Its going to be wet, very wet !!we cannot go in with Spencer as well as Gawn! Here's an idea! tell Howe to do some relief Ruck duties with his leap and play an extra groundy !!

Is there anyone on our list with Noah as a middle name?

how often have you seen an out-of-form 'big name' player have a blinder against Melbourne to lead his side to victory

too many times for mine

Yes true enough, but Watson didnt play last year and we beat em, hopefully that hoodoo has passed us......

Ah the AFL Tribunal system ( shrugs shakes head) consistently inconsistent, consistently!

Shock

Get off it. Conspiracies woe is us. Nothing in it and the tribunal got it right. Glad he's playing.

Toump up front on lock-down duties and told he has only the one other possible option to think about – kick ball at goals.

Entertaining get-and-go mayhem off half-back to recreate our 2014 last gasp goal all day long.

Fitz-and-giggles-Patrick to run with Daniher and provide ruck coverage. Vince and Vines to Heppel and Zaharak. And Watts can go test his progress against Goddard if we’re bored.

FF Garlett Hogan ANB

HF Howe Dawes Toumpas

C Watts Gawn Tyson

R Viney Jones Vince

HB Fitzpatrick McDonald Lamumba

FB Jetta Dunn Garland

INT Cross, Brayshaw, VandenBurg

S Stretch /JKH

Out: Spencer, Bail, Jones

In: Fitzpatrick, Lamumba, Vandenburg

We expected to smash them in the NAB warm up game and look how that ended.

Let's just keep things in perspective.

15 goal win.

Hearing him on 360, Goddard is the type of guy who will bounce back after a terrible performance. We have to keep an eye on him.

on last week's form goddard should be dropped......but won't happen

Standard MRP. Useless.

Get off it. Conspiracies woe is us. Nothing in it and the tribunal got it right. Glad he's playing.

I might have agreed with you on the basis of the video, but then I saw the blow by blow report of the proceedings. Seemed to me it came down to believing either the EFC player or the guy he punched. Since it is rare for players to dob others in and there was no evidence of personal history, I'd believe the St Kilda bloke. Surprised the tribunal didn't.

Ed not really surprised.

Jobe Watson will be missing the rest of the season with arguably the most well disguised shoulder injury in the history of sport.

I might have agreed with you on the basis of the video, but then I saw the blow by blow report of the proceedings. Seemed to me it came down to believing either the EFC player or the guy he punched. Since it is rare for players to dob others in and there was no evidence of personal history, I'd believe the St Kilda bloke. Surprised the tribunal didn't.

Ed not really surprised.

The olden-day rarity of players not being rats shouldn't come into it. Both testimonies then given equal weight, and the video wasn't conclusive or suggested there was little in the hit. At least he was ready for it - and the hit on Jetta was then worse in my opinion.

I think like the standard of umpiring we like to perennially bag the MRP and judiciary but on the whole they/the restructure and results have been far better than in recent years past. The balance between intent and outcome in my opinion still needs to be addressed though with the former attracting more weight over the latter - mens rea or whatever it is for the Whispering Jacks among us.

Jobe Watson will be missing the rest of the season with arguably the most well disguised shoulder injury in the history of sport.

Are you implying that the 'injury' may be well above the shoulders??

Still one less match up - Viney will need to needle someone else.

Though tagging may be a better option: needling is designed to lift this opposition team.

Jobe Watson will be missing the rest of the season with arguably the most well disguised shoulder injury in the history of sport.

Errrrrr.... It's been injured for weeks since a pretty obvious incident.

So Watson out, Cooney a fair chance he will be out as well with an abductor, Bagurly possibly out?

And they have Shaun Mckernan as their number 1 ruckman..

No Excuses this week!!!

Their list almost resembles the bunch of fill ins and youngsters we smashed during the NAB........oh that's right.

Errrrrr.... It's been injured for weeks since a pretty obvious incident.

