Carlton

[Twodogs]

Re: Carlton

He used Libba to tag Dangerfiekd against Geelong a couple of years ago and Libba limped off injured just before halftime (2016?) so he just sort of gave up on the idea for a bit.

[1eyedog]

Re: Carlton

Going after Fisher was great foresight by us. Carlton clearly rate him as potentially best 22 even with Betts, Martin and Papley coming into the side.

It was very strategic of us to ask the question because from the outside looking in it was entirely feasible that Fisher may have been spat out by the arrival of the aforementioned three.

[1eyedog]

Re: Carlton

I hope we're going in for Papley over the next few days.

[GVGjr]

Re: Carlton

This from the Hun

Eight reasons to get excited about Carlton in 2020

1. 2019 FINISH

The Blues finished a lowly 16th on the ladder last year, but their end to the season gave plenty of cause for optimism among Carlton fans. If you were to re-do the ladder for only the last 11 games of the season, you would find the Blues went 6-5 to be the ninth-best team in that period. That surge came after David Teague was installed as coach in place of Brendon Bolton. In that span, the Blues also lifted their average score from 67 points per game to 79. If Teague can continue that rate of improvement, the Blues will be well placed to push for a finals berth in 2020.

2. DOCHERTY’S RETURN

Given he has not played an AFL game since 2017, it’s easy to forget just what a star Sam Docherty is when he’s up and going. Consecutive anterior cruciate ligament tears during pre-season have robbed the Blues of a seriously good defender and leader. The hope is he will be fit and firing for Round 1. In 2017, Docherty played every game and averaged 27.9 disposals, 5.7 rebound 50s, 504m gained, 6.3 intercept possessions and 3.3 tackles per match. He finished second in Carlton’s best-and-fairest that year behind Marc Murphy. Docherty is still just 26 and his football smarts and leadership should make a huge difference when he returns to the Blues’ defensive half.

3. BETTS’ RETURN

Yes, Eddie Betts is 33 and his best years are seemingly behind him. But the livewire forward can still do plenty that other players can’t. Betts started his career at Carlton in 2005 but has spent the past six seasons at Adelaide. He booted 37 goals for the Crows last season, down from a career-high 75 majors in 2016, and averaged 12 disposals, 1.2 score assists and 5.6 score involvements per match. The Blues have been crying out for a quality small forward and snapped up the three-time All-Australian dirt cheap for only a future fourth-round pick during the trade period. If Betts can bring some pressure and kick 30-plus goals next season, that will be seen as a big win.

4. FORWARD LINE

Even putting Betts to one side, the Blues’ forward line is certainly an exciting one given the three key forwards in Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay and Mitch McGovern. The trio only played eight games together last season as they all missed matches through injury. All three stand 191cm or more, with McKay the tallest at 204cm. McKay kicked 26 goals from 20 games in 2019 and McGovern booted 22 majors from 16. Curnow, who kicked 18 goals from 11 matches, could face a slightly delayed start to the season after a November knee injury.

5. JACK MARTIN

Many astute football brains have described Martin as the best junior footballer they have ever seen, including his new captain Patrick Cripps who was selected in the same draft. Martin was snapped up by Gold Coast with pick No.1 in the 2012 mini-draft but found his way to the Blues for nothing in the recent pre-season draft. While yet to live up to his underage talent at AFL level, the 24-year-old averaged 18.1 disposals, 3.4 clearances and 3.8 score involvements per game for the Suns last season to rank as the 16th-best midfield-forward in the league. He kicked only eight goals from 16 matches, but produced a career-high 24 majors from 22 matches in 2017. It will be intriguing to see what he can do in the No.21 jumper in 2020.

6. PATRICK CRIPPS

The only elite-rated player at Carlton, captain Cripps is already a superstar. Can he get better? He thinks so. Cripps revealed in November he had dropped between two and three kilograms during his off-season break in a bid to raise his game. Cripps is coming off a campaign in which he averaged career-high numbers for metres gained (270m per game), goals (0.7), score assists (1.1) and ground ball gets (10.6). He averaged his most clearances (8.5) since 2016 and the second-most disposals (28) of his career. For a player who finished equal-third in the Brownlow Medal last season and has earned consecutive All-Australian honours, the prospect of further improvement from the 24-year-old is scary for opposition clubs.

