Wickzki
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News Carlton's top-four pledge
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After three years of finals and finishing 5th this year, to improve Top 4 is a must.
That is the expectation and I like that we've stated it publicly, no point denying it.
That is the expectation and I like that we've stated it publicly, no point denying it.
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No point beating around the bush! We all know what is expected of us! The way Ratts said it, he was as if it's written in stone! I was such a good feeling hearing him say it
Yep, must improve. To improve from 5th we need to get into that top 4 and beat top 4 sides.
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I don't see why we shouldn't finish top 4. The only team that I think may cause us problems is Hawthorn, they're really starting to get back to their best and have been a bit of a bogey team for us for the last few years. Maybe playing them at the MCG will suit us better and we can get the job done.
I'm not seeing the Eagles finish top 4, with all their older stars hitting some good form this year, they were able to take advantage of their easy draw. Next year they'll be a year older and unlikely to repeat their form, plus they're bound to lose more matches with a tougher draw. Definitely a team that we can beat anytime, anywhere.
I can see the Pies still being top 4 but IMO they won't be as dominant as the last couple of years. They have a new coach coming in with new tactics and philosphies so that should take some time for the playing group to get used to. Then they have to deal with losing a very versatile swingman in Leigh Brown. Who is the second ruck option going to be now? They probably won't play Wood with Jolly. Not to mention the fact that Jolly is getting pretty old now too. They'll probably drop off a bit and couple that with our expected improvement we should be able to beat them.
I'm a little hesitant to write off the Cats because everytime someone does they just come back stronger. But seriously, they've won 3 flags in 5 years, proved that they didn't need Ablett and/or Bomber, so their hunger surely must drop. Their captan has retired so they need to find another tagger (good luck finding one as good as Ling), nearly all their stars will be into their 30's, plus we are a side that has recently given them trouble with our pace, especially at the MCG. Tom Harley mentioned that the Cats were quietly happy that we lost to the Eagles, they know we are a dangerous unit. Again if we improve as expected and they drop off as expected we should be able to beat them as well.
Swans, Saints and Bombers were the other 3 that finished in the 8. Not worried about them but who knows they may surprise. IMO only the Bombers have some real scope for improvement I don't see the Saints and Swans rising any higher than where they ended up this year. But having said that, the Bombers have a very poor recent record at the MCG and we have a pretty good record against them recently having won 3 out of the last 4 by 10 goals+.
Freo are a team I can see rising next year. They could be one of those sides that finish outside the 8 then finish top 4 the next year. I know Sandliands and Pavlich are going to be another year older, but they had so many injuries this year it would be unfair to judge them by their results, plus the addition of Lyon and Sumich will most likely add a boost of confidence to the playing group. Still, the only way I can see us losing to them is at Subi but we most likely won't be playing them up there come finals. If they do finish top 4 it'll be a battle with Geelong for 4th; the top 3 I think will be Hawks, Pies and Blues.
North and the teams that finished below them (obviously apart from Freo) shouldn't be flag contenders. NM may get into the 8.
On the back of all that, I'd like to add that we also will be another year older, but that shouldn't be a problem for us at all. Scotland is the only player who may be susceptible to a drop in form due to age. We need Hampson to step up in a key forward role. He has a lot of potential and if he can start clunking marks thanks to his new eye surgery then he will be very hard to stop. He has the pace to apply plenty of forward pressure along with the usual guys in Betts, Garlett and Walker all applying that pressure, our forward line would be relentless.
We also need Gibbs to become a permanent mid to bolster our midfield division. Having that extra elite skilled player in there would make us pretty hard to stop and I'm expecting him to step up next year. He can rest up forward, he showed that he has the ability to slot goals from any angle on the set shot. The problem is he is filling a role down back so someone is going to have to step up and take his place. JR should be the man here, he will have a full pre season to get his mind and body focussed and ready to go in 2012. If he can get back to his best form, then he should be a suitable replacement. He can take courageous marks but needs to tidy his decision making especially under pressure.
We also need to manage our players a bit better, we can probably take a page out of Geelong's book here. There's no need to send Judd interstate against the GCS or GWS, we're going to beat them anyway, so I say we should give a few of our stars a bit of a rest. Waite is another one, IMO let's rest him for the GWS and GCS games as well. If we can have a full team ready to go by the time we make finals, then becoming premiers will be a very likely outcome!
