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Just watching the replay of the finals loss to brissy.

One thing that really stands out is how sh!t stevens was. In fact he was pretty sh!t the whole season. He was overweight, soft and just playing without a shread of passion.

Alot of opposition supporters, media and even the tab (1.90 to make the 8!) are under estimating us because we have no fev, stevo, judds out for 3 games.

But we have Waite back, Mclean (should be a massive improvement on the 09 stevo), 206 and Hendolenko. Add that to the fact that our team is full of youngsters who will naturally improve with age (not just the 3 no1s).

IMO we will be a better team than last year, and although we had a dream draw last year, I believe we will win more games this year. Top 4 here we come.
 
May 29, 2009
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It is great to bring Waite, McLean, Warnock and Hendo in on top of the development of the young guys.

The week before the Brisbane game, against Adelaide Stevens was on fire in the first quarter and was pretty much the reason for the four goal lead. Late in the quarter he copped a pretty hard, high knock which is the reason he drifted out of that game so quickly and couldn't go hard against Brisbane. That hit effectively ended his career.

I also believe that the list as a whole is better than last year.
 

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Yeah I didn't mean to grave dance on Stevo, he was a solid servant during our darkest days. However, I just feel like his 09 wasn't great and that by adding Mclean we will be far better off.
 

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Our fortunes are going to rest pretty solidly on how we cover the loss of Fev. I reckon there were enough games last year where he didn't make a significant contribution and yet we still scored well to give us reason to hope. I guess it's just going to come down to how consistently we can do that in 2010.

It seems there's no doubt that our defence will continue their improvement ... if we can keep the core defenders on the park!

And the midfield, well 3 in the top 10 in the Brownlow for 2009 kinda speaks for itself and we've added to that, with McLean and Warnock (hopefully).
 

40yearBLUE

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Now this is my kinda thread. Could not agree more with all the posts here. We could also see a rookie or 2 shine for us like we did last year, and also whilst I have no evidence, I have a feeling Yarran may well show why he was so highly rated before his draft. We have a far better list this year than last, and far more upside. I cant wait for it to show out on the ground. :thumbsu::footy::thumbsu:
 
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Just watching the replay of the finals loss to brissy.
Rich was nowhere to be seen in this game with Walker holding him until the very last quarter.

If Yarran had dropped a sitter (Rich nearly cost them a goal after he ducked his head and dropped the mark) and turned it over straight to Betts in two separate plays, it would have ended up on Youtube. :rolleyes:

Garlett and Betts nearly made Rich pay for his errors.

I thought Sherman hurt us more than Rich in that game with his power running and taking the game on.

I think it was Russell who gave Sherman far too much space in that match.

Our midfield cost us this game with their lack of accountability and support for our backline.

Grigg will be a very good player.

Grigga was good around the stoppages and on the HBF with his ability to release teammates with a quick handball.

Beautiful roving of one tap off Kreuzer's hands in a pack and quick release of the sweeper after seeing his teammate out of the corner of his eye.

Grigg's hands were very clean compared to his kicking.

Fired off a great 20 metre handpass to another teammate sweeping through the middle after holding onto it and waiting for a runner to present. Disposal by foot will improve to his 2008 level if he has a full pre-season without injury. I'd like to see Grigga in the middle ahead of Hadley because he has legspeed and size.
 

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Now this is my kinda thread. Could not agree more with all the posts here. We could also see a rookie or 2 shine for us like we did last year, and also whilst I have no evidence, I have a feeling Yarran may well show why he was so highly rated before his draft. We have a far better list this year than last, and far more upside. I cant wait for it to show out on the ground. :thumbsu::footy::thumbsu:

I was actually a bit pissed off with the OP's unneccesary pot shot at Nick Stevens, he has been carrying around with him for the past 3 or 4 years a crippling neck injury which had the potential to have made him a paraplegic for the rest of his life.

Frankly a lot of his weight issues and perceived drop in form can be attirbuted mainly to that neck injury. Calling him overweight, soft and playing without passion is so disrespectful to a man who gave this club several years of solid good service in an mostly bleak era for the club.

