News Ratten : Gibbs ready to Explode

[gbatman]

We do need someone to step up in the center square, at this stage if Judd and Murphy are quiet we are generally in trouble. At least with three star players for the team to play around on the ball we become very dangerous and are more likely to be able to control games for 4 quarters against the better sides. Gibbs still has to prove he can play on the ball against the best and influence games as a core player rather than the usual periferal role he has been playing. His game against Essendon in the final is the kind of game I'd love to see him play, where he played onball and played well as well as kicking goals resting forward. I recon he has the potential to be a similar player to Nathan Buckley or Paul Chapman. I think we are all expecting to step up and be that missing star onballer in 2012.

The other guy who we are all forgetting is Murphy. No reason he can't get even better. I recon he's got another level to go. It'll only help his cause if Gibbs and Judd are going well on the ball too. No reason Murphy can't step up to Gary Ablett's level. I recon he aught to be a genuine Brownlow contender in 2012.

 

[Blueboys7]

Does anybody remember the clearance he made against Collingwood a few years back?

It was a boundary throw in on the wing. He roved the ball off the ruckman, spun around, ran 10 meters away from the pack and nailed a pass to Fev who took it one handed.

It was just awesome stuff all round!

 

[zeeCFC]

Does anybody remember the clearance he made against Collingwood a few years back?

It was a boundary throw in on the wing. He roved the ball off the ruckman, spun around, ran 10 meters away from the pack and nailed a pass to Fev who took it one handed.

It was just awesome stuff all round!

TG posted the video earlier

 

[Silvagnis]

I loved the goal Gibbs kicked against Port at AAMI in 2009 (I think). A ball burster of a set shot or snap into the wind that went post high from 50. The kick was almost as long as Gibbs's kick from CHB that set up a fast break and goal. Sweet timing to kick it that far.

 

[goreds]

We do need someone to step up in the center square, at this stage if Judd and Murphy are quiet we are generally in trouble. At least with three star players for the team to play around on the ball we become very dangerous and are more likely to be able to control games for 4 quarters against the better sides. Gibbs still has to prove he can play on the ball against the best and influence games as a core player rather than the usual periferal role he has been playing. His game against Essendon in the final is the kind of game I'd love to see him play, where he played onball and played well as well as kicking goals resting forward. I recon he has the potential to be a similar player to Nathan Buckley or Paul Chapman. I think we are all expecting to step up and be that missing star onballer in 2012.

The other guy who we are all forgetting is Murphy. No reason he can't get even better. I recon he's got another level to go. It'll only help his cause if Gibbs and Judd are going well on the ball too. No reason Murphy can't step up to Gary Ablett's level. I recon he aught to be a genuine Brownlow contender in 2012.

For me the most important thing for Bryce is that Ratts will let him settle in the midfield...

Using the term 'peripheral' is under selling just how good and how important he is to our side. Unfortunately he has been used as the stopper in his years at Carlton, as he is the complete team man he would never question the decision of the coach even though it has effected his game...

Now that Ratts has come out and said that, Ratts himself must let Gibbs run free and be the damaging player that he is...

I will say that by the end of 2012, Gibbs will be our best player and our next captain. He is ready..

 

[parrot]

I'm expecting Gibbs to kick a few 5 goal bags in 2012. He was outstanding up forward as a junior, and has all the attributes to be an excellent forward at AFL level i.e. decent size (looks close to 190cm), excellent overhead, very smart in traffic, outstanding at stoppages, an elite kick, and very good defensively. He'd be brilliant as a full-time mid, but given our massive midfield talent depth, the idea of using him as a midfielder/forward makes more sense in terms of maximising his impact on the opposition.

 

[Blue Ratts]

For me the most important thing for Bryce is that Ratts will let him settle in the midfield...

Using the term 'peripheral' is under selling just how good and how important he is to our side. Unfortunately he has been used as the stopper in his years at Carlton, as he is the complete team man he would never question the decision of the coach even though it has effected his game...

Now that Ratts has come out and said that, Ratts himself must let Gibbs run free and be the damaging player that he is...

I will say that by the end of 2012, Gibbs will be our best player and our next captain. He is ready..

Don't see it as unfortunate being used as a stopper.See it as a learning curve as he gets used to playing in his skin.Yes he is getting the body ,yes he has the skills, but I see him as somebody who has needed time to grow into these roles and I give credit to the coaches whom have given him the time.Now those coaches have stated that he's ready to step up.I suspect that they see it from him and have waited for his own leadership to evolve.Now that they see it they state it.I look forward to seeing Bryce in 2012.

