Bring-Back-Powell

There would have to be a collapse of epic proportions in the coming years if this is our one and only chance of a flag. Yes, injuries could ruin us over the coming years, but the current state of the list does not suggest that 2021 is our one big chance.

I doubt you'd able to get into SA unless you have an exceptional reason. The cases are getting out of control in VIC.

Yes. Satisfied but not happy. We were projected to finish outside the 8 according to many scribes, and most of us had us finishing 5th - 8th with a possible finals win. We've smashed those expectations and the next 5 years look very promising for this reasonably young but highly talented list. And despite what others think, I think we've got some stiff competition in Port and Bulldogs who schooled us in round 19 so it's not our flag to lose. Those two are our major threats. Not to mention if Geelong click on prelim night.

I'm not so sure about that. Premierships are so hard to win and we've got a potential opponent who's in just as good a form as us in Port Adelaide. Alternatively, if the Dogs somehow beat Port, well then we're playing a team in arguably hotter form than Port as they would've won 3 finals in 3 different states. Most scribes predicted us to miss the 8 and most of us supporters had us finishing 5th - 8th with a finals win being a rock solid performance. We've exceeded expectations and a confirmed top 4 finish. And a fantastic launching pad for an assault on the next 3 to 5 premierships. If we don't win it this year it's not a failure IMO. Our list profile suggests we're going to be in the mix for the immediate coming years.

The Lions V Dogs game has a watch this space feel about it, with regards to it even going ahead as planned. If those kids that recently visited Melbourne test positive and exposing a Brisbane school, then SE QLD could very well be in lockdown this weekend.

And throw in some extra time to the mix.

I can’t begrudge neutrals not jumping on board given that I was barracking for GWS to beat the Dogs in the 2016 prelim.

His 2014 was near A grade for us. Pretty sure he polled three 3 brownlow vote games that year - most if not all of them being losses. A talented player that went backwards by the year, and then was destroyed by injury at North (albeit he was poor in the 5 or 6 games he played for North)

All this talk of curfew, breaking the law, lock down, masks, etc....It's such a diabolical time to be living in Melbourne with nobody to share the spoils and celebrations with outside of your house. If we had the choice of winning the 2021 or 2022 flag (can't have both both) I'm choosing 2022. I'm desperate to win both, but if I had the choice of one I'd choose the one where most of us are not in severe lockdown.

And yet we won more finals in 1988 than we did in 1987.

If you watched Dan's presser yesterday, you most certainly won't be able to, unless by some chance you live in regional VIC.

McGowan's likely reaction to your nice suggestion below:

That would be a small comfort. Although there's no chance anyone could attend.

Can someone tell me why Tom Browne's getting an exemption. Does channel 7 Perth not have a sports reporter that Melbourne's channel 7 news can correspond with?

Five truckies tested positive in SA. 20 exposure sites now listed. A lot of Port (and a few MFC members) members planning to cross over to Perth later this month will be nervous.

If GWS beat Geelong, its says more about Geelong than it does GWS.

Feel bitterly sorry for Ed, not being able to attend the GF (even though he has nothing to do with this year's GF) Can someone tell me how Damien Barrett, Tom Browne and Hutchy got permission to attend? Do we not have journalists and TV presenters in Perth?

Next year we need to shore up our depth as we probably won't have as good a run with injury next year as we did last year. Having Tomlinson and Petty fight it out for a spot is fantastic. Are Melksham and Hibberd contracted for next year? They'll be devastated if they miss the GF this year given the services they've provided to us since 2017.

Gunston in for T Mac?

I believe the main reason is that all players can quarantine for enough time in order to attend a live Brownlow count.

Anyone that calls you selfish probably attends 4 or 5 games a year, hasn't got a GF guarantee so was going to watch the game on TV regardless and probably wouldn't have bothered rocking up to a game in the Bailey and Neeld era. In other words has no idea what you and other loyal MFC members are going through. We are being denied what Dogs, Richmond and Geelong supporters got to experience when they broke their long droughts. If that's viewed as selfishness (which I was accused of by a Western Australian based poster) then they are completely out of touch.

So players can self isolate in time to attend the brownlow.

I know it's fabulous and exciting for most interstate members that can attend the GF but this is a dark day for a lot of the MFC faithful who are being deprived a possible once in a life time opportunity. Bring on the 2022 grand final when most of us are allowed past our letter box at 9:01pm on grand final day.

Want to play GWS as their more cooked than Geelong. They could barely string a possession in the last qtr. Would be stunned if we're not playing Geelong in the prelim.

I totally agree with that. If we repeat what we did against Brisbane in the next 2 games (inaccurate but far more scoring shots) we'll go onto win the flag and be the second premier since 1990 to kick more behinds than goals in all finals of a campaign. The point of the thread and stat is that if we're to win a flag, it's almost certain that in at least one of the finals this year, we would've gone 50/50 conversion at worst.