Review Round 18, 2025 - Carlton vs. Brisbane Lions

[Elixuh]

yeah its two guys but only one is a constant - he has the fans video call into his show postgame on youtube. the rotating cast of true carlton believers.

Post-game SEN and 3AW just aren't hitting the spot anymore. All of the anger from Blues fans has largely dissipated after the Norf loss. It is now just despair. Which is still good - I'm not complaining - but it isn't as satisfying.

 

[Viceregal]

Post-game SEN and 3AW just aren't hitting the spot anymore. All of the anger from Blues fans has largely dissipated after the Norf loss. It is now just despair. Which is still good - I'm not complaining - but it isn't as satisfying.

I remember when we got to that point and the future looked like an unending opportunity to feed our young men to become Victorian household names ... not sure as many people would have enjoyed it as the delight folks have is delicious Blue tears...

 

[Happy_Neale]

Carlton very much have a Brisbane 2011-2013 feel about them IMO albeit with slightly more wins

 

[On the quiet]

Lester beat Curnow hands down. The fact that Curnow had to run to half back to get a couple of touches was a win for us. Lester basically took him out of the game. Curnow upfield means no Curnow inside 50, rendering Carlton a KPF down. Watch these highlights to see some of Lester’s great work. Curnow only looked half a chance when Gardiner was on him. I like Gardiner and am happy for him to be in the team, but he is not in Lester’s class, especially in the air and on the deck.

Mini-Match: Carlton v Brisbane

Extended highlights of the Blues and Lions clash in round 18 of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season

www.afl.com.au

You must monitor every post regarding Lester. I don't need to watch the highlights because I watched the entire game. I was referring to the first Q. when Curnow took a couple strong marks down the line. My post was primarily that Lester stays, but I would have Dizzy as the lockdown under the post KPB. But your Lester bias again has you defending him, when my post was more aligned to Dizzy being the best option for the lockdown role, on the bigger forwards.

 

[Nathan Barley]

Very interesting votes

Carlton v Brisbane
10 Josh Dunkley

5

Josh Dunkley

Age

29

Ht

191cm

Wt

87kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.8

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

11.3

5star

M

4.3

4star

T

5.8

5star

CL

3.2

5star

D

20.7

5star

K

7.0

3star

HB

13.7

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

5.3

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

14.2

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

7.0

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

4.0

5star

CL

1.4

4star

BL
5 Jarrod Berry

7

Jarrod Berry

Age

28

Ht

193cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.4

4star

K

8.5

3star

HB

8.9

5star

M

3.9

4star

T

4.2

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

17.0

4star

K

9.4

4star

HB

7.6

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

5.1

5star

CL

2.9

4star

D

10.6

3star

K

4.4

2star

HB

6.2

4star

M

1.8

2star

T

2.8

5star

CL

0.8

3star

BL
4 Darcy Wilmot BL
3 Zac Bailey

33

Zac Bailey

Age

26

Ht

181cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.7

3star

K

6.9

3star

HB

5.9

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.2

4star

CL

0.9

3star

D

12.9

3star

K

7.3

3star

HB

5.6

3star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.4

3star

CL

0.7

3star

D

13.4

4star

K

6.6

3star

HB

6.8

5star

M

3.2

4star

T

2.8

5star

CL

0.6

3star

BL
3 Cameron Rayner

16

Cameron Rayner

Age

26

Ht

187cm

Wt

93kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.4

3star

K

6.2

2star

HB

5.2

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.4

4star

G

0.9

4star

D

11.3

3star

K

5.8

2star

HB

5.5

3star

M

3.1

3star

T

3.0

4star

G

1.0

4star

D

10.8

3star

K

6.4

3star

HB

4.4

4star

M

2.4

3star

T

2.2

4star

G

0.8

4star

BL
3 Lachie Neale

9

Lachie Neale

Age

32

Ht

177cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

27.0

5star

K

11.5

4star

HB

15.5

5star

M

4.0

4star

T

3.7

5star

CL

5.9

5star

D

28.3

5star

K

13.9

5star

HB

14.4

5star

M

4.6

4star

T

4.0

5star

CL

5.9

5star

D

12.0

3star

K

4.6

2star

HB

7.4

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

1.0

3star

CL

0.4

3star

BL
2 Dayne Zorko

15

Dayne Zorko

Age

37

Ht

175cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.4

5star

K

13.2

5star

HB

8.2

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

6.0

5star

MG

440.5

5star

D

14.0

3star

K

9.0

4star

HB

5.0

3star

M

2.0

2star

T

5.0

5star

MG

291.0

4star

D

16.4

4star

K

9.8

4star

HB

6.6

4star

M

5.2

5star

T

6.6

5star

BL

 

