I overheard a conversation in a bar in Cairns earlier in the week (which btw I'm missing already) from three blokes who were there as part of a development program for indigenous players through the AFL - one in Essendon jacket.

This statement was made:

'If Carlton delist 10 players and Melbourne pics them all up they would all be in their best 22 by a country mile.'

depressing...

Simple answer is yes for mine........... and here is why

Look at our team for Sunday

• FF
• 34 Dean Kent
• 6 Chris Dawes
• 36 Aaron Davey

• HF
• 45 Matt Jones
• 4 Jack Watts
• 12 Colin Sylvia

• C
• 7 Jack Viney
• 9 Jack Trengove
• 5 Jimmy Toumpas

• HB
• 31 Jack Grimes
• 25 Tom McDonald
• 20 Colin Garland

• FB
• 14 Lynden Dunn
• 8 James Frawley
• 46 Dean Terlich

• 42 Jake Spencer
• 13 Jordie McKenzie
• 2 Nathan Jones

• 30 James Sellar
• 43 Rory Taggert
• 44 Rohan Bail
• 37 Max Gawn
• 38 Jeremy Howe
• 39 Neville Jetta
• 35 Luke Tapscott

Now I'll list who I think is a solid AFL player who has enough experience to be a consistent AFL player/performer

Dawes

Davey

Sylvia

Garland

Dunn

Frawley

Jones

Then you have players who are starting to find their feet at AFL level but are nowhere near being consistent AFL players

Watts

Howe

Trenners

Tappscott

Grimes etc etc

Then development players......

Viney

Toump

etc etc

I think this proves my point - we are a development side IMO - our senior blokes aren't good enough to carry us and our young blokes aren't good enough (yet) and most seasoned players would walk in to our best 22

I don't think my classifications are 100% spot on, it's just my quick opinion but after 3 - 4 seasons you should be stepping up but not carrying sides

I am not having a go at the club - I just think this is where the club is at.... I have faith we can turn it around but I've gone the more realistic view of our list and it is full of holes - we have maybe 10 real crackers and the rest aren't good enough or are development projects

Edited August 29, 201312 yr by Unleash Hell

I think it depends on who they delist and what positions they play. They would struggle to get a tall forward or defender into our side, back or forward pocket they would walk in automatically and midfielders of course we need more of.

sounds like your mate at the bar is a bit of a 5hit talker

Carlton's bottom 10

NOT including rookies:

YES:

· Jeremy Laidler: Hard to work out what happened to this guy, MM clearly not a fan. But I think he'd be ahead of Lynden Dunn as a versatile 3rd tall defender and free up Garland to negate dangerous smalls

· David Ellard: As a midfielder/half forward who can run and go hard at the ball would see regular game time despite small frame

Maybe

· Simon White: 3^rd tall defender who attacks the contest and can take a mark. Again better than Dunn. Currently has a broken neck

· Nick Duigan: Half back or forward who attacks the ball, limited skill but I think he’d hold a place in our best 22 or thereabouts.

· Shaun Hampson: Would compete with Fitzpatrick for second ruck/forward as he’s a better ruck but not convinced he’s at all a better forward. Of course doesn’t compare to Clark if he takes over that role

No:

· Aaron Joseph: Small defender not better than Clisby or Terlich

· Sam Rowe: Depth tall forward who can ruck, isn’t of the class of Dawes or Clark

· Pat McCarthy: Young tall defender often injured, hasn’t shown he’s better than Tom McDonald

· Luke Mitchell: Young key forward often injured, again not better than a Dawes or Clark

· Marcus Davies: 190cm defender with shaky disposal and defensive skill. Not a better player than Garland or Terlich

So as far as picking up anyone off the scrap heap for Carlton I'd consider a rookie spot for Duigan or Laidler if they were let go. I'd take Ellard but I think he's probably the best player on this list. Otherwise I wouldn't be interested in any of the rest. Shows the damage GWS and Gold Coast have done to the other clubs lists. There isn't much young talent to come through for Carlton either.

Edited August 29, 201312 yr by the master

You'll find a lot of folk jibbering sh1te in any bar, it's what you do.

Simple answer is yes for mine........... and here is why

Look at our team for Sunday

Our team might have a lot of unestablished players but most of them when in the VFL play pretty good football. Especially our best 22 all dominate at Casey. When you look at Carlton's worst 10 as I have you find that none of them hold their spot in the Carlton team with any regularity.

And if we've learnt something from this whole Byrnes, Pedersen, Rodan, Sellar mess it's that if you can't keep a spot in one team going to a worse team won't necessarily mean you'll be consistent 22. Of those 4 it's the smalls in Rodan and Byrnes who have got the most games because that's where we have been weak but the point remains.

Sydney, last years premiers bottom 10 wouldn't get a regular game or even any kind of game at most clubs as most are young and have never played. It's why Mitch Morton was an emergency then in to the grand final. Depth is hard to find these days.

Tom Bell anyone?

I don't see the point of running an extensive look at our top 22 without a consideration for their bottom 10.

Just from the title of the thread I was willing to vote YES

It's hard to say if this is a stretch or not. We tend to wear rose colored glasses here on the land and we don't often watch other teams. I would say look at teams like Geelong and Richmond. Geelong is where we want to be and Richmond is where we should be right now. Geelong's kids already look stronger than some of our more senior players. Jack Trengove still looks the same as when he was 18 as does Jack Grimes. Richmond's kids looked like Trenners and Grimesy a long time ago. However, Dusty, Dan Jackson, Cotch and Jack Riewoldt hit the refrigerator and the weights room. When they were skinny kids, the skinny kids we selected were more naturally talented. Now they are worthless because they are still skinny kids.

Are we at the point as a supporter group where we care about pub talk?

Surely we are immune to it by now...

Our team might have a lot of unestablished players but most of them when in the VFL play pretty good football. Especially our best 22 all dominate at Casey. When you look at Carlton's worst 10 as I have you find that none of them hold their spot in the Carlton team with any regularity.

And if we've learnt something from this whole Byrnes, Pedersen, Rodan, Sellar mess it's that if you can't keep a spot in one team going to a worse team won't necessarily mean you'll be consistent 22. Of those 4 it's the smalls in Rodan and Byrnes who have got the most games because that's where we have been weak but the point remains.

Sydney, last years premiers bottom 10 wouldn't get a regular game or even any kind of game at most clubs as most are young and have never played. It's why Mitch Morton was an emergency then in to the grand final. Depth is hard to find these days.

It's was a throw away line just like the OP

My whole point was the MFC team is full of holes - as you ponit out with our rotation policy most AFL listed players would get a chance at the Dees

The OP accusation is worth every sud of beer in that bar.

I'm devastated .....not

He was obviously sober.

There is abit of Talent on our list, especially key position players,

Unfortunately most of the talent has 0 confidence so it's very difficult to even tell the reason they were drafted,

a good coach will instill confidence into the group and they will be obviously better as soon as next year, especially if we recruit a couple of good mids,

do we have 22 AFL standard players?