2008 Player Review - # 41 Nathan Carroll

[beelzebub 23,313]

Carroll is a wildcard...or rather a card that is wild. Unlike a wildcard which has mecurial value when played at the right time...Nathan has very little value whenever he is played. He's a bit of a Jack is ol Chopper.. looks good on first squiz but is useless unless an Ace is next to him to give real value.

No..this fella is a discard... put him at the bottom of the deck !!

[Hulett Packard III 166]

I was one who saw some good in Nathan, still do. A reliable mark, good reader of the traffic, reasonable disposal skills, good closing speed, and unintimidated! I loved the way he could shake a Mitch Hahn like a rag-doll or join a melee with intent. He was forced to play on bigger opponents on most occasions and usually kept them in check with a mix of footy smarts and controlled agression. However, when he turned this agression on our own he had gone too far! Time to move on! Good luck with the Anger Management and AA sessions!

I agree wholeheartedly. He needs to move on and to a club that needs his skills and talents. And for those who don't believe he has any, then your memory isn't all that flash because, back in 2006 he was in contention to win All Australian honours.

Say what you want about him off the field but on the field he was tough, courageous and fearless and I still remember one effort against the Blues in 2007 when he put his body on the line for his team. Fact is that he didn't fit into Dean Bailey's youth policy but everyone who was at Frankston late in the season and saw him take apart the whole of the Dolphins' big man department would know he can still play. He got the three Liston Trophy votes that day and was BOG by a country mile.

The Saints remember him as well from the way he put Fraser Gehrig out of the elimination final in 2006 - Carroll's brotherly taunt ignites family feud

Nathan Carroll plays full-back like no one else in the modern game. Before football took over, he used to break junior records in sprints and jumps and throwing events. But it is his mean streak which sets him apart. He steps on toes and unprotected ankles and digs his knuckles into the soft bits between ribs. He yaps in your ear and gets in your face, with that absurd caricature of a moustache.

The way he played against St Kilda a week ago, you almost felt sorry for Fraser Gehrig.

We may be losing a ratbag but the Saints who have question marks over the future of Max Hudghton and injury problems with Matt McGuire and Sean Dempster will get a cheap back up defender if he goes there.

[Eastie Boyz 0]

'twas an interesting read

[Guest Schtacker]

Fair enough.

Personally though I just found it unnecessary and at times embarrassing to see the premeditated "showmanship" of Carroll and co. before the match begun wherein the Demon side proceeded to meekly surrender the physical advantage.

I found it an unwanted distraction and I wouldn't want it in my team if I was coach

agreed - all it did was completely fire up his opponent and make them play their best footy out of anger

Carroll had that one great year and a lot of ordinary ones. A much worse version of his off again/on again contemporaries who underperformed for many of their years.

[Guest Schtacker]

Well that deal wasn't done. So there you go. He's still ours. And not the worst we have to offer in the back line, so those who don't like him will have to grin and bear it.

If the club seriously had enough on him to get rid of him they would have done so already, and wouldn't have relied on the draft to solve their problems (if it didn't work last year, why would it work this year?). It seems to be all talk and no action - maybe there's not as much in it as the rumour mill suggests.

I hope not, because if they ditch Carroll, there really isn't much to offer in his place is there? I don't think any of the alternatives are any better on the field.

What are you talking about? He couldn't get a game in our backline this year as deplorable as our season was going - he's only going to get worse while Garland/Martin/Rivers/Warnock get better. He will being playing for the Scorpions all year and I hope I never see him in red and blue again

[Pinball Wizard 313]

What are you talking about? He couldn't get a game in our backline this year as deplorable as our season was going - he's only going to get worse while Garland/Martin/Rivers/Warnock get better. He will being playing for the Scorpions all year and I hope I never see him in red and blue again

Scorpions seconds.

[hoopla 418]

Can someone promise him a few hundred slabs if he trains well with St Kilda?

