Carlton Supporters Club

Well, I think that the debate over whether we should have taken Flynn Young or Liam McMahon has been resolved.

I felt just a little sorry for Liam as he sat forlornly at the back of the bench; he was on a hiding to nothing against Weiters.

Bye Tom - Enjoy your money.

The Frank the Tank show motors on. 

Im a true believer from his vfl days 8 weeks ago. 

Well, I think that the debate over whether we should have taken Flynn Young or Liam McMahon has been resolved.

I felt just a little sorry for Liam as he sat forlornly at the back of the bench; he was on a hiding to nothing against Weiters.

I was wrong about Evans and I was wrong about Haynes.

If we were serious we would have beaten that mob by 20 goals, 6 goal run was embarrassing in its clumsiness.

Quote from: DJC – on August 21, 2025, 10:31:40 pm

Well, I think that the debate over whether we should have taken Flynn Young or Liam McMahon has been resolved.

I felt just a little sorry for Liam as he sat forlornly at the back of the bench; he was on a hiding to nothing against Weiters.

I've always been of the opinion that we had good reasons for not picking him up as opposed to players we picked ahead of him. McMahon was under scrutiny from our list people fo an extended period. They would have known his strenths and weaknesses and how he would have slotted into our team.

But his situation at Essendon in the last half of the season was a little different to the role he would play in a fully fit Carlton side.
He was asked to be the main man.
In a Carlton side he would be third tall at best and probably not even in the side.
At a fully fit Essendon side, he may also struggle for a spot.

Now for the ones we've picked up instead of him at the various points where we could add players-White, Carroll, Evans and Young.
Carroll has a contract till 2027
Young and Evans are both showing a bit.
I suspect we'll keep Evans. I'd like to think we'd hang on to Young as well, at least for another year.
They give us a bit of depth.
Frankie may be starting 22 even with everyone on deck.
What we need to see with both those guys is how they peform against the really top sides....(and we wont know that until next year now)
White's probably in most danger of not being kept on, and that's a bit of a shame because the kid has a really good positive attitude. He's just behind the others with a few tricks

Good to see that some of our players can deliver the ball accurately by foot when they are under limited (or no) pressure, which is what the Bummers offered for much of the match - even though we still managed to serve up many mis-kicks when we put ourselves under pressure - Hollands is one who is guilty of this.

Wasn't impressed by Evans in his early games for us but his ability to kick goals has clearly elevated him above Fogarty (who misses too many sitters) in my opinion.

Quote from: Blue Moon – on August 22, 2025, 06:18:54 am

I was wrong about Evans and I was wrong about Haynes.

You're not Robinson Crusoe there, BM. An entire barn of eggs on my face after my comments on these two in their early games for the club.

With aggot in hand Frankie showed up Durdin, Fogarty and others... Big time. Terrific disposal by foot and footy IQ, and he hits the scoreboard - how novel for one of our small forwards!!

And Haynesy showed his class and footy smarts down back, consistently.

No, we don't really need small forwards who kick goals and set up scoring opportunities. :D

Still don't get the fascination for Evans, Young & White.

I wouldn't take much notice of the last 2 weeks which were like practice matches.

Quote from: madbluboy – on August 22, 2025, 08:10:45 am

I wouldn't take much notice of the last 2 weeks which were like practice matches.

We came with the right attitude and right plan, that's what you can from it, not so much who we played. Something we haven't seen all year. Last 9 qtrs we have played good footy, starting with that scintillating last qtr against the Suns.  Attitude is what I want to see, we can then work on the rest.

Quote from: Lods – on August 22, 2025, 09:43:26 am

No, we don't really need small forwards who kick goals and set up scoring opportunities. :D

Playing against an U/18's team even you would look good Lods.

Quote from: laj – on August 22, 2025, 10:23:42 am

We came with the right attitude and right plan, that's what you can from it, not so much who we played. Something we haven't seen all year. Last 9 qtrs we have played good footy, starting with that scintillating last qtr against the Suns.  Attitude is what I want to see, we can then work on the rest.

Or we play better against sides who are below us on the ladder.

If we were serious we would have beaten that mob by 20 goals, 6 goal run was embarrassing in its clumsiness.