[Viceregal]

Very interesting votes

Carlton v Brisbane
10 Josh Dunkley BL
5 Jarrod Berry BL
4 Darcy Wilmot BL
3 Zac Bailey BL
3 Cameron Rayner BL
3 Lachie Neale BL
2 Dayne Zorko BL

Perfect balance of Lions and non-Lions players there

 

[KissKiss]

I do personally think he is a very one dimensional coach.
Not particularly sure he has what it takes tbh.

I consider him in the group with Leppa and Buckley. They seem to be good football brains and good line coaches, but dont seem to be able to pull it all together as a head coach.

 

[martinson]

I consider him in the group with Leppa and Buckley. They seem to be good football brains and good line coaches, but dont seem to be able to pull it all together as a head coach.

Coaching's a tough gig. Hafey, Barassi and Kennedy plus countless others were all one dimensional and managed to get great results. It was their way or the highway.

I think in this era ,say post 2000 the assistant coaches are an underrated and crucial facet of your coaching outcomes. Look at the assistants Hardwick had at his disposal. They play a critical role not only in pre match conditioning and development but especially tactics.

The head coach wears the outcomes of success or failure but these days without top assistants you won't get anywhere.

I suppose I'm not telling anyone anything but I reckon there's more to the Voss story that meets the eye and it's not on him. Carlton is notorious for infighting. It's filtered through to the playing group , no doubt.

 

[M Malice]

I consider him in the group with Leppa and Buckley. They seem to be good football brains and good line coaches, but dont seem to be able to pull it all together as a head coach.

I'd put Leppa in the "worst" category out of those 3.

In hindsight I think Vossy did a pretty good job with us considering how weak our list(which he mistakenly overrated) and off field administration was. IIRC Vossy has the best winning percentage out of the recent crop of Blues coaches... with another top heavy/weak list.

Buckley was within a Dom Sheed kick of being a Premiership coach, had a 5-7 finals record so clearly the best of the 3. IMO he is a good chance of getting the Devils gig.

 

[3KZ is Football]

You must monitor every post regarding Lester. I don't need to watch the highlights because I watched the entire game. I was referring to the first Q. when Curnow took a couple strong marks down the line. My post was primarily that Lester stays, but I would have Dizzy as the lockdown under the post KPB. But your Lester bias again has you defending him, when my post was more aligned to Dizzy being the best option for the lockdown role, on the bigger forwards.

Down the line? I think you mean at half back. It was the only way he was going to get a touch. When he matched up on Curnow, Lester killed him.

Would you play Gardiner on Jeremy Cameron if we met Geelong in the Finals? I wouldn’t.

 

[Denno]

Down the line? I think you mean at half back. It was the only way he was going to get a touch. When he matched up on Curnow, Lester killed him.

Nope.

Would you play Gardiner on Jeremy Cameron if we met Geelong in the Finals? I wouldn’t.

I don't think anyone is arguing that (although we'd need a second option, considering he had 4 kicked on him last matchup).

Lester simply needs to continue in his 3rd defender role. Gardiner replaces Payne, and picks up the opposition #1 or #2 key forward.

Again, On the Quiet is correct (as are a number of others).

 

[Nathan Barley]

Nope.



I don't think anyone is arguing that (although we'd need a second option, considering he had 4 kicked on him last matchup).

Lester simply needs to continue in his 3rd defender role. Gardiner replaces Payne, and picks up the opposition #1 or #2 key forward.

Again, On the Quiet is correct (as are a number of others).

I’m pretty sure Dizzy has played well on him before. He hadn’t kicked 4 in a match against us since 2017. He’d only kicked 16 goals in his previous 9 games against us prior to 2024.

He played pretty well in the prelim last year just didn’t kick straight.

 

[Denno]

I’m pretty sure Dizzy has played well on him before. He hadn’t kicked 4 in a match against us since 2017. He’d only kicked 16 goals in his previous 9 games against us prior to 2024.

He played pretty well in the prelim last year just didn’t kick straight.

Yep - Gardiner kept him to 1 goal both times he matched up on him (including the bloodbath Prelim in 2022).

