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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 1 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Richmond
Last post by MickyO -
Yeah look it was an ugly ‘win’ but i dont get the sadness around it! It is what it is, we had a crap season last year with imo Curnow not bothering to play properly for the majority of it and TDK being in the news 24/7. We had our pick 1 cruelly injured. We had the grandson and son of a legend leave us. We were forced into making a deal to release that arsehole Curnow and got something back for him, along with some
Others. We are game 2 into a new season, with a coach under severe pressure and a former captain of the club potshotting us the day after a loss we were always set up to have.  And the dick-pic saga which is still bloody ongoing 🙄

And of course there is plenty to improve on, you have to believe that with again ‘the best of the best in the league steering us’ those at the club know how to improve us. It Might be our list isnt what it should be or some of those leaving have left massive holes but its happened and
We must look at the positives.  And fark everyone else!

So lets celebrate the shaky win, most say our issues are above the shoulders so surely a win is great for moral!
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Carltons list changes needed to chase flag 17
Last post by PaulP -
We've had more clean outs than a standard room at a Bed and Breakfast. If you compare the filth levels of those rooms with our fluctuating fortunes over the last 20/25 years, you'd be right to think that both metaphorically and literally, clean outs are a bit of a scam and promise more than they deliver.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Carltons list changes needed to chase flag 17
Last post by Thryleon -
2023 did us more harm than good imho, it was a false dawn that allowed the club to continue on the same road to nowhere.
We are not an innovative club but more of a reactive club and like a mug investor usually late to the party when the big money has been made and in our case are trying to play catchup to the modern game with still an old list(6th in the league).
There doesnt seem to be a long term plan just a reactive change of direction every year or when the media decide we are no good again and we need to appease the critics.
Unfortunately Shawny is probably right and we will need another cleanout of sorts and thats going to be difficult with Tassie commanding the draft and probably the trade period with their extra money to tempt off contract players.
Cripps and Harry are players who I would look to cash in on while they still have some value and I think both need a change of scenery anyway for their own careers...Harry in particular might give us a good return if he was interested in Tassie as a good place to make some extra money.
I think we went contested and pretty much everyone went the other way.  For once we bucked the trend but it didnt yield the result.

Im not dissapointed in it, but sos rebuild just flat failed. 

Even now, how many players he recruited left, and most of them wouldnt be playing if they hadn't been recruited by him again.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: VFL Practice Match Carlton vs Richmond
Last post by Thryleon -
A full run down in this game would be appreciated it someone is in a position to do so
quarter one was great.  The Tigers got a couple of gifted goals in the first term.  The second term was a bit of a stalemate where we outscored them whilst not out playing them.  After half time the usual Carlton car wreck occurred where we were a bit panicky and had few winners on the park.

They got close enough to worry us and burned many chances to score which left us in front at the final siren, and we would have lost without williams kicking a goal to put us 10 ahead with a few minutes left. 
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 1 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Richmond
Last post by Thryleon -
On the post game celebrations,  we have some young kids tasting their first win in navy blue.

Perhaps we are trying to focus on the wins rather than the negatives because living in that space is rather depressing.

Weve been doing it for a long time.  Weve been flaky for a long time.  We wont turn that around in one off season.  The sad part is, we finished last year having turned the corner in that regard.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 1 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Richmond
Last post by Gointocarlton -
how Bad is our recruiting first sos and now nick Austin 
Is it the recruiting? Is it the coach?, is it both? or is the off field not right so the onfield will never be right?
You never know with Carlton as its a game of snakes and ladders just up and down, no one can be definitive on what is the major problem. As Clarkson recently said its hard to drag a bottomed out club back up the ladder and we have tried or copied every method and now are in the Collingwood premiership year moneyball plan where we have made a number of list changes on the cheap to initiate change of game style in contrast to fellow perennial strugglers Stkilda who have sold the farm to change their fortunes. There doesnt seem to be a one size plan that fits all that guarantees success....

How do you solve a problem like Carlton (sung to the old Sound of Music song)?
There is no club like ours, EOS. Our problems are deep rooted, our history is there for all to see. Pick a topic and we trump everyone.
- We have the equal most premierships, we were once the kings of the jungle.
- We cheated the salary like no other and like we were above the law, we paid the price.
- We have had rich benefactor board members who have treated the club like their play thing. Presidents who were billionaires and mixed with kings, presidents and shieks.
- We have had more coaches since around 2003 than almost every team. We have sacked legends of the game in the blink of an eye.
- We have had some of the biggest recruiting coups in VFL/AFL history (Barassi, Judd to name the biggest).
- We have had favourite sons come and go (and come back again only to leave unceremoniously).
- We have lost players to the biggest deals in history.
- We didnt have a wooden spoon until 2002, since then we have won 5. This is only category of things we are the best at.
- Our high profile supporters have consisted of Australia's greatest prime ministers and the world's greatest music stars.
- We used to have a positive winning record agains EVERYONE.
- Our Club had the most reps in the AFL TOC, our club has been represented by the best players to play the game.
All the above creates pressure, some can handle it, many can't (players, coaches, board members, supporters).
All the above creates rivalry because every team dreamed about being us, now that they the they want to kick us when we are down and make sure we stay down (players, coaches, board members, supporters).
So here we are again, on the ropes with the world against us.
Challenge accepted...again.
Despite what I say and type from time to time, I love you CFC with all my heart and soul, always have, always will.
Go Blues.