Carlton Supporters Club

Said it for the last couple of years now but Jye Bolton is one the club should've got in as a mature aged recruit. He's got his limitations but betting smashed on the inside is not one of them. He's as tough as nails and goes in hard and I'd be staggered if he's not picked up by someone in the upcoming mid-season draft. He could've been picked up with a nothing pick in last year's draft and he's already showing again in the WAFL why he's such a good inside player...leading pretty much all of the media awards.

Stocker might end up being good but there's no way the club thought we'd be rock bottom (again) when they decided to do that deal. I feel sorry for the kid because he's gonna have that hanging over his head for years if this year's number 1 pick goes to Adelaide and that pick proves to be a gem.

Given the lack of depth we've got, whoever we take in that mid-season draft needs to be able to pretty much step into the team at any moment.

We took young O'Dwyer in last year's draft with a 4th round pick that was speculative at best and in all likelihood the kid will never play a game for us. That pick could've been used on either of Bolton or Pickett and either one of them would be playing right now.

Totally agree....Marlion Pickett and Jye Bolton straight into the team....Stocker is a good kid and I'd have him in the midfield but happy to let him progress down back out of harms way.
Feel for Walsh having to play like a veteran, no need to burden Stocker as well, those two will be good value down the track.

Even the way they have dealt with Gibbons has been odd.

Why not say to the guy, ok you're a mid through and though - go and do what you do best.

Ditto Ed C - at age 29 they try and make him a small forward. Nice one.

Again, the word dumb keeps reverberating.....

Ed is a victim of our game plan which includes no tagging and favours zones over running with an opposition player. If he isn’t going in the midfield the only other option I see if to play him as a small defender, which given his kicking skills is also sub optimal.

Well then, maybe the game plan is equally dumb?

No argument from me there.

Guarding space in the hope a miskick results in a turnover is doomed. We have zero intensity and the players are always standing by as the opposition just kick to the spaces and allow their team mates to run through it. The zone then breaks down as four Carlton players then engage in a half hearted chase which leaves 3 opponents free who then run on harder.

Even when it does work and we get an intercept mark, our instant response is for another three payers to push back to set up for the slow backwards kicks to transfer play. The opposition run harder to close off the ground on the other side and we end up just kicking long down the boundary line to a contest. Given 4 of our guys are spread out in the defensive 50 for this wasteful set up we are then outnumbered when the long kick happens and generally turn the ball over.

When this doesn’t happen we usually just get the ball and kick long down the boundary first chance we get.

On rare occasions when we try and link up to run through the centre in numbers we actually look good - as evidenced by the games against the dogs and first half against the Hawks.

This has been happening for a long time. So my question is why won’t the coaches change the plan? Why won’t they try carrying the ball more to use our younger legs, using Ed to nullify the opposition’s best mid and using a different backline set up where everyone gets 1 player and keeping a spare man back who is the main initiator of the aforementioned run and carry off half back?

Agree EB....wasn't having a go at O'Dwyer as he's just a kid but rather the decision to recruit another young kid when we lacked that mid 20's level of blokes. There's no certainties in the draft but I'd have put money on either of Bolton or Pickett or even Schloithe having a pretty immediate impact. I just wonder what sort of impact it has on young blokes in their 1st, 2nd or 3rd years of footy just getting bashed around each week because there's no support and hardly ever experiencing that winning feeling....I'm over the losing feeling I know that much!

And yet we all but bested the Pies...that's what baffles me the most (and don't give me the they're young BS).

Agree EB....wasn't having a go at O'Dwyer as he's just a kid but rather the decision to recruit another young kid when we lacked that mid 20's level of blokes. There's no certainties in the draft but I'd have put money on either of Bolton or Pickett or even Schloithe having a pretty immediate impact. I just wonder what sort of impact it has on young blokes in their 1st, 2nd or 3rd years of footy just getting bashed around each week because there's no support and hardly ever experiencing that winning feeling....I'm over the losing feeling I know that much!