I want to steer it away from Gardiner v Lester though - it's purely about getting our matchups and balance right overall.

 

[KissKiss]

I'd put Leppa in the "worst" category out of those 3.

In hindsight I think Vossy did a pretty good job with us considering how weak our list(which he mistakenly overrated) and off field administration was. IIRC Vossy has the best winning percentage out of the recent crop of Blues coaches... with another top heavy/weak list.

Buckley was within a Dom Sheed kick of being a Premiership coach, had a 5-7 finals record so clearly the best of the 3. IMO he is a good chance of getting the Devils gig.

I agree with everything you said there, but still just think they are all better with smaller groups and are missing that extra something to help pull the whole club together. All are inspiring especially as on field leaders, but seem not to be able to teach and inspire the whole club in the same way as a coach.

Definitely something about star players who found it easy, struggle to teach it to others who dont find it as easy.

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

Post-game SEN and 3AW just aren't hitting the spot anymore. All of the anger from Blues fans has largely dissipated after the Norf loss. It is now just despair. Which is still good - I'm not complaining - but it isn't as satisfying.

I never find that stuff very interesting myself, it seems very performative. All these fans trying to out-outrage each other, with the station encouraging them to do their worst and kick their club while it's down ("call in and vent your frustrations Carlton fans!!"). I guarantee you each one of those callers has contacted their friends to listen in while they simulate an aneurysm on live radio. There's a lack of genuineness to it that makes it not very compelling, to me anyway. To each their own I guess

 

[Elixuh]

I never find that stuff very interesting myself, it seems very performative. All these fans trying to out-outrage each other, with the station encouraging them to do their worst and kick their club while it's down ("call in and vent your frustrations Carlton fans!!"). I guarantee you each one of those callers has contacted their friends to listen in while they simulate an aneurysm on live radio. There's a lack of genuineness to it that makes it not very compelling, to me anyway. To each their own I guess

I think you're underselling how emotionally brittle some people who follow the footy are. You just need to read some of the stuff that is posted on this website. Its the same people just in verbal form.

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

I think you're underselling how emotionally brittle some people who follow the footy are. You just need to read some of the stuff that is posted on this website. Its the same people just in verbal form.

A lot of that is performative too I suspect. A lot of BigFooty is posters who want to be the main character. If you want to stand out from the milling crowd it helps to be able to say things that get people talking. (I'm probably doing it now to be honest, albeit to my usual low-to-modest level of success )

 

[Whatamark]

A lot of that is performative too I suspect. A lot of BigFooty is posters who want to be the main character. If you want to stand out from the milling crowd it helps to be able to say things that get people talking. (I'm probably doing it now to be honest, albeit to my usual low-to-modest level of success )

That's a pretty bleak view of humanity, I don't doubt that a few are like that and must be very floggish indeed to be so performative - and to put it on for such "notice" is incredibly lame/sad.

But surely generally I would have thought that most ppl have genuine emotion and thoughts they just want to share to know/show that they are not alone in an uncaring universe.

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

That's a pretty bleak view of humanity, I don't doubt that a few are like that and must be very floggish indeed to be so performative - and to put it on for such "notice" is incredibly lame/sad.

But surely generally I would have thought that most ppl have genuine emotion and thoughts they just want to share to know/show that they are not alone in an uncaring universe.

You're probably right. I can get a bit too cynical at times.

 

[Elixuh]

A lot of that is performative too I suspect. A lot of BigFooty is posters who want to be the main character. If you want to stand out from the milling crowd it helps to be able to say things that get people talking. (I'm probably doing it now to be honest, albeit to my usual low-to-modest level of success )

I feel personally attacked

 

[Nunez]

I feel personally attacked

For what it's worth I love both you and BrainOfMorbius on this board. It's been so long since we've had a Billy Puller v Leemas dynamic and I'm here for it.

 

[Viceregal]

I feel personally attacked

To quote Lady Jessica in Dune... "My son displays a general garment and you claim it's cut to fit ... how interesting"

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

For what it's worth I love both you and BrainOfMorbius on this board. It's been so long since we've had a Billy Puller v Leemas dynamic and I'm here for it.

I'm not sure which one of those I'm meant to be, but I feel slightly insulted either way

 

[morsie]

Funniest thing I've seen for ages on Front Bar. Watched the match on zayo so didn't see this.Roaming Brian looking for Fages who is right in front of him .BT either doesn't see him or doesn't recognise him.Hysterical.