Bolton urges Blues fans to keep the faith

Carlton could easily win a few games next year. There is absolutely no pressure on them.

Definitely excited, Macca.

Completely agree Buzz - it was great to hear Cripps, Buckley & Kerridge returned in "elite" condition and if we can see the likes of Graham, Byrne, Boekhorst, Jaksch et el take the next step this year it will be enjoyable to watch despite the lack of wins.

For the first time since Ratts got the flick, I have some optimism and hope for the Blues. I don't expect them to win a single game next year so any wins will be a bonus. I want to see improvement and player development next year, regardless of results.

Thanks for the correction Rick. I did know all that (I actually went to many Bears games), just didn't word it correctly.

"For your information (in case you are not aware) the Brisbane Lions were formally Fitzroy who were part of the VFL long before your team were invited to join." That's not technically correct Col. Unlike South Melbourne who relocated to Sydney in 1982 to form the Swans, Fitzroy merged with an already existing club in the Bears, resulting in the formation of the Lions. I get what you are saying though.

Wow the arrogance shown by a couple of Hawthorn supporters on this site today has been truly amazing. As a Carlton supporter of nearly 60 years the thing I hated most was the label given to Carlton and their supporters as being arrogant. In a lot of instances it was deserved, especially fuelled by oafs like John Elliott. I enjoyed the success that came our way but never ever thought that being a Carlton supporter made me better or more knowledgeable than any other supporter. WIG, your first sentence really sums you up. You know nothing of Paul's history and assume that because he follows the Lions he somehow knows less than you. For your information (in case you are not aware) the Brisbane Lions were formally Fitzroy who were part of the VFL long before your team were invited to join. I in fact know many Brisbane supporters that have followed Fitzroy and now the Brisbane Lions for 50 plus years. In ending I would also say that reading past posts on this site from Paul and yourself I know which one's I enjoy reading and which one's show a balanced view of different topics and they aren't yours.

.George - I have been telling Andy that all day, the culture he thinks exists from an outside supporters view has non correlation with the actual culture of the club.

Gee, it's a good thing us poor Brisbane fans have people like WiG around to educate us.

Paul given you're a Brisbane supporter I'll go ahead and assume you know little if anything about this sport's history. 1995 was a year before Melbourne's merger proposal which was effectively rock-bottom for Hawthorn. Since then the club has turned itself around off the field and the results have followed on it. Hawthorn supporters have learned the lesson of that era and now buy memberships in record numbers, we are very very serious about backing our club and our finances were going from strength to strength even before our 2008 flag - now we are of course one of the powerhouses of the AFL. Carlton on the other hand is a shoddy, amateurishly run organization. A dinosaur that has been a step out of its time since it was forced to put away the checkbook. As a Brisbane supporter you'll have some insight into incompetent boards and the damage they can do to football clubs which is what we've seen at the Blues. Obviously being caught cheating didn't help their cause either. Both Carlton & Brisbane are no doubt very happy they finished where they did this year. Clubs still overrate the importance of draft picks which is what makes tanking so attractive. Meanwhile Hawthorn effectively conducted a mini-rebuild after 2008 and has now achieved the 3peat on the back of superior trading & internal talent development - oh and I'll let you in on a little secret, if you want to be successful in this league it really helps to have a coach who knows what the hell he's doing. I trust Brisbane's board learn about the pitfalls of choosing favorite sons....... eventually.

Andyl12 - give it up mate. Where is it written that the NT is Essendon's second home? They might have a lot of fans up there, but they have a lot of fans everywhere. Essendon jealous of Hawthorn's Tassie deal! Surely you don't even believe that. Seems to me that support for Hawthorn is dwindling in Launceston, despite the club winning the last 3 flags. Hate to think what the crowds will be like, when they start tumbling down the ladder.

"smart people know that Carlton will go nowhere as long as attitudes like Macca’s and Col’s keep prevailing." Actually smart people know nothing we 'supporters' say on the internet means a bloody thing.

Awesome cherry-picking there, plenty of other articles say the opposite. Anyway there's no need to debate this any further- smart people know that Carlton will go nowhere as long as attitudes like Macca's and Col's keep prevailing. I'm looking forward to Hawthorn's 10-year winning streak over them continuing for some time yet.

Macca, I think it might be more to do with Tasmania not buying into Hawthorn's culture!!!

"oncluded that the club has failed to capture ”the hearts and minds” of the heartland state* Maybe a few more community camps would help instead of just games?

Here's something for you to chew on andyl12 From The Age last year. "An AFL-backed report into the game's future in Tasmania has questioned Hawthorn's commitment to developing the code down south and concluded that the club has failed to capture ''the hearts and minds'' of the heartland state* Oh and I also posted some details re Brendon Boltons non contract on the other thread for you.

"There are some Essendon players up in the NT right now doing community camps." So you give your second-home fans community camps (probably involving 2 players), we give ours actual football games. I know what I'd rather. Yes we make money off our Tassie games. Yes the Tassie government and various other stakeholders make more money than we do. Yes we are allowed to take a little bit if we're giving back far more. If Essendon are really as jealous of our Tassie deal as you're making it sound, you're quite welcome to go take our place there- on the obvious condition that you give them more than a community camp.

Col - and over a number of threads - apparently the difference is that 40-50 years ago John Kennedy said individual honours didn't count for much and premierships were all that mattered and whamo the Hawthorn culture was born and has seen them have nothing but success ever since - while those silly other clubs keep playing for the Brownlow every year.

Jeez, I go out to lunch with the missus and some friends and come back to still see andyl12 waffling on about how Hawthorn are the best things since slice bread and all the other teams don't know how to operate because they don't have a great culture like Hawthorn.