15 hours ago, Chook said:

Hawkins and Cameron are clearly ahead of McDonald and Brown, but I'd take Fritsch over Rohan easily.

Agreed. Although an in form Tmac with Brown and Fritta is a better combo than hawkins...cameron and rohan.

Which Tmac will we get?

Edited September 5, 20213 yr by leave it to deever

On 9/4/2021 at 6:57 AM, Rab D Nesbitt said:

It's a pity that Geelong didn't get a harder contest last night but that would have required them to have played Sydney and not GWS. The second quarter of our last game against them will be the little wake up call we needed and I'm expecting our boys to be fully focussed on their jobs next Friday. 

If however we have an off night and as a result miss out on a GF I'll take solace in the fact that I couldn't have been there to see it in the flesh anyway and will have saved the best part of $1,000 in category 1 finals tickets over three games. 

That works in our favor when the cats realise they this game has gone up three notches and they are swamped by more pressure and higher skill levels.

Hope we have a few surprises ready for this mob on play day. Hawkins will be roaming around the ground looking for easy marks coming out of packs, along with Cameron, so there is no reason why we cannot do the same with our big forwards and leave Max and Jacko to take the marks up forward or crumb to our amazing crumby brigade.

Browney could be a real surprise packet in these two, hopefully upcoming contests.

Just listening to David King on SEN seriously he is talking so much rubbish he is confusing himself. I don’t mind him but he is all over the place with the Melbourne v Geelong game. 
 

I personally feel the midfield battle is going to be huge and if Geelong get on top in that area the big ground might actually work in their favour with plenty of space for their forwards to lead into. On the other hand if we dominate the midfield and their old midfielders are doing lots of chasing it will work against them. 
 

I am super nervous about this game, while I feel our best is better than theirs they have so many veteran super players who are hard to break down. 

4 minutes ago, ANG13 said:

Just listening to David King on SEN seriously he is talking so much rubbish he is confusing himself. I don’t mind him but he is all over the place with the Melbourne v Geelong game. 
 

I personally feel the midfield battle is going to be huge and if Geelong get on top in that area the big ground might actually work in their favour with plenty of space for their forwards to lead into. On the other hand if we dominate the midfield and their old midfielders are doing lots of chasing it will work against them. 
 

I am super nervous about this game, while I feel our best is better than theirs they have so many veteran super players who are hard to break down. 

Agreed. It’s a Preliminary Final. This is when we must ask for 100% of the Football Dept. 
It’s time. No room for 2nd Best

2 minutes ago, ANG13 said:

I personally feel the midfield battle is going to be huge and if Geelong get on top in that area the big ground might actually work in their favour with plenty of space for their forwards to lead into. On the other hand if we dominate the midfield and their old midfielders are doing lots of chasing it will work against them. 
 

I am super nervous about this game, while I feel our best is better than theirs they have so many veteran super players who are hard to break down. 

We are all nervous about the game, it is a prelim the best team on the night wins.

Midfield battle is going to be great

Gawn V Stanley

Viney V Selwood

Petracca V Dangerfield

Oliver V Guthrie

Langdon V Smith

Brayshaw V Duncan

Tuohy is the key to their backline we need a defensive forward on him

It is going to be a great game, we just need to stick with them and over run them as I think we can out run them in the last half.

12 hours ago, Kick_It_To_Pickett said:

Has anyone got any info on whether we can travel to Perth and complete 14 days quarantine. I know the obvious answer is ‘no you can’t’ - I’m vaccinated and have completed the G2G form for entry. Happy to do 14 days at my own expense. Been in contact with the serviced apartments and they say they have lots of interstate travellers coming. 

Did you get an approval on your G2G form submission?

I’m nervous but how much better is watching your team in a prelim instead of missing the finals.

That’s what I keep reminding myself anyway.

Edited September 6, 20213 yr by Clint Bizkit

19 minutes ago, ANG13 said:

Just listening to David King on SEN seriously he is talking so much rubbish he is confusing himself. I don’t mind him but he is all over the place with the Melbourne v Geelong game. 
 

I personally feel the midfield battle is going to be huge and if Geelong get on top in that area the big ground might actually work in their favour with plenty of space for their forwards to lead into. On the other hand if we dominate the midfield and their old midfielders are doing lots of chasing it will work against them. 
 

I am super nervous about this game, while I feel our best is better than theirs they have so many veteran super players who are hard to break down. 

I listened to King also.

I wonder which game he was watching on Round 23 and was so contradictory. Just needed to say something . Ypu could feel Gerard not being on the same page.

Earlier on SEN with Tim and Garry, Kane Cornes was way more realistic and analytical . Thinks it will be hard, but how can the Cats possibly navigate through the dees defence Hardly anyone else has figured it out and thinks its the difference.

33 minutes ago, drdrake said:

We are all nervous about the game

I'm not.

22 minutes ago, Clint Bizkit said:

I’m nervous but how much better is watching you team in a prelim instead of missing the finals.

