Rd 10: Post Game Prattle: Carlton vs North Melbourne

[madbluboy]

North are rebuilding too and were expected to be down the bottom with us.

[BluePhantom]

Green stick is back ;D
Welcome back mate.
There's my Green shoot for the game 

[crashlander]

I dont rate North and also reckon this is a game we could have won, they are a lazy front running team who were lucky we are in a rebuild cycle and
not able to play 4 quarters of tough footy yet..
By the way...good to see you back posting Mants and hope you are keeping well....

Indeed.

[blue4life]

North are rebuilding too and were expected to be down the bottom with us.

North cut 5 of its most experienced players at the end of last season and are in a very similar position to us as far as age and experience goes.
A major difference is that they've played regular finals and expect success, we are yet to build a winning culture.

[crashlander]

North's ability to link up in waves and run from defence really hurt us, even if many of their players do not have huge leg speed. A number of teams have done similar things to us this year: Gold Coast comes to mind, although they DO have real leg speed on each line.
At the moment it is hard to find a specific reason for this, but our mids and forwards do not seem to be able to break the chain all that well, leading to an easy out too often. To some extent that problem is youth; guys like Jack Silvagni, Charlie Curnow and Pickett, in particular, do not always stick their tackles and are often caught out one man short in the ring a ring a rosy. When we break the chain we tend to do it with guys like Simpson and Docherty, who read the play well and whose tackles tend to really stick. Alex Silvagni is another who often breaks the chain with a really solid tackle or smother.


One of the other things about North is that they do have some less experienced players, but most of them have been around for a few years and have more developed bodies then our kids.

[blue4life]

We just have to persevere, it will take time and there's no guarantee of success at the end of it all.
There are some very promising signs but most clubs in the lower quarter of the ladder can say the same, our immediate priority surely must be to recruit a strong forward target because that is the glaring weakness in our side.
Ben Brown is no A grade player but he's big, strong and mobile and wasn't a high draft pick, they are out there if you know where to look.

[Dominator_7]

Good to see Waite is still a flog. So glad someone with such a smarta*se attitude is no longer  at our Club.
SOJ shown little for weeks  Maybe time for a bit of a confidence boost in the 2nds
SPS not the same since Rising Star nom, but what he does, he does well
Weiteting havimg 2nd year blues
Still not sold on Graham
Cripps has to stop thinking he's the Incredible Hulk and trying to take on half the opposition.
Too many fumbles and dumb decisions at crucial stages cost us
I know we ve got a couple of talented key forwards developing in the 2nds, but looking forward to the day they start playing at AFL level, as our forward line is really crying out for key position targets.
Had them on toast way in the last and should ve just finished them off, but crapped ourselves when the going got tough just like on the Ders and Saints games.
To be expected I guess when you work so hard just  to get back in the game, but it'd be nice if we could jag one of these  games soon.

Very impressed with Cunningham yesterday. How good is it finally having a super talented bunch of kids coming through at the same time. Early days I know, but reckon we ve absolutely NAILED the past two drafts.

[Mav]

Very impressed with Cunningham yesterday. How good is it finally having a super talented bunch of kids coming through at the same time. Early days I know, but reckon we ve absolutely NAILED the past two drafts.

Particularly since the guy that many wanted to be drafted instead of Cunningham was Kieran Collins, a 194cm FB type who has only managed 1 game despite the Dogs being pretty undersized in defence. We've now got heaps of tall defenders but elite young mids are in short supply (leaving aside Cripps of course).

[Baggers]

It was never going to be easy giving them a huge head start. Need to learn to keep the opponent in striking range earlier in the match. This is the fish that got away. Some negatives from this match but a few future good players to develop also.

Green Stick Old Son, great to see you back. 

[shadesy]

Green shoots galore.

Jack, Fisher and SPS need a spell in the twos to find some touch and confidence

Perhaps could have won that game if Jaksch, Smedts and Palmer played.

Yuck... What good will that do. We lost a game of footy Sunday, but will be winning them in 2 years time. Forget the scoreboard this year.

I would have played Smedts for Mcreadie and that would have been my only change.

A Poster mentioned we have been in front in the last quarter vs Melbourne, Saints and North and run out of legs. Could be 5-4... But thats the challenge of playing young kids.