Just on Ollie Hollands, caught a couple of times last night...he's only in his second season, still young , still very slight, and still probably adjusting to the speed of the game. When he gets a bit more experience and a bit more bulk (he may never be super big, but he can add a bit of muscle and strength) he'll be a valuable long term player for us.
We've had three tough games in a row. Our players looked pretty stuffed (although, happily smiling) at the end of last night's game. This fourth will be really difficult.
We need to up our pressure which still seems to be well short of last year at times. Heeney is a worry in a similar fashion to Petracca. Can play a few roles and be hard to match up on.
Voss seemed quite upbeat at the press conference and on reflection you can kind of see why. There's a lot of good to highlight this week as well as there is bad in a ten minute lapse at the end. We went too defensive and our own scoring dried up, but... for most of the night we've broke even or even beaten most of their dangerous players and prime movers...except one.
Had Petracca not got off the leash it wouldn't have been close...possibly over by half-time. He not only had influence in his own scoring but brought other players into the game and lifted the side. We need to find an answer when we next play them. Kennedy went well at the start but once Petracca moved forward he switched to marking Viney.
For mine small Durds put himself on the line when required. Got caught by a fingernail a couple of times but I thought he was up and about.
yep If he was just a fraction quicker he'd be quite valuable...but when Motlop is ready for a return he probably goes out as Owies is good for a couple of goals most games.
Just an aside for a minute... 41 members and a 1000 guests (probably a fair few Bots-some of the topics being viewed are pretty dated) online at present...not a bad effort. We still have a pulse (Despite what our football team is putting us through )
Good start, poor finish These type of games have a cumulative effect and we've played three tough ones in a row, 'undermanned', so it's not surprising we faded at the end. A couple of players are short a gallop after returning from injury We may be in a bit of strife next game. (Sydney in Sydney)
Melbourne on the other hand are having very good last quarters this year. I reckon their fitness levels are pretty high at present. It will be interesting to see if they can maintain that level.
(If a certain biased commentator makes an appearance and asks to walk around our rooms at any stage this year I hope we show him the door. That was just about his worst performance.)
Well, at the risk of seeming like a smarty pants, I suspected Hewett or Cerra. Balance. Plus Hewett was a little slow last week and would be a good replacement for a tired (or injured) mid when some of the early heat has gone out of the game.
Yep There is a method in the madness. Whether it comes off or not we'll see. I'm guessing the thinking is that later in the game even the fittest of the Melbourne mids will tire to some extent bringing them back closer to Hewett in terms of pace. His role might be to negate that 'late game' effectiveness.
Of course, the game may be over by then. Blues by 30 (in the first quarter )
Issac Humphries in the NBL who is a prominent player also came out and that news was received well by the majority who play and follow the game. Given Clarko, Finlayson and now Powell of Gold Coasts slurs i reckon it might be a while before we see a AFL player brave enough to come out...
It would take courage, but wouldn't it be a 'statement' at this point of time. It might, in a bizarre way, be exactly what the game needs to happen.
Carlton legend Brendan Fevola has declared he is "sad" at the fact that no gay AFL players have felt safe enough to come out and express their sexual identity after podcaster Scott O'Halloran revealed he previously had a years-long relationship with an AFL player.
Speaking on Fevola's Melbourne radio show, The Fox's Fifi, Fev and Nick for Breakfast, O'Halloran said he had a relationship with a now retired player for "about 3-4 years", adding that he would "never ever share their identity"
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Funny this... Ian Roberts came out nearly 30 years ago in Rugby League. Women AFL+Soccer players seem to have no trouble with it. Colin Hughes the gay footballer on Ted Lasso declared himself...teammates seemed more concerned he didn't trust them with the info.
I guess the question is... Is it anybody's business? Do we really need to know? Is it important that we know" Would it be a positive for young gay footballers, or would the atmosphere in a teenage team be a little less tolerant than a professional organistation
Thank you Mantis. That explains in perfect detail the complexity of the emotions involved in domestic violence situations. There's the physical aspect, the emotional impact, the financial impact and the changes in relationships as people age. Change is possible but sadly probably very, very rare.
