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Carlton have managed without Pittonet reasonably well, Grundy has been out since Anzac Day and the Pies just won 4 on the trot. It is possible, it might look different but it is possible to work around this. I know Max is a special player and we will miss his presence no doubt but this is where our coaches and strategists will earn their bucks. Have to give them a chance.

I thought you were going to say she apologized for having a crack at our crowd numbers when Richmond only got 21k last week

Ad astra per aspera. Took us 57 years of pain, suffering and persistence to win a premiership. Made it all the sweeter because of it. People writing us off left, right and centre, from within and without. Media types gleefully pulling out the stereotypical tropes about the club and its supporters, casting aspersions and salivating at the rise and fall narrative. Doubts over injuries, illness, form, hunger, method, whatever. Bring it on. Goody and the team need not look far for a simple purpose and motivation, now forged in fire, to succeed. Bunker down and prove ‘em all wrong, Dees; through adversity comes strength and triumph.

Just when I thought I couldn't love Jones anymore

If ever Jacko had a perfect opportunity to press his claim for a juicy contract, this is it. If ever Weid is going to step the F up, this is it. If ever we are going to prove we are not the sum of one player, this is it. It sucks, but let’s not look at this as “we are [censored]ed” but look at it as the new Melbourne and say “bring on the challenge”. Rest up skip, get yourself right for the pointy end.

Cam Pedersen in

I'd run in with a chair WWE style to help Jones in that bout.

Geez I’m glad Howe will never taste premiership success.

Can we bring Cam Pederson back?

Excellent points. As dpostive correctly notes we were ahead late in all three losses. So we had our chances to scramble a win. I was really impressed by Freo's win against the hawks for this reason ie they did scramble a win when clearly fatigued. Last year we did well to scramble some wins in this period (though still went 3 losses, 1 draw and 2 wins from rounds 13 -19). The Port, Swans and Bombers games were all good examples of us winning when playing sub optimally. Unfortunately this year the outs and injuries, and in particular the in game injuries, have made things that much harder for us. For context, we were 11-2 at this same stage last year. We are 10-3 now, so in much the same position. I actually think we have played really well in all three losses given the challenges we have faced. Yes loading carries a risk in the short term in terms of losing games we might otherwise win, but we have no chance of winning a flag without loading now. Nor do the Freo, Saints, Lions or the blues (the teams fighting for a top 4 spot - no other team has realistic chance of winning the flag this year) Nothing has changed. We are the best team in the AFL. By a significant margin. That is of course no guarantee we will win this year's flag. By far the biggest determinant of success in the AFL is injury. Always has been and always will be. If we have a bad run with injury between now and the end of the season then we won't win the flag. If we have a good run with injury, i am extremely confident we will win the flag. Goody has said we are in better shape this season than last year. People can scoff all they want, but that is his stated opinion. And i'm happy to accept the word of our head coach. All the hand wringers (i don't count you in this group layzie) should harden up and have some bloody faith. Surely the club has earned that.

Max has been very durable considering the amount of punishment he takes every week. He’ll get a good rest now and will hopefully be fighting fit come September. That’s when we really need him Jackson is still too callow and can’t carry a heavy load. A big body needs to do the lions share of ruck work. I thought Daw was on our list for this reason. Not sure the Weid is the answer but would love to be proved wrong Not ideal scenario but you can’t go back to back without enduring some adversity. We had a dream run last year. We’ll have to show plenty of grit this time and the coaches need to re-invent the game plan but its far from a lost cause. I reckon 15 wins will get us top 4. IF we’re healthy come finals we’re still the best team In it. An inter-sate prelim should hold no fears The season is far from over. Just need to grind through this tough patch, get healthy and have a proper crack at September again

I think we come out and beat the lions without our captain and all of a sudden we will look invincible again..

Time to switch the script from being the hunted to being the hunters. We have been way too accommodating lately playing a slow predictable brand. Manic pressure, a constantly moving forward line and we should still win enough games to play finals. The switch needs to get flicked on with this mob, we can't cruise to finals without playing a finals type brand in regular season games now. Needs to be a lift from the entire team....Don't let this opportunity slip Demons!

The silver lining is Max's body needs a good rest. Also a chance to get his back issues sorted.

Maybe I’ve got rose tinted glasses but I can’t see the Melbourne fans booing a player for being named BOG. Oliver was an absolute freak on Monday, similar to Max the other week he alone almost dragged us over. Pies fans really are a special breed of filth.