Quote from: madbluboy – on August 22, 2025, 10:26:25 am

Or we play better against sides who are below us on the ladder.

Port was above us at the time and beat us by 50pts last time. The smart ones amongst us won't look at who we played but how we went about it. Better attitude and a better plan.

Quote from: Lods – on August 22, 2025, 09:43:26 am

No, we don't really need small forwards who kick goals and set up scoring opportunities. :D

Playing against an U/18's team even you would look good Lods.

I thought Hollands was really good by hand in tight, I don't see the poor kicking that others see.  I think the good outweighs the bad.  On the other hand, Durdin, his field kicking is awful and for one who barely gets it gees he wastes it.

Quote from: laj – on August 22, 2025, 10:34:18 am

Port was above us at the time and beat us by 50pts last time. The smart ones amongst us won't look at who we played but how we went about it. Better attitude and a better plan.

To me the glaring thing that stood out for me was the even contribution across the board, especially the kids. Less passengers, more contributors. The kids got a real taste for it and they seemed to like the menu.
Continue that attitude and hunger in the PS and bring on 2026 with a few classy acquisitions, Jagger and Dean (as  prospect).

1. L
2. W
3. L
4. LL
5. LL
6. L
7. L
8. L
9. L
10. L
11. Carlton
12. W
13. LW
14. W
15. WW
16. WL
17. L
18. WW

We went thanks to free tickets.

There were lots of players slipping.  Essendon's marking was ordinary - dropped a lot they should have taken.

The only time that there was a little concern about the result was in the last when they got within 20 points.  But Weiters decided we didn't want to lose and made a couple of really good spoils, then we kicked a goal to put it beyond doubt.

I think I saw in the in-game thread that Essendon's pressure was off the scale.  They need to review how they measure that, as it didn't seem to be a very intense match.

Like others have said, good that a few of the youngsters/less experienced have had exposure over a few weeks, which will help them into pre-season plans and next year.  Evans' purple patch in the 3rd was great and others are getting accustomed to the level.

Glad the season is over!  Tennis finals coming up and cricket pre-season is starting, so plenty of other things to do.

an injury list of Newman, Jagga, Cotters, Curnow, Elijah, JSOS, Lord 

Quote from: MickyO – on August 22, 2025, 11:00:53 am

an injury list of Newman, Jagga, Cotters, Curnow, Elijah, JSOS, Lord 

Adam Cerra says Hi!

Quote from: LordLucifer – on August 22, 2025, 09:38:07 am

Still don't get the fascination for Evans, Young & White.

I’m with you, we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel

A minimum of 3 (more likely 4) of Durdin, Fogarty, White, Motlop, Young and Evans will need to be replaced this offseason.  I’d be leaning toward keeping Motlop and Evans only - time to find the next Eddie, Kozzie, Cyril which is obviously easier said than done.

an injury list of Newman, Jagga, Cotters, Curnow, Elijah, JSOS, Lord

Still don't get the fascination for Evans, Young & White.

Still don't get the fascination for Evans, Young & White.

People are still minimising Evans?

Did you guys not see the excellent lace out passing, particularly the one down Moir's throat a week or two ago?

Forget the finishing work.  He was a "VFL player" delistee who isnt up to it, and has outshone vastly superior players on game day with his ball use, AND ability to make a good decision in the thick of it.

THAT is why he is being lauded.

1. L
2. W
3. L
4. LL
5. LL
6. L
7. L
8. L
9. L
10. L
11. Carlton
12. W
13. LW
14. W
15. WW
16. WL
17. L
18. WW

People are still minimising Evans?

Did you guys not see the excellent lace out passing, particularly the one down Moir's throat a week or two ago?

Forget the finishing work.  He was a "VFL player" delistee who isnt up to it, and has outshone vastly superior players on game day with his ball use, AND ability to make a good decision in the thick of it.

THAT is why he is being lauded.

It’s funny how when we win the opposition is always VFL standard 🙄

Many of the blokes in our squad last night spent a significant part of the season in the VFL and the Essendon squad was just a tad more experienced than ours.

Essendon got within three goals of the Swans (twice) and Brisbane, flogged Melbourne and managed five other wins.  Not bad for a VFL side 🙂

People are still minimising Evans?

