Carlton vs Brisbane Practice Match

[PaulP]

Piss poor that Teague doesn't front the media but instead send out his lieutenants....

It's probably part of the whole empowerment strategy.

I think Amos and Harford are the two best speakers currently at the club, apart from maybe Judd.

[Professer E]

Not impressed.

And in deference to the hyperoptimists that frequent this site,  Newnes is a very average footballer, added to a very average list with sparse quality. And that's the problem.  Too many who aren't, can't and simply don't deliver.

2020 looks very much like 2019 rinse and repeat.

[Gointocarlton]

1 goal after 3/4 time, 3.4 to 10.10 in the second half. Thats putrid. I'm sorry but Im not buying this "wait until the real stuff starts". If we lost but were competitive for 4 qtrs, I wouldn't have cared less. But that effort? Thats what we have been doing for the last 5 years and nothing has changed (practice match or not). Either we were just mucking around and not disclosing how we are really going to play or we still have serious structural problems (especially forward of centre). Our forward line was shambolic for the most part. If we show up like that round one, we will get spanked by Richmond by 100+ points. I am really concerned, convince me otherwise.

[Professer E]

Small - medium defenders were putrid, and worryingly so,  and Marchbank is injured again. Been a lot invested in that bloke for very little reward.

[PaulP]

Small - medium defenders were putrid, and worryingly so,  and Marchbank is injured again. Been a lot invested in that bloke for very little reward.

According to Amos, both Marchbank and Plowman have low grade injuries that are not a major concern - Marchbank received a knock on the knee, Plow rolled his ankle.

[Professer E]

They're injured...that's a soft  excuse from Amos.  Don't play or come off.  They were rubbish and need a drastic form turnaround in the next fortnight. The whole club does.

The defensive positioning, ability to keep their feet,  and inability to win one on ones was poor and isn't going to be rectified overnight. 

[Diesel95]

What makes this so bad is that other clubs are also tinkering with game plans, trialling players etc - so it's a relative comparison and that's why we (including me) have had such a visceral reaction to the performances. Comparatively, we are looking at 4th last....at best. Let's be honest, for those who attend the AGMs will no doubt find MLG's performances as cringeworthy - he's not up to it and with the push by the board led by MLG to convert Ikon Park into a training ground rather than an AFL ready stadium (for initial use by the AFLW), is testimony of the fact that the current board will continue to set back our once great club. #disgusted.

[Baggers]

Nuh, not buyin' it. Something's crook in Tootgarook. Thank the gods for Eddie and JM and the reborn Casboult otherwise our score would have been even more meagre.

Seems to me too many players thought last year's momentum would effortlessly flow into this year, and then, also, believe our own hype. And let's be honest re last year - we put experience in the middle and successfully beat those sides that were struggling for whatever reason. Good sides applied pressure and we still resorted to type, fold up. Does that amount to simply being soft between the lugholes (as a playing culture)?

We need some serious work done above the shoulders on our playing culture/group. Opposition clubs know that once you apply and sustain serious pressure on our blokes they go into their shells, lose all boldness and become mostly a group of head-droppers - one dimensional stuff. Well, that's how it looks and you can only go by what you are presented with. Results don't lie.

Scratching around for positives - Martin, Eddie, De King, Jones, Weitering, Walsh and of course, Cripps. And how good we look without opposition pressure.

There has been heavy investment off field in our club, a poor year on-field (again!) will most certainly see turmoil and change.

[LygonStreetLimbo]

It was Neale and Cameron that did the damage. Indeed they have recruited well

[Lods]

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.