CHF

I do recall many years ago when there was a weak quake on the Mornington Peninsula, my then Mother-in-law was on the phone to her brother and was so discombobulated by the whole thing that she said "The rats were coupling in the kitchen" instead of "The cups were rattling in the kitchen". One of the all time great spoonerisms in my opinion.

Buck, I agree with you with regard to the midfield contest. In the two finals so far, we have not really put a hard tag on any of the opposition and really relied on our pressure at the contest to negate play makers. We do line up on an opponent at the center bounces and at stoppages but then look to attacking the ball and/or ball carrier with our pressure. The first quarter will be a contest to decide who is dictating terms. If it is going our way them the Dogs will need to react and try to shut us down. if we need to react to the Dogs then we are on the back foot. I know we have shown that we can turn the tide when required but I would prefer to be the proactive team. Can see us attacking hard and fast in the early stages to get on the front foot.

2 finals played…….. 2 finals won. Just a Grand Final to come. Let me just repeat that…..”Just a Grand Final to come”. How good does that sound? Our Dees have the opportunity to win it all this season. I am not sure that any supporter could have stood there in February earlier this year and had the intelligent thought that we would be there, or that we would have had the season that we have had. Top of the ladder at the end of H&A and playing and winning finals with confidence and character. No matter what the outcome next week, I, for one, will look back on this season and judge it a success. What I do hope for is that this is the beginning of a number of years of consistency season to season. The result of our qualifying final against the Cats was never in doubt. For me, it was a complete team game. Each player stood their ground and were aggressive and attacking both with the ball in hand and when the opposition had the ball or when it was in dispute. We can not ask for more, just a repeat effort in the TBO (The Big One). As for Geelong, well, they are in a world of trouble with the list they have at the moment in my opinion. Old and slow (I don’t think I am Robinson Crusoe with that thought). The papered over cracks opened under the pressure we exerted, and the Cat literally fell apart. Could not have happened to a more deserving team and at a better time. I do hope that they continue to be deluded about the quality of their list and persist with their present strategy. A word about Max…… Just plain ‘Great’. However, he has made a rod for his own back. While we cannot expect him to play to that level each week, I am sure that he will have his future games judged against this match. And so, to The Grand Final……. Against the Bulldogs…. If the teams play to their high standards of the two QFs, it will be a ripping game and I believe it is the best GF that the AFL could have hoped for. These two teams have been in the top two, or thereabouts, for most of the season. Gunna be a tough one to win and a tough one to lose for both teams. Just a question: what is the record for a team playing in games in a season where it was 1 vs.2 on the ladder. The facts: We are coming off a good win against an old decrepit team…. But we did it well. – Advantage us We have one day extra rest – it is a long two weeks between games so minor, very minor, advantage to us. We are playing at a ground where we have won. – Advantage us They have played their last two games in QLD and SA. Been on the road a while. – Advantage us? They have to isolate in WA? …… - advantage us? They are coming off a good win against Port – Advantage them Problem areas of the game for us. Maintaining the standards that have been set….. Last week our defensive structure was tested with the injury to May and it passed with flying colours. The pressure that the mid field exerted on the opposition between the arcs made sure that the delivery into their forward 50 lacked consistency and penetration which gave our defence an armchair ride. When there was a contest, they did their job very well. This week they will need to be at their best with a few of Bulldogs forward threats in good form. They had 10 different goal kickers so the pressure from our mids will need to be there to ensure that the defence can do their jobs. Naughton is excellent on the lead, and I could see Petty getting first crack at him. Smith with 4 and Hannan with 3 were very good and will need covering. Smith was named on the wing but ran hard forward at every opportunity. Gus to play his defensive wingman role? He may not have the speed off the mark for the job. Bowey? If Weightman comes in, that might be Bowey’s job, and a big job that would be. Might be an interesting matchup. Rivers to Hannan for me. May to English. We have flexibility in matchups back there and the best structure in the league. Midfield is going to be an interesting chess game for the coaches. Both teams have a lot of talent to throw around to try and gain an advantage in matchups. We all know the old adage….. ‘It will be won or lost in the midfield.’ Could not be more true of this game. Libba, Macrae and Bont vs. Oliver, Petracca and Viney in the guts and Langdon and Gus vs. Hunter and Smith on the wings. Juicy. We have Harmes and Sparrow as backup and they have Dunkley who is no slouch. I tend to think we have a bit more flexibility to be able to respond to the fluid nature of a game than the Dogs….. I hope so. One area where I think we have a clear advantage is with Max and Luke. Up against Martin and English I like our chances. Jackson is just so good at competing once the ball hits the ground or is in hand at the center bounce he is like an extra mid. Do not see either Martin or English running with him. Max will compete and attack at every opportunity either with the ball or if it is in the hands of the Dogs… Now for the forwards… We had 10 goal kickers of our own last week and kicked more than 3 times more goals than the Oldtimers. The good; We kicked a winning score with a good spread of kickers and some good form shown by the critical players. The bad; Geelong…. Did I mention they are old and slow? The ugly; Searched my mind and came up empty for this one…… any suggestions? The forward structures worked well and look to be improving each week. Brown is doing all the things he should be doing and the rest of the team are playing off him very well. Fritsch is the hard one for the Dogs. They need to cover him but it will take a good flexible play to do that, and they may be robbing Peter to pay Paul. We have Brown, Tmac and the resting ruck for them to cover. They will be stretched. And then they have Spargo, Kossie and ANB to cope with aa well. All in good form. Petrraca has been on the end of a few recently and Oliver has shown he can kick a goal as well…. another chess match for the coaching panel. Selection this week should be a one cheese platter night, but you never know. No changes for mine if May gets up. Jordon or Smith as Med Sub. Bathwater express is gleaming clean and the donk is turning over nicely. Just throbbing biding its time until the big day. It charged across the Nullabor without missing a beat and fully loaded with all of our hopes and dreams. It has been a great ride on the old girl and now having delivered us to TBO, she is nearly ready to rest over the off season to build up a head of steam for 2022. Never know there might even be an additional flag flying from the arial by then. Prediction… go with the heart or the head? Does not really matter the result will be the same….. Dees to win it. Close for a half but we will take the game away from the Dogs in the second half. Go Dees!!!

