Goffer

Jack Watts is a true leader. Last week and now this week, when the team needed him he stood up. Sheer grit

Even with all the [censored] I've gone through with this club these past years, today is seriously testing my patience and love for the club. Dumb, selfish football.

Ffs last week all over again too many players taking the selfish option in kicking and the Dockers making most of their limited opportunities.

Not sure about first win but first finals win, they beat us in Waverley Park in 1990-1991. A bit before my time but the inlaws apparently went over for it and it's a point of conversation whenever the MFC play the Weagles. Interestingly enough, we were the Dockers first finals win too, I think their first win as a club was the inaugural Western Derby. Their first win at the 'G was against North I think

GC & GWS got their first MCG wins against us. Iirc correctly the GC game was Easter Sunday 2013, the week that Peter Jackson was appointed. They did us by 79 points and Col Sylvia copped a three week ban for nearly killing Jared Brennan with an elbow to the head.

Strangely I'm more confident without Hogan than I would otherwise be - we're more unpredictable with a smaller forward line, and Freo matched up well on the Dogs talls.

Don't overestimate the Sandilands factor- yes he won 42 hit outs, but took only 3 marks for the game and the vast majority of his disposals were handballs, Father Time has caught up with him and he doesn't provide them much around the ground. Also the Dogs don't play a genuine ruckman so it's not easy to gauge how Sandi will go against Spencer. My view is Spencer is younger, aggressive and playing for his career off the back of his best yet pre-season, I think he'll break even at worst. As I stated on another thread the key danger here is their midfield- all things told I think our defenders can hold their talls and Jetta & Melksham Crozier and Walters. I also think our smaller forwards will have a better chance against a Freo defence that held up well against the Bulldogs talls. To win we need Tyson & Viney to lift, which is why giving Viney a run-with job on Fyfe or Neale could work - he isn't performing to his usual lofty standards, giving him a task to focus on may help him hit his straps a bit quicker and perhaps ease his sense of responsibility for the team as a whole.

Not sure what to make of this but Hogan has been photographed smoking darts at a music festival over here while on suspension. His bad behaviour vs Carlton didn't help our cause yesterday so I'm hoping the club come down hard on him for this, especially after he was granted leave to come to WA while suspended, smacks of abusing the clubs trust. https://thewest.com.au/sport/melbourne-forward-jesse-hogan-filmed-smoking-at-a-wa-music-festival-while-serving-suspension-ng-b88441522z

Looks like trading in O'Meara and Mitchell for their first and second round draft picks was a big, big mistake. Clarko has the runs on th board to make a play like that and demand the boards support but it looks like he was in denial about the end of the Hawks era. They're well down already and their rebuild won't begin properly until 2018 when they get back into the pointy end of the draft

Indeed and by there same count our win vs Carlton looking better- showed real grit to come back and beat them, something the Dons lack

So both Essendon and Hawks lost/losing, all of a sudden the Dons win vs Hawks Rd1 looking a lot less impressive, hoping today's performance is a more realistic assessment of where the Bombers are.

I went to the Freo game last night and think we will match up defensively on them very well- their main forward target is Kersten, Tmac can take him and Omac to McCarthy (he dropped several chest marks and got he Bronx cheers halfway through q4 when he held one, think Oscar can nullify him). Jetta can cover Walters leaving Hunt to play the rebound role. Their midfield is problematic, Fyfe played well and S. Hill is a jet, would send Viney to run with Fyfe for the day. If Spencil can break even in the ruck I think we have better quality and depth than the Dockers. Their defence covered the Bulldogs talls pretty well last night so maintaining the smaller forward line could be the key to kicking a winning score.

Showdown should be an absolute cracker, unfortunately my cousin bought me a ticket to go to the Freo vs Doggies game instead so will miss it

Freo are absolutely shite, they conceded 10.6 from turnovers in the first half kicking 0.1 themselves from the same source. Genuinely strike me as worse than Carlton and likely to collect the spoon. Not sure if there is a precedent either (Judd aside) for a team captain to leave his club as an RFA- even in his case there were few causes for complaint from Weagles fans given he captained them to a flag, Fyfe walking out on the club when they're in the shitter will set them back a long time.

Not gonna make finals like this, players obviously thought they could just turn up and collect the 4 points. Disgusting effort

2 points- first we beat a genuine up and coming team last week, to play like that at Subi vs the Eagles is not something a middle of the road team can do. Secondly, I hope we don't get the Eagles in a final over here because we'll be versing the umpires as well.

Lyon's game plan looks dated and Freo's cattle are lacking (Cam McCarthy is one of many having a stinker). If Fyfe hasn't signed his contract by the bye, and Freo remain hapless, I reckon he'll be gone.

Roll out the barrel

So when can we officially call it as won??

I know we don't have you til next Sunday but bend over Carlton

Not sure which pisses me off more, the Saints kicking goals or the number of man buns in their team

Just me or was that a high tackle prior to the incorrect disposal which we were penalised for?

Thank God Hogan signed his contract last year

Time to open the draft thread

Oscar is a liability both Saints goals down to him