And for the record, I think 2010 may be a case of taking one step backwards to go two feet fowards (with regards to development and restructuring of the foward line)

The way I see it, 2010 is a development year, finals would be a bonus, but I'm just wanting to see the likes of Scotland and Houlihan phased out for the likes of talented and ready made kids like Kane Lucas, and more games into Yarran etc.

You have to remember this club now are a team of kids mostly and as such, it's unfair to place high expecations, just let them enjoy their footy education without any over-zealous expecations or criticisms during the inevitable times when they will struggle as the season wears on.
I'm also very worried about our draw for the start of the season, aside from Richmond in rnd 1, it's a pretty hard schedule for the following month or so.
 
I think that this will be the year that Gibbs and Smurf make the step up to elite level and really start destroying opposition midfields with Judd becoming the link man between the two of them.

Last year, as has been noted, Fev did score a lot of goals, but there were a few games when he was held and the rest of the team lifted to win the game without him. Our forward line was bascially one dimensional and when we tried to introduce a player who was starting to look like the missing piece to our CHF puzzle, Fev smashed him and basically finished his season. Setanta is going to go on and become our starting CHF. He wont have to worry about Hendo smashing into him because Hendo is going to be working the FF position and will turn into our new power forward and is a much more team orientated player.

Our defence has long been our weak point and last year showed our lack of depth in that department, but this year, we have picked up a couple of good players who can slot straight into that defence and bolster it with out a problem. I think that Waite will still play a part in the defensive structure, but I feel that Aussie will turn into our CHB with Bower becoming our rebounding HBF.

Hoops will still have a role to play but as Yarran starts getting more games into him and more experience, he will slowly become a depth player coming off the bench more and more towards the end of the season as Yaz establishes himself as one of our HFF's with either Garlett or Betts playing on our other flank or in the pocket.

All our new recruits are solid ready to play sort of guys and will undoubtedly get a few games this year to introduce them to the AFL and let them know what the whole deal is about. Our rookies will spend this year playing for the ants with the occasional game with the blues and in 2-3 years when the club is really hitting their straps, they will be ready to slot straight into the side.

With the corrupted draft over the next couple of years, some of our lesser lights or players, like Sauce, could end up as trade bait to GC17 or GWS for low picks.

Our team has sufficient depth at the moment that in the next 2 drafts, we could realistically look at true development players who will come into contention in about 3-4 years time.

Despite all the s**t that the HUN is trying to lay on us at the moment, Carlton are a team in ascendancy and we start coming into contention in 2011/2012 and will be at the top until close to the end of this decade.

Lets go Carlton... bring on #17 and beyond
 
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I was actually a bit pissed off with the OP's unneccesary pot shot at Nick Stevens, he has been carrying around with him for the past 3 or 4 years a crippling neck injury which had the potential to have made him a paraplegic for the rest of his life.

Kreuzering already apologized and said it was not his intention to bag Stevens.

Fair call on his injuries, most of us understand that, would it be fair to say that injuries are also the reason we haven't seen the best of Andrew Walker? Yet you constantly bag him.
 

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I thought Sherman hurt us more than Rich in that game with his power runnning and taking the game on.

I think it was Russell who gave Sherman far too much space in that match.

Agreed. But one player for Brisbane that started their comeback and really punished us (yet doesn't really ever get much credit these days for some reason) is Luke Power. If you follow the 2nd half closer, watch how many times he is involved in 'critical' passages of play. In my mind he turned that game (some rave how Simon Black, keeps on keeping on, but Power is never mentioned anymore) with his rebounds and delivery into the forward line.

Further to this, he ALWAYS carves us up and thrives playing against CFC some reason.

I'd like to see someone like AJ keep him in close check this year.
 
Positive thread.

Yeh there;s a lot to like about us for 2010 , some pundits are writing us off already, due to the negative press, but the positives way outway the negatives. We're the surprise packet, I reckon we'll come rampaging home in the later part of the season.

Really looking forward to the development of our young guys, a hard start to the season some say, but really every game is tough.

