Round 17 Carlton vs Hawthorn-Post Match

[Mav]

Pagan was a realist who knew what it took to succeed and knew that Carlton didn't have it, he delisted 17 players after his first season and only Simon Fletcher, who subsequently played 8 games for Richmond, was picked up by another AFL club.
Our list was shocking and he had no draft picks to improve it, then when he wanted to drop Fevola for taking his boots off during a game he was over ruled by the committee.
He didn't stand a chance but he took the fall, and coaches have been taking the fall for our gross mismanagement ever since.
So here we are, a basket case.

Yep, the rot set in in 1995.  Parko experimented with player empowerment and it worked well.  But that was an unusual team as it had a large core of elite veterans who were hungry for a flag.  Parko's solution should have been seen as an ad hoc measure which should have been mothballed soon after we won the flag.  Instead, it has become a birthright of any Carlton player no matter how lacklustre or irresponsible he might be.

It's mind boggling that we have a club whose DNA includes the fact that players regularly go on strike when the coach gives them directions they don't like.  They talk the talk about loving the coach - Malthouse and JB most recently - but they don't play for them.  And the coaching merry-go-round continues while the players largely stay out of the firing line. 

We are now where Richmond was in its 20 year drought after its '80 flag.  Like us now, they had a powerful group of senior players who held coaches in contempt.  I still remember seeing the then captain, Wayne Campbell, standing on the outside of the 3Q time huddle with his back to Robert Walls as he was addressing the players. 

I still can't believe that so-called supporters could have been in ecstasy over senior players going to the Board to get Pagan sacked.  When that happened at Essendon, those players were kicked out of the club and a premiership followed.  And to jump for joy when our players tanked against North and Brisbane as if they were only doing the best for the club was moronic.  At some stage, this club has to learn to back coaches against bludging divas.