Wiseblood

Super goal from a captain some on here dubbed as 'finished'. Great pressure early, challenge is to keep it up.

We're certainly more switched on than last week. Jacobs too tall there, we've got to do everything we can to not allow that to happen.

Vince running with Sloane which most of us wanted - let's hope he annoys the [censored] out of him all night.

Nothing more certain than T Mac missing that!

Handy start.

We've got both Roo and Dal Santo on commentary tonight. The mute button will be getting a work out tonight.

Started early? It's never actually finished! Good points ET, and it's up to us to make the most of it. We don't have the marking power, but if we can provide a contest then it gives us a big chance at ground level.

Wasn't his first game (he debuted in '97) but I recall that he kicked 4 goals as almost a lone hand in the forward line that day. I think even Mark Bradly kicked two goals that day. Sheesh.

That was against the Eagles in Perth. We were decimated by injuries to the point we had a Cockatoo-Collins in the side. I still remember Stephen Tingay kicking the sealer in that one, it was a ripper of a win. As you say, we'll need something of the same to win tonight.

I'd change things up and get him to run with Laird all night as a defensive forward. Buggy has shown that he can kick a goal or two and he keeping Laird quiet would certainly stop their run from half back. It won't happen but it would be good if it did.

Good points, titan, and it will be up to our midfielders to lower their eyes and to work hard into space. If we get the ball to the wing, hold on for too long and then just bomb it long then we are in for a night of frustration. We will need to run our backsides off to chop off that ball out the back, but I can see us working hard for little reward and then feeling deflated when they kick a couple of cheap ones.

Thanks mate, I know all that. I just thought it was an interesting way to spend your evening by sitting down and just focusing on that.

Interesting way to spend your evening, Steve. You sound a little bit like 'Digger' from the Coodabeen Champions: "I'll be keeping stats, on the umpires... I've got outrageous mistakes, shocking decisions and OH MY GOD!" You could probably apply all of those to the McDonald brothers at some stage this evening.

Funnily enough it doesn't really scare me either - we've proven in every game this year that we can find enough goals to win games, it's the other way that worries me a little. We can reel back a few, but I'm sure if we can reel back anything over 5. If we let the Crows maul us early we may find it hard to work ourselves back into the contest.

This will sound very obvious, but the first quarter will be the key. The Crows will want to come out and smash us from the first bounce and prove a point after last week - if we allow it to happen they could have 8 goals on the board by quarter time and the game is effectively over. On the flip side, if we come out ready to play (as we should every week, but I digress) and we can match them then it's game on. The Crows wilted under the pressure last week and showed they aren't all that flash at responding when the pressure is on. If we can play like we did in the third term from the first bounce tonight then we're in with a shot. If not then it could get very ugly, very quickly.

You watch - Boyd will live off that GF performance for the rest of his career. He could do sweet FA from here and everyone will constantly say 'but he did play well in a GF'.

I'm going in with zero expectations, as the Crows on their home turf are a scary proposition for any side at the moment, but I'm still looking forward to the contest. I feel as though our midfield, especially around the contest, can easily match it with theirs and even though we're missing Hogan and Gawn, we are still fielding a pretty strong side. We may get smashed, but I don't think it will happen. Very much looking forward to seeing a few step up tonight to make the Crows earn it for 4 quarters.

Kennedy is the smartest forward in the competition. The reason he gets so many lead up marks is how well he uses his leading patterns to do so. He reads the play so well up the ground and this allows him to get so many of those lead up marks. I won't change your mind, and we'll agree to disagree, but Kennedy is alongside Buddy as the best forwards in the comp, and that makes him at the very least a great player.

So if we're basing a forward's ability on the ball use they get from the midfield, who is a great player then? I'm assuming then that Buddy is just a 'good' player in your book due to the silver service the Swans give him? Same goes for someone like Jeremy Cameron as well?

He may get some good ball use, but the bloke is a gun. You don't win Coleman Medals, and I want to emphasize the 'medals' part, unless you are a seriously good player. You aren't giving him nearly enough credit.

It's still 1975 in his mind.

It takes talent though. Serious talent that he's worked on over the years - he can turn any point, any thread or any topic into something he can have a dig at the club about. He can draw a bow so long that you almost can't believe it and then.... twang.

You know he's suggesting that, and we all know he's wrong.

True OD, I probably didn't look at it closely enough. Long day!

Old iron hands would have done little more than someone like Weideman. We're very good at revisionist history round these parts.