I watched the St Kilda game and he didn't appear to be visibly carrying a crook shoulder unlike Gary Ablett with all the grimacing and angst with his shoulder when he's played this year. Not even bandaged and taped up that I could see as seems regulation for shoulder niggles. He was quoted as being a 100% fit for this game.

I watched the St Kilda game and he didn't appear to be visibly carrying a crook shoulder unlike Gary Ablett with all the grimacing and angst with his shoulder when he's played this year. Not even bandaged and taped up that I could see as seems regulation for shoulder niggles. He was quoted as being a 100% fit for this game.

Even his old man has publicly stated that he's worn down by 'everything' but pulling out for the rest of the season seems a bit OTT.

The weather makes it obvious that a tall (probably Spencer) will be dropped.

Dawes is going to have to butter up and do the relief ruckwork I think. It's not like he'll be contesting against anyone decent - McKernan at worst, I have no idea who else they stick in there. That rotation also allows us to put Gawn at FF or on the bench and keep the run going.

The rain also plays into our hands I think - we love contested football and slowing it down will work perfectly for us. Their best chance would be breaking things open and getting some flair back (like how Carlton got out of its Funk when Barker showed up).

Dawes doesn't mark it in the dry anyway, Hogan's good enough to make it when it's slippery, and Garlett will thrive IMO.

Having said all that, it's all mindset for us. If we approach this game properly and we don't start thinking about what a loss would be like, we are capable of winning this game convincingly. If not, we are also capable of losing it.

I watched the St Kilda game and he didn't appear to be visibly carrying a crook shoulder unlike Gary Ablett with all the grimacing and angst with his shoulder when he's played this year. Not even bandaged and taped up that I could see as seems regulation for shoulder niggles. He was quoted as being a 100% fit for this game.

Was wondering about that but these days I wonder about any player missing for an extended period.

Is Fletcher gonna play?

Is Fletcher gonna play?

I hope so. Useless.

Jobe Watson will be missing the rest of the season with arguably the most well disguised shoulder injury in the history of sport.

I wondered about the same thing last night.

During the StK game he couldn't move and had one kick. Then I remembered his 'very rare' torn muscle injury last year, which was high in the buttock and which sports medicos had only seen a few times in the whole world. So on Sunday, I thought it was a recurrence of that which stopped him moving and had him parked in the forward line.

At the time of that 'rare' injury I couldn't help but think it could be related to the 'damaging' effect from any of the mysterious substances given him in 2012...only a hypothesis.

Jobe may well have a shoulder injury but it may not be the only one.

I hope the AFLPA are closely monitoring the injuries at that club.

Toump up front on lock-down duties and told he has only the one other possible option to think about – kick ball at goals.

Entertaining get-and-go mayhem off half-back to recreate our 2014 last gasp goal all day long.

Fitz-and-giggles-Patrick to run with Daniher and provide ruck coverage. Vince and Vines to Heppel and Zaharak. And Watts can go test his progress against Goddard if we’re bored.

FF Garlett Hogan ANB

HF Howe Dawes Toumpas

C Watts Gawn Tyson

R Viney Jones Vince

HB Fitzpatrick McDonald Lamumba

FB Jetta Dunn Garland

INT Cross, Brayshaw, VandenBurg

S Stretch /JKH

Out: Spencer, Bail, Jones

In: Fitzpatrick, Lamumba, Vandenburg

I would like Michie and Newton to be given some more opportunities before the year is out, maybe not both at the same time. I like the team you have named but would make one change. VB to the fwd flank, Toump to the VFL and Newton to the bench.

I hope so. Useless.

Its like the whole Malthouse saga, you've got the milestone now sodd off.

Jobe Watson will be missing the rest of the season with arguably the most well disguised shoulder injury in the history of sport.

Yes but he is having surgery so there must be a problem.

I hate Essendon as a club but I think Watson is a quality person and player.