 

[Mr.X]

 

[Bluebear]

I'll bet the first time Goodes gets a hold of us or Goddard threatens to cut loose next year Gibbs will become the stopper again so fast it'll make your eyes water.

 

[Athomas]

Gibbs is $101 to take home Charlie next year. Worth a little nibble.

Multi it with a Carlton premiership for $750

 

[NAUGHT5]

Putting him back as a stopper will be a very conservative move.
And IMO we can't win the 2012 flag being conservative.

I get what the thought process has been behind his development but we've held him back long enough. Its his time.

 

[Snoozer]

He's very good at playing on someone in a negative role, but feel the jury will always be out on his 'star quality' until he warrants the opposition to negate him, and he is able to overcome it.

 

[blue gunslinger]

I'm more excited about the prospect of Lucas making one wing his own and letting Simmo own the other wing. Last time this happened, against the Saints in round 24, Simmo notched up 40 touches

agree 100 % - come on sugar

Maybe the training camp in Qatar had alot to do with it? With mainly just the young group there it let Gibbs really step up and be the leader and he has brought this back and continued on his leadership with the whole group?

What ever the reason is its bloody great to hear from your training reports harks. Ratts must be very impressed for him to come out and say that aswell. If Gibbs steps up a level this year it will lift the team heaps towards that top 4 spot and #17

considering Gibbs was on a restricted program it was good to see he still travelled and worked hard in Qatar

 

[Jabba73]

A mate and I have reluctantly concluded he could play a very good version of the James Hird mobile CHF role. We are only reluctant because he could cop quite a battering doing it, however he has the footy smarts, size and skill to make a nightmare match up for any defender.

 

[goreds]

A mate and I have reluctantly concluded he could play a very good version of the James Hird mobile CHF role. We are only reluctant because he could cop quite a battering doing it, however he has the footy smarts, size and skill to make a nightmare match up for any defender.

This makes perfect sense and is probably the footballer I would like him to become, the total team player with elite skills and the STAR factor...

 

[Alcmaeon]

.....flags are won by teams.

It's irrelevant what any one individual player is doing in the off season or even during the season


The blues should look at what the cats did last year - they lost their best player and coach at the end of the 2010 season and instead of decaying away as a team, the players saw it as a challenge and made a pact pre season to win the flag.

Frankly I don't care whether gibbs explodes or not - the main thing I am interested in is the health and atitude within the team and the creativity and courage of the coaching group.

This is the question that is asked of the players and the coaches

What are you going to do Ratts?

What are the players going to do?

Are you going to continue to set mediocre acheivable goals and feel satisfied?

What team would have a season's goal of playing a home final and winning it?

That is a just a stepping stone - the blues have lost 3 interstate finals by less than a kick in the past 3 years and the excuse the club gives is that we MUST GET A HOME FINAL

I would rather have the blues set a goal for a flag and not win a game than set a safe goal of winning one final. The window isnt open forever, we must grasp the chance every year.

The comments concerning carlton winning a flag by Mark Murphy at the best and fairest were heartening - he should be made captain

 

[Dramoth]

Mate... we all want to win flags... but sometimes flags are won by one player taking the game by the scruff of the neck and ripping it up.

We have a number of players who can win games for the club through their own efforts.

Judd is Judd... enough said.

Murphy should have exploded in 2010 but was cruelled by injury during the preseason and then took most of the season to get up to speed properly. He then promptly ripped the competition apart last season and was rightly awarded the coaches best player of the year award as well as winning the Big Nick medal.

Walker moving into the forward line has been inspired... this is a guy who can turn a game with a mark at the right time... and can destroy defences with his pace and skill.

Gibbs started showing towards the end of last season what he was capable of and was starting to really step up. I fully expect him to start winning games through his actions through the midfield. He has done his apprenticeship now and last year ripped some of the all time greats of the last 10 years apart in negating roles while still winning his own ball and beating his direct opponent.

Yes, the game is a team sport... but that one individual moment of brilliance... that one instance where someone does something that truly inspires a team is when a game is won and lost. People say in 1970 it was Brass Arse's half time speech 'handball, handball, handball' that inspired us to come from 44 points down and win the game... but I personally think it was that one soaring moment when Jezza soared over Graeme Jenkins that created that moment when the match turned in our favour and inspired by that and Barrassi's half time speech, the team then went on to win the greatest grand final ever.

