What are the key areas that we need to improve to be a geninue contender

[mac25]

Although today's result was probably as good as we could have hoped we never seriously looked a chance to win mainly due to our ordinary forward structure.

A month ago most of us we of the belief that we were on track for a top 4 spot, however based on our draw and the improvement in West Coast Eagles we now look likely to finish around 5th in another cut throat final, let's hope we can at least gain a home final by finishing 5th.

We are still yet to beat a geninue contender which is a concern, my major concern in terms in challenging for a premiership is our lack geninue tall quality forwards other than Jarrad Waite who will be 28 next year.

Our major two concerns are centre half back and centre half forward, Watson looks a good prospect who should improve over the next two years, however what are our options to beef up attack to mount a serious challenge next year, bearing in mind two of our key players Waite & Judd will be 28 next season.

Although Mitchell is a prospect he does have some strong question marks on his body, and Henderson really to me looks more likely to be a 2nd or 3rd tall option.

Be interested to hear people's thoughts.

 

[JuddsABlue]

In regards to beating a contender, the Cats game can be considered extremely unluckly and both games against the Pies we were competitive but outplayed/coached by the best side in the comp. We lost by less than 20 by making fundemental mistakes and missing 2 of our key players so its not that bad. We havent played Hawks yet and the Eagles was disappointing. Its not as bad as people make it out to be

In terms of beating the contenders we need to get better against the press and this falls on Ratten. We didnt show anything today, our biggest stuff ups all came from kick ins and trying to get out. We need major work on that

In terms of us, I still dont know who our tall forward is even after today. Is it Thornton, Krueze, Twomey? He needs to pick one of these mugs and sit his ass in the goal square and let the rest work around him

Gibbs can be a real wildcard playing all his time in the midfield, showed amazing class today. Must stick with Warnock for the rest of the year. I like Lachies work, I dont mind playing Yaz as a swingman, he moved the ball well inside 50.

Above all else, we need to win the next 3 and then a big game against Freo over there

 

[zeeCFC]

Fringe personnel, mental strength, further drilling of game plan. All I wanted this year was a top 6 spot. I did change my wishlist after a few weeks but the improvement we've seen in our kids is pleasing.

 

[CUG81]

Add waite, jamison, russell, carrazzo and start bower in todays team and i reckon we'd be a different team.

we have the players and the skills, only our mental strength will be in question, especially come finals time.

Ratten needs to start pulling some rabbits out of a hat during games when it all isnt working for us.

 

[thylacine60]

Remove the club regulation that states all players in the Carlton forward 50 must play behind their men and be no taller than 185cms.

 

[Barry Zuckercorn]

I dunno, I was kinda hoping for a win

But to answer the OP: cut down on the skill errors/turnovers!

 

[Azul]

Basic awareness. Our whole game plan consists of over-possession. Handballing to a teammate in a better position.

Gets us to 5th on the ladder. Simply doesn't work under pressure - holding the ball and turnovers.

 

[Barry Zuckercorn]

Add waite, jamison, russell, carrazzo and start bower in todays team and i reckon we'd be a different team.

While this is true (can also argue for Hampson), lets not forget the fagpies had plenty of outs themselves today. I dont like using injuries as an excuse in general and there's no better example for that than today.

 

[ScarfacePacino]

Although today's result was probably as good as we could have hoped we never seriously looked a chance to win mainly due to our ordinary forward structure.

A month ago most of us we of the belief that we were on track for a top 4 spot, however based on our draw and the improvement in West Coast Eagles we now look likely to finish around 5th in another cut throat final, let's hope we can at least gain a home final by finishing 5th.

We are still yet to beat a geninue contender which is a concern, my major concern in terms in challenging for a premiership is our lack geninue tall quality forwards other than Jarrad Waite who will be 28 next year.

Our major two concerns are centre half back and centre half forward, Watson looks a good prospect who should improve over the next two years, however what are our options to beef up attack to mount a serious challenge next year, bearing in mind two of our key players Waite & Judd will be 28 next season.

Although Mitchell is a prospect he does have some strong question marks on his body, and Henderson really to me looks more likely to be a 2nd or 3rd tall option.

Be interested to hear people's thoughts.

Jarrad Waite will not be 28 next year he will be near 30. He Will be 29, born February 1983. This is a very big concern as the older you get the more likely you get more Injuries pulling all the weight. The club has no choice and to bite the bullet and do what we done to get Judd. The players like MCcarthy and Mitchell may take 5 years to finally get their. We just have to trade someone good and even cough up our first pick. This has to be done or Judd recruitment on us winning a flag is wasted. There no way you can rely Andrew walker to play as a key forward or think Eddie Betts can do it. They both are capable on the forward flank, but you need a strong tall forward 2 of them if possible.

I felt sorry today more for Janine Pratt giving the cup to Collingwood for the 5th time in a row and it was our best shot today, the way they played, but we had nothing up the guts except players not capable, but it's not their fault it's the recruiters.

