Once were found, now we are lost.

[LoneStar]

Debs, this might be your first post, but I'm gonna have to pull you up here... how on Earth could you be disappointed with the effort??? If there was one glaring positive coming from the game, it was that the boys never stopped trying, but were just outclassed. The effort was definitely 100%.

The best analogy of the game came on SEN radio:
Name Hawthorn's best players
Hodge (A+ player)
Croad (B)
Everitt (A)
Mitchell (A)
Crawford (A)

versus Carltons best players
Whitnall (B)
Walker (C, potentially A)
Bentick (C)
Scotland (C)
Houlihan (B)

That's 4 x A graders and 1 x B grader, versus 3 x C graders and 2 x B graders. It's a sad reflection of where our list is at the moment.

I'm an outsider looking in and honestly I might watch the Blues play once or twice a year besides the games they play against the Hawks. But I think Scotland has been good when he has played against the Hawks; he seems to play hard and I'd rate him at least a B last Friday. And why wouldn't Lance of gotten an A? He was dangerous all night after the first quarter.
Crawford is a Brownlow medalist who is being chased down by age. He has a B game as often as an A game, although it's never for a lack of effort. But I guess I'd have to agree that Friday was probably an A game for him.
I'd say that the Blues still could make the Finals in 2006...but I don't think they will, and for the same reason I don't think the Hawks will either--both clubs have too many young and inexperienced players. That said, it looks like there's only about four locks for the eight after four rounds and just about any of the remaining 12 teams that could have a good run without injuries, get lucky with the draw and opponents' injuries/suspensions, & find a fair bit of form for ten to twelve weeks, could find themselves playing in September.
One thing that I do notice about Carlton every time the Hawks play them is that the Blues' midfield is very good at winning the clearances. If the delivery of the midfield improves as the season goes on, this thread may become moot. A midfield that wins clearances and puts pressure on the opposition with quick, accurate delivery makes a forward structure look so much better!

 

[Debs]

Audas everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I will be back my mine that Carlton has no hope of making the finals this year with present playing squad and tactics.

As an avid Carlton supporter of over 35 years I am not certainly being disloyal but trying to be realistic that at present our team is not good enough for September action and I might add that this opinion is also shared by a number of feet on the ground supporters on this site.

Again respectfully this is my opinion and come the end of season I believe that I will be closer to being to right than you.

I tend to agree with you. I too am a Carlton supporter of many years and know what you mean by "not being disloyal, but realistic".
We do not have what is needed to make the finals this year. If I am wrong I will be more than happy for people to bring this post back to me at the end of the year.
Like I said before in my first post we still have a little more work to do before our glory days are here again.
But it will happen. We just have to hang in there for a while longer.

 

[Debs]

Debs, this might be your first post, but I'm gonna have to pull you up here... how on Earth could you be disappointed with the effort??? If there was one glaring positive coming from the game, it was that the boys never stopped trying, but were just outclassed. The effort was definitely 100%.

Alright, what I meant and what I should have said was: I was disappointed with the result not so much the effort.
Looks like I need to watch my P's and Q's in here, huh?
And just on that point. Is there a special place in here where new posters are meant to introduce themselves before they post? I don't want to upset the etiquette straight up.

 

[Lajon]

Whitnall is an A list player despite what some nob said on the radio. He would walk straight into any team in the AFL.

no he's not an A grade player.

 

[audas]

no he's not an A grade player.

Dominates at both ends of the ground ?

 

[Kooley]

no he's not an A grade player.

yes he is.

 

[audas]

I watched the game again, and I don’t think things are as bad you make out. Having Fev and Waite out obviously hurt us, etc etc etc...........................

Parrot, hadnt actually watched the game, only read reviews when I posted and was understandably perturbed. Having watched the game (up to 3/4 time. It takes ages to watch over here in London, only two more one a half weeks till the pies in Melbourne) I have a different story to tell and a bone to pick with whoever writes these match reports.

