We are 1 KPD away from being a Top 4 side

[PumpyChowdown]

Have to agree that we really need a gorilla CHB. I've been very interested in Matthew Watson. Plays KPD for Calder, is 194cm and 99kg. Had a very good carnival by all reports and people have him going in the second half of the first round this year.

What do others think about him, and could he be the one we really go after in this years draft?

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX-ew8-9GAo

 

[Azul]

Certainly a big lump of a kid. A cross between Hurley and Whitnall?

Patrick McCarthy and Lucas Cook look good tall prospects, solely based on youtube!

 

[AndyWalkersGirl]

Absolutely need a backman, ready made, or someone with 2/3 years experience while we wait for our others, such as Austin, to develop.

Are there any out there from other clubs/ VFL who may be drafted by the club to fill this gap?

Jamison last night was great I thought.

Bower, cat in headlights. Looked unco all night. Hate seeing him run around clueless most of the night. And he is always being caught out of position, always second to the ball. Well, last night anyway. He needs to go away and beef up over summer a bit too.

Walker, not sure what was happening there but the big fat Stifler ran rings around him.

 

[audas]

1 KPD plus 4-5 more hard running players.

Yep =
we are NOT 1 KPD away from top four - our midfield is sad.

I know its hard for people to be objective - but - we have judd and then what ? Seriously is marc muphy equal to the best mids in the comp - sorry no. Without judd we are in real trouble - and that says a lot.

We all love kade, carazzo etc but if this is who we are we are miles away.
What I love about the blues is that we are playing really good footy - but that takes away from the fact that we are still very short on first grade a list mids.

Look at any other top team - seriously good team - put their mids up and then put ours up and be honest about it - we are miles away and unfortunately having chased talls for 5 years we are very short in the mid department - sad but really true.

 

[Blue Dawn]

Certainly a big lump of a kid. A cross between Hurley and Whitnall?

Patrick McCarthy and Lucas Cook look good tall prospects, solely based on youtube!

Looks more like Hurley and Dorotich to me. His bottom half moves exactly like Dorra used to. Perhaps precisely the boy we need?

 

[PumpyChowdown]

Looks more like Hurley and Dorotich to me. His bottom half moves exactly like Dorra used to. Perhaps precisely the boy we need?

He reminds me of a left footed Daniel Bradshaw. Very similar body type aand running action.

 

[No1Suspect]

We're a bit more than 1 KPD away....

 

[PeeKay]

I totally agree. been saying it all year. We don't have a FB or CHB. Jamison can only punch the ball.
Maybe if we swap "walker" we just might get a big 195cm strong CHB.
We are definitely and desperately needing one.
If I was sure to get a good one I would trade Walker & Ellard for one.

 

[Ryan Dixon Webb]

When do people think we will genuinely be challenging for a premiership? I'm going to say that we will have a crack from about 2012-2014. That's enough time to grab develop a kid from this years draft, especially if the rest of our team keep improving.
I just hope we don't waste our picks on pointless trades again.

 

[CUG81]

Not sure who would swap a KPD for a player like walker or ellard.

Austin is the only player and bringing him in now is a risk as he hasnt played AFL football for a long time. If he isnt good enough then we need to sacrifice a good player to get a good key backman..but who is proven and available? Plus who would come to carlton over a mega deal at gold coast?

What about throwing Setanta down back? yes he cant kick and his decision making at times can be woeful. BUT, he has height and strength, can match any KPF with pace and he would be ok body on body...im just thinking if we are playing against a team with two or three KPFs, he may be an option. Food for thought...

 

[Pafloyul]

When do people think we will genuinely be challenging for a premiership? I'm going to say that we will have a crack from about 2012-2014. That's enough time to grab develop a kid from this years draft, especially if the rest of our team keep improving.
I just hope we don't waste our picks on pointless trades again.

Too true, you need to get a number of kids of all types over the years and develop them. At the moment it seems like we are trying to slot players roughly into positions simply as a way of supplementing the 'juddernaut'. We'll need to have an incredibly clever year or two of recruiting and need our coach to come of age for us to really challenge, IMO. I think our outlook on the way the competition works is too static. As soon as we think we know what's 'wrong' something else crops up. We need to look at things a different way.

 

[qldbluesman_43]

We definately do need a CHB. Bower is great but much better in a Harry O/ Gilbert role. Jamison I think is good enough to take FB. Austin might come on except even if he doesn't quite as hoped he can at least be KPB depth. Same with Irish.

 

[nully]

we more than 1 KPD to be a top 4 side. What we need is pressure and intensity applied all over the ground. 1 KPD only helps a percentage of game time. If you think Carlton needs 1 KPD to be a top four side than you are dreaming.

