BDA

Cold and blustery morning in Melbourne. Reckon Casey will be particularly windswept today. Tough conditions.

Trac was on the Gary and Tim show earlier in the week for a 10 min segment. The corky was never mentioned. After the segment finished a few texts alerted Gary to the corky (he hadn't known). Said he asked Trac off air if it was an issue and apparently Trac said it wasn't even worth mentioning. Not an issue at all. Unless there's been a deterioration during the week i can't see why he wouldn't play. Would @Yokozuna have any intel?

Worst kicking display i've seen this year so far. Missed at least 5 very gettable goals. Geelong win without having to get out of 1st gear.

We're better than Geelong and way better than the saints. Dermie commented that it was a privilege to watch this match at half time. i think its a rubbish game.

Geelong look off tonight. They are there for the taking if the saints can kick straight.

Wouldn't mind seeing the saints get up over the Cats. Highly unlikely though. Reckon GWS are a big chance against the Tiges.

You're new to this caper, we all make mistakes when learning but you shouldn't disclose private messages. It's not the done thing at all. @Sir Why You Little - i'll make sure not to mess with you ?

It's doesn't inspire like La Marseillaise or Fratelli d'Italia. Bit of a damp squib actually. I don;t know the history of it but i imagine your comment might has something to do with our colonial past

Carlton can't defend and don;t appear to have the grit to grind out a win. Sydney were the hardest match we've had this year, they were hard at it and tough as, but still weren't able to crack us. There is no way we are as poor at the center bounces again and I can't see our defense being anything other than rock solid. I think we will win by 30 -40 points

Big shout out to Mantis. It appears he/she has actually watched us play unlike most of the numpties posting in that thread - “They zone as well as any side does, covering the opposition moves forward or on a rebound. They leave minimal opportunities to have players float forward free in space. They tackle with intensity. They apply pressure with numbers. They make every opportunity for their opponents become a contested possession. Due to the fact that they have a huge work rate. Not lazy. Not left second guessing. The only weak link in their armour is the clearance figures. Which at the moment doesn’t hurt them. They find a way to put on the press and create a turnover and get the ball on their terms eventually. If we played like they do. If we were 8 wins from 8 games. We would be bragging about being flag favourites. Fact is that we are so far behind them, that we are not even in the same league as they are. It will take a miracle for us to even show a competitive contest against the Dees. Which won’t last long enough if it does happen. The end result will be ugly on the scoreboard. We lack awareness under pressure. We lose our direct opponent too often when the heat is on. We zone space very poorly. We don’t stay accountable for what out opponent is doing or where he is running. We don’t run hard both ways. We don’t stand on the mark in a free kick. We float away and let them play on which allows them to gain ground and put pressure on our players up the ground. We finger point and blame others for our own mistakes. We do spoil and the one percentage plays, but not often enough. Not for 4 quarters. The Dees coach summed up their last game. They lack some polish with clearance work. However, if they have the grit and determination to win every contest, they will eventually create a turnover and play the next passage on their terms. They are confident they can and will win every game, and thus play accordingly. In my eyes they only have one lazy player. One that I have seen so far. What a problem they have at the moment. Can we swap players lists, coaches, board etc? lol. Good luck to us. We could win this one by 100 points. Haha haha.”

Fixed

There are more weed puns in this thread than a Cheech and Chong movie

Hopefully he can kick a few and cement a spot in the team. He'll need a run of games though, at least 3 i'd say. Very difficult to hit the ground running after such a long lay off.

Reckon you were a lone voice in the wilderness there. I’m curious. What did you see in that defeat to make you want to offer a contract extension.

In no particular order We have the cattle with a good mix of young and experience. Top marks to the recruitment team Top notch coaching set-up. Goodwin now has the team around him to help him execute his vision and game plan Strength and conditioning. We are super fit. Burgess is the best in the business. He will be hard to replace. I don’t think you can be successful without all of the above in place. We are in great shape.

Out of interest, does anybody have any information or intel about Dogga wanting to go home. Is there substance to it or just our MFCSS fears getting the better of us? I think the go home factor is overblown. Not many players actually move back to WA. Hogan did but it was on our terms. Kelly wanted to go back but his home sickness wasn't enough to convince him to join Freo. He waited until the Eagles made their move.

What do you mean make it up? Blind Freddy could tell you Dogga is a generational talent with a unique skill set. Do you think I’m making it up if I say Kozzie has shown more than the Weid as well. The Weid has been plenty inconsistent. At best he is a No.2 KPF. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Weid and think we’re better if we can integrate him into the team but if he’s so good why is Dogga and TMac keeping him out of the team. I have doubts about the Weid. I have no doubts about Dogga.

He's contracted and going nowhere. If the Weid can't nail down a spot and wants to leave then so be it. I'm a fan of the Weid and want him to stay but the reality is Dogga has shown more in 15 odd games than the Weid has in 5 seasons.

To take the next step we need a dominant KF. Perhaps Zanker can go forward and do the job. She's got the physique and can mark the ball although her set-shot kicking is iffy. That said, her form in the middle was so good when she was switched there for the second half of the season I think she's more valuable there. Whats Gemma Houghton's contract situation at Freo. Could she be persuaded to come across I wonder.

I get the like for like logic of bringing Daw in but if we can integrate the Weid and find a role for him we will be a much stronger team. He offers much more than Daw.

Adding another young player to an already callow list doesn’t really help. North need some senior battle hardened players to stiffen them up while the youngsters develop. Hard to do as what senior player wants to go to an uncompetitive club. Perhaps chip in some of their salary to entice them?? Other than that the AFL should ensure that the coaching group is top notch supported by a competent FD and board.

Sometimes you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It happens. They are Richmond players so I don’t really care tbh. I just hope our boys have the good sense to stay away from nite clubs. There will always be a drunk dh spoiling for a fight.

I think the signs are we won’t have a drop off Great defensive set-up and system We’ve overcome challenges in pretty much every game We aren't actually playing particularly well. I reckon we have another gear to go. Not overly reliant on key players. If the oppo shut down one another player can step up Great depth to cover injuries We are fit. Very good fourth quarter team Injuries can derail any team but that aside I don’t believe we will fall away

If TMac can maintain his form then he'll have to be in contention. Other than 1 poor outing (against the Giants i think it was) he's been playing to a very high level all year. It would be some effort if he managed to get selected.

I think you did. How should i have read the below. At the least you implied it. All good IWS. It's a topic worth discussing.