bing181

Saint don't have a 3rd rounder. Or a second for that matter.

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but Saints don't currently have a second OR third round pick, as both have been traded. Their current highest pick after the first round is 4th round, pick 57.

Wonder who else has been carrying injuries. Under the circumstances, gutsy performance from him in the latter part of the year.

I was going to post something similar ... not just spooked so much by the result, but coming up against the reality of "we're playing off for a place in the GF". The hype and general hugeness around the Pies/Tiges match and the aftermath ... perhaps not the greatest thing to have watched the night before?

A few harsh truths amongst this, unfortunately: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-09-22/every-demon-rated-from-the-preliminary-final

"Melbourne had a serious bout of stage fright, with their inability to hit simple targets – mainly by hand – brutally exposed by a clinical West Coast side. The Demons coughed up 12 turnovers in their defensive half in the opening quarter alone ... 56 of West Coast's 63 points at the main break came directly from Melbourne turnovers." (AFL)

If anyone had said at the beginning of the year that we would overcome our hoodoo teams (North and St Kilda), consistently win away, finish 5th on the ladder, win two finals, in our last 5 matches against teams in the 8 win 4 out of 5 including beating one of the grand finalists, and all this after last year consistently losing to teams below us on the ladder and not even making finals ... we would have all taken it with open arms. We are back.

Outclassed and outplayed by a side that had 12 premiership players from a few years back - and it showed. We were nervous and overawed, and they punished our mistakes. The only real positive out of the game is that our weaknesses were exposed, and we know what we need to work on.

Hard to argue with most of what's been said here. It's all in the head. Nervous, not coping, and then everything that flows from that.

Rattled, not handling the pressure.

Anything can happen in finals. If the players all lift and it clicks ... you only have to look at the Dogs a couple of years back, even Richmond last year. We can certainly improve on last week - but will we? I'd love to get into the GF, if only to see Bernie Vince come in, throw caution to the wind in his last match and wreak havoc.

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.