Wiseblood

Yes there is. It's at Arden Street today.

I love Kane Cornes.

At the very least, it's worth tuning in to see how the Eagles go. Obviously it's on a practice game but it will be interesting to see how they go, who they play and where.

Let's hope it's their only chance as it means both Gawn and Viney stay injury free. And I'm proud to be called Moonie. Like the captains, might be the only chance I get.

A bit of a mix. There is no Higgins, Cunnington, Ziebell, Goldstein etc. but they do have some of their best 22 in there. Probably no different to us really. And we do have some Casey boys playing. One of them might be a ruckman, plus Daw plays in the backline now.

I don't really think it matters in a practice game, although one of those two would make sense, even if it is just to toss the coin. With the new approach they would expect everyone to step up and be a leader for the game. Good to see us giving the kids another run, while also getting some game time into those who have missed part of the pre-season. Outcome doesn't matter, the fitness is what we're after. I'd say we would play close to our strongest side next week in Tassie against the Hawks.

The club went with the narrative eventually, as it was a legit excuse, but we a - didn't want to use it as an excuse in the beginning and b - aren't the Bombers, who after the drugs scandal get plenty of love from the media to make up for it. I just see them as a team we should dispatch of easily and move on from in 2020.

I'm only playing if this guy is involved:

Still feel like he is capable of giving us something in the forward pocket.

I'm sure we will... when the time is right. As Doc mentions above, the focus at the moment needs to be on Maxy, and down the line Jack can talk about it when the focus isn't on the decision anymore. And even if we do hear from him, what's he going to say other than something like 'I'm disappointed but 100% behind Max and I can't wait to bring success to the club?' Even if he is fuming, he isn't going to say that to the media.

@Mach5 you've got to be happy with that comparison...

We both know that Petty and Brown are more than capable of playing down back. If there was an injury crisis, and let's hope that doesn't eventuate, then both Brown and Petty can be swung into defensive roles without an issue. Petty has played plenty of footy there while Mitch Brown is the modern day Cam Pedersen who can fill gaps all over the ground.

Great move by the club and by Trac. In this day and age, you can't blame either party for going for the 2 year deal. It allows Trac to hit free agency, while also giving the club flexibility. If we want him to sign on again then we need to continue to play finals footy and push for that ever elusive flag. I always love these signings though - nothing better than seeing one of your best players sign on and show massive faith in the club as a whole. With Gawn being installed as captain, it's been a positive few days for the club.

Can we fit Gawn, Jackson, Brown, Tom Mac and Weideman in the same team? I don't think we can. I do believe Brown will get a gig come Round 1. I'd say Gawn rucks 85% with a 15% chop out from Weid, while Brown and Tom Mac are the stay at home forwards. I'm excited for Jackson's future and think he could be a phenomenal player, but I just don't think he is quite ready just yet. Pickett, on the other hand, should have a spot come Round 1.

Yeah I'm really in the same boat - I'd much rather a win - but as this is an extra practice game, you would expect us to potentially rest more players, trial a few different things and so forth, so that's probably more important than the overall outcome in this instance.

You would expect that something along these lines will be the case. Being a practice game outside the Marsh Series, you'd think we might experiment a little, playing some for just a half or three quarters and so forth. Some of the older brigade might get a little more of a rest while some (like Hunt and Wagner) might get full games after missing out on the weekend and playing with Casey. If we come out if with no injuries and more game time in the legs then it's a big win regardless of the scoreboard.

I saw a great piece of opportunism and a player making the right decision when he only had a second to do so. That's footy smarts, and that's why he jagged that goal off the ground. I guess we see it in a way that suits our argument, though.

That's true, so it probably helps that we are just going with the one off the back of the square. When it works, it works super well, but I do agree that it does leave us open a little bit on the offensive end. I like that we're backing ourselves in though.

I know others have mentioned it, but I couldn't agree more Clint. I think it's a terrific move by the club. Jack spoke about how the club is full of leaders, and now is the time for them all to step up and play their role in turning our fortunes around.

Just on the centre bounce set up - when we had our big winning streak in 2018, it was off the back of this style of play. While we can't do two off the back of the square, it's clear that Goody still believes in this way of playing and getting one there is better than none. Often times it worked but, as you say, it didn't work every time. It never will. I'd like to go back to the vision to see if it was Jones who missed tackles every time, however I do recall one instance where the commentators mentioned that he missed a tackle that resulted in a Crows goal. That's not good enough for a senior member of the squad, but others made mistakes during the game as well. I've been a big believer that, by years end, one of the kids has hopefully pushed Jones out of the side. However, if he plays like he did on the weekend then it will be hard to get him out of the side. That won't be on the other players trying to get into the side, that will be because Jones is in good form. You don't drop players when they're up and about. Time will tell, as you say, but if we see the Jones from the weekend more often than not, then you would expect him to play close to every game this year.

I'm glad Jack is still vice-captain, and it sounds like the club handled the situation well in that they kept Jack in the loop the whole way and didn't just surprise him with it. I think Max is the right man for the job and he could very well lead us back into the finals this year.

I did the same over summer. You end up coming back to the season feeling refreshed, plus I have zilch to say in December and January.

Fair points there rjay. While I'm not one to put much credence in pre-season games (although the Dees polo has made it's first appearance of the working year this morning), when you reflect back on 2019 it's easy to see that we were well off the pace. I flippantly put it down to the pre-season blues, and the actual pre-season surgeries we had, but what we saw then rolled right into the real stuff a few weeks later. Here's hoping that Saturday is a sign that we're in a much better space than we were 12 months ago.

I wish there were another 20 episodes of this. It's ripping stuff. That effort to help Kozzie over the line was gripping, and it fills the heart with pride as a supporter to see them get around him and support him right through to the end.

Nothing short of sensational news. He loves the club and the feeling, from the club and us supporters, is mutual.