durango

Unfortunately when you have a team of champions they have to play as a team not individuals so players who are playing for survival often are the ones who forget about team first and play as individuals. I hate to say this but I believe players who are under pressure because they are well paid or on the team fringes like Williams Petrevski-Seton Saad Cripps Martin Betts and Casboult where playing for survival not for the team and Carlton suffered because of it. It is now upto Voss to change all that and get it right otherwise they will be in the same boat in 12 months time.

When players are in th fringe area of the list, not best 30, the development and line coachs are always asked for input regarding the retention of players.

Marty Hore has not played a game in 2 seasons so his chances have come down to his training form in his rehab group, I think the chances of a contract has decreased due to the tightness of the places available.

One of the problems the AFL has now created with their NGA is that clubs will now hide players from view of the other clubs before the draft or will not put enough effort in the development of young hopefuls like Mac Andrew from Sudan, I believe the rule should not be applicable to players like Mac Andrew and disadvantaged groups. I believe the AFL next year will make it the top 40, this is a backward step for all the latecomers to Academies.

Fact that Bulldogs did not play 7 straight games on the road, because of the Grand Final bye, round 21 was against Essendon at Marvel and Round 23 was against Port at Marvel. Melbourne on the other hand Round 21 in Perth, Round 22 at MCG, Round 23 at Geelong, First Final at Adelaide, Preliminary Final in Perth with a Lockdown and Grand Final in Perth.

I was informed by an insider that Todd wanted Wines but was overruled by Neeld.

The definition of an expert I was once told is a 'drip under pressure' well that applies to Rendell and Buckenara who again they live on past glories. I never thought of Rendell as a good footballer and his recruiting of Dangerfield was the highlight of his recruiting career. If you pick the eyes out of the draft most years of career you are an genius at recruiting but if you are a hit and miss type then you are an expert.

I think that every Carlton supporter would trade their Trade Week Premierships for the real one any day of the week. There is an old saying that 'Premierships are not won in March' maybe it should be updated to 'Premierships are not won at the Trade Table but it can help'

The problem GCS and GWS have they are breding grounds for the other 16 clubs and over pay good players causing player dumps because of the salary caps like Collingwood, GWS and GCS. The good teams like Hawthorn in the early 2010's, Geelong, Richmond and Sydney control their player payments and players take less to remain at a successful club playing in Finals and winning premierships. In the period 2011 to 2020 the 4 clubs won 8 premierships and played in lots of finals but lists grow old and eventually players realise the club is going down because younger players are not injected into the team and teams recruiting older players with high profiles to maintain their list in the premiership window. Along come younger teams with good to great lists and the premiership window closes for the older teams because they have not got the pace to match the younger enthusiasic teams and they end up playing in the finals but not progressing 2021 showed Port Bulldog Sydney Essendon Lions GWS and Demons with their younger lists have overtaken the older teams.

I don't care whether supporters are arrogant so long as the players don't become arrogant and complacent about their position in the team and the AFL.

He has given the MFC some very good games but injuries have limited his games to 51 over a period of 7 seasons with the club he was a good player in the first 2 seasons playing 28 games in the next 5 season he played 20 games and 3 sub games, 2 seasons he had no games so lost development on his disposal were lost. He has gone past his use by date at the MFC unable to impact the game in any meaningful way so with competition from younger mids like Jordan and Sparrow his playing future at the MFC was bleak.

Let us get facts straight in the 2008 Grand Final Geelong Kicked 11 goals 23 behinds to Hawthorn 18 goals 7 behinds, Geelong lost because during the 2nd Quarter they kick 1 goal 9 behind to 3 goals 1 behind and some of the misses where lamentable. To sum up Hawthorn did not win because they were better but Geelong lost because they were incompetant at the art of goal kicking, if you read about some of the misses from the goal square which any U9 could kick. The 2016 Grand Final was won on adrenaline and teams desire to brake 62 years lack of success and some times when you get to the top of the mountain the only way is down because you think the team had a long injury list and with all the players returning in 2017 your recruiting does not have to be spot on. Tom Boyd played a great game which the following season he could not repeat with injuries and mental health problems eventually retired. The premiers are number one team the year after the premiership and recuiting, training standards and recovery protocols have to be the best in the AFL to maintain that position. To sum up we are premiers and the draft period has been A Grade to date we have recruited a midfielder who at very worst is a B+ midfielder who will put pressure on the incumbents to be better or lose their spot. If the Grand Final has taught us anything its that a great midfield and great defence is the reason we are premiers fast exit from the middle allow forwards to be one on one and opposition backs are under extreme pressure and each mistake is costly and deadly disposal makes the forwards job easier when the kicks are their advantage.

There is an old saying 'winners are grinner's and losers can please them selves'. It is not arrogant to enjoy the premiership moment but with next year 5 months away enjoy the feeling because as soon as the next season starts we will be like every other team in the competition on zero wins and zero losses.

Obviously Tim has had a hand in the previous pick trading so losing Mahoney was not a death nell on our pick trading system.

Just when we thought that the trade period would be dull due to our lack picks, we turn up with pick 17 and Dunstan and ?

Obviously the current recruiters have learned from past mistakes unlike St Kilda.

Like Dom Sheed, Luke Dunstan is another player who is difficult to place in this year’s draft. His elite kicking and endurance ability could see him chosen anywhere between pick 10 to 20,

In the 1980's once Barrassi yelled at a MFC player on the SCG and was picked up on the microphone 'get me possession and I wont criticise you'

If you cant get the ball or given the ball then your disposal is irrelivant and the old adage by Jack Dyer 'if you cant get the ball you cant kick it'. You can improve a persons disposal by practice but getting the ball is a different kettle of fish.

Yes but at 75 years of age I have learned the younger generation are the more opinionated than in my early years because they have a new form to express their opinions and blast those whose opinions they don't agree with. They don't have the experience in both life and football to make sense of others and respect their opinions.

He had 2 A graders in last years predictions so from 2 to 9 alot have improved but he showed his maturity in admitting he was wrong. He has made a very important point we are no longer the hunter we are the hunted, clubs will set out to anaylse and disect the team to find weakness which they can take advantage of.

I looked at the predictions before the season and the people who had opinions then compared the AFL playing careers and found that none had played any sort of football. In my day I would have shirt fronted all of them and left them on the ground crying for their mummy. So they journalist and write opinion pieces which suit the AFL, look at the draft in hind sight and see that draft predictions and career are vastly different allowing for injuries.

We are supporters and have opinions and we may not agree with someone else's opinion but we should respect that they have one which is different to our own. At the end of the day you must back the football department and their judgement, I am sure that Yze Williams and Goodwin would have looked at all the pros and cons and if their conclusion is yes we go after him then it is upto Tim Lamb to structure an offer to Luke who either accepts or rejects the offer and we as club and supporters move on to the next one.

The analysis is okay but the problem was that some players when they are static they lack the strength or nous to just knock the ball on because footballer like Treloar want to pickup the ball naturally whilst Viney is a scrounger and will use any method to force the ball forward towards his goal resulting in the Bulldog players being too far forward and becoming useless. This is were the Demons midfield excelles because everybody in the group knows their job and the midfield chemistry comes to the surface, with no individual not doing their job and Petracca and Oliver brilliance helping the cause.

Vanderberg and Jones were in the best 23 12 times during the season so if Dunstan does play that many he will push Harmes, Jordan and Sparrow to even better performances than 2021. For that alone he is worth a spot and has the experience to bring Taj and Bailey along the road to the AFL rather than Casey.