The loss we needed - glad we didn’t pinch this win.

[parrot]

I knew we were going to lose this game in the first quarter even when we were 25 points up. Reason – no intensity at contests, and disinterested tackling. Blues players often had their back to the play, and were making half efforts to man up or chase their opponents. Essendon were getting killed on the scoreboard, but they were giving 100% at every contest, and it was inevitable that they would be rewarded, and they were. Even though we only lost by a kick, I’m glad we didn’t win this one because otherwise the lesson would not have hit home. The lesson – 100% intensity is required every minute of every game, regardless of the quality of the opposition. Essendon might have an ordinary list, but they taught us that there is no substitute for wanting the ball more.

 

[Chism]

I knew we were going to lose this game in the first quarter even when we were 25 points up. Reason – no intensity at contests, and disinterested tackling. Blues players often had their back to the play, and were making half efforts to man up or chase their opponents. Essendon were getting killed on the scoreboard, but they were giving 100% at every contest, and it was inevitable that they would be rewarded, and they were. Even though we only lost by a kick, I’m glad we didn’t win this one because otherwise the lesson would not have hit home. The lesson – 100% intensity is required every minute of every game, regardless of the quality of the opposition. Essendon might have an ordinary list, but they taught us that there is no substitute for wanting the ball more.

When are you going to change from the Unlisted Parrot????

 

[Revenge I Seek]

Couldn't agree more. It was almost as if the new reputation carved out by the media was going to be enough to get us over the line. Going into the game as $1.20 favourites vs $4.00 underdogs also may have contributed to this mindset.

Port Adelaide were crucified by the media for playing with fat heads in round 2. Even though the margin implies that we weren't as crap as Port Crudelaide were against Wet Toast, I agree with you, parrot - 100% is required.

Do, or do not, there is no try

 

[juddy4eva]

i dont agree we need every win to make finals otherwise were stuffed
the players need to step up to make sure we dont play like this anymore
the forwards need to kick goals wth the midfielders the strange thing is stevens didnt play round 1 and round 2 and we won weird

 

[celtic_pride]

This is why people don't take Parrot seriously ...

How the $%#$^ can you be happy with a loss ... I'd be relieved, bit stressed, but ultimately much more happy if we beat like a team like Melbourne or Freo by a point then a loss (and Essendon talent wise are just as crap as Freo and the Dees IMO)

Saying that 'one is happy with a loss' is just an 'smokescreen' ... I'm really narky about it still, esp considering we should have had the game on toast after the first quarter ...
lack of focus, concentration and discipline over 4 quarters is a worrying sign, and we will be punished by Sydney next week if we serve up the crap we did again on Saturday night.
I'm sorry but the players still 'would have gotten an lesson in humility/less arrogance' even if we managed to only win by 3 points, and we'd be feeling much less frustrated ...

I just can't stand that 'it was the loss we had to have' cliche, I'm sorry, I respect other people's opinions, but for mine, that is just an bullshit excuse ... A loss is a loss, no matter how much 'spin' you put into it.

The only thing I can say really is that we couldn't honestly play much worse then we did (and essendon couldn't play much better IMHO) and we only lost by less then a goal, that is the only crumb of comfort I can take out of it.

 

[Beloved]

How the $%#$^ can you be happy with a loss .

You must have been pissed off during '95. We lost twice that year!

 

[SouvlakiHut]

We are 2 and 1 with a healthy percentage, a strong position after rd. 3.

This loss will just fire up the boys and make sure a lacklustre effort like Saturday night won't occur again.

Basically I agree with parrot.

 

[juddy4eva]

so makes no difference
we lost cheaply to the st's and sydney

 

[juddy4eva]

no one needs a loss it can a make differnce on who will win the flag like the bules did in 95

 

[blue gunslinger]

Agree with the feeling parrot but a 1 point win could have achieved both and we could have beaten the Bombers

 

[parrot]

.... but a 1 point win could have achieved both and we could have beaten the Bombers

Maybe, but not sure. In the first 2 games our trademark was intensity and defensive pressure with a high tackle count throughout those games. We had none of that on Saturday, for whatever reason. Judd was the exception but he was a lone hand, especially in the 2nd quarter. The point I'm making is that obviously losing any game isn't fun, but the bigger picture is getting this team development right to win flags. Perhaps the message will hit home harder with a loss, rather than a scrape over the line win. The standard we set in round 1 and 2 in terms of our defensive pressure is our baseline benchmark. Need to get back to that next week and maintain it EVERY week. Anything less is not acceptable.

 

[Warsaw]

We are 2 and 1 from 3 very winnable games......

 

[blue gunslinger]

Maybe, but not sure. In the first 2 games our trademark was intensity and defensive pressure with a high tackle count throughout those games. We had none of that on Saturday, for whatever reason. Judd was the exception but he was a lone hand, especially in the 2nd quarter. The point I'm making is that obviously losing any game isn't fun, but the bigger picture is getting this team development right to win flags. Perhaps the message will hit home harder with a loss, rather than a scrape over the line win. The standard we set in round 1 and 2 in terms of our defensive pressure is our baseline benchmark. Need to get back to that next week and maintain it EVERY week. Anything less is not acceptable.

Losing especially to the Bombers is never acceptable
I thought Eddie Betts did his bit, and Murphy and Kreuzer put in as well with Hoops a mention for effort.

 

[Warsaw]

And be polite and mention that Robbo had 6 tackles.

 

[Beloved]

We are 2 and 1 from 3 very winnable games......

