Nasher

Bulldogs do not have one competent key position player at either end of the ground. Morris is a good player, but not big enough for the roles he's being asked to do. It would like us having Col Garland as our only good defender without the help of Frawley, McDonald et al. Regardless of the outcome tonight I'd be really worried if I were a Bulldogs fan.

Jeez I'm nervous. Life was so much easier when we were a dead certainty to lose.

Yes, the tipping point for me is that I'm in deep shit if I get stuck in Melbourne as my wife has an exam first thing next morning so I'm required for parental duties. Otherwise I'd just stay with friends for the night and get a $40 flight the next morning. Not to be this year, I guess.

All, I was thinking about a day trip to Melbourne for the Queens Birthday. Issue I have is that the game is that the game starts at 3:20, and the last flight from Melbourne to Hobart is at 7:40. Staying overnight in Melbourne isn't an option. I think it's too tight. Thoughts?

These threads always make me stop and wonder if I should donate!

The second line of the two-line article on the MFC website says "Viney challenged his two-match suspension for rough conduct at the appeals board and his initial penalty was upheld." I think Burgs might've been a little bit excited when he wrote that and wasn't concentrating.

I feel like we won the game all over again. So stoked!

He's cleared!

I was miffed that Kent got rubbed out too. Best 22 player for mine and I want him back on in.

Plenty of people will be blushing upon reading their contributions to this thread. Happy to not be one of them.

From the VFL reports it sounds as if Clisby and Riley are the nearest to the mark, and Roos has apparently said he expects Frawley to play. Garland is a no-brainer if he has sufficient miles in the legs. In: Garland, Riley Out: Viney, Georgiou

Grimes' spoil and Tyson's goal made the hair on my arms stand up.

Him and me both.

By most of the literature I read.

What does it mean when it's referred directly to the tribunal? Does it mean they were unable to classify it? What is he then being charged with?

Direct quote from the coach please, or it's just the word of "Bleasey as that". As dependable as the interpretation of some bloke on the internet that I don't know is...

Fortunately we had you here to keep us all informed, eh? Only I don't remember you informing us.

We're nearly one third of the way in to the season and we're second from the bottom. Let's not get too carried away. It is nice to see us amongst a logjam of other teams on the ladder though. We might still be very close to the bottom, but we're hanging on to the tail of the pack. If we win next week we could end up as high as 12th.

By my count, we've got 16 players who have played every game to date. Obviously that number will diminish as players get injured through the year and so forth, but that's an extremely solid side. To contrast: up to and including round 6, Hawthorn had 15 such players, Geelong had 14, Brisbane had 11, and Carlton only had 9.

Potting the Roos gameplan would be a good way for Welsh to commit career suicide I'd have thought. Not to mention alignment and therefore club suicide. I doubt there'd be a Casey Scorpions without the alignment, or at least there would not be a very strong one.

Maldonboy - I haven't seen much Byrnes hate in this thread, just a general preference for Kent.

I'd never seen that before. Sickening. I feel gutted for Fitzroy just watching that 2 minute clip. Who was the commentator voicing his absolute disgust?

Cross is one player that gives me a smirk of smug satisfaction. I know the Bulldogs took the view that he was down their list of this type of player, but it's not hard to see why their supporters were shattered. The guy is just manic, don't think I've ever seen a player lunge desperately for the ball so often as he does. He's not a polished finisher, but I doubt anyone expected he would be and that's not what he's there for. Vince got his revenge this week, time for Cross to show them they were wrong too.

If Kent has a big game in the VFL then I would expect Byrnes' place is in doubt. I would not bother with Blease no matter how well he plays - I see Byrnes as a better player, and he wasn't bad enough to lose his place unless it is for a true upgrade (which I think Kent is). Don't agree with the idea of replacing Byrnes just for the sake of it. Riley and Toumpas will be contenders for the vacancy left by Viney if he's rubbed out. If Viney gets off, no change to our midfield. Hope these two lads really turn it on today, it'll keep the pressure on our mids to keep it up. I'm itching to hear about how Garland goes today. He clearly does not belong in the VFL, so I think if he gets through the game in one piece he'll be in too. If not for a Frawley injury, then for Georgiou - nothing against Georgiou; I just see him as the most expendable of all the players playing in a similar role to Garland.

I agree. Before this injury I was flirting with the idea of Frawley back and Dunn forward anyway. I realise Dunn has been crucial, in defence, but I think he is a smarter forward than Chip, so would probably be able to deliver more consistently. Dunn needed in two ends of the field, eh? Gone are the days of moving him all over the field to try and make something of him. Maybe Daniher and Bailey had it right and actually helped him with all the shuffling.