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I'm cynical enough to believe that the AFL are bending over backwards to rebrand Essendon as the darling of the competition. I prefer to remember and see them as a club that systematically used performance enhancing drugs to cheat the competition. In short, I hate them.

Darwin Bombers?

Lots of people worried about Spargo over Jeffy, but little mention of Hunt. Hunt is about as ‘zippy’ as they get; I reckon he’ll find his calling in the forward 50 once he gets a consistent run at the role.

Actually most significant days are September. So long as we are there and not Essendon.

1. People bagging Spargo over Stretch. Do you realise they are not the same type on player ? Spargo the small forward & Stretch a midfielder. They are not comparable, Spargo may not have had a lot of footy last week but we have had issues of retaining the ball inside 50 which was better last week, forward line functioned better. May not be all to do with Spargo but why change a successful forward mix from last week. 2. "Saints beat us with leg speed last year cry cry cry". No, they beat us on merit, we had an off day & they were better on the day. 3. People saying Lewis isn't best 22 or why is he been picked... He is still be 22, his direction & ball use across half back is hugely under rated, please tell me who takes his place ? May & Lever will take Frost/Wagner/Hore. Plus he hasn't even played a game in 2019 yet so how about people give him a month to see what he's producing

Calm your [censored] m8. Spargo is a good young player.

Words do not come close to describing how much i hate Essendrug, the fact that certain Media outlets want them to be my “Second” team is just plain insulting Those bastards got away with it, and we are supposed to applaud their return. Never Forget

I'm stoked Lewis is back. Same for Jetta. Bags of experience, footy nous, courage, skill... you name it, these guys can both bring it to the table. Lewis isn't winning any 100 metre sprints for the rest of his career, but his footy brain more than makes up for it. And we've seen both ANB and Oscar dropped over the past fortnight. Maybe Goodwin is finally running out of patience with these guys as well? I think it's a good sign, though. As fans we have seen it, and it's nice to know that the coaches see it as well.

.....permanently.

Why did both Collingwood and Essendon get 7 and 6 day breaks respectively for ANZAC day and us and Richmond only get 4 day breaks. We should have been given Thursday/Friday games.

With Oscar dropped, Josh Wagner has been promoted to No.1 whipping boy. With his confidence and form as bad as it had been, just about anyone would have been better than Oscar the past month. One thing I'm quite comfortable that Wagner will give is 100% effort, commitment to the football and create a contest. Conversly, I'm struggling with all the instantaneous love for Jeffy after soo many here completely [censored] canned him most of last season. Quite happy for a desperate Jeffy to absolutely bang the door down at Casey, get rested in the last quarter and come in fresh against Richmond.

We're better in the back half with Lewis and Jetta in it and with OMac out of it. I feel for Stretch, only getting one crack at it, but he unfortunately didn't take much of his chance last week.

Stretch was not good last week, his direct opponents were Heeney/ Florent they flogged him all night... deserves to be dropped.

Stretch is not fast, not sure why so many think he offers pace. He is aerobically fit, so he can run long distances. But he is not fast and is not powerful in his running movement. Oscar is slow and is stinking it up generally and St Kilda have a small forward line so Lewis and Jetta make sense as ins. Lewis offers some composure with ball in hand also. Jetta can lock down on Gresham hopefully. St Kilda's hard running will only hurt us if we're poor with our ball use. Anything like the first three rounds and we lose. I'm not confident because of our form but if we can link up well through all areas and if we're efficient inside 50, we should have a comfortable win. Their back six is sketchy.

Essendon,Collingwood,Richmond, (usually) are spared the handicap of playing at Geelong,the venue that Victorian taxpayers funded, but only Geelong members can fit in.

If you think Hodge's worth to the Lions is based purely on his on-field output you are sadly mistaken. Yes he looked slow last night but the pies are fast. Hodge is the backline general who along with the coach know the game plan intimately. It is even more critical having bloke's like Hidge and Lewis in the side when there are no runners allowed on to the field. They are getting to the end of their careers but can still have very valuable input into developing sides.

Yes, I hope Mrs McDonald is OK too. FFS are you really worried about TMac because his little brother was dropped? His little brother has been poor for quite a while. Needs to learn his craft at Casey, not the seniors.