If you want to get technical, every game is winnable.

I'm sure that if we were promised 2-1 at the beginning of the pre-season, we all would have taken it.

 

[blue gunslinger]

Yes but we SHOULD be 3-0

 

[HeziBarecket]

Mate there is no such thing as a 'loss you should have had' when you can't beat Essendon who are meant to be shit. What does that say abut us?

The problem was was that the stupid idiots beleived all the rubbishy press about them being 'the Fab Four' and all that crap. Once again players play two good games and the press rates them as 'elite' and all the fans on the board believe it! Hadley is a prefect example, he was absolutely rubbish and slow on Saturday night and couldn't lay a tackle to save himself.

If this loss doesn't spurn them on to greater heights well they can be at Essendons level.

Essendon supporters still shouldn't gloat too hard because if Matt 'they guy who puts it into Carltons bum time and again' Lloyd wasn't on the ground they would have lost bad. And they know deep in their scummy hearts that they have no replacement as none of their craptastic midfields and forwards did much to the scoreboard beside their Lloyd/lucas double.

Let them feel like kings for this week, they'll crash and burn soon!

 

[SydneyBomber]

You must have been pissed off during '95. We lost twice that year!

he was a proud member of the geelong faithful actually at that time, so no doubt he was pissed off with carlton back then.

if memory serves correctly, he jumped off the cats and onto the baggers just prior to your lean few years (early 00's), meanwhile geelong went from strength to strength.

sucks to be him huh?

 

[V_Townsend]

To say ur happy we didnt win is ridiculous. If we want to finish in the 8 and even top 6 then those are the kind of games we must win. Say we won then the boys would still know that the way they played is not good enough but a win is a win. We dont get the 4 points and the same thing happens they know its not good enough but they shouldnt need a loss for this to happen. No loss is a good loss in my opinion

 

[as0l0]

yeah, nah. we should have learned this lesson last year.

 

[Silvagnis]

I knew we were going to lose this game in the first quarter even when we were 25 points up. Reason – no intensity at contests, and disinterested tackling. Blues players often had their back to the play, and were making half efforts to man up or chase their opponents. Essendon were getting killed on the scoreboard, but they were giving 100% at every contest, and it was inevitable that they would be rewarded, and they were. Even though we only lost by a kick, I’m glad we didn’t win this one because otherwise the lesson would not have hit home. The lesson – 100% intensity is required every minute of every game, regardless of the quality of the opposition. Essendon might have an ordinary list, but they taught us that there is no substitute for wanting the ball more.

I have to agree with this.

Any loss is bad, but I don't care about losing to Essendon as much as they want to beat us.

We lost to another bottom side like Carlton beat Collingwood twice and the Dogs once last year.

Even Hawthorn lost to Richmond.

These things happen in footy, so you do learn more from a loss than a win and what you need to work on.

Though the emotional and passionate supporters won't see the forest for the trees and start second guessing our selections and coaching. A few supporters think no O'hAilpin cost us the game, yet we lost by a kick and Fev had more than enough chances to win it.

Go figure.

Carlton will beat better sides than Essendon and finish above them again in 2009.

I'm even more excited about Carlton's future after we nearly won a game with just Judd and Murphy firing. Plenty of upside with Grigg, Kreuzer, Gibbs and the rest of our young list two to three years away from their best football.

 

[HBF]

Losing to Essendon just shows what happens when you don't switch on 100%. Even from the first bounce, it just looked like we thought we would win, and played accordingly. Losing to Essendon isn't good at any time, however, it might have been the kick in the guts we needed, and we should be able to go to Sydney with some belief that we can knock them over up there.

 

[V_Townsend]

Losing to Essendon just shows what happens when you don't switch on 100%. Even from the first bounce, it just looked like we thought we would win, and played accordingly. Losing to Essendon isn't good at any time, however, it might have been the kick in the guts we needed, and we should be able to go to Sydney with some belief that we can knock them over up there.

But even to win by a few points wouldve still been a kick in the guts, because hopefully the boys realise that if they play like that against quality sides they will get smashed, id rather lose to a good side by 5 or 6 goals than lose to essendon

 

[Smell The Glove]

I knew we were going to lose this game in the first quarter even when we were 25 points up. Reason – no intensity at contests, and disinterested tackling. Blues players often had their back to the play, and were making half efforts to man up or chase their opponents. Essendon were getting killed on the scoreboard, but they were giving 100% at every contest, and it was inevitable that they would be rewarded, and they were. Even though we only lost by a kick, I’m glad we didn’t win this one because otherwise the lesson would not have hit home. The lesson – 100% intensity is required every minute of every game, regardless of the quality of the opposition. Essendon might have an ordinary list, but they taught us that there is no substitute for wanting the ball more.

Any player that does not already know this is too stupid to figure it out now.

 

[BlueYoss]

The only way to possibly justify a loss if it is perceivable that it directly resulted in otherwise unlikely wins in ensuing games. In this case, I may be somewhat consoled if we win 3 from our next 3 against Sydney, the Doggies and Hawthorn.

Having said that, there is still little consolation for that flat feeling on hearing the Essendon song play after a game that should have been a percentage booster for us.

I'm sure that if we were promised 2-1 at the beginning of the pre-season, we all would have taken it.

I wouldn't have.

The fixture was out way before the beginning of the pre-season, those first 3 games were always going to be against Richmond, Brisbane and Essendon -I was very much looking forward to a 3 from 3 start to the season for the first time since '95.