Did you guys not see the excellent lace out passing, particularly the one down Moir's throat a week or two ago?

Forget the finishing work.  He was a "VFL player" delistee who isnt up to it, and has outshone vastly superior players on game day with his ball use, AND ability to make a good decision in the thick of it.

THAT is why he is being lauded.

Quote from: DJC – on August 22, 2025, 03:41:57 pm

It’s funny how when we win the opposition is always VFL standard 🙄

Many of the blokes in our squad last night spent a significant part of the season in the VFL and the Essendon squad was just a tad more experienced than ours.

Essendon got within three goals of the Swans (twice) and Brisbane, flogged Melbourne and managed five other wins.  Not bad for a VFL side 🙂

You forgot the bit about Essendon losing 12 in a row and having the record for 15 debutants in the one season including a record 4 mid season rookie picks.

Turning just 24 tomorrow.
I knew Frankie before he was a Superstar. :D

Still don't get the fascination for Evans, Young & White.

Quote from: Thryleon – on August 22, 2025, 03:02:26 pm

People are still minimising Evans?

Did you guys not see the excellent lace out passing, particularly the one down Moir's throat a week or two ago?

Forget the finishing work.  He was a "VFL player" delistee who isnt up to it, and has outshone vastly superior players on game day with his ball use, AND ability to make a good decision in the thick of it.

THAT is why he is being lauded.

Sometimes the armchair list managers find it hard to admit that the professionals know what they’re doing 😎

Evans is a marginal player.  The fact that he’s at his third club indicates that three professional list managers felt that he was good enough but two subsequently decided that there were better options.

Evans body of work against VFL and AFL opponents in the second half of the season suggests very strongly that Austin and co made an astute decision in picking him up - as they did with leaving Liam McMahon to the Bombers.

I suspect that there’s also an element of last chance saloon and Franky is having a red hot crack at staying in the game.

19 disposals at 84%, seven contested possessions, three goals straight (should have been four!), 12 score involvements, five marks, five tackles and two clearances is a decent day at the office, against any opposition.

As you say Thry, his ball use and decision making has been very good and may be a consequence of his AFL experience at three clubs.

We’d be crazy not to extend his rookie contract.

Quote from: DJC – on August 22, 2025, 04:06:58 pm

Sometimes the armchair list managers find it hard to admit that the professionals know what they’re doing 😎

Evans is a marginal player.  The fact that he’s at his third club indicates that three professional list managers felt that he was good enough but two subsequently decided that there were better options.

Evans body of work against VFL and AFL opponents in the second half of the season suggests very strongly that Austin and co made an astute decision in picking him up - as they did with leaving Liam McMahon to the Bombers.

I suspect that there’s also an element of last chance saloon and Franky is having a red hot crack at staying in the game.

19 disposals at 84%, seven contested possessions, three goals straight (should have been four!), 12 score involvements, five marks, five tackles and two clearances is a decent day at the office, against any opposition.

As you say Thry, his ball use and decision making has been very good and may be a consequence of his AFL experience at three clubs.

We’d be crazy not to extend his rookie contract.

The Professional List Manager and crew have us 5-6 games outside the top 8-9 and playing dead rubbers since midway through the season and have our No 1 ruckman and CHB more than likely leaving the club....keep up the good work Nick.

Quote from: MickyO – on August 22, 2025, 11:00:53 am

an injury list of Newman, Jagga, Cotters, Curnow, Elijah, JSOS, Lord

I'm not coming back from injury .......... ever !!


 :))

Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on August 22, 2025, 04:25:59 pm

The Professional List Manager and crew have us 5-6 games outside the top 8-9 and playing dead rubbers since midway through the season and have our No 1 ruckman and CHB more than likely leaving the club....keep up the good work Nick.

Thing is, so did Richmond's in 2016 after 3 years in the EF. So did the Pies List manager who were 17th in 2017 as well. Melbourne missed finals in 2020 and Goodwin just survived. Our's also had an unlucky miss in 2022, PF in 2023 and 2nd place at round 20 last until before decimated by injury. We do need a few odd changes to keep with the current game but hopefully now we are on to that. We need players with good footskills and footy IQ, Evan's has a heap of that. Not going to Cyril but will be good to have around. Had a great VFL year, took his time to find his feet in our AFL side, especially trying to be a small forward at Carlton (what a rotten job that is) but eventually it clicked. Gold Coast game certainly wasn't a dead rubber for the Suns. They were full on, and Evan's was great, couldn't have been better. You can only do what you can with what's in front of you, and he has been great since he come back, especially given by then he was able to gel with teammates.