The last time we played the Aints we had an extra slow mid field rotation running with Tyson in. While not super fast this time around either we have a mid field that is more settled now without those constant Tyson ins/outs every once in a while which made us extra slow in the middle IMO and drew more attention / tackles / pressure from the opp mids making it even harder for all concerned to clear the congestion to our advantage as often as we usually would (with Tyson out). In addition Petty came in for his one and only game and was severely exposed and out of sorts down back. It was his first game but it was a horror and unfortunately for him and us it effectively left us a man short down back. Saints saw this and confidence went through the roof. They new if they could get it down there quickly enough they would have a great chance of converting. They also new Oscar and Louis weren't quick enough to cover off for Petty if the ball came in quickly. Hore seems like a much more likely prospect so far and less likely to be severely exposed. We also have a different look with the twin towers in plus Frosty able to run lines off HB, close down on his opponent quickly and Hunt providing some zip leading into space up forward along with some chase down pressure. My biggest concern is Spargo over Jeffy. With Pruess in we need someone to play a specialist crumbing role off the big man (as well as Big M if resting there) as well as pressuring and running down opponents to lock the ball in. This is a perfect Jeffy cameo role in the offing. He knows where the goals are and loves to kick em. He has big men to feed off....the incentive is there and the rewards very enticing if he works hard enough. Hopefully we don't look back and regret this decision and we are running away with it well nearing the final siren. If it comes down to a few points, like the last time we played them, this might end up being a significant error by Goody & the FD. Spargo will need to play a very special game to justify being picked in front of Jeffy. Finger's and toes crossed he brings it.

He seems to be the current whipping boy. He had twice the possessions of Spargo but is out. He is not getting a continuous run at it and in that scenario you are nervous in your game, thinking that one mistake and you are out. He is no champion, but has pace and disposal skill, something we lack and the Saints don't. I can't see Lewis playing saturday and wednesday night after a hammy return. Maybe he will be a late out and Billy comes back in. Maybe they want Billy for the Tigers. If Billy is not getting games during the year, I think he will leave. We were flat footed against the Saints at the G last year and that is my big fear saturday.

I encourage you to review the impact that spargo’s Offensive possessions had - its pretty clear

Vote of confidence in " the entire Wagner family "too. Well done lads.

Imagine spending your war chest on Jared Polec.

I think we are developing still. We made a prelim but so what. We can't yet put weaker sides away regularly. That will come. I am not buying the flag favourite tag, that's complete BS. We could move on pretty rapidly though and I get your point about having a Hodge or Lewis when we get there.

I bet if we do win one he will be a key part of it.

he works hard to get from contest to contest. but he is: not slow but not quick doesn't break the lines can't hit targets by foot doesn't put on enough defensive pressure is limited to being able to play one role, purely as a midfielder he's unfortunately proved to be entirely vanilla as a footballer at this point - he's like jkh in that regard

Same reason as why Collingwood hasn't played at Geelong for 20 years and we seem to get that honour every season - it isn't a level playing field

Too passive far too passive. No, it's not. Its up to Oscar to go back to VFL, and then to try to discover his weaknesses... get to know them and understand them, and to learn to overcome his deficiencies. Only then, can he become truly stronger, and his confidence will then grow into a real self-belief. Blowing warm air up his shorts, is not going to help him.

Can’t think of any other time Essendon have broken the rules...

You forget the Dream Time Game against Richmond & The Farm Game against Jeelong Essendrug have a dream run considering the past few years bastards should have spent 10 years in the amateur league as far as i am concerned

Pace is an overrated attribute. It only matters if you get hands on the ball. When we lose to quick teams it’s generally because we lose clearances / contested possession or turn it over. If we bring our best game, nobody makes us look slow.

Hunt is looking very good as a forward. I admit I thought he would be a total bust there, but hes doing great. If he can continue to improve the team will be so much more dangerous.

He might be a bit slow Sisso, but check out his numbers for last year: Disposals 540 (4th for our team) Kicks 285 (3rd) Marks 115 (4th) Handballs 255 (4th) Uncontested possessions 349 (3rd) Intercept possessions 155 (1st) Not bad for an old man.