If Gibbs explodes into brilliance at the same time that Judd is running amok and Murphy is ripping sides apart with his ability to change direction on a 1 cent piece (and still give change) then the entire team will be backed by 3 of the best midfielders that the club has ever put onto the field at once and we will be singing Lily long into the night on the last Saturday in September.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

I would rather have the blues set a goal for a flag and not win a game than set a safe goal of winning one final. The window isnt open forever, we must grasp the chance every year.

You do realise that merely setting the goal doesn't mean you are a realistic chance of achieving it. Our supporter base is not exactly known for its patience, particularly if it sees you have failed your expected goals.

Pointing to the bleachers is good for hyping up the crowd but not much help as far as actually hitting the home run. In fact, it just adds to the pressure unnecessarily.

Carlton would have their own hopes behind the scenes but do not need to put that public pressure on themselves by announcing it. So, they announce incremental improvements that are expected.

Have you seen people suggest Ratts should shut up and do the job instead of talking about how Gibbs is going to break out or how we should follow Geelong's model of resting players? What would we achieve by announcing we expect to win the flag?

Peter Schwab in 2004 infamously declared the Hawks were going to win the flag, only to get sacked in round 17 with the Hawks last on the ladder. There is just no point in it.

 

[Alcmaeon]

Mate... we all want to win flags... but sometimes flags are won by one player taking the game by the scruff of the neck and ripping it up.

we are not talking about singles tennis or Golf here.

If you understand what a Premiership entails for a club you will recognise that there are 22 players on the day of the grand final, and numerous others during the year and even in previous years that have contributed.

its all about TEAM - thats wll AFL coaches talk about, thats ALL players talk about.

Ratten seems to be an expection - always referrring to statistics and individual performances.

And if you think Judd is the saviour then you are mistaken.

Judd is a professional who rarely plays a bad game. But he is no match winner and misses too many clutch goals - remember the Final against the swans 2 years ago?

But this short coming is irrelevant to whether carlton can win a flag.

Its goal hasnt been to win a flag and its conservative goals of mediocrity are a cancer in any club.

This doesnt mean that you should be unrealistic or arrogant in public.

What I am saying is that you dont declare to the public and to the supporters these rediculous goals of winning 1 home final. I am not surprised they lost the following week, when they clearly should have won and given the Cats a scare the week after in the preliminary.

Last year was another wasted year - window keeps narrowing.

Last year was a huge chance for the blues to at least make the GF - but that wasnt the goal was it folks.

This isnt the Carlton I know, setting trends and failure totally unacceptable. This doesnt mean that youre going to win every year - no team can do that - but at least your sights should be firmly set on one prize,

Players need to make a pact with one another - just like the cats did last year.

So when Mark Murphy says at the best and fairest that he wants to play in a flag with his team mates next year, and then Judd follows up with saying we should be looking at making the top 4 and that we should earn the right to play in a GF something is wrong at the club.

And I am afraid it starts with the coach and the skipper. They set the mood and the subliminal goals for the year.

This is why I prefer Murphy as skipper and dont really care who the coach is because as we all know, you need a commited bunch of single minded players to win a flag. When you get that right, the coach just sits back and watches.

Ask Parkin what he thought of his coaching in 1995 - he said he didnt really coach very much and not that well. His best coaching year was with Fitzroy.

Bomber Thomson is a good example of a poor coach in a self driven player environment - totally irrelevant. He left Geelong and a new first time coach in Scott walks into a flag and what did Scott say all year and during the finals? "Well I didnt have to do very much at this club - they had a formula that worked"

If you have played any team sport you would understand what I am talking about

 

[brazilblue]

we are not talking about singles tennis or Golf here.


Last year was another wasted year - window keeps narrowing.

Last year was a huge chance for the blues to at least make the GF - but that wasnt the goal was it folks.

This isnt the Carlton I know, setting trends and failure totally unacceptable. This doesnt mean that youre going to win every year - no team can do that - but at least your sights should be firmly set on one prize,

Players need to make a pact with one another - just like the cats did last year.

So when Mark Murphy says at the best and fairest that he wants to play in a flag with his team mates next year, and then Judd follows up with saying we should be looking at making the top 4 and that we should earn the right to play in a GF something is wrong at the club.