Still don't get the fascination for Evans, Young & White.

Quote from: laj – on August 22, 2025, 04:54:03 pm

Thing is, so did Richmond's in 2016 after 3 years in the EF. So did the Pies List manager who were 17th in 2017 as well. Melbourne missed finals in 2020 and Goodwin just survived. Our's also had an unlucky miss in 2022, PF in 2023 and 2nd place at round 20 last until before decimated by injury. We do need a few odd changes to keep with the current game but hopefully now we are on to that. We need players with good footskills and footy IQ, Evan's has a heap of that. Not going to Cyril but will be good to have around. Had a great VFL year, took his time to find his feet in our AFL side, especially trying to be a small forward at Carlton (what a rotten job that is) but eventually it clicked. Gold Coast game certainly wasn't a dead rubber for the Suns. They were full on, and Evan's was great, couldn't have been better. You can only do what you can with what's in front of you, and he has been great since he come back, especially given by then he was able to gel with teammates.

Im not anti giving Frank another year but I wouldnt be giving him 2-3..... we are where we are for a reason and Wright has determined its not the coach and says we need better players and more depth so changes have to happen. Id be replacing the List manager but that seems unlikely..

The only negative... FFS sound people get a fckng mixer and drive all mics through it so we can hear the damn questions!!!!!

Quote from: Baggers – on August 22, 2025, 05:48:54 pm

The only negative... FFS sound people get a fckng mixer and drive all mics through it so we can hear the damn questions!!!!!

This has come up before (maybe by you) on this site and I whole heartily agree. In fact I even sent a msg to the AFL about this today.
It really cannot be that hard.

I wouldn't take much notice of the last 2 weeks which were like practice matches.

Turning just 24 tomorrow.
I knew Frankie before he was a Superstar. :D

https://www.carltonfc.com.au/video/1718901/highights-frankie-evans?videoId=1718901&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1740033799001

Still don't get the fascination for Evans, Young & White.

Quote from: laj – on August 22, 2025, 04:54:03 pm

Thing is, so did Richmond's in 2016 after 3 years in the EF. So did the Pies List manager who were 17th in 2017 as well. Melbourne missed finals in 2020 and Goodwin just survived. Our's also had an unlucky miss in 2022, PF in 2023 and 2nd place at round 20 last until before decimated by injury. We do need a few odd changes to keep with the current game but hopefully now we are on to that. We need players with good footskills and footy IQ, Evan's has a heap of that. Not going to Cyril but will be good to have around. Had a great VFL year, took his time to find his feet in our AFL side, especially trying to be a small forward at Carlton (what a rotten job that is) but eventually it clicked. Gold Coast game certainly wasn't a dead rubber for the Suns. They were full on, and Evan's was great, couldn't have been better. You can only do what you can with what's in front of you, and he has been great since he come back, especially given by then he was able to gel with teammates.

Im not anti giving Frank another year but I wouldnt be giving him 2-3..... we are where we are for a reason and Wright has determined its not the coach and says we need better players and more depth so changes have to happen. Id be replacing the List manager but that seems unlikely..

Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on August 22, 2025, 05:01:04 pm

Im not anti giving Frank another year but I wouldnt be giving him 2-3..... we are where we are for a reason and Wright has determined its not the coach and says we need better players and more depth so changes have to happen. Id be replacing the List manager but that seems unlikely..

Agree with a short extension only as like you said until he proves he can do it on a live game against decent opposition he only gets one year.

However I must say there is something about this bloke i like - he has real energy when he is involved and looks to play for the jumper. His game against GC was very impressive as that game did have something riding on it for them.  Could become a bit of a cult hero if he can continue that sort of form into 2026.

His biggest quality is his ability to spot and then be able to hit a forward target -which as we all know this has always been an area we are well below par in. And yes while the last month is not as important as when the games mean something its still nice to see as blokes like Durdin, Hollands and Acres still spray em and kick straight to opposition regardless, so i was very impressed with that aspect of Evans game.

