If the team continued to play the way it was then no, but there has been a major turn around in the on field attitude and effort. Still not happy with the overall performance this year, and will expect to see a significant improvement next year.

Besides I figure you will want Dennis's head if we miss the 'precious'

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A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" -Winston Churchill

L.M 35-06

My sympathies Dom. Very sad news hope you are doing ok.

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"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." - Gene Hill

But you would have sacked him .......


and ill want everybodys head if we miss the precious because if were throwing $500k a year at blokes like Kosi and Luke Power but not interested in growing and harvesting our own.. the club is still making the same mistakes it always has been making.
That will be from the very top down....

If we miss out on 'precious' just get ready for years and years of mediocrity.
Precious does not only represent a gun young kid but a mentality of taking the medicine to go forward 2005 style not 1980 style..

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Synbad, I'd like to know your opinion on the difference bewteen the 2. We no longer live in the age of players playing out their careers at the one club, for better or worse.

How does it disadvantage Carlton to bring in a few "ready-mades" who were high picks a few years back, as opposed to "growing our own", and having them poached in the same manner a few years down the track?

Swing and roundabouts, Syn.

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

D.V.D.A would have been better.

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

The difference is the real good players stay at the one club and they cost you lss to keep and they dont set a precedent of overpricing in the club'
People knowi wanted Kosi at the club ...and i was prepared to do whatever it takes to land him here.
BUT!!!!! wouldnt it have been much better if we had our own Kosis and Powers and we didnt have a need to throw big buck to attraxct them to us... and then have them say "NO!"??
Im all for bringing in players from outside but i prefer we take our medicine and get our very own gun kids who have only known Carlton...

How many gun kids actually get poached????..... very few unless theyre here from interstate.

We will get a good player in the PSD , a player who should be able to walk into our side but it wont be a Kosi. Ball, Riewoldt, Brown,Judd, Cooney......

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Synbad the policy has to be to do both, surely.

If we manage these contracts well then we'll have cap free next year, so why shouldn't we buy a player as well?

The only thing wrong with going for retreads is if you pick up duds!

Last year's premiers had some pretty good retreads from other clubs, Pickett, Wanganeen and Montgomery were all key players. If we can get some players of that ilk (ie those that are likely to play another 100 games for us) plus pick up youngsters then why not?

Sure we can do both.. but your best bet is always what you grow yourserlf.

My mums home grown tomatos always taste better than what i buy from the supermarket.
Thats not to say i only eat the tomoatoes my mum gives me.. just that theyre better.
More healthy for me too....

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

They may taste better to you becuase you have pride in your product. to everyone else they would need to be compared, apple for apple, in the market place that is AFL football. This is where better / best comes in, not your subjective view of your own tomato.

Spare salary cap is there to throw around.

molesy. you wont build a premiership side with average players and three 500k a year players like Stevens (from other clubs thrown in)
Youll build a premiership side with your own home grown talent.(I mean alot of real talen) with some players from other clubs thrown in around them.

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Synners, you should be growing your own tomatoes rather than relying on handouts from your mother.

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Thats what mothers are for... doesnt yours do anything for you????

You should take her out for mothers day every now and again.....I do..

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Oedipus was Greek wasn't he?

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

I know im blind but im not that blind.....

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Hmmm, really not sure how the conversation got that far away from me... must have been the tomato references.

My point is only that we have to do both - was someone aactually advocating giving up all of our early picks (the Synbad tomatoes)? I don't have a problem with 1 pick up a year (non-Synbad tomatoes) with free cap as long as they're not only going to be ripe for a season or two. Whilst we're drafting good tomatoes with early picks, and then picking up non-Synbad tomatoes with spare change as the senior players retire, then surely that's the game.

Pride has nothing to do with that aspect of it. We don't need to sit on the bottom for another 3 years if we can do it in 2 with good tomatoes. The only problem there is the tomatoes are lemons.