Carlton Supporters Club

A tale of two halves.

Meh.

A tale of two halves.

Meh.

What's up pussycat ;)

What's up pussycat ;)

My hopes were high at half time.

5 goals from 15 set shots. Won't get away with that.

Letting them waltz too easily through the middle for easy goals. Won't get away with that either.

My hopes were high at half time.

Yep. We were in it up to our neck. Then the premiership quarter sorted out the boys from the men :-\. Literally.
Lots of glimpses from the youngsters to like. GC really should be waaaaay ahead of our little one's. They're still in nappies for goodness sake :P

5 goals from 15 set shots. Won't get away with that.

Letting them waltz too easily through the middle for easy goals. Won't get away with that either.

Pretty much sums it up for me, all the good effort in the world basically wasted before halftime!

This happens to young sides,  we pushed them hard for half a game then fell away.
Our field kicking is as bad as ever, tthat's the one thing that needs dramatic improvement if we have any pretenses to being a top side.

We did get 60pts closer to them than Hawthorn..lol.

Yep. We were in it up to our neck. Then the premiership quarter sorted out the boys from the men :-\. Literally.
Lots of glimpses from the youngsters to like. GC really should be waaaaay ahead of our little one's. They're still in nappies for goodness sake :P

Yes the Suns should not be feeling too chuffed beating up on us. With their talent, they should constantly be in the upper echelons of the AFL ladder.

This happens to young sides,  we pushed them hard for half a game then fell away.
Our field kicking is as bad as ever, tthat's the one thing that needs dramatic improvement if we have any pretenses to being a top side.

[/b]

We have a couple of years to master that one I reckon :P
Looks like that's the skill that gets you drafted by sos.

This happens to young sides,  we pushed them hard for half a game then fell away.
Our field kicking is as bad as ever, tthat's the one thing that needs dramatic improvement if we have any pretenses to being a top side.

Hopefully what we have recruited will sort that over time.

Losses are never good but there were still some positives.
Charlie Curnow missed a couple of shots but his game was good on the whole and he's showing improvement, likewise Jack Silvagni.
Zac Fisher looks a very likely type and Jarrod Pickett was much better and will be a good player with another 20 games under his belt.
We have no one good enough for Ablett and he killed us but he kills a lot of sides, our defence cracked under pressure tonight  but they'll be a tight unit when they've had a couple of years together.
All in all not too disappointing, just beaten by a more seasoned outfit with a good sprinkling of top quality players.

88 tackles says they had a go, just beaten by a better unit.

I disagree that Ablett 'killed us'. Many of his possessions were cheap handball receives at the back of the mark, and 1-2 combos, the only impact of which were to inflate his possession count.

88 tackles says they had a go, just beaten by a better unit.

Yes, exactly, no questioning the intent and that's fine by me. They were simply better and we could not stop a quality forward in Lynch.

One other positive but not related to this thread - E.Betts (D22 M5 G6 B2)

A replay I will be watching. I have a suspicion we are closer to Essendon than they think.

**edit fixed spelling

I disagree that Ablett 'killed us'. Many of his possessions were cheap handball receives at the back of the mark, and 1-2 combos, the only impact of which were to inflate his possession count.

X2. Did hurt us more in the second half but his posssession count rarely reflects his damage - he loves the sideways 20 metres chip in defence and as you said the one two round the back play. Those touches don't hurt the ones were he runs out of the centre into then f50 are the ones that are damaging.

Thought we tried but really think last week took its toll after the half time.

Just couldn't spread and played static stop start footy and once they ran with it the mids just couldn't apply then pressure needed and they got way too many easy spot entires.

Watching live Doc, Murphy and young SOJ tried their guts out and ran hard all game.

Cripps looked very sore and kruezer battled on but wasn't as effective as usual.

Loved fishers goal - the kid can play. Loved his pressure acts.

Overall liked the kids again. Definitely saw signs in most of them.

88 tackles says they had a go, just beaten by a better unit.

Agreed. We had nearly double their tackles and 17-4 were inside 50. We were close in contested possies, and only -2 inside 50's. Given some goalkicking class (I.e. Charlie 2pts will soon be 2goals), we'd have hung around longer. It was a credit to our very young mob. They really showed up and had a crack against a seasoned star filled side. There's no stopping their big forwards, and they can kick straight too.

That said, Casboult was great in front of goals with his 3. He created some headaches in the marking contest too....

The youngsters were solid tonight. McCreadie, Marchbank, Williamson held their own and would have had a lesson of some very good big fwds. Pickett is building nicely, he'll have a breakout game real soon. Sammo, just keeps at it, his vision is A1. Just needs the tank and bulk to execute. The latter 2 looked dangerous.

How was Zac Fisher people?
A couple of sensational run downs, and a classy goal on debut. No less.
He looked tired at times, but kept throwing his body in.
Take a bow son. Did the Navy blue proud. May you have many more.

Well done new Blues
 

One other positive but not related to this thread - E.Betts (D22 M5 G6 B2)

A replay I will be watching. I have a suspicion we close to Essendon than they think.

See 2017 AFL season thread spf ^-^

Thought the effort was outstanding.We are always going to struggle against a big forward like lynch. We just don't have the defender to do it.

Once again though I'm disappointed with the skill errors made by our Captain. Missing targets. But what disappointed me the most was his attempted tackle on Assad, who just shrugged him off. The captain is supposed to set the example.

I actually thought Ablett getting going was the turning point.
They started to win the ball out of the middle and we had no answers
Cripps who normally does the job for us in this respect must be carrying an injury.

The other concern is Weitering...I suspect he's also injured to the point where he's second guessing his efforts and really struggling with some aspects of execution. He looks in two minds whereas last year he showed great judgement. Nearly every game he's spending time off the ground looking uncomfortable.

As has already been said, we had a good crack but three things were the major factors imo. Our poor kicking for goal especially early in the game, we seemed to tire in the 2Q and eased off our pressure and they then took control, especially at stoppages, and thirdly, they are a much slicker and more skilled outfit than us atm.

We did as well as could be expected and the young guys got valuable development. Liked the look of young Fisher with a wonderful goal on debut.

I thought Casbpult was good late but early on he wasn't getting into position properly and was constantly getting either muscled out of a contest or just losing any idea of where the ball would fall. Gee I'd love him to get right because when he plays well, he plays very well.

Murph was great early on but I assume they tagged him out of the game later?

Yes the young ones went missing - I have no problem with that they had a hard slog last Sunday so not surprising.

Daisy made some terrible errors - just unacceptable for his experience.

Cripps & Weiters both out of sorts - Cripps especially.

Thought Simmo recaptured some form.

Doch good in the second half. Thought Kruezer was good easy but fell away.

Gibbs didn't seem effective?

Also thought we got some Terrible non called frees which killed some Momentum too - blatant things that the Umps didn't call, very frustrating.

All in all that first half left me very excited about our future  ;D

Murph was great early on but I assume they tagged him out of the game later?

He was brilliant until they moved Miller on to him after 1/4 time.

Good selections this week by leaving out slowpokes Kerridge & Palmer against a fast team at Etihad but I felt Bolton pulled the wrong rein after 1/2 time when he moved  Weitering to defence and Rowe away from Lynch. I don't believe anybody could have cut off the passes to Lynch because of the Suns kicking skills and lack of pressure from our midfielders. The switch seemed to upset the balance of the defence and it certainly dismantled what had been a reasonably effective forward line structure during the first half.

He was brilliant until they moved Miller on to him after 1/4 time.

Good selections this week by leaving out slowpokes Kerridge & Palmer against a fast team at Etihad but I felt Bolton pulled the wrong rein after 1/2 time when he moved  Weitering to defence and Rowe away from Lynch. I don't believe anybody could have cut off the passes to Lynch because of the Suns kicking skills and lack of pressure from our midfielders. The switch seemed to upset the balance of the defence and it certainly dismantled what had been a reasonably effective forward line structure during the first half.

Actually RR I thought at the time that BB may have taken the opportunity to give our younger defenders a run on a couple of dangerous forwards like Lynch and Wright? I.e it was more of a player development move?

Very impressed with Jack Silvagni tonight, ran hard both ways, used the ball beautifully, kicked 3 and should have had 4 or 5 as he made great position but passes were kicked either wide of him or over his head. Developing very nicely

We were pathetic tonight in the 3rd quarter.  We were comprehensively OUTCOACHED.  We have no forward line.   Looking at the forward line in the last quarter and looking at Crippa and Rowe down there- what the hell have they been doing all preseason?  Surely they have a system.

Daisy (1 tackle), Rowe (conceded 7) and Gibbs, soft... need to go.

Got back from the game and  there was a clear difference in the level of skill and pace between both teams....GC are probably the quickest team in the comp and after half time we didnt have the wheels to go with some of their players. Early we matched them, tackled hard and made the game a series of contests which suits our style but once we tired their pace and our poor kicking skills provided then with plenty of rebound opportunities and they hurt us on the rebound badly.
Didnt think their centre square setup did the damage it was their ball carriers off half back charging away and  creating the overlap and in the end they were just burning our blokes off..
Lynch got a lot of his marks through getting the initial break on his opponents and Rowe was a victim of that in the main...our man likes to push and shove but Lynch always had him losing front position and losing contact so his famous spoiling was a non event
Plowman and Marchbank were not big enough to play on either Lynch or Wright and with GC's quick ball movement it was always one on one contests which didnt allow for help defense...
Our midfield was down, Kruezer was ok without being great and apart from Docherty the defense struggled....up forward we were also poor, Casboult and Silvagni got some late junk time goals but I wasnt that impressed with their games.

Daisy was booed during the player intros, copped flak during the game from our supporters and even on the way home on the train the talk wasnt about Zac Fisher's goal or nice debut it was all about Daisy and what a waste of time he is....

Weitering down forward may need reviewing, played on May who looked unusually meek and mild but still struggled to get to contests....
Charlie Curnow..wasnt impressed apart from some good marks, lazy at picking up his man, not keen on too much running and when he does make the effort gets in the wrong places or is too late to the contest or offering a lead....either is too slow to pick up opponents or doesnt want to..

