deespicable me

As long as it's the last time for this season we can live with it. They should be fit enough, but of course injuries now become really problematic. Hopefully our round 18 and 19 fixtures offer an 8 day break

I think we are on track to be there at the end but there is a long way to go yet and although we have booked a top 8 spot, we haven't as yet booked a top 4 spot. If you look at the draw (and ignore covid relocations for teams) Brisbane have the easiest of draws. They could easily finish top 2 and become flag favorites. If we falter and say only win 5 of our last 8 games, which is feasible, we could finish 3rd or 4th or maybe even 5th, although we'd be unlucky, but keep in mind there are 5 teams looking for a top 4 berth and the only one I'd book in is Brisbane (and they're about to go into a hub!). It's nice on top of the ladder, but there is a lot of jostling to go and then a finals series begins. Long way to go. At the moment we are flying under the radar and are $5.50 equal second favorite for the flag. In six weeks time we might be out to $7- or $8- if we don't keep improving and in fact show signs of drop-off, coz the good teams will have had a long time to have a good look at us and will definitely have plans to beat us. Playing Dogs and Cats again will tell everyone a lot and until then we can't claim diddly, and then until we win something we can't claim diddly and with 8 weeks to go we certainly can't claim diddly, so stay calm and enjoy the ride and let people have their opinions coz in the end they may be right.

Yeah, I'd definitely hand back the win over the Crows for a victory over the Bombers.

Gee the arrogance to play Ryan, no. 32 Hardwick just thinks he can create footballers out of thin air. His first contest was too physical for the poor bloke. He's barely VFL standard. And Dusty just doesn't think he needs to chase anymore. One way runner and barely that. Certainly not in my AA team. Trac and Bont and even Toby Green have gone straight past him. With respect to his three premiership medals and Norm Smiths and B&F's etc but in 2021 he's dropped right off. I think they might finish 9th at best.

Fair dinkum, they are a weak mob. Out ; nancy health officialdom In; Darwin

If we are the real deal and not just a first half of the season front runner we have to and should win this game albeit against a side who will bring in a youthful enthusiasm and a hunger to beat the top team that will be hard to quell. There are 3 other top eight clashes this week with Brizzy v Cats, West Coast v Dogs and Port v Suns. This is the time to put distance on rivals. This is what teams capable and committed to winning the top prize would do. If we win this week we are that much closer to sewing up a top 4 spot and well favored to finish top 2. Drop this one and we let others in. This is about understanding the competition and what victory means. We should have good plans to stop Essendon, shut them down, get the game on our terms and win at all cost. If we come out like against Collingwood I will be super disappointed. If we lose we are probably still too immature yet to win the flag.

They have been in lock down so can't go anywhere or be with anyone and you can't suggest there wouldn't be enough players putting their hand up to play this weekend. That is a non-argument Dazzle

It was their first 4 quarter game all season. 4 quarters of crap. Playing like millionaires, they've completely forgotten how they played to get where they are. Completely lost their synergy. Didn't play as a group at all. Gawn was off in la la land for the first half. This is Goodwins big test. Clearly our worst game for the year. Does he [censored] them on the track? Give them a rest? At least they go to the break knowing they are a long way off a flag yet.

I did the survey but found the last question inherently racist. It asks you to describe yourself and suggests "white Australian" etc. I answered Australian. If you answered white Australian you aligned yourself with the question, took the bait and are now considered inherently racist. Your views will be collated accordingly. I mean what does it matter what colour I am as to how I answer the survey. I am Australian.

Please...........

Given the "darlings" of the AFL the Bulldogs are so favored you would have to reckon' The Bont is leading the Brownlow. They might struggle to stay top 4 if that +32 gets evened up over the second half of the year. I'm glad we're close to even, it means the fools in yellow don't enter a game thinking they've got to limit the frees to us.

I hope they can map out a program that has him ready to run through brick walls in the prelim. What that looks like with his foot I'm not sure but it looks like he might struggle to play all games so give him the Clark Keating (triple premiership player for the Lions who only played about 10 home and away games) treatment. While Harmes is doing his job he possibly isn't needed and it's also good to get games into Sparrow, but of course Jack Viney makes us a better side.