Experience is sometimes under rated. The youngsters may be fast, but their decision making can be poor, making them look like they are panicking under pressure. Now runners are not allowed on the ground, a player like Lewis can be invaluable to guide and settle the troops. From what Goodwin said, this is the role he is expected to do. I am not unhappy with his inclusion.

Talk of Umpires ,maybe we could get special permission for Clarrie toto wear black & white and he will get all the free kicks going, based on Brisbane vs AFL Umpiring panel game currently under way.

I think the biggest issue with stretch is his lack of confidence with the ball. Watching the swans replay every time he got a mark he looked like he wanted to keep going, but ended up going back on his mark and then kicking long down the line. It’s a real momentum killer for a team that is at its most dangerous when it moves the ball quickly (ie second quarter vs the bombers).

Spargo is still chasing Jeffys dust. Spargo is small, but he’s got poor-average pace and doesn’t hit the scoreboard. He’s more of a natural midfielder and isn’t suited to the small forward role. We need Jeff in the team. He’s the most proven goal kicker on our list and offers elite speed.

It has been amazing that the 'professional' umpires so far this season do not 'see' Clarrie doing the best work a footballer could possibly do whilst simultaneously being interfered with and man-handled against the rules for an entire game - or two or three. The number of frees deserved and not awarded is quite staggering, watching the replays and concentrating on just one player - Clarrie. Another season of selective attention and selective inattention by the green snot goblins this year, to meet an AFL dictate?

Maybe he won't make it at another club, and is better off and content with being handy depth when the coach requires it. Why can't players make a career of providing 5-10 games of injury cover per year while making the VFL side strong with consistent performances? Every club needs their Brendan Whitecrosses of this world

Good to see OMAC back at Casey. Glad we didn't bring in a tallish defender as the saints are not that tall. I would have kept Stretch and probably dropped Spargo. Stretch needs a decent run in the senior side.

How come we need to change 2 players and West Coast only one MFC IN Lewis , Jetta WCE IN: Lewis Jetta

So frost is our number 1 defender now, need may and lever back ASAP

They don't. The algorithm they use sets the odds based on the flow of money. In simple terms, if the bookies have us at shorter odds than St Kilda it's because they are holding more money backing Melbourne to win. In other words, the punters indirectly set the odds. But your point remains...why do the punters have us as favourites?

I can't help thinking that when the effects of this really starts to bite, the AFL will somehow manage to find a way to give salary cap relief to the Swans. Maybe indirectly, or maybe they'll brazenly erase the $$$$ left over when Buddy hangs up the boots. On COLA, the concept was okay, but the AFL didn't think it through. Instead of allowing normal contract negotiations and then the AFL paying each player 10% on top, they let the clubs stockpile the collective 10% to splurge on one or two players. (The Swans can't really complain about the end of COLA, though, as it was them that tried to warp the system.)

Experience is also overrated when it's inclusion is built on memories past... If anyone watched Hodge last night & didn't buy into the Bruce...Hodgy BS, you would have seen a great player past his use by date. The Pies ran rings around him & all the experience & guidance in the world doesn't cover that up. He wasn't on his own last night of course but his experience added nothing & had them one man down from the start. Injury then added to that. If we are to be a serious finals contender then someone else needs to take the leadership role down back. We can't afford to carry a tour guide. Lewis like Hodge has gone one or two seasons too many...

Omac dropped. I didn't see that coming. I got it wrong on him not being dropped this year. He'll be back soon enough. Probably come in as an emergency this week.

I hear the Umpires have been told that because St kilda are a run and carry side, they will be given the benefit of the doubt in this game on how far they can run, so be prepared for it. This was one of Max's straight arm games are a NO NO, so be prepared for those free kicks against the big fella as well. If Oliver is ever to get free kicks paid to him this should be the game, just going by the First Four Games that he was being interfered against. ie held, tripped and hit.

Great to see Omac finally dropped. He needs to work on his game but needs to do it in the seconds not the senior side. Hopefully he gets into form and comes back but only when he is well and truely in form.

Love the changes, though would liked to have seen one of Garlett or Lockhart in. Yeah we look short down back, but T Mac can go down there in case of emergency. Not like hes doing anything up forward.

Stretch will never make it if he isn’t given some time in the seniors.

Disappointed that Garlett or Lockhart didn’t get a look in.