Opinion Do You Think We Will Take A Step Backwards?

[gbatman]

We may improve barring injuries. If we slide then so be it, we're probably going to be relying a lot on young players who haven't played much AFL at all. Where we go is fully dependant on our young players. Between this season and next season we will see a big changing of the guard. I think we'll see guys who have been playing AFL cut rather than young guys who haven't made it. I think we'll see the senior side handed over to the next generation a bit which is exciting but also potentially could bring about a slide. If it doesn't then that's very exciting. The team doesn't have to win but it does have to go about it in the right way. Chasing, tackling, pressure which will allow a gameplan to take hold.

Looking at where the game is, nothing works without extreme pressure. If you apply extreme pressure and handle pressure you'll win games. Looking back at stuff Malthouse said and tried to achieve. It's actually ringing true a bit. All the players who fell on the outer, many were talented goal kickers but they were all players that refused to apply pressure. Here we are now drafting youngsters who have speed and are rated as being decent at applying it. No game plan works without it, SOS and Bolton are switched on. Talented yet lazy footballers is probably what got our last two coaches sacked.

I think that if McKay can take a few grabs and shows an appetite to chase then Casboult will be in trouble. Sumner brought some serious pressure to games but only for 20 minutes a game, if that can be extended then he's an asset. I think this is what Buckley needs to bring to his game to cement a place, impact the game without the ball and use his pace to do so. This is the area of the game Charlie Curnow really needs to learn to nail down, I think his concentration can drift off when the other team has it. Learn to lock that ball in our forward line.

The good thing about young players, their mentality can be moulded and changed, if guys are a little lazy at doing the team things it can be improved whereas older players I think tend to crack the shits and sulk, as we saw a few years ago.

 

[1981]

All depends on how much youth Bolts & Co want to play at any given time

We've got a lot of talented young footballers at the club but a lot of them have not played many games so it'll take time to clock up their 30-50 games

Personally I'd like to see them take a gamble and play the kids as much as possible because I Iike the idea of a group of kids developing together

So I guess the Question is how many senior games do the likes of Rowe, Alex Silvagni, White, Jones, Casboult, Armfield etc play?

 

[ESKIE]

Confidence is an important thing some early wins & we do better than last year IMO

 

[Bic]

We have an easy draw, so there should be some close games - but I wouldn't be surprised if we were bottom 4.

It really all depends on injuries... A lot of our depth are young kids, the younger we get, the more floggings that we will cop.

Part of the reason why signing Palmer/Silvagni signings are important, don't want to be throwing our 17/18yo to the lions.

No doubt towards the backend of the year, we will throw some of them into the den to see how they cope.

All part of the development process - We will go through the same next year as the rest of our list is turned over.

2018 will be the first year where our whole list has been turned over, and then its about finding the right players to fill the gaps in our side and we will start rising up the ladder ala Doggies, Saints, GWS etc

 

[Cripps 'n' Blue Bloods]

More games into SOS and Curnow (hopefully Harry too), a fit Murphy, replace Thomas with SPS, Kerridge with Pickett, Lamb with Smedts, White with Marchbank and maybe having the ability to move Rowe forward for Levi, and the only spot we've really lost out on is Tuohy.
I'm tipping the same or slightly better.

 

[JustaBattler]

I'm excited about what looks to be on paper one of the most if not the most exciting defensive and rebounding capabilities in AFL - all wearing Blue. We have put together a few tall big bodied fast moving quality kciks in Marchbank/Plowman and Weitering and we have a jet in Byrne coming back alonside Docherty to round off the package.

The midfield will surprise as Pickett/SPS/Cuningham/Fisher add missing serious leg speed and smarts around Cripps/Murphy/Gibbs and Ed.

Up front development will be aided by the inclusions of experienced class in Smedts and Palmer and some class in C.Curnow/Mckay and SOJ.

I can see us being 1-2 goals a game better off defensivcely and 1-2 goals a game better off in scoring ability as year progresses.

