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Messages - DJC

2
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 23 2026 Pre Game Predictions Carlton vs Bulldogs at Marvel
I thought that Weiters looked a bit rusty in the Magoos but was clearly a class above everyone else on the park.  He took 12 marks, most of them contested in my book, in conditions that didn't really suit marking.  Our three AFL-listed ruck-forwards managed just three marks between them.

On form alone, Reidy should be promoted, but he won't be.  Pitto was even better, and with English out, I doubt whether we'd be going with two ruckmen.  Again, on form alone, I'm not sure that Weiters should be promoted.  On potential and importance to the team, he's a monty to be recalled.  But who misses out?

Lobb and Naughton shouldn't hold too many terrors for our defenders although Lobb has a lot of size over Derksen, Dean and Haynes, and Weiters for that matter, but an in form Weiters would be far too good for Lobb.  Lewis Young has done well on Lobb in the past and, since his recall, has provided us with a versatile tall who can play forward and back and pinch hit in the ruck.  Having Young as a fallback if Lobb was to get the better of Derksen and/or Dean would be handy.  If we go like for like, it will be Derksen who misses out, as unfair as that may be, but fairness shouldn't get in the way of putting the best combination on the field.

Another possibility is that Cerra's hamstring is worse than I thought and he can't play.  In that case, I would bring Weiters in, play McGovern in Cerra's role, and swing Derksen forward.  If Cerra is good to play, I'd be inclined to go with an unchanged side and bring Weiters back for the Freo game where he will be needed.

I expect that Weiters will be desperate to get back, but he is level-headed and a committed team player who will go along with what's best for the team.
3
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 22 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs St. Kilda at Marvel
Quote from: Professer E – on
I thought the sniffers were rather keen to impart err.... physical pressure on our blokes (a lot of marginally late, marginally high, borderline excessive stuff), and Acres is certainly doesn't back away from that stuff.
I still think sides cling to the trope that we're soft but what I saw on Saturday Sunday suggests otherwise.

It would be unfair to say that our softer players were playing for St Kilda.  Pitto certainly had his way with TDK though and I thought that he was looking forward to the final siren midway through the second quarter.

Lyon is never reluctant to resort to questionable tactics but their attempted physicality backfired, like most of Lyon's plans.

I don't think that we've ever been soft but there has certainly been a perception that we are.  The addition of Ainsworth, Hayward, Florent, Dean, Byrner, Ison and Derksen has hardened us up. 

I think that confidence plays a part too.
4
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 22 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs St. Kilda at Marvel
Quote from: dodge – on
Someone asked about Acres game - it is an interesting question.  When he was playing at his peak, an absolute running machine and would get us out of trouble in defence regularly, then bob up for a goal or two - and it really stood out.  Now, he has plenty for company in the running and effort department, so doesn't stand out as much.  This is a good thing.  Don't think that he is playing badly.  Still a strong mark, still waiting for the kick OOF, still running heaps, but not as prolific.

The Sheriff was a bit of a novelty when he arrived at Princes Park; a big-bodied winger with a huge tank, a bit of attitude, an ability to have an impact at both ends of the ground ... and regularly hoik the pill OOBOTF.  He doesn't really stand out that much any more.  I think that he may have lost a yard of pace but I don't think that he has really dropped back to the pack, the pack has caught up with him and we have several players able to perform a similar role with equal effectiveness.

However, Acres' gathering of the ball at speed, running away from opponents and hitting up Byrner for the last goal of the game was very impressive, particularly when just forcing a stoppage would have been an honourable result.  And I can't recall the last time Acres had an OOBOTF 🤞
5
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 20 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs St. Kilda at Marvel
It seems to me that we have become one with the Force again and things are as they should be; beating up on St Kilda and letting them have our castoffs  ;D

So much went right for us and it’s hard to single out players when everyone made a solid contribution.

Pitto does deserve a mention and his Golden Fist award was appropriate recognition of probably the best game I have seen him play.  With a little help from Young, Harry and Crippa, we dominated the ruck contests and Pitto physically dominated De Koning and Marshall.  SOS clearly targeted the wrong ruckman and Geelong can have Marshall.  It really was an excellent all-round performance from Pitto and he was almost Gawn-like with his impact on the game.

After Frankie’s first seven or eight games in navy blue, I was starting to think, “What was Nic Austin smoking when he rookied this banana?”  Now it seems that Nic is a genius as Frankie continues to play the small forward and high half-forward roles very well, and he took it up another level last night. 

Our kicking has improved out of sight and the players are willing to be far more creative and aggressive with their kicking.  Crippa’s kick across his body to find Hayward on the wing was superbly executed and I think that it was Dean who did the opposite and kicked across his body on the boundary to a teammate in the corridor.  And, speaking of Hayward, hasn’t he, Florent and Ainsworth added some grunt and polish to the team.  Charlie might be headed towards another Coleman and De Koning and Jack are getting better coin but the addition of those three seasoned players and our youngsters in Dean, Smith, Byrner, as well as Derksen, has given us an edge.

Smith was quiet and I suspect that learning how to deal with a hard tag will be his homework this week.  Of course, he wasn’t shut down completely and our other mids more than covered his reduced output.

It was disappointing to see Nas limp off.  Apart from his entertainment value, I was interested to see how Lord would go running with him.  Lord started OK but it was a difficult task ahead of him.

Finally, a shout out to Liam Stocker on playing his hundredth game.  I never thought he’d get there but it was the best game I’ve seen him play and quite fitting that it was Spud’s Game.
 
6
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 20 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs St. Kilda at Marvel
Quote from: Micky0 – on
Did anyone hear BT say after Nas’ injury a snide remark about how the players weren’t able to warm up on the ground before the game - inferring the AFLW game gad somehow contributed to Nas’ injury 🙄 ffs so sick of these dinosaurs getting airtime.

