If someone comes in here talking about "hypercompetition", I'm outta here

_________________
Love Cricket? Love me

Don't stress. You should take it as a compliment!

_________________
SIDE BY SIDE
COOOOOLLLLLIIIINGWOOOOOOOD

There is only I flaw in this comparison - mind you it is a big one - Lists. Collingwood's list (yes Ihate this ) is better than ours at this point - perhaps better is the wrong word - how about more developed. Further along. their bodies are bigger. their backline stronger. They have covered Buckley, Rocca and Fraser better than we could cover French, Fev and Kouta. They have second teir players and kids.

We have a few champs and we have kids - we have stuff all inbetween.

_________________
This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

I disagree. I think some of our younger kids are getting press because we've won some hard games. It's not all about skill and talent these days. I don't think anyone would say we have a better list than Port, or Geelong, or most definitely West Coast.

But we still beat them.

Other than our backline, the rest of our team is a bit of an inexperienced, young, no-names. But every week they go out there prepared to work hard for each other. Each. Other.

That's the only difference I see.

You guys were going well up to half time yesterday. And you looked like a team. There was back-patting, there was unity, there was a sense of team. But then it fell away again. The heads started dropping, the encouragement ended and nobody really looked like they wanted to be there.

Your guys can play footy, and they can play it well. It's not about skill, it's not about the list. Someone needs to get into that area above their heads and make them want to win again. Do that, and I have no doubt you'll be once again heading into that direction you all belived to be the path after the Wizard Cup.







ps. And if anyone want to reply with "well yeah, Collingwood are crap and will never make the finals" can save yourself time. I know they won't this year. But in the last 2 months I couldn't be happier with the way we've played and turned around an almost certain wooden spoon to show something that makes me happy to barrack for them again.

_________________
SIDE BY SIDE
COOOOOLLLLLIIIINGWOOOOOOOD

This list + Buckley and Wakelin = finals

_________________
Love Cricket? Love me

Judd + Cousins + Cox = finals

_________________
This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

You can add as many "champions" into your side as you like. If everyone else doesn't want to be there, you'll still be on the bottom.

_________________
SIDE BY SIDE
COOOOOLLLLLIIIINGWOOOOOOOD

with those 3 names injected into your side why wouldnt you want to be out there?

_________________
R A D I C A L B R O T H E R S

Inspired by the One-Minute Sculptures of Erwin Wurm

"All in all is all we are..."

David Parkin's philosophy was that you build teams from the backline. If you have a settled and stable backline that works well together, you will more than likely have a team that is competitive week in week out.

If you compare the current Carlton and Collingwood teams, I think our midfields and forward lines probably break even. They key difference between the two teams is in defence.

Collingwood have an outstanding backline in Wakelin, Clement and Presti who have been playing together for a number of years now and they gel extremely well. It is very rare that all 3 are beaten by their opponents on a given day.

At Carlton we don't have that luxury. As much as I love T-Bird, Livo and Teaguey etc, our backline has been punching above it's weight since 2002. Our success in the 90's was mainly due to our superb backline in SOS, Sexton, Dean, Ang, Rice and Macca, I mean, how's that for a backline?

On a positive note, our backline has youth on it's side. If T-Bird and Livo can actually have a couple of seasons together where they're on the paddock at the same time, they too will learn to gel together. Plus throw in Hartlett, Karl (if he's still around) and an O'Hailpin or two and we'll have a backline that will be roughly the same age that will develop together as a group. This frees up a guy like Teague to do what he does best, running head first into packs and sending us into raptures.

Good insight from an outsider. I don't think a couple of talented yougsters are going to solve all our problems. We're not completely devoid of talent but they're not really showing it nor do they do the team things or play with much spirit ,except on rare occasions but we don't look that bad when we do, as in 1st 1/2 yesterday.

Disagree slo mo.

Our backline doesn't need much to be competitive, either does our forward line.

Our midfield however is close to the worst one I've ever seen in navy blue. Unaccountable and ineffective. They are where the rot starts, and there's not a backline in the comp (including ours) that could begin to handle the quality and quantity of ball that flows in from guess where? The opposition midfield.

