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1
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: VFL Rd 14 2026 Carlton vs Werribee
Last post by crashlander -
Our line-up:

B:   41 Matt Duffy   33 Lewis Young   61 Dane Harvey
HB:   28 Harry Charleson   37 Jordan Boyd   42 Adam Saad
C:   21 Lucas Camporeale   4 Oliver Hollands   50 Darcy Tucker
HF:   8 Lachie Fogarty   70 Darcy Hogg   6 Zac Williams
F:   43 Ashton Moir   40 Hudson O'Keeffe   45 Flynn Young
R:   56 Flynn Riley   31 Campbell Chesser   36 Cooper Lord
Int:   66 Sam Paea   68 Taj Logan   74 Logan Prout   78 Tyson Gresham   75 Liam Farrar   53 Ollie Badr   60 Will Reinhold   58 Jack Sammartino   57 Alwyn Davey   67 Tom Evans   65 Jed Rule   59 Cooper Vickery
Em:   72 Charlie Cotter

[1] 15 named AFL listed players. Not all will play. At least one of the senior Emergencies will probably not play.
[2] We are a very different side to the one that was so impressive earlier this season. Some of our players have fallen off the cliff: their form has dropped to the point where they aren't making a meaningful contribution. And the ones that stand out ore senior listed.
(a) Matt Duffy: Matt's strength was his running ability. He could not just run all day, but he had real wheels. We're not seeing any of that at the moment. He is doing a half-decent job as a stopper, as he doesn't get a lot of scores against (most of the time, anyway), but he is getting 4 to 6 possessions and providing no drive at all. Monahan was doing much better before he was injured.
Should we be trying him somewhere else? Playing as a key defender (because of his height) is one thing, but with his present ultra-defensive mindset he isn't providing what we need. And it probably isn't helping his confidence either.
(b) Dane Harvey: Dane may be VFL listed, but he started the season really well in defence: his opponents took him to the ball, which he then often won. His disposals and marks have dropped off so much that he is rivalling Matt Duffy for the least number of possessions on the park.
Over the last couple of years he has shown a bit, even if he is an 'almost' player. But lately he has provided little. His opponents are generally not getting huge numbers, but with Duffy it is like having 2 fewer players on the park.
(c) Adam Saad: Saad looks to have checked out. The desire, the extra effort, even the run pasts are missing. He has lost a yard of pace, which isn't helping him, but we no longer see the desperation that he had at his best.
Should we be playing him in a less defensive role? His kicking is still reasonable, given time (which doesn't happen often these days). Without the pressure maybe he can provide some drive.
(d) Ashton Moir: Moir is probably the biggest disappointment in my mind, because we've seen cameos of what he can do. His goal-sense is second to none. He thinks outside the box. He can take a big mark and kicks straight. But he is not providing much as a forward or as a defender. He got probably his biggest haul possession-wise last week, but was totally ineffective.
One of the problems in his game is that he's been the key figure in forward line most weeks, and I don't think he is #1 material. He is better as a second or third banana. But, we have few options when it comes to key position types.
I want to see him back as a forward. I want to see him leading hard and providing a real option. I want our mids to look for him. I want to see second efforts, 1 percenters and tackling. Spoiling too, if necessary. I really want to feel that he is the one we believe in, because we kick it to him in a sensible way. I don't think I'm asking too much: he has the talent, but it has to start meaning something to him.
(e) Hudson O'Keefe: HOK has been one of this season's biggest disappointments. He hasn't been delivering in the ruck, he is now behind Reidy (who we miss at this level) and Riley. He isn't a key forward, but we've been forced to play him there as we have nothing else. It isn't helping his game.
I want to see him do more ruck work, and I want to see the 2nd, 3rd and 4th efforts he used to have. I can't remember any big tackles, for example, which used to be a staple of his game. I want to see centre clearances, I want to see him being a marking option around the ground and I want to see him gut run to offer a target. Spoiling opposition rucks and good tackles wouldn't go astray either.
(f) Campbell Chesser: Chesser has been our least effective recruit from this cohort and a huge disappointment. We are trying him in different roles because he wasn't getting a kick on the wing. I think he has been more involved recently, but he isn't an inside player: he doesn't get centre clearances, which is one of the reasons we've been getting flogged recently. What are we missing that he was supposed to provide? He has shown little in the air. His kicking hasn't been that great. His decision making has been questionable at times. He has pace, but we haven't seen it yet: not once can I remember him running a guy down like Billy Wilson did in the seniors last week.
I'm not sure what we can do with him. Do we try to make him a run-with player? God knows we need one (or more). But he is not going to make an impact if he isn't doing the negative things or the positive things.
(g) Cooper Lord: Granted that Lord has had a few injuries this year, but he has produced very little. he is a guy who can play as an inside mid, but he isn't getting the clearances or the tackles that were typical of him last year. He should be tearing it up at this level: he has shown he can do that in the seniors. Is it a fitness thing? Confidence? I don't know, but we need to get him back to the physicality and mindset that he displayed last year. Especially, as he is probably the only inside mid we have with Ben Camp out at the moment.
(h) Flynn Riley: For someone who has made it onto the senior list from where he was, you might wonder why Riley is on this list. The answer is complex. He is rucking better now than ever before, no doubt about that. he had 53 taps last week and a lot of clearances. But, were they effective? Not really. Some of the problem is a lack of inside mids to get the ball out of the middle, but some of it is that he is not giving our mids the service that he probably should. He isn't doing much around the ground at the moment either, which he did do more of last year. Are we kicking it to him? I think we should. He is a big boy and he is getting stronger. He is mobile enough to give a lot of rucks issues. But, we aren't see it. He seems happy to get the taps.
I was critical of Reidy earlier this year for grabbing the ball and getting the clearance himself rather than delivering it to a mid. Riley is now doing something of the same thing.
I hope that, as he develops (Riley is still young as a ruck) that he can play more like Matthew Kreuzer and less like Marc Pittonet. I want to see marks, tackles, spoils and maybe even a goal or three. I don't think it is an impossibility. But at the moment, Riley seems happy just getting taps.
I could go about Boyd's stagnation, Lucas Campo's not coming on and more, but I'll leave it here. You don't want a dissertation.
[3] I am liking Liam Farrar. he is leading more than most of our forwards, and getting some shots at goal. All he needs to do is start putting them through the middle.
3
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: General Discussions
Last post by ElwoodBlues1 -
Currently the Vic State House of Reps is:
56 ALP - 34 held by <10%
29 - Coalition - 20 LP/9 Nats - 23<10%
3 Greens - 1<10%
1 Independent

