Next flag - Carlton, Essendon or Richmond?

[Ambrosia]

Facts are facts - playing finals and drafting well they have two first round picks this year in addition to bringing in Prestia and Caddy credit where credit is due

Jy Simpkin, Daniel Rioli, Corey Ellis, Vlastuin and another two this year

You said last 5 years. Youve named 4 players 2 of which aren't best 22.

 

[Iamcarlton]

That would make sense if Carlton had the clearly more impressive youth which just isn't the case.

Having an doubts about that statement ??

 

[Ambrosia]

Won't completely disagree just yet. Will be interesting to see how Carlton go against the Suns on a dry deck at Etihad this week.

Not so sure the weekend result would have been too different if it was dry.

If our mids work hard, and both ways, as they did against Essendon our young defence is trending to hold up against most teams. At this point this is highly reliant on our mids working both ways, not a strong point in recent times.

When on song the Carltons starting mids stack up against the Essendon mids. This was evident on the weekend.

I rate the emerging Carlton defence better than the Essendon defence, which I believe is your poorest area. In reverse the same could be said about our respective forward lines.

The Bombers have had a slightly better start to the year, I don't think after 15 rounds there will be a great gap between the two teams. I use 15 rounds as I believe after that teams that aren't in contention for finals keep their powder dry to a point and jockey for draft positions.

The next six weeks will be interesting for Carlton as some of the youngsters settle into permanent roles and some of the older foot soldiers are interchanged with more youth.

What I do see is a team that is building and trending forward.

I agree that your inside midfield stacks up well against ours. In the dry I just couldn't see you restricting our forward line to a low enough score to win the game/I couldn't see your forward line kicking a big enough score against our defence.

 

[Ambrosia]

Having an doubts about that statement ??

No not at all.

 

[Iamcarlton]

That is dopey as all hell - and disingenuous garbage.

Essendon has four players in total over 30. Two of them (Stanton and Kelly) are half backs, Goddard is a utility, and ONE player in Watson is a pure midfielder.

Essendon's midfield is driven by Heppell, Merrett, Parish, Zaka, Langford...

Not to mention we have Laverde, Fantasia, Colyer, Walla, Francis - a list of talented youth your club could scarcely dream of.

"It's Carlton"

They're shit now. And if we're forecasting based solely on the current crop of youth at the club, they'll still be shit in the next 3-4 years.

Hell - you don't even have veterans of any repute to speak of. What, Murphy? Gibbs?? Thomas???

You couldn't compare your side favourably to any side in the AFL - it's an absolute shit truck.

The shit truck just unloaded at windy hill

 

[threesixpio]

Ninthmond doesn't look half bad ATM

 

[OnceWeWereKings]

I agree that your inside midfield stacks up well against ours. In the dry I just couldn't see you restricting our forward line to a low enough score to win the game/I couldn't see your forward line kicking a big enough score against our defence.

Don't disagree at the moment, I think we will have a clearer indication over the next 12 weeks where both teams are at. My opinion at the moment is that they won't be too far apart.
You need another key big down back to help out Hurley who seems a bit off the pace at the moment (to be expected) and your small defenders at this point are average at best.
Not too sure if Hooker is the answer up forward, you really need one of Francis, Laverde or Stewart to take that spot and release Hooker to help out Hurley.
Your small forwards look good in Tippa & Fant but too strong a reliance on smalls to kick your score has proven hot and cold over the journey, particularly in big games.
If I was the Essendon coach I wouldn't be looking to play finals this year, I would be playing the young guys like Francis etc and looking to add some higher level draft talent to the list.

 

[Ambrosia]

Don't disagree at the moment, I think we will have a clearer indication over the next 12 weeks where both teams are at. My opinion at the moment is that they won't be too far apart.
You need another key big down back to help out Hurley who seems a bit off the pace at the moment (to be expected) and your small defenders at this point are average at best.
Not too sure if Hooker is the answer up forward, you really need one of Francis, Laverde or Stewart to take that spot and release Hooker to help out Hurley.
Your small forwards look good in Tippa & Fant but too strong a reliance on smalls to kick your score has proven hot and cold over the journey, particularly in big games.
If I was the Essendon coach I wouldn't be looking to play finals this year, I would be playing the young guys like Francis etc and looking to add some higher level draft talent to the list.

