Chook

Oh god we're saddled with the three horsemen: Dwayne Russell, Dermott Brereton, Gerard Healey

Anyone have the final word on the game start time? Is it 8pm vic time or 7pm?

Brisbane tracking pretty well considering they started last year 0-3

Agree with that, but I wouldn't say Lever in slippery tropical conditions against a small forward line is a guaranteed win over Rivers/Hunt.

It's events like this that remind me people are mostly very very stupid.

Clearly the security should have sprinted towards Buddy as he kicked it, and surrounded him. No idea what they were hoping to do other than protect the player.

lol how dumb are people with their phones, as if it's not being filmed by a thousand other people. Why not just enjoy the moment?

The big Budwah!!! What a sight!

Goal of the year from Hannan. Give me that marvel over any dumb dribbler from the boundary.

There's one for your frees not paid tally Demonland - how that wasn't a chop of the arms against Cripps in the English marking contest I'll never know.

Based on this form they are, but no one would have rated Melbourne a shot at a flag in round 2 last year, and rightly so. Only the true believers had faith - and just because some of us were right doesn't mean it's going to prove to be true this year. I'll reserve my judgment - I simply don't think the pace they play at will be repeatable for the entire year.

31 points with the Dogs' attacking brand and Carlton being Carlton is not insurmountable. Blues can't sustain this level, and the Dogs still have a lot of attacking power.

The Blues are probably playing the best footy in the comp right now - I just can't see it lasting an entire year with the level of efficiency they're getting from everything. EDIT: Also I don't rate the dogs defence worth anything.

Wow that's pathetic from O'Brien, and from the ump for falling for the "high" against Treloar. The poster got what it deserved.

The dogs spread after Carlton win the ball in their defence after the Ugle-Hagen attempt at goal was absolutely pathetic. They're not fit, or they're demoralised.

Dogs have absolutely no defensive nous whatsoever. If the game isn't 100% on their terms that's it for them.

We don't have a midfield that's 5 stars deep playing like madmen on crack.

It's quite amazing how many simple marks bulldogs defenders drop.

That would be beyond anything the dees did in 2021, with no experience whatsoever of Finals, and no underpinning structure - they're very much a run and gun side that depends on their midfield to kick goals. It ain't happening 25 weeks straight.

Patrick Cripps might be the only player in the comp the umps love more than a Dogs player. EDIT: Dogs are getting a bad run with the umps. What is this nonsense?

Do you see Carlton's form lasting all year? I'd suspect they have a midseason dip that lasts a little too long to make top 4 - very much a Melbourne 2018 type year.

I prefer my interpretation, but only slightly.

Hot take - Melbourne will win the flag in a canter this year because we're the only team with a halfway-decent defence.

Gonna drag my mum along. The Essendon men's game is the night before and she lives semi-regional, so if it's one or the other for her I'm actually going to take her to the AFLW prelim - first ever AFLW final played at the G - I mean come on! Gotta be there. The men will play Essendone a billion times again.