Bring-Back-Powell

Hopefully either this game is a twilight or night game or we have a 7 day break the next week. I can’t help but think we ran out of gas against the Dogs (round 19) after playing in 25 degree heat 6 days earlier.

Any danger they can release the games and times by now?

We didn't have to travel there in 2017 - only because their stands were being re-developed. Oh and in 2020 the AFL were nice enough not to schedule us there (in the revised lock down fixture where nobody could attend the MCG!)

Happy just to play them once next year excluding finals. Losing to them twice in the one year was soul destroying in front of 50K filth each time. I find Pies supporters as a collective to be far too much to handle when they're up and about. Kind of felt like they willed their team over the line in our round 21 game.

The Herald Sun have just revealed when Grundy and the Dees will play Collingwood, but it's behind a paywall. Would find it amusing if you signed up and paid to see the article only for the Herald Sun to announce it's the Kings Birthday.

Wouldn't mind seeing him go well at the Dogs. Did nothing wrong with us other than being down the pecking order. Just hope he doesn't kick the winning goal in round 1 next year!

Well he has history. I'm sure it was reported he got involved in a Perth night club dust up just after the GF (separate to the one that the Dees and Dogs reportedly got into)

I heard the AFL are releasing the exact times and dates of rounds 16-23 (not 24) in one hit, around the mid season point.

They were ranked about 12th in scores 'for'. They're nowhere near a flag until they can improve their scoring output.

Wish it was Jase Burgoyne rather than Trent. Jase looks the goods.

Can anyone offer up a reason as to why his early season games where so much better than his finals performances this year?

I don’t understand either. A Saturday night home round 1 game against a team that we have a good recent rivalry with at the G, with the weather being mild and the game being on FTA, and yet people need to complain??

That would rely on Dogs fans attending the game in their droves and as we saw in this years game, they didn’t. They also only got 45,000 to a Richmond V Dogs MCG 2022 Saturday night game. Always good to start the season off the G with a home game. However a round 23 MCG game would be great too. Last 4 season we’ve ether been sent interstate or to Geelong to close the season.

St Kilda V Freo - Sunday twilight at Matrvel.

With Optus Stadium likely unavailable for round 1, I wonder if that opens the door for a Luke Jackson grudge match at the G for round 1??

Because our best 22 is so perfect or Laurie is no good, or a combo of both?

I reckon Laurie will define if the 2020 draft was a success or barely a pass mark. He would want to be getting senior games by year 3.

Yeah, assuming a better run with injury there's no good reason why they should miss the finals given their very talented midfield and the fact that they have two coleman medalists in the same forward line. If they do miss finals, then questions will be asked of Voss.

We might know our round 1 fixture by tomorrow night. In terms of the wish list, I'm not as concerned with playing a number of top 6 teams twice. Clubs come and go pretty quickly and who would've thought Port and GWS would miss the 2022 finals this time last year while the Dogs did all they could to miss the 8 until Carlton imploded at the last minute. Therefore one or two of Geelong, Sydney, Collingwood, Brisbane, Melbourne or Freo will likely have a poor season and miss the finals. Sounds silly but every year a quality side falls off the cliff the following season. I'm way more concerned with having an even travelling schedule as opposed to the shocker we had this year. We cannot have a repeat of the Adelaide - Geelong - Alice - Docklands - Perth five week debacle that we copped this year. Have to think that had some sort of impact on our finals performances mainly due to fatigue and having 5 weeks away from our home venue where finals are played. Did any other side have 5 weeks away from their home ground? It was great having the first 9/13 games at the MCG but it did us no favours at the back end.

Read the thread title and assumed JDG stuffed up over night.

Carton blokes at my work reckon Carlton can straight out win the flag next year.

Would also been keen to know what you mean by tomorrow Carlton?

They'll be a contender next year with the additions of Dunkley, Gunstan and Ashcroft. Clearly their list has been bolstered and they would be aiming for a grand final next year. It's still a bit hard to reconcile that this mob beat us with 1 and a half quarters of scintillating footy, only to disgrace themselves a week later.

Well thought out post overall. Lobb actually kicked 36 goals this year and must have been heavily considered by our club (prior to settling on Grundy) as a very solid forward/ruck option given T Mac had a serious foot injury, Jackson was half way out the door and BBB had a poor year and has a chronic knee issue.

Spot on. The most recent premier has had it's ruck department questioned for at least the last 5 years.