 

[CUG81]

While this is true (can also argue for Hampson), lets not forget the fagpies had plenty of outs themselves today. I dont like using injuries as an excuse in general and there's no better example for that than today.

i agree, injuries should not be an excuse but if cloke and tarrant were missing today, their two best KPD and KPFs, i think they may have struggled as well.

and when you have decent backup in setanta, hampson as forward options or even white in defence and they are missing, i reckon it is just too hard to recover.

ScarfacePacino, the thing with Waite is that although hemay be nearing 30, as long as he plays out at FF, i think he still has at leats another 3 good seasons left in him.

 

[Pafloyul]

Jarrad Waite will not be 28 next year he will be near 30. He Will be 29 born February 1983. This is a very big concern as the older you get the more likely you get more Injuries pulling all the weight. The club has no choice and to bite the bullet and do what we done to get Judd. The players like MCcarthy and Mitchell may take 5 years to finally get their. We just have to trade someone good and even cough up our first pick. This has to be done or Judd recruitment on us winning a flag is wasted.

Then 'said' recruit gets injured and we are back to square one only with less depth coming through. By god, we'd better be careful on just who we'd rate in that role although I'd hazard a guess that our lesser players have more to do with our lack of success in bigger games rather than simply not having some 'so, so' player inhabiting the forward line.

 

[Blue Dawn]

Remove the club regulation that states all players in the Carlton forward 50 must play behind their men and be no taller than 185cms.

Two words KEY FORWARD. That is all.....

Put Cloke in our forward half today we win.

 

[Pafloyul]

Two words KEY FORWARD. That is all.....

Put Cloke in our forward half today we win.

...But we're not getting Cloke.

 

[HeziBarecket]

Our forward line has fallen apart after being so lauded.

When our structures are right we ARE a top4 side, but it shows how easily that gets stuffed up and how far we have to go to fix that - what with Waite and Jamo and even Setanta out - we are suddenly a mid table rabble. I mean that is just crap and it show lack of planning and skill in our coaching and match committee.

Last week against bloody Footescray our forward line was a shambles, we were getting inside 50s and kicking to nothing. Eddie Betts with his pants down, Even this week it was a struggle. This is a worry and we won't even beat Essenscum at this rate.

I think it's about time our recruitment goes hard at getting some quality older players. I mean we have had some handy pickups as rookies and whatnot, but we need some seasoned campaigners to fill us out.

McClean is a bloody dud and we wasted picks on him. Houla is finished, toilet, thank goodness he's gone. We got that dude from Richmond who looks like another dud. Where are we gonna build forward depth?

Why is it the Scum and Sh!tKilda and Swans and Geelong get handy seasoned pickups and we don't? Can't we get a Tippet or someone from an interstate club to bulk out and improve our structure?

 

[mightymightyblues]

Two words KEY FORWARD. That is all.....

Put Cloke in our forward half today we win.

+1 Likes this

 

[Korn]

- Go hard at the ball.
- Effective tackling. No point of just grabbing someone hips and let them do a handball.
- Defensive pressure, not just from defenders, it's everyone across the board.
- Contributions of 22 players, not just the star players.

Unfortunately Collingwood is doing all of the above pretty well.

 

[Donstuie]

Improve the strength and conditioning of our tall players so we're not always having to cover cracks in our structure while they're on the sidelines.

Pretty much every tall on our list has suffered at least one long-term injury at some stage, and it's almost always shoulder or knee. Has to be a way we can improve this.

 

[Barry Zuckercorn]

Two words KEY FORWARD. That is all.....

Put Cloke in our forward half today we win.

Agreed 100%

I cant believe Robbie Balls after the game today was saying our midfield and forward line are fine, our key weakness is our defence... Robbie what are you smoking! If our side is crying out for something it's a ****ing KPF! Our defence was the issue... maybe 3 years ago.

 

[thylacine60]

K-Man and 11 just aren't holding their marks. Look at how Jolly clunked all day today.

 

[Domenic Fotia]

How about just contesting marks in the forward. Even a contest that brings the ball to ground would be good.

How faraway the Irishman ??

 

[Hardballget5]

IMO the only thing we lack is games, I think we really saw a small insight into how good Robbie Warnock will be today he just needs a couple Pre-seasons that dont kick off with a shoulder op so he can hit the weights and build some upper body strength, I saw Robbo again really spark it in the 3rd and cant wait to see him turn games consistently, Hendo as the Second tall in the backline could be a real deal which would release a fully fit Bower to really run off the third tall, Kruize needs time to come back from his knee and he will be the perfect ruck forward as he gets to the right places creates the contest but just lacks the maturity to clunk that big mark consistently, Duigan will become a real general down back along side Jamo.

We are on the right track. No Passengers.

 

[Beloved]

Decision making and disposal is what is holding the current team back. Sort that out and we're instantly more dangerous.

 

[AlecDuncan]

Contested marking.

 

[CFC16]

This is where the improvement we come in the future. You don't win premierships without a spine.

FF - Mitchell
CHF - Henderson
CHB - McCarthy
FB - Watson.

 

[ScarfacePacino]

This is where the improvement we come in the future. You don't win premierships without a spine.

FF - Mitchell
CHF - Henderson
CHB - McCarthy
FB - Watson.

Yes but you need to have a couple more, just to keep them all honest, and in case a few don't make it, the most likely case of injuries.