Fisher and Williamson give hope...both use the ball well and look at home playing seniors..Samo and Pickett have skill but not the composure yet...

Marchbank...great mark. nice kicking style but overcooks most kicks....and is a turnover merchant
Plowman...great defender but well beat tonight and his kicking was ordinary..

Port are similar to GC so I hope we have learned something and give a better account of ourselves next game....

Green Shoots for Round 4:

- Zac Fisher's debut and THAT goal of his. Reckon this kids another SOS recruiting master stroke.
- Solid games from a lot of our youngsters including SPS, Pickett, SOS and C. Curnow (apart from his kicking for goal)
- The team showing some mongrel when the Suns flogs tried to rough them up at Half Time

Negatives:
- Skill level, bad decision making and crap kicking for goal . Keeps costing us games but we never learn.

Overall, one shocking quarter and embarrassingly bad kicking for goal lost us the game, but lapses in games are to be expected when fielding such a young team with 9 of our players 21 and under.

I've seen enough from the kids coming through to be convinced that when it clicks, we're going to be awesome!!

GO BLUES!!

Okay we lost. But for a team playing 9 kids for the future it's hard not to be excited.

Fisher
Silvagni
Williamson
Pickett
Macreadie
Petrevski-Seton
C Curnow
Weitering
Marchbank

All class.

I disagree that Ablett 'killed us'. Many of his possessions were cheap handball receives at the back of the mark, and 1-2 combos, the only impact of which were to inflate his possession count.

exactly - he stands out the back and demands the ball. i reckon 20+ of his stats were gained in this manner....

A very young and inexperienced side tonight. Alot is resting on our few senior players now to drag the newbies along. Fighting back a bit in the last was the best sign. It showed some steel and persistence. Add in the high tackle count and it demonstrates that they are getting the message.

Lynch put on a clinic. He and wright make a pretty dominant old fashioned forward line that is hard to stop when the ball is getting thumped down there with little pressure.

Our forward line remains a shambles, mostly due to a lack of work rate. Casboult just doesnt move enough, preferring to wrestle. He looks more capable when up the ground, but we know what he is and he isnt going to improve.  Pickett did some nice things but needs to convert to make the most of few opportunities. Our kicking generally was poor and it is shown up on a fast dry track like docklands.

Murphy, docherty our best, with gibbs putting in. We fell away in the middle badly after that. Well done to silvagni for a four quarter game.

Umpiring has become confusing this year. Holding the ball, that bane of many a fan is more baffling than ever. The propensity to tap the ball on has also made throwing even more endemic.

Long season...

our forward line fails when our midfield fails.

We needed to pick up a mature mid in the off season. They didn't arguably because of the bigger fish in the Club's sights for 2018.

Cripps was wounded, Gibbs was back to his lazy ways....

Daisy was booed during the player intros, copped flak during the game from our supporters and even on the way home on the train the talk wasnt about Zac Fisher's goal or nice debut it was all about Daisy and what a waste of time he is....

I never condone booing, even opposition players, but Daisy Thomas is COOKED. GONE. FINISHED. We'd get better value out of playing another kid or even playing Graham to see if he can cut it, or Jaksch as a last chance.

Daisy gives us nothing other than cheap turnovers. Not doubting hi endeavour, he's just cooked.

He should not get picked again imo.

But Fly, people want him picked for the outstanding leadership he apparently offers...

Daisy, Kerridge, Palmer, Graham, Army - take your pick.

Polson, Sheehan, Jones (at least he can play a role).

Daisy was booed during the player intros, copped flak during the game from our supporters and even on the way home on the train the talk wasnt about Zac Fisher's goal or nice debut it was all about Daisy and what a waste of time he is....

Getting booed is BS, especially your own. You can't blame the opposition supporters for it, as its Gold Coast and they have none.
People should be ashamed of that.

One thing these same people probably failed to see was what happened during the run through.
There were 2 young girls who were the mascots for the game. Ran through the banner and did some running around and warmups with the boys. Almost all of them ignored the girls. Daisy went to them and was talking to them about how to stretch and what not.

Now none of that means squat once the ball is bounced, but those girls will remember that for the rest of their lives and will be forever grateful to Daisy for it.
However, things like that go a large way to fixing the culture at Carlton and are in line with what Bolton has been preaching within The Journey.

Now i don't know if anyone else noticed that, or if anyone else cared.
But that is the guy people are booing.  :-[

But Fly, people want him picked for the outstanding leadership he apparently offers...

What people want is irrelevant.

Bolton and co are the ones doing the picking. Why do you think that is?

our forward line fails when our midfield fails.

We needed to pick up a mature mid in the off season. They didn't arguably because of the bigger fish in the Club's sights for 2018.

Palmer not mature enough?

Perhaps we SHOULD have gone after Barlow.....oh but he got injured, again. Dodged a bullet there.

I can't remember any AFL team booing their own player, shameful.

Polson, Sheehan, Jones (at least he can play a role).

Apparently Sheehan limped off during the NB game. I didn't see it myself but my mate said he didn't look good.

Polson, Sheehan, Jones (at least he can play a role).

Jones.......really  :o

Got back from the game and  there was a clear difference in the level of skill and pace between both teams....GC are probably the quickest team in the comp and after half time we didnt have the wheels to go with some of their players. Early we matched them, tackled hard and made the game a series of contests which suits our style but once we tired their pace and our poor kicking skills provided then with plenty of rebound opportunities and they hurt us on the rebound badly.
Didnt think their centre square setup did the damage it was their ball carriers off half back charging away and  creating the overlap and in the end they were just burning our blokes off..
Lynch got a lot of his marks through getting the initial break on his opponents and Rowe was a victim of that in the main...our man likes to push and shove but Lynch always had him losing front position and losing contact so his famous spoiling was a non event
Plowman and Marchbank were not big enough to play on either Lynch or Wright and with GC's quick ball movement it was always one on one contests which didnt allow for help defense...
Our midfield was down, Kruezer was ok without being great and apart from Docherty the defense struggled....up forward we were also poor, Casboult and Silvagni got some late junk time goals but I wasnt that impressed with their games.

Daisy was booed during the player intros, copped flak during the game from our supporters and even on the way home on the train the talk wasnt about Zac Fisher's goal or nice debut it was all about Daisy and what a waste of time he is....

Weitering down forward may need reviewing, played on May who looked unusually meek and mild but still struggled to get to contests....
Charlie Curnow..wasnt impressed apart from some good marks, lazy at picking up his man, not keen on too much running and when he does make the effort gets in the wrong places or is too late to the contest or offering a lead....either is too slow to pick up opponents or doesnt want to..

Fisher and Williamson give hope...both use the ball well and look at home playing seniors..Samo and Pickett have skill but not the composure yet...

Marchbank...great mark. nice kicking style but overcooks most kicks....and is a turnover merchant
Plowman...great defender but well beat tonight and his kicking was ordinary..

Port are similar to GC so I hope we have learned something and give a better account of ourselves next game....

How many games do you think they'll win this year EB?

This time last year people were talking about top 4 and they appear to be back to that level.

I think, at their best, they are just about as good as anyone but they're as flaky as crap.

PS, Abblett is a parasite on and off the field. King of the cheapie and completely selfish.

How many games do you think they'll win this year EB?

This time last year people were talking about top 4 and they appear to be back to that level.

I think, at their best, they are just about as good as anyone but they're as flaky as crap.

PS, Abblett is a parasite on and off the field. King of the cheapie and completely selfish.

Back from the dead CIMM - been busy ?

Back from the dead CIMM - been busy ?

Could say that and I'm having a holiday of sorts ATM .????

Big picture guys - I was again pleased with what I saw. The kids are amazingly good considering our early into their career they are.

What do we expect to see? 

Had 9 players under 21 and went down by under 5 goals to a team who beat hawks by a record margin - all this the next week after playing in hard terrible condition that must have taxed our kids young bodies. How did essendon fare this week?

We had 8 kids in this match with the most experienced having 12 games to their name.  They all played in one game yet too many expect to see a stellar performance.

Think many need to lower their expectations - either your commited to the rebuild or your not. If your commited you have to be pleased with what your seeing.

I know I am.

I can't understand the knocks on the little champ Ablett,  I get the tribal thing but not being able to see his sublime skills and the ability to turn a game and inspire his team mates is wilful blindness IMO.
He'd make a world of difference at Carlton even at this late stage of his career.
That said, I think we can expect another loss in Adelaide next weekend, but so long as the club keeps the faith with the young fellas I'm prepared to wear a few beatings. 

Big picture guys - I was again pleased with what I saw. The kids are amazingly good considering our early into their career they are.

What do we expect to see? 

Had 9 players under 21 and went down by under 5 goals to a team who beat hawks by a record margin - all this the next week after playing in hard terrible condition that must have taxed our kids young bodies. How did essendon fare this week?

We had 8 kids in this match with the most experienced having 12 games to their name.  They all played in one game yet too many expect to see a stellar performance.

Think many need to lower their expectations - either your commited to the rebuild or your not. If your commited you have to be pleased with what your seeing.

I know I am.

Could not be happier....well I suppose winning would be nice but this is the next best thing.

I can't understand the knocks on the little champ Ablett,  I get the tribal thing but not being able to see his sublime skills and the ability to turn a game and inspire his team mates is wilful blindness IMO.
He'd make a world of difference at Carlton even at this late stage of his career.
That said, I think we can expect another loss in Adelaide next weekend, but so long as the club keeps the faith with the young fellas I'm prepared to wear a few beatings.

Selfish, entitled player .

I'm glad the GC are holding him to his obligations and I hope they do again next year.

I didn't hear Daisy booed when the players were introduced?  There was muted applause for him, sure, and that was absolutely fine, but no booing.

Yes there was a huge boo when he completely screwed up a 15m kick to our running advantage when we were trying to get some momentum back - i think it was the beginning of the 4th when we got a break.  It was well deserved imo - absolutely not good enough -and that was the 3rd time that had happened in the game, the first two the supporters did an exasperated sigh - very loud - the 3rd one yes he copped it.