There are currently 17 sitting members not re-contesting.

There is one endorsed candidate for One Nation (didn't win the Nepean By-election).  As State and Federal governments have different responsibilities (eg education, health, state levies/taxes, transport), different policies are required.

I have had a quick look at the health policy.  It states that there could be a 100k nurse shortfall in Australia by 2025! and 123k by 2030, then goes to talk about a few strategies for Victoria.  It doesn't say what the Vic nursing shortfall is likely to be - so doesn't address the Vic issue.  Does bring up an interesting question, though as it talks about having discussions between Vic ON and Unis to make nursing a more attractive degree - as the funding is federal for Unis, does this type of conversation happen a lot?

A read of the education policy is a bit scary.

No preventative measures for tackling crime.

From the "Looking after our environment" policy:
protecting iconic native flora like koalas from the expansion of wind and solar farms.

As the ON leader doesn't know what the monoculture policy is - last I saw she answered a question on it by saying 'Howard and Abbott didn't think that multiculturalism works"

There is not a lot out there to attract a vote!

The State Government have funded more free Nursing places in Uni's etc but there are not enough Graduate positions available so they cant complete their training. Grad nurses are a costly investment and you need clinical educators to supervise them plus a lot of grads leave when they complete their training for higher paid positions or leave the system so hospitals end up having paid to train them for nothing. Its a repeat cycle and why agency nursing is booming and being relied upon more but leads to a reduction in specialist nurses ie Cardiac, ICU, and other fields and agencies sending out non specialist nurses to fill specialist positions in some cases because they dont have enough specialist nurses on the books to go around.
4
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 16 2026 Pre Game Predictions Carlton vs West Coast at Marvel
Last post by LP -
Weiters didn't complete his fitness test so we're going with an unchanged lineup.

Weiters does seem to struggle with sofe tissue injuries - perhaps a consequence of having humungous muscles.
Well, I suppose everything comes at a price, and he's certainly not Joe Average in the strength stakes. I remember when fans were throwing rocks at him for being too small to stand gorillas! ;D

I also remember when the club mismanaged SpecialK, and turned the AFL's most hardened aerobic ruck beast into a 120kg chandelier.
6
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: General Discussions
Last post by dodge -
Currently the Vic State House of Reps is:
56 ALP - 34 held by <10%
29 - Coalition - 20 LP/9 Nats - 23<10%
3 Greens - 1<10%
1 Independent

There are currently 17 sitting members not re-contesting.

There is one endorsed candidate for One Nation (didn't win the Nepean By-election).  As State and Federal governments have different responsibilities (eg education, health, state levies/taxes, transport), different policies are required.

I have had a quick look at the health policy.  It states that there could be a 100k nurse shortfall in Australia by 2025! and 123k by 2030, then goes to talk about a few strategies for Victoria.  It doesn't say what the Vic nursing shortfall is likely to be - so doesn't address the Vic issue.  Does bring up an interesting question, though as it talks about having discussions between Vic ON and Unis to make nursing a more attractive degree - as the funding is federal for Unis, does this type of conversation happen a lot?

A read of the education policy is a bit scary.

No preventative measures for tackling crime.

From the "Looking after our environment" policy:
protecting iconic native flora like koalas from the expansion of wind and solar farms.

As the ON leader doesn't know what the monoculture policy is - last I saw she answered a question on it by saying 'Howard and Abbott didn't think that multiculturalism works"

There is not a lot out there to attract a vote!
7
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: General Discussions
Last post by PaulP -
If the Ginger Whinger gets into power, she can simply invoke Robert Askin's famous quip when he seized power in NSW in May 1965 : "We're in the tart shop now boys."

Grifters gonna grift......