Queens Birthday and our biggest stage for the 2013 season (although I'm discounting the fact that its still mathematically possible for us to make the finals if we win every remaining game and improve our percentage).

And with us on the big stage, it gets really weird. The Ox gets death threats?

Please, if the perpetrator of that little piece of nonsense is reading this, turn yourself in - you need help!

On the field, I'm full of hope that the team will respond today. It used to be a non negotiable that Melbourne would come out and perform at its best against the old enemy. I suppose that's ancient history but it would be good if we had a dip and gave them a scare like GWS did v Geelong on Saturday.

The changes to the team (apart from Frawley's outing by injury) give me some confidence.

for some reason I am excited about the game

I feel it will be close

Yes i am insane

yes I agree ( that your insane ) jokin , but I hope its close too

for some reason I am excited about the game

I feel it will be close

Yes i am insane

Lets be realistic we are gonna get pumped 90 plus points today..

Filth looking to play into form. We'll be perfect .

Not being pessimistic but have seen very little this ysar to warrant delusional enthusiasm

We get up a bit for these GF's 5 goal loss

I've had a week to forget the last loss. I'm confident of a good performance. I feel the same every week. Things will start turning around today. Where is that "relax we've got this" thread? Go Dees!

I reckon Collingwood are falling apart - Collingwood says forward Andrew Krakouer will return

It wasn't all that long ago that Krakouer was the matchwinner for them and we would surely have struggled to match him up today. They've also lost Jamie Elliott who would have been a bit of a worry too. Elliott's been replaced by first gamer Adam Oxley. I'd like to see three of our blokes corral him in the first five minutes and give him a bit of an 'initiation'.

Oxley will probably play a blinder on debut. We do that for teams.

umm why the F is the game starting at 3 20?????????

Its a public holiday and its the only game on

whoever does the game scheduling at the AFL are absolute morons

for some reason I am excited about the game

I feel it will be close

Yes i am insane

I don't feel it will be close, but I am excited.

Just cracked open breakfast - Jimmy can.

Excited to see Toumpas back in the side.

Heading to the game with some seriously misplaced optimism, happens every week.

Regardless it's always exciting to go watch the Dees, despite everything they've done to me, I love this club!

Lets be realistic we are gonna get pumped 90 plus points today..

Stuff being realistic. We'll pump em by 40 points.

Actually no. 140 points

I've taken a sickie to stay home and watch this.

Good chance I will actually be physically sick by full time.

for some reason I am excited about the game

I feel it will be close

Yes i am insane

you have lost the plot and need help urgently!!!

I am also excited I think we will perform well Dawes to kick six It will be close!Its time for a break out game

Delusional or not

Couldn't agree with you more WJ re: The Ox. We're all passionate and hurting, but to call up and threaten a legend of our club (no matter what he has said) is gutless and pathetic, and if you post on here than take a Zanex, take a breath, or just take whatever you need to take to chill the ____ down.

Dawes promised a good effort from everyone on the footy show. I'll believe it when I see it, but I know it'll come from from him.

Oxley will probably play a blinder on debut. We do that for teams.

Probably because playing in a Collingwood intra club is more challenging than playing the MFC.

Got the red cap and scarf on in a train full of filth supporters. Never been more confident of a win. I think the bike accident yesterday is taking its toll on cognition!!

Just got back from "walk to the G".

Good morning, took my daughter and she got her face painted, a flag and photos with Robbo and the mascots. She loved it, back home to drop her off and walking to the G.

A good little gig by the club, my little girl loved it and she provided the highlight for me. She was next to a filth supporter and she saw some seagulls, mistaking them for magpies who have bombed us at the farm she let rip with "Shoo magpies, go away maggies". Fair to say this magpie supporter was taken aback at this beautiful little 3yo seemingly shouting this at her and gave me a good old look of disgust.

I was very proud!

The Collingwood side we are playing today is weak, full of young players who really aren't that good (Ben Kennedy, Marley Williams, Kyle Martin, Ben Sinclair, Paul Seedsman, Josh Thomas, Adam Oxley - these names would strike fear in the heart of no one).

If we were half-decent, this would be a major chance to knock off the old foe.

Of course, in our current form we're all just half-hoping to see us be competitive and not 5 goals down at quarter time. If we can come out and match them quarter-by-quarter, if we can not let ourselves fall too far behind, if we chase and tackle and pressure and apply ourselves, and have a shot at three-quarter time, then who knows, we might be fitter than them and able to run it out.

Most likely - down by 7 goals at half time, win the third quarter, lose in the end by 9-10 goals.

After the media week, if the boys don't come out today all guns blazing I don't know if they ever will.

If I was coaching Collingwood I would be pushing the first 10 minutes as the most important most intense 10 minutes of footy ever played. I'll be telling my guys to go hard to bump and harrass to hurt in the tackle and to keep the ball out of our hands as much as possible. Run their guts out in the first 10 minutes to break our spirit.

I hope this has been emphasised to our players - we need to go hard at the start, but other sides will be trying to do the same thing. For us, the first 10 minutes may be important, but it is the next 20 that will really define the game. If they get the jump on us, that isn't a problem, because we still have 3.5 quarters to fight back.

Collectively we can't drop our heads if Collingwood somehow get 2 quick goals. And us getting 2 quick goals could be a catalyst that sparks us today. I think the problem is a combination of belief and experience - belief that we can do it and experience to ensure we do it every week.

In our favour is that Collingwood have been up and down, and that they haven't put teams to the sword this year. They have a young team today, so I don't expect them to put us to the sword, but it doesn't mean they won't be well drilled and wont hurt us on the scoreboard. They have good senior players, who are stronger and better users of the ball than our senior players, especially in the midfield, and I don't know how we counter that.

I think we are a better chance this week than most games this year, and even horrible teams win some games, but with Clark and Frawley out I'm not expecting a win. I am expecting effort.

Edited June 10, 201312 yr by deanox

umm why the F is the game starting at 3 20?????????

Its a public holiday and its the only game on

whoever does the game scheduling at the AFL are absolute morons

yeah im hearin ya , if it was on early ide be there but a three hour drive home down the crappy princess hwy in the dark , dosent get me off ,

Steady if not huge stream making way into G. Carpark not overly full. Perfect day for it.

Dawes promised a good effort from everyone on the footy show. I'll believe it when I see it, but I know it'll come from from him.

Well, I'm not so sure that Lyon, Newman and Brayshaw will bring too much to the side, but I suppose it's worth a try ;-)