These are serious questions.
Seeing as Pagan has stated that this weeks NAB Challenge game is a full dress rehearsal for Rnd 1 I take it that almost all the same players will be lining up against the dees
so
I’d like to know peoples thoughts on what POSITIVE football attributes Prendagast, Chambers, Sporn and DeLuca have that Pagan feels are required to be competitive against Melbourne?
How will/should these four players be used in a positive way against Melbourne for the team be competitive?

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There's so much I could say...

Prendagast and Chambers can run hard and push into the space

Sporn now knows to bomb to the top of the square and quickly

And Deluca provides plenty of crumbs for our smaller forwards

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

Agree anyone not in that squad probably wont be playing seniors v Melbourne....
Chambers for pace, Prenda maybe to follow the agile White around when not competing in tapouts....

Deluca appears to have won the battle with Bryan for a spot..Bryan of course along with Bannister could be the mystery no seniors for him player that ElecB was talking about...

Sporn...maybe as a tagging option as we dont have four Andrew Walkers like we really need...

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Actually 28 are in the squad. ?24 will take part on Fri but only 22 will take part in round 1, so 6 of those will not play.

Deluca has the ability to stretch the Melbourne Defence, especially given Rivers' likely absence. He can also pinch-hit in the ruck, but if Barney remains fit he will ruck for 80-90% of the time. Most of the slack will be taken up by Dylan McLaren, who also has the ability to play on a supertall forward (apparently he did well on Kozzie in days of old).

With Deluca sprinting out on long leads from inside 50, timing his run so that he meets the ball at or outside 50, his opponent is dragged outside D50. Nicholson has the height but not the pace to go with him. As Fev, Waitey and Fish are similarly mobile, it will be hard for them to ration out the tall mobile defenders. And it might force them to play one of their more cumbersome defenders on Whitnall should he play up forward, thereby eliminating one of the common strategies to expose his pace. Put someone too small on Archie and he might regain some marking touch. And at 202cm, Archie is able to take contested grabs inside 50, and is one of our better kicks for goal (a claim that can't yet be made for Fish or Waitey).

De luca's geelong game earnt him a spot.

Prenda for White

Sporn has good hands in close, can take on a job and stick to it.

or did you want the answer - na Pagan has no idea!

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Will they get enough supply?

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"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

You continue to make sense as usual SOS

and Dannyboy, even your first 3 sentences made some sort of sense

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There's so much I could say...

Sounds good in theory except that it generally hasn't worked in the past. Saying he might regain some marking touch implies there was a time when he had some. The only mark Juggles with Sherrins (to use his Indian name) ever held first go was in the fourth quarter of our come-from-behind win against Essendon*, and that was because he didn't have to jump he just stood there and stretched his arms out.

Deluca cannot judge the flight of the ball if he has to run and/or jump to mark it. The evidence for this is irrefutable. That makes him a lowsy forward option because he's never really dangerous. The fact that he brings the ball to ground might make this bearable if he could acutally ruck in an emergency but he's terrible at that as well.

I'm willing to give this whole "Delcua as the dangerous, tall, mobile forward" dealie one more go but I have very little confidence that it's going to come off. I'd rather be trying Setanta up there.

Fisher was the most accurate shot for goal in our team in his first season. He kicking got screwed up after his first knee op, but he has seemed better of late. Has distance problems but generally not accuracy ones.

Waitey's goal kicking is like a box of chocolates.

Up to this post, this is the 'thread with the best posts in it per head of capita' thread of all time. Well, ok, maybe just of the week - but I've just got home from the RAW Comedy Night and I'm all a twitter



That's really funny because it's true!

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"In better news for Blues fans, Jarrad Waite was not named on the club's injury list."

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pc-carlton-blues--adrian-deluca

De Luca's career statistics, averages around 3 marks a game in 33 games.

Injury dogged last year and moving into the time where he is considered to be fully developed. Aside from his confidence with his marking, every other part of his game looks exciting and developing well. Compare him to Prenda (long plateaued as a ruck option), McLaren (196 cms...), Bryan (197 or so, booming kick but can't ruck at a centre bounce).