Can it be real change? For some abusers the loss of family and the financial burden, would no doubt be seen by them as 'what their behaviour has cost them'....for others it can be a trigger to anger and a more violent, even deadly response.
My own father had his demons. Nothing approaching the abuse of Mantis's father, never anything physical. but he was a POW in Changi and on the railroad, and like many from that generation who suffered from issues such as alcohol abuse, gambling, and importantly mental health issues he was left with scars that impacted on our family. My sister once said he was a better grandfather than he was a father and that was true.
Forgiveness... to someone who has wronged you and your family because of a bond, even a kind of love for a person who has caused you much pain... It's conflicting and hard, almost impossible, to understand for anyone who hasn't experienced it.
It's funny, but true, that maybe the best healing comes from talking about it, or as Mantis has done writing it down. These are the stories that should form the basis of discussion and education. Everyone's story has a similarity in the abuse but everyone's story is different, and the outcomes sometimes vastly different. Best wishes for the future Mantis
That is absolutely horrific reading Mantis. I am so sorry you had to endure that... If you wouldn't mind a... couple of very senitive questions and don't feel any obligation that you need to answer them.
1) How did things eventually end up for yourself, your poor mother, and your stepfather? 2) A couple of times you shifted the narrative from the past to the present (as if it was actually happening now) when describing the events. It is obviously still very raw. Have you ever spoken to a professional person about these events.
Domestic violence has been around since folks lived in caves. It exists in all cultures. It stems from factors such as passion, possession, control, power...and mental health. It can be verbal as well as physical It is often passed down through generations...'the abused becomes the abuser'. It is not something that is transparent and more often occurs behind closed doors.
We're seeing a lot of demonstrations and a lot of talk It might make folk feel good, as if they're at least doing something, but the solutions are still far away. I'm not sure anyone has the answers. Lock the abuser up? Lock the abuser up for longer periods? They'll just stew and work themselves up for revenge, because they'll regard themselves as the victims. Once the abuser is released the woman and family will forever be looking over their shoulders. It's very difficult to relocate a person(s) to the extent that they are untraceable and anyway it would mean a disconnect from family and friends. Providing some financial support that allows the abused to leave the situation only works to the point where the abuser is kept at bay...and in the extreme deadly circumstances that are the focus of most of the protests the abuser usually finds a way.
Again, credit and great respect to Mantis for sharing his story. If we look back, society has probably come a long way from the times where these things were not talked about. Examples such as this, used in terms of education of the next generations is probably the only way forward. But that will take many years to have a significant effect.
And while I'm at it... that public spray from Vossy at Cerra is an alarm bell. Not on. The first thing Vossy, as the leader, should have asked himself was, "This is on me. What haven't I got through to this bloke for him to not be going forward with disposals?" A reflection of your leadership clarity of communication, Vossy? I know there are those who believe a good old-fashioned spray is good stuff - nuh. A quiet, motivating yet firm explanation in Cerra's ear (encouragement to the positive, not berating from the negative) would have been far more productive.
Hard to know without a bit of background. It probably stood out because it’s not something we’ve seen from Voss a lot in his time at Carlton. It may be that he’d checked Cerra earlier in the game about a similar incident, and gave him instructions not to repeat it. You could understand that having been told once the coach would have been upset if Cerra had gone against a specific instruction.
Charlie might be carrying a niggle that is preventing him from churning out kms or being explosive. Who knows? All I can see is that he isn't himself. Again, I dont want to highlight him when you have 7 or 8 that were very bad.
I don't recall him bending over to try and pick up a ball much in recent games. I'm sure there is probably some vision of him doing that, but recently.... If he loses a contest it's sometimes a case of 'that's all folks'. I wouldn't be surprised if he's playing sore.
...and one you knock back is one you don't get. 
