Carlton Supporters Club

They played two games where they put in a very good effort.
Maintaining that effort week after week is just not possible.
It's why a side has never gone through undefeated in the history of the game.
Even our 1995 premiership side (possibly our best ever "team") had a couple of down games.
Now when youré a side in development these "down games" occur more frequently.
It's hard for youngsters to be consistent.
I wouldn't be surprised that at some level we aren't actually targeting those games where we have less chance of winning and using them to manage players or give a few blokes a final chance.
That game earlier in the season where we played a heap of youngsters could have been such an example...."We're not likely to win....give them all a run and see what they come up with"...Unfortunately that one backfired.

And this is where I will respectfully, yet strongly, disagree with you. It is possible, in fact it is the stuff of sustained excellence and success. Excellence abhors failure.

Good sides can struggle, even be well down, yet find a way to win. This is a gladiatorial sport, which requires certain unique character and ability. We were reminded yesterday just how far off the pace we are, how ordinary we are. We're hit with a few injuries and fold up. Excuses and justifications are fast running out for poor efforts. When we excuse or rationalise poor performances, we allow them.

Depends whether you seek excellence or excuses; whether you tolerate mediocrity or are uncompromising.

Agree with Lods, coming up week after week in a H & A season is nigh impossible without a downer.  And that's for a strong side. Otherwise sides would go through undefeated.

A young side building, like ours, will have many downers. Part of the process. Thing is it was as bad as we've played for a while yet we were still in the game for much of it. We are always at least competitive. We have to be accepting the young, building sides will some weeks not come up. We're all happy when we win, or even when we have a really good performance but supporters generally, for all sides, tend to sook like hell if their side has an odd bad game. Everyone is useless or no good, the sides no good, yet all is quickly forgiven if/when they win the next week. It's like supporters struggle to want to take the good with the bad hence lose perspective.

And this is where I will respectfully, yet strongly, disagree with you. It is possible, in fact it is the stuff of sustained excellence and success. Excellence abhors failure.

Good sides can struggle, even be well down, yet find a way to win. This is a gladiatorial sport, which requires certain unique character and ability. We were reminded yesterday just how far off the pace we are, how ordinary we are. We're hit with a few injuries and fold up. Excuses and justifications are fast running out for poor efforts. When we excuse or rationalise poor performances, we allow them.

A small question for those footy boffins among us - why did we only have 69 rotations yesterday ? I would have thought being one man down we needed to max it out to 90, to give blokes as much of a breather as possible.

Food for thought, we were pretty crap yesterday and still won half the game against a side that is eyeing off a top 4 finish given where they are currently at.  We are on the right path.

That's more of a reflection on how good ( or not so good ? ) Richmond are... a decent side would have buried us by halftime.

If Pickett takes that mark and goals we are 11 points down with 12 minutes to go and we all know how Richmond handle a tight finish

I Know.. We should've could've would've ........ GRRRRRRR

I must admit at that point Max I was fantasising about the Tiggers choking again and  snatching another defeat from the jaws of victory. Ah well, not to be this time and I had to put up with witnessing the unbridled joy of the Tigger faithful at the final siren 

I sent a text off at 3 quarter time to three mates saying we don't deserve this but I can sense another Richmond choke... My Collingwood and Essendon mates replied straight away saying they were hoping for it... funnily enough my Richmond mate didn't reply until the 25 minute mark of the last telling me to go and get f..........

That's more of a reflection on how good ( or not so good ? ) Richmond are... a decent side would have buried us by halftime.

If Pickett takes that mark and goals we are 11 points down with 12 minutes to go and we all know how Richmond handle a tight finish

I Know.. We should've could've would've ........ GRRRRRRR