3183 Dee

No - not time to panic. As I see it, we are in Year 1 of hopefully a few year stretch at the top end of the ladder. To be sitting top 2 for the season so far is way beyond what I expected for this year and there’s no getting around the fact that we need to ‘learn’ how to be a consistent Top 4 team. The others in contention (Port, Geelong, Brisbane. Bulldogs) have been thereabouts for at least a couple of years now and will be more comfortable with the pressure, comfortable with being ‘the hunted’. For us, it’s a new experience, which we will hopefully also get used to over the next couple of years. We’ve shown on several occasions this year, against quality opposition, that we have the bottle to stay in the contest and tough out wins, as required. However, as many on here have pointed out, we have to fix our forward line. I expect that during pre-season, Goody and co were getting pretty excited about having a fit and firing Weid and Brown combo to round off our team. Obviously, this has not been the case, and I see it as our major potential stumbling block. All the other contenders have their dominant talls and this helps them kick away during games. I suppose in our Sliding Doors moment, it would have been Hogan up top for us now, clunking everything that came near him, but not to be. I’m not sure what the answer is - I would prefer an aggressive tall to be traded in, to compliment our defence and mids, but that’s not going to happen before the end of the season. I don’t know how far the current forward line will take us - here’s hoping deep into finals.

Come on, then! I'll take you all on!

I don't think Mark Wiiliams will get the Collingwood gig: he has said on numerous occasions that he doesn't want a senior gig - that Collingwood position carries a lot more than just running a football team. Yze will likely be snapped up at some point, but hopefully not for a while yet.

I think that's the reward for being on top - everyone will go harder at you. It's great experience for this team.

It was always going to be a tough game - coming off the bye against a red-hot Bombers after a poor performance, but the boys got it done. Agree with what most have said before: we need to work out our forward line: it's what's keeping us from putting the games away earlier.

Dogs probably deserved it, I thought. If we can get a solid, functioning forward line, we can take any one. The Cats (including their coach) must be the most irritating bunch of bankers around. Wouldn't give you the steam off their [censored] those blokes. Apart from Tom Stewart - he's a gun and seems like a good bloke.

We can take those barstewards! Come on the Dees!

No! It's got Britpop in it! Noel, Damon and Liam!

You could be right here: David Watts, Walls Come Tumbling Down...

Awesome @gaelicfootballfan- thank you!

Number 5 is The Grateful Dead (I think?)

I know - it’s great listening to SEN on Saturday mornings after a Friday night win.

@DemonOX Hope you enjoyed that win, mate. Stay well.

I’m so sorry to hear that @DemonOX. My condolences to you and your family - I’m sure all Demonlanders will be holding you in the light. That’s a lovely story about telling her the ladder position. Go well in these difficult times.

My hatred for them is also irrational! I don't know what it is about them (everything, actually), but I despise them. And I'm a Buddhist!

Hopefully, you still are able to go, mate, and pay tribute to your great Dad.

You're right, sue!

Obviously, you don't want to be relying on those free kicks to win a game, but the holding the ball before Walker's goal and the deliberate out of bounds at the end were very poor.

Have to win today - we have seen Tigers, Doggies and Geelong all turn it on this weekend. If we're to be on the level with them, we need to be clinical in the way we go about Carlton.

I can't work the permutations, but the three outs are huge, especially Viney, who drives the standards in the mids and lets Trac and Clarry do their thing. I would put Sparrow in, to rotate through the guts with Jones and Brayshaw. Jones will be the old head v Kennedy and Parker. Put Petty back - May really rates him, according to a recent interview, so let him find his feet down there. TMac to the wing and maybe Weid in for Melk (not direct swap)? It looks a bit too heavy, but who else do we have to put the pressure on in the F50?

Love it WJ - I’ll read this to the soccer team I coach, who looked yesterday as if they had been up playing FIFA until 3am. Regarding today, I’m not nearly as bullish as some. The Kangas are on their home deck and would be desperate for a scalp. We, on the other hand, have rolled the dice with a big team change and a reputation for drinking bath water before these games.

I think I read somewhere that Watts, Frawley and Rivers were the others, hence my beer snake question.

Were they doing a beer snake?!

Good call - I think that'll be it.

Brian Cook?