Well. Oiled. Machine. A wonderful team game.

There is a tradition on Dland that you report on the snacks available when you are visiting a different ground. well, I played golf at Quinta Do Lago here in Portugal this morning and the bacon and egg rolls were sensational….. I would give them a strong 9. Go Dees. We will win by 4 goals going away.

I'm feeling good about this game. Not worried or nervous, just pretty damn calm and expect to stay that way right through the game. Why is that you ask. Simple. While I have confidence in the team leadership, their structures and the coaches, more importantly, I believe that the players have that same confidence in these things. That will give them the ability they have shown in past games to respond to the situations that arise in the game, just as they did the last time we played Geelong. I think we will out play them for at least 3 quarters of the game and a have a lot more run in our legs in the last. Dees by 45 points

WOM Well Oiled Machine…..

Thanks Red.

Saturday was a bitter/sweet day for me. I awoke to the news that a family member in Australia had succumbed to cancer after a long and painful battle over the last 7 years. Unfortunately over the last few week she went downhill very fast. To make it more difficult, it is impossible for me to get back to be there for the rest of the family. I spent the morning on the phone sharing stories and tears. Football was not in the forefront of my mind but I did sit down to watch the game to try and distract my mind from the morning's events. My heart was not really in it but I watched through the first half with a heart growing heavier by the minuet. I stayed watching it and did have a thought at the end of the third quarter that with an extra goal or two we might have been a chance. The way the team delivered really lifted my spirits and brought a smile to my face. I thought of the Pink Lady round, the Big Freeze game and the recent Reach game, but mostly the Pink Lady round and thought about how proud I am to support a club that works so hard to promote good causes. The footy is important but we need to ensure we all look more broadly at life. Go Dees.....

I would go Jackson, Jordan, Sparrow and Bedford as IC with Hibberd as Sub. That would give us a reasonable midfield rotation and might allow Kossie a bit more time in the middle with Bedford covering forward.

I have been wondering if there is any detailed data on frees, not just across the whole of the competition. I would like to see where/what we win frees for and where/what we give them away for compared to the rest of the teams. I am sure that someone is doing this and that clubs have access to it. I think it would be valuable knowledge to have on a week to week basis so that you know how to counter opposition teams. Any one know where this data might be?

Will be interesting in the last round with us playing the Cats and the Dogs playing Port. It could work out that after a week's rest the same teams line up again for the first week of the finals.

Good fixture for us as Dogs, Port and Cats all play on Saturday so we will know exactly what the situation is come Sunday afternoon. In my opinion, a good position to be in at this stage of the season.

I agree. I would still look at him as a possible trade and put in a bit of work to cultivate him and build a relationship. You never know what may unfold in the future and I am sure that the MFC has identified a number of players that they are building relationships with just as we did with Lever and May.

I have not read the whole of this thread as yet but in my opinion, one player that might be worth putting the work into over the next few seasons is Noah Anderson of the Suns. May be a longer term trade target or free agent but I get the feeling he just might be gettable.

Due to a serious illness in my family I will be unable to continue these threads. I wish the Dees all the very best and I am sure the Bathwater Express will rumble into the Finals and to ultimate success. CHF

13-3-1 17 rounds played…..13 wins....and a draw????….. 54 points in the premiership bank and Still on top after a Bulldogs loss. 5 Rounds to go in the home and away season. Had a shocker and it was only worth 2 points, if that. Round 18 - 1 (Us) vs. 2 (Them) Earlier than expected but I predict a strong win for us. Apologies for the short version. A few things have come up at home that have made it difficult to give time to this. I hope to be able to give proper versions in Rounds to come

I will relax and have lunch with a bottle of fine champagne followed by a nanna nap and a late afternoon spa visit and massage. In the evening dinner at a Michelin starred restaurant with some more champagne and some wines. I will do exactly the same thing if we win except that I will have a smile on my face.

