binman

You're fired.

Mmm, I didn't factor that in to my analysis. You're right they have some good looking roosters (though SOS out hurts on that front) And we have quite a few that not even their mothers could like. And we traded the Weed. Dees by 25 plus.

Fair criticism. I plead guilty to making a mountain out of mole hill. But next time clarry, keep walking and mumble something like not today fellas. No harm, no foul. And no report on channel 9 or content for 360.

Missing an apostrophe

I might have missed some, but I don't recall reading any posts that underrate the blues. So them being seriously underrated on here is a stretch. I'd actually argue that you're on rhe money - if anything they are being overrated by some. At least in terms of their chances of beating us As I have noted many times, the betting market for a match provides the best objective relative head to head assessments of teams. The market's assessment is we are the clear favorites for this match @ 1.72. Which, by the by, is shorter than the pies are against the Cats. Which of course doesn't mean the blues won't win. But it does mean the more probable outcome is we will win. I actually would have us a bit shorter, perhaps 1.65. I think the blues are in fact a touch overrated - at least for this match. Whilst they have done really well to win without Kennedy, McKay, Walsh and Cerra, they are big outs, particularly against us. Assuming oliver plays, we have Petty and Fritter our best 22, but i still think we are ahead on the injury front (I'm not sure if durdin and sos are in their best 22? But both have been in their team thru the season). We are in red hot form too, and with our midfield and maxy in great nick, we are very well placed to exploit the absence of Walsh and Cerra (which would be the equivalent of us not having oliver and tracc). They have a very similar game plan to ours - forward half, get territory,win contests. But that works in our favour because over the journey we are the best in those areas (teams with different methods, like the Hawks, crows and lions worry me more because we have to adjust our method more) They have massively improved their transition game. Daniel hoyne posits that is why they have improved so much. Again, we have a better transition game over the journey. The likely wet weather creates a variable. But i don't think it favours one side more than the other. I'm not sure how the blues have gone in the wet, but we have struggled, in large part because it exacerbates our poor foot skills. But we did ok when it got wet against the tigers. Slippery conditions make it harder for curnow, but brings their small forwards into play. The slippery conditions mitigates the loss of Petty, and our small forwards were brilliant last week. We have one really big advantage. The blues have been running out games really well, so are obviously fit. But i dont have a good sense of how fit they are blue relative to us. But I do know we are close to being in top shape, are super fit, and have been stronger for longer in all our games since the saints win. The advantage we have in that space is the blues are coming of two hugely taxing games - physically and psychologically. Their game against the pies was ferocious and intense. And last week, the saints applied incredible pressure and were super hard at it - particularly in the first half. We have seen recently the impact of back to back tough games on the pies and port. Neither team had won since their epic match at AO. And both have looked flattened. We had two tough games against the lions and crows, which made our tigers win even more meritorious. The roos were hard at it last week, but really only for a half. And the game wasn't intense in terms of stakes, build up or a huge crowd going ballistic. And we had the luxury of basically resting our midfield in the last quarter, with maxy, tracc and viney spending most of it sitting on the pine. On top of that, we are likely injecting one of the best 5 players in the competition into our midfield. Clarry might be a bit ring rusty, but he will be fresh and ready to rumble. I think we will win. The line is currently minus 4.5 (meaning we need to win by 5 or more points to cover the line). I think that is too skinny, and would set it at 6.5 (but won't be taking the line on, because there's nothing worse than the dees losing AND also losing money). I have a feeling we could look to make a statement and put the blues back in their box. Under goody, we have always looked to do so against potential contenders and it makes sense to hit the blues because they are def contenders and there is a good chance we might have to play them in the finals. Dees by 30 plus.

Jaded, there seems to be a disconnect. Taking it to heart? As I literally said, I could care less. I put zero store in what he said in terms of thinking it reflected some reality of wether he would play or not. My only point on that front, and it was far from a strident one, was he risked creating some unnecessary confusion. Which the very first, completely reasonable, post from gawndy on the topic, highlighted. As is logical. Not every one is as inside baseball as us, so not everyone knows to completely disregard clarry when he implies he had no idea if he is playing this week - or anything else he said for that matter. And so might be confused when they watch a club video saying he 100% will. Robbo and whately both dismissed what he said because it was wacky. Anyone who knows what clarry is like would too. As I immediately did. Zero fugazi. My point, which i thought was clear is he was under no obligation to stop and answer questions. He CHOSE to do so. And then chose to be rude. Call me old fashioned, but I dislike rudeness or people being impolite. Particularly sports people who live a privileged life getting paid a fortune to live out their dreams. And I'm disappointed clarry, a dees player, was rude. I have seen him do exactly that sort of door stop interview before and NOT be rude. If he were my son, who is only a few years younger than clarry, and he acted like that, i would have told him he should consider pulling his head in and show a bit more respect. And remind him, that like it or not, he is a role model to little kids. I might even remind him if he chooses to stop and talk to the media he should remember he is choosing to represent the club. Again. I get it. He is not a great communicator. He is frustrated. He doesn't like doing media. THEN DON'T STOP AND CHOOSE TO TAKE QUESTIONS. For petes's sake he's mid 20s. A grown adult. Not some 18 year old kid fresh off the farm. He should grow up.

