titan_uranus

They've still got us, Geelong in Geelong, Sydney and the Dogs. However, subject to COVID they also only have one more game outside Victoria (and only one other game, Geelong, away from the MCG/Marvel). They, and GWS, are in my view the only two sides out of the top 8 who can make it.

Meanwhile there is now two games and 4% between Richmond in 8th and the rest of the comp, starting with Essendon in 9th (albeit GWS has a game in hand).

If Fremantle can keep a decent side on the park they can still do some damage to the top 8 (and therefore help us) as they have home games to come vs Geelong, Richmond, Brisbane and West Coast.

Now that's a different topic. Right now I'd like our chances against West Coast, although it's still 9 weeks until we play them, and almost all their injured players will be back by then, on current estimates. Still, their ball movement is the sort that we can defend well, slower and more methodical.

Jake Niall's team is unbelievably bad. We all love Pickett but McDonald-Tipungwuti is the competition's best small forward. Grimes would struggle to crack the best 50 players in the comp on 2021 form. Each of Weitering, Moore and Starcevich have him covered, and Lever clearly deserves the starting 18 spot over him. Franklin's been good but each of Hawkins, Naughton and even Ben King have been better for longer, given Franklin missed four games. And Naitanui's handful of clearances in a game don't make up for the third of the match he spends on the pine doing nothing. Gawn is the league's best ruckman.

Funnily enough not one of those other sides won the flag. But, we also know that strong defence is usually a hallmark of premiership winners. The way to reconcile the two is to note that points against is only one measurement of a good defence. Others, in which I believe we also rate highly, include scores from inside 50s conceded, intercept marks/possessions, and defensive 50 pressure. Here's some context: I think Brisbane have 23 players because they activated their medical sub. Mathieson's played 53 games so comparing the 22 who played almost the entire game, we had 11 under 100 games and they had 10, we had 11 over 100 games and they had 12. Relatively even, although in both instances our groups are less experienced than theirs, particularly the sub-50 game crop.

Carlton's current injury list features: Cuningham, C Curnow, Durdin, Gibbons, Marchbank, OMac, McGovern, Philp and Plowman (suspended). Of those there are about three best 22 players: C Curnow, Marchbank and Plowman. West Coast's current injury list: Allen, Cameron, Duggan, Kelly, Kennedy, McGovern, Shuey, Venables, Winder, Witherden. That's 7 best 22 players and at least 5 of them are better than the three missing Carlton players. The talent missing from West Coast's side is incomparable to that missing from Carlton's. If it were Melbourne not Carlton, this board would be disgusted.

You have to give them credit for winning that game with the quality of players they had out, on a ground they hadn't won at for 20 years. We'll see how they go next week vs Richmond at home though. Will be a significantly sterner test than Carlton.

They've only got two top 8 sides left for the year, so their only shot really is to win all of the other 8 games (GWS (away), Adelaide, Fremantle (away), Collingwood, North Melbourne, St Kilda, Gold Coast, GWS again). It's not going to happen. You can't "honourably lose" eight times in the first half of the year and expect to make finals. They have no excuse with their list profile, either. Disastrous.

What's most noticeable to me is not the change in overall attitude, but the certain posters who have disappeared (or post significantly less frequently) now that we're winning.

It's unbelievable that this question is being asked. Yes, he comes straight back in once he's fit enough to play a full game of AFL football. We are at our weakest when we are being beaten in clearances. Viney makes us better at clearances. Whether it's Melksham, or Sparrow, or Petracca plays more forward, Viney comes in and makes us better in an area we need to be strong in.

Carlton have to find four goals in 8 minutes to save their season.

If West Coast beats Carlton tomorrow and the Dogs beat Fremantle, there will be a two-game gap between 8th (either West Coast or Richmond depending on percentage) and 9th (Essendon), although GWS has a game in hand. Also if West Coast beats Carlton tomorrow Carlton should sack David Teague. There is no reasonable excuse for Carlton to lose to the side West Coast are fielding tomorrow.

A fair outcome for Sparrow I think. Franklin should have copped at least a fine last week for his bump but careless conduct with low impact is right for Sparrow IMO. Glad he's available for next week.

"This" my [censored]. There is nothing more certain than if we were to have followed the same path, Demonland would be baying for Goodwin's blood. Collingwood has only improved on its previous season's record once in Buckley's 9 seasons. Can you imagine how frequently that stat would be used on here if it were us?

As quickly as they conceded four goals, they've scored them all back. Game over.

Richmond, but only because I got to be there in the crowd Brisbane Bulldogs Geelong Sydney St Kilda Carlton Fremantle Hawthorn GWS North Melbourne Adelaide

What the OP shows is that too many still haven't been able to accept that we're a different side this year. Most previous years being down 20 points to Brisbane at HT would be curtains. But repeatedly this year we have started poorly but improved as the game has gone on (GWS, Richmond, Sydney, North Melbourne and now Brisbane).

The Crows released a press statement accepting the fine and said they accept it and own the mistake "from top to bottom". So I suspect they definitely did the wrong thing. https://www.afc.com.au/news/952221/club-statement-afl-sanction

I'm certainly a bit more confident about beating Geelong with Cameron now that I've seen us hold Brisbane to their third lowest score all year despite them having Daniher, Hipwood, Cameron, Bailey, McCarthy and McStay. But Geelong have a much higher ceiling than the rest of the top 8 because we just don't know how well they can play when they get closer to their best 22 on the park. As to their second half fitness, they're league leaders in third quarters having won 9 of 11, and they're 7th for fourth quarters having won 6.

St Kilda's season's got to be over, you'd think. At 5-7 they're going to have to go 7-3 at a minimum to make finals, but with their terrible percentage of 77.6%, they might need to go 8-2. Their fixture includes Richmond, Brisbane (away), Port, West Coast (away), Sydney and Geelong (away). I can't see it happening.

I think each of Spargo, ANB, Hunt, TMac, Oliver, Harmes and Jordon have arguments in their favour.

Yes but they played that game without Dangerfield, Blicavs, Guthrie, Duncan, O'Connor and Miers. They're playing poorly but winning. They have more room for improvement than probably any other side currently in the top 8.

The sort of thing Sparrow did is the sort of action the AFL wants to stamp out. He runs past the ball to bump - if you then make contact to the head, you get penalised. So, based on that, Sparrow should be cited. However. Buddy Franklin did the same thing last week on Newman and wasn't penalised due to "insufficient force". That's in part because Newman got up and carried on straight away. Based on that, Sparrow should be fine. There was minimal impact to Rich.

It has dawned on me that the second half last night may well be the best football we have played in my lifetime (30+ years). As has been said, premierships aren't won in June. Still three months of H&A games and there will be improvement in some of the sides below us (Geelong and Richmond the two big ones). They've reached 8-3 despite having a number of key players out injured. Unlike Richmond, who gave up some games through injury, they've kept themselves top 4 for a second half of the year surge. I fear Geelong just as much as the Dogs or Brisbane.