8 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

The paddle pop lion look really suits her

Last one from me before the game!

First bounce:

B: Jiath Turner Lever

HB: Rivers Petty Lindsey

C: Langdon Steele Langford

HF: Chandler JVR Sharp

F: Fritsch Mihocek L.PIckett

R: Gawn K.Pickett Windsor

I/C Culley Howes Kolt Salem Sparrow

PLAYER	INJURY	ESTIMATED RETURN
Ryan Byrnes	Foot	6-8 weeks
Hunter Clark	Adductor	2-3 weeks
Paddy Dow	Knee	3-4 weeks
Liam Henry	Hamstring	5-6 weeks
Max King	Calf/knee	TBC
Rowan Marshall	Concussion	1-2 weeks
Liam O'Connell	Facial fractures	4-5 weeks
Updated: March 10, 2026

In the mix

Marshall entered concussion protocols on Sunday night and won't be available against Melbourne this Sunday. Dow has been sidelined with knee swelling out of the VFL and will spend up to a month on the sidelines, while Clark suffered a low-grade adductor strain in the reserves. Charlie Banfield was included in the 26-man squad against Collingwood after an impressive maiden summer and is in the hunt for a debut. - Josh Gabelich

35 minutes ago, Demongirl35 said:

Last one from me before the game!

First bounce:

B: Jiath Turner Lever

HB: Rivers Petty Lindsey

C: Langdon Steele Langford

HF: Chandler JVR Sharp

F: Fritsch Mihocek L.PIckett

R: Gawn K.Pickett Windsor

I/C Culley Howes Kolt Salem Sparrow

And strangely id rather Tmac than Petty

9 hours ago, FTB said:

I think this is the team we go with now that Culley is good to go.

B: McDonald, Turner, Petty

HB: Salem, Lever, Lindsay

C: Langford, Steele, Langdon

HF: Sparrow, Van Rooyen, Fritsch

F: K Pickett, Mihocek, Chandler

R: Gawn, Windsor, Rivers

I: Jiath, L Pickett, Tholstrup, Culley, Howes

Not bad but if they actually line up like this I’d say it’s probably the slowest back line EVER selected

1 hour ago, Demongirl35 said:

Last one from me before the game!

First bounce:

B: Jiath Turner Lever

HB: Rivers Petty Lindsey

C: Langdon Steele Langford

HF: Chandler JVR Sharp

F: Fritsch Mihocek L.PIckett

R: Gawn K.Pickett Windsor

I/C Culley Howes Kolt Salem Sparrow

Pretty close I reckon. TMac vs Petty and which two of Sharp, Laurie, Kolt play I think are the only maybes. I think the rest pretty much picks its self.

1 hour ago, Demongirl35 said:

Last one from me before the game!

First bounce:

B: Jiath Turner Lever

HB: Rivers Petty Lindsey

C: Langdon Steele Langford

HF: Chandler JVR Sharp

F: Fritsch Mihocek L.PIckett

R: Gawn K.Pickett Windsor

I/C Culley Howes Kolt Salem Sparrow

First throw now, although having said that I like the idea of still calling it first bounce. It's kind of like restaurants that charge for corkage even though most wine bottles have been screw tops for years. It'll be a nice trivia question in 20 years. "Why is the start of the game called the first bounce?"

7 minutes ago, Big Col said:

First throw now, although having said that I like the idea of still calling it first bounce. It's kind of like restaurants that charge for corkage even though most wine bottles have been screw tops for years. It'll be a nice trivia question in 20 years. "Why is the start of the game called the first bounce?"

I’m just out here hoping one umpires says “stuff it, let’s bounce this thing!!’ Then sends Andrew Dillon into a spiral

Petty 100% getting a game down back before T Mac

Love you T Mac

Who plays lock down small defender?

Reckon King is grooming Kolt out of necessity

Kolt will start

2 hours ago, old dee said:

Jnr first you have to get the ball. He should take notice of one of Jack Dyers rules. "Don't get where the ball ain't". If we are relieing on Sharp to help win a game we are in deep trouble.

He might tag Daicos....

I think our biggest issue is defence, if we can create turnovers in the back half we are a chance. However, if we have no defensive structure or lack defensive efforts then we will be cut open like a sheep’s backside at Geelong’s mad monday….

1 hour ago, DubDee said:

Who plays lock down small defender?

Reckon King is grooming Kolt out of necessity

Kolt will start

Two I don’t want to see: Kolt and Laurie.

One of them in the team would be a mistake.

Both of them would be a disaster.

3 hours ago, Demongirl35 said:

Last one from me before the game!

First bounce:

B: Jiath Turner Lever

HB: Rivers Petty Lindsey

C: Langdon Steele Langford

HF: Chandler JVR Sharp

F: Fritsch Mihocek L.PIckett

R: Gawn K.Pickett Windsor

I/C Culley Howes Kolt Salem Sparrow

If AMW is fit and match ready, I’d bring him in for Kolt.

21 minutes ago, buck_nekkid said:

I think our biggest issue is defence, if we can create turnovers in the back half we are a chance. However, if we have no defensive structure or lack defensive efforts then we will be cut open like a sheep’s backside at Geelong’s mad monday….

