The Blues featured in six Friday night games last year but voiced their anger on Tuesday after being told they wouldn't feature in any next season.
"I think the ban will have to last at least two years," Caro said on Sports Today.
Seems like everyone is getting in on the action with Caro now giving us a boot in the date.
I don't have an issue with it actually, we deserve everything we cop from the AFL and the media given our poor onfield efforts last year.
The other thing is that seeing as we are now entering into a genuine rebuild, it might suit us better to be out of the limelight too. We will have a number of young players being trialled in new roles and developing new game plans etc, best we creep up on the rest of the competition without them knowing.
After an extremely successful trade period, it should be clear to everyone that we are now on a long journey to firstly rejuvenate our playing list and then go on to win No. 17.
With that in mind, here is how I see us performing over the next few years :
2016 : 17th - 18th With a new coach and a lot of new players, we cannot expect a dramatic improvement in our ladder position especially as we don't have the full set of playing cards to work with. The game plan will be built around our patchwork quilt playing list so we can expect some bad losses score-wise. On the flipside, I'm expecting a more cohesive & committed effort from the team as the season progresses. Players will get to know each other better plus Bolton's message will seep in and the overall camaraderie will be forged.
2017 : 14th - 16th Another season of retirements, trade deals and new kids via the draft will see our list transform even further. The new young players will have more games under their belt plus they will have physically & mentally developed even further.
2018 : 8th - 10th Expecting a quantum leap up the ladder here as the playing list finally takes shape for the future. There'll be closer matches in 2017 with many a nail-biter on the cards, the players will now be disciplined and dedicated to fighting it out to the finish.
2019 : 6th - 8th With three years of player development & experience plus some shrewd 'for need' trades, we should be forcing our way into the finals once again. I'm also expecting the new culture in the club to be fully ingrained and a powerful ingredient for all associated.
2020 : Top 4 Learning from our mistakes and with an even stronger hunger for success, this is the year we match it with the best in the league and earn the double-chance in the finals.
On the weekend, Carlton were belted by the best team in the competition. We were all expecting a loss and to some extent, the margin wasn't entirely out of most people's range of numbers.
Many people are lamenting the state of where we are but if you look at it honestly, the Hawks had just touched up the Swans & Frockers by 70-80 points each. Therefore, given they are the next two best teams in the league, the smacking we copped should not have come as a complete surprise.
What was on display for everyone to witness was the stark difference between our playing list and that of the acknowledged league leaders. We were given the biggest reality check we have ever had and hopefully, some of our supporters will look at our players without the navy-blue goggles on from now.
Yes, we do have a nucleus of decent players from which to build from but the simple fact is, we cannot keep persisting with anyone who would be ranked as a "fringe" player. We need top shelf players with a killer attitude and a set of skills to match if we want to get anywhere in this business.
Something that did stand out to me in this recent match was that we have too many players who just don't want to keep fighting. For some, it just gets too hard so they stop chasing, shepherding, tackling etc.
Unfortunately, this is a culture that has been brewing for many years and is a genuine reason why we are behind the rest of the competition. Just look at Andre Everitt, when he first arrived, he worked his ring off all game. Now he too picks and chooses when to go because that is the norm amongst his team-mates.
If I look at the playing list, I think about if I was in the trenches at Gallipoli, how many of them would I want around me to cover my back ??
A few years back, the scribes were suggesting we had one of the best midfields in the competition. However, things have dramatically changed since then especially with Judd retiring & Carrazzo about to retire at season's end plus the recent rollercoaster formline from Murphy & Gibbs.
The thing is, we are not that far away once again from fielding a very strong "Engine Room" and it all may have come about by sheer chance as opposed to some very good planning.
Patty Cripps playing standard is rising by the week (heaven help the competition in another 2-3 years time), Marc Murphy appears to be back playing at the same level he was prior to that horrible broken cheekbone he suffered in a collision with Hodge.