We are the surpise packet.:thumbsu:
 
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My guess is at some stage this year we get on a 5-6 game streak where we look brilliant, but overall we should aim for where we finished last year in a "continued development" year.

The team overall is still so young, that many players are a few years off their peak. But I'd be hoping for continued improvement and more consistency from Bower, Yarran, Walker, Gibbs (yes, more), Kreuzer, Hampson, Austin, Jamison, Russell, Setanta, plus the addition of McLean as a major cog in the middle and Hendo as a wildcard up forward. This will help offset the loss of Fev and other "negatives" going into this year.

The forward line is basically a knock-down re-build, but that's OK. I'd like to think that by the end of the year we have a forward 6 that will be our combo for the next few years - that would be a good outcome for 2010.

Whilst I think there is a chance we slip, I think our midfield will monster some teams this year in a way only a few teams can, making the game one-way traffic. If we can also get better at our defensive midfield work, maybe a pieced-together forward line will be enough, enough of the time.
 

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The thing I look forward to the most is seeing our forward line stick it right up all those doubters (Quite a few on this board).

We will be far less predictable now that "you know who" is no longer there. Opposition coach's will have a lot more to think about other than just double teaming him. We will have quite a few more avenues to goal now and if Hendo can stand up and become a target we will be very hard to match up on in the fwd line.

I'm with 30year about yarran. I think this year he will repay the faith that Ratts has shown in him and have a cracker.

We are Carlton f**k the rest.
 

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Neck aside C_P, it is well known that he loved a beer and a pizza, he became unprofessional is what you menat to say....

Know him well did you?

There are those of us who appreciated the service Nick Stevens gave CFC.

Enough negative BS on someone who is no longer with the club through no fault of his own. :thumbsdown:
 

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Know him well did you?

There are those of us who appreciated the service Nick Stevens gave CFC.

Enough negative BS on someone who is no longer with the club through no fault of his own. :thumbsdown:



Fair enough I was pretty negative on stevo.


However, besides an occasional flash of brilliance, Stevo IMO has not done much since his first neck problems (2007). Even before that he never appeared to be the to much of a clubman. I recall watching him in the 2s last year where his effort was less than inspiring, not even speaking to the younger less exepriencied players at 3qr time when they were a couple of goals down in a close game. Pherhaps he just lost the fire?

I think alot of us remember the 04 to 06 stevo and the "idea" of him with judd and the no1s was exciting, however I believe we lost Stevo long before the end of the 09 season.

Thats just my opinion and yes it is negative towards stevo. However with Mclean at 23, ready made and walking into his spot we will be much better off. Not just on field but off field also as Mclean looks like he will make a great leader of the club in the future.

My point is

- 09 stevo + 2010 Mclean = Carlton better football club
 
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Agreed. But one player for Brisbane that started their comeback and really punished us (yet doesn't really ever get much credit these days for some reason) is Luke Power. If you follow the 2nd half closer, watch how many times he is involved in 'critical' passages of play. In my mind he turned that game (some rave how Simon Black, keeps on keeping on, but Power is never mentioned anymore) with his rebounds and delivery into the forward line.

Further to this, he ALWAYS carves us up and thrives playing against CFC some reason.

I'd like to see someone like AJ keep him in close check this year.
I'd reserve Steven Browne for the one paced players if we need a tagger, then send AJ out to take the quicker midfielders or small forwards.

Their mids kept getting in behind our backs to find plenty of space to run into and mark uncontested, then hit up another player. Gibbs, Grigg, Judd, Murphy, Simpson, et al, really need to tighten up and run back harder to support our defenders. We did it in the second quarter, but they ddropped off after half time and fell back into the pattern of playing one way football.

Defensive pressure will improve if Houlihan isn't a regular in our best 22.

Houlihan and Stevens let two slow coaches in Johnstone and Rich waltz away from them at critical stages of the game.

In: Robinson Yarran defensive pressure
Out: Houlihan Stevens unaccountable players

Garlett's pick up at pace and spin to hit Fevola on the tit was special.

