Re: NAB Challenge: Carlton vs. Essendon Sunday 28th Feb
Reply #320 –
Like many at the time I thought that with a pre-season game being played against an old foe we should have fielded our best to bury them. But, fortunately, our club had a broader vision.
In recent history we would have fielded our best to get a NAB Challenge success to generate more membership.
Wrapped that our club no longer gets sucked into this. Remember winning pre-season Premierships and inflating membership only to be embarrassed when the real stuff began, betraying the early season promises?
It is so impressive that our club now takes the broader vision. Bravo BB/Triggster. At last marketing is supporting, not dictating (and their support is very, very good). No more short term thinking. And most supporters get it.
I was there and although very disappointed when we were failing badly, you really could see (when the need to win subsided) strong glimpses of our future and in a pre-season game, in reality, that is all you really want to see.
I saw more in Harry McKay's half of footy than everything I've seen from Liam Jones for his entire time at the mighty CFC (and, yes, Jones must be trialled as a defender because he aint a forward but seems to have a good attitude). SOSOS has attitude and ability. So does the Curnow bro.
I walked away from Sunday's game frustrated, selfishly, at the result but when I got over that I reflected on the contribution and signs of the young. Yep, our future is in good hands. And the huge crowd just might help in supporting any argument to justify a gradual revitalisation and redevelopment as PP as a viable boutique ground for AFL games.
Ps the Ralph and Caro articles/comments should be ignored. They're shallow and short sighted (isn't that the nature of our footy media?). Fortunately our coaches are in charge of our club and not these glib headline grabbers.
(Ralph mentioned in a radio broadcast poor numbers of certain players in our game against the Bummers, yet most of the players he mentioned only played a half of footy… talk about a badly researched broadcaster massaging his ego instead of knowing facts...)