Hooker has been pretty good since being swung forward mid way through 2015 kicking 26 or so goals in 13 matches. He's going to say forward for the forseeable future. I feel like everyone is saying that Hooker isn't the answer because they haven't been watching him and are just assuming he's struggling like H.Taylor.

Ambrose at CHB has been excellent this season and is improving every game and Hartley is a good developing 200cm tall.

I agree that we need to inject youth into the side. Over the coming weeks we should see Baguley lose his place in the back 6 and one of Francis/Stewart comes in as a 3rd tall forward.

 

[Jesse Custer]

It really is amazing how one result can swing opinion so much on this site. Neither will be winning a flag anytime soon.

 

[Jade]

Winter sport?

Here's an idea;

Winter =/= greater rainfall.

 

[Jade]

Thing about Carlton is that they have a very good starting mid brigade. I would have Krueser, Murphy, Giggs and Cripps over the Essendon midfield any day.

Then you have absolutely lost your marbles.

A starting midfield of Heppell, Merrett, Watson, Parish is much, MUCH better.

 

[Jade]

Not so sure the weekend result would have been too different if it was dry.

Not only would it be different, it'd be drastically different.

Don't get me wrong, Carlton worked hard and Essendon played like absolute fools on the weekend, but the only reason Carlton won was the significant rainfall.

Of course the result would be different - Essendon are a significantly better side. They just happen to be utter crap in the wet. Could not have beaten any one of the other 17 sides in the league on the weekend.

The inflation of opinion of the state of Carlton's list because of that game is extraordinary - a real demonstration of the goldfish memories of BigFooty.

It was a putrid game, played between two thoroughly shit sides. The classic 'someone has to won' scenario.

The major difference between the two sides however, is that Carlton are shit no matter the weather - Essendon are just downright disgraceful when it rains.

 

[Iamcarlton]

Not only would it be different, it'd be drastically different.

Don't get me wrong, Carlton worked hard and Essendon played like absolute fools on the weekend, but the only reason Carlton won was the significant rainfall.

Of course the result would be different - Essendon are a significantly better side. They just happen to be utter crap in the wet. Could not have beaten any one of the other 17 sides in the league on the weekend.

The inflation of opinion of the state of Carlton's list because of that game is extraordinary - a real demonstration of the goldfish memories of BigFooty.

It was a putrid game, played between two thoroughly shit sides. The classic 'someone has to won' scenario.

The major difference between the two sides however, is that Carlton are shit no matter the weather - Essendon are just downright disgraceful when it rains.

Coulda shoulda woulda waaaaaaaaaa!!
Pick your toys up will ya!!
Just having trouble facing up to the fact you got beaten by the( shit truck )Caaaaarlton! arent you .??
Its ok mate it'll be a dry track this week so your players can get out into open space and show their skills .

 

[Jade]

Coulda shoulda woulda waaaaaaaaaa!!
Pick your toys up will ya!!
Just having trouble facing up to the fact you got beaten by the( shit truck )Caaaaarlton! arent you .??
Its ok mate it'll be a dry track this week so your players can get out into open space and show their skills .

Calm down sunshine, don't hurt yourself.

One of the few benefits of the saga we just endured, I remember thinking that it'd be nice to get back to a place where losing a game of football is the worst thing that can happen. Luckily enough, turns out that's actually true. Do I like losing to Carlton? Of course I don't, but honestly, I did my review of the game and moved on.

The footy gods conspired to create a perfect storm (literally and figuratively) that resulted in an Essendon loss. It happens. Do we need to improve in the wet? Absolutely we do - we're the worst team in the league by some distance in the rain and it showed.

As for a dry deck, yeah it will be. Unfortunately for us, we're playing the Crows in Adelaide - it's the first game of the year for us where our best might not be good enough. Guess we'll see.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Don't get me wrong, Carlton worked hard and Essendon played like absolute fools on the weekend, but the only reason Carlton won was the significant rainfall.

Games in the wet are usually won by the team that wants it more. Bit of a concern for Essendon just three games back from holidays.

 

[Jade]

Games in the wet are usually won by the team that wants it more. Bit of a concern for Essendon just three games back from holidays.

Nah.

Annoying, no doubt. But let's not throw the baby out with the rain water (see what I did there?), the list is looking good and we've played some pretty good footy this year. Learn from it and move on.

 

[Grrr]

Then you have absolutely lost your marbles.

A starting midfield of Heppell, Merrett, Watson, Parish is much, MUCH better.

