2nds Northern Blues 2014

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etsal1 said:
Yes, but from the reports posted here all season the reviews about Graham were not even close to the raving reviews Crippa got.
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Exactly right - so the reason why he didn't get as many votes was because he didn't have as good a year at VFL as Cripps did - not because he played too many senior games as you initially stated.
 
Jeremias said:
Exactly right - so the reason why he didn't get as many votes was because he didn't have as good a year at VFL as Cripps did - not because he played too many senior games as you initially stated.
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I didn't mean he was ineligible. I was responding to a post which said Graham didn't feature in the top 3/4, which in combination with his less than stellar VFL form, was due to him playing a number of games in the AFL.
 

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etsal1 said:
I didn't mean he was ineligible. I was responding to a post which said Graham didn't feature in the top 3/4, which in combination with his less than stellar VFL form, was due to him playing a number of games in the AFL.
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:confused:

You've completely missed the point. I didn't say you insinuated he was ineligible.

You said the reason why Graham didn't finish in the top 3 or 4 was because he played too many games at AFL level, thus implying he didn't have the opportunity to poll enough votes to get him into the top few in the final standings.

I simply responded saying that Cripps played the same amount of games at VFL level as Graham did yet managed to finish 2nd in the tally, indicating that reasoning is complete and utter garbage.

The reason why Graham didn't finish up in the top few in the award was not because he played too many senior games. Rather, it was because he was adjudged to have not done enough in the games he played at the lower level to warrant a high finish.
 
Jeremias said:
:confused:

The reason why Graham didn't finish up in the top few in the award was not because he played too many senior games. Rather, it was because he was adjudged to have not done enough in the games he played at the lower level to warrant a high finish.
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To take it a step further, the voting in the B&F reiterates that Graham was not fulfilling the KPIs set for him by the coaching staff (something he pretty well admitted himself) whereas Cripps was obviously more closely following the instructions from the coaches.

Graham mostly played well in his VFL games, but did not work hard enough in both directions, something which was apparent in the full games he played at AFL level late in the season. His tendency to spectate at times was exposed at AFL level.
 
Moving on, hopefully there will be more carlton listed players this year, fingers crossed for less injuries and a few younger depth players kicking about, more talls on the list this should be ok.
 
It kills any possibility of us drafting him as was whispered over the last 12 months. WOOHOO.
 

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I cannot knock jack Anthony for his work with the NBs in 2014: he was one of few experienced players and mature bodies each week. He played better than I thought he would.
However, I am not unhappy that he won't be playing for Carlton. Like Lumumba, he follows the beat of a different drum and I don't think he would fit in very well.

But now he is gone, I hope the NBs can shell out enough cash to recruit a few guys who can play and who may stay around for a while. Having a bunch of dwarves going out each weak does not allow many of our players to develop: they need leadership and someone to show them the ropes. Getting someone like Polkinghorne (former Brisbane player) or the like would be a good idea. Some experience and some pace and may stay around for a while.
It would also give the impression that if you come to the NBs, you actually DO have a chance of playing with the big boys in the future. That would help attract the sort of players that would make the NBs competitive each week.
I am not knocking the Preston boys: they go out there and do their best. But, the way the club is run at the moment, it is very difficult to keep players and form a real team structure. Having to change Captains every year because the old one has left doesn't help us at all. There needs to be continuity and a close team culture. That will allow our boys to develop better. And that is the aim of the NBs in the first place.
 
Given all the first year players from CFC this year and possibly up to another 7 next year, some experience around the boys would be very helpful.
I can only hope we do reel in some bigger KPP to support the kids.

Was very happy in the way Holman, Cripps, Johnson, Sheehan, Reynolds and Byrne went about things in their first year but Giles took a beating before he succumbed to injury.
The mids can somehow move around the heavy stuff but tall forwards and backs can really take a smashing.
 
It would be nice to have a few mature bodies out there to guide our kids. When Carlton 2nds were strong, we had a number of guys who were getting long in the tooth really mentoring the kids. I can remember Rod Ashman and Jimmy Buckley doing the job very succinctly.
We don't have that now.
I know it is harder to keep guys on with the way the draft and the cap works, but it wouldn't hurt us to have a couple of older guys running around. A you said, Harker, the key position players in particular have little choice about taking a pounding. Some of the mids, especially if you have some pace, may escape some of that. But having a few wiser heads to guide and, if necessary, protect the kids is a real positive.

I know the NBs have been struggling for money for quite a while now. But the club is no longer as totally moneyless as it was a few years back. They must come to terms with the idea of spending a few more dollars to attract talent and keep what is there. Otherwise, we'll go through the same rigmarole as we've experienced for the last few seasons.
 
beowulf said:
It would be nice to have a few mature bodies out there to guide our kids. When Carlton 2nds were strong, we had a number of guys who were getting long in the tooth really mentoring the kids. I can remember Rod Ashman and Jimmy Buckley doing the job very succinctly.
We don't have that now.
I know it is harder to keep guys on with the way the draft and the cap works, but it wouldn't hurt us to have a couple of older guys running around. A you said, Harker, the key position players in particular have little choice about taking a pounding. Some of the mids, especially if you have some pace, may escape some of that. But having a few wiser heads to guide and, if necessary, protect the kids is a real positive.

