Carlton Supporters Club

On occasion, we have a problem converting dominance into scoreboard results - 20 points up 10 mins into the second quarter, we should have been looking to turn the screw.  Instead, we became patchy again, and our inside 50 delivery was appalling.  Same thing happened in the Rich and Ess games a few weeks back. 

It's like we 'pitch' our game to the level of the opposition - and if you give an opponent a second chance, they will probably exploit the offer.  We are simply not ruthless enough yet to squash teams consistently.

Bevo out-coached Fraser with centre clearances - we started so well, but let them take control.  And yet their plan was so simple - hit it straight down, Libba in and under as usual feeding it out to Richards, Sanders and others for a simple take away.

Hoping this isn't the 'real' Blues, as opposed to the side that smashed Brisbane with precision kicking and perfect F50 craft.

I have always rated Richards very highly, he is the exact type of speedy ball user that we need.

Do the VFL play next week?  FInals?

Quote from: Lods – on August 18, 2026, 10:45:24 am

The Bulldogs are a funny side they seem to have patches of good or bad results for four or five games at a time
They've beaten the Lions, Adelaide, Collingwood, Melbourne and Hawthorn
Yet their attack is one of the poorest in the comp-ranking around 14th "for points for"
They were on top of the ladder after round 5 and were 12th by round 9
A real Jekyll and Hyde team.
I thought they were very good on the weekend and their pressure threw us off the style we'd been playing in the previous weeks. As a result the errors and turnovers occurred.
It was probably typical of our games in the early part of the year...good in parts, not so hot in others.

Darcy was a huge loss.

Quote from: laj – on August 18, 2026, 10:56:04 am

Yes, when the Dogs are on they are really good. On Sunday, they were outstanding, right at their best.

A combination of their high pressure and the fact we that we lost our composure too trying to hammer in for the final nail to stitch up our Wildcard spot, threw us off our game.

Wouldn't be against them beating the Dees this weekend, meaning Melbourne would play us in the Wildcard round. My playing preference, in order, for our wildcard game is Melbourne, Adelaide, even if it is there, they can be brittle on those occassions, with Collingwood, who are flying, rise to big occasion, and so mentally tough, a distant 3rd.

Anyone, Anywhere, Any time.

The Bulldogs are a funny side they seem to have patches of good or bad results for four or five games at a time
They've beaten the Lions, Adelaide, Collingwood, Melbourne and Hawthorn
Yet their attack is one of the poorest in the comp-ranking around 14th "for points for"
They were on top of the ladder after round 5 and were 12th by round 9
A real Jekyll and Hyde team.
I thought they were very good on the weekend and their pressure threw us off the style we'd been playing in the previous weeks. As a result the errors and turnovers occurred.
It was probably typical of our games in the early part of the year...good in parts, not so hot in others.

Quote from: Lods – on August 18, 2026, 10:45:24 am

The Bulldogs are a funny side they seem to have patches of good or bad results for four or five games at a time
They've beaten the Lions, Adelaide, Collingwood, Melbourne and Hawthorn
Yet their attack is one of the poorest in the comp-ranking around 14th "for points for"
They were on top of the ladder after round 5 and were 12th by round 9
A real Jekyll and Hyde team.
I thought they were very good on the weekend and their pressure threw us off the style we'd been playing in the previous weeks. As a result the errors and turnovers occurred.
It was probably typical of our games in the early part of the year...good in parts, not so hot in others.

Yes, when the Dogs are on they are really good. On Sunday, they were outstanding, right at their best.

A combination of their high pressure and the fact we that we lost our composure too trying to hammer in for the final nail to stitch up our Wildcard spot, threw us off our game.

Wouldn't be against them beating the Dees this weekend, meaning Melbourne would play us in the Wildcard round. My playing preference, in order, for our wildcard game is Melbourne, Adelaide, even if it is there, they can be brittle on those occassions, with Collingwood, who are flying, rise to big occasion, and so mentally tough, a distant 3rd.

At the start of the season Champion data ranked the Bulldogs as the strongest list in the comp. That doesn't guarantee success but it shows they are a talented squad. Ed Richards has been a top 10 player all season, the other 9 players are all superstars but no one talks about Ed.