bing181

I get an extra hour in France: just time to walk the dog and grab a baguette and settle back for what I hope will be a champagne breakfast. I happened to be up in central Paris today, so called into Belushi's where they have AFL on the big screen, and watched most of the other Prelim. Never again! Those Pies' supporters really are something else, I'd forgotten.

There goes Goody's coach of the year award.

Not sure if anyone's posted this, but ... special finals edition that excludes one of the teams??

If we get into the granny, suspect that they will hold Fritsch back from the VFL final. Others as well. (as reported).

Sends a solid message to the players as well.

Who would you prefer kicking the ball into the forward line, Smith or LeCras?

We've also lost our weakest defender.

I think so as well. Not forgetting injuries to the likes of Stretch and Maynard.

Just to put this into context, I can get a Paris > Perth return, going out Thursday, come back Sunday, for 900 euros (around $1460). (Etihad/Thai if anyone's curious). Ridiculous prices and just blatant profiteering.

FWIW, I think this is the one game too many that will catch up with us. Not being pessimistic, it's just that the physical demands of the last 4 matches, and especially the last two where it's all gone up a notch, will start to catch up with youthful bodies. Not only are West Coast older, bigger, stronger (especially the first), they've had a week off, a week of not putting your body on the line and getting knocked from pillar to post. As always, I could be wrong, and the 8 day rest including effectively a full weekend to rest/unwind could prove invaluable, but I wouldn't be surprised if we just can't match them physically for the whole game.

In J Smith, Fritsch to wing, Tyson out.

Also, a bit of Spargo love please. Not big numbers, but all of them seem to be important numbers, and great to see him getting on the end of a couple.

This season has surpassed expectations by some distance. To have made the finals was already a big tick, but to win two finals ... phenomenal. Team is maturing before our eyes. Now watch Goodwin win coach of the year. (toss up between him and Clarkson).

This is what inexperience looks like. Can't fault the endeavour, but polish lacking. Hopefully they settle a bit in the second half.

We can still go up a gear here, a few not quite "in" the game yet. Though of course, so can Geelong. Impressive structural work down back, really shutting down their avenues of attack.

Need to get past Geelong before we start talking about the Hawks.

Put away your glasses, Richmond for the flag, only question now is who makes the GF. Scary good, and the buy-in from the players is a thing to behold.

Agree. I think the interview brings home once again how on-field performance only comes on the back of club-wide behaviours, and you can never really lay the blame for failure or the credits for success at the foot of a single individual. Yes, after this we got Roos, but it was the changes on the admin and Board side that really started to steady the ship and put in place the foundations for what we see now. Yes, Neeld made some poor decisions, but so did many others around him at the time, and from the top down. Still, easy to say in hindsight.

That's not the way it works. You don't escape being done for drunk-driving just because you managed not to run into anyone.

Good to see Hannan, Hunt and Joel Smith included. Gives us some options for the following week.

Not sure that we can presume that Hannan will be available.

Though the toughest part is dealing with people who seem to think that it's anything more than informed guesswork. Decision making under uncertainty.

I know little about him, but we already have one injury-prone talented junior on our list in Pat McKenna, and that doesn't seem to be working out too well, so hard to see Freeman being of interest.

Given the year they've had, not much leeway down there at the moment I suspect.

and ...?