Bring-Back-Powell

The entire level 4 of the Warne stand and top level of the Ponsford stand apparently closed tomorrow. Two Melbourne clubs….

Yeah our accuracy has been atrocious this year and could very well cost us another game this weekend. Also, North are clearly one of the more accurate sides in the league. I will say though that our accuracy is trending upwards since hitting rock bottom (7.21) against St Kilda. We had more respectable scores of 10.9, 12.11 and 11.9 very late in the Pies, GC and Adelaide games.

I know it's more likely Simon stays next year than goes (due to his contract) and the club isn't going to decide his future on 7 games (unless it's obvious that he's lost the players). However I don't think it's unreasonable to put a bit of pressure on him to perform these last 7 weeks with a short injury list and the fact that he's 10-21 since the infamous Harley Reid game last year when our season fell off the rails from seemingly nowhere, after a promising 6-2 start to 2024. We should be aiming for the following from rounds 18-24. 1) 3-1 against North, Carlton, St Kilda and West Coast. 2) one win against the contenders in Dogs, Hawthorn and Collingwood. 3) in the two losses to the above contenders I want to see us take one of those sides to time on in the last quarter, per the Kings B'day loss. I know the above goals are probably unlikely to happen, but it's time the coach, his assistants and playing group start to put an extended period of winning football together, with consistent 3 to 4 quarters a game week in week out, because right now the gap between our best and worst is horrifying and the effort from 1 quarter to the next is bipolar. We need to finish 2025 with confidence and have the players and supporters feeling good again about their club again. Can you imagine going into 2026 with a 1-11 record since the Sydney win with the "same old" in charge.

Happy to release Oliver if it means we'll be getting in a Warpol or Flanders who both aren't on absurd money commensurate with output.

And nothing surer than Curnow breaking his goal drought in the first minute of next week to get the crowd on their feet.

Nonsensical. Also, $1.90 on us winning by at least 27 points is way overs for a team that struggles to play more than two competent quarter a game.

Good point. Larkey got a hold of Petty in round 2. And May kept Larkey goaless last year. It's the small-medium forwards like your Rankines, Zurharrs, Jye Menzies and Dan Butlers of the world that have destroyed us this year, rather than the key forwards (aside from Ben King and Georgiadis).

Me too. He, Curtis, Zurharr (who killed us in round 2) and Xerri will go a long way towards deciding the result. I'm assuming and planning for Larkey to play despite being injured. They'll just park him near the goals.

McVee for Pat Voss and whatever draft picks need to be swapped, if Judd wants to head home. AMW can take his place. I get that it was only one game, and a praccy game at that (V North), but AMW played like the prototypical small defender that day who could potentially go toe to toe on the classy and speedy Rankines of the world. AMW absolutely had a round 1 spot stitched up had he not done his knee. McVee's had a really poor season this year which is underscored by being 21st or so in the Demonland player of the year. I doubt he'd be too much higher in the B&F either. Needs to respond well this week by containing Paul Curtis somewhat.

"On Wednesday night we will be joined by the coaches...I mean former coaches Simon Goodwin, John Longmire and Adam Simpson" Garry Lyon, AFL 360, Fox Footy. 7th July 2025. Does he know something we don't?

Ralph's not wrong. Where do we go from here if we go 0-4 against North, Carlton, St Kilda and West Coast? Because we sure as goat's droppings not beating Dogs, Hawthorn or Collingwood.

My heart is in my mouth every time the ball is in the vicinity of Kolt. My expectation of him doing something effective in the contest or with the ball is next to zero. I don't have that feeling with XL and I most certainly don't have it with Langford. I think he gets dropped this week.

Pat Voss and Kyle Langford are names that could be gettable and names that could address our forward line woes.

I'd like to think we win this. North will be missing LDU, Wardlaw, Corr, Darling and Archer whom are all best 22. However, if Larkey and/or Xerri both miss (which you probably plan for them to play), then that's absolutely gifting us a win considering North are the third worst side in the league. I don't know where we go from here if we lose to a depleted North potentially headlined by Xerri, Larkey, LDU and Wardlaw. *edit* - Darling probably gets up

If people get offended and upset by the idea of a wildcard weekend, where heaven forbid we have an extra week of footy and the 10th placed side beats a mediocre 7th placed side to make the finals, then I'd expect those same people to walk away from the game with an in season tournament.

Yes. Took clunks and doesn't seem to be infected with the set shot disease that most of his teammates are infected with. Should be in the team for the rest of the year and shouldn't have been dropped after the Port game.

I fell off my chair when I saw those odds. North have been given a 27 point head start. Sure we may very well win as we'll enjoy being back at the G, but surely North should be no more than $2.20. They're only half a game behind us.

No dig at us mate. Just completing a side that was injury depleted, took it up to a finals contender, showed their supporters that they have some exciting key forwards for the future and ultimately ran out of gas against a high quality. Merely making commentary on a NON MFC game given I was in attendance at the game.

GC with a score line of 14.4 Makes you envious.

We sure dodged a bullet overlooking Caddy. And credit to Essendon for being mentally switched on against Gold Coast in the first quarter despite coming off a break and being injury depleted.

In fairness to Carlton, they had about 6 of their best 22 players out last night against the benchmark? What’s our excuse/reason for our horrid form of late?

That is an extraordinarily high salary for the product we see week in week out. But then I realise Clarry is being paid in that neighbourhood as well (maybe a bit less)....so...

Funny how quickly the game evolves. At the start of the year, every man and his dog would be backing a Trac/Oliver/Viney starting midfield over a Dawson/Peatling/Berry starting midfield.

Don't blame him. It's absolutely horrendous fixturing by the AFL and I have 0% doubt that we're the first Victorian club ever to play 3 consecutive interstate games. Most VIC clubs would go 1 win out of 3 at best against a Port/GC/Adelaide set that we've copped. All 3 are hard assignments. Also, travelling to Perth, Brisbane, Alice Springs, Adelaide, Gold Coast and Adelaide in a 10 week patch was always going to take its toll for a Victorian team that isn't used to regular travel. With that being said, It was on the onus of the club to bank a number of wins in the first 5 rounds when we played some poor teams (North and Essendon) and hosted interstate teams at the MCG (GWS and GC) which are non negotiables in my book. We only travelled once in the first 7 rounds (with that one trip being a neutral Gather Rd game) and should have utilised that advantage to cushion the inevitable mid season blow that the fixture provided. The club will surely enjoy some routine in the final 7 weeks as we don't leave the MCG or Marvel and I'm expecting some wins in the North/Carlton/St Kilda/West Coast block of games.

In the end he was cleared of concussion, so he’ll presumably play against us next week. Hopefully Max will bounce back from his round 2 defeat to Xerri.