6 hours ago, nextskipclaz said:

 

On Billings ...
Can someone please explain the logic behind this series of events  🤬 

😖

Come on fess up. He really is your favorite player.   Don’t be shy

27 minutes ago, Demon Jack said:

Rain looking increasingly likely...

15K round 1 attendance it is 

33 minutes ago, Dee Viney Intervention said:

I like this team. Think we need to go small and quick to match the Giants and if the forecast rain eventuates. I would though start Henderson and have Bowey as sub. I think Bowey needs message sent, has been poor since his injury. 

It's out of balance if Bowey isn't in the 22. He's the 7th defender in that team, and Chandler the 7th forward. Henderson would come on at the expense of Chandler or Langford. But you could bring him on for Howes I guess, but the balance is better with Bowey on the bench IMV.

I also wouldn't want too many debutants starting. In that team you've already got AJ and Langford forward, and Lindsay wing/half forward/half back as debutants. So my thinking was allow Henderson to have 1 really big quarter where he brings the pressure and busts a gut.

26 minutes ago, Older demon said:

Weatherzone predict 27 degrees with 80% chance of rain @ 10-20 mm. Not condusive to too many talls or having an F1 race at Albert park

I'm certainly no meteorologist but there's no signs at all that there's a cool change coming Saturday which means it's going to come some time on Sunday. Given it's 27 forecasted with a low of 22, I wouldn't be surprised if it comes quite late in the day. Maybe even in the evening which means there's a chance we might miss the rain altogether.

Edited March 11Mar 11 by At the break of Gawn

21 hours ago, SthSea22 said:

Derksen won't be seeing any gametime soon

 

Max Gruzewski will be 2nd ruck behind Keefe

Is Gruzewski a chewing gum?

21 hours ago, Adam The God said:

Of the available players and based on pre season form, my 23 for the GWS game would be:

Howes May Lever

Salem Petty Windsor

Sharp Oliver Billings

Sparrow AJ Petracca 

Fritta JVR Viney 

Gawn Rivers Langdon

Langford Chandler Bowey Lindsay

Sub. Henderson 

Interesting that you’re not playing Turner, just can’t see him not playing. I like a 3 tall forward line so I’d probably bring Turner in at the expense of Billing’s and I’d start Sparrow on a wing. I actually don’t get the Billing’s love but even found myself having him in my earlier lineups. I’d love to see Bowey played forward but that seems unlikely. 

On 10/03/2025 at 18:52, The Stigga said:

Don't think Gawn gets a chop out because Briggs is out...

GWS remind me of a very unsociable 80s Hawthorn side atm

Kingsley will no doubt get all in Sundry to get stuck in to Gawn, despite his probable 50+ hit outs

Gawn alluded to that ..said you become The Target ..& Kingsley has stated that they play with violence & sometimes cross the line …

26 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

Interesting that you’re not playing Turner, just can’t see him not playing. I like a 3 tall forward line so I’d probably bring Turner in at the expense of Billing’s and I’d start Sparrow on a wing. I actually don’t get the Billing’s love but even found myself having him in my earlier lineups. I’d love to see Bowey played forward but that seems unlikely. 

You're right, it's likely they'll go with Turner over AJ, can't see them playing Turner, AJ and JVR, but maybe they will?

I would suggest that would be a bad move against a small, fast GWS, on a rainy Melbourne day...

Edited March 11Mar 11 by Adam The God

42 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

It's out of balance if Bowey isn't in the 22. He's the 7th defender in that team, and Chandler the 7th forward. Henderson would come on at the expense of Chandler or Langford. But you could bring him on for Howes I guess, but the balance is better with Bowey on the bench IMV.

I also wouldn't want too many debutants starting. In that team you've already got AJ and Langford forward, and Lindsay wing/half forward/half back as debutants. So my thinking was allow Henderson to have 1 really big quarter where he brings the pressure and busts a gut.

Bowey for Howes was my thinking (who also hasn’t set the world on fire so far). I want us to load up in the front half and be more attacking. I think we can get them with clearance and inside 50’s but we need to get value for our entries. If we play a territory game I want Chandler and Henderson down there to crumb and exert forward pressure. We need to get value for our entries. Although both debutants AJ and Henderson know each others game pretty well.

11 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

You're right, it's likely they'll go with Turner over AJ, can't see them playing Turner, AJ and JVR, but maybe they will?

I would suggest that would be a bad move against a small, fast GWS, on a rainy Melbourne day...

I think you could start with all 3 with AJ as the back up ruck and have a small as the sub.

You can then see how things are going and if it is very wet you could make the sub at half time or midway through the 3rd quarter.

There's a bit of a risk with any option, but if we go with just Turner & JVR and it doesn't rain then that could also be an issue.

We could also name him and make a late change if needed...

Went back and watched the GWS Collingwood game, never seen a game more decided by fitness. Both teams looked pretty evenly matched at the early part of each quarter but Collingwood kept running out of gas the longer the quarters went on and that's when the Giants took control and scored heavily.

Will be interesting to see if our fitness is up to the same level as GWS.

13 minutes ago, Dee Viney Intervention said:

Bowey for Howes was my thinking (who also hasn’t set the world on fire so far). I want us to load up in the front half and be more attacking. I think we can get them with clearance and inside 50’s but we need to get value for our entries. If we play a territory game I want Chandler and Henderson down there to crumb and exert forward pressure. We need to get value for our entries. Although both debutants AJ and Henderson know each others game pretty well.

