praha

I'm as doom and gloom as the next Demonlander but we should beat Carlton.

Carlton will be lucky to get passed us and if they do Brisbane will beat them by 80 points.

sorry I don't remember what happened then i literally didn't exist and my parents barely existed. what happened.

No doubt we have choked big time in big time games against good opposition at the MCG in pivotal games. 3x finals at the MCG. 3x against Collingwood at the MCG. Richmond have been average the past two seasons. You'd think we'd beat them. But we seem spooked in front of big crowds. I'm not understating the significance of the 2021 flag. It was no fluke. But it was always played on neutral grounds in front of neutral crowds with minimal hostility. Friday is going to be rough and no different. Unless we win you can lock in the choking narrative being parroted by opposing supporters and the media. And rightfully.

I'd rest him and bring in Grundy.

We were so good in 2021 if we play even remotely below that it's seen as playing "poorly". We played okay on Thursday I thought but blew it big time. Questionable if we can turn it around against one of the best defenses in the league. Carlton isn't knocking down the door offensively either. We lower the eyes and play the corridor for max 20 minutes a game. I miss the days when we'd blow a game over at the start.

Wait you mean this isn't an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Seems about right actually. And probably what it was last Thursday. Capacity: 100k Club member allocation: 25% (25k) - Melbourne: 12.5k - Carlton: 12.5k AFL Reserve: 30% (30k) Estimated: - Melbourne: 3k - Carlton 20k - Neutrals: 7k MCC: 23% (23k) Estimated: - Melbourne: 15,400 - Carlton: 6k - Neutrals: 2,600 GA: 22% (22k) Estimated: - Carlton: 17,600 - Melbourne, 4,400 Totals: Melbourne: 35,300 Carlton: 56,100 Neutrals: 9,600

Gee whiz they're confident for a team that hasn't been relevant since you could still smoke on planes.

You're forgetting Afl Reserve and GA. Allocation for *club members* is 50:50. Crown was probably 65:35 Collingwood's way last week because AFL Reserve and GA was made up of 90% Collingwood. This week will be no different.

Same. Mum and sister are on level 4 at the back. I used one barcode in "best available". Got M8 on level 1.

It'll tighten as the day progresses. Similar odds for Melb Collingwood before eventually flipping.

No I agree. I want him in.

He gets so lost in the zone that his 4 games this year have been 4 wins again: Adelaide, the best scoring team in the comp. Brisbane, not a bad attacking team. Richmond, with solid scoring potency. And St Kilda, pretty good in zone defense themselves.

Top 4 era since 2000.

Melbourne were favourites from Wednesday afternoon. I posted a quirky stat re. straight sets exists (which we are staring down). I just thought it was tragic and funny. I was confident we would win on Thursday (I'm...sorry?). And we should have, comfortably, and I think we didn't because we choked. I also think it's just funny and frustrating that our best season ever, happened when no one could go to the football and finals were played in neutral stadiums. And now that we are back to normal suddenly we can't win a final, at home, even as favourites and highly fancied. It is *literally* the definition of a choke.

Sorry, I meant we've been gifted a finals run by having 4 in a row at the MCG. And would have never needed to travel if we just got the job done like punters and the general public thought we would. I think we've choked pretty badly now three times in a row on the big stage at the MCG in finals after winning a flag in front of rent-a-crowds. I don't think we can escape that. Carlton is a must win not just for the season but just general headspace and respect in the league. My point about playing Brisbane in week 1 was around the hypothetical of losing, in that given we have lost to Collingwood, in hindsight you'd rather be playing Brisbane in week 1 than in a Prelim, which is the path we are on. It's purely hypothetical. I'm talking best and worst case scenarios. I said a few weeks back that I'd rather play Brisbane in week 1 and guarantee travel early, because that would set you up for 2-3 matches at the MCG if we made the GF (Semi, Prelim against Pies, GF), rather than the risk of losing in week 1 at the MCG (as we have) and now be forced on a path to an elimination in Brisbane. The reality is we fought so hard two seasons in a row to line up a pristine run to the Grand Final. It's not the end of the world and I'm definitely not on a doom spiral. But we've really [censored] up our chances. Yes I know it's a QF, Collingwoof is 1st, this is why you finish top 4 so you get another chance. But we were favourites on Thursday for a reason. And we were spooked. Before choking late.

The flag race really is right open. I reckon if you're GWS or even Carlton you definitely feel like you can steal a flag ala Bulldogs in 2016. A Port win would suddenly open it right up again.

Level 4 is generally fine. But level 1 during Collingwood and Richmond games is always filthy.

I just like quirky stats lol

Good thing we're bringing in Schache then.

I said this prior to the ladder being set and I was ridiculed. We are on the toughest path to the GF now.

If we lose Friday we'll be the first team ever to go out in straight sets in consecutive years. Hawthorn went out in straight sets in 2016 and 2018 but missed finals in 2017.

We were from late Wednesday.

I couldn't see us losing on Thursday and now I can't see us winning.