BW511

Carlton should be [censored], but they did exactly what we can’t - change things up when the game was getting out of hand. Pittonet was fantastic in the last 3 quarters. Gawn’s first quarter was immense, then he faded out of the game. On paper, we look like a 5-6 goal better side and they made us look big ordinary for the majority of the game

It’s amazing how it’s ingrained in the whole club that a ripping first quarter will amount to zip in the scheme of a game. I watched the first quarter with a wry smile and waited for the last 3 to happen. It’s so very predictable. Max was absolutely breathtaking with his ruck work in the first quarter. Some of his taps were extraordinary. The only thing that really kept me watching was Rivers. He will be a serious player. Very classy debut and he’s got plenty of go too.

Probably a combination of all those points. A little bit of youthful enthusiasm/energy could be just what we need. The blues are not exactly a team of seasoned old blokes, so our young blokes should not feel so out of their depth

I am in the same boat. Regardless of how well Harley is doing, the directive would be to look after him at every opportunity

It will be interesting to see some more footage. At present he's 'training the house down' by just being out there. Is he actually doing things on the track that warrant the media attention or are they looking for a story in a desperately slow period? Full credit to the club for taking a risk and the medical staff for getting him to this point, let's hope the last portion sees us reap the rewards for years to come

Petty could be the man to crash some packs - Hogan was not

Again, I agree. Plenty of the power clubs hold more members than they can fit in their home grounds. So getting to games is not necessarily peoples priority

I agree. The big clubs get big crowds because being competitive is one of their fundamental objectives. We never know what we will get from week to week, that's a very hard sell to fans

I thin the more people we have available to play, the further our depth is exposed.

May looks so lean compared to last year

Thanks goodness the boys are not dominating and leaving us rueing the season that could have been!

The recent state of origin games were a good indication of what we need to be considered really top class. How many players did we have that were required by Dimma and Horse? We do not have one player that would be considered the best in the league in their given position. Max is in the conversation and that's it. Plenty are better than average, but we don't have anyone that will win us a game by themselves ala Dusty, Danger, Fyfe etc

I think there would be 5-6 I'd take before Danger now

Bont is a brave choice, I like it. I don't see enough of Fyfe to appreciate his work, I only watch Melbourne games. Dusty is frustratingly good, just turns it on when needed

ANB is an extra man for any opposition we play. He's had a go and is definitely a good athlete, but we simply must expect more now

As exciting as Kossie is, it would be hard to carry him in the west against a very stacked eagles side.

If you’re the type of player that flashes in and out, your best has to be absolutely top shelf to remain in contention each week. Kozzie and Jackson will potentially share that FP role for 3/4 of the year, so he’s only got 5-6 games where he’s a chance (in my opinion)

I was wondering this also, expected us to get comfortably beaten

I am hopeful it doesn't pan out that way, but we will see

I'm guessing a few of the named blokes don't actually play. Look what that team sheet has done to the enthusiasm in here after last week's injury woes. Same will be going on in most Dees supporters houses.

Surely there’s no need to play funny buggers with the lineup in some meaningless practice match? It’s a lot more on the park than this time last year, but that team isn’t giving the top sides sleepless nights

Agree with all of the above. He's very articulate and well spoken. My theory is he will keep being all those things without any title.

I'm not so passionate about T-mac being in there. I think Gawn/Viney are co-captains, despite what I'd prefer. Gawn/Viney (C) Lever, May, Jetta as the remainder of leadership group. Waiting in the wings would be Harmes

One of the things this series will/should do is turn the blowtorch on the players. Every club does these things, but the media will have a field day slicing this up if things continue along like last year. It’s great to hear a few tidbits about where things are at this year, although I would have liked to hear about this time last year to see what was going on when things were spiralling out of control I’m really keen to see us marching back up the ladder in 2020

Agreed. It appears the consensus is it's just going to happen and we'll waltz back into finals. I'm not so sure