Power Shortage

Hey Guys,

Another good win for us last weekend makes it 4 wins out of the last 5 so we are looking to carry that momentum into the finals. Bendigo outplayed us in the first half, but we were doing enough to stay in the contest even though our finishing skills weren’t that flash and we combined that with some poor decisions upfront. Ultimately we got the result we should have got and we continue our progression of seeing these boys grow as players and people. The next two weeks provide a litmus test for the boys as we take on two (Gippsland, Geelong) teams who are currently above us on the ladder and we could play them in September as well. The remaining home and away games provide us with a great challenges and opportunities and from what the boys are telling me, they are jumping out of their skin in anticipation. This weekend is pivotal, not just for a possible top 4 spot, we want go into the finals playing good football and giving a sign to the other teams that we are not just making up the numbers we are here meaning serious business. After a limited pre-season, Dicko’s form has been red hot and with his fitness improving he is dominating in the central key-forward position and watch out for him to grow an extra foot in September. I would also like to congratulate my ex work-colleague Brad Scott on his appointment as North Melbourne senior coach. Having been a part of the Collingwood coaching assembly line, Brad certainly has the attributes to be a successful senior coach and I look forward to hopefully having some great battles at AFL level against him.

Bluey
 

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Carrara

Hey Guys

Bendigo is going to be at full strength this week because they will have their schoolkids available and we know that they are going to come out firing. The boys are looking forward to a really good challenge and I think it will be just as much a physical challenge as a mental challenge. The bye last weekend provided us a with a good opportunity to do some testing with the boys. We gave them the weekend off and set about checking their progression in some key areas. Its been a big year for the boys considering their age, the games they have played and all the travelling but by judging them on the training track the boys are certainly pumped and ready for Bendigo. This weekend signifies the penultimate game at the ‘old’ Carrara as its going to be known and I can still remember chasing Mark ‘Choco’ Williams across the half-back flank. When I played for West Coast, we always enjoyed coming here because of the weather and one thing that certainly hasn’t changed is the demountables out the back. This Saturday’s game will be a great opportunity for the community, sponsors, supporters and Gold Coast public to come down and watch us. After the Geelong Falcons game in two weeks, it will be a sad time in some respects, but definitely an exciting time with a state of the art boutique stadium being built and ready for 2011.

Hope to see you there!

Bluey
 

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Home Ground Advantage

Hey Guys,

We had a good victory on the weekend against Sandringham and the win was more of a reward for effort because we probably played a better brand of football than we have n the past couple of weeks. Better efficiency with the football and overall better decision making has been the most pleasing outcome from the game. Playing here at Carrara is definitely an advantage, because the longer the game goes the more the Melbourne teams struggle with the much warmer conditions. Those are the breaks when playing football in pure sunshine and 20 degree weather! Obviously when Karmichael Hunt joins the club next May, I will be looking to work closely with him. We have someone who has been in the elite system for 6 years and knows how hard he has to work to be successful at the elite level. We as a football club are still in the mode and process of development and teaching these work ethics to our players. Karmichael has been through this process and understands what it takes to be successful both mentally and physically. To have Karmichael just rubbing shoulders with our boys both on the training track and past the white line is going to be a massive positive for us moving forward.

Cheers Bluey
 

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