I don't condone booing either - i was embarrassed they were booing Ablett too, it shows huge immaturity to boo a champion - remember people doing that to Judd?  Just embarrassing.  And I'd never do it to one of ours but ffs Daisy is done.  He should retire.

Apart from that, i am EXCITED about our future - very excited!  That first half was exhilarating footy that we have not played in a long time

Selfish, entitled player .

I'm glad the GC are holding him to his obligations and I hope they do again next year.

As good as Judd, Voss and Hodge in my opinion, among the very best midfielders of the last 20 years and only Kouta in his prime better but his prime was fairly brief.
We really struggle when we come up against players of his type, our best two mids are Murphy and Cripps and Murphy doesn't have the power through the hips and Cripps doesn't have the pace.

Palmer not mature enough?

Perhaps we SHOULD have gone after Barlow.....oh but he got injured, again. Dodged a bullet there.

Would pick Palmer every day of the week ahead of Daisy, real no brainer.

What you're suggesting is that Daisy earns his keep by interacting with those young ladies/girls given his effectiveness during a match is (net) to the benefit of the opposition ie his clangers cost us goals, week in, week out.

Yep, that'll move our team forward nicely  ::) ::)

He was brilliant until they moved Miller on to him after 1/4 time.

Good selections this week by leaving out slowpokes Kerridge & Palmer against a fast team at Etihad but I felt Bolton pulled the wrong rein after 1/2 time when he moved  Weitering to defence and Rowe away from Lynch. I don't believe anybody could have cut off the passes to Lynch because of the Suns kicking skills and lack of pressure from our midfielders. The switch seemed to upset the balance of the defence and it certainly dismantled what had been a reasonably effective forward line structure during the first half.

I think Bolton was trying not to lose the game rather than trying to win it, if that makes sense.  Leaving Rowe on Lynch and getting another defender to cut off his leads may have been a better option.

Bolton tried an extra defender but Eade added another forward.

Our next significant stage of progress in our redevelopment will include the replacement of the likes of:
Daisy
Kerridge
Palmer
Graham
Army.
By more skillful and talented players.

In the meantime, whichever of those happen to be rotated through selection is, IMHO, largely immaterial.

I think Bolton was trying not to lose the game rather than trying to win it, if that makes sense.  Leaving Rowe on Lynch and getting another defender to cut off his leads may have been a better option.

Bolton tried an extra defender but Eade added another forward.

Well at least preventing it blowing out into a drubbing. Their run out of defence in the 3Q was cutting us to ribbons and provided magnificent delivery into their F50.

What you're suggesting is...

No.
Its not.

What i am suggesting is that you lack the ability to interpret....
1. My posts.
2. What the coach and the MC think
3. How little your opinion, and perhaps the popular opinion, on Daisy means to either of the above.

I was listening to the 3AW crew after the game and it was interesting to hear the spud callers. Some jerk spud caller got on the blower and predicted McKay as a fail, Daisy, E.Curnow and C.Curnow rubbish with poor disposal.

Harf and the others highlighted to the spud caller the weird focus Carlton supporters had on Daisy, Harf said the Carlton fans booed Daisy before an during the game which in my opinion is disgraceful! If Harf notices it then it is obvious to all and sundry!

If someone is wearing navy blue, you give them 100% unconditional support or you can feck off!

If Carlton want to know why stuff all fans are not going to games, that booing would keep most fans away hands down and the club should come out and condemn it!

Further Harf highlighted that at about 65% efficiency from a reasonable number of possessions Daisy and Curnow were far from being Carlton's worst. We had a number of players who barely touched the pill all day, 8 out of 9 of the worst offenders were the first year players.

Getting booed is BS, especially your own. You can't blame the opposition supporters for it, as its Gold Coast and they have none.
People should be ashamed of that.

One thing these same people probably failed to see was what happened during the run through.
There were 2 young girls who were the mascots for the game. Ran through the banner and did some running around and warmups with the boys. Almost all of them ignored the girls. Daisy went to them and was talking to them about how to stretch and what not.

Now none of that means squat once the ball is bounced, but those girls will remember that for the rest of their lives and will be forever grateful to Daisy for it.
However, things like that go a large way to fixing the culture at Carlton and are in line with what Bolton has been preaching within The Journey.

Now i don't know if anyone else noticed that, or if anyone else cared.
But that is the guy people are booing.  :-[

Krud,

I watched Thomas last night, yes he isn't the same Thomas as circa 2010/11 but he is still a smart hardworking footballer. Put his body on the line.
Does a lot of off the ball stuff to impend the oppo or direct the young ones.
His kicking is letting him down at times, but he still finds the bloody thing.

Had a chap next to me howling for his blood all night to the point where he was blaming Thomas for the easy goal missed in last qtr when Picket was going into a open goal,
think Marchbank ended up with the shot on goal for a point.
Had to point out that it wasn't Thomas that stuffed up, he was at the time was organising the troop 60m's from the ball in case of a point.

He just shook his head and mumbled something about others would do better.

He's no longer at his best but he provides experience and some hardness around a group of very young, underdeveloped bodies talented footballers.
Saw SPS rag dolled in the last when running for the ball purely because the oppo player had 3 years development into him.

Need the experienced guys around out group ATM, if not Thomas then Palmer or Silvagni (the older). But they'd need to be finding the footy as well.



 

I didn't hear Daisy booed when the players were introduced?  There was muted applause for him, sure, and that was absolutely fine, but no booing.

Yes there was a huge boo when he completely screwed up a 15m kick to our running advantage when we were trying to get some momentum back - i think it was the beginning of the 4th when we got a break.  It was well deserved imo - absolutely not good enough -and that was the 3rd time that had happened in the game, the first two the supporters did an exasperated sigh - very loud - the 3rd one yes he copped it.

I don't condone booing either - i was embarrassed they were booing Ablett too, it shows huge immaturity to boo a champion - remember people doing that to Judd?  Just embarrassing.  And I'd never do it to one of ours but ffs Daisy is done.  He should retire.

Apart from that, i am EXCITED about our future - very excited!  That first half was exhilarating footy that we have not played in a long time

Didn't hear any booing pre-game.

Some minor booing of Ablett for about 1qtr... like the blues it stopped in the 2nd half!

Krud,

I watched Thomas last night, yes he isn't the same Thomas as circa 2010/11 but he is still a smart hardworking footballer. Put his body on the line.
Does a lot of off the ball stuff to impend the oppo or direct the young ones.
His kicking is letting him down at times, but he still finds the bloody thing.

Had a chap next to me howling for his blood all night to the point where he was blaming Thomas for the easy goal missed in last qtr when Picket was going into a open goal,
think Marchbank ended up with the shot on goal for a point.
Had to point out that it wasn't Thomas that stuffed up, he was at the time was organising the troop 60m's from the ball in case of a point.

He just shook his head and mumbled something about others would do better.

He's no longer at his best but he provides experience and some hardness around a group of very young, underdeveloped bodies talented footballers.
Saw SPS rag dolled in the last when running for the ball purely because the oppo player had 3 years development into him.

Need the experienced guys around out group ATM, if not Thomas then Palmer or Silvagni (the older). But they'd need to be finding the footy as well.

Thomas copped it all night from our supporters, while I am no fan I did feel sorry for him as I reckon its affecting his game, walked back to the train with our group and had a
random older chap give it to me about Thomas for 10 mins saying nothing good ever came from Collingwood etc etc and didnt want to hear about any other reasons
why we lost other than Daisy being the culprit.
I think the club and Daisy have to make a decision on his future sooner than later....

Big picture guys - I was again pleased with what I saw. The kids are amazingly good considering our early into their career they are.

What do we expect to see? 

Had 9 players under 21 and went down by under 5 goals to a team who beat hawks by a record margin - all this the next week after playing in hard terrible condition that must have taxed our kids young bodies. How did essendon fare this week?

We had 8 kids in this match with the most experienced having 12 games to their name.  They all played in one game yet too many expect to see a stellar performance.

Think many need to lower their expectations - either your commited to the rebuild or your not. If your commited you have to be pleased with what your seeing.

I know I am.

That's how I see it as well Shawny. We are where we are, and no amount of wishing is going to change it. It takes time and effort.

Didn't hear any booing pre-game.

Some minor booing of Ablett for about 1qtr... like the blues it stopped in the 2nd half!

Ablett got booed most of the night where I was sitting but had the last laugh unfortunately, picked up a lot of cheap possies early and had no effect on the game
but did get on the end of some runs from other GC players and was damaging after half time as he can use the footy well.
IMO he is playing out time at GC and not going full throttle but is clever enough to keep his stats up to prove he is trying....also gets the superstar treatment off the umps,
hard to get a holding the ball or in correct disposal decision against him yet another hack player would be pinged every time.

Could say that and I'm having a holiday of sorts ATM .????

I didn't know they let you post from in there. Best of luck anyway.

I disagree that Ablett 'killed us'. Many of his possessions were cheap handball receives at the back of the mark, and 1-2 combos, the only impact of which were to inflate his possession count.

Ablett's clearances in the 3rd quarter were the things that hurt us.
One really bad sign for GC was that most of their midfielders got a huge number of handball receives. It suggests that they did NOT get their own ball. And considering how many possessions they got, when over 50% come from handball receives, it suggests that they may not like it against this year's top echelon.
In fact, it looks like many of the GC mids were basing their game on Ablett's, and that included a huge number of junk possessions.

It was also clear that we were NOT manning Ablett closely. Ed Curnow spent very little time on him. At times, Simon White was on him.

How many games do you think they'll win this year EB?

This time last year people were talking about top 4 and they appear to be back to that level.

I think, at their best, they are just about as good as anyone but they're as flaky as crap.

PS, Abblett is a parasite on and off the field. King of the cheapie and completely selfish.

They looked good last night... good game style, plenty of talent, if they had Prestia and JOM they would be looking to push into the 8.

