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21
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 1 2026 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs Richmond
Last post by Thryleon -
Saad hurt his hamstring and may not play again. He was playing OK till then but he's just another old player we dont get enough from. 

Docherty retired early i thought.  Hes a top player who was coming back from significant injury and it was the desire that retired him.  Why?  Im guessing he didn't see a future in the team at the minute and just jumped before we pushed him. 
22
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney
Last post by Thryleon -
We can talk about these guys until the cows come home, but our issues lie with the following players.

Kemp
Young
McKay
Saad
Mcgovern
Fogarty
In this game cripps
Reidy
Williams

Reidy is the only one finding his feet at the level.  The rest gave us an average performance at best. 

You simply wont win many games when these guys are not among your better performers week in and week out.  Why?  Well, its simply a demographic thing.

Chesser i thought was rubbish in his first hit out with us, but he too but he's got some time up his sleeve.

The others we arent getting enough from as senior players.  Haynes (injured), Newman (injuries), acres, cotters.   Its fine to have older blokes around but you cant get average from the top end of your list.

We are focussing on our 20 year old second and third year players but the reality is its not them letting us down.

Sure be negative about Wilson. Lord (who still racked up a bigger fantasy football score than 3/4 of the team on Thursday) because they arent much better than bentick, but i reckon its the lack of reliable footballers on our list that hurt us. 
23
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 1 2026 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs Richmond
Last post by crashlander -
Quote from: LP – on
Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on
Id have Boyd in for the injured Saad..
To me Saad has been very disappointing now for the best part of two seasons. He seems to have lost the desire and it appears to be the same cycle that he showed just before he came to Carlton. Opposition have worked out his one-sided approach and he's not got a trick left to surprise anyone.

I had hoped a season opener during Ramadan might be his making for 2026, because I think in previous Ramadan's he has gone up a level, but this was a bad start. I think he's got a tough year ahead.
To be honest, I'd like to see us try Saad in some different roles. Certainly, opposition coaches know what he provides in the backline.
With him probably unavailable, I would be using Boyd. I'd like Cowan, but he needs some game time yet.
24
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney
Last post by ElwoodBlues1 -
Quote from: laj – on
Quote from: Lods – on


He got through 2025 pretty unscathed.
But had 5 hamstring injuries in a 12 month period prior to that.
Out again now with a hamstring.
Is that issue solved or ongoing.
Will he be straight back in or have to spend some time in the VFL.

Just on Jagga...he was good, but there were times that he was also guilty of some rushed and scrappy disposal and easily brushed aside.


In Jagga's case, a few nerves probably kicked in, hence the rushed disposal. That'll soon change.
He had 6 turnovers but thats very forgivable in your 1st full real game and as you say they were rushed kicks due to nerves and some quality opposition who were hunting our players after half time and his comrade senior players and leaders were giving us nothing but donuts during the onslaught so he was on his own and must have wondered what he got himself into.
He is a light bodied player too and was brushed aside at times and thats going to take a couple of preseasons to remedy  and probably why his mate Sam Lalor was picked at No 1 because he was a readymade.
25
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: VFL Practice Match vs Footscray 6th March
Last post by crashlander -
CARLTON             2.8       2.9       3.16      6.22 (58)
FOOTSCRAY       4.1       8.4       10.6      12.7 (79)

GOALS
Carlton: Young, Harvey, Magor, Ison, Carroll, Gresham

What worries me:
[1] HOK looks like he is starting the year poorly. His marking has dropped off and his ruck work has regressed. That is a pity, as he has a better leap than Pitto or Reidy. His contested marking last year was very good.
This means we don't get 1st dibs as often as I'd like.

[2] We don't seem to be able to keep guys at the club. That means we always start the year with a significant getting-to-know-you phase. Now that we've got Tucker, I hope he can hand around for a while. Similarly with guys like Hogg.

[3] With a lack of key forwards in the ones, we're going to have similar problems with the 2's.
26
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney
Last post by Lods -

Jagga had a good debut  no doubt. He will improve even more with experience and maturity and the kid will probably end up a champion  but they're young guys  him and Lord...and another two or three years could make a big difference to both of them.
Lord may never be anything but a good footsoldier. I'll back him to at least reach that level...and that may be all we need him to be. We have many premiership players who were good footsoldiers.

28
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney
Last post by laj -
Quote from: Lods – on
Quote from: kruddler – on

Cerra had 1 bad year with injury. Otherwise he was reliably in the top 10 B+F......which Lord has never reached.

What reliability are you referring to exactly?

He got through 2025 pretty unscathed.
But had 5 hamstring injuries in a 12 month period prior to that.
Out again now with a hamstring.
Is that issue solved or ongoing.
Will he be straight back in or have to spend some time in the VFL.

Just on Jagga...he was good, but there were times that he was also guilty of some rushed and scrappy disposal and easily brushed aside.


In Jagga's case, a few nerves probably kicked in, hence the rushed disposal. That'll soon change.
29
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 1 2026 Pre Game Prognostications Carlton vs Richmond
Last post by LP -
Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on
Id have Boyd in for the injured Saad..
To me Saad has been very disappointing now for the best part of two seasons. He seems to have lost the desire and it appears to be the same cycle that he showed just before he came to Carlton. Opposition have worked out his one-sided approach and he's not got a trick left to surprise anyone.

I had hoped a season opener during Ramadan might be his making for 2026, because I think in previous Ramadan's he has gone up a level, but this was a bad start. I think he's got a tough year ahead.
30
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney
Last post by laj -
Quote from: shawny – on
Quote from: PaulP – on
I would have been interested in hearing Docherty's thoughts on how this could be remedied.

As an aside, I infer from his later clarification that Gorringe aired the message on his phone without a clearance from Doc. Poor form if I'm right.

I think its pretty clear isnt it? Pretty much everything Doc spoke about was coaching based. No plan B. Game plan is Taxing. Can't change when the game opens up and when it does we get smashed.

Been the same thing since Voss arrived. Won 2 finals by the skin of our teeth apart from that havent been close. Not sure Voss is capable of more then what we have seen.      
He's not. First year was good, but we always perform first year for a coach. Since then, bar a 14 weeks purple patch in the 2nd half of 2023 (after we were bottom 4 until then), he has struggled. The game has changed further since 2023, quickened up. Voss seems to have no idea how to evolve as the game evolves. If we don't pull the pin soon we could be on yet another wasted season. No good kicking the opposition for half a game then dying badly on our @rse. Can't believe we were 22pts up then 15 min later 6 goals behind.