge for number 17.”
Greg Lee

Did Cunningham do an ACL one summer or was that a shoulder

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#DonTheStash

Gutted.

Shocking news. I think I read somewhere that he is the 5th player to do an ACL this preseason.

Yes, I do believe that Cuningham once suffered a complete disembowelment as well.

If memory serves, he was suplexed off of the cafe counter onto Stevie J’s paring knife.

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

We are going to miss Jack a lot more than a lot of people think . He is a gut buster and his tireless efforts seem to go unnoticed . Underrated . A big loss .

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All my dangerous friends

Marchbank and Cunningham

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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

I don't agree with your comment other than he is a big loss.
Some fans hope we can cover SOS, but truth is, we all hope we do cover for him because he is a very valuable member of the squad.

SOS is loved by the whole club. Its a fairytale love affair. We all love the fairy tale, and were all wishing he gets his name on the same locker with his dad and grandad, so one day his son plays for us too.

Some of his unwavering supporters believe he's a ruck rover (like his Grand dad), some think, at 194cm's he's a better ruckman than Pitto and TDK, some think he should be the 3rd tall and pinch hit in the ruck, some think we can play 2 rucks and SOS as the 3rd tall, some think he is made for a 3rd intercept tall in the backline, and some recently said he was the perfect replacement for Weitering. SOS has fans, lots of fans, and some believe he's better than the other 23 selected when all are available.

So, you see SOS is spruiked by his fans for at least one spot in the 23 (such is their adoration) but he hasn't cemented a spot in the side for lots of good reasons. Hence the ongoing debate about his spot in the Best 23, but I don't think we can cover SOS if a tall forward or ruck are injured despite some suggesting the likes of Kemp and Pitto give us ample cover for SOS. Truth is neither of them can give us what SoS can.

Given the above, why hasn't he cemented a spot forward, middle or back? There has to be good reason.

IMO SOS is harshly judged because of he lacks in some areas of his game to play in the above mentioned positions. He lacks speed off the mark and has a wide turning circle to play RR, and his height disadvantages him in the ruck. He also frustrates everyone with his kicking for goal; (maybe you too?). He hasn't produced near his 6 goal haul in the TAC GF, when he was kicking goals from all angles, including 45m out and on the boundary. In the recent sim game (before he did the ACL), he missed a straight forward shot at goal from 40 out (footage on fan site), so the woes continued. Prior to Walsh being drafted and played in 2019, SOS improved his running so much, he was in the top 5 runners, and all this to make it as a RR like his grad dad. Even then, he didn't make it to the disappointment of some of his fans. He wasn't quick off the mark, and to give you an idea, Kennedy and Hewett are not that slow.

What does get noticed from all fans, imo, is his passion for the club, his gut busting, tireless efforts for the team he and we love. There is no doubt we all see the same as you in what he brings to the team.

Underrated?

If one of the 2 Coleman Medallists was not on our list, or, injured, SOS would be playing KPD in a Top 4 team. That's not underrating him, that's just how close he is for a KPF. Furthermore, if Vossy didnt want to play the 2 rucks or one was injured, SOS would be playing Forward-Ruck . That's not underrating SOS, that's what happens in footy. Preferences. Voss isn't underrating SOS just because he chooses to go with Pitto and TDK combo.

Ask anyone, and we all agree, Carlton, (after 2 decades of rebuilding) has a strong squad. Depth. It takes a strong squad to be a TOP 4 side and become a Premiership team.

SOS is so valuable to the squad, and it becomes more obvious in a year we are aiming to win the Flag, especially after we lose him for the year. Don't worry, I miss SOS bad. He's vital for our quest to make Top 4 this year.

During the start of our 2023 winning streak, Pitto and TDK were out injured vs Hawks and Freo. It was Young and SOS that played the ruck roles to help us keep winning after GCS win. TDK returned and SOS played Forward-ruck vs Port and Weagles and helped us keep the winning run going. SOS got injured early vs Eagles, and was subbed out for Young, but we won with peripheral ruckmen SOS and Young playing that day. Luckily Pitto returned (albeit not right) against Pies, and we won that and the next two vs Saints and Dees.

I shat myself when Finals started and we didnt have SOS. Not because I had him in our best 23 (which I didnt), but because he is a bona fide AFL player we can rely on, in need, and an important part of the Squad, and if we had one injury in our Finals campaign to our KPFs or ruck, we couldn't rely on SOS saving the day because his injury was a mystery, and frankly, as it turned out, the club wasn't telling anyone SOS wasn't available.

The thing is Mickstar, he's missed today even more by fans like me who didn't have him in my best 23 because he's a valuable member of the squad, for the things he can bring to the team, not the things he can't. Don't forget SOS's manager looked around for a better contract elsewhere end of last year, and there were no bites. Something in that. Thank god its our win, their loss, regardless of ACL. SOS is more important to Carlton than just his football.

I'd prefer to have SOS available for the above reasons, and the only positive I can find with the injury is that it gives someone else a chance to step up in SOS versatile role, and I guess puts a stop to some of the heated arguments week in week out why SOS should be rucking ahead of Pitto and TDK and saying with conviction 'Voss is wrong'.

Lets hope we win the flag this year, and he returns to play and win a flag fro Carlton and the Silvagni legend continues, in hopefully our newfound Golden era.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Any update on how Weitering is progressing?

Owies Walsh and Martin carrying injuries according to poster on BF

Hate this thread…!


kindest regards tommi









I’ve got a hot date tonight…if i don’t “perform” i
blame this thread…!

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that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

Are they saying sfress fractures for Walsh?

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Between our dreams and actions lies this world

Yes Owies calf and Martin hammy the Walsh one has been rebuked by a subsequent poster so it’s all a bit murky

That's the risk running ultra high intensity training. I heard a player interviewed and he said if they train at full intensity, it will be easier in matches. The trouble is they need to get there first. 23 rounds and finals hopefully. It's a big gamble IMHO.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Yep , a gamble for sure , but a gamble worth taking . The " Kid gloves " softly softly approach is also a gamble that has failed miserably in the past . Prefer to roll the dice myself .

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All my dangerous friends

Good luck man!


Don't get injured like that poor bloke did with mandy all those years ago.....!

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#DonTheStash

Not sure Mick. There's a big difference between Kid Gloves and full intensity training all the time. There's a large gap between the 2. I heard David King speaking during the week. He said he's watched all the Victorian teams train and Carlton are training with far more intensity and physicality than the others. It's definitely a gamble. Let's hope Jack Russell can hold up his end of the bargain.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Yep BV , a fine line for sure . Damned if you do , damned if you don't sort of stuff .

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All my dangerous friends

I just remember a few years ago when we cancelled a pre-season training session (I think it was an Intra-club) because it was raining too hard. At that point, I was pretty convinced our season was cooked. And I reckon the rest of the comp looked at us the same way.
I prefer this approach.

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I love that saying "kids gloves off".

Best teams I played for did a lot of that and the results showed that it made us fitter stronger and more confident.

I'd rather hit the ground running with full intensity from round 1 and stack up the wins, and if our list is as deep we think, and there's pressure for spots, we will be allright playing at our peak throughout the season and hopefully rest players before Finals.

Sure there may be a lull in form, but we only missed the 4 by one fkn game, so we really don't want another lull like 2023, and we shouldn't take that position, nor 1 or 2 for granted, just because our list is good enough.

We have to fight as hard, and play as hard as we can to make the top 2. It aint gonna happen playing it safe like we could in the 70's and 80's, and it will happen.

This campaign is for real. The fire in the belly and the appetitie is there for all to see including King.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue