We may have played some of the best football of the year, but we still have major structural issues which we must address. The lack of key position players, the lack of a premiership ruck, adding more leg speed ... They didn't just go away. But some guys have taken their names out of the 'delist or trade' list and have moved in the 'questionable', while some 'questionables' have moved up to being retained. Lewis Young is a prime example. Last year we couldn't give him away, but he has played some of his best football this year. He's never going to be a Jacob Weitering, but he has stood up. George Hewett couldn't get a game early in the year, and his last 7 or 8 weeks have been brilliant. Nick Haynes must go around again after this season. Frankie Evans may not be producing the same heroics he managed at the end of last year, but his hardness, his attack on the ball and his football smarts have made him a favourite. Billy Wilson was at the crossroads, now he is set.
I could go on. We will be improved by Cody Walker, but I will be very interested to see who else we pick up.
As far as Weitering goes I would like to try him forward. Played some decent games there for a while as a skinnier kid until it become a struggle, as happens bring a Carlton forward back then. As a mature player he might be alot better again.
When Weiters is fit, he slots straight back into full back and we should be trying Derksen forward. Played several games there for GWS in the VFL for a pretty solid goalkicking return. And he has very good hands as we have seen. He also kicked 5 against Casey Demons earlier this year.
Yes, when he was on there was no one better IMO. For comparison, he and Hird started and ended their careers at pretty much the same time, same age, similar number of games. I agree with your criteria, and judging by that, I would have Hird ahead of Kouta.
So Pendles is the best player ever then? He's played the most games?? More success by comparison. Or should you give it to Michael Tuck, close to most games and most finals and GF's.
The greatest players can have reasons they didn't sustain that success.
Depends on your criteria at the end of the day.
I'm picking Kouta over just about any other player out there. He changed the game and what recruiters started looking for......for better or worse.
It's obviously not just based on the number of games played - it's what happened during all of those games - not only what they did individually, but how they elevated those around them to be better players.
We've waited 30 years to get a leader with the aura of Nicholls and Kernahan. I have a hopeful feeling that Harry Dean may be forged from the same mould.......
Kouta’s best was right up there. The problem is there isn't enough of it.
Agree, as good as Kouta was, he elite stuff only lasted for a relatively short period of time.
To be in the best 5 of the club, I reckon you need to have had a club-changing career, not just three or four seasons. That puts many others in front of Kouta on the 'All Time' list.......
If we were only judging talent and impact, he rates pretty highly- but other names have had a longer-lasting and more profound effect on CFC.
When you think about the rubbish he has put up with, the fact that he basically never misses a game, all the personal awards, captaincy etc, he is IMO indisputably in top 5 greatest CFC players.
It's really quite a remarkable thing to watch a genuine champion of the club ply their trade in real time. Not stories from old timers about players from past decades, not grainy, low res b/w footage on YouTube, not history books, but the actual lived experience of watching one of the greats. Hopefully we all cherish these moments and never take them for granted.
So who's your top 5 Pauly? (IMO our top 10 to 15 would smash the top 5 of most clubs, we have been blessed over the journey)
I'll weigh in on this one, I've been going to games since the mid 60's.....
5: Stephen Kernahan - a clutch leader and absolutely bleeds Navy Blue (still).
4: Bruce Doull - I honestly believe he was the prototype of the modern defender. Rarely beaten and always full-throttle.
3: Patrick Cripps - don't have to say any more. Agree with the observation that he has had to carry the team (so did Nicholls in his early years).
2: Alex Jesaulenko - could play anywhere and do absolutely mind-boggling things, and he didn't play the game until he was 14!
1: John Nicholls - an absolute colossus. His value to the team went far beyond disposals, tap-outs and goals. He was truly feared by the opposition.
I reckon this sub-topic deserves its own thread!
Honorable mentions to Judd and Diesel (although they arrived at Princes Park as already-acknowledged champions). And a little begrudgingly, SOS.
