Where's this Carlton been?

Gecko - Holman is one of those reserves players who managed 8 possessions in a quarter in his second game on the weekend. On Henderson he had hip surgery at over the 2013/14 preseason which effected him last year, he missed 3 weeks this year through injury and Mlathouse game plan made lfie incredibly hard for him because he is a lead up player essentially but Mlathouse forced him into contested marking situations constantly. In the 4 game since Malthouse left Henderson has averaged 11 possessions, 7 marks and 1.5 goals compared to 9, 4.8, and 1.6.

Yes if some of your younger reserves players (admittedly I don't know many of them) can step up, replacing more experienced players like Jones, Watson, Ellard, Armfield, Warnock and even Daisy, you'll be well on the way. If you get a decent key defender and key forward, I fear Rowe and Henderson will need to be relegated to 'back-up' players. Not sure what has caused Henderson's decline in recent years. He was looking so promising under Ratten.

Imagine if Ratten wasn't replaced by Malthouse. The Blues played this attacking style under Ratten and who knows whether the Blues still would have traded away a forward line under Ratten. One things for sure the Blues wouldn't have a Daisy on their list. 3yrs wasted under MM.

I have to agree Cam, getting Everitt was a steal for Carlton.

Mark - I think Cripps will definitely be a superstar and Malthouse does have some leeway in not playing him more in that he broke his leg last year and really got himself much fitter and quicker over the summer but this year he should have been giving him more time through the middle. On Buckley and Graham I think it is a bit early to tell with them given their lack of consistent football over the past 3 years but I doubt either of them will be as good as Cripps. That siad I think they will both be very good players for the blues - Graham seems to have good goal sense and is doing a lot of the hard work - just needs to tart finding the easy ball a bit more which comes with experience. I think Graham is a bit like Bell only a more natural footballer - Bell has managed to take his game to the next level after about 12 months of consistent football and I think Graham will do the same. Buckley has been very good in a game or in part of a game, he just needs to find more consistency and again with experience and confidence that comes.

Darren - Yeah I saw that sliding doors last week and thought it was pathetic and Gerard Whateley's praise of the blues appointing Postecoglou showed just how simple minded it was. I could be wrong but I thought the days of the board appointing a coach without a sub committee were a long way behind us!

Barrett thinks the blues should have stuck with Malthouse. That's an OK view but the last two of these `sliding doors' he has done just shows that he has an axe to grind that goes against the facts. Last week it was something about having sacked Malthouse the Directors are now gutless because they have set up a committee to appoint the new coach. Give me a break. I agree with you completely the committee they have chosen is highly credentialed and well balanced and it is a welcome change for Carlton to not have the President go and headhunt a coach. On the tackling agree again. It is disingenious to try and breakdown the number to something small i.e. per quarter. It is still a significant % increase. Also I'd be interested in the turnovers from tackles as opposed to ballups. The tackling of the past two weeks in particular has been ferocious resulitng in incorrect disposable and quick transition. Also because the games have been more open tackling is more likely to result in a turnover than congested play that leads to a ballup. It's a hunch and I don't know if that stat is kept by the AFL.

Macca - Great article enjoyed it immensely, I think you make some great points. Looking through the stats and comparing them to established players at the same age trying to get some basic idea of where they are headed. Cripps, is averaging similair stats to Judd at the same age but has nearly a lot less games under his belt, do you think that the fact that Malthouse didn't play him consistently will hurt later? Would he be better had he been given more opportunities? Taking nothing away from him he is going to be a superstar. Using the same formula with Buckley and Graham, the stats show that they will be solid contributors but never break into that next level. Of course I could be wrong given that they also have been starved of opportunities, but looking at the stats that is where they sit. Do you think that they will make the much needed improvements to get to that level? Especially because it looks as though they will be the foundations that the rebuild is based on?

Ever since I resolved never to read anything written by Damian Barrett, I've found I am happier and probably slightly more intelligent.

Just saw a comment from Damian Barrett saying that the blues increased tackling isn't effecting their results because the are only up about 2 tackles a quarter which isn't significant! Given the blues average 56 tackles per game and are dead last and the Bulldogs are first with 75 (or just 5 tackles per quarter more) I would suggest 2 tackles per quarter is very significant and in fact would result in the blues jumping around 6 spots to be up with Hawthorn, West Coast & Richmond. It isn't the be all and end all (and I would argue the increased tackling is a by-product of the bigger issues I outlined above making the game more fun and making everything less of a chore) but trying to say 8 tackles more a game (or a 14% increase) isn't significant just shows how little Barrett knows about the game.

Darren - I agree Malthouse should get credit for the players you mention and that this change won't suddenly lead to all things wonderful but as David Rhys- Jones sad after the Adelaide game "we are watchable again and that isn't something you could say about many games this year" You are also right that Port were ripe for the picking to a degree but the blues got some confidence out of the Swans game (which was a good effort considering who we were missing in the midfield) more against Adelaide and even more against Port - the Suns present another opportunity to build on that confidence (and Gibbs and Walker out presents a chance for say Boekhorst to show his wares) and then next week the bulldogs aren't insurmountable. I also agree about Kreuzer at the very least he is a step up from Jones and I think in the next 2 or 3 weeks we will see him get back to his best form.