7. THIRD-YOUNGEST LIST

There is no shortage of upside when you have the third-youngest list in the competition as the Blues do entering 2020. Carlton has an average age of 23.55 years. Only Gold Coast and the Brisbane Lions are younger. Runaway 2019 Rising Star Award winner Sam Walsh is still only 19, the highly-rated Liam Stocker will start next season aged 20, 2017 No.3 draft pick Paddy Dow is also 20 and Zac Fisher and Sam Petrevski-Seton are both 21. Then there is a pair of top-20 draft picks that also come into the mix in Brodie Kemp and Sam Philp. Talk about Young Talent Time.

8. JACK NEWNES ADDITION

Martin was not the only experienced player picked up by Carlton during the trade and free agency period, with St Kilda wingman Jack Newnes also finding a new home at Princes Park as a delisted free agent. The 26-year-old joins the club with 155 games of AFL experience behind him and he averaged 17.3 disposals across 20 matches for the Saints last season. The Blues see Newnes as a mature body and elite runner who can help through the middle of the ground.

[GVGjr]

Re: Carlton

They've significantly improved their playing list and if the coach works out they will start to see a lot more wins
They could very well be a team that surprises but I think a lot rests on Kruezer

Getting some more quality midfielders around Cripps will help them but overall they are another 12 months away from making an impact

[Go_Dogs]

Re: Carlton

A lot of their future depends on how good players like Dow, Walsh, Stocker and O'Brien can become. If they can get one or two of those players up to an A grade level, then they will have the midfield to be competitive.

[Happy Days]

Re: Carlton

They looked like a new side once Bolton was sacked, which is so weird and coincidental.

There's a ton of talent on this side but they're still being weighed down by the asinine recruitment of a half-dozen retreads every year for what felt like a decade. It's forcing them to still play a few guys every week who are nowhere near the level and it just kills them. But their forward mix is exciting and Walsh looks like a stud. I like their prognosis better than that other side the Hun won't shut up about.

Will be interesting to see how good Docherty is coming off two lost seasons. He's a fantastic player.

[Bornadog]

Re: Carlton

I hope they finish well outside the 8, second bottom would be lovely.

[Twodogs]

Re: Carlton

I hope they finish well outside the 8, second bottom would be lovely.

When Carlton finished last for the first time in 2006 or whenever it was there is a story about Craig Bradley going to his local Coles to do his weekly shop and as he walked down aisle 1 the PA announced "Wooden spoons are in aisle 1" and he thought to himself that's an odd thing to announce and then he walks down aisle 2 and the PA blares out "wooden spoons are now on special in aisle 2" and Bradley thinks "What the *!*!*!*! are they talking about?" it was when he was walking down aisle 3 and the PA says "wooden spoons are now in aisle 3" that the penny dropped...

[GVGjr]

Re: Carlton

Anyway, Martin and Betts will add a lot of class to their forward line and if McKay and Curnow continue to improve they will potent forward line. With a bit of luck they could be around the 8

[Twodogs]

Re: Carlton

Anyway, Martin and Betts will add a lot of class to their forward line and if McKay and Curnow continue to improve they will potent forward line. With a bit of luck they could be around the 8

Yep, they have nearly recovered from the Malthouse coaching experiment.

[Bornadog]

Re: Carlton

Carlton's financial woes continue with $2 million Virgin Airlines sponsorship now gone.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Carlton

Carlton's financial woes continue with $2 million Virgin Airlines sponsorship now gone.

My heart bleeds for them. I wonder if they'll still be crying 'socialism' when going to the AFEL for money?

[GVGjr]

Re: Carlton

Carlton's financial woes continue with $2 million Virgin Airlines sponsorship now gone.

That's a massive loss for them. From a clubs perspective it's imperative that as many sponsors as they can stick with clubs
I't wouldn't surprise me if we lost a sponsor

[Twodogs]

Re: Carlton

How tragic is that?