From all reports we'll be playing an attacking brand through the corridor (when applicable) but if we turn the ball over our defence will therefore be under seige

Previously, we've been able to defend from a position where the opposition were often hemmed in near the boundary line (as a result of our long kicking/territory/towards-the-boundary line style of play)

Retaining possession is all important otherwise our once much vaunted defence might become our Achilles heel

Average points against

• 2021 - 66

• 2022 - 67

• 2023 - 72

• 2024 - 79

• 2025 - 89

We started leaking goals last year but still managed to have a percentage of 93.3 which was a full 24 percentage points above Essendon (15th)

Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained (re attacking footy using the corridor)

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by Macca

7 minutes ago, Macca said:

From all reports we'll be playing an attacking brand through the corridor (when applicable) but if we turn the ball over our defence will therefore be under seige

Previously, we've been able to defend from a position where the opposition were often hemmed in near the boundary line (as a result of our long kicking/territory/towards-the-boundary line style of play)

Retaining possession is all important otherwise our once much vaunted defence might become our Achilles heel

Average points against

• 2021 - 66

• 2022 - 67

• 2023 - 72

• 2024 - 79

• 2025 - 89

We started leaking goals last year but still managed to have a percentage of 93.3 which was a full 24 percentage points above Essendon (15th)

Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained

After our 0-5 start we went at 104%

Just now, jnrmac said:

After our 0-5 start we went at 104%

Yeah, we threw away 4 or 5 wins but I suppose finishing 14th was the catalyst for change

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Macca

So what's the story with XT?

Thought he might have been a plug-in-and-play type. Track-watchers?

1 minute ago, Macca said:

So what's the story with XT?

Thought he might have been a plug-in-and-play type. Track-watchers?

Wasn't helped with the limited prep in the praccy games. Haven't kept up with preseason training reports but thought he was a good show for a round 1 debut so was surprised he wasn't given a full game vs Richmond (which ended up being no game).

13 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

Last year Bill Laurie said he hopes one day we do players’ songs after goals. He said he’d be “ironic” and pick something “…funny, like classical music” (not knowing he was talking to a big fan of classical music). I suggested he choose the third movement of Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35 by Frédéric Chopin. He asked if it’s “funny” and I said Yeah it’s hilarious. What I didn’t tell him is its title is Marche funèbre, commonly known as the Death March. 😁

You are even more of one of my peeps then Ghosty! Personally, I am a little torn between the Hallelujah chorus, your favourite Dies Irae (Mozart, Verdi or Britten) or perhaps Beethoven's Fifth. But there may be a case for Highway to Hell, or Bat out of Hell too ... 😄

35 minutes ago, Macca said:

Yeah, we threw away 4 or 5 wins but I suppose finishing 14th allowed us to draft XT & Latrelle at picks 11 & 12 (silver lining)

They were both GC picks. All our loses did was make Essendon's first rounder better. C'est la vie.

17 minutes ago, Macca said:

So what's the story with XT?

Thought he might have been a plug-in-and-play type. Track-watchers?

I don't think he's far off, but his disposal does run hot and cold and unsurprisingly for a kid he's got to build his tank and strength. I suspect King's adopting the Cats model of making the first year kids wait a while and learn the right habits and behaviours before their heads get too big.

29 minutes ago, Macca said:

So what's the story with XT?

Thought he might have been a plug-in-and-play type. Track-watchers?

They’re probably giving CJ a crack at that role first. With Howes in the side as well that’s two medium sized defenders with a bit of dash. Don’t think it will take long for him to crack in though.

3 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

They were both GC picks. All our loses did was make Essendon's first rounder better. C'est la vie.

I don't think he's far off, but his disposal does run hot and cold and unsurprisingly for a kid he's got to build his tank and strength. I suspect King's adopting the Cats model of making the first year kids wait a while and learn the right habits and behaviours before their heads get too big.

That's right, they were GC's picks ... of course, with the way the points system works with Academy picks, GC were still able to attain 2 picks in the top 5 in the draft

Good point re King and how he might view the draftees. Traditionally, we've tended to use the mid-type draftees in the seniors quite early

1 minute ago, Greg Schneider said:

They’re probably giving CJ a crack at that role first. With Howes in the side as well that’s two medium sized defenders with a bit of dash. Don’t think it will take long for him to crack in though.

So, I understand that XT is more of a half-back type but as an extra rotation through the midfield as an option? Maybe on the back of the midfield, clean-up style

Back in the day, that role was described as the kick behind the play type

Remembering that a lot of the onus in the midfield will fall on to some relative newcomers (Windsor, Lindsay, Langford, Kolt and even Culley)

Our midfield will contain a lot of young talent but nevertheless, our combined midfield might be the youngest in the comp (without Viney and without the 2 others that headed North )

1 hour ago, buck_nekkid said:

I think our biggest issue is defence, if we can create turnovers in the back half we are a chance. However, if we have no defensive structure or lack defensive efforts then we will be cut open like a sheep’s backside at Geelong’s mad monday….

From watching some of the better sides in Opening Round I suspect transition defending is basically impossible against good sides (or even mediocre ones). There's a very limited window to get pressure and force a turnover.

After that window closes all you can is your best to force teams wider and slower. So then getting an out-number to win the ball back inside your backline and take it the other way is vital.

It does make me wonder if we pick a more dynamic small forward in Matthews or Cross purely because of the need to score and create chaos inside 50 in those brief windows you've got to score or force a turnover. That might depend on just what they expect from Latrelle and Kozzie and how far up the ground they play.