This is my first post, I have been a blues supporter all my life, right back to the days when "Jezza" played, he was my dad's hero! I read these forums sometimes and now have decided to give my opinion on where I think the blues are going wrong:

I also keep my eye on the bullants team, because they are virtually Carlton's reserve team. Look at where Carlton are on the ladder at the moment, compared to where the Bullants are. Bullants are on the TOP OF THE LADDER by a margin of 12 points, what is that telling you. They thrashed the Box Hill Hawks by about 100 points, won again last week, always dominate, yet Carlton are hopeless!!

My opinion is that obviously there are many players that should be put into Carlton's side and are not, to keep the bullants strong.....I don't understand why, but think about this analogy.

I see your point.



I just dont agree with it.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Welcome to TC first blueyonder.

Which players do you suggest should be playing for Carlton instead of the Bullants and who would you drop from The Blues back to the Ants to make way for them?

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

Unfortunately, Blueyonder, the Bullants being so dominant in the VFL, yet Carlton being......well...shithouse in the AFL says more about how the VFL isn't the same standard as it was a few years back, or doesn't match up to what used to be the AFL reserves comp a while back, than it does about the quality of rising stars we should be keeping an eye open for.

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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.

Welcome BY....nice thought, swap the teams...would keep the tankers happy.

I think we are keeping the Bullants strong becuase we have so many players who just haven't cut it at AFL level...but are quite good at the VFL. Most other teams would be taking talent out of the VFL (or developing it there).
We unfortunately are developing our talent at the AFL level therfore losing and leaving the senior players in the VFL who couldn't make it to AFL....??

Make sense...I've tried to keep it simple and I think I've made it complicated

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“Every single element of the Club has to be the best in the league, meticulously and methodically, and only by doing this will we be elite and challenge for number 17.”
Greg Lee

I think winning more games would help a lot.

We went wrong years ago by drafting all those VFL-standard duds that can't cut it in the AFL.

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"I had to eat"

Carlton's problems today stem from many, many years ago. Go to the AFL website and look at Game Development/NAB AFL Draft. There is a section for your clubs All Time Draft history. Click on Carlton on go through our draft/trading record. Please try not too slash your wrists.

I see your point that maybe the VFL just isn't the same standard that it used to be. It is just so frustrating to see the Bullants dominate every weak and Carlton play so poorly... that is why it makes one think that there should be a lot more rotation of players, from more being dropped, and more rookies elevated. It was a great decision to drop Deluca when we played against Footscray, he lost us that game with his silly mistakes. There should be more of that. If a player plays poorly, drop him the following week and replace him with a rookie that has played well for the Bullants. I feel that there is not enough confidence in the selection of giving the rookies a go, for example it is Smith's second year as a rookie and he still hasn't played a senior game yet, it is Jackson's first year as a rookie and he should be given a chance as well. At least give these players a chance if they aid the Bullants in doing so well. It will also give the seniors
a "shake up" to perform better the next time they play.

I feel the same way blueyonder.

Welcome to TC.

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There's so much I could say...

Agree Sunday was a missed opportunity re Jesse Smith. if he was good enough to elevate at this stage of the season, then why not play him and give him the best opportunity to show something with 4 games to go?

My thoughts exactly. In hindsight its easy to crticise the trades, but efven back then i thought it was too many players = too many known risks. Then we continued the philosophy in drafting Longmuir, Chambers and Saddington.

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Mjonc signing off at 8888

Yes, it hurts doesn't it mjonc. So many players from other Clubs that have just not worked out for us.

I guess the big plus is that the picks we've given up for such players are no longer first round, second round, or even third round - they are all plus 50 picks that may have a lower probability than sub 50 picks. But in the end, the players are still on our list, we're still paying for them, and they still aren't in the senior team so it hasn't worked out. It's disappointing - it's like we've half learned a lesson that other Clubs learned years ago.

But on the topic at hand, other than developing our kids and the above point, we're still suffering with what we've done wrong in the past. There is a time lag to recruiting decisions that determine success or failure, and I guess we're still stuck with those decisions.

I have always associated strong reserve teams with weak senior teams as there is usually a fair amount of crossover with players.....
Good onfield performance is usually a reflection of what is happening off the field...with a poor performing board backed up by a poor performing football dept I think these areas need to be fixed first before you can expect any major onfield improvement.....

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

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

Sorry,.....................bad joke!

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