Agreed. I'd certainly be keeping Robinson. He brings an intensity that few team-mates can match and his football had been on the improve as well, demonstrating better ball use and decision making and an ability to play forward and kick a goal.

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Formerly Blues-Back2003.

Arguments against signing Higgins as a free agent because he won't play in our next premiership fall flat with me. He's 26. He has 5 years left. We can turn things around inside 5 years. To say we're 5 years away so should only draft 18yr olds makes no sense. How will we be a premiership threat if we forego all depth on our list by being void of players 26 and above? These are the experienced players needed to help us in our transition to becoming a consistent, high level performer. The transition began last year with Everitt, Thomas and Docherty entering the club. Young-mid aged players who immediately improve our list and our culture. Higgins fits that profile too. I fully expect our club to be following a similar strategy this offseason.
If we want our club to improve next year and have a better platform to build from in the future, these sort of instant improvements are needed. If we take a look at our current crop of players in Higgins age group (25-27), we have; Garlett, Robinson, Kruezer, Gibbs, Everitt, Ellard, White, Rowe, Murphy, Thomas, Wood, Warnock, Armfield. It seems possible Garlett, Robinson and Ellard might not be here next year. White, Rowe and Wood are experienced in age, but not in terms of AFL experience. Warnock hardly oozes leadership and consistency either, while Armfield is clearly falling down the pecking order. In real terms our leaders within the 25-27yr old age group are Kreuzer (off a couple years of serious setbacks), Everitt (a new recruit), Gibbs, Murphy and Thomas (another recruit). That list of middle aged, in football terms, players who offer leadership and consistency is far too thin to expect the team to perform on a consistent basis. Whether it is Higgins or someone else of a similar age, I wouldn't be disappointed at all to see the club gain someone in this group. As a free agent pick up it isn't prohibitive to us trading for a younger player, like we did with Docherty last year (which by the way was a clear win for us, just for those moaning that we get ripped off in every trade), and still holding on to some decent draft picks.

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@cecil_anderson

I'm not 100% sure how accurate this report of Robbo being traded is.
I was told be a few at the club as recently as yesterday that he's staying put.

Having said that, apparently a few of the players are "over him".

When will people start realising bottoming out and just getting 18 year old kids isnt the answer.

You need to develop your kids, from pick 1 to pick 100, its the development that turns them into players not what selection they go at.

We should be able to remain competitive while bringing good kids through, look at geelong, hawthorn, sydney.

I honestly think GWS and Gold Coast wont win a premiership with their current lists. the Kids have no winning culture, no leaders to look upto and no direction, which is understandable since the club is brand new.

Bottoming out is not the answer.

Great post

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dane's trolling again

Wonder what GoBaggers thinks of his signature though?

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BLUES 2010: PAV AND JUDD = FLAGS. DOING IT FOR THE LOVE OF DICK PRATT.

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR TALKINGCARLTON SUPERCOACH 2009 YET?

There seemed to be some kind of shift in the mentality of the playing group in the second half of the season. Judd referred to it when he announced he was playing on, Malthouse referred to it in the presses after the Essendon* game.

If there are players on the list whom others in the group have identified as not being on board with the new mentality then they have to be moved on. Regardless of what outsiders like us think they might offer.

Its evident there was a huge shift in the team mentality half way through the year, i think they have stopped waiting for things to happen and actually got off their backside and made it happen, and this is where players like robbo and gartlett , who unfortunetly arnt on the same page, dont fit in.

unfortunetly the issues i beleive they cant fit into the new model, are very politically incorrect so i wont say them, but i honestly beleive it's why they cant fit in with the change of mind.

Geelong is one of the clubs that draft and just sit and wait and have some patience. I reckon we’re at that point. Carlton hasn’t been use to that before. It’s been a “there’s the best player let’s go out and buy him.” The rules have changed. We’ve gotta draft and we’ve got to embrace the draft – the supporters and the footy club. - Shane Rogers.

It seems Higgins is after big dollars; Carlton is the club mediocre players can go to for their retirement fund.

Geelong/Hawthorn top up when they're actually in the top 4 - why would we be topping up given we've been told time and time again that the list is [REDACTED].

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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

Why the hell would we chase Higgins? He'll be twenty seven in March, injury prone, best footy behind him. Another Daisy Thomas.

It appears the Doggies aren't fighting to keep him, that should tell us something.

Rounds 1-11 4 wins 7 losses
Rounds 12-24 3 wins 1 draw and 7 losses

Can someone run it by ne again how we improved in the back half of the year

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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

Good post. agreed.

Rounds 12-24 we played interstate 4 times, rounds 1-11 no trips
Rounds 12-24 we played Cats twice, Hawks, Freo, Sydney, rounds 1-11 played none of them
Rounds 12-24 were in the game for long stretches against Hawks, Cats (twice), Freo

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"I had to eat"

Sydney Blue, we played numerous top 8 sides and where highly competitve whilst having virtually a vfl side in. Players like Gibbs, Yarran, Casbolt, Bell, Rowe also came into their own. To say you saw no diffrence between the first and second half of the year, id suggest you go and watch the replays again. Other then the Port game where our captain got knocked out and we had 7 top 22 players out of the side and we palyed against a rabid port adelaide side and also the sydney game who will go onto win the premiership (i think), we where highly highly competetive vs the rest.

Also to Effes, why cant we find a balance of drafting good kids aswell as bringing in good unfullfillied talent from other clubs and getting the most ouf of them.

Im sick of not making finals, atleast when your in the finals your a chance. We arnt far off finals so why would be go backwards, move forward get some kids and development them, ie Menzel, Cripps, Graham and also pick up some good talent from other sides, Thomas, Everitt, Dorchety.

I have huge faith malthouse can develop his players. If you want to waste more time botttoming out and building a losing culture then change your attitude, because it got us no where in the past.

If you can't see anything positive going forward, why do you bother continuing on supporting?

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dane's trolling again

Malthouse will get more out of Higgins, just like he did rowe, everitt, gibbs(possible all australian in a terrible year).

We need to find the balance between drafting and developing kids and bringing in talent from othersides, it seems to be working for port adelaide with monfries, ebert, white, polec.

In the first half of the year we lost to Melbourne and Brisbane (while in a winning position), and didn't show up against Essendon*. We were very fortunate to hold on against Adelaide and somehow fell over the line against West Coast.

We pushed Port in round 1 and had a solid win against the Dogs. The st kilda win was unconvincing.

In the second half of the year we had a poor loss to the Giants, and were obliterated by the Power with a vastly understrength team.

On the positive side we cleaned up Finalists North, drew with Essendon* and pushed Hawthorn and Sydney for 3 qtrs, came with a kick of Geelong (twice) and Freo.

Did you actually watch the games or simply look at the win/loss column?

It was a vastly better end to the season than the beginning. We unearthed a few players as-well.

Is this still the case tru?

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dane's trolling again

Sydney did kick 10 goals in the third qtr.

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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

Is SOS still coming!?

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dane's trolling again