I didn't watch 7's telecast - thanks to Kayo  :)

The AFL players could be seen warming up in the background as Abbie McKay was being presented with her Golden Fist award.  That was about an hour before the AFL game started.  Perhaps BT was referring to the delay between the warm up and the start of the game for the Spud's Game "Light Up The Dark".  It was supposed to go for two minutes but was probably closer to three minutes and that could make all the difference with superbly fit AFL footballers  ::)

Surely the fact that Nas went into the game with hip and back injuries couldn't have played a part? 

Making sense isn't really part of BT's shtik.
7
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: VFL 2026 Rd 20 Carlton vs St. Kilda at wherever ...
That was a disappointing loss but you have to play conditions.  Kicking high balls and playing from behind when kicking against the wind is never going to get it done.

Reidy had a great game, despite the conditions, but an AFL standard ruckman should dominate at that level.  If I heard the commentators correctly, Reidy led the field with ground ball gets and that's certainly a point of difference with our other ruckmen.  However, he didn't take a single mark and we certainly needed a marking target when we went down the line.

Weiters was OK and should be a lot better for the run.  I think the MC will be tempted to pick him for the Bulldogs but I'd give him another run in the Magoos, unless he trains the house down this week.

I liked the energy, attack on the footy and smarts that Moir and Ison showed but they need to impact the scoreboard.  Young was busy early but his kicking for goal was poor and he faded out of the game.

Walker and the Camporeales were good and Hollands wasn't bad but his lack of awareness cost us.  Skull had a day he'd rather forget.

Sadly, I think Zac Williams may have played his last game in navy blue.
9
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 20 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Brisbane at Marvel
Quote from: kruddler – on
Quote from: DJC – on
One thing I noticed about Lord is that he was often by himself with no opponent within cooee 🤔

Only time you really wanna do that is if you want that player to get the ball because you think he'll turn it over back to you.

It seemed to me that Brisbane was trying to get an extra number at the contest and Lord's opponent was often it.  It was a tactic that backfired spectacularly with Lord's ability to link up and make very good use of the pill.  It probably played him back into form and he'll be full of confidence for the games ahead.
13
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Is Lewis Young showing more than ever before?
In the game against the Suns, Lewis Young took a mark at CHB, faked a handpass to a teammate behind him, then played on past wrongfooted opponents.  It was not what I would have expected from Young but it now seems to be the way he's playing.  His round the corner goal and deft tap on for Frankie's goal are what you'd expect from a confident player enjoying the game and not feeling pressure to perform.

His ruckwork is barely competitive, but he gives it a crack, and he demands a KPD when he goes forward, making life easier for our other talls.  His work in defence is still his bread and butter.  Although he does tend to be on the end of some defensive breakdowns, we're losing nothing when it's his turn to man an opposition KPF or resting ruck.

Who knows why, I just hope that he can keep it up!
14
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 20 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Brisbane at Marvel
I think that Brisbane’s Achille’s heel is lack of depth.  They have three players out injured and Gallop is suspended.  We have eight players out injured, excluding Motlop and Carroll but including Lij Hollands, and we pumped them in the Magoos. Their best 25 is very good, after that, not so much.

Hipwood was a liability in defence for them and that reduced Andrews’ effectiveness, as did our forward set up and ball use.

Draper and Fort may have had the better of Pitto, Harry and Young in hitouts and hitouts to advantage, but I thought that Pitto was the best big man on the ground.  His work at centre ball ups and stoppages helped stop Brisbane making the most of their hitouts to advantage and we won the centre clearances comfortably and just won stoppage clearances, with Pitto managing three of each. Pitto employed different ruck tactics throughout the game and didn’t give away any rucklotto frees. He also took three marks, two of them contested.  One resulted in a goal and one was potentially goal saving deep in defence.  That’s what a ruckman should bring.

Kemp’s forward craft has been good but he has been let down by his kicking for goal.  What a turnaround with 5.1, a goal assist, and nine score involvements.  He also did his bit providing a target when we went down the line.

What really stood out for me was the contribution from our “bottom six”, the whipping boys if you will.  Acres, Cottrell, Lord (back to his best), Young, Cerra (great game) and Evans all played their part.  The youngsters in Smith, Dean, Byrner, Wilson and Cowan were great and our older newbie in Derksen is playing like a veteran.

Harry’s importance to the team was emphasised by his ten marks, many of them as a marking target down the line, as well as inside 50.

The skipper had a quiet night by his standards but he still cracked in.  I was disappointed that he didn’t quite get to be our seventeenth goal scorer, but I suspect that he wasn’t too fussed.  It was good to see him enjoying the last quarter of his 250th, as did Haynes.

Our three imports in Hayward, Florent and Ainsworth have made a big difference with their attitude, endeavour and footy smarts and all were important last night.

The players I haven’t mentioned were either good, very good or outstanding; they know who they are!

And it was good to see Fraser giving credit to the assistant coaches for their work since the pre-season.  
15
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: Trumpled (Alternative Leading)
The US DOJ has dropped the case against Olympian, David Hearn, for deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

In a 20-page court filing DOJ lawyers conceded that the damage was the result of a “flawed installation by the contractor” as well as “the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026."  Hearns' lawyers also found irregularities in the grand jury process that led to Hearns' felony indictment.

So much for Taco's "deranged vandals" and US Attorney Jeanine Pirro claiming that former Olympian David Hearn was guilty of "forcefully and violently" pulling up and damaging the Reflecting Pool liner with his bare hands.

Taco will just continue to sail along without an apology or an acknowledgement that his hand-picked pool man fecked up  ::)

I doubt whether he could find his own arse with both hands, a mirror and a torch.