Agree re. Lucas, I'm also more optimistic about him. He is showing more and more and will turn out OK for us I think. He is also less panicky now and I think is toughening up a bit.
Cachia is a great prospect also - posted earlier about him and he looks like someone we will get a few good years from.
Particularly pleasing to see Lucas get into some of their blokes - he showed some mongrel and didn't shirk the issue. I think we are all starting to come around in regards to Lucas... with good reason, he continues to improve... just gotta put 4 quarters together now.
Will be handy for us if Tarrant, Swallow and Hansen all miss to go with the already missing lindsay thomas.
And what a dreadful trap it is to think like that... remember a certain final in '92 when the Pussies lost 3 key dudes and still spanked us!!!
We must always prepare for the best of the opposition. Always. And I think a good number of our boys know how this mob has pulled down our dacks when not expected to.
This game is much more a final than last Saturday night's game against the Aints.
Too true. They do however buckle under pressure more than the Saints do. How they find a way to lose games they are fully in control of, is completely beyond me. Hang on a minute, we have been missing games we could be winning too. On a serious note, I am more confident we can beat North than I was of us beating St Kilda. Need to win the clearances though.
So hope you're right, Green Stick... but this mob lift when they know they're playing us. And that is the key... the Aints grow another leg when they play us and as a result play confident / above themselves footy. The Wallaroos also grow another leg when they play us, and they have more talent on the paddock than the Aints, hence my hope we lift even more than last Saturday night to meet a very serious challenge that the Kangabies will present.
Will be handy for us if Tarrant, Swallow and Hansen all miss to go with the already missing lindsay thomas.
And what a dreadful trap it is to think like that... remember a certain final in '92 when the Pussies lost 3 key dudes and still spanked us!!!
We must always prepare for the best of the opposition. Always. And I think a good number of our boys know how this mob has pulled down our dacks when not expected to.
This game is much more a final than last Saturday night's game against the Aints.
N e 1 hear MM's presser after the game? Was listening on radio on way home and they were asking why Watto hasnt been getting a game.......I nearly drove off the road when MM said that Watto's form ALL YEAR has been very encouraging but Jamo and hendo were doing the job for him. His form encouraging
I cant take MM seriously any more after that. Cudo's to Watto for last nights effort. It wasnt awe inspiring but he did " a " job and passed. Hopefully he can keep it up and prove to everybody that he really does want to be a Blue.
MM just feeds the media whatever he likes... protects his boys from scrutiny (individuals that is) and sends the media off on wild goose chases and seldom gives anything away. I love it. He must laugh down his sleeve when he gets back to the rooms...
What's that Joh BP used to say - "Feeding the chooks"?
COOKIE good friend, I was thinking of Joh when I wrote the above. Good pick-up. Yep, I reckon that is what MM does... goes to the Media Conference to 'feed the chooks'...
Watson was never a specialist defender at U18 level and it was his rebounding, sweeping ability with precision long kicking that made him a standout. He is really having to learn the basics of playing KP from scratch and while having the mature body doesnt have a mature defensive mind....you look at McInnes who doesnt have the skills of Watson but has a mature defensive mind that relies on reading the play and concentrating on his man.
Great comments... and maybe that is where he learned some bad habits (U18). A lot of work needs be done between his ears... not your academic or dexterous thinker. But, as an outspoken critic, I cautiously admit he did play to his strengths and contribute well on Saturday night. You'd give him another gig against the Wallaroos on Fri night, but, please, put him on yer slower tall forward!!! And encourage him to have a bit of passion for the game and his endeavours. Smack him... get him angry before a game.
I didn't think Betts was a Rookie, I thought he was from the PSD, but I digress... I think that there will always be some players that come through late and play some games and everyone says "gee how was he missed". Our games played per pick ratio would be a lot higher for 1st round picks than it would be for rookies or any other draft round, so I am not sure why we are comparing.
What is of a bigger concern to me is that we absolutely have a different structure at the club when we get the guys we get and they don't go on to achieve as much as at other clubs. Only a portion of that can be done to the quality of the footballer, the other element has to be the quality of the football club. . Do the following ex-players all stand out as exceptional coaches we would have loved to get out hands on? Stuart Dew Leigh Tudor John Blakey Henry Playfair (development) Stuart Maxfield (development)
I can see it right now, if at the same time Sydney signed any of these coaches we had instead signed them... There would have been talk about them being underwhelming signings, yet Sydney know what fits their mold and they go after it.
The following players are recycled players at Sydney Rhyce Shaw (Twice runner-up B&F, premiership player) Ted Richards (AA, B&F Runner up, premiership player) Ben McGlynn (Top 10 B&F, should have been a premiership player, bar finals injury) Martin Mattner (Premiership player) Josh Kennedy (AA, B&F Winner, premiership player, top 10 in Brownlow out and out gun!!) Mitch Morton (premiership player ) Shane Mumford (Shortlist AA, premiership player)
Others to play in last years premiership
Player
Drafted
Sam Reid
38 National Draft
Luke Parker
40 National Draft
Adam Goodes
43 National Draft
Ryan O'Keefe
56 National Draft
Alex Johnson
57 National Draft
Craig Bird
58 National Draft
Nick Malceski
64 National Draft
Nick Smith
15 Rookie Draft
Heath Grundy
42 Rookie Draft
Kieran Jack
57 Rookie Draft
Mike Pyke
57 Rookie Draft
That is 17 of last years side traded for (usually for next to nothing) or taken in the round 3 or later of the draft. There has to be one side that is identifying those talents, but there has to be another side that develops them and that is where I think we are letting ourselves down. Sydney has also selected plenty of players that have not gone on to make it as well and overlooked players better than what they have taken, but I would not mind betting that they could have had a number of these players swapped out for others and the ones they took would have had better careers at Sydney. They have a development model and I would suggest they stick quite rigidly to it. The 'no d1ckheads' policy wasn't just a catchphrase it was fair dinkum. Something at Carlton certainly has to change. We are a club that has not been a genuine 'force' since the 90s and I agree with Roos in saying that I doubt it comes down to recruiting as the key element.