Could be a Hawks v Blues GF in 2012
I'm not seeing the Eagles finish top 4, with all their older stars hitting some good form this year, they were able to take advantage of their easy draw. Next year they'll be a year older and unlikely to repeat their form, plus they're bound to lose more matches with a tougher draw. Definitely a team that we can beat anytime, anywhere.
I can see the Pies still being top 4 but IMO they won't be as dominant as the last couple of years. They have a new coach coming in with new tactics and philosphies so that should take some time for the playing group to get used to. Then they have to deal with losing a very versatile swingman in Leigh Brown. Who is the second ruck option going to be now? They probably won't play Wood with Jolly. Not to mention the fact that Jolly is getting pretty old now too. They'll probably drop off a bit and couple that with our expected improvement we should be able to beat them.
I'm a little hesitant to write off the Cats because everytime someone does they just come back stronger. But seriously, they've won 3 flags in 5 years, proved that they didn't need Ablett and/or Bomber, so their hunger surely must drop. Their captan has retired so they need to find another tagger (good luck finding one as good as Ling), nearly all their stars will be into their 30's, plus we are a side that has recently given them trouble with our pace, especially at the MCG. Tom Harley mentioned that the Cats were quietly happy that we lost to the Eagles, they know we are a dangerous unit. Again if we improve as expected and they drop off as expected we should be able to beat them as well.
Swans, Saints and Bombers were the other 3 that finished in the 8. Not worried about them but who knows they may surprise. IMO only the Bombers have some real scope for improvement I don't see the Saints and Swans rising any higher than where they ended up this year. But having said that, the Bombers have a very poor recent record at the MCG and we have a pretty good record against them recently having won 3 out of the last 4 by 10 goals+.
Freo are a team I can see rising next year. They could be one of those sides that finish outside the 8 then finish top 4 the next year. I know Sandliands and Pavlich are going to be another year older, but they had so many injuries this year it would be unfair to judge them by their results, plus the addition of Lyon and Sumich will most likely add a boost of confidence to the playing group. Still, the only way I can see us losing to them is at Subi but we most likely won't be playing them up there come finals. If they do finish top 4 it'll be a battle with Geelong for 4th; the top 3 I think will be Hawks, Pies and Blues.
North and the teams that finished below them (obviously apart from Freo) shouldn't be flag contenders. NM may get into the 8.
On the back of all that, I'd like to add that we also will be another year older, but that shouldn't be a problem for us at all. Scotland is the only player who may be susceptible to a drop in form due to age. We need Hampson to step up in a key forward role. He has a lot of potential and if he can start clunking marks thanks to his new eye surgery then he will be very hard to stop. He has the pace to apply plenty of forward pressure along with the usual guys in Betts, Garlett and Walker all applying that pressure, our forward line would be relentless.
We also need Gibbs to become a permanent mid to bolster our midfield division. Having that extra elite skilled player in there would make us pretty hard to stop and I'm expecting him to step up next year. He can rest up forward, he showed that he has the ability to slot goals from any angle on the set shot. The problem is he is filling a role down back so someone is going to have to step up and take his place. JR should be the man here, he will have a full pre season to get his mind and body focussed and ready to go in 2012. If he can get back to his best form, then he should be a suitable replacement. He can take courageous marks but needs to tidy his decision making especially under pressure.
We also need to manage our players a bit better, we can probably take a page out of Geelong's book here. There's no need to send Judd interstate against the GCS or GWS, we're going to beat them anyway, so I say we should give a few of our stars a bit of a rest. Waite is another one, IMO let's rest him for the GWS and GCS games as well. If we can have a full team ready to go by the time we make finals, then becoming premiers will be a very likely outcome!
Could be a Hawks v Blues GF in 2012
Again the media miss the point. Who cares about ladder finishes in the Pre-Finals series. At Carlton success = premierships. Period. Everything else is failure and not acceptable. 2012 is about bringing home #17 and setting up for #18.
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Again the media miss the point. Who cares about ladder finishes in the Pre-Finals series. At Carlton success = premierships. Period. Everything else is failure and not acceptable. 2012 is about bringing home #17 and setting up for #18.
Exactly
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