Quote from: shawny – on August 23, 2025, 11:50:38 am

Agree with a short extension only as like you said until he proves he can do it on a live game against decent opposition he only gets one year.

However I must say there is something about this bloke i like - he has real energy when he is involved and looks to play for the jumper. His game against GC was very impressive as that game did have something riding on it for them.  Could become a bit of a cult hero if he can continue that sort of form into 2026.

His biggest quality is his ability to spot and then be able to hit a forward target -which as we all know this has always been an area we are well below par in. And yes while the last month is not as important as when the games mean something its still nice to see as blokes like Durdin, Hollands and Acres still spray em and kick straight to opposition regardless, so i was very impressed with that aspect of Evans game.

I'm not knocking his output in recent games just wary of anointing him as the new Eddie Betts and naming a grandstand after him because he has played a couple of good games in a row. Seen it all before in our 30 year drought with players who teased then disappeared just as quickly as they arrived. I'll be more convinced vs regular decent opposition when he gets a bit more attention and is less of a novelty player with higher expectations.

Quote from: shawny – on August 23, 2025, 11:50:38 am

Agree with a short extension only as like you said until he proves he can do it on a live game against decent opposition he only gets one year.

However I must say there is something about this bloke i like - he has real energy when he is involved and looks to play for the jumper. His game against GC was very impressive as that game did have something riding on it for them.  Could become a bit of a cult hero if he can continue that sort of form into 2026.

His biggest quality is his ability to spot and then be able to hit a forward target -which as we all know this has always been an area we are well below par in. And yes while the last month is not as important as when the games mean something its still nice to see as blokes like Durdin, Hollands and Acres still spray em and kick straight to opposition regardless, so i was very impressed with that aspect of Evans game.

I'm not knocking his output in recent games just wary of anointing him as the new Eddie Betts and naming a grandstand after him because he has played a couple of good games in a row. Seen it all before in our 30 year drought with players who teased then disappeared just as quickly as they arrived. I'll be more convinced vs regular decent opposition when he gets a bit more attention and is less of a novelty player with higher expectations.

Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on August 23, 2025, 01:31:23 pm

I'm not knocking his output in recent games just wary of anointing him as the new Eddie Betts and naming a grandstand after him because he has played a couple of good games in a row. Seen it all before in our 30 year drought with players who teased then disappeared just as quickly as they arrived. I'll be more convinced vs regular decent opposition when he gets a bit more attention and is less of a novelty player with higher expectations.

EB, respectfully I think you’re the only one with that fear, the rest of us are saying “at round 10 Frankie was delist material but we have seen something, give him 1 maybe 2 as list spot 44”
At list spot 44 I think most teams would sign him up.
What we need to start doing is nailing picks and trades

Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 – on August 23, 2025, 01:31:23 pm

I'm not knocking his output in recent games just wary of anointing him as the new Eddie Betts and naming a grandstand after him because he has played a couple of good games in a row. Seen it all before in our 30 year drought with players who teased then disappeared just as quickly as they arrived. I'll be more convinced vs regular decent opposition when he gets a bit more attention and is less of a novelty player with higher expectations.

Is anyone actually claiming that Franky is the next Eddie Betts or that he should get a long term contract?

It seems to me that most folk think that he should get another year on the rookie list as a handy depth player.  He has played ten AFL games for us, against decent opposition, and after a slow start, has performed pretty well.  His VFL player ranking this season is 9.5/10 as opposed to his previous highest ranking of 6/10 in the SANFL.  His AFL stats are superior to Bobby Hill and Charlie Cameron in virtually every category, but he's a long way behind Kosi Pickett.  As Vossy has stated, his body of work in the VFL and AFL since June has been outstanding.

As I said previously, this is his last chance and I reckon he has given it his best shot.  I also suspect that part of his improvement is down to his teammates' improved confidence in his ability to perform his role, and he hasn't let them down.

Quote from: DJC – on August 23, 2025, 02:26:28 pm

Is anyone actually claiming that Franky is the next Eddie Betts or that he should get a long term contract?

