Bring-Back-Powell

Unless one of our players gets knocked out into next month.

Thanks mate. I’m sure JT and co will do their due diligence to ensure we don’t get a 2-3 year player ala Jackson.

Why did he decline an invitation to attend the draft?

100% correct. We’re taking back the G! Something like 2010 was the last time we played 14 at the G.

With Petty’s return questionable and Smith under a suspension cloud, I’m expecting BBB to be in the mix come round 1. edit - “opening round”. sorry!

I rate Sam Reid when's he up and going. He had a decent 2022 and destroyed us/Tomlinson in a mid season game at the G. Had we made the hard (but probably correct) call in forcing BBB or T Mac into retirement given they're both in their last year under contract, I'd have contemplated Reid as a back up. However at the same time that would be hypocritical given we would have just replaced one injury prone player with another.

First pick - Nate Caddy (I like the idea of having JVR, Jefferson and Caddy as our forward options in the medium to long term given Petty's likely gone) Second pick - Charlie Edwards. I could be wrong but JT has a history of not always picking the highest ranked available with his second to fourth picks.

We've got equal amount of MCG games as Collingwood and one more than Richmond. Pert and CO will be wrapped with that. Surely it's been years since that's occurred.

I was feeling upbeat about the fixture until I read that. How can a club get just 5 trips when there are 8 interstate teams plus Gather round?

Hope it's the other way around as you'd imagine a lot more MFC supporters will be in town for the Adelaide gather round game.

Same amount of travel as 2023.

Surely they will after last year's debacle. Have to go no worse than 1-1 in the Adelaide oval double. Our first game at the MCG in a final round since 2018. Playing WC at the G for first time since 2014. Away MCG games against Hawthorn, Collingwood, Carlton and Richmond which should total an excellent 14 MCG games, 1 more than last year.

We avoid Geelong in Geelong and have a proper bye for once!

This year it was Bulldogs and Carlton that had to play the SA teams in Gather Round. Next year it’s us and Essendon. The year after it will be two other teams. Cleary it’s on a rotational basis. I’m struggling to comprehend what the issue is here??

The advantage of round zero is Carlton and Collingwood could potentially be 0-2 before the Saturday of round 1.

That's exactly what's happening.

Spot on. Since the flag we've played with the red ball just twice at the G. Once against St Kilda in 2022 and once against Freo in 2023. I'd like to see more Saturday afternoon and early Sunday afternoon games at he G to add variety to the schedule. However Saturday afternoon footy seems to be reserved for the also rans if the second half of last season was a guide. I'd also like to see us play at Marvel more than once, at the expense of 1 or 2 less interstate trips. I figure we won't get more than 13 MCG games like last year.

I wonder if the club internally acknowledges that a lack of a proper bye has actually hurt the club come finals time, or whether they're not having a bar of it. In 2021 we actually had a decent bye - played Queens Birthday on round 13 and then next played the Saturday night of round 15, and went on to have a fairly solid finals campaign.

Logic would suggest that's the case as we would go in fresh for Gather Round rather than copping a 5 day break. So nothing surer then our bye being scheduled on a weekend other than that.

Was hoping the Sydney game would be on the weekend to make it easier to travel up. Was earlier rumoured to be Sunday 3:20pm.

Perhaps we have a bye the weekend before Gather Round given we have a Thursday night game on Gather Round weekend. Round zero - @ Sydney Round 1 - V Dogs Round 2 - V someone. Round 3 - Bye Round 4 - Gather Round @ Adelaide (Thu night)

I have no doubt we'll train the house down and tough love will be enacted. If you believe analysts like David King, we train the hardest in the league. Who remembers the fellas doing running drills after the praccy match V St Kilda in blistering 32 degree heat. The results from rounds 1-9 speak for themselves over the last 2 years as we jump out like a rocket in the practice matches and generally have our dominant wins in the first couple of months. For example this year our early season wins over the Dogs and Sydney were first class and we also walloped North by almost 100 points. It's after round 9 (2022) and/or finals (2022 and 2023) that the club loses its way somewhat and fades in the final 300 metres down the straight.

Technically we could play Adelaide twice at Adelaide Oval next year. One in Gather Round and one later in the year. Richmond and GWS both "hosted" Sydney and Hawthorn respectively two times. One in Gather Round and one later in the year.

Every second day it's been reported in the media that we're playing Sydney in Sydney for round "zero" on Labor day weekend and it's being billed as the Brodie Grundy rematch. I'd be surprised if we're now not involved.