Watching Geelong go about their football. Tough, hard at the ball, unified and together, but most of all successful. They also manage to do all this while playing kids and putting quality time into the kids in the AFL.

That kid with the weird name in 46, as their sub last night who runs a sub five 2km ... he's a pure athlete, yet somehow Geelong's development dept teaches him how to play, where to be, where to run to and how to kick straight. We draft an athlete with not much football skill or IQ, and three years later they're delisted with maybe one AFL game under their belt -- if they're lucky.

I've always thought kids can't learn the AFL without playing in it. The Reggies doesn't teach them much else other than bad, lazy unaccountable habits/ football.

So while recruiting is an important part of a successful AFL team, it's the development department which is integral. Geelong's dev dept, seems to be able to polish all kinds of turd and put lipstick on all kinds of pigs.

Carlton needs to spend money on a quality development team, employ a system and be willing to spend the next 3-4 years taking their lumps until it pays off.

How about recruiting kids that can kick the football properly? That would be a start.

I watched Hawthorn Friday night and their kicking compared to ours is chalk and cheese. No matter what we did in reality our current list couldn't compete with them. They are just too good.

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Sure, but recruiting kids with good to elite skills all happens (depending on the particular draft) all happens in the first 15 or so picks. What about after that?

Geelong and Carlton are proof, developing kids is more important than what position they were drafted at and what skills they already have under the hood.


On a side note. Whenever I see that Caddy kid, I think of you calling him a future gun. That kid is everything we need here. He's like a skilful, high IQ version of Bell.

This scenario is very tempting.
Our key forward options of Rowe and Levi really don't look like working long term.

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James Hird and Essendon* FC - #FOREVERDRUGCHEATS

Totally agree.

I have asked this a number of times without answers. Why do our kids, especially our early picks take so long to step up if at all?

Look at Yarran, Lucas, Bootsma, Watson and even Menzel. What about Gibbs and Kruezer. Would Kruezer be used as a forward in his development at other clubs? How about developing him for what we recruited him for, a RUCKMAN. Would Gibbs be allowed to get away with some of his efforts at Geelong, Hawthorn or Freo? None have set the world on fire for their ages. Cameo's? Definitely but none have come in and had any influence consistently and generally if they don't in the first 2-3 years they never will.

Even at this early stage Menzel & Cripps worry me. Menzel does some brilliant things but has he really done much else?? Cripps can win the ball but is nowhere near AFL level yet. It's not definite he will yet I see players like Dunstan, Taylor etc playing and playing well. When the hell does that ever happen with us?????????????

We have Graham running around in the two's, playing well, looks a genuine AFL player but isn't even considered.

Our best players have been flukes. Henderson we didn't want and got lucky. Judd was paid big money, Carrots was a reject, Jamison a rookie, Waite Father/Son, Buckley F/S, Tuohy rookie. Seriously sometimes I think we are lucky we aren't worse.

I still don't get why we chased Thomas, good player, maybe but can't kick over a jam tin and is as slow as treacle, what is he adding to our side apart from restricting and already bloated salary cap?

FFS Carlton just give us some hope.

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Wait ... in what way is Thomas slow as treacle? Running? Decision making? Moving the ball? He's above average in all three in my opinion.

Agree he's kicking them daintily though.

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

Can't break a line to save himself and doesn't help our major deficiency which is kicking. Also not great defensively.

Not saying he isn't a good player but look what we gave up.

1st round pick via Betts deal
$700k a year in salary cap
Another bloody Collingwood player plus we gave them another pick at 11 which they wouldn't of got otherwise.

Maybe we could of had Cripps & Dunstan?

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

We weren't getting a first round pick for Eddie.

End of first round or early second round. Still would of been a good player. Lewis Taylor?

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Greg Swann said on radio he expects another turnover of around 25% of our list again like last year.

That's 50% of our list in two years and IMO it's what's needed so good to hear. That's 10-12 overall players.

So who goes by trade, retirement, FA or delist?

Possibles

Scotland
Gibbs
McLean
Robinson
Rowe
Watson
Temay
Casboult
Cachia
Lucas
Bootsma
Armfield

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Of that list I'd only want Gibbs to stay, but for 500k, ie won't happen because he'd be taking a pay cut.

A week or so I would've thought that Gibbs was a certainty to stay. Now I'm not so sure.

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Would have thought Andrew Mackay rather than Greg " The book of knowledge " Swann would be talking about things like that.When the bloody hell is someone gonna tell that know all to eff off up to the front office and stay there.

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All my dangerous friends

McLean
Robinson
Lucas
and if he doesn't want to stay Gibbs.
The rest I would prefer to keep to continue developing or as backup to injury.

If Gibbs does want to go and he nominates the Crows as his preferred club hopefully the club will sign him on the agreement they will work out a suitable trade.

Now I know I am dreaming but we could bundle up a deal to trade Gibbs (pick 1), Lucas (pick 12), and Robinson (back with his mate Eddie) for:

Talia (barracked for Carlton as a kid pick 11? same year as Lucas), Grigg or Kerridge (2nd round and 1st round ,pick 29, 2011) and Lewis Johnston.

Now I am not sure who gets the better deal but if Gibbs wants to go (and I don't think he hates Carlton) it could be worth a shot.

I know nothing about trade deals and the inner workings of football clubs but these would be handy players to pick up.

Not 100% sure on Johnston (heard he has discipline issues) but he does kick straight and would be handy as a 3rd tall up forward.

It helps if you regularly have more than two draft picks in the top fifty. A high draft position doesn't assure that you get a top player but it certainly improves the odds. Even which project players you take (if any) are subject to the draft depth/order and the fortitude of the club and its recruiters.

On the subject of skills and development; players are naturally going to perform better if they have the quality around them and are not subject to the same kinds of pressures struggling clubs are under. You can't separate recruiting versus development as they both affect each other.

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Just because I'm offended, doesn't mean I'm wrong.

Gibbs for Talia?
Yup....... id take that!

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

If Gibbs goes it won't be for a trade

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"I will rejoice in their anguish, delight in their failure and revel in our success"

We are Carlton, @#$%&! the rest !!!!!!

Gibbs for Dangerfield is what I'm hearing....supposedly from a good sauce.

Also that Levi has had a fallout with Mick..

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Circumstance has no value. It is how one relates to a situation that has value. All true meaning resides in the personal relationship to a phenomenon, what it means to you.

Judd, McLean & Gibbs go at seasons end = $1.9mil ???

Next season Warnock and Carrazzo = $8-900k ???

Not sure if my sums are correct but that's a hell of a lot of money freed up to secure young talent and attack free agency in the next couple of years

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“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” ― Richard Feynman

Aren't they both free agents at the end of the year?
Where would this trade scenario come into it?