So what is the club doing? It needs to probably scrap the whole 'we are Carlton f*ck the rest' policy, stop with the public statements and just go about getting all of the basics right, all the way through the club. I am sick of watching tripe week after week. Play the Sydney 'moneyball' approach with regards to trying to hit the right recycled players. Just about everyone that has traded to Sydney, they have gotten more out of that player than what they have paid for them.
What an impressive post. Well done and we really appreciate the obvious serious effort you've put in.
Supports my hunch that there are recruiters who crunch numbers / stats (and ultimately play safe covering their dots)... and then there are those who have a superior level of intuition and know how to ask the right questions and seek those who best tick the right attitude / skill boxes AND fit the needs of their club.
Not as young as he used to be! Getting touch back will take a little longer than in the past. Any worry about his form, I reckon, is a storm in an A cup. He'll be better for the run... might need to be the Sub next time, but it won't be long until he regains form and reputation as one of the best blanketers who also gets plenty of the nut himself.
I don't get the negativity about last night's win. It was a good, solid win... one we had to and should have won. They threw everything at us and we had the answers. The twin talls up forward were both terrific. And when Eddie came on he showed some of his old dash.
Another big test is against a mob who like to beat us up... the Kangabies. Huge game.
I'll just see how they go v. North before I get too optimistic - I've been burnt once too often in the past by getting too far ahead of the real situation.
IN THE BAG COOKIE!!
It will be a much harder and higher quality game, but still a win.
4-5 goals.
Hope so mate!
Double hope so. The Kangabies will be much more difficult than the Aints...
N e 1 hear MM's presser after the game? Was listening on radio on way home and they were asking why Watto hasnt been getting a game.......I nearly drove off the road when MM said that Watto's form ALL YEAR has been very encouraging but Jamo and hendo were doing the job for him. His form encouraging
I cant take MM seriously any more after that. Cudo's to Watto for last nights effort. It wasnt awe inspiring but he did " a " job and passed. Hopefully he can keep it up and prove to everybody that he really does want to be a Blue.
MM just feeds the media whatever he likes... protects his boys from scrutiny (individuals that is) and sends the media off on wild goose chases and seldom gives anything away. I love it. He must laugh down his sleeve when he gets back to the rooms...
I don't get the negativity about last night's win. It was a good, solid win... one we had to and should have won. They threw everything at us and we had the answers. The twin talls up forward were both terrific. And when Eddie came on he showed some of his old dash.
Another big test is against a mob who like to beat us up... the Kangabies. Huge game.
Turns out we have nothing to worry about. Sticks announced yesterday that our list is very good and that we have all the right people in place. So, all is good at CFC land, phew...
Love the way Roosy thinks. Hard to argue with anything he wrote (that GOAT posted above).
And although Lyon is not in the same category as Roosy I still believe his comments re our 1st rounders deserves objective examination.
We do seem to not be as fit as other sides when the heat is on for the entire game, or, put another way, playing a top side.
We are too nice but when some of our blokes attempt to be tough, they do something dumb and get reported.
When top clubs lose a key player it doesn't seem to weaken them all that much... we lose someone important in a game and go to pieces.
Really seems that a good number of our supposed A graders just don't take the next step. When the chips are down it is still Juddy who attempts to pull us over the line... is there no other on-field leader at our club who can lift and inspire (in fact, the entire list should feel empowered enough to lead on the field!!!!!)?
With the exception of Casboult, our other ruckmen must be amongst the nicest in the competition.
IMHO, it comes down to on-field culture (or lack thereof) and too much ($$$$) comfort behind the scenes, ie Assistant coaches not knowledgeable enough; not hungry enough; not communicating well enough and so on. Development staff... see Assistant coaches.
I do not believe we need a rebuild and to start from scratch etc. But we do need a vigorous, wire-headed broom to sweep through the place... on and off the field. Mostly off. I reckon some very strong trading at year's end to get in some hard it types; extroverted, could help some of the A graders take the next step... along with 2 tall forwards who can actually lead hard and catch the damn thing!!
People have short memories. Malthouse has conned everyone - two weeks ago Walker was AA now we have no one. Murphy is an A grader, he's had injury issues but he'll come good. As Kreuzer said himself, the start of his career was excellent, he's struggling to deal with knees and hips. Waite kicked 7 goals less than a month ago. Carrots is the best one on one mid in the game but again injury worries. Opposition teams have stated they put lots of time thinking about how to stop Yarran.
screw me, we went from a team missing a key forward and a poor bottom six to nothing decent in no time.
So what are your thoughts on our development & recruiting?