This KID is not getting anywhere near enough credit for basically carrying our backline the last 3 weeks while held together by fresh air and super glue. Just another reason I am so furious with May. Petty deserved a week off, instead he got smashed yet again, kept labouring out there, got hit in the head, is barely able to move his arm, and was still one of our best performers. I saw him getting taken off for a concussion test and he looked like he was about to cry. Has spent equal time on ground as getting medically checked the last month, and as soon as he was off we got a bag kicked on us. He will be special if he isn't already!

Ah yes, a completely new game plan half way through the season... What could go wrong?

Given the treatment he cops every week, Max was a ticking time bomb to get hurt in some fashion - so not unexpected, but still not an easy pill to swallow. However, I’m gutted for Disco Turner, who will obviously now remember his first game for all the wrong reasons. We wish both a quick mend.

Luke Jackson can earn his contract now

Caro is like a bottle of A2 milk from 2010, it went rotten a decade ago.

I think the “loading” crew have acknowledged that it is one key factor amongst injuries, illness etc. The thing that the “loading” crew side of the fence has disputed, is that the players are on mass suddenly not fit, forgotten the game plan, can’t run out 2nd half’s anymore etc. In terms of oppo tactics, that becomes much easier when playing a team affected by the above. Ie Those oppo tactics won’t work, when we are back up and running again.

Was bound to happen at some point. Jackson and Weed as a one-two combo should frighten most teams. Weiderman is a veteran of the club now whether we like to accept it and needs to step up. It took Max until his 6th season to step up. This is Sam's 7th. No better opportunity for the kid to step up.

On Footy Classified Caro said it was poor of Pies fans to boo Oliver, for being named BOG, just like Dees fans booed Pendles for getting the same honour in 2019. Problem was it was an Anzac Day game and Pies played Essendon and it was the Bomber fans who booed. Waiting for the apology Caro!

"After multiple interviews and review of CCTV vision from the night, the AFL is satisfied the initial club-imposed sanctions are appropriate and will take no further action." https://www.afl.com.au/news/780678/afl-statement-steven-may-and-jake-melksham

I know you're not new to footy, so I'm sure I don't need to run you through why changing game plans halfway through a season is a bad idea, even more so purely because you have one injury that might impact for as little as 4 games. We don't need to devise a different way to play, we need to stick to what we know and be better at it. "Just be us". Remember that? Got us a flag last year, which you have been banging on about for ages and then forget after 3 weeks and go back to ranting.

We probably don't need a new game plan because our current one is almost fireproof .What we need do is re-start playing to this game plan and rid ourselves of the stop/start footy which has slowly but perceptibly crept in as the season has progressed.

They have Daniher 2.01m, Hipwood 2.03m and Mc Stay 1.96cm. Not to mention Oscar McInerney in the ruck 2.04m. They will be kicking it in high to their tall timber i50. Petty is our only tall, tall defender at 1.97 cm. Just don't see how we can take him out of defence. And last week they played Darcy Fort 2.04cm as their medi sub. The only player we have over 2.00m is Ben Brown and he will be busy with Harris who is 2.02m.

I don't know Majak's current status, but I have watched every VFL game this year and he generally dominates the tap outs, regularly takes pack marks and plays a decent four quarters. He looks very fit to me. I can't see why you would hold him back when he was recruited for this very reason!

Hells bells, i have answered this question multiple times and can't be bothered doing so again, other than to say of course we are not the only team loading ATM and the other contenders ARE struggling with stamina RIGHT now. Don't believe me? Watch the Freo v hawks replay. Freo were clearly fatigued and had none of the zip they had against us. The commentators made that very point ie that Freo clearly didn't have their normally run and speed. Why not? And then watch the Lions v saints replay. You will never see two more fatigued teams. Both looked completely gassed almost from the get go. Fumbles, skill execution issues, woeful kicks, inability to get back and defend, players on their haunches from early in the game etc etc. This from two top 4 aspirants. Sound familiar? In commentary, Brown made the observation on multiple occasion that the lions looked exhausted. The saints were equally gassed - and that was before the lost 2 players during the game. After that point they could barely raise a gallop.

I heard a whisper that Majak is injured, upper body and likely to be out for a month. Cannot divulge source, as they are in the playing group and will. break a confidence. Surprised MFC haven't put him on the injury report. It appears any one tall on our list is I injured

I was near the Collingwood bench on Monday. Maxy was giving Crisp a mouthful as he walked off, I presumed because of something he might have done to BBB or Kozzie. No pies supporters were mouthing off ( well not then anyway )

I don't think there is any other option than the weed in for Max. For those calling on Majak have a serious think about the consequences. He is not in any way up to AFL standard.

