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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: VFL Rd 14 2025 Carlton vs Port Melbourne
Cowan is sorely missed, as he was playing the Newman role, and heir apparent there. His absence has hurt our defense significantly.
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Messages - Thryleon
Cowan is sorely missed, as he was playing the Newman role, and heir apparent there. His absence has hurt our defense significantly.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: VFL Rd 14 2025 Carlton vs Port Melbourne
That said this is the best looking group of juniors we've had for a while, at least they're competitive this year.
If that is true, it suggests that the gap between the AFL and VFL has widened considerably since David Teague coached the Northern Blues to a couple of VFL finals series.
Teagues vfl stint with us ended what 14 years ago?
Its been a minute.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 16 2025 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Port Adelaide
His situation there was more political than based on what was going on football wise.
Post Ross they were in the wilderness and chose to go back to what had worked for them in a way that we did when we went back to David parkin. He was unfairly collateral damage in that.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 15 2025 Post-Game Prognostications Carlton vs North Melbourne
If gunston was an also ran id say fair enough but he's anything but an also ran.
Meanwhile when Charlie dines out on these types its the only reason he's won a coleman, but when he doesn't all of a sudden its a lack of want.
Maybe I'm more forgiving than most but when you've got a bloke who's generally been good value for 70% of his career when he goes through a flat patch im not really that keen to string him out to dry.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 16 2025 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Port Adelaide
After 9 or 10 separate attempts, the “wrong bloke” ship has well and truly sailed. Are people seriously believing that if McRae was our coach we would be sitting 13-2 on the ladder?
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 16 2025 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Port Adelaide
I think this group can go all the way, and I think Voss can take them there, but we are going to need the sort of luck we didnt get last year.
One thing I will say, is that we do appear to be our worst enemy with regards to not giving ourselves our best chance at winning. Somehow we have to get past this rope a dope situation where we look good for a quarter and then it all breaks down or vice versa.
Thats the challenge for Voss. The fact we look good is the major reason I'm in the lets not make any drastic moves both list and coach wise.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: VFL Rd 14 2025 Carlton vs Port Melbourne
Cowan straight back in for mine. Sooner the better. He's too good for vfl level, and he's a tough competitor. He'll get beaten a bit at afl level, but he's the type that will put his head where others won't.
Moir i reckon did enough to come in. Very creative and way more involved with the odd stint on ball. He can potentially do the Elijah role and probably possesses more of his skillet than others.
M. Carroll was ok. Im not sure what it is about him i dont like but im not enamoured by him. I think its because he's not overly physical.
Charleson was interesting.
Its hard to drop anyone on Thursdays effort. We were so bad you could replace anyone who put their hand up and imho a few did.
Lemmey is a straight kick, and a strong mark. He's not a dominant player he's just a key forward. Is he a good key forward at afl level? He's not very mobile. Will compliment Charlie. I would rather him forward than young but he's a bit of a one trick pony.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 16 2025 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Port Adelaide
@cookie2
We are coach killers because we are impatient.
I cant think of a club thats had as many coaches as we have in such a short period. Going back to 99.
Parkin
Britain
Pagan
Ratten
Malthouse
Barker
Bolton
Teague
Voss
Hansen *1 game covering voss absence.
10 senior coaches in 25 years. An average of 2.5 years each. This is worse, when you consider it's been 4 years of voss, it was 4 years of Bolton and 5 years of Ratten.
Some have churned through a few, but there's a theme. Who's another basket case for most of this century?
Melbourne. They've had 7 senior coaches. Who else? Freo? 4.
Who else? Essendon and the saints equal our record.
There's a theme there. Crap clubs, lots of off field controversy and instability (financial penalties too) and a complete and utter failure to achieve anything since the year 2000 with st.kilda getting an asterisk for a brief period of being a bridesmaid, but more often than not, these clubs miss finals.
Maybe we just keep picking the wrong ones. If its just the club that is the issue im guessing a lot of the young coaches in that group went on to success.
Not one did.
We had a choice of Kingsley, McRae and Voss. We picked the biggest name in the pack despite his previous record being average at best.
Word was Pies had Voss ranked last in the process.
The rest is history
Maybe the blokes making those decisions should get sacked instead.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Our Next Captain
Ollie hollands is showing signs he could make a good leader.
Adam Cerra might he another (he does speak eloquently).
You know a few people come across as many children or not leadership material and then surprise people.
Tex walker
James Sicily.
Max gawn.
