BigFez

Some rubbish on there, but also found this gem which I found pretty useful. "I'm the same in regards to hating their fans and everything about their club. The fans and players ability to get ahead of themselves. And Goodwin is a very bland operator who hasn't had an original idea in his life. But they have a very well balanced lineup IMO. They have the best ruck in the game in Gawn and and very good midfield. Petracca is a beast. Oliver very good. They appear more selfless. Luke Jackson looks a real talent, he is the perfect backup ruck/forward, the type you want Mabs to be. Pickett did nothing against us but is exciting. Salem a very good user. Speed with Hunt/Langdon. Fritsch is so punchable but is a very good medium forward option. Ben Brown will get a game and add a different dimension with the new rules in play. If he is fit he should do well. Compare them with the side of 2018 that made the prelim: OUT - Jetta - will be in their best 22 when fit Oscar McDonald - dud Jordan Lewis - was finished at the time Joel Smith - dud Mitch Hannan - dud James Harmes - battler Aaron Vandenburg - dud Dom Tyson - dud Sam Weideman - big dud IN - Jayden Hunt - getting better with more experience much better composure this year. May - A grade full back serious improvement on O Mac Lever - punchable but smart 3rd tall defender. Upgrade on Lewis/Smith Tomlinson - not convinced he is any good, but better than Joel Smith Langdon - improver with speed and a better option than Harmes Jackson - a real talent, massive upgrade on Weideman Fritsch - a challenging matchup and upgrade on Vandenburg Pickett - shows real promise, upgrade on Hannan James Jordan? Trent Rivers? Their midfield group of Gawn/Petracca/Oliver/Viney/Brayshaw have another 2 seasons under their belt and have all improved. Gawn is a serious footballer now not a part-time clown. As much as I despise them they will be a big challenge for any side if they can keep their best side on the park and if Brown gets fit. A much better balanced side than the Bulldogs IMO."

I can see this game being moved. Premier Gutwein is second only to McGowan in terms of slamming the moat shut when there's a whiff of COVID in the air. He would cop a fair bit of backlash and accusations of hypocrisy and favouritism if he allows a football team that has just been to Perth into the state when there'd be families who've had loved ones had to cancel their trips over here for the same reason. There's an election coming up and he wouldn't want to put himself in the news for any of the wrong reasons. I'll watch on with interest. Also, just because we've lost here doesn't make Bellerive Oval a dump. The fact it is a venue that hosts AFL and international cricket matches and it doesn't have a car park makes it a dump. Surface is looking good at the moment though as is the weather.

Someone on the Richmond board called Salem a spud. "How does a spud like Salem get 39 touches" was the quote. I might make it my life's work to find that poster and challenge them to a duel.

Christian Salem - The Perfect Game. Watched the game with a bunch of Tigers supporters who didn't know anything about him. They sure do now. As good of a game as I've seen anyone play in a Melbourne jumper.

They certainly have short memories, but going into their forum to argue with them is akin to bashing your head against a brick wall. They look at us with disdain, and rightly so, and 3 flags in four years is going to beat any argument a Melbourne supporter is ever going to come up with. While I admire their success, because I remember them being the laughing stock for years, I've about had enough of them and am eagerly awaiting the end of their dynasty. The only question is how long can they keep talking about these flags? i think the 2013-15 Hawks only gave up mentioning theirs last year.

Gee I hope May plays. No disrespect to Petty, I think he'll be a fine key defender, but I reckon May's inclusion takes this game from 30/70 to closer to 50/50 . Richmond's tall forwards are a handful, bringing in one of the comp's best big defenders is huge IMO. I believe we have the talent to challenge the top teams like the Tiges, just hoping we can hold our nerve in the big moments. Richmond are such a good team, they will keep cool heads knowing they have been there and done that.0 Hopefully the knew-found maturity and belief in our system can get us over the line. PS don't you love how the media jump on us when we're winning then all of a sudden this translates to "Demons supporters have blown the lid off"? Very annoying, when the vast majority of Dees supporters will keep the lid on until the final siren of the GF if we were to make it.

Definitely agree this is a danger game. A real test of the maturity we have heard the players mention. This is a textbook game for the old MFC to drop, see Fremantle and Sydney last year. Hopefully the new MFC can take care of the lesser teams without fuss.

Nice way to soften the blow if we get rolled.

Completely staggering the confidence of a decent proportion of Hawks supporters on their board. They are sitting second last, and are playing against a team who is flying, but are still confident of a win. Their prolonged recent periods of success must've given them all a case of HFCSS, which is the exact opposite of MFCSS.

Based on their respective careers so far and early form in the practice match last week you'd have to say BB was ahead of Sam at this stage. Whether or not he is included for the Richmond game would depend on the form of the senior side's forward line this week and his own performance in the ressies. Goodwin did say he's still a few weeks away in his presser after the game on Sunday so unlikely, but I wouldn't completely rule it out.

James Jordon is in the top ten in the AFL for tackles. I think a massive part of the reason why we have improved so much is what we have been doing while the opposition have the ball. Chasing, pressuring, tackling, keeping a great defensive shape. He's been a big part of that and I'd hate to see him dropped. Much prefer Sparrow over Melksham too, he's a bit of a hard nut and i reckon he'll hurt a lot of players throughout his career. Petty for May probably the only change. Shattered about May, we are a FAR better side with him in it.

Are Geelong now considered bad enough for people to continue saying "but the Demons haven't beaten anybody yet"?

How bad is it in Melbourne today? Is it going to be a full wet weather slog?

If Salem keeps up his form he would be in the conversation. Very difficult to be considered among the best couple of back flankers in the comp though, there are some guns in that position. But man has he been good so far this year.

Looking at the forecast hopefully our boys aren't scared of a bit of wet and cold.

Don't underestimate how deep the scars are! I have never been confident before a game and I don't think I ever will be.

Pretty sure it was yesterday afternoon. Max said in the video of support they sent to the AFLW side that they'd be watching in the airport. That match was yesterday arvo.

Not sure to make of GWS. Looked good against the Swans in the pre-season, then have been pretty ordinary once the real season started. Still have some serious star power so I don't think it'll be a walk in the park.

Sometimes, as the third forward, you need to be the wide 'get out' leading option for the kicker if the main forwards aren't used up the middle. Good defenders and good defensive set ups will often have the corridor blocked. This would contribute to Fritch's leading patterns, and set shots from the flank. You can't just offer a lead up the guts from the goal square unopposed all afternoon, especially if you aren't the main man. Does he need to improve his set shot kicking? Yes! But personally I think he plays that third forward role as well as anyone going around, and I wouldn't trade him for all the tea in China.

Me just hanging around waiting for the Sunday evening game.

McGee been good. Miller for them has been a real thorn in the side.

Great to see the big forward crunch the player coming in to help out and leads to a goal.

She was just doing the rare but not illegal non-running bounce.

Hot footy early!

And didn't they win a ridiculous number of games against us in a row? Something like 18? One of the last "hoodoos" we had to break was beating them. North can suffer in their jocks as far as I'm concerned.