The Game .. picture this right?????

Youre walking down the street and your eye catches a shine on the footpath.. you bend over pick it up and you think you have gold... so you take it to a jeweller and he says... nah mate !!!... thats fools gold!!!..

would you say "what if?"

I think weve been humiliated enough by those two.

Laurie is the most exceptional raw talent i have ever seen... but as far as a footballer was concerned he had us become every bit a fool as he is.

Norman is an even bigger fool... !!!... but a lesser talent..

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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.

Fair enough then.....send my regards to them all...

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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.

..Fatnill in defence.. ..he'll have his good games, and he'll have his absolute horrors too.. ..regardless of how fit and lean he may be (and his stamina is up cos he doesna get benched all that often) he isn't the fastest cat out of the bag, and won't ever be.. ..quite simply, he's no defender..

..our team is a shocker, that we're playing a good forward in defence, and it's a further worry when Waite turns up down back too.. ..sure, we've got a glut of forwards now, but forwards need to play up forward, and if we're spoilt for choice then they're going to really earn their spots in the team and that should just be that..

..Prenderghastly is a hack, and should never be allowed near a football gain.. ..Wiggo and Davies are another pair that have done their dash.. Houla's needs to play off a wing or as a forward flanker, no runs in the middle cos he'll never be a hardnut..

..and Edwardo Betts has got to be nailed to a forward pocket.. ..all those tall forwards, and only a single genuine crumber in the entire team.. ..and Eddie's the best forward pressure player we have as well.. ..sure we need speed and bite in the middle, but we need it in the forward to where he's definately much more dangerous..

..now, onto the burning question of CHF.. ..i'd play Bryan there, but in the more traditional role.. ..nowadays FF plays out of the GS, and CHF is roaming across the 50m arc with intents to sprint forward.. ..but Bryan playing the older CHF possie of being between the 50m arc and the centre square would better suit our team's make-up, and with his booming left foot he'd more than even up the gap to the sticks..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

I flew to Melbourne on the weekend to see the team I've barracked for since 1968. I was really happy with what I saw on the weekend; a pre season game with that famous emblem running around the park.

Sure the last 4 years have been a shock to my system as I've been spoiled over the last 30 years with Finals, Grand Finals and Premierships ("lucky bastards" is what the competition say about us Carlton supporters).

One step forwards followed by two steps backwards; this is what we have been experiencing over the last 4 years. It's called "Catch up"

That's our predicament. It's only 4 years of gloom out of 100 years of glory (almost 40 years for me) for a proud foundation club.

There have been a plethora of great footballers to come from our great club....and we all know those names, as does the competition.

Whitnall is a footballer with a football brain; and it is footy we're playing not exclusively athletics. He's often described by the scribes as a footballer's footballer. He knows what he is doing when he crosses that white line.

If he is a great forward (and that is what I believe he is) as he was from the day he started, and continued to be for us in our succesful years (pre 2002), then if DP posts him down back, for me its a case of "need" ...and for Carlton it's One step back (for Whits)and two steps forward (for Carlton).

Whilst he's been down back, I continually read on this website that we have many good options in the forward line. They wont all work out, but when we decide which 5 out of 8 will make it work this year, Lance can go down to FP, where he belongs, and provide some real concern for the opposition, and plenty of goals and goal assists as he always does when the ball is delivered properly to the forward line. If he's needed in the backline, it's because we need him there. There is a right position for Lance in a Carlton team with a positive momentum.

On the weekend he was led to the ball past the 50m arc by his opponent, and that was because the opposition had the ball and were in control of its destiny. This was not Lance's fault. This happens to all defenders in every game, when there's space. The good thing IMO was that he didn't get dominated in the defensive 50m area, and he was talking, directing, shepherding and making those around him feel a sense of strength and control. He also had a lot of good possession and disposal. A mistake here and there by anyone at this stage of the year doesn't mean anything to me except that they are trying things we may not be privy to. T Bird will never have 9 kicked against him again. Shit happens. And if we had won, a(nd we were in front of a top 4 team with 10 mins to go), we would be believing that THE EMPIRE STRIKE'S BACK!

After reading the "so called" negativity on this site, I was being entertained with humour and the passion, as I'm sure no Carlton likes bagging their own, then I decided to check out the game a couple of times on the box in case I was at a different game, and the joke was on me.

Having viewed the game a couple of times I thought my gut feeling was right; we did have a crack, the young blokes did shine, Setanta......

Have a look at the positives (and there are many already discussed), and have a look at the negatives ( which we can improve on in the next 3 weeks). Kouta, Scotland, McLaren , Carazzo, are not going to be that quiet again, Fevola, Waite, Thornton and Walker and Murphy will have a bigger say in future, then Hartlett, Saddington, Livingston and perhaps Bower may put on the type of pressure on backline positions that will bring the best out of the backline .

Finally, if the midfield players led by Kouta and Stevens (both stars of the game), and ably supported by Walker, Houlihan, Simo, Bentick, Scotland, and throw in Lappin and Waite (All Aust), Betts, Carazzo and Murphy are as competitive as we believe they are and can be , then with a bit of free license to run around and be chased for a change, and to be mindful of closing down the corridor for the opposition, then Carlton has the LUXURY of playing Whitnall in the goalsquare with Fevola and Setanta leading, or as the loose man in defence blocking the holes that the Ruckmen don't necassarily fill with the pace of the game the way it is.

Give Lance a break, appreciate him for what he is and what he is expected to do and of course, where Carlton is at the moment, and I think I would be right in saying as I have for the last few years that "THE EMPIRE WILL STRIKE BACK !!

I love Carlton and all Carlton supporters, and of course my son Carlton.

Stay positive crew. We'll win a minimum 10 games this year!! 2 more on top of that and we're in the finals.

I'm going to the beach now.

Well, hello Bondi

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

Well said BB, I'm of similar age and have enjoed the moments, also.

Don't worry about those on this site who are negative, they're just Lancist - I hate Lancists!!

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end of message

I'll admit to being a Lancist BondiBlue - but I thought your post was excellent anyway

Welcome down Bondi, and thanks for a great contrbution....

Ps: 10 games you say

I can't see us winning more than 6 or so...

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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.

would your son be the carlton mentioned in the messiahs diary ?

YOU'RE FAMOUS !!

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

Not necacelery...as I'm sure there are thousands of them on this earth... that we don't know about on this website. In fact I know there are Carltons that are running around that are shorter and/or younger than me. Lucky kids!!

PS: Young Carlton did have his photo taken in Randwick with the Messiah, then Stevo, and then the Great Kouta (who young Carlton from Bondi Beach shares some similar bloodlines to). But when they started to ask for autographs from him (you see he can't write yet, he's not 2) I had to get him in the limo and ride off into the sunrise

Young Carlton says " Kouta you better bring the CUP home before you retire or I'll marry your daughter".

Gotta get back to the party. Seeya

I still think if Lance goes down we are fudgecake by the way....

And he is easily leading the B&F in my opinion also..

Who on our list can fill our shoes should he go down???

I can't think of anyone..

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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.