NAB Challenge: Carlton vs. Sydney at Etihad

[Thryleon]

I thought lamb was ok.

Maybe I had lower expectations.

[Dominator_7]

The good thing about tonight's performance was it was the kids/ newbies in Graham, Cripps, Kerridge and Boekhorst who were our better players.
In the past, its been all about Judd, Murphy and Gibbs having to do well to jeep us in the contest.
Kruez looks like he's picked up where he left off at the end of last year.
Weitering looks like a gem of a #1 Pick
I think Levi will never be anything more than an average trier. Now into his 7th season on our list, and still has issues with his kicking.
Rowe and Everitt wont be around by 2018.

[flyboy77]

The good thing about tonight's performance was it was the kids/ newbies in Graham, Cripps, Kerridge and Boekhorst who were our better players.
In the past, its been all about Judd, Murphy and Gibbs having to do well to jeep us in the contest.
Kruez looks like he's picked up where he left off at the end of last year.
Weitering looks like a gem of a #1 Pick
I think Levi will never be anything more than an average trier. Now into his 7th season on our list, and still has issues with his kicking.
Rowe and Everitt wont be around by 2018.

judge these blokes after 4-6 rounds not after pre season drivel.

if everitt kicks 30 odd for the season, he's earnt his pay?

[jeza]

Kerridge, Boek and Cripps were fantastic. worked their butts off. What a pickup Kerridge is... and Menzel can't get a game for the Crows.

Graham was really good but made a couple of massive mistakes. Curnow had a much better game.

Kreuz had a shocker - fumbled everything, didn't take a mark. Very out of character. Hopefully just blowing out some cobwebs.

We desperately need either C Curnow, Jaksch or eventually McKay to play in the forward line. Gorringe plus a resting ruckman aint filling the opposition with fear.

I don't see anything in Gorringe so far and I'd still rate Wood a better player than Phillips.

Seriously happy about Wright also. What a solid, hard-working, strong-tackling player. Wish we could clone him. Cripps likewise.

[blue4life]

The midfield will basically be Murphy and Cripps providing class, Curnow stopping and Graham the in and under, none of which is any improvement on Murphy/Judd, Curnow and Carratts and we're missing Tommy Bell's attack and goal kicking nous.
The back half is OK, Rowe and White are battlers at best but Jamison, Tuohy and Docherty can hold their own with most and Weitering looks to be something special.
The front half is woeful, Casboult is a very limited footballer, Everitt is Sydney or the bush and we don't have even the semblance of a classy small forward.
It's going to be a long road and it will be 5 years at least.

[Vivian]

Not a bad result for a club that is being tested and found seriously short of the standards required of modern league football. The skill difference was astounding at times, but there were some good performances from Boekhorst, weitering and kerridge. Good signs.

We are certainly playing a more modern style with much more coordination across half back, dare I say 'structure'. Our forward line is going to be a battle this year mainly because the skills for clean delivery are not up to scratch, and we dont have forwards that can play the modern style of constant coordinated movement. Its going to need our midfield to step up as goal kickers, so the likes of gibbs and thomas will drift forward quite a bit over the season to provide options for overlap 40 metres out or so.

Still, we had no injuries, the key players got a run and we looked coherent, especially in the third quarter.

[IvanAwfulbigone]

Patch there in the 3rd qtr where Weitering and Franklin were pitted against each on three successive occasions, 23 won all three contests. He's beginning to remind me of a bigger Bruce Doull.

I see what you did there 

[IvanAwfulbigone]

So I've compiled a list of comments from this thread alone that I just know are going to be trolled out ad nauseum this year which will drive me bananas.

Maybe not Groundhog Day exactly, but these issues have plagued us for 10 years now:
-----------------------------------

• Might be the year for honourable losses.
  
• I thought that their poise and execution more than compensated for our harder tackling and ability to retain possession.
  
• We give away too many frees and turn the ball over too much on our HB line which result in too many goals.
  
• We seriously lack fwds who can kick straight.
  
• When we finally started playing half way through the second quarter ...
  
• We won the game from that point but gee some silly mistakes cost us.
  
• ... skills still let us down at key times.
  

----------------------------------

And I can predict a few of my own:

• [Opposition] snapped an x game losing streak with an unexpected but hard fought win over a disappointing Carlton
  
• [Opposition] basically shut the gate when they scored x goals in a row with very little resistance from the Blues {usually in 2nd & 3rd qtrs}
  
• It was a game Carlton were expecting to win after impressive performances in the previous [2-4] games
  
• A fundamental error from [experienced player] cost the Blues dearly
  
• etc

Being a realist I know I can't expect NOT to read this sort of thing from time to time.  But if it could just be more limited than it has been in the past. Please god, PLEASE.

[jeza]

Game plan looks really good so far.

Looks a bit like Ken Hinkley. Lots of centering up into the middle. Dangerous and is clearly taking time but promising.

once the team settles and BB works out what our best team is we'll see what we've got.

[laj]

Matt Wright has earned a round spot IMO...tackles well for a smaller player and like Kerridge seems to know what to do with the football...

Gorringe vs Philips......like watching two heavyweight boxers stagger around a ring and not lay a glove on each other...wasnt impressed with either.
Philips probably has more idea about rucking but neither impressed me when down forward...the AFL website said they were both competitive??..didnt agree..

Jed Lamb...dropped marks and was generally hopeless IMO and I expected more from him vs one of his old teams...

Daisy...give him his due he tried hard and did a lot of work at the coalface and seems to lay a few tackles...still cant kick over a jam jar but he had a go...

Sam Rowe...a few grunt moments where he made some spoils but seems out of touch....if he gets Vickery or Griffths in Rnd 1 he might be leaking some goals...

Everitt...nada..

Wood's better than both those rucks but even then I'd have Levi rucking (also alot better than or other two new blokes on the ball) with Kreuzer so he's not stuck in the forward line all game, especially now that he'll attract all the opposition defenders. Running about taking marks gives him confidence when he goes back forward. Hopefully Jaksch does ok, sure he will eventually, but he must be sick or injured as we haven't seen him all pre-season. Like to see he and McKay as the future of the forward line.

Daisy seems like he'll never get that kicking power back. He'll do pretty well and certainly valuable but nothing like his Pies days.

Hopefully Lamb does better but even if only one or two of the GWS four work out it's a win.

Rowe's just a gap filler until Weitering fills the CHB spot full time

Everitt still has a few brownie points from last year's good work so hoping the real season gets him going.