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21
The Sports Desk / Re: God help me - the Cricket thread
Last post by Professer E -
Lyon looks finished
Webster is a bit of this and a bit of that
Cummins played (and lead) like a busted crab
Marnus still won't play shots
Smith looks close to cooked mentally


Starc and Head won the ashes....this is an old, poor side with a few blokes who are capable of first tier performances
22
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Carlton 2026 Finals Campaign
Last post by laj -
Quote from: PaulP – on
I’m happy that we live to fight another day, but it’s happiness for the wrong reasons. Not really a fan of rewarding mid table teams with a mid table form line.
Depends. If that don't call it a final then it's a great concept giving 4 sides a shot to play off for the last 2 finals spot rather than letting the season just play out. Call it a final 10 then I agree with you.
23
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Carlton 2026 Finals Campaign
Last post by laj -
Quote from: Lods – on
I think over time that "Wildcard" terminology will disappear.
It's now a final 10.
After next weekend 10 teams will go on...8 teams won't.
We're playing finals.

It just happens now that teams finishing 5th and 6th get a weeks rest before their finals campaigns start.
For 7-10 it starts the week after next.

I notice on Sportsbet we've slipped ahead of both the Bulldogs and Collingwood in betting for the flag.

Carlton $51
Collingwood $67
Bulldogs $81
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX5jNnDMfxA

I hope it doesn't disappear. In my mind, like overseas, it's a chance for 4 sides to play off for the final 2 spots in the 8 rather than just letting the season run out then starts the finals. Puts alot more interest into the season. That's how it's supposed to be.

A long way from there to win a flag, and much tougher than before when 7th or 8th. Win 2 weeks and by the 3rd week you're still just in a semi final. That's how it should be. Certainly makes sides fight even harder to be top 6, and of course, fight hard to be top 4 where 98% of flags are won.
24
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Carlton 2026 Finals Campaign
Last post by Thryleon -
Quote from: dodge – on
There didn't seem to be a lot of support on this forum for the wild card round when it was announced  Has this changed now that we're part of it?

I don't like it, but will still watch!
Anyone finishing 5th or 6th likes it, anyone finishing 7th or 8th hates it, and anyone finishing 9th or 10th, loves it.

Anyone in the bottom 8 will say that they only fell short by a little bit, and can reach for reasons to justify a poor season.

Personally, finals are the rewards you get for performing throughout the year.

There is one game left, and despite what the ladder says, the body of work across the season is one of the best that I have experienced in the last 24 years, including the year we made the prelim. 

We fell short because we didnt manage the moments so well, in similar fashion to yesterdays match vs the Bulldogs.
25
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 23 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Western Bulldogs at Marvel
Last post by LP -
Quote from: Micky0 – on
Surprisingly free kick count was in our favour 15-23!
Of course it's not just what but where that matters.

I didn't get the "play on" thing, it was evident from the very first bounce someone had changed the interpretation this week, but it only seemed to apply to us. Twice we had guys instantly called to play on for shaping to handball without moving their feet or off the mark.

Both Hewett and Walsh got mown down late well after disposal without a down field free being awarded, I recall specific cases once by Libba and once by Freijah.

Weightman was blocking our defenders well off the ball, way beyond the legal distance and without eyes for the footy, and not penalised once. On the other side of the case Dean takes the space behind the fall of the ball and gets pinged for a block. Now we can debate the right or wrong of it, but the difference between each case is the real problem because Dean and Weightman are at the same end, same umpire, etc., etc..

Also, go back and watch that infamous throw, the umpires head is in the bottom of the video feed looking straight at it, he sees what everybody else saw and decided "Computer says no!" and called play on! At no stage did the Dogs player attempt to make a fist or close his hand, he just threw it! Earlier in the game one of our blokes was penalised for a volleyball spike called a throw, at strike but with open palms like a double hand ruck tap, but clearly a strike.
26
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 23 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Western Bulldogs at Marvel
Last post by Thryleon -
Quote from: Micky0 – on
Thought the umpiring was just bizarre especially having rewatched the final quarter.

Was it the one umpire that decided calling play on within 2 seconds was reasonable?  Absolutely bizarre.

We were also continuously held with no frees to us.

Surprisingly free kick count was in our favour 15-23!
The count is a bit silly.

If you infringe 50 times, and get pinged 23 times and your opponent infringes 20 times, and gets pinged 15 times, who got favourable treatment?





27
The Sports Desk / Re: God help me - the Cricket thread
Last post by LP -
The NSW Cricket Mafia has backed itself into a corner, it can't blame the bowlers this time because they are all in on the incumbents. The defenders of the top order would normally see it as a bowling fail not a batting fail, they would expect the batting did nothing wrong and the bowlers weren't able to knock over Bangladesh for a similar score!

Even in the post-match the usual suspects were talking about a refresh, then spent 10 minutes discussing the next generation of bowlers.

 The only batsmen they threw rocks at were Weatherald and Webster, declaring both fails, they wanted Inglis in and an extra bowler!