Sometimes thrusting people into these roles will make them grow. I reckon fev may have needed captaincy to kick on and mature back then. For a club where we were he was dedicated enough. Bit selfish though.
Still, you just never know. On paper Murphy was a captain. In practise....
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 16 2025 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Port Adelaide
Its a different group, at a different club, at a different time for football.
You cannot judge any of his work today by what he had done elsewhere unless you're looking for signs of growth and how he handled situations then vs now.
Sam docherty is the only player who's played for him at both clubs, and what he has to say about Voss would be the only words worth listening too, but even he isnt the same person he was back then.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 16 2025 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Port Adelaide
We are coach killers because we are impatient.
I cant think of a club thats had as many coaches as we have in such a short period. Going back to 99.
Parkin
Britain
Pagan
Ratten
Malthouse
Barker
Bolton
Teague
Voss
Hansen *1 game covering voss absence.
10 senior coaches in 25 years. An average of 2.5 years each. This is worse, when you consider it's been 4 years of voss, it was 4 years of Bolton and 5 years of Ratten.
Some have churned through a few, but there's a theme. Who's another basket case for most of this century?
Melbourne. They've had 7 senior coaches. Who else? Freo? 4.
Who else? Essendon and the saints equal our record.
There's a theme there. Crap clubs, lots of off field controversy and instability (financial penalties too) and a complete and utter failure to achieve anything since the year 2000 with st.kilda getting an asterisk for a brief period of being a bridesmaid, but more often than not, these clubs miss finals.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 16 2025 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Port Adelaide
@kruddler continuing on that average age chat, was just doing some various mental gymnastics about sides and average ages.
It could be right, but I think its being over stated somewhat.
Off thr top of my head our oldest players today would have been cripps, docherty, Williams, saad, haynes, McGovern. Acres probably a smidgeon behind them. The rest are all under that age or thereabouts.
So it may very well be thr oldest average, but we dont exactly have a cliff coming where the rest of the side is in dire straights.
@Thryleon
A better breakdown of current ages
30+:
6 - Cripps, McGovern, Williams, Saad, Docherty, Haynes
Missing 1 - Newman
27-29:
7 - Silvagni, Weitering, Curnow, Cincotta, Hewett, Acres, Fantasia -
Missing 2 - Pittonet, McKay
25-26:
5 - Boyd, L. Young, Fogarty, Cerra, De Koning
Missing 2 - Cottrell, Walsh*** turns 25 next week
Thats 18 players....
From the rest who played....
23: 1 - FYoung.
21: 2 - Motlop, O. Hollands
20: 2 - Lord, Wilson
Don't know what considers a 'cliff', but you'd expect better from that group if they were fit.
Biggest issue with that list is the younger age brackets.
eg 25-26 has 5 players.
TDK will walk.
L. Young and Boyd are not considered best 22, Fogarty might be, but only just.
Cerra only managed 17 touches last night and thats not good enough.
When I say the cliff, it's similar to the one we hit early 2000's. Older players breaking down and becoming ineffective, not enough young coming through.
We should be capable of bringing in a couple of free agents in the coming seasons.
The thing about age though its not what it used to be. Where Bradley was an outlier, we should see players go a bit longer. Not in all cases but the way players go you'd have to say 33 years old is the end on a very general level. Some will go earlier some later but the way sports science has gone its conceivable to go that long. Thing is all of them have broken down alot and some have shouldered bigger loads for longer. Might break them earlier.
This is why I'm against trading McKay and walsh if tdk walks. If he stays, maybe McKay, but I dont like the idea of trading out key forwards. Call PTSD from having exactly 0 viable key position players but jarrad Waite and fevola for years, and taking 10 years to find the ones we have.
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Ladies Lounge / Re: Jess dal Pos New Coach
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 17 2025 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs Collingwood
We agree on one thing at least - Acres needs to be sent out for whatever op he needs because he has deadset stunk. Im not sure of his contract situation but I'd think long and hard about renewing it.
Saad would be close to running around at Willy next week too if he had any awareness whatsoever.
Few rumours around that this might be Saad's last year.
If he went out for concussion he won't be playing anyway
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Ladies Lounge / Re: Jess dal Pos New Coach
I dont understand the outrage. She's likely to be learning how to coach and you would have to know her intimately to know if she'd make a good coach.
Look at hawthorn. All their assistants are from Carlton and they value them highly. Hickmott, ratten, simpson. They'd have every right to say why those spuds who know how to lose? The answer is not obvious.