1 minute ago, Diamond_Jim said:

Actually it is up against qualifying 5pm- 6pm which is probably the most exciting part of Formula 1 bar the first lap

Spot on DJ.

I have been a petrol head since the sixties when I started going to the old Calder Park.

Since the GP came to Aus I have been to all except two at Adelaide.

these days I go only on Saturday for the reason you list.

Enjoy my GP day. It is once a year. AFL  goes on for months.

 

4 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

Actually it is up against qualifying 5pm- 6pm which is probably the most exciting part of Formula 1 bar the first lap

Cars driving around in circles is ever exciting?

23 minutes ago, hemingway said:

The GP over the first match. Shame on you.

On second thoughts.........

Shame perhaps Ernest but it is not hard choice for me.

Pity we are not playing the Pies with Elliott, De Goey, Greenwood,Wells and possibly others out.

The Saints seem to be at full strength minus Joey. Anyway it will be a good test for us.

Was just walking past Etihad stadium now and could see there's still 3 shipping containers out on the ground packing up after the Adele concert last night (that's 4 concerts held there in the last 10 days )

The turf is going to be patchy and sandy on Saturday just like when the first opened as colonial stadium back in 2000 

 

12 minutes ago, Delusional demon 82 said:

The turf is going to be patchy and sandy on Saturday just like when the first opened as colonial stadium back in 2000 

 

The Saints are very used to how the Etihad ground normally is. It won't be the case this Saturday, so they will be new to the ground conditions in a way too. Bodes well for us i guess.

45 minutes ago, Delusional demon 82 said:

Was just walking past Etihad stadium now and could see there's still 3 shipping containers out on the ground packing up after the Adele concert last night (that's 4 concerts held there in the last 10 days )

The turf is going to be patchy and sandy on Saturday just like when the first opened as colonial stadium back in 2000 

 

I recall we flogged the Eagles there in one of the first ever games in 2000 with Farmer and White dominating....hope it is similar then!

7 minutes ago, sisso said:

I recall we flogged the Eagles there in one of the first ever games in 2000 with Farmer and White dominating....hope it is similar then!

Yep remember that one (thrashed weagles twice that year) ... even tho there was only 25k they still had ticketing issues at the old colonial 

1 hour ago, A F said:

Cars driving around in circles is ever exciting?

Similar to 36 men chasing a bag of air.

whenever you express all sports in simple terms they sounds silly.

10 minutes ago, sisso said:

I recall we flogged the Eagles there in one of the first ever games in 2000 with Farmer and White dominating....hope it is similar then!

Ah... remember their first ground manager.... who famously said .... "no more walk ups... the people will have to get used to buying tickets in advance".

I think he lasted a month before he was moved on

1 hour ago, Redleg said:

Pity we are not playing the Pies with Elliott, De Goey, Greenwood,Wells and possibly others out.

The Saints seem to be at full strength minus Joey. Anyway it will be a good test for us.

With our injuries I find hard to see us winning this one Mr. Leg.

4 minutes ago, old dee said:

With our injuries I find hard to see us winning this one Mr. Leg.

Old, out of interest how many of our best 22 do you have missing?

4 hours ago, old dee said:

Just returned from a week os and sadly I am struggling to find enthusiasm for the start of the season let alone the first game.

 

Where did you go Old Dee? Beijing? After putting in a strong, positive preseason you seem to have returned a little gloomy.

1 hour ago, Demon Disciple said:

The Saints are very used to how the Etihad ground normally is. It won't be the case this Saturday, so they will be new to the ground conditions in a way too. Bodes well for us i guess.

I remember Roy and HG raving on about how they were confounded that grass just didnt seem to grow in the dark there.

7 hours ago, juzzk1d said:

Gawn struggles against athletic ruckman like Hickey. Playing Spencer will allow us to throw Gawn deep in the Forward which will allow Hogan to press up. Will cause headaches for the defenders.

I agree with this. My concern is where weideman fits. Watts hogan and a resting ruckman is perfect. Once that ball hits the deck and we don't get first hands we will be cut in half if we are too tall.