Sadly, we keep 'giving away' players because we think they won't work in our team, and they become solid contributors for other sides.....
M.Kennedy J.Martin Durdin Stocker Holman
I am therefore very loathe to consign Brodie Kemp to the scrap heap.
He has now played 67 games, only 25 or so of those as a forward. He has regularly been the lone marking target in the F50 during that time with big absences from Curnow and McKay last year, so he has often drawn the best defender. Tough way to learn the craft as a mid-sized forward.
Once he finally gets his shot as the third banana (which is about where his size demands he should play), I think you might find he will become very dangerous. Of course, we need to recruit another first or second banana at the end of the season......
Personally, I think he should play a little further up the ground so that we don't have a half-forward line of midgets every week. He could be very useful as the lead-up half-forward. He's got good hands and is actually a pretty good field kick - it's the sticks that paralyse him right now.
If we sacked every player who developed the yips in front of goal, we wouldn't have many left. Even our superstar captain hasn't got that bit right.
OK, now it's time to find out about our list before we get out the axe at the end of the year.
Next week, swap Kemp and Derksen. We badly need a second marking option in F50, and besides, Kemp just cannot kick for goal. Derksen played a lot of forward time for GWS seconds. Kemp can play in defence.
Hmm, breaking today, Trump says he has evidence claiming current voting system is 'flawed and vulnerable'. Amazing how the President's Intelligence Advisory Board found these 'intelligence' reports about China influencing the 2020 election, and are about to release them so the 'public can understand just how vulnerable we are'.
All of this comes just as the Orange One is trying to introduce changes to the voting system so he can minimise the wipeout in the mid-term elections.
Of course, none of this was ever mentioned during the innumerable lawsuits seeking evidence of voter fraud.
If nothing else, they are truly getting desperate.
Surprised they bring in Lord with Hewett in. Even if Cerra goes back to the wing we lack a bit of pace.
Maybe Hewett will be a late out and Flynn Young comes in to play the Jack Ison role.
Disappointed they have dropped Holland but can understand why. Just hope they play him in the same role in the VFL and not as an inside mid.
Don't think Reidy has done much right all year, and his inclusion must be based on trackwork and a little bit of hope.
I've suggested this before (possible last time we played them) but i'd like to see Cottrell go to Daicos. He has the tank. He adds agression which Naicos doesn't like. Would get inside his head.
Worth a shot IMO.
Let's face facts, we have nothing else to lose. Daicos will get 30 touches no matter what we do. The aim of the exercise is to not let those possessions provide many results.
Riley looked okay but it was disappointing that the coach didn't trust him enough to start the final three quarters in the ruck.
I thought that was a big mistake. It robbed our forward line of any height to at least compete, it meant part-timer Harry was up against a seasoned ruckman, and we were on the back foot in each quarter.
The other thing that was obvious was the difference in skill level. We went for some ridiculous handpasses and kicks that would even be difficult to execute in the dry, and turnovers killed us. Hawthorn are the best wet-weather team in the game, and put the ball into dangerous positions when going forward using wet-weather smarts. It's like our lot have never seen rain before.
Unfortunately, it seems we are still miles off the pace. Imagine if Watson, Battle, Weddle had played.
At least now we will find out if Fraser can coach - if he can get them up for next week,
We should have hit time-on in the last quarter with a 30 point lead, then the last 2 minutes is no longer a raffle.
Have to learn to take the chances that are offered and bury teams, and do so from the first bounce.
This game was so similar to the Essendon one - we didn't turn up to start either of them, and found ourselves 3 goals down against cellar-dwellers. So you end up playing a game in 3 quarters, with a 3-goal penalty. That makes both wins look better than the score suggests.
Not wanting to slip another banana peel under us this week, but our MCG form this year has been average. Even in this 6-game streak, we were lucky to beat a badly-undermanned Essendon 3 weeks ago.
With two big matches after this one, it might be a good time to find some MCG form.