 

[Pafloyul]

We definately do need a CHB. Bower is great but much better in a Harry O/ Gilbert role. Jamison I think is good enough to take FB. Austin might come on except even if he doesn't quite as hoped he can at least be KPB depth. Same with Irish.

Well, let's get a few options and develop one. The last thing we need to do is panic and pay over-the-odds for someone who proves no better than what we already have and ends up simply as one of about four competing for two spots. It just amounts to shifting the aging furniture and it s***s me no end!

 

[Silvagnis]

I totally agree. been saying it all year. We don't have a FB or CHB. Jamison can only punch the ball.
Maybe if we swap "walker" we just might get a big 195cm strong CHB.
We are definitely and desperately needing one.
If I was sure to get a good one I would trade Walker & Ellard for one.

How about Hampson for CHB?

Jamison is down, but can do more than just punch the ball.

At least I understand that you crap on.

I can't work out pafloyul's argument that we're jumping at shadows with our desire to bring in a KPD. Just nonsense so he comes across as an eccentric thinker like that try hard Sheedy.

 

[KoutoufidesGhost]

There should be a decent key defender running around in the VFL, SANFL or WAFL. That's where I'd be looking.

Anyone follow any of these leagues close enough to throw up some names?

 

[Blue Bawls]

Waite?

Wile Bower bulks up.

Did I read somewhere that Bower is the strongest in the club weightroom?

Anyway, we've lost livewires in Lucas and White, O'Keefe may be ready for blooding - hope to see a full pre-season from him.

Who did we have 10-15 years ago? SoS wasn't bulky, Christou and McKay ditto... I'm just trying to think if we ever really had strong bodies there.

 

[djw1952]

Clearly out bodied and out muscled in defence. The backline has been our achilles heal all year and rely heavily on our midfield getting on top. If we are going to be genuine flag contenders next year we need to recruit a defender in trade week. We should persist with Waite and Henderson in the forward line because it's working.

i think that you are spot on there. bower isn`t strong enough to play key position. he seems more suited to a sweeper roll. a big gorilla type is needed back there, to play body to body and bring the ball to ground for the likes of gibbs and russell. i hope that wayne hughes does not waste our early picks on more outside flanker types. it is also obvious that we need someone to mark the ball on the half-forward line, as clubs just sweep it away when we don`t keep it in.an o`keefe type (syd ) .

 

[No1Suspect]

It'd be a much smarter decision grabbing a really good developed backman around the 24-25 years of age this year with our 2nd rnd for the 'now' and with our initial 1st rnd pick plus the other we trade out for (hopefully they are around the same) grab best mid then best KPF available which should be fairly decent, and in the coming drafts concentrate on drafting a decent young KPD to develop?

 

[Claypigeon]

Did I read somewhere that Bower is the strongest in the club weightroom?

Anyway, we've lost livewires in Lucas and White, O'Keefe may be ready for blooding - hope to see a full pre-season from him.

Who did we have 10-15 years ago? SoS wasn't bulky, Christou and McKay ditto... I'm just trying to think if we ever really had strong bodies there.

Opened my eyes a little. .. Looked up our Premiership KPDs in Peter Dean and Michael Sexton. .. Bower is similar weight and height to both of them. .. Just needs to learn to read the play better and know when to stay on his man and he might yet come good. .. An injury free year would help too. ..

 

[The_Wookie]

Opened my eyes a little. .. Looked up our Premiership KPDs in Peter Dean and Michael Sexton. .. Bower is similar weight and height to both of them. .. Just needs to learn to read the play better and know when to stay on his man and he might yet come good. .. An injury free year would help too. ..

Sexton had silvagni to back him up AND Justin madden/trent hotton/matthew allan dropping back into the back line. And Andrew Mckay AND Ang christou. Not to mention one of the best defensive back halfs ive seen in many a year. And all at the peak of their powers.

Dean never shirked a contest in his life. Played hard, threw himself at contests. We do not have a backman like this any more. No one. We have timid pretty boys.

Bower cannot hold a candle to either of these examples.

Didnt Ohailpan start as a defender for carlton? Shouldnt be hard to send him back. Honestly I wish he'd worked better up forward because the best KPP we have is Jarad Waite and his best year for us was when he played centre half back.

 

[Claypigeon]

Bower cannot hold a candle to either of these examples.

I agree but that doesn't mean that he cannot step up and be that 2nd KPD. .. Just needs to stop burying his head in the sand

 

[Faz 2000]

To be fair, too... key forwards in 1995 weren't Riewoldt size/speed (Nick OR Jack...) either.

 

[thylacine60]

They were Carey, McKernan sized but.

 

[dumb]

i don't think one kpd will rectify the problems of 'a young developing team', some of the players need to grow a pair.

SoS wasn't bulky

can remember looking up player stats all those years ago. sos would have been pushing 100kg, was at least 95.