And I am afraid it starts with the coach and the skipper. They set the mood and the subliminal goals for the year.

This is why I prefer Murphy as skipper and dont really care who the coach is because as we all know, you need a commited bunch of single minded players to win a flag. When you get that right, the coach just sits back and watches.

Ask Parkin what he thought of his coaching in 1995 - he said he didnt really coach very much and not that well. His best coaching year was with Fitzroy.

Bomber Thomson is a good example of a poor coach in a self driven player environment - totally irrelevant. He left Geelong and a new first time coach in Scott walks into a flag and what did Scott say all year and during the finals? "Well I didnt have to do very much at this club - they had a formula that worked"

If you have played any team sport you would understand what I am talking about

Not here to pick a fight but geez I could not disagree more with what you wrote ....

Premierships are won with a lot of hard work and step by step building now ... gone are the days when you could pull a Real Madrid.

Ratts will one day go down as a great coach, not because he was an exceptional tactician, or brilliant strategist ... even though he has been in the past and received little credit for it.

No he will go down as great because he moulded a team into a self believing, hard ar$ed, killer instinct minded unit that played for themselves, their fans, the history of their club and for him.

Ratts in my opinion has been on the chopping block twice in his career as coach ... both times against Essendon in 2010 and in the final last year. Everyone knew it and both times the players came out and destroyed the scum. That speaks volumes.

Do yourself a favour go hire Miracle with Kurt Russle ... its the story of how the 1980 U.S hockey team took gold from the invincible Russians ... it was the coach moulding the team exactly how Ratts has done it.

Ratts has been smart and surrounded himself with everything he needs to win a premiership. Swallowed some pride, taken advice on board and come out a hell of a good coach IMHO.

Time will tell, but I think a lot of people will be eating humble pie in the next few years. There is no person I want to see on that dias holding the cup more than Ratts ... he deserves to and has the talent to get the job done.

Go BLUES!

 

[goreds]

Not here to pick a fight but geez I could not disagree more with what you wrote ....

Premierships are won with a lot of hard work and step by step building now ... gone are the days when you could pull a Real Madrid.

Ratts will one day go down as a great coach, not because he was an exceptional tactician, or brilliant strategist ... even though he has been in the past and received little credit for it.

No he will go down as great because he moulded a team into a self believing, hard ar$ed, killer instinct minded unit that played for themselves, their fans, the history of their club and for him.

Ratts in my opinion has been on the chopping block twice in his career as coach ... both times against Essendon in 2010 and in the final last year. Everyone knew it and both times the players came out and destroyed the scum. That speaks volumes.

Do yourself a favour go hire Miracle with Kurt Russle ... its the story of how the 1980 U.S hockey team took gold from the invincible Russians ... it was the coach moulding the team exactly how Ratts has done it.

Ratts has been smart and surrounded himself with everything he needs to win a premiership. Swallowed some pride, taken advice on board and come out a hell of a good coach IMHO.

Time will tell, but I think a lot of people will be eating humble pie in the next few years. There is no person I want to see on that dias holding the cup more than Ratts ... he deserves to and has the talent to get the job done.

Go BLUES!

Really well put...

Like he played, started as a back pocket and turned into an elite midfielder!

 

[Alcmaeon]

Not here to pick a fight but geez I could not disagree more with what you wrote ....

Premierships are won with a lot of hard work and step by step building now ... gone are the days when you could pull a Real Madrid.

Ratts will one day go down as a great coach, not because he was an exceptional tactician, or brilliant strategist ... even though he has been in the past and received little credit for it.

No he will go down as great because he moulded a team into a self believing, hard ar$ed, killer instinct minded unit that played for themselves, their fans, the history of their club and for him.

Ratts in my opinion has been on the chopping block twice in his career as coach ... both times against Essendon in 2010 and in the final last year. Everyone knew it and both times the players came out and destroyed the scum. That speaks volumes.

Do yourself a favour go hire Miracle with Kurt Russle ... its the story of how the 1980 U.S hockey team took gold from the invincible Russians ... it was the coach moulding the team exactly how Ratts has done it.

Ratts has been smart and surrounded himself with everything he needs to win a premiership. Swallowed some pride, taken advice on board and come out a hell of a good coach IMHO.

Time will tell, but I think a lot of people will be eating humble pie in the next few years. There is no person I want to see on that dias holding the cup more than Ratts ... he deserves to and has the talent to get the job done.

