Carlton Supporters Club

Great points.

For extra emphasis and specifically for those people who like to quote 4 in 40, have a look at how many of this list actually have played significant footy for us since the start of 2016:

• Marc Murphy - 53 games - missed half the season in 2016, and half a season in 2018
  Kade Simpson - 71 games - Probably the most consistent performer on this list, and lo and behold, one of the few that has been ever present at the ripe old age of 31+ for his last 71 games and has only missed a game or so per season.
  Matthew Kreuzer - 57 games - Missed half the season in 2018 and broke down frequently when he was in.
  Patrick Cripps - 66 games - Missed a chunk of 2017 with a leg break from memory.
  Liam Jones - 44 games -  learning a new role, was on the outer until he transformed into a full back 2 years ago.
  Sam Docherty - 44 games - (food for thought, has been out with an ACL for all of 2018 and will miss most of 2019)
  Ed Curnow - 63 games - missed half of last season with a fractured larynx??
  Dale Thomas - 64 games - missed a few per season I think from suspension more than injury.
  Levi Casboult - 58 games - enough said.  Not consistent enough but our only viable key forward that has been ever present for the last 4 years

The rest of our weekly starting 22 has been either kids, or stop gaps whilst we have our draftees coming along.


For anyone who is focussed on Bolton's record, have a look at these numbers coming from the most experienced component of our list in terms of a Carlton history and then take a cursory glance at say for arguments sake, Richmond. 

They boast a core group of players from before Cripps and Docherty's first game of AFL football.  Let me repeat that.  A core group of 13 players who are superstars of their team, from before our current best players (and captains) debut at AFL level.

For anyone who wants to complain that this is crap, really have a think about the following list of players:

Dylan Grimes
Dion Prestia
Dustin Martin
Brandon Ellis
Shaun Grigg
Jack Riewoldt
Trent Cotchin
Shane Edwards
David Astbury
Bachar Houli
Alex Rance
Tom Lynch

Contrast that with our list.  Process it.  Look at it.  Why don't we win more games?? The answer is really simple.  Our senior list is actually not that senior.

Id wager if you perform that exercise with any other squad in the AFL, you will not find that level of transition from old to new that is so significant in terms of difference in experience at this level.

When we played ugly BB had how many wins in his first season of widely criticised ugly football?

7 wins with another 4 single digit losses, and BB did that with half the list the Dawks had, yet was bagged mercilessly!

Not always, not when they were new at it, he nearly lost his job!

Sorry, but when BB had the team playing ugly and in with a chance to win many low scoring games if not for a little more experience, the AFL, AFL broadcasters, AFL media and many members bagged the hell out of him! Our club folded under the pressure, I gather the coach folded under internal pressures, changed the plan and got hammered again for doing what the critics had demanded!

Now the same critics(guys like Darcy, Ling, BT, Barrett) tell us how great it is to watch the Dawks or Dogs play even worse football as they dig ugly wins out of an otherwise crap season! And now that we are apparently playing better football they still bag us! When someone like Carey seems to be the voice of reason, that we are playing good to watch football, they bag him!

When Clarkson does it he's an innovative genius super-coach, when BB does it he's got no plan, no direction and no future!

I believe in the conspiracy theory!
The theory that the AFL will do whatever it can to keep us down for as long as possible.
They brought in Free Agency to keep the good teams up.
They introduced the Runner rule which effects young teams.
They are influencing the umps.
etc...
How can a 24-8 free kick count not be questioned?

We won’t be defined by Ws and Ls 

I had to meet a bloke at North Shore at 7 this morning to pick up some corrugated iron.  On the drive back, I switched the wireless to SEN just in time to hear Garry, Timmy and Nick talk about our game.  They were all in furious agreement that we are on the improve and the wins will come.  They also heaped praise on our midfield for matching the Pies’ mob.  That reminded me of a pre-season discussion in which it was suggested that we were about three years behind Collingwood’s midfield.  Guess what? We’ve caught up 

While we may not have the Ws we would like, our Ls have been close and, except for the North debacle, we aren’t experiencing the blowout losses that eventually cost Ratts his job.

...it's the only thing!

“Winning isn’t everything… It’s the only thing” UCLA coach Red Sanders…with an assist by Vince Lombardi

For some time there has been a criticism of posters focusing too much on the win/loss side of things as opposed to the growth and development of the playing group. Maybe that criticism was justified, as impatience with the pace of the rebuild is a natural response for some of us after years of poor to average performance. as Bolton said after taking up the job...

“We don’t want to be defined by wins and losses; we want to be defined by our effort and application”

While the above was probably true in the early years of the rebuild eventually the focus had to shift to winning games. If we haven’t reached that point already surely the time is now. Every indication from our draft strategy last year to comments by Bolton that he largely has the list he wants indicate that winning games in 2019 would be an expectation.

Winning is important…
Winning makes supporters happy, losing makes supporters sad
Young supporters are drawn to winning sides.
Winning helps sponsorship
Winning helps membership.
Winning helps crowd numbers
Winning gives you a better ladder position.
You don’t play finals unless you win more games than most of the other sides (unless one of them are drug cheats)
You don’t win premierships these days if you don’t win games at the end of the year.
Winning shuts the critics up.
If you’re a coach, winning keeps your job safe.

As Chris Judd stated earlier in the year "We're in a results-based business. We need to win games and and we're all really clear on that."

The development can run in tandem but surely the focus now must be all-out on achieving a few wins.

We've shown in patches the best footy we've played since Bolton took over, and I would argue the best since Mick's first season.

this was the Plow hit - and DeGoey then goaled.

Get what you mean but it sort of sends the wrong message EB (whether it be internally or externally). Pick the best side every week and plan to beat everyone, if they are ready, they are up for selection. Anyone, anywhere, anytime, we want to beat GWS, StK, CheatsFC and any one else we play.

The competition is fierce, but Cornes would have to be the pits as far as AFL media is concerned.

One of the very real risks in having a deep bottoming out / rebuild is that the "forgetting how to win" prolongs the amnesia and means it takes longer to get that winning feeling back. On the other hand, maybe forgetting how to win is yet another brainless footy cliche, and we lost simply because the opposition has greater depth, greater experience, better composure, and better at getting the momentum back and getting the game back on their terms.

I thought Elliott touched it, Bolton handled the umpiring question well in his presser and chose his worlds well about how tough the job is and how important umpires are
and hopefully the umpires get it right next time its close and remember how kind he was when they know they screwed us over.

Yes, there is a trend.

Yes, we do still make mistakes.

But with OUR mistakes we were close

With the umpires mistakes, we had no chance.

The thing is, we find a new way of losing each and every week. I get that.

But, with these losses (last week aside) we are looking more and more confident, and competent.

Against Gold Coast, we lost after leading most of the game.....but it was ONLY Gold Coast.
Against Hawks, a more fancied, battle harderned opponent....we dominated early....yet couldn't match them late.....and lost by 2 seconds. (Team wise, a harder opponent and more dominant performance)
Against Pies, we went toe to toe with them. And did so with 1-arm behind our back courtesy of the umps....but even then, we were up to our eyeballs against about as good of a side as there is in the comp....and we matched it with them.

So yes, there is a trend of losing the unloseable games, but we are doing so against better and better opponents. When we come up against some weaker opponents from here on in, if we bring the same effort, we will smash them. Just like we did with the dogs.

yet.


In the long run, it will be treated just like last weeks efforts. A 'loss' in a long stream of other losses.