Reckon they will win around 10 games... won't be easy to beat them at Metricon. Still  rely too much on Gazza Jnr... have a few blokes who like to sneak ahead of the contest... it looks good when the ball comes out to them. Loosing May for a few weeks won't help them.

I can't remember any AFL team booing their own player, shameful.

Bombers supporters booed Stanton there for a while

Our next significant stage of progress in our redevelopment will include the replacement of the likes of:
Daisy
Kerridge
Palmer
Graham
Army.
By more skillful and talented players.

In the meantime, whichever of those happen to be rotated through selection is, IMHO, largely immaterial.

Reckon they're all close to cooked. Take out Daisy and I don't think those names will play 20 games between them this year.

Daisy will likely be out by round 10, barring injuries.

I didn't know they let you post from in there. Best of luck anyway.

Not quite that bad!

Ricky Dyson was another. I actually met his Uncle at a Essendon vs Carlton game several years back and we chatted for quite awhile. He was talking about how bad player abuse had become and some of the things that went on. It's not just the player that cops it but even the family.

You cannot believe people would stoop to that level, but apparently they do - and this was from Essendon 'supporters'.

Could say that and I'm having a holiday of sorts ATM .????

(http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/hhwikia/images/f/f6/Colonel_Klink_4.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130424135703)

Ablett got booed most of the night where I was sitting but had the last laugh unfortunately, picked up a lot of cheap possies early and had no effect on the game
but did get on the end of some runs from other GC players and was damaging after half time as he can use the footy well.
IMO he is playing out time at GC and not going full throttle but is clever enough to keep his stats up to prove he is trying....also gets the superstar treatment off the umps,
hard to get a holding the ball or in correct disposal decision against him yet another hack player would be pinged every time.

Never been a boo'er myself... I should have heard it given you could hear the players talking on the ground last night. We did well to wrap him up in the 1st half, laid some good tackles, but he became more effective as we dropped off.

Because people are frustrated and had a gutful of blokes like Thomas, been on big money, delivered little for an extended period of time.  Now he isnt fast enough to apply meaningful defensive pressure on the ball carrier, ball use is average at best and now he is blowing short kicks.

The reason Ablett was being booed for a while was probably because of his kidney punch on Murphy before the ball was bounced to start the game...

Not that it made a great deal of difference but did anyone else notice the goal of ours that was ruled a touched point? Replays clearly showed it wasn't touched until the entire aggott had passed the goal line.

Our midfield drop off in the 3rd cost us dearly - bad old days. For a side wanting to be known for its consistency and pressure over 4 quarters, we sure did let ourselves down badly... and it only takes 1 quarter, or even just half a quarter of mental softness/weakness to render useless all the other hard work.

No authority in Crippers game. Please don't kill him, if he needs a week off so he can recover for flock sake give it to him... it's not a sign of weakness, ditto Weitering. That's why we got Kerridge, Palmer and A Silvagni.

It wouldn't have mattered who was on 2 metre Peter, delivery to him was perfect and so was his set shot kicking. There were some curious coaching decisions and non-decisions... makes me wonder if the Adelaide bloke is having too much game day influence.

The club will keep supporters on side playing the 'green shoots' card for a while, but repeats of that 3rd quarter shameful capitulation will undermine the effectiveness of that card. Midfield leadership was required. Words and other platitudes mean stuff all if we don't demonstrate spirit when the heat of the game is against us. The final quarter effort was good but by then GC knew they had it and relaxed a fraction.

I'd rather see Polson, Smedts or even Boekhorst running around than Thomas. Yes, it's nice that he's trying so hard, and brings some on-field leadership (where was it in the 3rd qtr?) and is nice to kiddies before the game, but he's on the field for a reason... and he's no longer up to it and that is not his fault but if we keep selecting him we only embarrass him and ourselves. Nice that many are trying to make excuses for him. Nice that we're a charitable organisation for him. FM, he does one nice thing and everyone is in raptures... and that's cr@p.

Don't you just love how little Fev, ZF, never gives up? He's a ripper. Pickett grew a little more. Sheesh SOJ worked hard, nearly blew his pooper valve.

Not that it made a great deal of difference but did anyone else notice the goal of ours that was ruled a touched point? Replays clearly showed it wasn't touched until the entire aggott had passed the goal line.

Probably not a great deal of difference in the end result but it would have been a handy boost at the time.
Due to the strange vagaries of the draw we play this lot again in the middle of June.
It will be interesting to see the development in the young blokes in that time.

Don't you just love how little Fev, ZF, never gives up? He's a ripper.

You mean little Jezza ;D

Because people are frustrated and had a gutful of blokes like Thomas, been on big money, delivered little for an extended period of time.  Now he isnt fast enough to apply meaningful defensive pressure on the ball carrier, ball use is average at best and now he is blowing short kicks.

Do you think he is doing it on purpose?   

Daisy is done.   His body has caught up with him and he can't play the football he used to or wants to.

I have no ill feeling towards him.   He accepted a large contract that WE offered him.   Do you think he should have knocked back the cash?   Said it was too much?    In hindsight offering that much cash to someone with a bad ankle was height of stupidity.   All frustrations should go towards the decision makers on that one.

He is having a crack and working hard, he just can't and never will get to any level that matches his pay.

Do you think he is doing it on purpose?   

Daisy is done.   His body has caught up with him and he can't play the football he used to or wants to.

I have no ill feeling towards him.   He accepted a large contract that WE offered him.   Do you think he should have knocked back the cash?   Said it was too much?    In hindsight offering that much cash to someone with a bad ankle was height of stupidity.   All frustrations should go towards the decision makers on that one.

He is having a crack and working hard, he just can't and never will get to any level that matches his pay.

I agree - so what would you like to see happen at the end of this season ? Contract extension or bye-bye ?

My frustration is continuing to play a bloke who is past it, I'm sure he is trying but you can't give if you ain't got any left.

But considering that he wants an extension, shhesh, that's pushing credulity.

Daisy has done nothing wrong he took what any sane person would have done at the time. People having a go or booing him during the game are the height of stupidity like the people who gave him the deal in the first place. Whatever you think about him playing every week is another story. Whoever goes out onto that field deserves nothing but support from every blue bagger.

Fisher looks the part and has what it takes from what I saw last night, has a very similar playing style to Isaac Smith and the way he holds the ball etc. All the kids are showing promising signs!

Obviously  his manager will be trying to optimise Daisy's return from a future contract, that's his job. It would be interesting though to hear from Daisy himself as to what he is providing atm and what that might be if any future contract extension is negotiated. We probably won't of course and BB is always very diplomatic around this subject.

I agree - so what would you like to see happen at the end of this season ? Contract extension or bye-bye ?

Nah he is gone.   I don't see the value in playing him at the moment.   Gallucci would offer more.   Even Lamb, Boekhorst or Sumner as Mid/Sml forwards.

He would open up a stack of salary cap we could use to target a good young player.

Unless he has some sort of arrangement with the MC.   Ie:   Give me 10 weeks and if I can't get back I will retire.   

I actually find it sad to see a great player struggle so much.

My frustration is continuing to play a bloke who is past it, I'm sure he is trying but you can't give if you ain't got any left.

But considering that he wants an extension, shhesh, that's pushing credulity.

So your frustration is with the MC.   Not Daisy.

Nah he is gone.   I don't see the value in playing him at the moment.   Gallucci would offer more.   Even Lamb, Boekhorst or Sumner as Mid/Sml forwards.

He would open up a stack of salary cap we could use to target a good young player.

Unless he has some sort of arrangement with the MC.   Ie:   Give me 10 weeks and if I can't get back I will retire.   

I actually find it sad to see a great player struggle so much.

Thanks - I think this is a pretty balanced view, and I and most supporters probably agree.

Thomas copped it all night from our supporters, while I am no fan I did feel sorry for him as I reckon its affecting his game, walked back to the train with our group and had a
random older chap give it to me about Thomas for 10 mins saying nothing good ever came from Collingwood etc etc and didnt want to hear about any other reasons
why we lost other than Daisy being the culprit.
I think the club and Daisy have to make a decision on his future sooner than later....

It will be a sorry day for our club when the supporters decide a player's future, we went down that road with Fevola and it ended badly.
Thomas is getting a game on form and he's wearing the Navy Blue, that's good enough for me.

It will be a sorry day for our club when the supporters decide a player's future, we went down that road with Fevola and it ended badly.
Thomas is getting a game on form and he's wearing the Navy Blue, that's good enough for me.

What form? he wouldn't have been in our best 15 in any of the 4 games thus far - as others have said likely to get more of a contribution from a Gallucci or a Boekhurst or dare I say it, Liam Jones.

For sure, he was once an excellent player, 2017 Daisy isn't even close to average!

What form? he wouldn't have been in our best 15 in any of the 4 games thus far - as others have said likely to get more of a contribution from a Gallucci or a Boekhurst or dare I say it, Liam Jones.

For sure, he was once an excellent player, 2017 Daisy isn't even close to average!

There are only a few possibles.
One is that he's genuinely getting a game on form, one is that the club is playing him because he's getting paid so much, another is that the match committee is clueless.
I'm for option one, the others don't bear thinking about.

For sure, he was once an excellent player, 2017 Daisy isn't even close to average!

Worst player out there by a mile last night. I know it's not his fault, but clearly selection warrants more than on/off field leadership. Make him assistant coach, but get him off the field. He's cooked.

Worst player out there by a mile last night. I know it's not his fault, but clearly selection warrants more than on/off field leadership. Make him assistant coach, but get him off the field. He's cooked.

Sad sight really.

I think it's appalling that so-called supporters are booing a bloke in navy blue (probably the same 'footy fans' that were booing Ablett).

Thomas is out there because the MC believes he should be and that's the way it will stay until someone goes past him.

I really can't see that taking too much longer though.  Thomas is really having trouble hitting targets and that is causing him to look for the easiest option.  Several times last night he gave up on the aggressive, direct, precise option and looked around to find a player behind or across the ground with no direct opponent.

I think it's appalling that so-called supporters are booing a bloke in navy blue (probably the same 'footy fans' that were booing Ablett).