We need to get rid of him to move on

I can't believe that there isn't something in his contract that allows the club to claw back some money for his off field antics. On the other hand , I reckon the club only needed to look at his haircuts to know that he was an idiot. We should have known what we getting ourslves in for.

Mark Riley bought him over from Claremont -why can't we get Carlton to take him as back up for Waite and Thornton? ( or R Warnock?)

[H_T 3,043]

Carroll is a wildcard...or rather a card that is wild. Unlike a wildcard which has mecurial value when played at the right time...Nathan has very little value whenever he is played. He's a bit of a Jack is ol Chopper.. looks good on first squiz but is useless unless an Ace is next to him to give real value.

No..this fella is a discard... put him at the bottom of the deck !!

The 'joker' in the pack perhaps who won't be a part of the game for the MFC. Will be left to the side, but comes at a cost or hopefully a reduced cost at least.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Some would say "animal like reflexes"?

Too often he was engaged in those ridiculous pre-game melees, acting the tough guy. (Worst that springs to mind is against the Saints in 05? Roughed up Riewoldt etc. before we got belted to the tune of 80 odd points).

Played a role, did it pretty solidly, but was never going to be the backbone of our defence, especially given that he isn't the most socially capable

Absolutely agree on the tough guy stuff.

As a player, Carroll left very little on the ground at the end of the game. He just did not bring much to the table to work with.

Despite the tough guy bravado Carroll struggled physically one on one with many of the top forwards. Poor decision making particularly under pressure where the ball represented a hot potato in his hands.

He look better than he was when MFC had few other options done back. Times have changed.

And for those who don't believe he has any, then your memory isn't all that flash because, back in 2006 he was in contention to win All Australian honours.

Every player is in contention for AA. Its the hyperbole on this site that talked him up as AA FB. He is a limited footballer that is talked up by posters that seem to value attributes that are small currency when it counts.

Say what you want about him off the field but on the field he was tough, courageous and fearless and I still remember one effort against the Blues in 2007 when he put his body on the line for his team. Fact is that he didn't fit into Dean Bailey's youth policy but everyone who was at Frankston late in the season and saw him take apart the whole of the Dolphins' big man department would know he can still play. He got the three Liston Trophy votes that day and was BOG by a country mile.

The tough guy stuff was too often embarrassing and detrimental to the side despite exciting those posters with suburban football instincts. Your comments abourt Bailey's youth policy is revisionist rubbish. Given our defensive stocks he is about our sixth choice up back. He leaked like a sieve this year and its no wonder in a such an underperfoming side that Carroll could not hold his spot. The fact is that he is a fringe footballer who is a culture sore with some long running social problems. The Dolphins match only shows that he can cut it at VFL level...sometimes. His game against Frankston should also be compared to some of his lamentable VFL efforts for example against the Scorpions. Brainless and reckless.

The Saints remember him as well from the way he put Fraser Gehrig out of the elimination final in 2006 - Carroll's brotherly taunt ignites family feud

This has to be the overrated piece of football action around. Carroll tackled Gehrig and Gehrig was put off balance and went awkwardly on his ankle. It was a contingent contact injury not a direct consequence of the tackle. Making it to be more than it was is dishonest.

We may be losing a ratbag but the Saints who have question marks over the future of Max Hudghton and injury problems with Matt McGuire and Sean Dempster will get a cheap back up defender if he goes there.

No the Saints may be getting a cheap ratbag. More fool them.

[Spirit of the Demon 249]

Every player is in contention for AA. Its the hyperbole on this site that talked him up as AA FB. He is a limited footballer that is talked up by posters that seem to value attributes that are small currency when it counts.

The "hyperbole" extended to discussion about Carroll's AA prospects on Foxtel's On the Couch but who cares about them because Sheahan, Walls and Healy are "small currency" like the rest of us.

Anyway, thanks for the enlightenment Rhino. I'm so sure now that Jace Bode will be gratified to discover he was in contention for AA honours this year too!