Toast The Positive thread: now with 2020 vision

[Arr0w]

2019

 

[Stefchook]

Disclaimer - Baseless positivity puff piece...

I’m usually pretty upbeat at this point of the year and excited about the season ahead. You know before the season starts, the losses mount and the realisation that we’re still shit sets in.
Feels different this off season though. Positivity level is definitely up quite a few notches on the norm.
Is it the fit, ripped bodies of the playing group? Or the look of determination and commitment on the faces of the boys? Perhaps it’s the addition of Russell and his program and the apparent player buy in? And of course there’s the upbeat and informative insights of those attending the training sessions which are so greatly appreciated.
Not sure, could simply be I’m just happy it’s Friday arvo after a long first week back at work..
Nah, it’s not just that. It all adds up to our Blues building something really special. Feel we’re going to have a ripper year.

The fact the club is actually allowing us to see training can only help.

 

[Soapy V]

Walsh
Cuningham
SPS

JLT starts this week
Just over 3 weeks until Round One

 

[Dadda Dave]

Walsh
Cuningham
SPS

JLT starts this week
Just over 3 weeks until Round One

You can probably throw your nephew amongst those names Soapy!!
Charlie ,Harry &Pow wow to boot..

 

[TooBlue14]

Kruezer being ready for round 1 by the sounds of it is incredibly positive. We all know if he plays he’s fit coz Russell would not allow him to go in less conditioned. When kruezer plays we are a much better side. He gives his everything.

 

[gbatman]

Sounds like we will be getting a few important players coming back around 3 or 4 weeks into the season which is alright.

 

[Soapy V]

Setterfield playing practice games already is a massive positive. The fact he seems to be moving well and has no strapping is a great sign. Just really looking forward to seeing him play. Elite talent

 

[james Dean]

Sounds like we will be getting a few important players coming back around 3 or 4 weeks into the season which is alright.

Which 3-4?

 

[CJMB]

Which 3-4?

Apparently Marchbank, Macreadie, Williamson & Lang all expected to be right "sometime early in the season".

 

[gbatman]

Yeah apparently if they are only starting to enter full training around now you would think if they were given around two months they should be in pretty good shape by the end of it. Particularly as they have a reasonable fitness base already.

Being the case you would expect rounds 3-4 as return dates for these players. All comes down to how well they progress and what setbacks may pop up but I would be thinking 3-4 weeks of the main season give or take a week.

Pretty good result really. A lot of other clubs have underdone and struggling players just like we have who are best 22 but have not been a part of full training so this is nothing unusual.

Hopefully we can get off to a reasonable start and build into it this season.

 

[Neese]

Time to get some more positivity happening

Mine from last night:
Setterfield
Newman
Walsh
Gibbons' smother and him making amends for a couple of mistakes
SPS in the 2nd half
Cuningham did some nice things
Plowman and Fisher's tackles on Dusty
2nd and 3rd quarters
Doc supporting Rance after the match
Harry and McGovern got better as the match went on
Bolton saying he loves his players

 

[Neese]

oh forgot Weitering, he was great

 

[therubbernub]

Doc supporting Rance after the match

Nice show of sportsmanship.

 

[Dadda Dave]

I liked Murph winding back the clock on a few occasions and his sportsmanship after the game too..

 

[thylacine60]

Nice show of sportsmanship.

we're not here to make ****ing frien.............ah, bugger it, nice touch..........

 

[Soapy V]

10 year deal with PUMA.

Just keeps getting better and better

 

[JustaBattler]

The team is able to run at AFL levels for longer is my #1 positive takeaway from Richmond game. Once that is bedded down and is proven sustainable against all opponents ( I think we are there) Bolton can concentrate on replacing players with poor execution skills ( ie lack of genuine class) with those that are as fit and execute better. THAT will determine how many games we win now- execution - and will determine which fancy pants high draft picks are going to make it instead of being 'good looking' passengers and baggage.

 

[Neese]

Women's team in the Grand Final.
Regardless of whether they win the place has got to be buzzing right now. This surely flows through to the men's team.

 

[CJMB]

Walsh, Setters, Newman, Weitering, Cripps, the 3rd quarter, 292km, Puma, the ladies in the big dance.