I get it, I guess where we differ is I think we need to be just as attacking from the back as from the front. 

Speed and speed of ball movement is vital, right, so I'd be going for balance.

On 10/03/2025 at 18:52, The Stigga said:

Don't think Gawn gets a chop out because Briggs is out...

GWS remind me of a very unsociable 80s Hawthorn side atm

Kingsley will no doubt get all in Sundry to get stuck in to Gawn, despite his probable 50+ hit outs

Would be nice if our players flew the flag for Gawn when he get's targeted. Where's Bernie Vince when you need him.

1 hour ago, Roost it far said:

Interesting that you’re not playing Turner, just can’t see him not playing. I like a 3 tall forward line so I’d probably bring Turner in at the expense of Billing’s and I’d start Sparrow on a wing. I actually don’t get the Billing’s love but even found myself having him in my earlier lineups. I’d love to see Bowey played forward but that seems unlikely. 

Turner has done nothing in the pre-season.

There are others in that boat too but personally I think AJ has done more than enough to get selected ahead of Turner. Even Campbell has done more than Turner. I like Turner but not sure where his fitness is at. 

Edited March 11Mar 11 by jnrmac

40 minutes ago, KozzyCan said:

Would be nice if our players flew the flag for Gawn when he get's targeted. Where's Bernie Vince when you need him.

I think AJ will be that guy. I reckon Melbourne supporters will love him and opposition supporters hate him. He gives me Nathan Carroll vibes and I like it.

Edited March 11Mar 11 by Dee Viney Intervention

18 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

Turner has done nothing in the pre-season.

There are others in that boat too but personally I think AJ has done more than enough to get selected ahead of Turner. Even Campbell has done more than Turner. I like Turner but not sure where his fitness is at. 

As far as I know he’s completed the bulk of the preseason so his fitness should be good. There’s any number of reasons his 2 practice games weren’t as good as we’d hoped. I still see him ahead of AJ although I’d play AJ as well. He’d play a forward back up ruck role and then get subbed out for fresh legs in the last quarter. 

Is anyone else having trouble getting the E-ticket from the club app? Mine keeps saying there’s an error… hope this gets fixed by the weekend!

1 hour ago, At the break of Gawn said:

I'm certainly no meteorologist but there's no signs at all that there's a cool change coming Saturday which means it's going to come some time on Sunday. Given it's 27 forecasted with a low of 22, I wouldn't be surprised if it comes quite late in the day. Maybe even in the evening which means there's a chance we might miss the rain altogether.

Correct, you are no meteorologist. You know it can rain when it is hot. Looking at the forecast it predicts 7mm of rain by 11am. I know they are often wrong. 

My guess, light rain before lunch and drizzle in the afternoon and I am no meteorologist 🙂

21 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

As far as I know he’s completed the bulk of the preseason so his fitness should be good. There’s any number of reasons his 2 practice games weren’t as good as we’d hoped. I still see him ahead of AJ although I’d play AJ as well. He’d play a forward back up ruck role and then get subbed out for fresh legs in the last quarter. 

Of course that could happen.

I sense AJ is a Goody type of player. A desperado who loves combat and will give his all. Turner as much as I like him goes missing for large chunks of games. 

15 minutes ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

I think you could start with all 3 with AJ as the back up ruck and have a small as the sub.

You can then see how things are going and if it is very wet you could make the sub at half time or midway through the 3rd quarter.

There's a bit of a risk with any option, but if we go with just Turner & JVR and it doesn't rain then that could also be an issue.

We could also name him and make a late change if needed...

I've come to the view that we only need one stay at home KPF and a KPF/second ruck, and I think AJ would give us a better contest in the ruck than Turner.

I'd like to see us play the 2017 Richmond game, where your forwardline functions off a single KPF that can bring the ball to ground for smalls and dangerous mid sized players. I'm not convinced that's an archaic game style. I think we could overwhelm teams with forward entries from our mids.

12 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

I've come to the view that we only need one stay at home KPF and a KPF/second ruck, and I think AJ would give us a better contest in the ruck than Turner.

I'd like to see us play the 2017 Richmond game, where your forwardline functions off a single KPF that can bring the ball to ground for smalls and dangerous mid sized players. I'm not convinced that's an archaic game style. I think we could overwhelm teams with forward entries from our mids.

I don't mind it personally, as long as the players can play to the plan. 

That was what made Richmond so good, all their players were on the same wave length.

1 hour ago, jnrmac said:

Turner has done nothing in the pre-season.

There are others in that boat too but personally I think AJ has done more than enough to get selected ahead of Turner. Even Campbell has done more than Turner. I like Turner but not sure where his fitness is at. 

This is pretty much where I sit.

I would play 3 tall forwards even if there is going to be a bit of wind and rain...never go in too short at the MCG its asking for trouble. Turner has enough tricks to be dangerous he's got that bit of X factor about him, I would play him with JVR and also debut Johnson to help Max in ruck and take his turn forward.

38 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

I've come to the view that we only need one stay at home KPF and a KPF/second ruck, and I think AJ would give us a better contest in the ruck than Turner.

I'd like to see us play the 2017 Richmond game, where your forwardline functions off a single KPF that can bring the ball to ground for smalls and dangerous mid sized players. I'm not convinced that's an archaic game style. I think we could overwhelm teams with forward entries from our mids.

 Are you thinking JVR, alongside Fritsch, Pickett, Chandler, Spargo and Langford? 

JEFFO to be in the 26 players to be named IMO