Carlton Supporters Club

R8, 2001 - CFC 142, BL 68 - Bastards went on to win the flag. I was hoping it would be us.

Yep, I was at that game. I remember Akermanis saying how it was seared into their souls and how they channe!ed their hatred of us into a winning mindset.

@ Blue Avenger

Excellent post. We must hold our nerve.

Read the first page and it's shake your head stuff. For years we as a Carlton collective have been crying out for change, we must embrace the draft, build from the bottom, NO MORE quick fixes. The club has done that and when things get a little hard we start to sook it up.

It's hard to be competitive when you have a team of babies going up against a team in their prime. The third quarter showed that, what we saw from Port is where we'll be in 3-4 years time. For now we have to do the hard yards watching a team that is just too young and inexperienced to be in a winning position.

I saw Kruddler put up a comparison of coaches and their wining percentages, sorry Krudd but that is not relevant. This is the FIRST TIME Carlton has truly embraced the draft, so you cannot compare any former Carlton coach with Bolton as they are on different paths.

I'm not really concerned about what Murphy, Gibbs and Simmo do, I'm only looking at our players 23 and under.

Jack Silvagni - A workman like game yet again, does the tough stuff, gets to the right places and plays a true team game. A few unrewarded chases and some dropped marks that need to be tidied up on, but a step forward.

Weitering - Needs to be given a block of games down back, he's just not getting the ball and for a man with his talent he can set up more plays from CHB. When he went back in the third we looked a bit surer around the ball.

Charlie Curnow - Best game so far, I doubt we can have both CC and Jack in the one forward line, just like going out drinking, keep to one or the other or you'll have a bad time. Great marks and used the ball the best he has so far.

Macreadie - Never afraid, decent kick and in constant motion. Is being played on smaller guys so he doesn't get smashed by the bigger frames but we have picked up a steam here. Thanks GWS for not matching our bid. I wouldn't mind using him down forward for a game or two while bringing Weitering down back to see what he could do up front.

Samo - Needs to learn to move the ball quicker. Has shown great evasion skills but players are aware he will try to step them now, so a quick give will allow him to use his evasion on occasion with more effect.

Fisher - Love this kid. He is a terrier who gets knocked down and gets up straight away and goes again. Always looks for the right option and has the skills to back it up.

Williamson - 2nd gamer my ass! Looks in control, has a beautiful kicking style and works hard and smart. With the other talls down there hasn't had to do much in the air so I don't know how good he is there, but is a ready made replacement for Simmo at years end.

Poulson - Like his attitude, loved his run down tackle and one other thing stood out to me. He was on a wing near the boundary, got the ball and gave it off to Murph, then it was instinctual, he looked at Murphs trailing player and laid a shepherd. For so long our players have not protected the ball carrier like other teams do, in Cams first game he did it. Good debut, now back it up and get better.

Plowman - Starting to become Mr Reliable down back, reading the play so much better than last season and his disposal is coming up to where his junior bio read. Reminds me a bit of Peter Dean in the way he'll sacrifice his body to spoil.

Marchbank - Great instincts and love his attitude, but I think his mind is ahead of his skills. Time to use the K.I.S.S. method when getting rid of the ball. Is going to be a stud down back in the coming years.

Pickett - Loved his take off on the wing, then he ran too far but he wanted to run which opened the play up and I think gave us a one on one to advantage in forward 50 which didn't happen very often. It bugs me sometimes to see him jog behind play, be he hasn't had a full pre season yet, being injured when he came to the club and a bit chubby.

Right there is half the team who are all babies in bodies, experience and age. They are are future foundation to build around and they will get smashed, but each time they do it's an investment in the future of the club. We will go again to the draft this season having early picks, maybe Kruezer goes via FA and Gibbs via trade getting us a few extra picks inside 30.

It doesn't matter this year where we finish, what matters is getting games of experience into these players and hopefully they learn and get better quickly.

 

I think Bolts is trying to do a mini Hawks with the team - short, precise kicking, keepings off, waiting for the right option etc. But we're not up to it, pure and simple. Bolton keeps using the word connection, and makes repeated reference to the teams lack of connection. Hopefully he can get us to play that way, but I'm not hopeful.

Me too.

It was my mates 21st. We died his hair Blue (he was a lions supporter).

FWIW, Lions did lose another game, 1, just, late in the season.
It was certainly the last flogging they received before their 3-peat though.