 

[Manhattanite]

The biggest positive after the first two games is that almost every player has shown improvement this year - the only ones who seem to be down are the Curnows, Murphy and Simpson and only Charlie will be around in 2 years time.

So that’s huge - everyone else has shown improvement and the following have all shown they are capable of being elite (All Aussie squad) one day:
Dow, McKay, Setter, SPS, Walsh and Weitering. We already have confirmed elites in Cripps and Docherty. Charlie will get there one day too. So 9 potentially elite players.

Plus we have excellent players in Fisher, Kreuzer, Marchbank, McGovern, Jones and Newman and perhaps Williamson one day.

Even the weaker players in Gibbons, Plowman and Polson have shown enough this season to be better than average players. Add Kennedy, JSOS LOB Stocker TDK and Lang and we have 25 decent players - that’s pretty damn good!





On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[footyfan1978]

Looked in heaps of trouble and unsettled with both Curnow and Murphy off injured at one point. Good signs they fought back and made game of it when in past that was likely to be 15 goal loss or worse in similar circumstances.
Marchbank, Kruezer, Curnow, Docherty, Cuningham, Williamson, Pickett, O'Brien, Kennedy and Silvagni were not out there so the ones that were making headway. Still frustrating but we've finally got enough depth to not fall away badly when we got 5 or 6 of best 22 out.
We still got a long way to go on this journey but we making real inroads for those of us that been sticking fat from the moment hope was renewed when Malthouse and daft old recruiters were gone.

 

[HyphensBack]

Repeat games against St Kilda, Swans, Suns and Doggies bode well
Can still see us winning between 6-10 games but based on the last two weeks we could be in with a chance most weeks. Young kids improving, being our best players each week and setting us up for finals in 2020!

 

[Manhattanite]

Repeat games against St Kilda, Swans, Suns and Doggies bode well
Can still see us winning between 6-10 games but based on the last two weeks we could be in with a chance most weeks. Young kids improving, being our best players each week and setting us up for finals in 2020!

Absolutely - in addition to those 8 repeat games the ones against the Bombers and Roos are also very winnable. And in with a shot against Dockers, Hawks and even Demons plus Crows and Tigers could fall apart by mid season. So 10 very winnable games and another 3-5 with a real shot. 6 wins should really be a minimum and would be a little disappointing seeing how we have started the season.

We probably don’t want to win more than 9 games because it’s better to finish 13th than 9th as we can use an easier draw in 2020 to propel us into finals.




On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Neese]

Women's team making the Grand Final. The crowd on the day, it just kept building and there was a lot of Blues supporters in the crowd. The class of our players. Meeting Susan Alberti. Proud of our team and Maddy, Tayla, Gab, Harrington, Davey winning awards and making the all Australian team. Love our coach and his post match interviews too.

Ed Curnow was great yesterday.
Harry's contested marking record. He is a delight to watch.
McGovern showing glimpses of brilliance. Can't wait until he is fully fit.
Weitering has been excellent this year.
Jones making Franklin sulk.
Starting to get some players back from injury and more to come.
Sam Walsh running from backline to forward. So much class about him and he is only going to improve.
Dow had some great runs out of the centre yesterday. Makes me grin.
Cripps being Cripps.
SPS improving every match and looking for good options when disposing.
Unity around the club.
Andrew Russell, Cain Liddle and Brad Lloyd doing good things.
Membership numbers steadily increasing.

Good times are coming my Carlton supporting friends.

 

[footyfan1978]

SPS, Harry and Walsh.

Midfield looks truly exciting with possible clearance work once they really get used to each other and mature. Dow still looks 18 year old kid but in time those clear runs he gets on will be with more composure.
That other bull to compliment Crippa is all we are missing in there for seasons to come but think we got them on list already so just a matter of get them up and fit to play.

Mitch McGovern was a frustrating trade for me to follow in off season because although I thought he could play a bit, was not sure he type of player we needed. But having seen him three rounds, I am liking what I am seeing more and more as he actually is quite unique as a player. Somebody in media suggested he reminded of Mark Maclure. Now they mention it can see some of that in him. But certainly quicker than Sellers was. Sellers always had presence even though he was not super tall. McGovern has that too about him. Even though very frustrated we lost again it was a nice change to see a player with a bit of injury they did not force back on field and make worse which seem to have been the norm in past years. They took him off and left him off to look after him. That aspect from the football department is a real improvement.