Heading into the JLT series, I think we are all starting to think about our expectations for the season ahead. As supporters, those expectations are often different, but what are our non-negotiable's? What will we each need to see to make us happy when the season has wound up? This isn't so much about wins and losses, but the steps we need to take to be a great team.
For me, this is what will make me happy:
- If Harry McKay can play 15+ games and kick 20 or more goals
- If we have at least 3 Rising Star nominations
- If we don't lose a game by more than 50 points
- If one of our new recruits (either drafted or traded) finishes top 5 in the B+F
- If at least one of our guys is AA
- If none of our top 10 players want out at the end of the year
- If the football community can come up with more than just Cripps when talking about our emerging midfield stars
- If one of our forwards kicks more than 40 goals
And one more immediate wish:
- If our girls take out the inaugural AFLW premiership :)
Yes, good luck to the girls.
I want a lot more things that I can jot down, so here's a few :
I want :
- to see the players (to a man) give 110% every week.
- us to cut our losses with Casboult - if, after all this time, he still needs to be taught kicking technique, then it's pointless. Play him the 2's or park him in the goal square. If you park him in a spot where he can't miss, set him up with some crumbers that aren't crummy, it takes the kicking yips out of the equation. I want to see our players run and carry a lot more, not just off half back like Heath Shaw, but all over the ground. I want to see attacks into the F50 launched at the F50m arc, not from the centre square. I want to see 2 or 3 defenders crap their pants every week knowing that Cas will mark anything and everything from an unmissable distance. This will encourage them to infringe, give away free kicks etc. I know it's not trendy to set up this way.
- to see the players never looking confused or lost. I want them to look like they know where they need to be and what they need to do at all times.
- Cripps to kick more and handball less. Diesel can you help us ?
-I want to see better overall skills, and especially kicking skills, less turnovers etc.
- no injuries.
- no reports
- to see our young players get talked about in glowing terms, like we are the genuine article and really a team to watch and on the rise.
- to see more of the first half of 2016 and less of the second.
Optional extras :
- to see Jack S win the Coleman
- to see Weeters win the MVP
- Harry Mac, Cripps and Charlie C to tie for the Brownlow.
No point in being modest. Might as well aim high.
I'd be more than happy with that lot and I'll add just one more:
- If Casboult's inaccurate kicking for goal is no longer a topic of discussion.
2 more things.
- a couple of wins against some of the top teams
- a few 10+ goal thumpings, like we were handing out a few seasons back.
I've crossed out 3. I think these are largely irrelevent as they are voted/outside perception which in the scheme of things, mean nothing.
Ultimately, what i want is to have a list of players that we can see our future from.
That is, we know if McKay will be a 10 year KF (not just hope like we do now) and we know if Casboult is worth persisting with or if it is more of the same.
We know if Weitering is required as a key back, or if he is a key forward. If Marchbank, Plowman, Rowe and co can hold down our defense to allow Weitering forward, or Marchbank instead of Weitering.
Right now, i can't see how all our defenders and our lack of genuine forwards can successfully fill a team both now and in the years to come. If we get that nailed, albeit with further development required, then i couldn't care less how many wins we get this year.
For the team
Would like to see a die hard attitude, and consistancy in effort throughout the games
Continue to grow in belief & commit to the game plan
Find our new forward line
Individuals
Casboult to become what he is capable off
Daisy to surprise us all with some flashbacks from the past
Murphy to stay on the park & lead
MacKay to show case his talent
Charlie to become cross between Kouta & Waite , tall order
Its a start
If Murphy and Kreuzer play 22 games......
If Gibbs wins the B&F...........
If Casboult kicks any number of goals at 60% efficiency................
If H.McKay plays 5 games................
If C.Curnow kicks 30+ goals.......
If SOJ kicks 30+ goals........
If Weiters and Cripps get through uninjured.......
If CheatsFC finish dead last..........
Fun, but I'll try to be realistic
Murphy, gibbs and cripps play a full season and average a goal a game
C curnow to string 8 very good games together
McKay gets a chance toward middle of season and plays 6-8 games showing plenty of promise.
Casboult gets dropped after round 12 and doesn't come back. No slight on the bloke, but we can't keep hoping in the face of such obvious reality.
Cunningham and Boekhorst have breakout years.
A stable back six command increasing respect and points against declines throughout the season.
Kreuzer plays 20 games.
CFC release a princes park master plan with the city of melbourne in partnership to develop a new precinct of sport, recreation, biotech and health with emerging plans for a refurbished 15,000 seat venue for vfl etc.