Hi Macca, I agree that the more attacking style has suited the players - particularly good for lifting their confidence. And you have been right all along about Graham. He looks the part at AFL level. I think that the last two games have also coincided with the return of Kreuzer. While he hasn't starred, his competitiveness has been fantastic and it has provided much more structure and predictability up forward. What I think Malthouse deserves credit for (and his balance sheet is definitely in the negative) is getting the players to take on a greater leadership and professionalism. I also think he should get credit for developing a number of players who were not seen as anything special before - Rowe, Everitt, Docherty. He was inconsistent - in messaging and treatment of younger players. This led to doubt and I think the lack of confidence of the players. And I agree the overall style was too static and relied on players around and behind the ball. I don't think we can assume that a new attacking style will lead to all things being wonderful. You only have to look at the opponents last weekend. Port's confidence is shot as other teams have worked out their attack at all costs style. It has led to many mistakes and the players now have doubt in their minds - hence the fumbles and turnovers. At the moment Ken Hinkley has no plan b. But at the moment I'm with you - great to see the players playing with confidence, flair and a bit of aggression.

Rob - Even though your post was ll about the pies in does provide some really good insight and context. Micks ego didn't seem to allow him to change - as you say in 2011 there were signs his game plan was getting figured out and after 2 years of diminshiing returns from it at Carlton he never came up with a plan B - Barker has switched to a more aggressive style and suddenly the blues look competitive again.

Definitely more confident - the Suns still should be better with some key players returning but if the blues can maintain the style of play the have brought over the past couple of weeks they should do alright.

Gecko - DonFreo has joyfully been leaving me alone ever since his suspension expired - long may it continue. I agree Yarran should enjoy the new game plan, he seems to be a player that needs his football to be fun nad it clealry wasn't under Mick. As for the number of players that need to be turned over I don't see it being that big - if the blues get a quality mid (a Bontempelli or even a De Gooey) and a quality key forward in the draft (or somehow trading to get Patton but what is he worth and what would GWS take?) plus Silvagni (who will take a bit of time) it is a big improvement - then if they get 1 of Jaksch, Giles or Fields to emerge as a key defender and 1 of Smith, Boekhorst and Viojo Rainbow out of last years draft or Byrne or Sheehan from the international rookies to work out its a another step forward. The list does need work but it isn't as dire as Mick had it look and 2 drafts from now it will be a lot better.

Macca with out the Suns having Ablett do you think the Blues may have a chance now?

I'm a pies supporter, but what I'm about to say is as objective as possible. There's a fair argument that Mick Malthouse has been a bad coach for a while now. Collingwood won the 2010 grand final with an amazing new pressing game - the likes of which the AFL had never seen before - (I'll come back to that), but in 2011, after being comprehensively pulverised by the Cats, the pies made it to a grand final, and just when everyone looked to the head coach to comes up with something to beat Geelong and deliver a second straight grand final win, he changed... nothing. Hardly anything, and that's why the pies got beaten. Mick then went to Carlton in 2013, where he had a passable season (sure the blues played finals, but did they *really* deserve it?), and theeeen the wheels started to fall off. It's suggested Mick hasn't been able to be flexible over the last 18 months or to find another way of doing things. I have a fairly reliable source who claims that the game plan at Carlton was just not effective in the modern game. Now under Barker they have a simple game plan that actually suits the players they have and it's reaping rewards. Back to the 2010 Pies press. Nathan Buckley came into the pies as a (from memory) forward coach for two years, to then take up the big boy pants in 2012 (with Mick going to that director of football role). He was highly touted as a free agent before the pies signed him, having just taken VIC country to an unprecedented AFL U18 premiership. Long story short I believe that it was Bucks, not Mick, who invented the modern forward press. It starts in the forward line, it's the kind of thing he could have perfected over a season in the U18s, and it's still one of the Pies main fortes now. Sorry to make this comment all about the pies (I know no other way ;) ), point was I think you'll be better off without Malthouse, and that he hasn't been a coach worth his pay packet in a long, long time.

Carlton needs to go on the attack for free agents at the very least causing inflation thus knocking out these other clubs from future negotiations of players they might actually want. Time to play hard ball Bluebaggers.

Macca it's hard to find anything to disagree with in your article (though I'm still waiting for DonFreo to comment). I reckon Yarran and Murphy in particular should enjoy the less congested game plan. Yarran needs to make the most of this coming half-season to reach his potential. Hate to say it but a huge turnover of players is necessary (as many as half the team) before this mob can even contemplate middle of the ladder. The Collingwood model is worth looking at.

Col - I wouldlook to trade Yarran and Walker plus Warnock if anyone would take him, I would try and persuade Carrazzo to retire (harsh probably but we need to open up another infield spot) and Judds retirement would get you 5. On top of that Watson, Elllard and even Armfield given his age wouldn't feel to safe.