It must be very comforting for young players new to the club to hear the supporters booing one of their team mates, I'm sure it gives Thomas a lot of confidence as well.
When you've been down for as long as we have some bad habits become ingrained, in players and spectators alike.

I can't understand the knocks on the little champ Ablett,  I get the tribal thing but not being able to see his sublime skills and the ability to turn a game and inspire his team mates is wilful blindness IMO.

His stats are inflated by the many one-two exchanges but I basically agree - his clearance skills and disposal skills are to be envied

I think Bolton was trying not to lose the game rather than trying to win it, if that makes sense.  Leaving Rowe on Lynch and getting another defender to cut off his leads may have been a better option.

That makes perfect sense but getting the midfielders to apply pressure would have been even better.

We even tried two loose men in defence and left only 4 in attack (against 6) in an effort to close up the space and offer some potential pressure against the midfielders who were streaming forward - an interesting idea with obvious intent but Lynch (and Wright later in the game) had their kicking boot on, didn't miss and were able to roost them from outside 50 so they were always going to find space when the ball went forward quickly and was delivered without pressure on the kicker.

Thomas copped it all night from our supporters.

They would be our ignorant supporters - every club has their share

This might have been mentioned before but last night (maybe it was the haircut) I couldn't help thinking that Charlie Curnow bore a strong resemblance to the young Kouta - maybe it was wishful thinking after watching Kouta highlights on Open Mike and before the game..

His stats are inflated by the many one-two exchanges but I basically agree - his clearance skills and disposal skills are to be envied

.
The short one-two exchanges buy time and space.

.
The short one-two exchanges buy time and space.

Undoubtedly but he is fast enough and has enough money to buy his own time and space.

The Thomas situation is very interesting and really puts me in a conundrum. I just want to state first I never would boo a Carlton player, i don't even boo the opposition, takes to much energy and I'm lazy.

Without doubt we all have seen Daisy play and more than entitled to have our opinions, From my perspective I just cant see why he is being selected to play. It cant be based on form, its simply not up to scratch even the easy stuff is looking difficult for him. Is it based on leadership on the ground? Well I've watched him on the ground (i go every week bar interstate) and he is no more vocal and than any of our other players.

A while ago a poster on here, i forget who, made the point that the reason we play him and support him is to create a positive image for the rest of the team, maybe the younger guys more than others will realise that we just wont turf you when you are coming to the end of your career. I'm sure alot of our younger players know that he is cooked and are observing how the club treats him. This in turn might effect them when it comes to the next contract signing or if they want to be one club players.

When Daisy finally gets the tap on the shoulder and he tells the rest of the group, and he leaves on a positive note, this will have a positive effect on the rest of the group.

I for one second do not blame Daisy for where he is, we made the offer, he took it, I'm sure we would all do the same.

One thing that gives me 100% confidence is that i know Bolts and the rest of the crew know how to handle this and will handle it correctly.

Undoubtedly but he is fast enough and has enough money to buy his own time and space.

 :))

This might have been mentioned before but last night (maybe it was the haircut) I couldn't help thinking that Charlie Curnow bore a strong resemblance to the young Kouta - maybe it was wishful thinking after watching Kouta highlights on Open Mike and before the game..

RR there was one of our players - with ball tucked under Koutaesque - that burst through and out of the midfield churn, in Q1 I think, and it was young Mr T. Williamson!

That said, Charlie has am enviable physique and athleticism ala the great Kouta unquestionably....hopefully a similar ability to dominate matches arrives soon.

The Thomas situation is very interesting and really puts me in a conundrum. I just want to state first I never would boo a Carlton player, i don't even boo the opposition, takes to much energy and I'm lazy.

Without doubt we all have seen Daisy play and more than entitled to have our opinions, From my perspective I just cant see why he is being selected to play. It cant be based on form, its simply not up to scratch even the easy stuff is looking difficult for him. Is it based on leadership on the ground? Well I've watched him on the ground (i go every week bar interstate) and he is no more vocal and than any of our other players.

A while ago a poster on here, i forget who, made the point that the reason we play him and support him is to create a positive image for the rest of the team, maybe the younger guys more than others will realise that we just wont turf you when you are coming to the end of your career. I'm sure alot of our younger players know that he is cooked and are observing how the club treats him. This in turn might effect them when it comes to the next contract signing or if they want to be one club players.

When Daisy finally gets the tap on the shoulder and he tells the rest of the group, and he leaves on a positive note, this will have a positive effect on the rest of the group.

I for one second do not blame Daisy for where he is, we made the offer, he took it, I'm sure we would all do the same.

One thing that gives me 100% confidence is that i know Bolts and the rest of the crew know how to handle this and will handle it correctly.

Very good post.

Bolton has said it many times. We are creating a environment.

How we handle Thomas is vital in maintaining that image.

Thomas gives his all and while his body has given up on him simply discarding him to the 2nds could cause more issues then him playing an average game.

Daisy I'm sure would even concede he earns a heap more then he can deliver but I still back the coaching group in. He must be providing something we need if he is still getting a game.

It just might be that the average fan can't see it.

RR there was one of our players - with ball tucked under Koutaesque - that burst through and out of the midfield churn, in Q1 I think, and it was young Mr T. Williamson!

That said, Charlie has am enviable physique and athleticism ala the great Kouta unquestionably....hopefully a similar ability to dominate matches arrives soon.

That Williamson kid is a freak.

Makes you wonder how he lasted so long in the draft.

I can't remember any AFL team booing their own player, shameful.

Shame on those folk booing.
Disgraceful.

Big picture guys - I was again pleased with what I saw. The kids are amazingly good considering our early into their career they are.

What do we expect to see? 

Had 9 players under 21 and went down by under 5 goals to a team who beat hawks by a record margin - all this the next week after playing in hard terrible condition that must have taxed our kids young bodies. How did essendon fare this week?

We had 8 kids in this match with the most experienced having 12 games to their name.  They all played in one game yet too many expect to see a stellar performance.

Think many need to lower their expectations - either your commited to the rebuild or your not. If your commited you have to be pleased with what your seeing.

I know I am.

I know I am 2

Daisy was always going to struggle to be accepted by the Carlton faithful. Big money, long term contract, from one of the arch enemy clubs, limited game time and limited on field effectiveness, associated with an unpopular coach and a failed regime, etc.

Daisy was always going to struggle to be accepted by the Carlton faithful. Big money, long term contract, from one of the arch enemy clubs, limited game time and limited on field effectiveness, associated with an unpopular coach and a failed regime, etc.

All the other things go out the window if the player turns out to be a 'gem'.
At the end of the day we really only care about how good they are.

All the other things go out the window if the player turns out to be a 'gem'.
At the end of the day we really only care about how good they are.

No doubt that's at the top of tree. The other things just made a bad situation worse.

I have no animosity towards him at all.
In fact I'd love to see him prove the knockers wrong.
I thought he was poor yesterday.
I was quite surprised by the stats which showed he had a good number of possessions at a "not terrible" disposal rate.
But as we all know stats only prove half the story.
It wouldn't surprise to see him dropped next week.

But leading up to that....
Why is he getting selected each week?
It must mean that the selectors are seeing things we're not.
it must mean he's doing the job he was sent out to do.
If you don't believe that, then the alternative must be that the selectors are a bunch of dills.
If you believe it's because he's on such a high wage we have to play him then we have to believe the club is run by dills.
I don't believe either of those things.

That

Williamson

[/b] kid is a freak.

When he was drafted I thought he looked Afl ready. Like SPP. Although it's much about physical development. It may give a mental edge too, having confidence you can match the physically. Anyways, he has looked confident and competitive. A super start to what I hope will be a long career in Navy Blue.

I'm liking the fact it's looked like we have actually nailed a couple of drafts.

I'm liking the fact it's looked like we have actually nailed a couple of drafts.

Yes. Not because of size, surname, cameo performances, athletes, or some "expert's" opinion. Because they are footballer's who know what to do when.  They have emerging "how to" skill sets to get the job done.

I'm liking the fact it's looked like we have actually nailed a couple of drafts.

Not to mention some very favourable trades; Wright, Plowman, Marchbank and Pickett are showing great promise :)

Why wouldn't Daisy retire?

Does he believe he still has something to offer or is it more that he won't get his full years payout if he does?

Players are regularly crucified on here for not delivering what we expect they should at least be capable of but somehow now Daisy is being treated unfairly? 

Geez I know Thornton, Houla, Warnock, Lucas, to name a few off the top of my head, have also been treated to the exasperated loud sighs and frustrations of the CFC supporters yet now we're seriously talking that the young guys are seeing how softly softly treated an injured not up to it guy that has already earnt $3m from our club for a handful of good games and wonder if Its all part of our clubs plan to reassure them that when they're not up to it anymore we will just let them keep playing as long as they talk a little during the game - crap I hope that's not the case!

How many games do you think they'll win this year EB?

This time last year people were talking about top 4 and they appear to be back to that level.

I think, at their best, they are just about as good as anyone but they're as flaky as crap.

PS, Abblett is a parasite on and off the field. King of the cheapie and completely selfish.

Hey Cimm..nice to see you back on the forum and hope you are tracking well both personally and health wise.
GC..how many games?....not enough to make the eight IMO, they are good to watch and play a nice brand with run and flair and like I said are probably
the quickest team I have seen but they lack a bit of substance IMO and I dont think they have the leaders in their lineup to be a force at this stage.

re: Ablett...wants Geelong next season IMO and is going through the motions at GC but smart enough to keep his stats up to avoid criticism....did get a lot of cheapies early
but he is a good decision maker and is playing safe with the ball...the old attacking Ablett who played like Dangerfield does now isnt on show anymore and its safety first until he is back in blue and white hoops when you might see some of the old Ablett.
I agree he can be selfish and isnt a great leader....

Yes. Not because of size, surname, cameo performances, athletes, or some "expert's" opinion. Because they are footballer's who know what to do when.  They have emerging "how to" skill sets to get the job done.

Maybe we finally have a recruiting manager who knows what he is doing.