Quite simply, like in freo, we got killed by the umps when it mattered. The 3rd quater was comprehensively hawks, but so what. Every time we drove forward the umpires would send it back with a RIDICULOUS free kick. In their forward line there were blatant caught with the balls, holding, etc,etc which were just not paid.

We are getting killed by the umps and its pox.

New thread comming up.

 

[Snoozer]

Whitnall is an A list player despite what some nob said on the radio. He would walk straight into any team in the AFL.

I'd think most B graders would walk into almost every team. Not real sure if Whitnall's efforts over the last 3 years justify an A grade tag.... definitely has/had the potential to be an A+.

 

[audas]

I'd think most B graders would walk into almost every team. Not real sure if Whitnall's efforts over the last 3 years justify an A grade tag.... definitely has/had the potential to be an A+.

This season then,....A+

 

[Snoozer]

I'm an outsider looking in and honestly I might watch the Blues play once or twice a year besides the games they play against the Hawks. But I think Scotland has been good when he has played against the Hawks; he seems to play hard and I'd rate him at least a B last Friday. And why wouldn't Lance of gotten an A? He was dangerous all night after the first quarter.
Crawford is a Brownlow medalist who is being chased down by age. He has a B game as often as an A game, although it's never for a lack of effort. But I guess I'd have to agree that Friday was probably an A game for him.
I'd say that the Blues still could make the Finals in 2006...but I don't think they will, and for the same reason I don't think the Hawks will either--both clubs have too many young and inexperienced players. That said, it looks like there's only about four locks for the eight after four rounds and just about any of the remaining 12 teams that could have a good run without injuries, get lucky with the draw and opponents' injuries/suspensions, & find a fair bit of form for ten to twelve weeks, could find themselves playing in September.
One thing that I do notice about Carlton every time the Hawks play them is that the Blues' midfield is very good at winning the clearances. If the delivery of the midfield improves as the season goes on, this thread may become moot. A midfield that wins clearances and puts pressure on the opposition with quick, accurate delivery makes a forward structure look so much better!

OK, perhaps I should have clarified the ratings a little better. The ratings are not for that particular game, but for their overall careers, ie Everitt is an A grade player, will be next and the week after, and for the rest of the season.

FWIW I thought Crawford's game was B at best.... people only think he had a good game because it showed up at the end of the game that he had 32 touches. I swear I didn't notice him at all until the stats came up on the screen... yet Hodge who had only 3 more touches than Crawf, was clearly the outstanding player on the ground and murdered us.

 

[audas]

Whitnall (B)

Denis pagan said of Whitnal among many other things

You saw the way he played last Friday - it was as good a game of forward work that you could ever see, I reckon. I've seen a lot of forwards play and that was up there as good a game that I've seen."

Hmm sounds like a b grade player.

 

[ShlomoGlickstein]

no he's not an A grade player.

Whitnall is one of the most valuable players in the league and one of the few players to truly have a footy brain, unlike 90% of our drongo team, we are very lucky to have kept him.

I agree, alot of carlton supporters are in denial about how crap we really are. I've been supporting this team for 30 years, and our backline is one of the worst EVER with Bozos like Thornton, Lingston and Teague who really are sub-reserves grade players. Alot of our younger supporters never got to see our reserves back on the 70s and 80s. But half our senior team now play at the calibre of reserves players like Kevin Heath.

It's gonna take a few years yet.

 

[SurreyBlue]

I think we can comment on our teams poor performances on this board without getting totally slagged of and told we are uncarlton etc etc (

I agree whole heartedly with this comment. I cannot understand the constant abuse by certain posters that others are not supporters, un-Carlton like, negative, etc because they query the teams performance.

 

[audas]

I agree whole heartedly with this comment. I cannot understand the constant abuse by certain posters that others are not supporters, un-Carlton like, negative, etc because they query the teams performance.

Absolutely. Little bit of spine people.

I also think we can give each other a bit of a ribbing and take it as humour. These boards should be insightfull and also funny. Not just a dry political one up manship. Its a game.