The debate around resting Max and some of the kids late on Thursday was valid (although a few other sides seemed to get good leads and ease off, including the Dogs and Fremantle).

But it's worth remembering how brutal our next 10 weeks is, as until recently I'd forgotten just how tough this stretch is:

1. Round 8 - West Coast in Perth

2. Round 9 - Hawthorn at the MCG

3. Round 10 - Brisbane at the Gabba

4. Round 11 - Sydney at the MCG

5. Round 12 - St Kilda at Alice Springs

6. Round 13 - Collingwood at the MCG

7. Round 14 - Port Adelaide in Adelaide (6-day break vs Port on an 8-day break)

8. Round 15 - bye

9. Round 16 - Gold Coast on the Gold Coast

10. Round 17 - Adelaide in Adelaide

That's 6 out of 10 weeks on the road, with travel at least every second week. It also features games against the sides currently sitting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th on the ladder (plus Sydney, who are 14th but we never play well against them).

Of course, the trade off is that our first 7 games featured just a trip down the highway and a neutral Gather Round game, whilst our final 7 games are all in Melbourne. And yes, non-Victorian clubs do this for all 24 weeks, not just 10.

Regardless, if we want to achieve anything in 2025, we have to navigate this 10 week block well. So it doesn't surprise me that we looked to give Gawn a break, nor will it surprise me if we see Campbell getting games as soon as this week.

1 hour ago, titan_uranus said:

The debate around resting Max and some of the kids late on Thursday was valid (although a few other sides seemed to get good leads and ease off, including the Dogs and Fremantle).

But it's worth remembering how brutal our next 10 weeks is, as until recently I'd forgotten just how tough this stretch is:

1. Round 8 - West Coast in Perth

2. Round 9 - Hawthorn at the MCG

3. Round 10 - Brisbane at the Gabba

4. Round 11 - Sydney at the MCG

5. Round 12 - St Kilda at Alice Springs

6. Round 13 - Collingwood at the MCG

7. Round 14 - Port Adelaide in Adelaide (6-day break vs Port on an 8-day break)

8. Round 15 - bye

9. Round 16 - Gold Coast on the Gold Coast

10. Round 17 - Adelaide in Adelaide

That's 6 out of 10 weeks on the road, with travel at least every second week. It also features games against the sides currently sitting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th on the ladder (plus Sydney, who are 14th but we never play well against them).

Of course, the trade off is that our first 7 games featured just a trip down the highway and a neutral Gather Round game, whilst our final 7 games are all in Melbourne. And yes, non-Victorian clubs do this for all 24 weeks, not just 10.

Regardless, if we want to achieve anything in 2025, we have to navigate this 10 week block well. So it doesn't surprise me that we looked to give Gawn a break, nor will it surprise me if we see Campbell getting games as soon as this week.

Bring it on, the harder, the better

We'll soon find out if our team is good enough and whether the new game plan can stand up

The tough fixture will answer a lot of questions that we have right now

A pass mark might be 5 & 4 and if that happened we'd then have an overall record of 7 & 9 after that block of 10 weeks

Edited April 28Apr 28 by Macca

Mad Max 🏆🏆

Edited April 28Apr 28 by John Demonic

6 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

That's 6 out of 10 weeks on the road, with travel at least every second week. It also features games against the sides currently sitting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th on the ladder (plus Sydney, who are 14th but we never play well against them).

We’re not going to win them but I want to see some deep, bloody teeth marks on every opposition team across that stretch

6 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

The debate around resting Max and some of the kids late on Thursday was valid (although a few other sides seemed to get good leads and ease off, including the Dogs and Fremantle).

But it's worth remembering how brutal our next 10 weeks is, as until recently I'd forgotten just how tough this stretch is:

1. Round 8 - West Coast in Perth

2. Round 9 - Hawthorn at the MCG

3. Round 10 - Brisbane at the Gabba

4. Round 11 - Sydney at the MCG

5. Round 12 - St Kilda at Alice Springs

6. Round 13 - Collingwood at the MCG

7. Round 14 - Port Adelaide in Adelaide (6-day break vs Port on an 8-day break)

8. Round 15 - bye

9. Round 16 - Gold Coast on the Gold Coast

10. Round 17 - Adelaide in Adelaide

We will win at least 8 of those 😄

The next 8 weeks is operation ‘give Essendon- stuff all’ where we turn their pick 4 to pick 18.

We'll either be booking our skiing or getting ready for finals at the end of that. Just beat Hawthorn and Collingwood amongst the wins.

12 hours ago, SPC said:

The next 8 weeks is operation ‘give Essendon- stuff all’ where we turn their pick 4 to pick 18.