Nick Graham has relished his opportunity in the seniors and is making bone-rattling tackles a feature of his game, Dennis Armfield is another who has really stepped it up across the middle of the ground as well as making regular sorties into the forward line,
Tom Bell is now offering some genuine consistency with way less poor decision-making than he previously was (something I genuinely didn't think was ever going to happen) plus the move of playing him more permanently across half-forward suits him and the team better as well.
All we need now is for Mark Whiley to force his way into the seniors (I have extremely high expectations for this chap) and for Gibbs to play with some genuine vigour (possibly wishful thinking) and we are going to be in a damn strong position.
If the recruiting department can bring in two more silky ball magnets in the upcoming draft & trade period, we would end up having a midfield division that at worst, is the equal of any of the other clubs in the competition.
Amazing what a few good weeks onfield can do for a supporters viewpoint !!
At present, Malthouse keeps stating that he is coaching to win matches and makes confusing changes to the line-up on a weekly basis that must be destabilising as well.
Some people like the 'coaching to win' proposition because it gives you something to cheer about and you know, in theory, they are actually chasing a win. The downside to this is that with a list that has a lot of flaws, the chances of winning are dramatically reduced so there is little to be gained by going there.
The other option open to him is to 'play for the future' by stacking the senior team with as many of the younger players as possible and build their exposure to the top level.
I'd prefer to 'play for the future' as it gives me a sense of expectation of how good some of our younger player may be down the track. It also allows them to regularly play together and build some solid camaraderie.
I really don't see a lot of benefit in constantly trotting out the old guys, they are about to be delisted or traded and therefore aren't exactly going to give it their all either.
Here's what I would do every week subject to injury :
B : Smith, Everitt, White HB : Docherty, Henderson, Yarran C : Viojo-Rainbow, Cripps, Buckley HF : Bell, Casboult, Jaksch F : Menzel, Watson, Judd R : Kreuzer, Murphy, Whiley I/C : Graham, Boekhorst, Byrne, Holman
We are about to embark on a rebuild, that is also a fact.
We have a dilapidated list, that is an undeniable fact.
Therefore, it is my belief that Mick Malthouse should give every one of the older fringe players on the list the chance to redeem themselves or better still, drastically improve their perceived trade value.
Watson, Jones, Tutt, Carrazzo, Armfield, Ellard, Tuohy, Jamison, Rowe, Warnock & Walker can withstand the rigours of senior footy, they have the fitness base & body development for that.
Whilst it is great to see Cripps, Smith and others in the seniors, just give them three game bursts and then send them back to the seconds, we don't want to blow them out just yet. Besides, there is every chance that they will be playing way more senior footy next year anyway.
I am not interested in wins this season, all I care about is (a) getting the #1 pick in the draft, (b) looking after the nucleus of young players we have at the club, & (c) giving those older players one last chance to redeem themselves.
Surely the time has come for people to adjust the way they speak to one another especially complete strangers !!
Whilst it is meant as a term of endearment, do you really honestly care about the wellbeing of that girl at the supermarket checkout or the anonymous voice on the other end of the telephone ??
I think not and it sounds so fake & condescending that it needs to be phased out of our vernacular.
Try listening to talkback radio when they are running a quick quiz, every person who rings up asks the host "how are you" and clearly that person must be okay because the previous six callers in the recent 60-secs asked the same question & got the same answer.
Greeting a friend, stranger or person in business with a simple "hello" or "good morning" should be the minimum level of manners but what should come after that or is there an actual need to further the conversation ??
Four Corners really ripped the Greyhound racing industry a new one with that expose on the use of live baiting, and what a disgrace that practice is.
Here in NSW, the board of Greyhound Racing and their chief executive have been stood down and the fallout continues on a daily basis.
Clearly this issue is deep seated and firmly entrenched across the racing fraternity and it will take some very strong leadership to clean up the whole mess.
Nothing short of lifetime suspensions & jail sentences will rid the industry of the dodgy practitioners.
