Yes, this weekend we take on former partners, Preston at Preston. The game is set for Sunday at Preston City Oval. The first bounce is at 1305.
Our team is still something of a question. Injry and suspensiin have robbed us of our ruck options, so we have named young Gundry again. We have also named a former Bulldog in Luke Goetz, as we are very short on ruck talent. He looked impressive a few years back, but couldn't handle AFL life and was sacked. Hopefully he can get the taps.
Our line-up:
4. Lochie O'Brien, 16. Jack Carroll, 17. Brodie Kemp, 24. Nic Newman, 26. Luke Parks, 29. Corey Durdin, 31. Tom Williamson, 33. Sam Ramsay, 36. Josh Honey, 37. Jordan Boyd, 46. Matthew Cottrell, 50. Ryley Stoddart, 51. Tom North, 52. James Parsons, 55. Toby Wooller, 57. Cody Hirst, 60. Aaron Gundry, 61. Luke Goetz, 62. Ben Crocker, 64. Cooper Stephens, 71. Stefan Radovanovic, 74. Ben Caluzzi, 77. Ed Delany, 78. Joel Trudgeon, 79. Dale Marshall, 80. Matt Shannon
In: Ed Delany, Luke Goetz*, Aaron Gundry, Dale Marshall, Nic Newman, Luke Parks, Sam Ramsay, Joel Trudgeon* (Northern Knights)
Out: Levi Casboult (suspension), Alex Mirkov (knee), Marc Murphy (AFL selection), Sam Petrevski-Seton (AFL selection)
* denotes VFL debut for Carlton Reserves.
We are also playing Northern Knights player and brother of one of our AFLW girls, Joel Trudgeon for his VFL debut.
I haven't seen the Northern Bullants team, but I do expect to see Ben Silvagni in a key defensive role.
This game is like dancing with your sister.
First time ever, since 1965, I am barracking against Preston.
Any live stream?
I'm watching on Kayo.
It's a goal each very early.
Thanks Laj, I never thought to check Kayo for the VFL game!
Usual sloppy and half assed. Down 12-8.
21-14 up at qtr time.
I'm the all round sportsman right now. GWS v Hawthorn on on computer, Bullants v Carlton and this one and Casey v Essendon on the Tele...lol.
Blues up by a point coming into half time
Blues down by 5 points coming into half time
Down 46-41 at half time. Usual bruise free stuff.
Blues down by 5 points at half time. Playing very badly.
Car 48 NB 56 in the 3rd, just flicked on, Willos AFL career appears over to me. Barely a VFL player at the minute. Shame.
62-48 down. No intensity.
We'll be in the 8 if we win.
If we lose, we'll be the first win of the season for NB's. NB's currently 22nd in the comp😳
Embarrassing to say the least.
69-48 now.
How many Carlton listed players are there? Doesn't seem alot. Seeing a heap of ridiculously high numbers on players backs.
11 AFL listed players named in the squad. Not sure how many lined up.
76-54 now.
Just terrible. They are just terrible
25 pts down early in the last - it'll take a miracle. Gave up watching... pretty ordinary stuff.
31 down now. What an embarassment.
85 - 54
I hope the review panel get an copy of this vision v the bottom (winless) side. Deplorable in every aspect.
Carroll
Williamson
LOB
Honey
Parks
Durdin
Ramsay
Kemp
Cottrell
Thats about all I could see.
NB 92 Car 55
Thought I saw alot of non-listed players. Outside of the first two just kids and rookies.
100-62 down at the 27 min mark of the last qtr. Won't worry about the last couple of min.
All over 100 to 68. What a shocking effort.
Well done Bullants, first win for the year. Way better than our blokes
How did Ben Silvagni play???
We'd have been happy about the Ants winning last year...lol.
Didn't see him get a lot of touches. He was OK. Played down back.
FT:
NB 100 CARL 68
GOALS: Wooller 3, Crocker 2, Cottrell, Delany, Hirst, Shannon, Durdin.