The goal Garlett kicked sprinting through the middle after receiving it in the middle was Campo like.

Get Garlett, Yarran and Betts at the feet of Hampson if he's forward.

Hammer almost always created a 50-50 contest after leading up and hitting the ball at the highest point.

Hammer will be huge. :thumbsu:
 
- 09 stevo + 2010 Mclean = Carlton better football club

The only problem I see with your theory K-ring is that you can't really say McLean is a replacement for Stevo.

While Stevo didn't provide the same mid-field contribution in his last couple of years, one thing he definitely did provide was poise, decision making ability and quality disposal off the HBF.

This is the thing we have to replace, because I can't see it being provided by the likes of Bower or Armfield (you can't count Scotland as a replacement, cos he's already been doing it). Therefore, I think it's vital that JR continue the improvement he showed in 09, or Houlihan finally steps up to the plate and deliver some (consistent) form that's comensurate with his skills.
 

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TheGeneral;16686420 [B said:
If Yarran had dropped a sitter (Rich nearly cost them a goal after he ducked his head and dropped the mark) and turned it over straight to Betts in two separate plays, it would have ended up on Youtube. :rolleyes:
[/B]

Do not care what they think, I don't hate Carlton but I don't like them either and I saw Yarran for playing for the Bullants (first final maybe) and I just know he will be a menace deep forward/bursts onball. You guys will have the last laugh i'm sure of it mate.

Ignore the trolls.
 

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Fair enough I was pretty negative on stevo.


However, besides an occasional flash of brilliance, Stevo IMO has not done much since his first neck problems (2007). Even before that he never appeared to be the to much of a clubman. I recall watching him in the 2s last year where his effort was less than inspiring, not even speaking to the younger less exepriencied players at 3qr time when they were a couple of goals down in a close game. Pherhaps he just lost the fire?

I think alot of us remember the 04 to 06 stevo and the "idea" of him with judd and the no1s was exciting, however I believe we lost Stevo long before the end of the 09 season.

Thats just my opinion and yes it is negative towards stevo. However with Mclean at 23, ready made and walking into his spot we will be much better off. Not just on field but off field also as Mclean looks like he will make a great leader of the club in the future.

My point is

- 09 stevo + 2010 Mclean = Carlton better football club

I have no issue with constructive criticism. However, I get p1ssed off when a 'supporter' makes throw away comments like 'unprofessional'.

Yes Stevo wasn't the same player after he injured his neck, but he still managed to get a lot of the ball, regularly putting the ball on the chest or to the advantage of a team-mate with arguably the best foot disposal in the team. He also regularly kicked team-lifting goals, either breaking from the centre and slotting one through on the run, or backing himself to kick them from a set shot around 50m mark (which a lot more of our younger guys need to do), nailing them 90% of the time.

People seem to forget he missed his brother's wedding just to play in a NAB Cup final. That's professionalism for you.

As for Brock McClean, I'll reserve my judgement of him until I see him in the Navy Blue. Yeah he was a good player fro Melbourne, and seems to be a man on a mission at training, but I'd prefer to wait and see if he lets his football do the talking (I'm sure he will). However, he cannot really be 'a replacement' for Stevens as they are completely different.
 
People seem to forget he missed his brother's wedding just to play in a NAB Cup final. That's professionalism for you.
Times change though. In the last few years, and especially when Judd got the captaincy ahead of him the "dedication to the cause" started to wane a little.

I think part of the NAB cup thing might well have been the fact that he so clearly wanted to go to the Pies and ended up at the Blues and was bagged by many of our supporters from day 1......I think maybe that was his way of trying to win over some support......and it worked to an extent.

But he can't use that to hide from the fact that as someone who would have considered himself the best for the captaincy couldn't present himself in a fit state for pre-season.


Anyway, old ground.............and thank god Blue skies isn't here anymore. :D
 

40yearBLUE

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Having trouble with this thread.

I develop a nervous twitch everytime I read "Blue skies"............I have it for a couple of years now.

Lighten up Bb even Tigers fans think their side is a show in the off season. :D
 

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