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[Baggers]

Rance doesn't have an opponent most games and when he does he's shown up quite often. Grimes and Astbury take the KP forwards and Rance just zones off the majority of the times. Weitering is void of all confidence which is Bolton's doing. He needs time in the twos after his injury to regain his form.

I didn't watch Dow at TAC level, but what I've seen from him at AFL level is a pretty decent kick, some have been superb. So I don't care what he used to be like, all I'm concerned about is what I see now.

So let's have a look at our drafting;

Weitering - hardly looking like a grade 9, Harry McKay bottom age has grow 5+ cms since being drafted and while he was slight at the time of the draft he's not that now. Charlie Curnow, not at all looking like a grade 9, Cunningham, and average looking 18 yo when drafted who has an AFL physique now. Jack again hardly a light weight.

Samo - Typical indigenous frame when drafted and has filled a bit, Fisher - Little, light but has been a revelation this year 27 quality possies against Bulldogs, MacReadie, again tall lanky and will fill out, Poulson little and probably most suits your description. Williamson tall flanker with real size, has grown a couple of cms from reports so could be a pinch hit KP in some circumstances. Kerr KP forward never looked like a grade 9

Dow - Strong hips and big thighs, face may look young but body from waist down not at all. O'Brien - small frame and yes looks young, de Koning again not a developed torso but strong hip and things. Schumacher - 190cms and average frame and last drafted was Garlett who is a typical indigenous framed 21 year old.

I'll give you Poulson, Fisher and O'Brien as younger body types, but what do you expect? These are young 17/18 boys, they are going to have skinny arms and thin chests. So 3 young frames out of 16, hardly a disaster.

Coming into last week Carlton had the most games lost for the season due to injuries, and as I said we don't have the depth to cover them. You cannot possibly compare our list to theirs, they won a flag two seasons ago so and they haven't lost every player since then. We have been out of the finished out of the eight now for the past 7 years including this year hardly apple with apples.

List management we have 15 players on the list under the age of 25 who were taken in the top 25, or roughly one third, how has SOS failed at his task. Please tell me which one won't make 100 games and be willing to put your house on it. I'm sure there will be some but no one knows yet because they are still developing.

Coaching, Bolton does some things well others not so, be he has succeeded at every other level he's coached at, and is starting from a long way back. So like the players I'm willing to support my club and the decisions they have made as we don't know if they will work yet.

Match selection - So who would you have chosen from the players available last week that would have made a difference, maybe Graham or Lamb who have been tried and found wanting many times. Or should have we rushed Lang in? Maybe our saviour lies in Kerr, de Koning or Schumacher or let's pick a rookie for their first game to really tip the scales in our favour. : Match committee had no where to turn due to the players missing.

Do I like losing, no I hate it! Am I filthy about it, yes at the time but when I wake up the next day and rationally think about it, I can see why we struggle. This is the first time Carlton has invested properly in the draft, has traded for extra picks and for young players who were drafted high and for reasons like Ablett coming back, wanting to come home or a lack of opportunity we have got them cheap. We haven't mortgaged the club for one player, see Judd or gone after the messiah coach see Pagan / Malthouse. We are building a platform with a young in-experienced coach and we need to get games into our players to give them experience which they are getting.

During Boltons tenure we have beaten, Hawthorn, Sydney, GWS, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong so he must be doing this right occasionally, or would it be that young sides are inconsistent and take time to come together?   

And therein lies the issue that many are speaking of, Raydan old son. We all supported 100% what was going on years one and two... but this year, which is the major concern being articulated by folks here, we seem to have gone backwards at a rate of knots. Even if we were treading water compared to last year and 2016, we'd see every point you make... but... our skills seem to have deteriorate this year, along with mongrel endeavour. Cripps, Daisy and ZF seem to be the only 3 who've improved on last year...

Yes, only round 6, and things can turn around quickly. We'll know a lot more soon enough and like many I hope the present signs are only growing pains ** cough cough**