Their List Manager has been in charge of that Operation for two decades

13 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

Their List Manager has been in charge of that Operation for two decades

Dodoro? I think he left at the end of last season.

21 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

The debate around resting Max and some of the kids late on Thursday was valid (although a few other sides seemed to get good leads and ease off, including the Dogs and Fremantle).

But it's worth remembering how brutal our next 10 weeks is, as until recently I'd forgotten just how tough this stretch is:

1. Round 8 - West Coast in Perth

2. Round 9 - Hawthorn at the MCG

3. Round 10 - Brisbane at the Gabba

4. Round 11 - Sydney at the MCG

5. Round 12 - St Kilda at Alice Springs

6. Round 13 - Collingwood at the MCG

7. Round 14 - Port Adelaide in Adelaide (6-day break vs Port on an 8-day break)

8. Round 15 - bye

9. Round 16 - Gold Coast on the Gold Coast

10. Round 17 - Adelaide in Adelaide

That's 6 out of 10 weeks on the road, with travel at least every second week. It also features games against the sides currently sitting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th on the ladder (plus Sydney, who are 14th but we never play well against them).

Of course, the trade off is that our first 7 games featured just a trip down the highway and a neutral Gather Round game, whilst our final 7 games are all in Melbourne. And yes, non-Victorian clubs do this for all 24 weeks, not just 10.

Regardless, if we want to achieve anything in 2025, we have to navigate this 10 week block well. So it doesn't surprise me that we looked to give Gawn a break, nor will it surprise me if we see Campbell getting games as soon as this week.

The upside is that we have only one short break in that period, with 7+ days every round except for the PA match.

Edited April 29Apr 29 by deanox

I would say when you’re a below average team in this competition every game is potentially brutal. We don’t have the luxury of a home ground advantage and we are not that good a team. Take every win we get.

It's been a great debate indeed. Looking forward to seeing how it plays out and if we are fresher as a result.

we are 2-5
we will need 13 wins + % to make the 8
we have 16 games left

so we need to go 11-5 MINIMUM to make finals. probably 12 - 4.
we play hawks and pies twice and brisbane and gold coast away

Tough

But not nearly as tough as our boys, if they believe and give no quarter.

We CAN do this. Those are not unwinnable games.

Our best is great, just need to keep it up.

I think in a strange way tough is better, I kinda feel like we looked at the first 5-6 rounds and saw certain games as easy W's. We've been brought right back down to earth and now we will be the underdogs in most of those games (at least until we actually show we're the real deal).

If we hadn't completely fluffed the first 5 weeks this wouldn't have been so hard.

On 28/04/2025 at 23:42, titan_uranus said:

The debate around resting Max and some of the kids late on Thursday was valid (although a few other sides seemed to get good leads and ease off, including the Dogs and Fremantle).

But it's worth remembering how brutal our next 10 weeks is, as until recently I'd forgotten just how tough this stretch is:

1. Round 8 - West Coast in Perth

2. Round 9 - Hawthorn at the MCG

3. Round 10 - Brisbane at the Gabba

4. Round 11 - Sydney at the MCG

5. Round 12 - St Kilda at Alice Springs

6. Round 13 - Collingwood at the MCG

7. Round 14 - Port Adelaide in Adelaide (6-day break vs Port on an 8-day break)

8. Round 15 - bye

9. Round 16 - Gold Coast on the Gold Coast

10. Round 17 - Adelaide in Adelaide

That's 6 out of 10 weeks on the road, with travel at least every second week. It also features games against the sides currently sitting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th on the ladder (plus Sydney, who are 14th but we never play well against them).

Of course, the trade off is that our first 7 games featured just a trip down the highway and a neutral Gather Round game, whilst our final 7 games are all in Melbourne. And yes, non-Victorian clubs do this for all 24 weeks, not just 10.

Regardless, if we want to achieve anything in 2025, we have to navigate this 10 week block well. So it doesn't surprise me that we looked to give Gawn a break, nor will it surprise me if we see Campbell getting games as soon as this week.

Good Lord

Ain't Gunna be easy.

9 hours ago, Pates said:

I think in a strange way tough is better, I kinda feel like we looked at the first 5-6 rounds and saw certain games as easy W's. We've been brought right back down to earth and now we will be the underdogs in most of those games (at least until we actually show we're the real deal).

yes because we should have beaten north and essendon and wed be 4-3 instead of 2-5. gold coast look to have improved significantly but if wed shown up..... and if wed held on against gws wed be 5-2 and cruising. wasting games v north and essendon is gross.