Northern Summer

The AFL could be a little clever with the re-fixturing if they opened their minds a little and get a third team involved in some of these fixture changes. As an example, as it stands, Melbourne hosts Brisbane (round 12), West Coast hosts Melbourne (round 21) and Brisbane hosts West Coast (round 23). Given none of these sides play each other twice, why not just switch the home teams around for each game (if borders allow). This would mean Brisbane would host Melbourne this week, but would mean Melbourne would avoid playing West Coast in Perth later in the season. It could then move one of its games (i.e. GWS) to Alice Springs if things allow. No team is disadvantaged with this approach. The AFL should look at doing this sort of thing where it is possible.

Just remember how much this mob were up against Hawthorn some weeks ago and still ended up losing. Look at how Hawthorn have gone since too. It was level-ish at half time when we played Adelaide last season and we ended up flogging them (even though it wasn’t a real season). Let’s see how we adjust in the second half.

Salem out for today’s game ? general soreness

Agree that we need to finish top 2 to avoid an interstate match first up in the finals. I actually worked out that even 17 wins might not be enough to guarantee top 4 spot. There may be a team with 17 wins that finishes 5th on percentage. This is all due to the fact that the 8 is already pretty much set and we will likely see the lower sides (there are pretty much 9-10 of them now) lose more games than they generally do. May need to win 18 games to finish top 2! We need to aim for 18 wins - remembering we play Port in Adelaide, Dogs at Docklands, Eagles in Perth (when they may have their players back) and Geelong in Geelong. We will probably go in underdogs in all of those games and favourites for the rest (including Brisbane in Alice Springs and the Dogs at the MCG). We might be sitting pretty on top but we don't have an easy run home...

Weideman definitely fits in better than Brown with our game plan and structure. Just more flexible.

Well hopefully not a 2004 style loss, which basically screwed up our season in the end (ie. no top four spot)

Helps in 1998 when North walk into open goals and miss, and kick something like 1 goal 12 in the 2nd quarter and blowing what should have been a 10 goal lead...

Don't want to do a Geelong from just about every year since 2012 and look dominant in the H&A season, only to become undone in the finals, due to fatigue (even mental fatigue perhaps). We should rotate and rest players. It doesn't mean gifting players games they don't deserve. It doesn't mean giving every bloke on our list a game/s. Rotating players through can only be a positive, even if only 1-3 changes a week. We don't want to cop injuries just before the finals and introduce players into the team that aren't used to the speed of the game because they haven't played seniors all year (this happened to Adelaide in 2005 and 2006 from memory, basically undefeated in the H&A seasons, copped awful injury runs at the end of the season to bow out before the GFs). In saying all of that, I think there will be a massive game differential between the top 9 teams, and all teams after that. I completed the predictor last night, and 9th (Richmond or GWS in my book) could end up missing finals with 14 wins, whilst teams could miss top 4 with 17 wins because of percentage. That's what happens when there are so many poor teams, and lower teams drop off once they know their season is over (and start prepping for the following season). In saying this, we still need to keep winning. We have the Dogs twice, WCE in Perth, Port Adelaide in Adelaide and Geelong in Geelong. Hopefully we can win some of these, but we would probably go in favourite in just one of them (Dogs at home). That would mean four losses if we lose all the games we would likely start underdogs in. This means we really cannot lose many (if any) more than this if we want to guarantee top two for a home final (and perhaps even top four).

They wore a clash guernsey against us in 2019, the only time I can ever remember. Their red guernsey. Remember, the AFL banned us from having a red clash guernsey, so we had to have white (and now royal blue). The consistency from the AFL is beautiful.

In 2004: Lost the last four home-and-away games after sitting top of the ladder after Round 18 (including against a hapless Carlton) before slipping to 5th and losing to Essendon by under a kick in an elimination final... In 2005: Sitting right up near the top half-way through the season before losing 7 in a row, ultimately retrieving ourselves and sneaking into the 8, albeit insignificantly and with a bit of luck along the way... In 2006: We played Adelaide at Football Park in the last round of the season. Adelaide all of a sudden copped a significant number of injuries to key players, such that we went into that game hot favourites. A win would have put us in the top 4. We got smashed. 2018: The Preliminary Final was over in the first 10 minutes of the game. You knew it sitting in the stadium.

9 now thankfully...

A hypothetical.... Let's just say we continue along the path we are currently on and win the flag or come bloody close. Collingwood decide to trade out players with currency wherever they can for their rebuild. Collingwood are open to trading out Howe. Would you take him back?

Williams coached Port Adelaide. Goodwin played for the Crows. I'm confused by the so-called connection you're referring to?...

1pm general public unless someone kindly has a link to a card they’re not needing?

An Eaglemont stalwart and lovely person from all reports. Very sad news.

What does Tim Smith MP say that is incorrect or wrong? He's outspoken and says it as it is. Hard for some to take. Meanwhile we have another bloke still in a job who's been responsible for a debacle, takes no responsibility for it, throws a minister under the bus, the entire state is locked down, yet he's able to just continue on...

Dom Tyson

Fife! Win us the game son, you can do it!

Why not, given those in their wisdom decided to give Harmes 5 years. I'll say that again - Harmes 5 years.

I'll name him for you. Doona Dan!

Time to call Fremantle and ask them how to pull a swifty with a contracted coach and a new coach - i.e. Mark Harvey (contracted) to Ross Lyon (poached); Simon Goodwin (contacted) to Alastair Clarkson (poach now)!

Sky News regularly mention this. It's awful. Michael Tuck is meant to be a cracking bloke. My father knows him and speaks so highly of him. Terrible news for the family and everyone that knows them.

Disagree. Heff was alright for us. He was basically a straight swap for Woewodin in many's eyes and supporters looked down on him because they didn't want Woewodin gone. Heff had a couple of injuries along the way, would have stayed with us if we offered him a two-year deal after 2005. Essendon offered him the extra year so he took the security. I think he was a Melbourne supporter and still keeps in contact with the old playing group (despite being on the Essendon board previously). It's not usual for ex-players that played for multiple clubs to actually support both their former clubs. I saw Earl Spaulding walk out of Optus Stadium after the 2018 Preliminary Final wearing a Melbourne hat and scarf (and his daughter wearing what looked his old number 5 jumper), yet i've also seen Earl in Carlton attire in recent years. .

A couple of sliding door moments: - In the 2005 Grand Final, Leo Barry doesn't take that mark, WCE kick the sealer, and Roos never becomes a Premiership coach - In the 2010 Grand Final, the ball bounces the way it would 9 out of 10 times and Milne kicks the sealer. If this all happened, Roos' public profile would be a smidgen of what it is now - he wouldn't be regarded as a football God, and perhaps, just perhaps, Ross Lyon might be. .

Legal phoenixing you reckon?