Strap in for a fun ride !

 

[lopezz]

We will take a step backwards next year, if purely viewing the number of our wins or ladder position (I think we will be bottom 5 again)

This year, it was clear that the emphasis was on greater team defense, as we decreased our average losing margin by 17 points a game, total points against, 2nd best of the sides that finished outside the 8. While our scoring prowess was one of the worst in the league, it was steadfast at 69 points per game, which will improve over the next couple of years.

I envisage more games being played by our younger brigade, especially in the back half of the year. If playing our youth, leads to inconsistent performances, so be it. Fast tracking our kids as a whole, will lead to stronger competition for spots, rather than gifting games to the likes of a Thomas.

Continue building a strong base of talented kids via the draft/trade periods over the next couple of years, will allow for steady growth, as well as creating a destination for others to be part of our future success

It won't be viewed as a step back, more of taking the next step of "The Journey"

The club and supporters need to continue to remain patient during this "reset"

Best post!!

We most likely will go back in wins but we will play a team of kids, all talented but need a bit of time. I just want to see the effort and application!

Maybe now having 6 mad Carlton supporters on our list might improve constant effort and desire!!

 

[Soapy V]

If we take a step back in wins it means bolton is playing the kids. I'm okay with that as a development strategy. However we are adding Palmer Marchbank Smedts & a fit Murphy to our side from last year. i also expect improvement in Weitering Cuningham Silvagni & Curnow. How that pans out in wins I don't know but if I see kids playing and us trying to play some exciting footy in 2017 then I'm happy.

 

[Cripps 'n' Blue Bloods]

I'm excited about what looks to be on paper one of the most if not the most exciting defensive and rebounding capabilities in AFL - all wearing Blue. We have put together a few tall big bodied fast moving quality kciks in Marchbank/Plowman and Weitering and we have a jet in Byrne coming back alonside Docherty to round off the package.

The midfield will surprise as Pickett/SPS/Cuningham/Fisher add missing serious leg speed and smarts around Cripps/Murphy/Gibbs and Ed.

Up front development will be aided by the inclusions of experienced class in Smedts and Palmer and some class in C.Curnow/Mckay and SOJ.

I can see us being 1-2 goals a game better off defensivcely and 1-2 goals a game better off in scoring ability as year progresses.

Strap in for a fun ride !

We lost 7 games by 24 points or less and 5 of those were by 12 points or less.
I know it doesn't automatically make those games wins, but food for thought.

 

[Das2Blue]

With our list , I can see us threatening 8th place for most of year, maybe we fall away late in year...so i'm predicting us around 8th -11th

 

[HBF]

With our list , I can see us threatening 8th place for most of year, maybe we fall away late in year...so i'm predicting us around 8th -11th

That'd be a huge result if we could manage to achieve a season like this one, but I suspect with other teams around us improving, we'll be in the bottom 4 for the majority of the year. More changes in 12 months time, but a FA and 2018 will hopefully see us move up the ladder.

 

[BlueSherrin]

It seems most people expect us to go backwards or finish in a similar position. I think there will be improvement but it may not show in wins. Our backline and midfield will continue to improve but our forward line is the mystery. Smedts and Palmer can provide a few more goals and will help. The big mystery is wether McKay and SOSjnr can kick 20 odd each. Casboult can't be relied upon and could easily be forced out of the team.

I doubt Gibbs will be at Carlton in 2018 and if that is the case I'd like to see Gibbs thrown forward for the majority of the season with some pinch hitting in centre bounces . He'd kick 40 as a permanent forward and it allows us to get more time and experience into our young mids and takes a little bit of pressure off the young forwards. Also provide some quality and leadership up forward which we have lacked for a few years now.


