Wiseblood

I feel as though you guys expect us to never let teams score, ever. 8 goals and great footy isn't enough? There is no pleasing some people.

Super first term. Just fantastic stuff. You could argue the Saints got some very soft goals as well. We made them work very hard for them. Backline working very well and our half forwards are putting on some manic pressure, getting to the right spots and are also hitting the scoreboard. Only disappointing aspect was our clearance work, especially in the middle. We let the Saints get their hands on it too often.

7 first term goals with 5 minutes left? Yes, please.

And welcome back, Jeff! Ripping footy from us at the moment!

Welcome back, Dom!

Melksham has two already, picking up where he left off from a fortnight ago. Absolutely loving his work in the forward line.

Centre clearance work has been poor early. Saints are poo, though.

Saints already getting kissed on the dick by a fairy with the umpires.

Great play from Petracca. Too good and too bloody clever. Made Carlisle look like a VFL player.

You know your depth stinks when Fox Footy is naming Hugh Goddard as a 'notable absentee'.

Garlett's playing tonight... unless I missed something?

McDonald and Harmes out isn't surprising, although it means we have at least 5 of our best 22 missing tonight. Makes it even sweeter when we roll them.

The concert is sold out.

Not at all my old pal. I'm happy to give reasoned responses to those who give them as well. I take umbrage to those who offer nothing more than shallow, out of date and thoughtless observations that they repeat ad nauseum. You work out which category you fall in. Good luck.

Just with the bolded part, Jim - I agree. I agree that the jury is out on the team,. especially with our finish to 2017. It's up to them to make sure we learn from it, build from it and never let it happen again. The part I was disagreeing with you on was more that we won't see exactly the same 22 come Round 1. We've got players who are coming back from injury, who are fitter than last year and, hopefully, much mentally stronger than how we finished off the season. It will make a heck of a difference for us and ensures that we are going in with close to the same team in name only. So much has happened since then, much of which they will have learned from in a big way.

We'll be able to drop the 3 from this by season's end.

There are a few things that have changed since then: Jesse Hogan is back to full fitness and he has put a horror year behind him. Even if he doesn't play Round 1, Viney is over his foot issues and he's ready to go. We've added Jake Lever to our backline, which has allowed us to now fully release Tom McDonald to play as a permanent forward. Our kids have all got another pre-season under their belt and the pain of Round 23 will spur them on. They are just a few examples, but while they are the same names on paper, I do believe it will be a different side, both mentally and physically, lining up for us in Round 1.

Also I've never rated Jon Pierik or Peter Ryan in their assessments of any team. Muppets.

"If they weren't called Melbourne, we'd all believe" It's hard to argue with that. His assessment is excellent though, and does put into perspective the list we are building. If we can get over the mental hurdle of making the finals then the sky is the limit for this team.

North showing their true colours tonight - they'll be competitive in games up until half time and then fall away. They haven't looked like it at all since mid-way through the second term. The Tigers look as though they'll do a better job than the Doggies did in defending their flag, but they are still a beatable side.

Don't sweat it, mate. The only reason it got this far was because one poster couldn't handle the fact you had a scoop and he didn't. We all know how petty he is, so just ignore it.

Get better soon, Jeff. Life is pretty darn fragile, and this is a prime example of it. Let's hope he is back on his feet soon and makes a full recovery.

The fact that we got Lever on a cheaper deal than the Greene one speaks volumes for how good Josh Mahoney and co. look for what they were able to do over the off season. Fantastic stuff.

Clearly we have no respect or recognition from any players in the league and I'm indignant at this. Am I doing it right? For the record, I expect Oliver, Hogan, Viney, Petracca, Gawn, Lever, T McDonald, Hibberd, Jetta and Jones to be in the Top 10 when it's released.

I have us romping it in for the flag. Get stuffed, Blighty.