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11
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 4 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs North Melbourne
Last post by ElwoodBlues1 -
Problem we have is now that we are a designated bottom team and the better players and free agents wont be picking us unless its on Stkilda type offerings that are way overs. Im not happy with the Florent /Hayward contracts either...way too long and list clogging given what they offer. I think I read we have 19-20 players from other clubs and and none of them are A graders or dial movers.
Doing the moneyball recruiting worked for Collingwood because they had a once in a lifetime player like Nick Daicos joining the club in the same year as Frampton, Mcstay, Hill etc and he has lifted the roof(see Shakins comments).
Only road back is via the draft imo and developing more of our own and then looking for moneyballers to fill holes and not relying on them to be dial movers. You look at Smith, Dean,Ofarrell? and then the incoming Walker and you find we have nothing else coming through and Im already feeling sorry for Cody Walker who isnt going to be a cheap father/son pick and success starved Blues fans will be wanting Nick Daicos Messiah type results from him in his first season given the hype attached to him.
IMO its a full rebuild needed, plenty of patience given its harder with Tassie in the comp and a new regime off the field in all areas
including coaching and recruiting.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 4 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs North Melbourne
Last post by PaulP -
Quote from: Shakin77 – on

All those trades were players that can lift the floor, but none of them are going to lift the roof.   What A-Graders did Montagna think we could get in?   Ainsworth and Hayward is better than any of the small/medium forwards that we had, but they are known qualities.     Add.   Florent.    All 27-28.   None have upside.   Reidy is a backup ruck that joins the back up ruck merry-go round.

The only one that might have upside is Chesser and given we gave up what ended being pick 42 it's a low-cost play with a low chance of being a smash pick.

I agree to a large extent. We were never going to replace like for like. I'm  not sure if Montagna is referring to this trade period or just generally. Either way, it doesn't matter. IMO, we have less A grade talent, more B grade talent, C grade is holding steady, and in terms of kids and futures like Cody, it's hard not to be excited.

Also worth noting, that irrespective of whether or not we trade like for like, all list changes taken in toto contribute to lack of cohesion and lack of continuity. When you think about that, plus the changes to assistant coaches, plus changes to the game plan, we have to be realistic. It will take time for things to gel.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 4 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs North Melbourne
Last post by Lods -
Regarding not replacing the 'topliners'.

Serious question....
With who?
Who would we have taken in the last draft/trade period to replace them.

You can make a good case for not developing the repalcements long term.
But when DeKoning (expected), Silvagni (unexpected) and Curnow (umming and ahhing) decided to leave who should we have replaced them with.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 4 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs North Melbourne
Last post by Shakin77 -
Quote from: PaulP – on
Even at their best, the Derksens, Reidys, Haywards etc are never going to be like-for-like replacements, but I think once they settle in they will play good footy for us.

All those trades were players that can lift the floor, but none of them are going to lift the roof.   What A-Graders did Montagna think we could get in?   Ainsworth and Hayward is better than any of the small/medium forwards that we had, but they are known qualities.     Add.   Florent.    All 27-28.   None have upside.   Reidy is a backup ruck that joins the back up ruck merry-go round.

The only one that might have upside is Chesser and given we gave up what ended being pick 42 it's a low-cost play with a low chance of being a smash pick.

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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 4 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs North Melbourne
Last post by RiverRat -
McKay is a shadow of his former self:
He struggles to take an overhead mark without juggling the ball at least once.
He fails to get separation from a defender on the lead.
Even when he does get some decent foot passes to his advantage, he seems to be unable to use his considerable body size and reach to prevent an opponent from spoiling from behind.
He remains an unreliable kick for goal.

Might as well use him as a back up ruckman to allow him to try and regain some one-grab overhead marking.
18
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: Back to the Moon
Last post by ElwoodBlues1 -
Quote from: LP – on
The "high cost" of this or that which is the typical media message is really a drop in the ocean. Media always talk total$ because the big number seems alarming or scary, but the reality is it's something like $0.05 per person per annum and the payback is many times that.

I've heard on the radio the other day RedTrump dropped the equivalent of one full year of a NASA budget in the first week of the assault on Iran and got nothing to show for it other than debt!

btw., When the US media bang on about waste and how much the US spends, and why aren't others helping, they ignore to inform the US audience that about half of the bill is being footed for the Artimis project comes from foreign governments or investment. Yet when a foreign government or entity uses inclusive language about "us" or "we" the US media will claim it's all America.

Did you know if you want to sell IP into the USA, the IP must conform to US law, meaning no matter who holds that IP it has to be in a single name and they have to effectively sign over right of access to the US government, and they have the gall to assert China are crooks! If the IP has any use at all to the US military they will develop local capability and chop out foreign supply, and they have done on items as wide ranging as food packaging and CAD software. I know a person in Melbourne who developed CAD software used in advanced manufacturing, he held the IP globally but the US used it's law to develop a local capability with a contract handed out to a big US company. The Melbournian still made good money out of it, tens of million, but the US company made billion$.

The same thing with the US assault on Iran, some significant percentage of the US munitions come from other countries including Israel, ironic isn't it that Israel profits by dragging others into the fight, the US media just claim it's all America. Some of the air defence systems they use cost US$20M per round fired, and they spray them around like air freshener! Keep that in mind when you hear RedTrump begging for assistance!
If Trump swallowed his pride and bought some Sting interceptor Drones off his little mate Zelensky and stopped firing those super expensive Patriots at the Iranian Shahed Drones and admitted the Ukrainians are the Masters of drone warfare and not the USA he might have some more change in the bank but of course Trump wont give Zelensky any chips to play with or any Leverage that might force Trump to pull Putin into line so we have the mess do. Interesting that the USA friendly arab states have all acquired drones from Ukraine as well as expertise from Ukrainian personnel to help best use them.
Hitler never listened to his Generals and ignored the obvious facts which seems a trait of Trump too...
19
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 4 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs North Melbourne
Last post by ElwoodBlues1 -
Hayward is used to the Sydney system and playing with Gulden and crew lacing him with the ball, at Carlton you have to work way harder for your kicks because quality entries are few and far between.
Even at Sydney he was an eleven possession a game player averaging one goal a game so not exactly a dial mover just a handy accessory at best to the real stars. The other problem with him is what is his man doing?, given most teams run high possession rebounders off half back and look for the easier players to exploit.