Makes you wonder how he lasted so long in the draft.

Carlton has selected North Ballarat midfielder Tom Williamson with pick No.61 in the 2016 national draft.

Williamson showed off his excellent endurance at the AFL national combine, finishing first in the agility test and second in the 3km time trial. He prides himself on his fitness, finishing top 10 in another five tests, including the beep.

Williamson is a skilful medium defender/midfielder who can break games open with his speed. He shows good awareness and footy smarts and is a prolific ball-winner.

190cm, 80kg.

Great size noting the kgs will come with time....excellent evasive skills, lovely left foot and can kick on the right too....

190cm, 80kg.

Great size noting the kgs will come with time....excellent evasive skills, lovely left foot and can kick on the right too....

Yes, very impressed with him, if he turns up most weeks with this type of intent he will be a real handful soon.

Re: Tom Williamson

I wonder if he was recruited to add some (desperately needed) talent in the middle. If he's got some defensive craft, attacking mindset, good size/strength, speed, agility, endurance, and foot skills.... Perhaps he'll be our homegrown mid talent. Certainly sounds like he's got all the makings.

Here's hoping the development side of things is solid. We could be looking at a buddy for Crippa before we know it ^-^
Wouldn't it be something to replicate Crippa's development!!!

Fwiw Williamson was my 2016 draft smokey. Smedts my trade smokey.
Plenty to get excited about bluebaggers. Enjoy the journey :)

This might have been mentioned before but last night (maybe it was the haircut) I couldn't help thinking that Charlie Curnow bore a strong resemblance to the young Kouta - maybe it was wishful thinking after watching Kouta highlights on Open Mike and before the game..

You obviously haven't been spending a whole lot of time on the boards of late.

I dubbed Charlie C 'Curnofides' last year based on similar observations, mannerisms and glimpses of ability out on the footy field.

190cm, 80kg.

Great size noting the kgs will come with time....excellent evasive skills, lovely left foot and can kick on the right too....

Yep...exactly what we need in all areas, he looks bigger than 80kg on the ground, also has some acceleration
away from traffic so he can extract himself from trouble.
Like the way he holds his arms high when tackled like Pendlebury so he always seems to get rid of the ball in time..

Though the result was disappointing, it was clear from the game that Carlton have nailed the past two drafts, despite what Mathew Lloyd says.
The fact there were two or three bewildering umpire decisions which cost us goals, two skill errors that cost us goals and we missed five or six shots on goal that we should have kicked, maybe Sav should work on all our players goal kicking.
We need to keep playing the kids, we need to bring in Cunningham, McKay & Polson in the near future, and we need to nail next years draft as well.

Though the result was disappointing, it was clear from the game that Carlton have nailed the past two drafts, despite what Mathew Lloyd says.
The fact there were two or three bewildering umpire decisions which cost us goals, two skill errors that cost us goals and we missed five or six shots on goal that we should have kicked, maybe Sav should work on all our players goal kicking.
We need to keep playing the kids, we need to bring in Cunningham, McKay & Polson in the near future, and we need to nail next years draft as well.

That's basically as I see it BM, if our kicking was better we'd have probably won, and we must keep playing a good mix of kids with experienced players.

190cm, 80kg.

Great size noting the kgs will come with time....excellent evasive skills, lovely left foot and can kick on the right too....

Thanks for that Flyboy.  I think a few recruiters will have their butts kicked missing him. :)  And he's from Ballarat which is where the brat came from in my name.

I'll need to watch the highlights again, but from my phone I thought Williamson looked quite one sided, ran himself into trouble on a few occasions. For mine not as impressive as game one but still a good get a pick 60 or whatever.

Re: Tom Williamson

I wonder if he was recruited to add some (desperately needed) talent in the middle. If he's got some defensive craft, attacking mindset, good size/strength, speed, agility, endurance, and foot skills.... Perhaps he'll be our homegrown mid talent. Certainly sounds like he's got all the makings.

Here's hoping the development side of things is solid. We could be looking at a buddy for Crippa before we know it ^-^
Wouldn't it be something to replicate Crippa's development!!!

Fwiw Williamson was my 2016 draft smokey. Smedts my trade smokey.
Plenty to get excited about bluebaggers. Enjoy the journey :)

Williamson was certainly a speculative pick, but I think 2 things got him over the line: his athleticism and his desire. Seeing him last year play for North Ballarat, it was hard for him to stand out. There were a lot of talented footballers who got first nod for the top roles. Hence Tom played mostly at half back. He was also very young and didn't have the profile. But to see him play he made you notice him.

Though the result was disappointing, it was clear from the game that Carlton have nailed the past two drafts, despite what Mathew Lloyd says.
The fact there were two or three bewildering umpire decisions which cost us goals, two skill errors that cost us goals and we missed five or six shots on goal that we should have kicked, maybe Sav should work on all our players goal kicking.
We need to keep playing the kids, we need to bring in Cunningham, McKay & Polson in the near future, and we need to nail next years draft as well.

Well said Blue Moon.
As for Lloyd. He probably says the drug cheats have nailed their list too... ::)
How's that working for them. Hint, what happened R3???

This might have been mentioned before but last night (maybe it was the haircut) I couldn't help thinking that Charlie Curnow bore a strong resemblance to the young Kouta - maybe it was wishful thinking after watching Kouta highlights on Open Mike and before the game..

I didnt see very much of the game agains GC but to date, I have seen nothing from Charlie to get me excited let alone any resemblance to Kouta. Last person people tried to compare to Kouta was Tom Bell and they only thing that bloke and Kouta have in common is a ball bag. I have to say I'm a little concerned with Charlie, he may just need time to A: get used to AFL game pace and B: Get over his glandular fever completely. I hope its just that so I am prepared to hold fire but he needs to get a wriggle on and start imposing himself a little more.

I didnt see very much of the game agains GC but to date, I have seen nothing from Charlie to get me excited let alone any resemblance to Kouta. Last person people tried to compare to Kouta was Tom Bell and they only thing that bloke and Kouta have in common is a ball bag. I have to say I'm a little concerned with Charlie, he may just need time to A: get used to AFL game pace and B: Get over his glandular fever completely. I hope its just that so I am prepared to hold fire but he needs to get a wriggle on and start imposing himself a little more.

Agree GTC.

I didnt see very much of the game agains GC but to date, I have seen nothing from Charlie to get me excited let alone any resemblance to Kouta. Last person people tried to compare to Kouta was Tom Bell and they only thing that bloke and Kouta have in common is a ball bag. I have to say I'm a little concerned with Charlie, he may just need time to A: get used to AFL game pace and B: Get over his glandular fever completely. I hope its just that so I am prepared to hold fire but he needs to get a wriggle on and start imposing himself a little more.

Tend to agree....was a big fan pre-draft as he had/has X factor but he has been disappointing IMO even given his glandular fever....his running patterns are not great and vs GC he couldnt keep up with his man or didnt want to, not sure which...
He can look lazy too when chasing and I wonder about his endurance....was put in the middle for a short stint on Ablett but that didnt work out too well as Ablett was too mobile...the other factor in defense of Charlie is he is being tried everywhere but not really being settled in one position.
Not giving up on him for sure but he is one I have under the microscope...re: Tom Bell....probably gave us a lot more initially than Charlie has....

We need to have a bit of patience with Charlie imo. He's yet to find his feet let alone his role. See how he's going at the end of the year. He's certainly got the physical attributes to build on.

We need to have a bit of patience with Charlie imo. He's yet to find his feet let alone his role. See how he's going at the end of the year. He's certainly got the physical attributes to build on.

This. I think jack sos is playing in his position, but shows more desire and wheels around the ground and therefore is first choice.

Charlie is mobile and athletic yes, but perhaps not as nautical a footballer. I like him running through the mid - all part of his development, good genuinely be a very special player as would be impossible to match up on when thrown forward.

Remember, kouta was player at chb for a season to learn the game (and get over the passing of his dad).

Much patience required but I like his spink and have little doubt he will get there.

Not too much said about it but young Jack seems to have quickly
developed into regular mobile forward. Looks comfortable at the top level and has a good defensive side to his game which is also a great trait.

I know he kicked a few cheap ones late but still he provides a target and is constantly on the move which we have been crying out for this sort of forward for many years.

Works hard and gives 100%. Very happy with his development after only played a dozen games.

Though the result was disappointing, it was clear from the game that Carlton have nailed the past two drafts, despite what Mathew Lloyd says.
The fact there were two or three bewildering umpire decisions which cost us goals, two skill errors that cost us goals and we missed five or six shots on goal that we should have kicked, maybe Sav should work on all our players goal kicking.
We need to keep playing the kids, we need to bring in Cunningham, McKay & Polson in the near future, and we need to nail next years draft as well.

The opposition kicking 14.3 at one point doesn't happen very often. Just wasn't our day.

Lloyd's article was the most biased pile of cr#p I've ever read.

Any club who recruits 30 players in 2 years is going to have recycled players and there will be some who don't work out. We've gone heavily into the draft and let go senior players like Hendo, Yarran, Bell, etc. to get there.

There's also his example of Smedts. We traded Touhy for Marchbank, Pickett and Smedts. He claims Smedts was a mistake - maybe - but he's only 1 of the 3 young players we got for 1 old player.

If you go looking for negatives you can find them anywhere.

Remember, kouta was player at chb for a season to learn the game (and get over the passing of his dad).

Really? I reckon Kouta had a fair handle on the game prior to 1998 when his dad passed away. He'd already played 100 games by then and was a premiership player and who could forget his game v West Coast in 1996 at PP. He rediscovered his love for the game for sure, but he had well and truly arrived on the AFL scene well before playing at CHB.

Lloyd's article was the most biased pile of cr#p I've ever read.

You read his his tripe?

Not too much said about it but young Jack seems to have quickly
developed into regular mobile forward. Looks comfortable at the top level and has a good defensive side to his game which is also a great trait.

I know he kicked a few cheap ones late but still he provides a target and is constantly on the move which we have been crying out for this sort of forward for many years.