Seperation If we win we will be 3 games clear of them and should be confident of a top two spot If they win there is only one game the difference and with a closing pack right on our heels. It's easy to feel comfortable on top of the ladder but this year there are at least 5, maybe 6 teams who can get into the top 4 and hopefully the players are as focussed this week as they were against the Dogs. Lions are a genuine contender. They have improved from last year, are more mature in terms of big game pressure having been in the prelim last year and have their eyes firmly on the prize. They will be very focussed on beating us and putting doubt into a first year finals contender (us). I think we're up to it but this is the toughest test for us yet. In the Richmond and Dogs games we virtually had the last quarter off having controlled the game in the third. Tomorrow night there will be no such luxury. Lions will keep coming. I think it is a game for individual brilliance to shine when all the chess pieces are locked down so for us this is the perfect game for Kossie to shine bright. I'm hoping he can kick 3 or 4 and be the difference in a tight game decided by only a few points. Demons by 3.

So does Kye stop playing for Werribee and now play for Casey?

So Jeff Kennett has come out and said , it's all a disaster, too hard to make happen and we should call the season off. I say having been through the years of non-competitiveness and having to watch Hawthorn win flag after flag he can suffer through. In fact I think he should be strapped to a chair and have his eyelids pried open and watch the Hawks 2021 season on repeat, for the rest of the year. Happy days Jeff. I hope you get the opportunity to remain president for 3 of the next 5 spoons. Wouldn't that be lovely.

12 of Robbo's AA 22 are playing Friday night, that's pretty impressive in itself. Almost a State of Origin game!

From my experience watching good teams (not us until this year mostly) you see players develop within the team, because they want to be a part of it and they gain confidence from the other team members in a winning side. Sam is not an Alpha male, which is one of the most common traits of super good forwards, Dixon, Carey and Johnathon Brown for example. Good sides have the luxury of patience and Sam will come good, I'm pretty sure of it. The other good thing about good sides is they develop players better. Look at Jordan, ANB in career best (Alpha male), Harmes has never used the ball better (was a turnover merchant), Rivers in career best, Jacko in need of work but given the time to develop on the go. Even Clarry is in career best form. We trust our coaching staff and they are building a very impressive strike rate of player improvement across the board. They will be on to Weidemann and it is the one area of the ground that if we improve even further should take us to the holy grail. Weid is a tough one coz he's not a natural, he's not even a man yet, but I trust our staff to do the job.

Yes, Rivers is the other match - up for Cameron. He did a good job on the dogs small forward in Weightman who got one goal and one other where he got away and should have kicked a goal, but Rivers really hurt him the other way and overall took the points. Cameron though is another step up. Hibbo and Riv might share it.

I'm very glad we have him in the side rather than No. 41 (Sweet) from Dogs. How was his effort to pick up the ball I think in the third. Wow, if he was a Melbourne player I think Demonland would have melted down by now and there'd be 276 pages on how he should never play for the MFC again.

Maybe if they handed out rotten tomatoes and got Joffa to parade around the MCG in an open vehicle at half time we could attract a few more.

Hibberd will be on Cameron.

Just on that game. I watched most of it and thought the players to impress in order were Sparrow, Lockhart, Jones then Chandler then Baker. Rosman looks good as a developing player and does some things that you would think can translate to AFL level but I'm pretty sure he won't be called on this year. Sparrow deserves a game and I think Lockhart may have passed Nev in the pecking order but he still does some risky things and under extreme heat may be a bit dodgy against a Charlie Cameron so I don't think they'll throw him into the furnace yet, but I would like to see him get a go at some stage and the Salem to the wing is quite a good idea (but dodgy groins and an uninspiring game against the dogs ) may rule that out too. Baker is almost the opposite of Gus in that he hasn't developed his defensive game much at all. You can see he just wants to kick a goal. I'm not convinced with Baker. Chandler is probably third in line behind Sparrow and Jones. I think Jones is probably the best choice against a seasoned hard-nosed side like the Lions.

Good work RGRS. A few prank calls to help get through lock-down is an excellent idea. Better than baking sour dough. I actually hope we can get to the game. I'm pretty engaged with the footy at the moment (obviously) and this game is the real deal. They were fluffers the dogs, with no crowd and their pathetic effort it was an anti-climax but this Friday is the game of the year. Lions are the real deal. I'd love to go.

For all you Hunt, Melksham, Gus and Fritta droppers week on week, I would have to say our worst player tonight was Salem. Shall we drop him? Salem out, he was awful Anyone in Hows that?

Yeah, I agree. For such a running machine soft tissue injury can ruin your season. He looked bright enough after the game so hopefully not a bad concussion. Was starting to think he was becoming dangerously irreplaceable he was playing so well, so it will be good to look at a plan B for the odd occasion he gets stopped. In fact I think they must have put work into stopping his play because he was nowhere near his influential best tonight.