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[beowulf]

I think it is very unlikely that we will sink considerably. We had considerable structural issues in 2016: most noticeably in the ruck, around the packs and on the ground in the forward half.
[1] We missed Murphy badly. Without him we had very little pace and depended on Gibbs and Cripps. We struggled against quick mids.
[2] Kreuzer struggled with injury (what is new, you may ask? Damage in the Geelong game which he basically played through for the rest of the year) while Phillips is still learning. As a result we struggled in the ruck from the bye onwards.
[3] We didn't have a small forward to bless ourselves with.

The result was that we moved the ball slowly and predictably, which was lethal to our scoring. We kicked goals running in from the 50, usually after good team play down field and we kicked a few goals from marks in the forward 50 (not enough and very few on the lead). We barely had a true crumbing goal for the year. When the ball was kicked over the top, we failed to get the ball even when some of our quicker players were involved. We had few snaps at goal, under pressure or otherwise. Our default was the bomb into the forward line.
We have addressed this for the 2017 season. We now have guys who can get snap opportunities and who can turn them into goals. Considering how much the ball was on the ground, the opportunities should increase considerably.

With a midfield that now has some pace and some maturing forward marking options, we should be able to improve our scoring power significantly.

We still have some issues, the inexperience of our list not being the least. We have depth issues. We are learning and making mistakes. But we could scare a few!

 

[gbatman]

If the young ones have any ability at all we may as well play them, pick the team we think we'll be picking in a year or so time. We may lose a few extra games then so be it we get earlier picks. We might win games on the back of talented youth, we should be stepping into the unknown. Balance between picking the best team and developing young players. No point playing older guys if they are fringe players and we have a lot of them.

Make no mistake, Buckley, Kerridge, Boekhorst, Jones, Armfield, Graham, Thomas, Casboult, White and to a lesser extent Rowe have been fringe players. There are spots available for the 1st and 2nd year players if they are good enough. You'd hope this to be the case, it would mean we're doing really well.

 

[COBALT BLUE]

Obviously it will be very difficult to predict the 2017 ladder position because of a number of factors.Bolton my wish to blood many new positions all season.
2016 saw Bolton only marginally do this,we had a good draw first half of the season and won a few games.This draw is also ok,we may win games late this time also.our stable defense shut a few teams down and i think this trend will repeat in 2017 bringing us games considering out attack may and should improve this year.....i honestly see us getting similar results this year including the young trades and new draftees playing.[we should be able to win games such as the lions maybe even north etc,plus anyone having an inconsistent day we will be waiting]

 

[Cripps 'n' Blue Bloods]

If the young ones have any ability at all we may as well play them, pick the team we think we'll be picking in a year or so time. We may lose a few extra games then so be it we get earlier picks. We might win games on the back of talented youth, we should be stepping into the unknown. Balance between picking the best team and developing young players. No point playing older guys if they are fringe players and we have a lot of them.

Make no mistake, Buckley, Kerridge, Boekhorst, Jones, Armfield, Graham, Thomas, Casboult, White and to a lesser extent Rowe have been fringe players. There are spots available for the 1st and 2nd year players if they are good enough. You'd hope this to be the case, it would mean we're doing really well.

Those are definitely the guys I see being pushed into the depth roles. The sooner the better, but let's not kill all momentum by going too hard too early in the youth department. I'd rather take a balanced approach. Give the kids games when form or poor opposition warrant it.
Playing a side that you think might be there abouts in a years time will result in fielding a team with the likes of SOS, Weiters, Curnow, McKay, SPS, Marchbank and maybe Fisher, Polson and Pickett. Mouthwatering prospect, but it's too much. Let them show glimpses first and bring them in a few at a time. If they look like they deserve to stay there, keep them in while bringing some more in. If they're struggling a bit, take them out.
I'm probably just stating the obvious, but playing a team full of kids only works for a GWS, where they were forced to for the most part and also had a revolving door of talent. They are probably also lucky, to a degree, that all the pumpings they got in their first few years didn't kill their confidence. And that their kids didn't cop more injuries from playing against bigger bodies in the first years.