Works hard and gives 100%. Very happy with his development after only played a dozen games.

Too true shawny. I forget he's only played, what, a dozen? He's a ripper. Not a super athlete just an honest footballer who bleeds Navy. His positioning is a standout. His kicking for goal's not too shabby for a kid either.
Onya SOJ

Really? I reckon Kouta had a fair handle on the game prior to 1998 when his dad passed away. He'd already played 100 games by then and was a premiership player and who could forget his game v West Coast in 1996 at PP. He rediscovered his love for the game for sure, but he had well and truly arrived on the AFL scene well before playing at CHB.

He did but he was struggling very badly at that time. Playing him at CHB really got him going again.

Too true shawny. I forget he's only played, what, a dozen? He's a ripper. Not a super athlete just an honest footballer who bleeds Navy. His positioning is a standout. His kicking for goal's not too shabby for a kid either.
Onya SOJ

Yes, we've got a good one there.

When I first saw him play in the NAB game against Essendon, I was impressed by the amount of time he seemed to have, and by his willingness to get involved in a bit of biffo.

It's early days yet but I'm impressed by how his work as a forward is coming together and he's starting to make the most of his opportunities.  He still makes some poor decisions but that's to be expected at this stage of his career.  I'm also impressed by his willingness to get up the ground and help out in defence.  His work there is very sound.

I was a little concerned that he may have been promoted before time but I was fooled by his laconic style.

You read his his tripe?

Whenever I'm having congested digestive issues.

Really? I reckon Kouta had a fair handle on the game prior to 1998 when his dad passed away. He'd already played 100 games by then and was a premiership player and who could forget his game v West Coast in 1996 at PP. He rediscovered his love for the game for sure, but he had well and truly arrived on the AFL scene well before playing at CHB.

Perhaps the memory got the better of me GIC however the takeaway remains the same, even more so. Kouta debuted around 93 and wasnt a bona fide player until 95/96.

He did but he was struggling very badly at that time. Playing him at CHB really got him going again.

I thought his year was pretty poor and he said the same.
Moving him onto the ball in the PF got him going again

You obviously haven't been spending a whole lot of time on the boards of late. True

I dubbed Charlie C 'Curnofides' last year based on similar observations, mannerisms and glimpses of ability out on the footy field.

I have been too busy or otherwise occupied the past couple of years.

He did but he was struggling very badly at that time. Playing him at CHB really got him going again.

Thats exactly what I said.

I thought his year was pretty poor and he said the same.
Moving him onto the ball in the PF got him going again

I had to go back to the results, stats etc, in case the memory failed me. Time tends to change things in our minds.

He started coming good again during the 2nd half of 1998 once moved to CHB. First half of that year was pretty average, 1997 was crap. 1999 seemed a good year generally, which really hit a new high in the 1999 PF.

I thought Charlie showed some very good signs this week sweeping across half forward, took some nice marks and should have kicked a couple of goals. Seems to get lost in the midfield, but not surprising since he's hardly ever played mid in his junior career, needs to learn the caper. I'd much rather see him spend more time at half forward

I have been too busy or otherwise occupied the past couple of years.

You mean to say that you're not on here 24/7? Outrageous!!!

Tend to agree....was a big fan pre-draft as he had/has X factor but he has been disappointing IMO even given his glandular fever....his running patterns are not great and vs GC he couldnt keep up with his man or didnt want to, not sure which...
He can look lazy too when chasing and I wonder about his endurance....was put in the middle for a short stint on Ablett but that didnt work out too well as Ablett was too mobile...the other factor in defense of Charlie is he is being tried everywhere but not really being settled in one position.
Not giving up on him for sure but he is one I have under the microscope...re: Tom Bell....probably gave us a lot more initially than Charlie has....

I think It's unfair to compare Charlie at this stage of his career with Kouta. Those who want to do so need to remember that Kouta racked up 50 games in the reserves in his first couple of years before earning a senior call up in a side that finished 8th and 10th in his first 2 years at the club. Charlie already has 12 senior games under his belt as a 20 year old key forward. Bell was drafted as a 20 year old rookie and is a different player to Charlie. Not a lot of X factor with Tom.

Charlie has often been compared to a young J Roughead who in his early years was maligned by Hawks supporters. I think as we aren't in a position to challenge, Bolts has the luxury at the moment to explore all options with the group. Weitering up forward or down back. Williamson and Samo in a number of roles. Curnow has elite endurance. Why not exploit it early in his career to accelerate his development. I'm backing him in.

I have been too busy or otherwise occupied the past couple of years.

Mate, pretty sure you alluded to the fact your comments may have been made.
Don't sweat, happy to hear your thoughts by the minute or by the year. ;)
All is welcomed in my book ^-^

agreed, judge the kid with 50 games under his belt....

My only judgement of Curnow is about his workrate.
I cam forgive a lack of experience, but being a Curnow, elite athlete runs in the family and we haven't seen much of it at this stage.

Ed is like the energizer bunny and his sister is a commonwealth games medallist in running.

Charlie thus far has a bit of flair and not much else.  I'm looking for more drive from a second year player who needs to get a move on and start showing improvement on what he did in his first season.

I can't see where it's been mentioned, but young Zac made the R4 AFL's top 10. I guess it was a toss up between his blistering run down tackle and beautiful goal from near the boundary. The latter won.

Take a look. That's a green shoot if ever I've seen one.

Kudos Zac. That's a fine accolade for any debutant.
Take a bow son. ;)

I can't see where it's been mentioned, but young Zac made the R4 AFL's top 10. I guess it was a toss up between his blistering run down tackle and beautiful goal from near the boundary. The latter won.

Take a look. That's a green shoot if ever I've seen one.

Kudos Zac. That's a fine accolade for any debutant.
Take a bow son. ;)

yep no fear, on with the job.

I think It's unfair to compare Charlie at this stage of his career with Kouta.

I didn't compare him to Kouta in relation to any aspect of his football talent  - I merely said I thought he resembled him.

I didn't compare him to Kouta in relation to any aspect of his football talent  - I merely said I thought he resembled him.

Not aimed at you RR. Just a general assertion.

My only judgement of Curnow is about his workrate.
I cam forgive a lack of experience, but being a Curnow, elite athlete runs in the family and we haven't seen much of it at this stage.

Ed is like the energizer bunny and his sister is a commonwealth games medallist in running.

Charlie thus far has a bit of flair and not much else.  I'm looking for more drive from a second year player who needs to get a move on and start showing improvement on what he did in his first season.

9th game on Saturday night.

9th game on Saturday night.

Exactly....9 games. Add in a few injuries, glandular fever as well. And people are disappointed with certain parts of his game.

No issue with supporters mentioning some areas the young ones need to improve but we all have to keep reminding ourselves out of the 9 kids that played on Saturday only 1 played more then 12 games (Weitering)

Even the greats like Judd, Buddy, Ablett had glaring deficiencies that early on.   

  

My only judgement of Curnow is about his workrate.
I cam forgive a lack of experience, but being a Curnow, elite athlete runs in the family and we haven't seen much of it at this stage.

Ed is like the energizer bunny and his sister is a commonwealth games medallist in running.

Charlie thus far has a bit of flair and not much else.  I'm looking for more drive from a second year player who needs to get a move on and start showing improvement on what he did in his first season.

He coming along just fine.

Exactly....9 games. Add in a few injuries, glandular fever as well. And people are disappointed with certain parts of his game.

No issue with supporters mentioning some areas the young ones need to improve but we all have to keep reminding ourselves out of the 9 kids that played on Saturday only 1 played more then 12 games (Weitering)

Even the greats like Judd, Buddy, Ablett had glaring deficiencies that early on.   

 

Spose your'e right Shawny and I fully understand there 9 kids playing. I guess what I was trying to say then I am not seeing the intensity from Charlie that the other kids have shown, but as I said in my post, its probably due to the facts that he is just a big kid and the effects of the GF are still not out of his system. Just needs time and decent run at it (which he is getting).

I raised curnow pre-game as a bit of a lucky inclusion as his form is not that flash. More than happy for the club to keep picking him but he'd want to put in some better performances to avoid being dropped.

I thought he took a small step forward on sat night. Missed those goals but at least he had a couple of shots. Good to see.

Polson needs a game... tap on the shoulder for Daisy.

9th game on Saturday night.

I know, and thats why Im not expecting star value at the minute, but I want to see some progress in his development after his second pre season at AFL level.

http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/C/Charlie_Curnow.html

I just want to see him getting a few more posessions, spending a bit more time on ground, and getting more involved.  Saturday's match was probably his best at this level, but he isnt getting involved as much as I would like.

For reference, I would like to see him more like Jack Silvagni at this stage of his developement.  I dont even expect him to be performing at that level.

We are not talking pick 30 odd like Cunningham, we are talking about a top 10 draftee here.

I know, and thats why Im not expecting star value at the minute, but I want to see some progress in his development after his second pre season at AFL level.

http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/C/Charlie_Curnow.html

I just want to see him getting a few more posessions, spending a bit more time on ground, and getting more involved.  Saturday's match was probably his best at this level, but he isnt getting involved as much as I would like.

For reference, I would like to see him more like Jack Silvagni at this stage of his developement.  I dont even expect him to be performing at that level.

We are not talking pick 30 odd like Cunningham, we are talking about a top 10 draftee here.

Cunningham was pick 23 but your point is valid.

Spose your'e right Shawny and I fully understand there 9 kids playing. I guess what I was trying to say then I am not seeing the intensity from Charlie that the other kids have shown, but as I said in my post, its probably due to the facts that he is just a big kid and the effects of the GF are still not out of his system. Just needs time and decent run at it (which he is getting).

I gather he's still growing too?

That never helps....

Exactly....9 games. Add in a few injuries, glandular fever as well. And people are disappointed with certain parts of his game.

I was shouted down on these forums when I wrote that it might be 2018 before C.Curnow is fully clear of the effects of glandular fever. One year to get over it and another year to catch up on what he missed is completely reasonable and not beyond comprehension.