Go BLUES!

my criticism is of clubs going public with rediculous goals of mediocrity - which we blues have done under ratten for several years.

I prefer for team goals to be kept in the inner sanctum of the players/coaches den.

And if you need to go public then only one prize should be aimed at otherwise we become a laughing stock.

If you were happy with last years result then perhaps you have been taken in by the clubs mediocre standards too.

And setting a goal of winning a flag doesnt mean you will win it - but you would think its the first long term thing the team should be thinking about over the course of the season. During the game, its the next contest - no further.

I knew that the blues would win one final in melbourne and get bundled out the next week interstate - that is the mind set that was erected over 12 months earlier.

Be careful of what you wish for - you may not get any more

(Its not a ciriticism of Ratten as coach. I suggest that you speak to Parkin if you happent o bump into him at the footy and ask him what value he places on the coaches. He has said many times that there are about 9 ingredients for a successful year and the coach is the least important. If you think coaches deliver flags then you dont understand what it takes to win one. I am a big fan of ratts as a player, doesnt mean he can get the best out of this group. We need a Scott type who is ruthless and yet calm in the box - not another fan on the boundary line looking at statistics)

 

[Dramoth]

we are not talking about singles tennis or Golf here. Damn it you're right... and here was I thinking that we were on a forum about singles lawn bowls.

If you understand what a Premiership entails for a club you will recognise that there are 22 players on the day of the grand final, and numerous others during the year and even in previous years that have contributed. And you are correct again... it's all about the guys who are out on the ground...

its all about TEAM - thats wll AFL coaches talk about, thats ALL players talk about. However, I have noticed that on the odd occasion, a coach will single out one player or another and extol their virtues and comment on how they are playing at a particular point in time.

Ratten seems to be an expection - always referrring to statistics and individual performances. Sorry... all coaches will single out individual players and comment on how their performance is lifting the team. and I think that the word you are looking for is "exception"

And if you think Judd is the saviour then you are mistaken. Where did I say that Judd is the saviour? In my post, I said that Judd is Judd in terms of performance... I never mentioned that he is the one person who is going to be our saviour.

Judd is a professional who rarely plays a bad game. But he is no match winner and misses too many clutch goals - remember the Final against the swans 2 years ago?

But this short coming is irrelevant to whether carlton can win a flag.

Its goal hasnt been to win a flag and its conservative goals of mediocrity are a cancer in any club. The clubs goal is always to win a flag...anyone who says otherwise is either deluded or a fool or both. We might have been conservative over the past few years while players gained experience and have grown into their abilities but thats all turned the corner now. Coming out and saying that we are going to win the flag this year or last year or next year is for idiots like you to spout on about. Look at what happened with Collingwood and their claims they would win back to back flags. They lost and were instantly the targets of much derision.

This doesnt mean that you should be unrealistic or arrogant in public. Nope... we learnt that when Big Jack was in charge of the club... and look what it got us.

What I am saying is that you dont declare to the public and to the supporters these rediculous goals of winning 1 home final. I am not surprised they lost the following week, when they clearly should have won and given the Cats a scare the week after in the preliminary.

Last year was another wasted year - window keeps narrowing. what window? Our premiership window just opened. Last year it was opened a crack but people like you thought that it was wide opened and we were shoe-in's for the flag after being in the top 4 for most of the year...

Last year was a huge chance for the blues to at least make the GF - but that wasnt the goal was it folks. yet another stupid comment... the team wasnt experienced enough last year and we lost key players who we didnt have the backups for. There was no way known we would make the grand final... but deluded fools like yourself think that because we were once a great club, we should be instantly a great club because fools like yourself decide it is so. I would prefer to listen to and believe in the expectations of the club. However, there is no reason why we cant go all the way to a grand finals appearance this year. There is also no reason why we COULDN'T win it this year either... so long as the entire team plays like champions and we have no injuries to key players over the course of the finals.

This isnt the Carlton I know, setting trends and failure totally unacceptable. This doesnt mean that youre going to win every year - no team can do that - but at least your sights should be firmly set on one prize,

Players need to make a pact with one another - just like the cats did last year.

So when Mark Murphy says at the best and fairest that he wants to play in a flag with his team mates next year, and then Judd follows up with saying we should be looking at making the top 4 and that we should earn the right to play in a GF something is wrong at the club. There is nothing wrong at the club... it's fools like you that reads bullshit into differing opinions.