Club revenue grows by 15 per cent and AFL/debt facility is halved.
Nice list Vivian.
Thought you were being realistic? ;)
Lost the plot and started dreaming...
Still, if the club can keep getting its act together the sponsers will come and we will start being taken seriously. Big year ahead off field for Carlton.
I'll go with this list also, sorry to be poacher but...
OK I'll have a go. Great topic by the way ;D
Defense remains tight and points against declines
Forward line is so unpredictable that opposition defense are left wondering (and we score more than 2016)
Harry and 2015 draftees get a run of games and excite us all (a sign that our player development is aok)
Every game is played with spirit
Our list remains amongst the healthiest
Byrne returns bigger and better, solidifying our defense
Crippa gets help in the engine room, and adds a surprise string to his bow
Smedts shows his talent, sneaking a few Brownlow votes. Cats spewing they didn't give him another year (too much??)
Sammo or little Zac win Rising Star award - OK they get nominated
We beat the Hawks in a thriller :))
Our women are the inaugural premier's and our financial position significantly improves
Some of these are more dreams than expectations. But hey, it was fun.
Go Blues
We play with full commitment for 4qtrs, every game.
We have drastically reduced our clanger count.
We have drastically reduced our skill error count
We have greatly improved the quality of our F50 entries
We have greatly improved our kicking for goal
We find some gold in our new guys
If all of that happens then I will really enjoy 2017.
Nice list cookie.
I reckon that would just about see us in the top 4 cookie. ;)... :D
My hope is that by the end of the year the likes of White ,Armfield,Rowe,Thomas have been passed by others and are only talked about as back ups.That we are in all games up to our ears from start to finish even if we loose so that other sides walk away saying we played a good young side today and not like it has been in the past where they say we are only playing carlton today.Respect on the ground is what we have to earn like the good sides have,win loose or draw they have to know they played a side that gives everything plays hard and plays fair and never concedes defeat without giving effort.If that is achieved we will win more and more as our players become bigger stronger and more experienced and we will have earns respect ,which we have lost.No one over the last few years have respected us as a football team even the worst teams believe with a bit of effort they will beat us,the scum and lions last year believed we were beatable and did.
It is all about respect and effort nothing else matters as when u have theses the wins will take care of themselves.Players will want to play for the once again mighty blues.
Agree with all of that. If Thomas / White / etc. aren't playing every week it will mean that some of our younger guys are doing something right.
I will say though that if we expect the team to be "in all games up to our ears" we'll probably be disappointed. Young teams (and our list is the 3rd youngest in the comp) are notoriously inconsistent. Hope not but I'm expecting the odd shocker.
I disagree Jeza. We have plenty of experienced heads in he ruck (Kreuzer), mids (Gibbs, Murph, Curnow, Wright), forwards (Army, Levi, Wright, Sumner) and backs (Simmo, Rowe, White, Doc).
If the leaders lead, the youth will follow.
One presumes that Murphy's form will be good to very good - that is his norm and I think a long rest will have freshened his body up hugely.
He alone improves our chances in games immeasurably.
The youth has the X factor though - of the mids, Sammy P, Jarrod Pickett and Zac Fisher are talked about a lot and even Cameron Polson of late has been mentioned.
I think guys like SPS and J. Pickett (5 and 4 in their respective drafts), in particular, and backed by the old heads, can really turn our midfield into something special 'overnight'......
Midfields win you games and assuming plenty of first (and decent) use of the pill can really make life easy for the forward line - whomever's up there!
Pickett's injuries appear well behind him (touch wood) - what's not to like! http://www.gwsgiants.com.au/video/2014-11-27/pick-4-meet-jarrod-pickett (http://www.gwsgiants.com.au/video/2014-11-27/pick-4-meet-jarrod-pickett)
If we agree that we'll need to play quite a lot of those talented youngsters that we have acquired we'll have to accept a bit of up and down. Otherwise we're going to be very disappointed at times.
Really happy with the volume of young high draft picks we've accumulated though. The raw numbers look pretty impressive (second only to the Giants).
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/gws/gws-giants-mindboggling-playing-list-leaves-rivals-in-the-dust-says-list-expert/news-story/e75fc06533d0fafcd3fc6e9fa7088f42
We've had good numbers of high draft picks for many years now - and apart from a few seasons back, don't really have much joy to show for it.
The list at the bottom of that article is interesting. The teams listed between Carlton and Hawthorn (including the former, excluding the latter) have been ordinary the last few seasons.