titan_uranus

This is correct. To remove all doubt, the position should go further and be that if you elect to bump and you make any contact to the head, you will be suspended for at least one week. That is, you will get one week for no injury. If there is a minor injury, it's two weeks, and the more severe the injury the more weeks you get.

I meant that they are one of only two teams who are on a winning streak against us, because unlike Adelaide and the Dogs last year we didn't get a chance to beat them after they beat us.

In Round 9 we've got West Coast in Perth in the Sunday twilight slot. I'd be pretty happy for Round 10 to be a Sunday game. Round 11 I could easily see our home game vs Fremantle being Saturday twilight - suits the WA audience but isn't prime time. Collingwood v Carlton and Sydney v Richmond will be getting the prime time slots you'd think. Round 12 we play Sydney at the G. Only Bulldogs v Geelong is a contender for prime time that round, on current form. So we could see back-to-back six-day breaks again, if we go Sunday v North into Saturday v Fremantle into Friday v Sydney. But then would have a 10-day break into Queen's Birthday.

GWS is one of two teams in the comp who currently have a winning record against us. We al thought we'd beat them last year, and we didn't. Surely we haven't forgotten that game.

Anyway, I suppose the only selection question now is whether Smith gets back in and, if so, who makes way. Smith didn't deserve to lose his spot but I'm not convinced he deserves to push Tomlinson or Hunt out of the 23.

Maybe we're giving him too much benefit of the doubt but I'd suspect it's an indication of how frustrated he was with what Williamstown were doing to him off the ball. Gaff's a fair player too but Fremantle got to him that day and he lashed out.

I’m with @DeeSpencer on this. Brown has to cop the suspension because he elbowed the bloke in the head, but let’s not rush to shame him because it looks like he was clumsy but didn’t intend to get him in the head, and the bloke was illegally blocking him a mile off the ball. I’d challenge the intentional grading if there wasn’t the option of a guilty plea reducing it by a week. Take the week, accept the error, remember not to throw elbows around, but be mindful of the context. He comes back for ANZAC Eve.

Don't get me wrong, I think we're the best side in it and I think our first four games have been fantastic given the opponents, the fixture, the back-to-back six day breaks and the missing players we've had. I'm incredibly pleased with where we sit and IMO we're playing football that is better than anyone else so far (our percentage exceeds everyone except Brisbane, who belted North by 100 points. We're nearly 10% clear of the rest of the competition). I just don't believe we're so far in front of Brisbane, Geelong or Sydney that it's a lay down misere, and even if we are that far in front, it doesn't guarantee anything.

I'm to say they won't go 4-2 against Brisbane, Geelong and Sydney. (Feel free to bump this post at the end of the year if they do)

The same Fremantle who struggled to put away a likely bottom 4 side in Adelaide? They trailed Richmond by more than 4 goals halfway through the third quarter, but then played 1.5 good quarters and won. Similar to the Fremantle game, where they trailed for the first 2.5 quarters but then playing 1.5 good quarters to win. Looks like they'll keep it up vs Hawthorn but still, I need to see more. Also just took a look at their fixture, and it's brutal. They have two games still to come against each of Brisbane, Geelong and Sydney, as well as still having to play us, Carlton and the Dogs, they have six more interstate games (one of which is their own home game in Cairns) and one of those two Geelong matches is in Geelong,

I'll believe it when I see it. They're all over Hawthorn but so was Carlton last week and Hawthorn fought back. Even assuming that doesn't happen, I maintain that Hawthorn's not a good side. It's clear now that beating Port Adelaide in Adelaide isn't what we thought it might have been. Their other win was vs North. I suspect Hawthorn is far more likely to be like Adelaide from 2021 than, say, us from 2021. Adelaide last year got off to a flyer, were 3-1, had beaten Geelong...then finished bottom 4. (FWIW, Collingwood may fall into the same sort of bracket - I'm not sure they're fit or good enough to keep playing the way McRae's had them playing so far this year). St Kilda look like they may be a solid side from the mid third of the ladder but I'm more than happy to reserve judgment until the end of the year to see if they produce consistent football.

