Goodvibes

A completely common sense approach. One that I sadly can't support because I've convinced myself that we never win when I record the game live. That's only one of about 37 footballing superstitions that I'm cursed with.

Why should it be mentioned RL?

Let's get serious Demonland. It's time for a stand alone Dion Prestia megathread.

I'd like to think if Howe was dropped this week, I'd have been big enough to not have posted a 'told you so' effort. Roos rates him and obviously thinks he can work on his deficiencies. He has shown equal amounts of faith in Watts and the rewards over the past 4 games have been pleasing. Maybe Howe will start in the ruck to showcase his versatility and further enhance his trade value . . . .

The good news Nascent is that the bottom three on that list play like they've played a hundred games.

I wasn't implying you were jumping on the bandwagon. I was implying that to assume you know why Roos is playing Howe for any other reason that he thinks it'll help us win games of footy is fanciful. So is he being gifted games because he's not good enough or is he being gifted games because Roos is compromising the quality of our team in the hope of increasing his trade value? And as aside, trading him 2012 would have been idiotic. If as a football club, we don't back ourselves in to improve the workrate and defensive abilities of a clearly talented player like Howe, then we should give up.

Yep, he gifted games to a guy who is considered by the reigning premiers to be best 22 when uninjured. He certainly did it. No doubts AF? I wish I could see the world with such black and white clarity. If Roos is the culture builder we believe him to be, he doesn't gift games to anyone. Howe has always displayed defensive deficiencies. This is not new but because he is unsigned, posters are questioning his effort levels. Where were you all two years ago? He's struggling to find the ball since he has been moved from the backline. Again, he has always struggled to find the ball when playing forward. Maybe Roos is giving him a chance to prove his value - not for a potential trade but for us! As one poster suggested, he may actually be out of form. Crazy theory. Or maybe (sorry C&B) his lack of pre-season is having a negative impact. Howe, like Watts, gives the team flexibility. I hope he stays and I hope he improves.

I haven't quoted from Fever Pitch for quite some time or given the book or the film much thought but today's events and the Collingwood/Hawthorn game reminded me of one of the key scenes in the film when news filters through regarding the Hillsborough tragedy. Well, that's it, then. That's what? You can't go back now, can you? 'Course we will. How can you? Because... because everyone else will. Because the game will go on. They'll even replay this one. This doesn't change anything. We're a strange lot.

I'm confused. I'm certain Dawes won't be dropped. I'm certain Hogan will be included. I'm very confident Garland will be included. I'm almost as confident that the Footy Dept will want to reward the Gawn/Spencer combo with a place against West Coast. But everything I know about footy tells me that if all of these things happen we'll be too tall. Add the Darwin factor and we're definitely too tall. Most interesting selection of the year.

The main thing I took from that was that we passed on Nat Fyfe four times! Thanks

Let's beat West Coast and come back to this thread. It's beautifully set up for a run but it all hinges on beating West Coast.

Dunn, Gawn and Vince all in the AFL team of the week.

I'm still this pumped three hours on.

You're being very generous Nasher. I'm not sure I picked it. I was merely mounting a case for not getting smashed. Our midfield looked amazing today. So excited by Brayshaw and Viney. Tyson had some good moments but if Gawn can build from here and continue to clunk marks like he did today, we're in for a ride.

It's the midfield stupid.

It's the midfield stupid. N Jones, Vince, Tyson, Cross, Viney and Brayshaw with two first rucks will make sure we get our hands on the ball regularly. We won't get smashed. We're missing a heap of key players and losing Hogan and Pedersen hurts our structure but our six best midfielders have rarely played together this year. Brayshaw is getting better each game. Tyson and Viney will be in better shape than previous weeks. N Jones seems to be shaking whatever ailment (shoulder?) that has impeded him somewhat this year. Vince and Cross are in good form. Gawn is gaining in confidence. Add Toumpas and Watts coming off good games and M Jones and Bail possibly playing for their careers and Stretch and Neal-Bullen looking to prove themselves and I think we've named an exciting team. Geelong are missing 5 ruck options in Vardy, Simpson, McIntosh, Stanley and Clark. Add Bartel, Kelly and Duncan to that list and they've been dealt a similar hand to us in terms of injuries. I'm looking forward to this game. Now I've just got to re-read what I've written a hundred times before the game and I might actually believe it . . . .

I like this thread. I like the fact that I'm confident it will be bumped (like Viney's hapless opponents) many times over the next 8 - 10 years.

And hasn't cashed in his golden ticket yet.

Can't you just take pleasure in King playing well?

Ben Beams.

It is indeed the Endeavour River. I spent 4 years up there. With our points system most remote service means you have to spend 3 or 4 years out bush but Cooktown was considered so remote that 2 years earned enough points but I was having too much fun up there. Would love to go back if I could convince my wife. I'm bullish about tomorrow. I coached my School boys U14 team into South-east QLD semis courtesy of a last gasp goal and a one point win on Friday and today my U17 club girls came back from five goals down at half time to beat the ladder leaders by a point. Good things come in threes. Dees by a point!

I was teaching in Cooktown. June long weekend up there meant Discover Festival which is basically a weekend long [censored] up. On the Friday night I met a Dees supporter and his two Collingwood supporting mates who were up for the festivities. Invited them to come around and watch the game a couple of days later because they didn't have a TV and no one in FNQ would be watching AFL. Given what normally happens between the Friday night and the Monday afternoon of that weekend I was surprised when they actually remembered and turned up. Was a great game and a great afternoon and when I returned home from work on Tuesday afternoon there was an esky full of their leftover beer on my front deck. Took me many years to reconcile such good blokes with being Collingwood supporters. It must have been their Melbourne supporting mate. Anyone else getting that weird feeling that tomorrow might just be one of those special . . . Sorry.

I wouldn't be surprised if one of Riley or Michie gets the chop. Roos will have had two years to assess these guys and along with Newton we have three similarly one-paced players. I think Michie might be in trouble.

There's such a fine line. If we'd have converted two four goal leads this year we'd be sitting 5 - 4 having played the best four teams of the last two years. Remember not that long ago when we'd be four goals down in the first ten minutes against mediocre opposition most weeks? It's hard to see after second halves like yesterday, but we are getting better. And we're getting better with elite junior talent emerging.