It seems to me that most folk think that he should get another year on the rookie list as a handy depth player.  He has played ten AFL games for us, against decent opposition, and after a slow start, has performed pretty well.  His VFL player ranking this season is 9.5/10 as opposed to his previous highest ranking of 6/10 in the SANFL.  His AFL stats are superior to Bobby Hill and Charlie Cameron in virtually every category, but he's a long way behind Kosi Pickett.  As Vossy has stated, his body of work in the VFL and AFL since June has been outstanding.

As I said previously, this is his last chance and I reckon he has given it his best shot.  I also suspect that part of his improvement is down to his teammates' improved confidence in his ability to perform his role, and he hasn't let them down.

Your comparing him to Bobby Hill and Charlie Cameron....????.....this is my point, a couple of good games and Frank is now Norm Smith Medalist and Premiership quality in some folks minds.
Port might want him back, they have that 30 mill@ 12 year contract  with the ink still wet, just change the name....be a real steal.

List spot 44, Frankie is the easiest pick any list manager could make.
If you’ve got 43 players better than him you are going places.

Unless the club is planning on a significant upgrade like a Jamie Elliott / Charlie Cameron type, I'm not exactly sure that any replacement player is going to offer much more than Francis Evans. A like-for-like replacement would most likely come from the VFL, or the MSD, or lower reaches of the ND. Voss was quite, er......frank in his post match when he said that Evans struggled in that first half of the year, but then just "popped." Voss also made mention of some of his other positive attributes.

As Dunstall said, the bloke doesn't waste the footy, that's a rarity at our club ATM.

Dead end game granted. When I look at the experience of each team and the lack of consistency we've experienced, I'm bouyed.

In a season where we've had a variety of on/off field challenges, this game shows we've got something to work with.

It wasn't long ago we were overreliant on a few. Had few pushing for selection. And had games where only a few pushed through tough challenges in games. R1 turned out to be a theme for the season. In turn, piling on more pressure and dispersing it across the club.

Whilst far from ideal, these experiences have a knack of sifting the sh"& from the clay. I'm strangely optimistic we have a silver lining soon to emerge.

As far as our kids have performed under such duress, I think we've had more hits than misses. Nobody expects consistency but the effort and perseverance is undeniable IMO. All 7 (?) debutants plus the kids that got a taste last year are showing what they want to bring. Glimpses of mental toughness. Perhaps. The challenge is there for the taking.

It's been a long time since I've seen a crop of youngsters like this. Instead we've had more misses than hits. Think the likes of Jaksch, Boekhorst, SPS, O'Brien, Marchbank ..... quite a trend of misses. For one reason or another.

Anyways. Well done to Frankie, Motlop, Moir, Carroll, Young, HOK, Wilson, and White. IF they keep putting pressure on the seniors, we'll trend in the right direction.

Go Blues

Quote from: LoveNavy – on August 23, 2025, 08:00:57 pm

Dead end game granted. When I look at the experience of each team and the lack of consistency we've experienced, I'm bouyed.

In a season where we've had a variety of on/off field challenges, this game shows we've got something to work with.

It wasn't long ago we were overreliant on a few. Had few pushing for selection. And had games where only a few pushed through tough challenges in games. R1 turned out to be a theme for the season. In turn, piling on more pressure and dispersing it across the club.

Whilst far from ideal, these experiences have a knack of sifting the sh"& from the clay. I'm strangely optimistic we have a silver lining soon to emerge.

As far as our kids have performed under such duress, I think we've had more hits than misses. Nobody expects consistency but the effort and perseverance is undeniable IMO. All 7 (?) debutants plus the kids that got a taste last year are showing what they want to bring. Glimpses of mental toughness. Perhaps. The challenge is there for the taking.

It's been a long time since I've seen a crop of youngsters like this. Instead we've had more misses than hits. Think the likes of Jaksch, Boekhorst, SPS, O'Brien, Marchbank ..... quite a trend of misses. For one reason or another.

Anyways. Well done to Frankie, Motlop, Moir, Carroll, Young, HOK, Wilson, and White. IF they keep putting pressure on the seniors, we'll trend in the right direction.

Go Blues

Encapsulated so many previous perceptions mentioned here, sharply.

Love your work, LN. Same page here. Look out for the Bluebaggers in 2026. We'll be ready to surprise.