He is our only other ruck of genuine size on the senior list. Imagine if he got some confidence and started gathering the marks. Not only would we have a genuine alternative to French, we'd have a 202 cm excitement machine. I wish him all the best.

You're right, we would. Expect that I don't accept the premise that his marking problems are confidence related. I think he just plain can't catch when both the ball and him are in motion at the same time.

Get him along to Barry Hall's eye doctor.






and tatooist.

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This might sound extreme in the context of alleged sexual assault, drunken violence and a drug trafficking charge...

He took 80 marks in his first season, I reckon he can do it. He's just missing something at the moment.

The Ball

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Carlton - Nothing's changed
I still love you, oh, I still love you
Only slightly, only slightly less
Than I used to, my love

Very interesting. Notice there is no ONE opinion for each player from the posters?

That is not because some people are realists and others see them through rose coloured glasses. It's because some supporters have been moved by something special that a player has done, and remember it, or they only remember the stuff ups or the last game. Those who tend to take the latter view must consider many contributing factors when questioning the input of a player's last game, because sometimes a player is either carrying an injury (and has been passed to play because we have a depth issue at the club) or because they cannot have the expected 20 possessions with 20 minutes of fieldtime. Statistics don't tell you how long they were on the field for!

You have to be able to see each players strengths as well as weaknesses to have a balanced view.

I am a fan of all the boys in blue, it's not always their fault that they don't reach the heights of our expectations.

Deluca proved himself in his first season...proving he can play the game, and be a thorn for opposition coaches, especially when fully fit and supply isn't an issue. As mentioned, Deluca earned a position after his Geelong game.

Prenders was NEVER selected as a ruckman, and he did serve Carlton well when he was expected to hold the ruck position at 194cm against genuine ruckmen. Also Prenders has never been given the opportunity to settle in one position, master it, then move onto the next....CHF was a position he filled in twice that I know of, and did pretty well, especially outside the 50m arc, but it was never his position. I don't think of him as a no hoper, and Prenders on White is not so silly. You see White can do a bit of damage around the ground as a link, or in the forward line with goals. Who else is there?

Dylan....we'll see, and we can't judge him yet. Be grateful that he chosen to go on the PSD knowing Carlton would select him; good on him for wanting to come to Carlton. Round 1 will be a big test for him in the real stuff and the real jumper.

All I know is we've got to be first for that nut, block, shepherd for each other, and talk constructively (like at training)....LOUD....and find a Carlton jumper in a better position, and the ball will be going more our way that the opposition's....and if we aren't going to get the ball first we make it extremely hard for them to get an easy possession. That will be a good start. The rest will look after itself. Everyone has the spotlight on them in 2006, starting round 1, till it finishes in Sept, then we will lay them before us and judge their contribution to the Carlon FC over a whole year.

Get real, and give us intelligent reasons why a player should be positioned on the field in our jumper, or why not. Don't give me the "he's ****ed" reason, because you sound more like a peeping tom, and not a football judge.

D'boy, Sydney, Elwood, I really liked your spin on players who have done well attimes for us, and may be looking at this year as their last chance in Sporn and Prenders, and SOS really good analysis of effective positioning.


THE EMPIRE WILL STRIKE BACK!!

How true, greAT QUOTE!

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Oompa loompa doompety dee
If you are wise you'll listen to me

get ya capitals under control EB!

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Who plays and what tactics we use dont matter .The Dees are no good full stop.If ya scared of the Dees,then ya scared of ya own shadow.
Neitz is the only fair dinkum key forward they have and he has just about had the gong.Miller............would be if he could be.Thinks he is the new Dermie.What an insult to the great man.Kicked six goals last year didnt he.Instead of trying to iron blokes out,he should get back to the hot spot instead the safety of the wings.Too scared.Nothing more than a plastic tough guy.Green and Bruce are nancie boys who sleep with there old school tie.Just to think we actually chased this pair makes a bloke wanna puik.
And the coach ? he's on his last legs and is a dead man walking.Wont be around next year.Fact.

PS Johnstone is brilliant,and they have some real good foot soldiers in the likes of McDonald and Whelan.But that aint nearly enough for me to rate them.

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All my dangerous friends

Davey kicked 5 tonight apparently. Who do we have that's quick enough to shut him down. Could JR be the man?