Also a chance for us to not rely on kick long to Max every kick in and when we move the ball slowly. It's a great luxury to have this option but feel we do it too often. Also a good chance to be less predictable in the centre bounce.

Fortunately we have a highly talented young ruck who can cover for him. Lucky we haven't traded him for an 18 year old midfielder yet hey? ;)

Be as pessimistic now as you want, be as critical of our poor form now as you want, but FFS don't give me this revisionist [censored]. I cannot stand it. We didn't "fluke" the flag. For one, no one has ever fluked a flag and no one ever will, because it's not possible to do so. But regardless, we finished the H&A season 17-1-4 with a percentage of 130.8%, having beaten every side except Collingwood, including Port Adelaide (2nd) away, Geelong (3rd) away, Brisbane (4th) on neutral territory and the Dogs (5th) at Marvel, and we led the league in all relevant defensive metrics throughout the season. We could hardly have been more dominant in 2021. Our finals campaign didn't come from nowhere, it came from a H&A season of hard work and capped off the year.

No we aren’t!

One could say it's a sliding Daw moment.

In the VFL game on Sunday he was flat footed at contests (like he can often be) but instead of just letting his opponent mark it, he lunged desperately into 3 contests (that I saw) and effected the spoil. Two of those occasions led directly to goals. I imagine that’s the “big man” game type stuff Goody has instructed him to work on. Hopefully he can replicate that at AFL level.

Agree. We have been very predictable for a while, even kicking out from goal always to a pack on the left. It has hurt our quick ball movement and along with our fumbling, has caused heavy turnover scores against us. Max, Turner and M.Brown out with May, Tomlinson and Weid in. May does what he does down back and Tomlinson and Weid help LJ out in the ruck. The rest of the guys obviously need to lift. I would drop Chandler and get Bedford and Hunt back to inject some more pace. Maybe ANB has a rest for a week. Why not try Bedford and Hunt in the middle here and there or on a wing, as outside mids, to get some run from the clearance. Viney and Oliver get the ball to them and they take off. Something a bit different that catches the opposition off guard. Hopefully Rivers is back soon too and Bowey maybe gets a week off to refresh. He is still young and a week off wouldn’t hurt him. We don’t change the whole game plan, but rather get back to our manic pressure and just change it up a bit, which with Max out will happen anyway. Go Dees!

It’s not the max injury in isolation but the trend of injuries coming through consistently and it’s effect on our ability to play out games on top of coming into loading. Max is the icing on the cake hopefully. Hard to get everything lined up for a strong run home from here I think. All good. We have a five year window with this squad and lots can and will happen.

It's a far from ideal but Weid needs to come in as the second ruckman, and stay in the side. At least he gets involved in the game as the second ruck We'll have to change our three key forward philosophy and downgrade it to two as Mitch Brown isn't up to it and JVR probably isn't ready. We did the two key forward thing in the first 6 rounds of last year and went 6-0. BBB with Weid or LJ as the second key forward depending on who's rucking. Fritta will need to step up and play as a quasi key forward. Everyone needs to step up if they want to make something of this year.

Correct. Jackson and Weideman will be the combination. And I think we'll adopt a smaller forward line too.

This is really bad. Yes we have a very good backup ruckman but it's the work Gawn does around the ground that hurts the opposition

Is he slow because of his own decision making or is he slow because the next link in the chain just isn't there? (That's a genuine question - I'm not trying to defend Jordon, just to understand why.)

I do have a bottle of Robbie Flower Port, that is probably undrinkable now, after so many years adorning the bar.

Would have had to stay on for quite a while as it was a dinner.

That makes no sense at all. But, whatever. As I have posted before, time won't tell for you because your mind is made up. I think we will win seven more home and away games. And win all three finals we play in, including of course, a back to back flag. And just like last year, I'll wait to the odds stop drifting (I backed us straight after our loss to the dogs in round 19) and I'll load up on us big time to win the flag.

Can the swearing filter be turned off please. I am bloody sick of no plan to protect Max from cheap shots. I want to see an opposition player throwing up after some body work the next time they elbow Max in the head. And words cannot describe my sadness at the prospect of Max having that particular injury.

Goodwin confirmed on AFL 360 that he carried a back injury into the game, which was worsened early in the game when Cox jumped into him and the also rolled an ankle. Goodwin confirmed he would've been subbed out but as he left the field Turner was concussed and Petty got hurt so Max got to complete his duties. Gutsy effort by the legend.