We played against wce with hogan watts weideman spencer and gawn. We could have won the game so it's not a disaster but our zone dee gets exposed if they can link up and run the ball between 30-50m out from our goal. They kick over our zone on the half forward and they get an overlap option the whole way down the field. 

The saints love that style of footy too. Savage, Newnes, Ross, Stevens are quick and good ball users. Riewoldt always provides an outlet on the wing. Our defence scrambles back on super fast ball movement. Makes Oscar/Tom look bad. Hunt so fast he nearly gets the spoil. 

 We don't win with two B grade talls. Goodwin said in wce presser that we have to assess the size of the forward line. Spencer deserves it over weideman. 

Smith McDonald Vince 

Lewis McDonald Hunt

Salem Oliver Stretch

Petracca Watts Brayshaw 

Garlett Hogan Spencer 

Gawn Viney Jones 

Tyson Kent Bugg Jetta

15 minutes ago, Skuit said:

Where did you go Old Dee? Beijing? After putting in a strong, positive preseason you seem to have returned a little gloomy.

Just not in mood for footy yet Skuit. 

Does not seem like footy season. Hot and humid, feels like summer not Autumn. The GP is on at the weekend and footy usually starts afterwards.

I guess being out of the country has taken away the build up.

Add in the first game is at the dome of death against a team we have not beaten for a decade and I am no rush to start.

2 hours ago, Delusional demon 82 said:

Was just walking past Etihad stadium now and could see there's still 3 shipping containers out on the ground packing up after the Adele concert last night (that's 4 concerts held there in the last 10 days )

The turf is going to be patchy and sandy on Saturday just like when the first opened as colonial stadium back in 2000 

 

As long as there's no repeats of Flashes hamstring tear, I honestly believe that stuffed him for the future and it was because the turf shifted under him. 

Interesing that the AFL said to stadium management a few years ago that they didn't want any events on the ground less than a month out from the season. Now they own the ground and what happens?

2 minutes ago, Pates said:

As long as there's no repeats of Flashes hamstring tear, I honestly believe that stuffed him for the future and it was because the turf shifted under him. 

Interesing that the AFL said to stadium management a few years ago that they didn't want any events on the ground less than a month out from the season. Now they own the ground and what happens?

Money Pates.

That has been the AFL God for a long time.

Just now, old dee said:

Money Pates.

That has been the AFL God for a long time.

Haha no doubt! Money talks, AFL are the pros at that!

Perhaps Adele was booked before the AFL took over the ground and they were obliged to honour the deal. 

9 hours ago, Is Dom Is Good said:

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-03-20/etihad-stadium-racing-against-time-to-be-fit-for-round-one

Ridiculous.

That stadium is seriously a disgrace.

If anyone goes down with a LTI there will be a lot of very angry people!

Went to the concert on Saturday night and the ground was completely covered with plastic flooring. The center square had a massive circular stage on it. 

The ground will get a complete workout when all the construction vehicles remove the stage.

3 minutes ago, bandicoot said:

Went to the concert on Saturday night and the ground was completely covered with plastic flooring. The center square had a massive circular stage on it. 

The ground will get a complete workout when all the construction vehicles remove the stage.

Better if they took their time and did a proper job to let the ground recover. It may be in crap condition for most of the season now due to haste.

21 minutes ago, old dee said:

Just not in mood for footy yet Skuit. 

Does not seem like footy season. Hot and humid, feels like summer not Autumn. The GP is on at the weekend and footy usually starts afterwards.

I guess being out of the country has taken away the build up.

Add in the first game is at the dome of death against a team we have not beaten for a decade and I am no rush to start.

I was actually fishing for clues as to where you had been. You seemed pretty confident in the sponsorship thread that we were waiting to announce. Wondered if you'd heard word from abroad . . .

Am I one of the few people in the world who has never heard an Adele song

Until she had her disagreement with Spotify I had never heard of her

I obviously should get out more

PS Is she like Sherbet ?

Edited March 20, 20178 yr by Diamond_Jim

So the two points most commonly raised concerning St Kilda at Etihad . . .

If we go in tall we get killed.

How do we deal with all the Saints' talls?