Round 8 Preview - Carlton v Geelong

[ItsOurTime]

Is Hawkins back for this game? Rowe won't be sleeping easy and with the midfield tranquilised, it might be a bad night ahead. The better teams can close down old champs like SJ but it's teams like us those guys continue to ply their trade on.

I suspect another tough night as Geelong will want to show they have something left in them but where there's life there's hope.

Do it for Mick  ;D

[townsendcalling]

Love to find a long term injury list player to allow us to give Walsh a go. He is going to be a contributor in the coming years and just needs some consistent game time in the big league.

It is important that over the next 16 weeks Cripps, Graham, Holman, Walsh etc get to see Juddy prepare for a game, how he conducts himself on the ground, take direction from him....and just LEARN from him (very few others on the list worth shadowing!!).

Need to make this extra year of Juddy's as productive as possible.

[PassIt2Carrots]

Geelong, Sydney, Adelaide, the bye. This could get very ugly in the next three weeks. Traditionally we play well against the Cats so this is our chance to show some improvement.

[cookie2]

May even lose the bye?

[PassIt2Carrots]

May even lose the bye?

)

[crashlander]

May even lose the bye?

At the moment I wouldn't put it past us. 

Like carrots mentioned earlier, we usually match up quite well against Geelong. That should give us some confidence.
However, things are as far from 'normal' as we can get.

[Professer E]

I reckon Geelong are as slow as us and if by some freakin' miracle we can hit a few targets we might run this mob closer than expected.  Curnow is doing ok and he might be harder for Selwood to shake off than say Wiley.  Asking Carrots to run with Selwood is probably asking too much right now.  And here's a left field one - White or even Jaksch to run with Blicavs around the ground - he is key to their ball movement.  Look for Gibbs to have a good game as well - he normally gets space against the cats that he exploits.  Taylor is another that cannot be allowed to run around and dictate play.

Assuming none of the injured list come up, Mr Dorotich, I reckon you're pretty close to the side I'd pick, although I'd like to see Fields get a go.  That means no Carrots, Ellard, Watson, Armfield.  I would give Juddy a week's holiday and send Thomas back to the twos because fair dinkum he needs a rocket.  We need to show the list that anything less than full commitment is unacceptable.

Basically send the message to the players that they are all valuable to us -  that the club values effort and passion and its about the here and now, not possible delistings and horse trading in 8 month's time.

Mick needs to be taken aside and told that he is safe on a number of conditions; development.  Development of the players, the gameplan and club.  That players must be instructed to take the game on and a faster gameplan developed.  MAke teh game exciting and football fun again.  As a result  I would like to see Yarran (not a defenders a-hole)  and Touhy higher up the ground if possible.  Buckley to get a run on a wing, not defence.

Geelong don't win a lot of clearances... they rely on us giving them back the pill.  They also rely upon owning the corridor.  Win first use.  Retain the ball.  Cut them up with pace through their back half (don't let them set up!) and we'll do this mob.

[Dominator_7]

Geelong by 45 points.
Hawkins 6 goals.
Selwood 7 free kicks (most for head high contact)
MM to say 'they re a very good football side' in the Presser.

[ItsOurTime]

Is Hawkins going to play though?

[shadesy]

Is Hawkins going to play though?

He'll still kick 6 ;D