Round 18 will be interesting to watch unfold with regard to ladder positions. We play on Saturday evening against the Hawks at the same time as the Dogs play the Suns away at Metricon. The way the Suns are playing at the moment, you never know, the Dogs might just stumble. All the games that could have an effect on the top 8 mostly take place before our game with the Cats playing the Dockers on Thursday night in Perth. Not a game that the Cats can afford to take lightly with Dockers at home and playing week in week out for a place in the 8. Friday night, Tigers Vs Lions at the G. Lions gathering injuries and the Tigers just about on the last roll of the dice to remain competitive for the 8. And before our game on Saturday the Giants play the Swans on Mars. Giants playing to keep pushing for the 8 and the Swans looking better and better each week in a push for the top 4. This game should finish just as we are beginning. Saints, Port play just after us so by the end of business Saturday we will have a clear idea of the state of play. Sunday’s games will have an impact on the lower reaches of the 8 and on the race for the wooden spoon.

Who are “all these people “ ?

The Roos win not only dropped WC into the 8 pressure cooker but also put a bit of pressure on the very bottom of the ladder in the race for the wooden spoon. that means there is interest all the way from top to bottom.

The West Coast result has made things interesting for the last two spots in the 8. I would say that the top 6 are pretty much assured of finishing in the 8 barring some major problem or Covid intervention. The way I see it is that there are 6 teams trying yo get into the two spots.

13-3 16 rounds played…..13 wins….. 52 points in the premiership bank and back on top after a Bulldogs loss. 6 Rounds to go in the home and away season “Defence under pressure…. Midfield looking flat and devoid of ideas and imagination …… forward structure non-existent….. or at least still dysfunctional after 15 games this season. Goody thinks that is a good thing.” The above is what I wrote at the beginning of last weeks Preview & Prediction. In the game against Port with the midfield running and pressuring the defence looked back to its settled self and with the introduction of BB the forwards had a better feel. The result was a much better across the board performance. I really felt the loss against GWS as it was so far away from how we had performed earlier in the year and seemed to be the latest game in series of deteriorating performances. It was excellent to see the response of the team as a whole. And so, to Round 18 and we play the Hawthorn this Saturday at The G. Interesting to note that the last 3 teams we have played have all played Hawthorn the week before us. They lost to Essendon, beat GWS and lost to Port. We did the opposite. Not sure if that is a form line indication but I find it an interesting quirk. The facts: We are coming off a good win on the road against a top 8 team – Advantage us We have two days extra rest – Advantage us We have been vulnerable against the lower placed teams – Advantage them They are coming off a loss last week in Tassie – Advantage us 1st Vs 17th …. No excuses. Problem areas of the game for us. Performing against lower placed teams….. Week in, week out our defensive structure has done a great job. We have the right people in the right place at the right time. Not a lot to say here except that the rest of the team builds on their work, and we need them to maintain their high standards. Their link through the midfield is great. I would have liked may to kick that goal last week. This week the Hawks do not look that potent in attack and in the last few weeks have not really kicked very high scores. Moore Koschitzke and Breust are their main avenues to goal and I think we have the defence to cover them. Midfield pressure on the ball and the ball carrier from the start was excellent to see. Not sure how or who switched them on, but we need to bring that from the start of match every week. Hawthorn have a couple of very good players in the midfield but I feel they fall away dramatically after that. Mitchell and O’Meara are the main drivers with possessions and clearances and I thin we might give a role to Harmes on Mitchell. I think he does best in a pure run with role. He has the ability to win a contested situation. I would like to see his hands be a bit cleaner with less fumbles. I think we have the talent and depth to really dominate this area of the ground as long as the mids bring it right from the start. Delivery into the forwards was improved and with BB there it gives taking at least one defender, it opens up the other options for the midfielders. This is important for their confidence. McEvoy and Ceglar in the ruck for the Hawks and I think our dynamic duo have them covered in the ruck and around the ground. Now for the forwards… much better this week with the BB inclusion. Hmmmm wonder why it did not happen the week earlier….. The good; We kicked a winning score…… with a much better set up and structure. The bad; Accuracy The ugly; Selection of BBB a week later than it should have been I am encouraged by this performance, and I can see a lot of good things to build on leading up to the finals series. Brown to stay in and give the rest of the team a chance to learn a bit about him in game situations. Hawks have the third worst performing defence in the league by points scored against them. Frost playing CHB says it all about the quality of this group. A good chance to work our systems in attack and begin to settle the way we want it to work. Selection this week is a one cheese platter night and I do not expect any changes. Might be a ‘rested’ player …. Never know. Bathwater express is getting a bit momentum and the seats are filling now that we are certain to play finals. Added a turbo boost to the power plant thanks to the win last week and I think we have the fuel to carry us along very nicely. Prediction was very wrong last week, and I am very happy about that. Exact opposite of what I thought may have happened. This week I see a strong win with the team playing out the game 100%. A win with at least a 7goal margin. Go Dees!!!

There is a possibility we could play the Cats two weeks in a row.

The Geelong matches you mention could be a lot tougher than you imagine if those teams are pushing for the 8.