10 hours ago, Petraccattack said:

29 degrees and zero rain forecast for Saturday.  This suits Gold Coast.  

Warm conditions should also suit anyone who wants to play good footy.  

3 hours ago, Sylvia Saint said:

FWIW I was at the Shanghai game in 30 degree heat and the Suns were absolutely horrendous. 

Stick the conditions and the break excuses up your clackers. We play for 4 quarters we win. We play for 2.5 or 3 like we seem to do too often, and we might not.

FWIW it's a sorry state of affairs when our home ground is the worst ground to play at. Look at our results this year in order of performance. Crows (away), Saints (Etihad), Cats or Dons (both Etihad), Blues (MCG), North (MCG), Freo (MCG), Hawks (MCG).

A worrying trend is emerging and for that I'm thankful this game is in Alice Springs. 

 

 

Big question - do our MFC players have the mental toughness required to play four good quarters in one game??  Have yet to see it.  Over to you, guys.  Can you do it?  Or are you perpetual soft [censored] / bed wetters?

 

58 minutes ago, Scythe said:

Ablett out. That helps.

FCS they will still put out 22 players who will need to be beaten. Every few weeks we hear this crap!  

Agree Weids and Kent had to be dropped.

Nut for Kent was a no-brainer, anything for Weids was good (ANB will help boh up forward and provide a mid some rest). Prefer Salem to not have been suspended, but Melky is Goody's lovechild, so not shocked by his inclusion.

13 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Stretch, Kent and Weideman are emergencies.

I like the changes as it will help keep the midfield fresh as we can rotate them more with the 'ins'.  Important in the heat.  Stretch could have fitted that just as easily.

The downside is we will have a shorter fwd line.  Petracca and Watts will have to work hard against May.

But on balance it will suit us and the conditions.

If we move the ball properly, we'll take the defenders out of it.

1 minute ago, monoccular said:

FCS they will still put out 22 players who will need to be beaten. Every few weeks we hear this crap!  

The Suns are the best centre clearance team in the competition, so having Ablett out will help us big time this week.  Their midfield isn't all that strong and if we bring the right endeavour and can win our fair share of the clearances as we have in previous weeks, then that will go a long way to helping us win this game of footy.

9 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

The Suns are the best centre clearance team in the competition, so having Ablett out will help us big time this week.  Their midfield isn't all that strong and if we bring the right endeavour and can win our fair share of the clearances as we have in previous weeks, then that will go a long way to helping us win this game of footy.

They are? That's bloody surprising. 

10 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

What's happened to Billy Stretch? Dropped out of favour? Has he been caught sleeping with Goodwin's missus?

Thought the same about Pedo for a few weeks but all seems to have been forgiven. 

9 minutes ago, monoccular said:

Thought the same about Pedo for a few weeks but all seems to have been forgiven. 

I think it's just a matter of making certain players (with perhaps higher potential) earn their spots more.

Unlike some, I've been pretty happy with the MC this year and probably for the last 2-3 years.

2 minutes ago, A F said:

They are? That's bloody surprising. 

They average 17.5 a game, just ahead of GWS who average 17.

We're third though with an average of 14.9 per game, which is brilliant considering we've had no recognised ruckman for almost half of the season so far.

19 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

They average 17.5 a game, just ahead of GWS who average 17.

We're third though with an average of 14.9 per game, which is brilliant considering we've had no recognised ruckman for almost half of the season so far.

So basically we'll be smashing it when Gawn returns, having learnt how to shark the taps of the opposition ruckman.

I did read somewhere else that we were third. I just didn't expect Gold Coast to be #1 in the competition.

I would have said they were an ordinary one-paced midfield (outside of Ablett), but 17.5 clearances per game says they're anything by ordinary. I wonder how much that is down to Witts.

Just now, A F said:

So basically we'll be smashing it when Gawn returns, having learnt how to shark the taps of the opposition ruckman.

I did read somewhere else that we were third. I just didn't expect Gold Coast to be #1 in the competition.

I would have said they were an ordinary one-paced midfield (outside of Ablett), but 17.5 clearances per game says they're anything by ordinary. I wonder how much that is down to Witts.

True, but it's the quality of the clearances that's in question.  Are they sharking it and just chucking it on the boot, or are they able to get a chain of handballs going and get some quality ball use going forward?  Their W-L suggests that, while they win plenty of it, they don't do a whole lot with it.  Our midfield has been in terrific form in terms of their ability to win clearances so I'm confident we can at least match them in this area on the weekend.

