SaberFang

Resting Oliver did the trick. I note that Essendon rested Parish this round as well.

Is it bad that I had a horrible sinking feeling the moment Gold Coast narrowed our lead to 43 points? MFCSS.

PUT A TEAM AWAY MELBOURNE! DESTROY THEM! This is exactly what we need to set up the rest of our season. Go for the jugular and don't put the cue in the rack!

Think McCartney needs to do some work here. Just remember his instructions to Clarry before round 1: see ball, get ball. The end. Worked a treat.

It's strange. I had a sick feeling in my stomach before the Essendon and St Kilda games, but had no such anxiety going into every other match, including today. Maybe it's just indifference, but at least I'm not feeling sick to my stomach that something truly awful is about to unfold today. Maybe I have a sixth sense!

Likewise, had no idea why any club went so hard at Aish. He is a clone of Toumpas.

Geez, Collingwood are in serious trouble if Levi Casboult is kicking goals.

And after all his whinging about that meanie Paul Roos for playing him in defence last year, when all he wanted to do was lazily hang in the forward line waiting for the midfield to do all the work for him. After all, didn't Bucks promise Howe that his defending days were over at the Pies? Dear oh dear, we have sold them a lemon!

Why do we always get teams on the rebound?? It almost never ends well (anyone forgotten playing Essendon after the Saints thrashed them by 100 points last year?) This game is no sure thing and I'm terrified of what our defenders will serve up this week. Though not as terrifying as playing the Bulldogs next week if Adelaide thump them tonight. God help us if Stringer's poor form continues and he spends a week under the media spotlight.

Blues by 30.

The third man up situation was the Saints way of negating Gawn's influence, was it not?

I just don't understand anyone thinking we should rush back Trengove after that injury. Deserves a solid 10 block of games in the VFL at an absolute minimum. The form of the seniors isn't even relevant to the discussion; I'm far more concerned about him building a legitimate match fitness before he comes near AFL again. The last thing you want is his confidence crushed upon debut if he can't keep up with his teammates.

ANB is bloody stiff. Stretch and Michie over him? Not to mention leaving Hunt and Wagner in the team who contributed to our shocking defence last week?

Dunn couldn't stay in the team, completely out of form and was atrocious last week. Arguably Garland was out of form, was dropped, rediscovered his form at Casey and now deserved his spot in the team.

Our offense, mainly Kent and Garlett, better be firing on all cylinders this week because I've got big concerns about our defense. Could well be a shoot out if Lynch is firing.

He'll be on 200k or he won't be on our list. Injury riddled and simply doesn't impact games like he should.

I thought that "mystery benefactor" picked up the tab on ASADA's legal bills, and Hird was just greedily trying to get the money back in his pocket regardless?

Don't forget that Gold Coast have a first round pick riding on our ladder position. They'll be desperate to beat us.

Caro on our side tonight on Footy Classified, calling the Etihad situation with us having to play a home game there an absolute farce when the MCG is our home. We already sell two of our home games to NT yet still play at that shithole for a home game (and this year we play the Saints twice there!) Farcical, but good to see Caro sticking up for us.

Is there a reason we're persisting with Frost as a forward when we have Hogan, Watts and Pedo with much better forward smarts? Heck, even Gawn is monstrous down there. We're completely falling apart in defence; we need an athletic, hard-working defender back there.

Well, coincidence or not, every team who played Anzac Eve or Anzac Day lost this round.

But it also means West Coast are 3-3 with us and makes our chances of getting into the 8 far greater. So conflicted!

Shuey is notorious for staging. It's long overdue that the MRP should start dishing out fines for that behaviour.

Ludicrous simplification of a point that several posters raised as a concern during the week. We had an entire team, bar Petracca, coming off a 5.5 day break. So far every team who played Sunday night or Monday has lost this round; it didn't take a genius to realise that closely monitoring player energy levels was crucial this week, and we needed a team of fresh legs yesterday. Conversely, the Saints had a 6 day break and made 3 changes to their squad. Would Oliver alone have been a difference yesterday between winning and losing? No. Did anyone have a crystal ball that Kent and Garlett and Kennedy would be completely ineffective? Of course not. But if Demonland posters can identify the short turnaround between games as a concern for player fitness, why didn't the coaches? And if they did why were no changes made, especially when Roos conceded they didn't even choose a squad with consideration for the radically different deck (and one we're notorious losers at, no less)?

Realistically, North only need another 6 wins to play finals. But I agree with the sentiment; they haven't really beaten anyone good and we nearly beat them when we were 'on'. Gold Coast easily the biggest pretenders though, nowhere near it and we will certainly finish above them on the ladder.