Next year is a big year for C.Curnow and H.McKay! ;)

Just watched the highlights package on the CFC website. What a horrible 5 minutes we played in the 3rd (from 9:20 to go to approx 4:30 to go). We went from 49 a piece to 31 points down. We actually won the last qtr by a goal (5.3 to 4.3).

I raised curnow pre-game as a bit of a lucky inclusion as his form is not that flash. More than happy for the club to keep picking him but he'd want to put in some better performances to avoid being dropped.

I thought he took a small step forward on sat night. Missed those goals but at least he had a couple of shots. Good to see.

Polson needs a game... tap on the shoulder for Daisy.

This ∆∆∆∆

Just watched the first half for the first time. We shoulda been 4 up at half time! (Shoulda, woulda, coulda!!)

I was shouted down on these forums when I wrote that it might be 2018 before C.Curnow is fully clear of the effects of glandular fever. One year to get over it and another year to catch up on what he missed is completely reasonable and not beyond comprehension.

Next year is a big year for C.Curnow and H.McKay! ;)

That's because your opinion on the effects of glandular fever is nothing more or less than your own belief.  Some of us rely on practical experience and medical literature.

Generally, folk who contract glandular fever as adults take longer to get over it than do teenagers.  If Charlie was still suffering from the after effects of glandular fever, he wouldn't be suiting up for the NBs, let alone the seniors.

Charlie's problem is that he is being challenged in the unfamiliar role of midfielder.  He should do better if he was able to focus on being a lead up forward.

That's because your opinion on the effects of glandular fever is nothing more or less than your own belief.  Some of us rely on practical experience and medical literature.

My opinion is formed by first hand experience.

And you mean health authorities like the UK NHS;

Prolonged fatigue. More than 1 in every 10 people with glandular fever will experience prolonged fatigue, which lasts for six months or more after the initial infection. ... This is a poorly understood condition that causes persistent fatigue and a range of other symptoms, such as headaches and joint pain.

Now I'm no medical genius. But it seems fair to me if posters and experts freely claim missing a pre-season with injury rehab affects a player in their subsequent football season, then having a dose of glandular fever is certainly the equivalent of a pre-season interrupted by rehab and should have equal effects on performance. I can't see how these experts and posters can excuse one form of pre-season interruption and blame the other without being two-faced!

Finally, Charlie came to Carlton as an elite athlete, a kid who could run the pants off opponents and do so with considerable ease. If I recall on his first attempt he finished high in time trials, equivalent to his AFL seasoned brother. That is a great sign for a young player, it not only declares aerobic capacity but work ethic because you obviously don't get that sitting on the couch. So he still has that in him, and if he maintains the work ethic it will return. But at the moment he can barely beat a pumpkin vine off the pitch and wouldn't have enough breath left to even try and blow out a candle! That is not the Charlie Curnow we recruited, if it wasn't the Glandular Fever what is the reason for it?

That's because your opinion on the effects of glandular fever is nothing more or less than your own belief.  Some of us rely on practical experience and medical literature.

Generally, folk who contract glandular fever as adults take longer to get over it than do teenagers.  If Charlie was still suffering from the after effects of glandular fever, he wouldn't be suiting up for the NBs, let alone the seniors.

Charlie's problem is that he is being challenged in the unfamiliar role of midfielder.  He should do better if he was able to focus on being a lead up forward.

I reckon there would be more pressure on young kid playing in our fwd line than in our midfield given the scrutiny our fwd line has gotten over the years and still gets.

My opinion is formed by first hand experience.

And you mean health authorities like the UK NHS;
Now I'm no medical genius. But it seems fair to me if posters and experts freely claim missing a pre-season with injury rehab affects a player in their subsequent football season, then having a dose of glandular fever is certainly the equivalent of a pre-season interrupted by rehab and should have equal effects on performance. I can't see how these experts and posters can excuse one form of pre-season interruption and blame the other without being two-faced!

Finally, Charlie came to Carlton as an elite athlete, a kid who could run the pants off opponents and do so with considerable ease. If I recall on his first attempt he finished high in time trials, equivalent to his AFL seasoned brother. That is a great sign for a young player, it not only declares aerobic capacity but work ethic because you obviously don't get that sitting on the couch. So he still has that in him, and if he maintains the work ethic it will return. But at the moment he can barely beat a pumpkin vine off the pitch and wouldn't have enough breath left to even try and blow out a candle! That is not the Charlie Curnow we recruited, if it wasn't the Glandular Fever what is the reason for it?

This is the part that doesn't make a lot of sense.

There is no disputing that glandular fever can knock people about.

However, Charlie was an elite athletic person from an elite athletic family prior to Glandular Fever, and whilst the ongoing effects of it, may have really knocked him about it has just ticked on 12 months since it hit him.

I have no doubt that the recovery time can be great, but it would be greater for a person who wasnt an elite athlete to begin with, as they would have a strong fitness base to return to.

We don't know if he has suffered any other ill effects in the process of his recovery.

I would imagine that 12 months on, he would likely be back to fairly similar levels of fitness that he had prior to.  At the moment, he is not really showing any of that.

G'day guys...Happy Easter!

Would have loved the win, but gee how good was it to see the young blokes yet again stand up, improve and do more during an AFL game?

How good was young Zac Fisher?

Bring in Cam Polson this week for Daisy Thomas.

I know I got shot down from all corners a couple of weeks ago when I suggested to play the kids - but look how good they've been. The selection of Tom Williamson and Zac Fisher, along with keeping guys like Harry Macreadie, Jarrod Pickett and Charlie Curnow in the AFL team, shows Bolton is thinking along the same lines. Gotta play the kids. Good to see young Curnow do better. Why would you play him in the VFL right now? Crazy! Get AFL games into him early, and others.

I cannot see why anyone would want the likes of the tried and tested, and failed, 'mature bodies' in Thomas, Kerridge, Palmer, etc to play instead of the kids if you had the choice between the two. Bolton is doing the right thing.

I'd be getting games into the likes of Cuningham, Jaksch, Gallucci and McKay soon also.

G'day guys...Happy Easter!

Would have loved the win, but gee how good was it to see the young blokes yet again stand up, improve and do more during an AFL game?

How good was young Zac Fisher?

Bring in Cam Polson this week for Daisy Thomas.

I know I got shot down from all corners a couple of weeks ago when I suggested to play the kids - but look how good they've been. The selection of Tom Williamson and Zac Fisher, along with keeping guys like Harry Macreadie, Jarrod Pickett and Charlie Curnow in the AFL team, shows Bolton is thinking along the same lines. Gotta play the kids. Good to see young Curnow do better. Why would you play him in the VFL right now? Crazy! Get AFL games into him early, and others.

I cannot see why anyone would want the likes of the tried and tested, and failed, 'mature bodies' in Thomas, Kerridge, Palmer, etc to play instead of the kids if you had the choice between the two. Bolton is doing the right thing.

I'd be getting games into the likes of Cuningham, Jaksch, Gallucci and McKay soon also.

Whilst I don't dispute that this isnt a good strategy, I think we may have been able to get the win vs Melbourne and Gold Coast with the odd more mature player.

Of course, thats no guarantee, but we would be having a very different conversation now if we were 3 and 1, instead of 1 and 3.

Whilst I don't dispute that this isnt a good strategy, I think we may have been able to get the win vs Melbourne and Gold Coast with the odd more mature player.

Of course, thats no guarantee, but we would be having a very different conversation now if we were 3 and 1, instead of 1 and 3.

No way of telling. However, I would go the other way, and say that we did as well as we did with the young blokes playing, and that we would not have done as well with the likes of Kerridge, Palmer, etc playing. Bolton has got it right IMO. You can tell that the clean hands, pace, zip and skills from the younger blokes is much better IMO.

No way of telling. However, I would go the other way, and say that we did as well as we did with the young blokes playing, and that we would not have done as well with the likes of Kerridge, Palmer, etc playing. Bolton has got it right IMO. You can tell that the clean hands, pace, zip and skills from the younger blokes is much better IMO.

We'll never know Pratty.

I think the team without any one player doing more than another got us in touching distance to GC, and you may very well be right depending on which player was interchangeable with another.

We could also argue that Palmer in for Thomas could have done it.

G'day guys...Happy Easter!

Would have loved the win, but gee how good was it to see the young blokes yet again stand up, improve and do more during an AFL game?

How good was young Zac Fisher?

Bring in Cam Polson this week for Daisy Thomas.

I know I got shot down from all corners a couple of weeks ago when I suggested to play the kids - but look how good they've been. The selection of Tom Williamson and Zac Fisher, along with keeping guys like Harry Macreadie, Jarrod Pickett and Charlie Curnow in the AFL team, shows Bolton is thinking along the same lines. Gotta play the kids. Good to see young Curnow do better. Why would you play him in the VFL right now? Crazy! Get AFL games into him early, and others.

I cannot see why anyone would want the likes of the tried and tested, and failed, 'mature bodies' in Thomas, Kerridge, Palmer, etc to play instead of the kids if you had the choice between the two. Bolton is doing the right thing.

I'd be getting games into the likes of Cuningham, Jaksch, Gallucci and McKay soon also.

Pratty, said the same thing somewhere else that I reckon its going to be full on youth and the older tried and failed only making up the numbers through injury etc....I'm all for Polson
playing this week.

Disagree, need to keep some old heads - and bodies - out there.

Palmer for Daisy the obvious 'swap'.

Polson's a small kid, seemingly without the gifts of a SPS (with all respect) or the size of a Curnow the younger or Weitering....

there's no real hurry. Fisher looks likely.

I reckon if Poulson comes in then probably one of the other kids will be rested. Port in Adelaide is a tough gig.

Disagree, need to keep some old heads - and bodies - out there.

Palmer for Daisy the obvious 'swap'.

Polson's a small kid, seemingly without the gifts of a SPS (with all respect) or the size of a Curnow the younger or Weitering....

there's no real hurry. Fisher looks likely.

Polson has a very mature rig.

Looks like a slightly thicker version of Murph and a much stronger version of Murph at the same age.

Very powerful through the legs and arse.