Yep. There is luck of the draw in who you face (can argue Geelong this season were lucky to get Port in the QF, unlucky to get the red hot Lions in a prelim), but in-game patterns repeating isn't unlucky, and you can argue that being efficient - as Carlton were in those finals - is then creating your own luck.
It's impossible to differentiate luck vs skill/mental aptitude in deciding close games. All you can say is Collingwood's wasn't a dominant premiership, but it's silly to say it was lucky. It's very rare that sides "get away with one" in finals. Randomness exists everywhere but if you're in positions to win finals it's clear you're a good team and potential upside can see you as a contender or even premier. It usually takes some mishaps along the way - be that a disappointing season (Carlton 2023) or finals (Brisbane 2019-2023, Geelong up until 2022 etc). There's nothing that has ruled out Carlton's chance to put it altogether and have their best season this century - wherever that takes them.
I said there is luck in every bounce of the ball but you just can't put down a run of 11 wins out of 12 as "very lucky". Especially when it is followed by the same team winning 11 of 15 to start the next year.
You can be lucky in every game, but you still won't win without skill.
Cripps and Curnow (and I'll add McKay, Weitering and Walsh) haven't missed a lot of football over the past 3 seasons, and they've had 12, 13 and 13 win home and away seasons...
Couldn't disagree more. We know Carltons top end is very good. It's their 17-23 that hold them back.
Can you explain how making All Australian or winning any award means a player can't get better? I don't understand how people use individual metrics as evidence a player has peaked. Cripps won a Brownlow in 2022 and then significantly improved his outside game in 2024 - winning an award in no way indicates there isn't areas of growth in your game.
Can you please list our 11-35 players? Just so we know who you're referring to.
How many players from the same team do you expect can have 'career best seasons' in the same year?
And we've highlighted that Carlton have had a very good run with regard to injuries to their top line players over the past 3 seasons.
I'd argue 23' Newman was probably a bit better than 24' Newman. This was also definitely not a career best year for Weitering. He has had better years previously - making an All Australian team doesn't change that. Also, don't understand how number of players with career best seasons matters. You have listed 5 there from a list of 45. A player having a career best year doesn't mean they have now suddenly peaked. I have listed previously in this thread the players just in my best 23 with significant growth left in their game - do you disagree with any of them? And that was without bringing up the players outside of my 23 that could start pushing the older players in the current 23 in the next few years.
Don't put words in people's mouths - no post I have seen discussing injuries in 2024 has just mentioned those players. Your issue is you can't see past Carlton's top 5 players (which btw have pretty much all had injury layoffs or had to play injured) - this is not the NBA and so when you are copping significant injuries to the players outside of your top 5 and then also the depth players that should be replacing them you end up filling gaps with players outside your best 30.
And "all teams have good players" and yet a team finishes 1st and a team finishes 18th.
The same argument can be made for Collingwood losing any of ur top liners. As can be made with any team.
Couldn't have written it better myself JAB!
I'm pretty sure you can read... Who are our 11-35 players you referred to?
its probably worth engaging with the arguments made in the thread rather than the incoherent thoughts that only exist in your head.
