Wiseblood

Salem?

That always happens though - if you read through that game thread you had the usual suspects going overboard with how bad we are. There is rarely anything in between - we either suck completely or we're looking absolutely sensational. GWS looked terrific last night and I'm not overly confident, but, the game is on our home turf and (touch wood) we are pretty close to full strength ourselves at the moment. If we can keep that up then we are every chance.

Who are the gun jumpers? All I said was that the opportunity to win our first 2 games is not out of the realms of possibility, and no potentially no Mumford helps in that regard.

Fair point rjay. However, a win to kick off the season and to give us some momentum going in to face the drug cheats is what I'm after at this stage. Going 2-0 would be a superb way to get our season rolling and I'll take it any way we can.

I feel the same way. Never good to see players injured, but he is a possible 'out' that could swing the game in our favour. The one thing GWS did well tonight was with their forward pressure. Often they forced the Swans to kick the ball forward blindly and they were able to hit them quickly on the rebound. Their run, of course, is also a strength and we will need to negate this to put ourselves in a good position to win.

Hogan putting off contract talks is a pessimistic supporters wet dream. Just chill. Plenty of water to go under the bridge yet.

I agree - the win has value. Just not as much as when the real stuff starts. The club knows what it is doing. They are probably more concerned with how we play within the structures, giving some players a run and a chance at claiming a spot in the 22, than the actual result. A pre-season loss won't get to the players too much I would have thought.

I think the club would prefer to head into the season with players like Hogan in top condition. Same goes for Jones and Vince. It isn't a big deal that he is being rested - I'd rather us do it now when there are no points up for grabs than doing it when it matters.

He only kicked 1 last week with minimal impact and we went alright. You are welcome to look at a positive at some stage Curry, it might do you good.

If he doesn't get up for Round 1 then he'll be right for 2 or 3. Plus if it ends up being a few weeks longer to be safe and to make sure he is right to go then I'd rather that than him going down with something worse.

Exactly. When you think about the injuries to Petracca last year and Hogan the year before, this seems like the best news possible. Fingers crossed he can somehow be ready for Round 1. He's done the pre-season so his fitness base should still be okay.

A bit of luck to kick off a season. That's nice for a change!

He isn't though. Kennedy and Bugg were recruited for a reason and will play before Harmes.

Rubbish argument and you know it.

While it seems he did get a scan after all, I'll still back the medical team to make the right decision. You know, the medical team who are qualified to make it and not the armchair ones on forums.

You've lost the plot. I wasn't making any sort of point at all, it was just an off hand comment in reply to dazzle's post. Stop taking yourself so seriously.

Or his brother, for that matter.

Without going over the top with panic, it seems it's a bit of a fluff article that has been taken from comments made by Jones. Nothing from his manager or himself for that matter. He hasn't even put off talks - just that he will take his time. I'm not panicking.. I promise...

I hate the Druggos, but seeing Carlton kick 1 goal in a half against a team of top ups is hilarious. Granted, Carlton are missing some of their best players, but that's no excuse for only being able to kick 1 goal against a backline of players who weren't even in the AFL last year.

I love how your first sentence is simply you being pedantic about grammar, and then you need to edit your own work for a mistake. Classic.

That's not how we roll here at Demonland though Bob. There are 'doctor's' littered all over this site who'll be able to determine what's happened without scans or actually being there. Let them have their fun!

I agree in part Clint, although I think in the first half there were some nervous and rusty footballers running around out there. When our skills got better as the game wore on so did our impact on the scoreboard. Let's see how they do next week with a game under their belt.

I thought he looked good, although I'm not getting as excited as others by this performance. He isn't a lock for Round 1 at all as I believe once Jones, Vince and a fit Brayshaw return he may be squeezed out. Kennedy and Bugg showed that they will be handy additions as well so I believe Oliver may have to wait for his chance, although that's not a bad thing. Liked his composure though and he showed signs that he will be a very handy player for us sooner rather than later.

They showed the stat during the game.

You'll enjoy the replay Colin. While we still made a few mistakes along the way, the ball movement was terrific to see. When it works it looks fantastic. The pressure our forwards created also helped as well. The third quarter was a great example of how well we can play when that ball movement clicks.