That’s what I keep reminding myself anyway.

Exactly

Trying to remain detached and reflective but anxiety keeps emerging through the cracks. 

And we have not even got to the GF.

its so much easier watching a game as a neutral supporter. 

Winning has its pleasure but also it’s pain. 

If we knock off the Cats we still have another 2 weeks to endure this emotional turmoil. 

 

2 minutes ago, hemingway said:

Exactly

Trying to remain detached and reflective but anxiety keeps emerging through the cracks. 

And we have not even got to the GF.

its so much easier watching a game as a neutral supporter. 

Winning has its pleasure but also it’s pain. 

If we knock off the Cats we still have another 2 weeks to endure this emotional turmoil. 

 

Anxiety, pain, emotional turmoil...the life of Ernest Hemingway.

As summarised here in 3 and a half minutes:

 

Way too early in the week to be nervous. Enjoy it, embrace it & bring on Friday night & let all the emotion out then

Preliminary Finals have to be won. 
no other way to get to the Grand Final

in the old days you won a 2nd Semi and went straight in. 
 

Not now….

Enjoying the Lachie Neale distraction which should eat up a few more days before the nerves take control again aha

3 hours ago, Fat Tony said:

Richardson also intimated that Bowey was the most likely at risk if Hunt plays. 

This makes sense. I've been counting down the days for Hunt to return and replace Smith but looking at the Cats forward structure (3 talls and Rohan) I can no longer see that happening. Smith can play a role (even if having him in the side increases my anxiety by 50%) on a tall and free up Lever - neither Hibberd or Hunt can do that. If they need Smith to play tall he stays in the side, if the likely match up for him is a small he gets dropped for either Hibberd or Hunt if fit. Can't have Smith playing on the most dangerous small forward like he did against Brisbane. 

So how does Hunt get back in the side? I think the only way is if we are lucky enough to get into a GF and come up against Port and we need a defender to match up on Fantasia, Rozee or Grey. I love what Bowey is offering but i'm not sure he can play a lockdown role and compete in one on ones with Port's dangerous smalls as well as Hunt can. Having said that it would be a huge call to bring him into a GF side after 6 weeks off. Anyway, I'm getting well ahead of myself now. Go Dees!

Very happy the club allowed us to send our barcodes to relatives, well done. Mind you my brother in Perth and his son finally coughed up for a membership. I am told they will have 16 in the crowd which is fantastic. 

We can win this. I think its interesting Geelong has not won more in the time its been in the finals and wonder if the home ground has helped get them there but is a drawback when they play the finals on bigger grounds. I hope so. 

I doubt Bowey gets dropped for Hunt and as others say the matchup would suggest one of Smith or Hibberd are needed.

I wonder what would Hunt as a sub look like?

I think with versatile players like Sparrow and Harmes being able to be swung into different roles that Hunt could come in as the sub. Pretty interesting weapon to have Hunt come on late in a game (hopefully if at all) to give us some burst speed and energy.

I still think it will be Jordan the sub but will be interesting. The preparation and build up with training competing for spots must be fascinating over there in the hub.

Edited September 6, 20213 yr by Young Blood

On 9/4/2021 at 11:36 PM, Bring-Back-Powell said:

For what’s is worth, West Coast beat Collingwood 3 times in 2018, so it can be done.

Chris Scott's Geelong beat Collingwood 3 times in 2011 to win the flag.  They were the only 3 games Collingwood lost for the season going 22-3, pretty amazing!

Edited September 6, 20213 yr by Pollyanna

Week leading up to prelim = 🤢  

It’s game-day on steroids. 
It’s five consecutive game-days.  
It’s five consecutive game-days on steroids 

I may not survive.  

Edited September 6, 20213 yr by WalkingCivilWar

I just thought watching the 2 games on the weekend, the Saturday night game was full of energy and high intensity and a much higher standard. Friday night looked like both sides were stuffed half way through the first quarter. It's ours to lose.

15 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

He's a master of spin. Whether it's to project positivity on his players, or he's delusional, or whatever else, I don't read anything into it. There's no way Geelong didn't care about playing Brisbane at the Adelaide Oval as compared to Port, and so I put no stock into him saying they like Optus.

No he's not. Because its so obvious what he is trying to do. People laugh at him. He's maybe a master of trying to spin!!

Geelong know one way to play. Ball control and possession.

Take that away from them and they struggle.

When they got a hold of us out of the middle in the 2nd qtr of Round 23 we were able to change our positioning at centre bounces to stop them coming 'out the front'.

Mentally they will be cooked from that game. Mental scars everywhere. The pressure is all on them.

We are well aware of what a fast start can do in a Prelim so will be fired up to hit them early and hard.

Dees by 55pts

40 minutes ago, Young Blood said:

I doubt Bowey gets dropped for Hunt and as others say the matchup would suggest one of Smith or Hibberd are needed.

I wonder what would Hunt as a sub look like?

He would look like an angry Hunt