You reckon. Watson was a gun in his Brownlow year and still a good solid player. Merrett has played some very good footy in the last year and is very good and Heppell is a good player who gets talked up too much. I know your Essendon supporters will hate that. Parish is a kid who will be good.
Kreuser is a gun when fit, who's your ruck again. Marc Murphy has won the players best player award, and is still a gun now that he is over injuries, Gibbs is probably one of the most creative and damaging kicks in the league, very Nathan Buckley like, and Cripps is a monster midfielder who is just running into form.
So yeah I think they are better right now. Not down the track as guys like Merrett mature maybe not, but right now I'd have Carltons mid's over yours.

 

[Jade]

You reckon. Watson was a gun in his Brownlow year and still a good solid player. Merrett has played some very good footy in the last year and is very good and Heppell is a good player who gets talked up too much. I know your Essendon supporters will hate that. Parish is a kid who will be good.
Kreuser is a gun when fit, who's your ruck again. Marc Murphy has won the players best player award, and is still a gun now that he is over injuries, Gibbs is probably one of the most creative and damaging kicks in the league, very Nathan Buckley like, and Cripps is a monster midfielder who is just running into form.
So yeah I think they are better right now. Not down the track as guys like Merrett mature maybe not, but right now I'd have Carltons mid's over yours.

Hey you can have that opinion.

I mean, you're wrong, so very, very wrong, but that's cool.

 

[Franc de Borges]

Nah.

Annoying, no doubt. But let's not throw the baby out with the rain water (see what I did there?), the list is looking good and we've played some pretty good footy this year. Learn from it and move on.

Isn't the point that Essendon never learn from it? Poor wet weather footy team for a long time now.

And good footy? Well you've beaten the current worst team in the league and the team that's won the least games over the last two years, then failed against a Carlton side containing five teenagers in weather where big bodies are favoured.

That form line is fair at best.

 

[Jade]

Isn't the point that Essendon never learn from it? Poor wet weather footy team for a long time now.

Yep. Worst in the game for years now. That was the most frustrating thing about the game on Sunday for me. Watching us dick around trying to flick the ball around quickly in conditions totally unsuited for it.

And good footy? Well you've beaten the current worst team in the league and the team that's won the least games over the last two years, then failed against a Carlton side containing five teenagers in weather where big bodies are favoured.

That form line is fair at best.

Currently the least points against in the game, shown quick and precise ball movement, and a forward line functioning better than it has in years.

Yeah, we've played some good footy. The fact that we turned in to absolute shit in the rain doesn't change that - just exposes a weakness we've still clearly not corrected.

 

[Franc de Borges]

Yep. Worst in the game for years now. That was the most frustrating thing about the game on Sunday for me. Watching us dick around trying to flick the ball around quickly in conditions totally unsuited for it.



Currently the least points against in the game, shown quick and precise ball movement, and a forward line functioning better than it has in years.

Yeah, we've played some good footy. The fact that we turned in to absolute shit in the rain doesn't change that - just exposes a weakness we've still clearly not corrected.

Surely you can see the correlation between that and the fact that you've played three shit sides? Hardly worth hanging your hat on.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Isn't the point that Essendon never learn from it? Poor wet weather footy team for a long time now.

And good footy? Well you've beaten the current worst team in the league and the team that's won the least games over the last two years, then failed against a Carlton side containing five teenagers in weather where big bodies are favoured.

That form line is fair at best.

can only beat who you play though.

A better idea for everyone is coming on Saturday night on a dry, fast Adelaide deck against a genuine top 4 team. We'll all see where Essendon is at in a few days time.

 

[Jade]

Surely you can see the correlation between that and the fact that you've played three shit sides? Hardly worth hanging your hat on.

So it counts in the ways that make us look bad, but doesn't count in the ways that make us look good?

Come on mate...

We've played good footy, and one game of horrifically shit footy - that's what we've done.

 

[Tiger2709]

Great to see some tiges fans up and about. Nobody builds themselves up for disappointment like the tiger hordes. Lucky against the pies, even luckier against the eagles. Every chance the lions will get them this week.

Lucky against the Pies for what is it, the 4th time in 5 games

 

[Franc de Borges]

can only beat who you play though.

A better idea for everyone is coming on Saturday night on a dry, fast Adelaide deck against a genuine top 4 team. We'll all see where Essendon is at in a few days time.

Not if the team is Carlton.