This ones in the bank.

A lay down misere.

Fruit for the sideboard.

A mere formality.

32 minutes ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

Premium member?

I'm a premium Member. Its absolutely great. Ive had 25 years of a grand final ticket should Melbourne compete! You just cant buy that!

AND

Premium Members are not only sent the team list 1 hour earlier, we are sent the final score on a Friday AND the final ladder position in early August.

You should all join. Its well worth it 

PS We win by 35 points, Oliver BOG, Viney reported for grimacing, medium impact. 

8 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

True, but it's the quality of the clearances that's in question.  Are they sharking it and just chucking it on the boot, or are they able to get a chain of handballs going and get some quality ball use going forward?  Their W-L suggests that, while they win plenty of it, they don't do a whole lot with it.  Our midfield has been in terrific form in terms of their ability to win clearances so I'm confident we can at least match them in this area on the weekend.

Of course, but weight of numbers would still suggest they're doing enough.

Their W/L record could suggest their forwardline is too one dimensional as well, although Matera has been pretty good this year in the snippets that I've seen.

It's also much efficient their opposition can be against them in transition and although they're winning a lot of the clearances, how's their defensive running?

It'll be interesting to see and I'm sure our FD will have a way to exploit their midfield weaknesses.

33 minutes ago, bing181 said:

Looks good. Though slightly surprised to not see Stretch's name. Had a pretty good rap from Plapp, and he's a better disposer of the ball than any of those included.

His form's been nowhere near as good as those three, I'd rather guys in form are picked.

Watts named on interchange. Assume that means he's on thin ice.

 

Why is ablett out? Currently doing a cavalcade at simmonds oval celebrating with fellow cats premiership team. Suss. Poor form from a skipper. Even if out should be helping his team mates prepare. Selfish bugger

Edited May 25, 20178 yr by binman

He's just warming up for next year

35 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

They've brought in Hanley and Swallow.. Good ins for them.

Hanley hasn't seen a pill even at NEAFL level for some time but he's rushed back in.

No doubt we'll play him straight into form.

7 minutes ago, Bigred said:

I'm a premium Member. Its absolutely great. Ive had 25 years of a grand final ticket should Melbourne compete! You just cant buy that!

AND

Premium Members are not only sent the team list 1 hour earlier, we are sent the final score on a Friday AND the final ladder position in early August.

You should all join. Its well worth it 

PS We win by 35 points, Oliver BOG, Viney reported for grimacing, medium impact. 

You also can’t buy being suffocated in the vacuum of space, but we don’t bemoan that now do we?

3 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

Watts named on interchange. Assume that means he's on thin ice.

 

Assume it's a Ruck rotation.

I think we'll lose. Gold Coast scum on the rebound from the Shanghai embarrassment. They'll want to show they can do better. MFC on the rebound from an embarrassing loss but don't care.

6 minutes ago, McQueen said:

Hanley hasn't seen a pill even at NEAFL level for some time but he's rushed back in.

No doubt we'll play him straight into form.

Its typical Melbourne way that he will come out with 40 touches and 3 goals off half back.

43 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

What's happened to Billy Stretch? Dropped out of favour? Has he been caught sleeping with Goodwin's missus?

Plapp used the word "dominant" to describe ANB's performance last week, and Harmes the week prior.  Melksham's game was described as "AFL level game in the VFL".  The pecking order was clear from the report.

Billy will be back though.  

6 hours ago, DSP said:

Which tall are we gonna play into form this week?

 

A loss here will be close to season ending for us. No excuses. A must win.

I reckon that was last week. We have had plenty of opportunities to put ourselves deep into the finals frame, and made a mess of just about all of them.

We are still too mentally soft to be a threat to anyone at finals time.

I mean losing to a bottom 4 Hawks, then a bottom 4 Norf?

Weak as [censored]. 

Just now, faultydet said:

I reckon that was last week. We have had plenty of opportunities to put ourselves deep into the finals frame, and made a mess of just about all of them.

We are still too mentally soft to be a threat to anyone at finals time.

I mean losing to a bottom 4 Hawks, then a bottom 4 Norf?

Weak as [censored]. 

We've been in every game so far this year.  True, we've lost a couple we should have won, but we are a threat to every team in the comp when we're on.

But to each their own.