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21
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 4 2026 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs North Melbourne
Last post by Adelaideblue -
Given the way we are being swept aside at centre bounces as games progress, I would hope selectors bring in Ben Camporeale for some more grunt.
Didn't watch the game, but 27 disposals suggests he is running into some reasonable form.

Wade Derksen could be the obvious choice if Harry Dean with injured shoulder doesn't come up. I would hope they give Dean a good spell and allow his young body time to recover.


22
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 4 2026 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs North Melbourne
Last post by Thryleon -
Quote from: kruddler – on
Quote from: LP – on
How do we get the squad in the right headspace, somebody must see this mindset developing because it stands out like proverbials to the fans?

The best way to do it drop players who are sub-par.

I hand picked some names which included, but not limited too.....
Kemp
HOK
Chesser

Problem, is, apart from the last name there, we haven't got anybody to replace them.
Thats when we struggle to pull ourselves out of the hole we are in. We don't have the cattle to swap them out.

Look at who our better players are in the 2's
Flynn Young.....we already promoted Byrne who plays the same role at the expense of Fogarty.

Are we going to have to go back to a team of 10 small forwards simply because they are the only ones 'in form' ??

You can drop them.  Ruck Pittonet solo, with Cripps as relief ruck (or bring in Derkson, and use Lewis Young/Harry Mckay as relief ruck), Flynn Young and Jordan Boyd would be the two runners I bring in.

Players we need back in the ones ASAP

Newman
Acres
Cotters

Young is the form reserve player who should be rewarded.  Maybe Williams may struggle after his knock, but id be bringing Newman in for him.  Acres in for Chesser, and if Cotters isnt ready for AFL level yet, id bring in Boyd and young to replace okeefe and kemp.

We got the team balance wrong again on the weekend and tried to use numbers to nullify a Melbourne strength, when we should have just conceded Gawn was going to dominate, and go to work differently.


23
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 4 2026 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs North Melbourne
Last post by LP -
Quote from: kruddler – on
The best way to do it drop players who are sub-par.
I think that works on transient issues, but we've had this fade out problem persisting across MC regimes and variety of player selections.

Off field we have new fitness, new MC, new executive but the same problem, and to me the early signs of this problem go back to the end of the Judd / sMurph era.

It can't be fitness, and we've had odd games go the other way as well, in which we've set out like slugs and come home like trains, but it's an understatement to say not often. It wasn't that long ago the media was full of argy bargy about our slow starts, with much the same playing list.

Balance seems to be the thing that is impossible for us to find.
26
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: VFL Rd 2 2026 Carlton vs Williamstown
Last post by kruddler -
Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on
Quote from: Professer E – on
Surely Ben C must be a chance for the seniors soon, our midfield mix is clearly wrong but we have a pig headed MC....
Do we need to drop one of Cripps or Hewett  to play BenC as a midfielder?
Do we need to?
Yes.

Will we?
No

So how about this....
Out: HOK.
In: Ben C.

Cripps to FF and changing in the ruck.

That way we have another option at FF....and one that can actually wrestle.
We can play him as a ruck and have 4 mids in the middle.
We give exposure to Ben C in the process.
28
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 4 2026 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs North Melbourne
Last post by kruddler -
Quote from: LP – on
How do we get the squad in the right headspace, somebody must see this mindset developing because it stands out like proverbials to the fans?

The best way to do it drop players who are sub-par.

I hand picked some names which included, but not limited too.....
Kemp
HOK
Chesser

Problem, is, apart from the last name there, we haven't got anybody to replace them.
Thats when we struggle to pull ourselves out of the hole we are in. We don't have the cattle to swap them out.

Look at who our better players are in the 2's
Flynn Young.....we already promoted Byrne who plays the same role at the expense of Fogarty.

Are we going to have to go back to a team of 10 small forwards simply because they are the only ones 'in form' ??
29
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 3 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Melbourne
Last post by LygonStreetLimbo -
I wish we hadn’t won those pre-season games against last year’s Grand Finalists.
The fall from expectation to reality has been sudden and steep. No-one rates the Dees but we couldn’t beat them.
I think E Hollands is looking great and Frankie gives his all. Crippa is looking slow and Walsh is not as elusive as he used to be. Gawn and Pickett killed us
30
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 3 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Melbourne
Last post by crashlander -
Quote from: Baggers – on
Quote from: shawny – on
what did our LM see in Chesser and Florent.

Both turn over merchants and the opposite of the type of players we need.

On another note if Saints are paying Milera 2M what is Pickett worth.  Can rip a game apart like no one else except maybe only nick dacios.

Kosi tore the game apart because he was allowed to.
This is all too true. When we had a fit tagger, someone who could play close, Pickett was a total non-issue who struggled to get a kick. But the last two games he hasn't had anyone playing him closely, and he has really hurt us.

Alas, this isn't an isolated case. We don't do much locking down. Cooper Lord does some, but he has limitations due to his pace. We need someone who can take out the opposition's best midfielder, which we don't have. Look at the way Collingwood struggle when Daicos is ineffective. But can we do that? We don't even try.