We're going to lose at some point this year. IMO, we'll drop one of the next four (GWS, Richmond, Hawthorn, St Kilda), despite them all being at the MCG. We've been up for a while, we're still unsettled personnel-wise in defence, and Petracca's learning to play through hard tags. When we do lose, I suspect many of those who have said in this thread that there's daylight between us and the rest of the competition are going to regret saying that. Besides which, there are plenty of examples in history of dominant H&A sides not winning it. St Kilda went 19-0 in 2019, finished 20-2, and didn't win it. Richmond was 19-3 in 2018 and didn't win it. Adelaide was the best H&A side in 2017 and didn't win it. Port was on top of the ladder literally every week in 2020 and didn't win it.

I think this is as good an argument as any as to why Brown comes straight back in despite a stats line that wasn't amazing. Has Weideman ever played a poor first half but then found form within a game, turned it around, and ended up contributing? I can't recall that ever happening.

Dogs look in real trouble. 1.2 million disposals between their star midfielders, won clearances, contested possessions and inside 50s (and of course the free kick count), but lost by 6 goals. They can't win when their midfield is beaten, now they can't win even when their midfield is on top. Having said all that, they've had the hardest fixture to date by far (us, Carlton, Sydney and Richmond - a combined record of 12-3 with Carlton's game tomorrow to come).

Brown played tonight for fitness, not for form. His recent AFL form means he comes straight back into the side. He didn't need to kick a bag of goals to prove that.

Sydney have a habit of losing to weak sides, a bit like us last year. Last year they lost 7 home and away games, 4 of which were to Gold Coast, Fremantle, Hawthorn and St Kilda who didn't play finals. This would be a pretty big boilover though, given how bad North were last week.

Had our chances in the first half of the fourth quarter. Gay kicks that goal and it's a 2 point game with 5 minutes left. Just couldn't get a clean kick inside 50. Very reminiscent of the senior men's sides' main losses under Goodwin.

Agreed. Brown was trying his guts out in his early games last year but just wasn't fit enough to compete. He still isn't exactly dominant when the ball hits the deck but his repeat leading and pack crashing late last year and in his two games this year have been much better.

Which begs the question: why is Moniz-Wakefield wearing 29 for Casey? What would happen if Hunt was playing too?

So what's the deal with Melksham?

I couldn't disagree more. Not only is there no such thing as an "easy" premiership year, this year I do not think the gap between us and whoever is next is anywhere near as big as others are making it out to be. Each of the Dogs, Sydney, Carlton, Brisbane and Geelong can match it with each other, and us. Each can be explosive in offence. We're better, but not by so much that you could possibly say what you've said.

I get the joke but the Dogs are one of the six premiership contenders IMO (alongside us, Brisbane, Geelong, Sydney and Carlton). Sides to win games over any of that six are: us, the Dogs, Geelong, Sydney and Carlton. Not a coincidence...

Geelong was missing Stewart, Selwood, Menegola, Rohan and Ratugolea. Although Brisbane was missing McInerney and Hipwood, those outs for Geelong mean Brisbane really should have won this game if they're serious this year. Since the start of 2019 Brisbane are 48-17 in H&A games. Of those 48 wins, only 11 have been outside Queensland.

With Hibberd and Salem injured, is there anyone who really puts pressure on Rivers' spot in the side? Smith can run but is no better kick.

Yep, much harder post-bye. Percentage is nice but our pre-bye focus needs to be banking the 4 points, playing our way, and staying healthy. It gets very hard post-bye, and we don't yet know how many six-day breaks we'll have either. I understand what you say about Weid but I am convinced Brown would have gone better. He straightens us up and doesn't seem to get in TMac/Fritsch's way as much as Weid does. Which in turn would, I think, have opened up more opportunities (i.e. it wouldn't just have been a case of Brown being on the end of the same inside 50s we saw last night).