And I am afraid it starts with the coach and the skipper. They set the mood and the subliminal goals for the year. You are half right... the coach and the captain of the club sets the goals for the club that are set by the board. It is then up to the players to take it upon themselves to set their own goals and it is also up to the players to try and exceed those goals they have set in an effort to try and exceed the goals set by the club. People like yourself popping up and proclaiming that there is something wrong at the club and that it is the coach and the captain that are at the heart of the matter are like the idiots through the bad years who were saying that we need to get Big Jack back at the club and he will sort things out and we will start winning again.

This is why I prefer Murphy as skipper and dont really care who the coach is because as we all know, you need a commited bunch of single minded players to win a flag. When you get that right, the coach just sits back and watches.

Ask Parkin what he thought of his coaching in 1995 - he said he didnt really coach very much and not that well. His best coaching year was with Fitzroy.

Bomber Thomson is a good example of a poor coach in a self driven player environment - totally irrelevant. He left Geelong and a new first time coach in Scott walks into a flag and what did Scott say all year and during the finals? "Well I didnt have to do very much at this club - they had a formula that worked"

If you have played any team sport you would understand what I am talking about

I understand perfectly what you are talking about... but you seem to have forgotten that in '95 and again last year, you are talking about 2 champion teams of champion players who had/have spent a decade playing together and knew each others games perfectly. They know the playbook so well, they can run the drills themselves without the supervision of the coach.

After '95, we started declining and ended up losing a lot of champion players over the next 5-7 years to retirement. I fully expect the cats to do the same over the next 1-3 years. Their decline is going to be a lot more sudden because of all the players they have over 30 who will be looking at retiring after the next couple of seasons.

People like you are never satisfied with winning... if we win one premiership, you will be there saying we should have won 2, if we win 2, why couldnt we win 3...

The Cats have won 3 flags in 5 years... if we do the same, I will be most happy.

 

[Aphrodite]

I thought the topic of this thread related to Gibbs.

 

[Alcmaeon]

I understand perfectly what you are talking about... but you seem to have forgotten that in '95 and again last year, you are talking about 2 champion teams of champion players who had/have spent a decade playing together and knew each others games perfectly. They know the playbook so well, they can run the drills themselves without the supervision of the coach.

After '95, we started declining and ended up losing a lot of champion players over the next 5-7 years to retirement. I fully expect the cats to do the same over the next 1-3 years. Their decline is going to be a lot more sudden because of all the players they have over 30 who will be looking at retiring after the next couple of seasons.

People like you are never satisfied with winning... if we win one premiership, you will be there saying we should have won 2, if we win 2, why couldnt we win 3...

The Cats have won 3 flags in 5 years... if we do the same, I will be most happy.

You make some very good points - I too would be happy with 1 flag let alone what the Cats have achieved with 13 ALL AUSTRALIANS in one year at one stage. (and heaps of father and sons)

But I dont recall the cats coming out in public and declaring to the world that they PLAN to win ONE final in melbourne.

I recally having a discussion prior to last season starting and my pick for the flag was Geelong because I heard on the grape vine that the players had made a pact with one another to win one more flag the moment they lost their Coach to essendon and their best player to the gold coast.

My friend thought that the cats would struggle and maybe not make the top 4. They won the first 13 games and won all their finals.

Interestingly a few cats players rated the blues as the hardest working and quickest team they played last year. And when the eagles just beat us in perth, they knew they were in the grand final - they preferred not to play the blues. We also have a good record against them - even when Pagan had Fevola running around they sometimes struggled against us.

Bomber Thomson is one of the most incompetent coaches I have seen in the AFL. But he did one thing right in the end - he used the Parkin philosophy of allowing some ownership of the performance to the players. In fact he almost gaev them total control of the game.

Are you aware that when the cats start the game Bomber didnt know exaclty who was lining up on the gun forwards? The Geelong backline would work it out themselves and also do swaps during the game without direction from the box.

Thats why you see a relaxed Bomber in the box eating salad rolls.

Ratts started giving players more autonomy last year - and also gave his assistant coaches more responsibility. Not enough though.

Will Ratts learn fast enough so that we can capitalise on the rather large window that has opened for us?

We shall see next year - we have guns on every line - we are quick, skillfull, exciting and have a huge fanatical fan base that fills grounds,

And the tests will be against 2 teams in my view

the hawks and the magpies