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94
Robert Heatley Stand / VFL Practice Match vs Footscray 6th March
Last post by crashlander -
Starting at 17:00 today.
The line-up:
2. Lachie Cowan,
13. Blake Acres,
16. Ben Camporeale,
21. Lucas Camporeale,
28. Harry Charleson,
30. Jack Ison,
32. Matthew Carroll,
34. Rob Monahan,
37. Jordan Boyd,
39. Talor Byrne,
40. Hudson O’Keeffe,
41. Matthew Duffy,
45. Flynn Young,
47. Wade Derksen,
51. Jaiden Magor,
55. Ethan Phillips,
58. Jack Sammartino,
59. Cooper Vickery,
61. Dane Harvey,
66. Sam Paea,
70. Darcy Hogg,
72. Charlie Cotter, a very quick mid from Claremont. He is 19.
73. Tom Stapleton,
74. Logan Prout,
75. Liam Farrar,
77. Will Cookson,
78. Tyson Gresham
97
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney
Last post by PaulP -
Quote from: Lods – on
What do you think it is Paul?
I'm not saying your wrong, but just about the only common aspects of the team from days gone by... is Cripps.
Coaches, list management, admin, players have all been turned over.
Understandably a culture of struggle and losing can impact youngsters as they come into the side.
I suspect Byrce Gibbs and Marc Murphy were introduced to a culture of struggle,loss and division.
Is that's what's happened with our group...and if that's the case is that also affecting player retention..................................................


My best guess is three reasons :
1. players passing the vibes from one generation to the next
2. general knowledge in the public domain about our recent history and several semi successful / unsuccessful attempts to re-establish ourselves as a club that wins consistently. There does not need to be direct contact between generations of Board, coaches, players etc. The history can come to you in various ways.
3. The actual lived experience of losing more games than winning.

Based on this theory, there is some validity to the idea that some on here had suggested during the rebuild years, that we should have sacked the entire club at the time - all Board, all players, coaches, fitness, everybody, and started with a real Tabula Rasa. That would at least substantively take care of points 1 and 3.

The turnaround will undoubtedly come. Whether it's next week or after we're all dead, no one can say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzWJWUTySZM

I like this clip. It's only 4 minutes or so, but after the 2 minute mark Riewoldt gives a tiny insight into what I'd guess our players experience.
99
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney
Last post by ElwoodBlues1 -
Alistar Clarkson recently came out and said how to tough it is to drag a struggling team off the deck and how bottoming out will be a think of the past:
Interesting comments on StKilda:
"The game is as tough as it has ever been. You only need to go to Essendon, Richmond, West Coast, North Melbourne, a couple of others perhaps to see that. You see what's happened with St Kilda, it's nearly like you've got to do something absolutely out of the box radical to break this mould of getting yourself out of the bottom eight or 10 sides in the competition and give yourself a chance to get into the top part.
https://www.afl.com.au/news/1471514/whats-realistic-in-a-rebuild-why-north-melbourne-kangaroos-coach-alastair-clarkson-says-bottoming-out-will-never-happen-again
100
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney
Last post by ratlice -
Quote from: Lods – on
Quote from: PaulP – on



I would suggest this issue precedes Teague by several years, and if that's true, I'd say the issues are deeper than the coach.

What do you think it is Paul?
I'm not saying you're wrong, but just about the only common aspects of the team from days gone by... is Cripps.
Coaches, list management, admin, players have all been turned over.
Understandably a culture of struggle and losing can impact youngsters as they come into the side.
I suspect Byrce Gibbs and Marc Murphy were introduced to a culture of struggle,loss and division.
Is that's what's happened with our group...and if that's the case is that also affecting player retention.

Too many smiles at the end of the game last night, not just with Curnow.
Fitness....we were done by just after half-time.
Size and strength....we're carrying a few light youngsters (and a couple of oldies) at the moment. That will improve but a large part of our list are a few years away from that maturity.
And chief of all...the inability of coaches and on-field leaders to stem that run of goals in the third term.

How many more years are we going to see this crap.