There is a certain level of irony Jaded in you suggesting others are over reacting or making too much out of something.

I'm confused. Which posts led you to that conclusion ie bombshell? Look, I could care less to be honest. My point was that he comes across as a merchant banker and provides zero useful information. In fact provides more confusion. The two people asking questions are just doing their job. Again, why stop and take questions if he didn't want to answer any and was just going to be unnecessarily rude? If you don't like talking about your hammy or to the media, don't. It wasn't a club organised thing. He is the one who chose to stop and take questions. Anyway, as I said I could care less.

Particularly because he made it sound as it was actually very unlike he would play. And richo said he almost certainly would in the club injury vid - which I think (hope) was after the training session, but that wasn't clear either.

Then just don't stop. Plsyers wave off media all the time. I bet he does too.

That's exactly where I've landed. There's enough variables in the game, without having one that is not actually needed.

And a skill, if not executed spot on (which it frequently isn't) can, and often does, have a direct bearing on the game.

And pretty rude I have to say. Don't stop if you don't want to talk. Got soft ball questions too. And did actually say he hadn't 'got thru' a training session yet.

So do I. The dees seem to love playing teams in the rise and putting them back in their box. And the blues are coming off two very tough, physical games. Hard to back up again.

But i did see it too. I thought it was bizarre. But it clearly wasn't a club organised thing. A door stopper on the way into training- which was at Junction oval (which is frustrating- the media knew it was there obviously but fans didn't? Or at leastvi didn't- I would have gone). Oliliver looked and sounded [censored] off.

I wouldn't worry too much. English isn't his first language. And he doesn't have another.

Fair points. But what do you think he might have said about the pies if they had come from 5 goals down with 7 mins to go? Tbat was a seriously impressive win - stronger for longer and massive belief. In fact we might look back at that win as a critical step in out journey to a flag - one because of the belief it instilled (do we hold of the crows the next week if we lose that match?) and two it may well end up being the reason we play the lions week one of the finals at the g not the gabba. And speaking of the crows, seems bizarre given he played for them, that Jenkins didn't even mention our win over them. The following week they hammered port! And the tigers had the second highest team rating for a losing team all season (thanks dd). Thst was also a very impressive win.

By the by, I have it on good authority (straight from the rabbit's mouth in fact) that yes, he likes the nick name Nibbler, but prefers it to be pronounced Nibbla.

By the by Andy, I spoke with Fifa and they have moved the Tilly's quater final from Monday night to Saturday arvo, so i can watch it live. Good of them I thought. Funny story - they initially said how bought sat night binman?. No, no no I said. That won't work. But if you could make it 5pm, that would be perfect coz i can watch it at fed square before heading to the G to see the mighty dees demolish the blues. At first they were confused, thinking I meant France. And Denmark were already out. But we got there in the end.

I can join though can't I?

Don't mention the war...

Went out on a limb did steve on Sam, who was a top 10 draft pick. Sammy still has to play 13 games to play more AFL games than Omac, who went at pick 53. Should get there. But I wouldn’t put my house on it. And IIRC Steve and I also debated nibbler's value too......

That, and, in my view, the best weather in the country. My mum lived in Perth for a few years, and I visited in the school holidays. Fell in love with the weather - I hate humidity and I love the dry heat and of course the beaut freo doctor that comes in during summer in the late arvo and drops the temp to balmy not crazy hot like Melbourne can get. Saw my first ever live gig at a pub when I was 15 - hoodoo gurus at the I think joint called the lizard lounge. Probably no longer there.

I used to play cricket with Ralphy. He's actually a top bloke. He was a better bowler than footy analyst but (I actually think his news stuff is pretty good - should stick to it).

True. And the hawks too. But it’s one thing knowing how ti beat them, another thing being able to implement the plan to do so. The blocking of the corridor and covering outlet handballs and kicks requires elite fitness and enough players who can spread hard an defensively gut run And i don't think the Cats do. That said, I'm assuming the pies will have way more run and nor be evidently fatigued as they looked against the hawks. If they don't, then I'd almost say the cats are favourites to win.