Pates

Anybody who reckons they've said that I'll call them a liar! For me the significance of being 9-0 is that we are finding ways to win, which has been outside of our DNA for as long as I have supported the club (in the past it's been finding ways to lose!). I still feel like we have only seen us in top gear for a handful of quarters, the second and third quarter against Richmond (because they brought everything at us and we just responded), and perhaps the 4th quarter against the Hawks. All the others we are winning because our players have a system that they're working to, our defense is holding up to pressure when it counts, and our forward pressure is elite. I'm looking forward to the game where we are at our best the entire game because I think that will really put the competition on notice. We will have to bring our best against the dogs, despite us being top I still personally see them as slightly above us, only because when they get going they are absolutely LEATHAL.

Good to hear he's made really good progress, but personally I'd be holding him back another week to make sure he's cherry ripe for the Dogs. Otherwise if we bring him in give him limited minutes playing mainly as a pressure half forward.

Any player that finds themselves being shopped around and disheartened by it only needs to look at Tom for inspiration. We shopped him to just about everybody and got very little interest, it hurt him but he used it as motivation and now I reckon he's playing career best footy.

Plugger never won a flag, but legend and greatest forward the game will ever see.

Brayshaw's stats on the AFL website: 26 Disposals at 58% efficiency - agreed can be better but it was also wet conditions 12 Contested possessions - equal 5th on the ground 12 Intercept possessions - best on ground, this meant he stopped a lot of Carlton's moves forward 10 Clangers - your knock on him, Oliver had 11 to top the list with 2 more disposals, are we dropping him as well? Gus stays, there is nothing more certain.

Brayshaw will not be dropped, simple. He is playing an important role in the team and is covering stupid amounts of territory. I agree his disposal is something that I’d like to see Mark Williams show particular interest in but Gus did so many important acts yesterday. Chandler is the only one I’d have on the block but not every young player can make an impact immediately. I’d be comfortable with him having another week, otherwise being in Sparrow.

There weren’t a lot of forwards one grabbing today. The most disappointing moment was the mark he dropped in the last quarter in the pocket. Uncontested and it just slipped straight through. I think give LJ another week to get his finger right but Weid needs a big game next week to have any chance afterwards. My gut feeling is that if we put in our first demolition performance next week it will be with either one of those two kicking a bag.

Agreed, part of me says you’re going to get some bad calls go against you so take the lucky ones when they come but good on him. Would’ve been very interesting to see if he hadn’t of owned up to it whether the ump would pay the goal.

I missed the first quarter but I think this should still be about right: 6 TMac - immense, yet again 5 Lever - on a difficult marking day he yet again shon 4 Langdon - he just keeps on keeping on 3 Oliver - he’s so important to our team, I just wish he could improve his finishing on goal 2 Hunt - his run and tackling was massive 1 Chandler - for copping the Gatorade and milk in the song (WTF guys?!)

I’m not sure how others read his game but I thought Harmes backed up last weeks good performance with another solid game. Still did a couple of “Harmes things” but he tackled and was solid at the contest. For a bloke that is maligned by some of the fans I feel like he’s proving a point that he can play a role. I gotta also say, Spargo is the guy that just gives us a goal when we need it. It was really good play from Chandler but yet again Spargo bobs up at the right time. When he kicked that first goal of the last I breathed easy.

Wouldn’t disagree with you, particularly in the way the boys were doing it. I think it can be a little fun but pouring milk on the kids head? C’mon pull your heads out of your a**es. Glad they got him signing it arm in arm in the end.

Yep the years of the red button novelty. Somewhere along the lines they clearly decided it wasn’t worth the effort. I would absolutely love an option of commentary from radio stations but I assume that sponsorship deals would be the biggest issue with that. Westpac could sponsor some things on 3AW while conflicting with NAB for the AFL. Even switching commentary off and having crowd would be better than listening to BT and his dribble.

Someone earlier in the week reminded Demonland that in 2004/2005 Carlton were the ones we kept losing to stupidly which cost us top 4. It wasn’t pretty but two weeks in a row we’ve had to slog it out in the wet and do what needed to be done. Aside from the second/third quarter of the Richmond game I don’t think I’ve seen us get passed 3rd gear. It’s pleasing but I really wish we could put in a 4 quarter performance and bury a team. Shout out to McKay, with an injured shoulder he was the difference between the Blues just getting beaten and getting smashed. Really gutsy from him.

Well done Trac for helping wash all that stuff out of Chandler’s eyes. Poor bugger really copped a proper Gatorade (and Milk????) shower.

This falls into the “win is a win”. Really want to see us power home in games, show a ruthless edge.

Shut the **** up BT, can’t stand him.

My one knock on Clarry is he needs to kick goals when presented with the opportunity. He gets enough looks at it that he should be going at 50/50.

I can see this going one of two ways, either we’ll let them back into the game and it’ll be a dogfight at the end or we’ll kick the first couple of goals and break their backs.

Ah Sam, so close! He kicks that I reckon it’s close to game over and the boys really would’ve got around him!

What a load of ****. No consistency with HTB.

Mark Williams’ influence can already be seen by Langdon’s kicking. Has improved out of sight.

So Yze, you said they were going to make adjustments to get better at centre clearances. It hasn’t worked, we need to work it out.

So absolutely what we were worried about with our forward line is happening, our talls seem to be getting in each other’s way. Max needs to go back to protecting space if he’s there, allow Brown, Tommy, and Weid to get an easier look at it. The pack forming is just too much for a contested mark.

Trac just needs to simplify again, trying to do too much. Been doing this for the last few weeks.

Well done Tommy, took the responsibility, and well done Fritta leading AWAY from Tom.