 

[Coops93]

I think we'll either stagnate or go down.

But in honesty it doesn't matter too much. We have such a young list and so much turnover over the last 2 years that expecting us to gel and start winning games so early is unrealistic. Last season and next season are about setting us up for the next 5+ years.

Season 2018 is when we should be expecting to put a few wins together. But 2017 is another rebuild year as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Styxx]

Only play the kids who have done enough to earn it.

I know Bolton uses no ceilings but I wouldn't be handing out gifts either. Admittedly this comes from a thought that if after two years of turnover we are still stone cold bottom 2 level club it is pretty disheartening to think about.

 

[SafeAsMilk]

The bloke from Champion Data on SEN reckons we'll be spooners. I'm almost certain we'll finish above Lions and Gold Coast, and reasonably confident we can finish above Freo and maybe even Port. Pies don't have a back line. North gutted the place. Richmond are gutless. Essendon are an unknown quantity.

Plenty of wins to pinch.

 

[DaVillaBlues]

Only play the kids who have done enough to earn it.

I know Bolton uses no ceilings but I wouldn't be handing out gifts either. Admittedly this comes from a thought that if after two years of turnover we are still stone cold bottom 2 level club it is pretty disheartening to think about.

Depends on a case by case basis, personallu i think Chuck Curnow should only be played in the seconds for health/injury management issues, he is such a prodigious talent, the quicker we can get 50 games into him the better. Cuningham looks like he should play 15 games plus next year (touchwood)

Kids like Harro and Polson probably will spend most of the year in the ressies. Reckon you could make an argument that Nick Graham's development suffered/was hampered by too many VFL games, not enough AFL exposure in his formative years, its a tricky balance

 

[Jimmae]

The bloke from Champion Data on SEN reckons we'll be spooners. I'm almost certain we'll finish above Lions and Gold Coast, and reasonably confident we can finish above Freo and maybe even Port. Pies don't have a back line. North gutted the place. Richmond are gutless. Essendon are an unknown quantity.

Plenty of wins to pinch.

Wouldn't be so sure about where we finish relative to the Gold Coast with their midfield improvements. Lions are definitely going to finish last.

Oh, and Champion Data have no ******* idea how to read their own stats.

 

[OldCarltonKnows]

The bloke from Champion Data on SEN reckons we'll be spooners. I'm almost certain we'll finish above Lions and Gold Coast, and reasonably confident we can finish above Freo and maybe even Port. Pies don't have a back line. North gutted the place. Richmond are gutless. Essendon are an unknown quantity.

Plenty of wins to pinch.

Champion Data = no shite all about nothing!

 

[SurreyBlue]

In a word, NO.

 

[toddkurnski]

The bloke from Champion Data on SEN reckons we'll be spooners. I'm almost certain we'll finish above Lions and Gold Coast, and reasonably confident we can finish above Freo and maybe even Port. Pies don't have a back line. North gutted the place. Richmond are gutless. Essendon are an unknown quantity.

Plenty of wins to pinch.

Pretty sure last year he said it was the worst list ever assembled according to Champion Data. Said * would finish above us. We won seven games.

I actually think we will win around 6 games. But would like to see a percentage around 85. That would mean we would be in the contest most weeks.

Injuries to senior midfielders will have a big impact on wins and percentage though.

 

[Coops93]

The bloke from Champion Data on SEN reckons we'll be spooners. I'm almost certain we'll finish above Lions and Gold Coast, and reasonably confident we can finish above Freo and maybe even Port. Pies don't have a back line. North gutted the place. Richmond are gutless. Essendon are an unknown quantity.

Plenty of wins to pinch.

We won't finish on top of GC. The only reason they've been so low the last couple of seasons is that they have been savaged by injuries. At one point, of the entire squad, they only had 25 players to choose from. Seriously, the whole available squad was in the starting 22 and 3 emergencies. The players coming back and the new guys will see them push the top 10.