Fix the midfield and we'll have a competitive team. End of story.

_________________
Richard Pratt - A Carlton legend.

slow mo

Good post slow mo a solid backline IMO is the most important part of a strong team. Last year we were more competitive because our backline was stronger with Lappin, Houla and Norman playing well back there.

_________________
"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

so let me get this right mandy - you think our guys wanted to be out there for the first half but at half time decided they didn't?

Did you watch the game?

You could see throughout the first half that at some point the damn would burst. It had nothing to do with wanting to be out there and everything to do ith sheer talent - and a style that is as suited to that ground as ours isn't.

We have little run in our side, what we had as expended by half time. ('cept Walker!)

and they ar ebrilliant and blocking for each other because they have so much speed spread so evenly across the ground. Name a slow line - shit find more than three slow blokes in that lineup!

At the MCG or TD you can counter that but at Subiaco - forget it. how many game sstraight have they won there? Is it 17? Gee lets not ignore the ground. We remember P.P. in the 90's, rememeber how confident it made us in those 3rd quarters! What you think that only happens to Carlton.

We are the Fitzroy or the Sth Melbourne of my youth. sadly, I think they tried their guts out, sadly they got smashed by 80 odd points! You can pretend for us all you want Mandy that its just a bit of attitude but it isn't. It is skill and pace and an ability to win clearances for a whole game and a
a few other things as well.

I do not want a team of triers or goers. I want to win the 17th!

_________________
This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

I never said our backline wasn't competitive, they do very well considering the circumstances. However they do lack experience in terms of playing together and knowing each other's game inside out.

I do agree that we need a more accountable midfield, but they are still severely under-manned. We'd be much more competitive with Houla Lappin and Carrazzo being rotated through the middle rather than having to use them in the backline.

Modern footy is all about defence to attack transition, therefore that is why most teams are built from the backline up. Would you rather see our backline creating our forward attacks, or our midfielders getting cheap kicks in the backline and then having nothing to kick to?

We do need more midfielders, but I'd like to see us build a settled backline first.

Collingwood are bigger bodied than we are and have far more depth with their talls.....Richards, Rocca and Fraser have been out most of the year....but C. Cloke and T Cloke have filled the gaps .
Clement was a quality freebie and Holland and Licuria were also fair pickups who while having limitations have given good service.

I dont think Collingwood are going anywhere with their list but but they are competitive because of their work ethic ...and they dont have many little schoolboy types.
Work ethic will get you so far but they need some class to propel them any further..

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

Ill go against the grain here.. Again.
In my opinion we need midfielders.. plent of good midfielders.
More than anything else .Gimme midfielders.
For one they control the game so they can help the defence by pushing the ball more into our inside 50s.
You can have the best defence in the league but if your midfield aint breaking even and theyre forever trying to stem the tide youll lose...
The kids will get bigger as they work harder in the gym.
At the moment there are no real role models for gym work.
I wouldnt go out and recruit big bodied midfielders (aka Hurn) unless they are worthy of being a very good 10 year player and not his body size.

If i could this year.. in my opinion i would take Marc Murphy and Xavier ellis as our two first picks.
the chances are ellis wouldnt play next year anyway but geez he is a class act as far as im concerned.

Mandy... you can think anything you like about Collingwood but just know your club has won 1 premiership in 50 years and you cant teach us how to suck eggs.
I reckon we will win a premiership before your lot do.

_________________
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.

Oh man, never saw that coming from you.

_________________
SIDE BY SIDE
COOOOOLLLLLIIIINGWOOOOOOOD

I think Mandy is largely correct.
If anything she overrates our talent component.
Our players get away with things the Collingwood players would be dropped for.
They get too easily dispirited.
They refuse to chase hard and they play mostly as individuals.
A large part of it is lack of confidence, belief in the team and teammates.

A disturbing component is lack of spirit.
They give up on contests too easily.
Collingwood are twice the team we are at the moment.
Fortunately confidence can be quickly increased.
That is Denis' challenge.

_________________
Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Agree with that synbad in our case because we don't even have half a midfield.

_________________
"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

Once again Deano is spot on

_________________
"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