Rab D Nesbitt

I guess it doesn’t matter in one sense as we won’t be able to attend but will the game be moved back to the Friday night blockbuster time slot that was originally mooted or will they stick with the Saturday night?

B@ll@cks. Another game we won't be able to attend.

LOL. Yes, it's free. I was just reading the posts about all of the things we did wrong last night and wondered if there might be one fundamental thing causing most of them. Intensity when combined with adherence to our total team defensive structures can expose a lot more deficiencies in our opponents game which we've seen with their sideways movement out of the backline allowing us time to set up behind the ball and the poor execution or dump kicks when they find themselves under intense pressure. To date we've been fantastic in being able to bring our best in the big games but it looks to be harder to sustain across multiple weeks with the young playing group we have which is understandable. We just need to be a little better at it for longer against the lesser sides.

This thread is starting to feel like checking in on a bipolar relative each weekend. Anyway, I'm two coffees and a 25km bike ride to the good today so well equipped to deal with it. When I reflect on games like this I'm not really concerned that the opposition has worked us out. I'm sure every other coaching group in the competition know that playing the game with a high intensity and moving the ball low and fast to a forward target is the best way to play against a defence like ours. What they'll also know is that these two elements alone won't be enough to beat us unless we drop our intensity and the most comforting thing for me is that this last item is entirely within our own hands. This isn't the Melbourne that made a preliminary final in 2018. The 2021 version now has a dedicated winger, a gorilla full back and a bona fide lead up key forward. Personnel isn't our problem. The game plan isn't our problem. Being able to adapt during a game isn't our problem. Intensity and having the ability to bring it every game and every quarter is what makes us vulnerable coming into the pointy end of the season but it's this that still makes us masters of our destiny I think. I've just watched Goody's presser and Gus' interview with Ben Gibson and for me it's the ability of our coaching group to keep our players focussed on what they do well and to incrementally improve our intensity levels that will be important in the coming weeks leading into finals. It's a fairly young group we have and one day very soon they will have the weight of breaking a 57 year drought on their backs. Just because we've all been scarred by history I don't think projecting that frustration onto our team is going to help frankly. Of course I would love us to maul Hawthorn by 100 points like they have done to us over the years but we're not the '88 Hawks or the '00 Bombers and we'll just have to live with that fact I think. It's not for Kossie, Riv & Dogga to exorcise our demons unfortunately. Anyway, enjoy your Sunday everyone and bring on the GC.

A slightly smarter side would have beaten the Dogs tonight. Never mind.

So much chatter (most of it from Tony Cochrane) about how quickly the game is growing on the GC but where are they all ? Metricon is always 3/4 empty and most of the people that do turn up follow the opposition team.

Not only have Brisbane lost their last two but they've dropped around 10% as well. If we get up tomorrow it's hard to see us playing interstate in September, covid not withstanding of course.

Let's hope they've got a little more in the tank for next week. Then they can fall in a heap.

Hi Forkie. Tigers were wavering until Bolton scored in the third I think and that gave them a sniff. Now that they've been able to score two in the last whilst simultaneously burning 8 minutes off the clock I think they've probably got this one now.

Tigers far from their best but they started to get hold of Brisbane at around the same time St Kilda did the other week. Either way Hardwick is going to burst a blood vessel if he carries on like this.

Fair play to them. This is probably the only reason it would be better for us to finish above them as a heavily reduced attendance could see them ask again come finals time. Then again there is probably some contractual agreement the AFL have with the MCC to play a certain amount of games at the MCG.

Probably a good move too for for the neutral supporter. Despite the chasm in ladder places between us and the Hawks you can just about guarantee we'll keep them in with a sniff until early in the last quarter before motoring away to a four goal win.

I've seen morris dancers look more threatening than Fremantle. Deary me.

Freo stinking up prime time big time. Not much more than a training run for the Cats.

Is the spin off in having prime time viewing slots being able to attract club sponsors or is there some sort of a direct monetary correlation ? I'd guess that both those games would now be the free to air Channel 7 matches with those time slots. Thankfully I'll be at the second one and won't have to listen to BT & Brayshaw.

Geez, just saw the highlights of the game last night on kayo. What a great win for the roos. Could've easily folded after the coasters hit the front early in the last quarter. I hope Maxy is still playing as well as Goldie at that age.

Hi GYM. I hear what you're saying and I'm all for selling three game packages (assuming they'll even get entry to the ground with covid restrictions) but they shouldn't then be classed as members in order to doctor the figures.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWZDzTTptdU.

Just saw that membership promotion. Does this mean that anyone belatedly looking to clamber aboard the D-Train at the 11th hour now that we're finals bound gets three free games next year?

Meanwhile north of the border....

Right, time to turn Kayo off before that crud called Bounce starts.

Tigers debuild formally underway. I'm giving it five years before the next Save our Skins campaign.

How good is this. Tigers playing for their season next week against Brisbane. Will have to add some popcorn to the shopping list this week for next Friday night.

Might have to get on the Tiger train next Friday. If they can beat Brisbane and we get over the line against the Hawks it's hard to see us travelling interstate again after we play in Perth in round 21.

Dogs have now lost to us, Geelong, Richmond & Sydney in the eight.