Carlton vs Brisbane Practice Match

[JonDorotich]

Some of us are a little (greatly) concerned after the practice games.
Others are a "wait until the proper stuff starts" type of supporter.
I've always been in the latter camp.
There's nothing wrong with either train of thought...it's just different.

I remember when we used to win, or go very well, in the pre-seasons only to fall in a heap once the season proper started.
It's chalk and cheese.
Have  a look at the results in some of the other practice games and tell me that's a true indication of the relative strengths of some sides.

We won't know which way it goes until the first shots are fired in 'anger'....and for me that's the main difference between practice games and regular season games.
There's no anger., no intensity and very little pressure in these games.
It will increase dramatically when 4 points are on the line.
Some clubs will thrive under those conditions, others will falter.
That's when we'll be able to see where we really stand.

Our success or otherwise this season will come down to whether players like McKay, McGovern, Williamson, Cunningham, Dow, SPS, Fischer, Setterfield, Stocker, DeKoning etc can materially step up from last year and provide some x factor that adds to the return of Docherty and the addition of Martin. If that group can't step up to the level, we'll be once again left to rely on hard workers like Plowman, Gibbons, Simpson, E Curnow, Newnes, Casboult et al and in that case, we should all expect to be bottom four again.

We need breakout years from so many, so this year is a real roll of the dice. Fingers crossed it all comes together