I do remember those days, clearly. Started with the ruthless expectations of Barassi in the mid 60s, ended in 2002.
We are old enough to remember players demanding ruthlessness from team mates.
Remember when the players had their Camp Curnow in 2023? What's important about that was it was players only - no coaches. How many games in a row did we not only win, but win big after that! Player driven. Point of this is that we know that they can do it which makes watching the past twelve months even more distressing... And infuriating. Nothing more tragic than watching serious talent and potential being p*ssed down the drain.
Maybe the players should tell the coaches to p*ss off and that they'll select the starting 23 and run the show until the end of the year.
Pretty sure they were talking about it the other day, camp Curnow was players and coaches. I read an article about and Curnow commented how Vossy is a bit of pyro round a fire. In any case, players need to step up and take greater ownership. I remember listening to Sellers on radio talking about how the senior players picked the side, they said who they wanted on the list, who was up to and who wasnt. Our blokes are just a bunch of good mates looking after one another, not the the CFC.
Aint no coach been born to fix that. Having said that, I said many years ago we should have poached Choco Williams to coach our AFLW team where he could run his famous kicking classes. Perhaps we need his servicesfor the mens team.
Between the ears, GTC. Players don't lose their abilities, at PP, they do. But all is not lost, it can be reignited but a ruthless confidence will be required... much easier said than done.
You know Baggers, once upon a time, we were ruthless. Ruthless in our pursuit of premierships. And that ruthless pursuit meant there were expectations, not hope, high exceptions. Those expectations created a culture, a culture where the players "ran the club" in a way that demanded excellence and the highest of standards. If you weren't up to scratch, you didn't play and didn't last. The list managers and coaches didn't control this, the senior players did. THATS culture. It culminated in a side that virtually coached itself in 1995, the last success we have tasted. Not long after that, there was a deterioration of that culture, the last of "old school" players departed and were replaced by a "new breed". A breed of players who thought because they walked in the doors at PP, they had made it. That was the start of the "entitled" generation. They weren't prepared to work hard, they weren't ruthless. It's that culture that has been handed down for the last few decades and here we are. A group of players that are very happy with themselves and their team mates. They enjoy each others company and the environment which is the Carlton Football Club Bank and Retirement Fund. We accept poor performance after poor performance because they know there are no consequences. I keep repeating the saying, "to know where you're going you need to know where you've been". Our players need to learn that culture of ruthlessness in the pursuit of premierships which demanded excellence and the highest of standards from each other. The leaders should be encouraged to push and demand it. Instead when Weiters comes out and offers honest feedback after a poor performance, he gets hauled over the coals for being too honest and forceful. I say more please.
Remember you current players, you are just passing through and are mere custodians and you have a duty to hand it over to the next crop better than what you found it. You need to find a way to "break through to the cycle" as Paulie said and change culture back to what it once was,
"Carlton rank last for kicking efficiency, disposal efficiency, overall kick rating and kick rating for kicks going into the forward 50. They are second worst in kick rating for shots at goal."
Aint no coach been born to fix that. Having said that, I said many years ago we should have poached Choco Williams to coach our AFLW team where he could run his famous kicking classes. Perhaps we need his servicesfor the mens team.
Change the forwards all you like it won't make a difference till we fix the delivery.
Sure our conversion rate has also been poor but it's not like Charlie and TDK have been dropping sitters. We are the worst team in the comp at brining the ball inside 50.
Acres seemed so lacklustre in the VFL game, there was not much spirit from him at all.
He's always seemed to me to be a square peg in a round hole. Seems to march to the beat of his own drum, e.g doesnt warm up on ground with his team mates pregame. Something NQR to me.
speaking of tackling, I heard a stat the other day which astounded me. Matty Rowell has laid 41 tackles in his last three games! Most of our blokes wouldnt lay 41 tackles in a year.
Durdin and Fogarty lay plenty of tackles... don't both the goal ump, but lay loads of tackles!!
Durds 21 in 10 games (2.1 a game), Fog 61 in 15 games (4 a game), nowhere near 13.6 a game.
A slight derail perhaps but the graphic floating around touting Gresham as our new saviour doesn’t list any tackles... if accurate I cant see that ending well.
Said it before that I have seen him play down at Scotch College and never been sold on him, I dont go often so maybe I have missed his good games but I find him stock standard ok at most skills but not having a weapon skill that makes him a standout. Tackling is an issue because of his size, he is very small and would have real trouble at VFL level making them stick imho.
speaking of tackling, I heard a stat the other day which astounded me. Matty Rowell has laid 41 tackles in his last three games! Most of our blokes wouldnt lay 41 tackles in a year.
Players were warned multiple offenders would be sanctioned for umpire contact, Cerra like Rowell is a repeat offender so he should have taken more care. Yet another example of our players lack of awareness on field. They keep making the same mistakes week after week, have you noticed how many frees Cerra has given away deep in defence lately? Constantly putting his arms around the fwd which the umps are looking for and are hot on.
I dont know how you avoid an umpire when you cant see him. Its not like he was facing the ump and ran into him.
Neale if anything used the umpire to break the tag. Not enough being said about that.
Mate they are forever ranting and gesticulating about where they are going to exit the ball up/bounce from, I get the players are focused on their role/opponent but part of that involves being aware of obstacles. God knows they have had it rammed down their throat, some just dont get it.
London to a brick they'll nail Cerra..MRO and tribunal, clueless, zero common sense
Players were warned multiple offenders would be sanctioned for umpire contact, Cerra like Rowell is a repeat offender so he should have taken more care. Yet another example of our players lack of awareness on field. They keep making the same mistakes week after week, have you noticed how many frees Cerra has given away deep in defence lately? Constantly putting his arms around the fwd which the umps are looking for and are hot on.
There was another factor. Stocker was reportedly a bit full of himself after the trade SOS pulled to get him.
A delisting may have knocked him down a couple of pegs.
He also was another SOS player that has been an also ran from the first round.
Ultimately, he only stepped away from the club in 2020, and we gave him 2 seasons to prove himself after that. My last memory of Stocker was him barely getting a touch, and not exactly getting near an opponent in a must draw/win match vs Collingwood in Round 23.
Had a smidge of the FIGJAMS from all reports. Who knows for sure. We could sure have used him this season if he was willing to build a tank, but he hasnt been amazing for the Saints either.