DISPOSALS: Ramsay 28, Parsons 26, North 22, Cottrell 17, Radovanovic, Shannon 16.
Good to see ramsay get a lot of the pill.
O'Brien?
Given up?
Bit of that, made position but got ignored, also was being used as a tagger on players like Tom Wilson....
To be fair to him he was playing with players who dont have much idea apart from a few and he got frustrated at the lack of skills
and smarts from his team-mates who couldnt get him the ball and in the end he couldnt be bothered knocking himself out.
One of those players who probably needs senior footy to improve and wont ever get much out of playing VFL.
I thought Ramsay used the ball well but is very lightly built and Kemp was solid down back...worst player was Parks who has really lost the plot since initially playing senior footy.
Gee EB it would be a toss-up between he and Willo, but at least Parks is just starting out. WTF has happened to Williamson is a mystery to me. O'Brien is finished as far as I am concerned,
Nothing happened to him. People just realised that their 'idea of Willo' was greater than the 'output of willo'.
I kept pointing it out, and people kept refusing to see it.
He's Paul Bower mark II.
Lots of ability, but makes too many mistakes at AFL level.
I fail to see what future O'Brien possibly has at the club. He is beyond useless.
Ramsay aint big but he's got something. Like Kemp, Honey and Carroll. Concerned that we're very light on for up and coming taller players.
That's your opinion Krudd. No point harping on it as you won't change my mind just as I wont change yours.
Not a lot to come out of this one. With 12 players out injured we really didn't have a lot. No key defenders, key forwards, inside mids, ruck etc. Left with kids, wingers and flankers.
O'Brien couldn't get any space. Got crunched as soon as he got it.
Unlike everyone else, I have woken up to a truth that is uncomfortable for everyone to really understand about LOB and that cohort. We are finally developing players based on individual need, and getting him to a level in the VFL is the best way forward for him.
In a horses for courses approach, he might find value for us in a future state where we need an outside runner to complement a midfield that contains Walsh, Stocker, Dow, SPS and LOB on the wings drifting between half forward/half back.
He isnt that bad a player but he needs to really polish up his outside ability if he isnt a mix of inside and outside.
Didn't they play LoB as a tagger on Wilson?
LoB isn't an inside mid, and Wilson is about as in and under as they get, maybe they are giving LoB some lessons but I doubt you can greatly change a player's fundamentals in that extreme way.
Watching the replay when I got home. The first quarter wasn't that bad.
[1] Big Goetz was useful, except that he didn't know his teammates. It was very clear that he didn't know where our guys were running to when he got a tap.
[2] Cooper Stephens reminds me more and more of Nick Duigan. He was very good early.
[3] Crocker could have been a matchwinner, but we had no idea how to create a leading lane for him.
[4] Inside mids: we were ordinary in this area. We really didn't have much drive from the middle.
I think the comparison between Bower and Williamson is a bit unfair. Bower was chosen Pick 20 as a key defender while Williamson was Pick 61 and was always a back flank/wing. Williamson is probably above average for a Pick 61 and Bower below for a Pick 20.
Played a few roles and the negative stuff he does means he doesnt get much ball, look I'm not a LOB apologist but he isnt being coached with his career in mind and its more about where he can be used more for the teams sake.
If he is going to make it its going to be as an Andrew Gaff type on a wing running free, not responsible for a man and not tagging or being used in any inside role...
Agreed, I do not understand when we bring a guy like Setterfield in and play him on the wing, LoB is virtually a wing specialist. The club can't hedge it's bets 100% of time, and I thought it was clear on the weekend player lift when you play them in their best position.
It's unfair to the players treated this way.
Same size.
Same agility/speed.
Same hunger for the contest.
Same brain fades.
Same akward handballing style.
Same back injuries.
Bower was an U18's AA CHB.....but was never really a CHB at AFL level.
I'm not trying to be cruel to Williamson, i just see similar traits. Willo has done well to play as many games as he has for the pick he was taken....but in terms of output. I see a bower clone.