I know the NBs have been struggling for money for quite a while now. But the club is no longer as totally moneyless as it was a few years back. They must come to terms with the idea of spending a few more dollars to attract talent and keep what is there. Otherwise, we'll go through the same rigmarole as we've experienced for the last few seasons.
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I have little idea of how the club is run beowulf as I haven't really had interest in finding out and only watch games to see how the CFC listed kids are faring.

I have seen though that the right balance has to be struck between development, cohesion and welfare of players for it all to work well and given we'll soon be a very young squad, some bigger bodies and sound minds are necessary for the benefit of all.

Given I don't have a complete understanding of the operation, I don't really know how the Northern Blues go about meeting (whose) objectives.
 
HARKER said:
I have little idea of how the club is run beowulf as I haven't really had interest in finding out and only watch games to see how the CFC listed kids are faring.

I have seen though that the right balance has to be struck between development, cohesion and welfare of players for it all to work well and given we'll soon be a very young squad, some bigger bodies and sound minds are necessary for the benefit of all.

Given I don't have a complete understanding of the operation, I don't really know how the Northern Blues go about meeting (whose) objectives.
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I admit freely that I don't know enough about what happens, but I do know a bit. Carlton have taken a more active role in the last few years, but they have basically left the recruiting and the pay to the Preston people: our people have tried to make NBs look and be as independent as possible. They have tried to avoid how Box Hill now looks (Hawthorn 2nds - they won't say "boo" without permission) or Bendigo B*mbers (basically slaves to Essendon, even to the extent of having games at Windy Hill, although much money was spent in upgrading QEO).
Many people still reckon that Preston is dead and that we are animating the corpse for our enrichment. They don't realize just how hard our admin is trying NOT to do that.
It might be better for Carlton to take over the NBs totally. That would allow us to run our agendas. But our admin really don't want to do that unless there is no other choice. We have struggled for years to make this work and don't want to undo all the work and time and effort. Not to mention the costs. We are in a much better financial situation than we were a few years back, but we are not swimming in money. The admin don't want the extra impost without an extremely clear benefit.
The Preston side of the equation is also interesting. There is a strong(ish) groundswell among some of the older Preston people to break the alignment. They think we have too much say already in how the club is run. Many also have links to Collingwood, as many Preston people did 30 years ago. They think their club has been taken over. (It hasn't, but 'true believers' rarely let anything like 'facts' get in the way of their views.)
The present Preston side of things likes us and is trying to get along, but there are these gadflies wanting to split from us....
They are also very aware that their finances are not strong and their income is not what it could be. Having just staved off financial extinction, they are not willing to spend big dollars. Their last attempt at that did not work very well and cost more than it was worth.
They are not willing to loosen the purse strings, because they don't want to go back to financial fear of oblivion.
Unfortunately their unwillingness to spend means that guys don't stay and the team is always young and inexperienced.

I don't see a solution to this that keeps the status quo alive. But for the short to medium term, neither side can live without the other. It means we have to put more resources into something we don't have full control of and things do affect the way the team plays.

I could wish it otherwise, but wishes don't make changes.
 
mediumsizered said:
Not sure how Posar will help make Coburg's list stronger. He struggled to make the NB seniors even when they were badly affected by injury.
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I was quite disappointed in Posar. He came with a big reputation and was involved in an AFL program to make him more draftable. However, he struggled and only made an impression in a handful of games.
Yes, he did have injuries, and that has to be taken into consideration. However, I really do NOT think he made the most of his opportunities with us.
He'll probably play better for Coburg and come out with something about how much better it is over there; that has seemed to be par for the course over the last few years.
 
Assuming no injuries and this is our best 22:

B: Buckley Jamison White/Jaksch
HB: Tuohy Rowe Sheehan
C: Simpson Curnow Yarran
HF: Murphy Henderson Walker
F: Menzel Jones Thomas
OB: Kreuzer Gibbs Judd
IC: Docherty Casboult Carrazzo Everitt

Second 22 looks alright

B: ???? Giles Armfield
HB: Dick White/Jaksch Byrne
C: Holman Cripps Johnson
HF: Bell Wood Tutt?
F: Ellard Watson ???
OB: Warnock Whiley Graham
IC: ???? ???? ???? ????
NB listed players + Draftees & Rookie Listed players

It's not too bad of a team, might be a bit fragile in defence and a bit short. Add some KPP, Mids and a couple of extra defenders and you have a team.
 
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