binman

He's so well spoken.....

We willl win our last three and so it won't matter if the lions win But yes to a gruelling and bone crunching game ( for both sides).

To be fair, they have made finals for, what 12 years, won three flags, made mutiple prelims and played in a losing gf. That is an amazing record, one that had made it very hard to restock with quality young players through the draft.

That's what I meant. If they have, extremely risky. Unnecessarily so. One, that would increase the risk of soft tissue injuries (as per selwyn Griffith) at a time when a two to three week injury to a couple of key players (eg Moore hammy, Sidebottom some foot issue) could disrupt their preparation for finals. Two, they risk losing one of their biggest advantages - the aura of invincibility. And three surely you want to be coming into finals with a decent block of games where you are playing your best footy? Let's say they have gone hard on the track. Well all three of the above risks have come to pass. Not that it matters if they are loading and are flying in September. I have had us as premiership favourites all season. The market is now catching up (my tip - we will be favourites with the bookies on Sunday morning). Even with no inury concerns, at their fittest and playing their very best football we have them covered.

This times 100, 000, 000

Yes, very interesting. It's possible they have been doing some sort of pre season loading program because they simply don't have the same run they had in the first half of the season. Nowhere near it. And they are not running out games like they do at their best. And they don't have the run we have atm either. Nowhere near it. We are stronger for longer. The alternative is they haven't got their program right and that are simply running out of gas late in the season in the exact same way we did last year (our lack of run late in games at this point in the season was equally apparent). The latter is probably the more likely scenario becuase after a season of being hunted, they have just played their 4th super physical, taxing game in a row. That has to take a huge toll. And they have the Lions next Friday night. And finish the season against the bombers, which may not be as taxing but will be a packed house and the bombers may be playing for spot in the finals. So potentially six taxing games in a row, with Daicos and Moore out and queries on Steele's fitness I watched the last quarter of out round 22 game against the blues prior to this game and it was full on finals pressure, We then backed up against the Pies for another epic and finished the season at the gabba. I have no doubt that run flattened us.

Cats shot. 'Superp performance from collingwood' Brayshaw said. He can't be serious. Yes good enough to win a flag, but not on that performance. All of their vulnerabilities were on show again, particularly their defensive issues. And they have not got a premiership midfield Cats were a defensive horror show and slow as a wet week. And the reality is the pies allowed dads army to put 100 points past them and got smashed in terms of inside 50s in the last quarter. All the pies last quarter goals were a result of absolute howler clangers from the cats. Let's see how they go next week against the lions. They will struggle big time to cover the lions talls with no Moore.

That's exactly right. Were unfit round one. And have never got fit since. I don't care if the pies go on to win this game by 80 points. Proves zip. Their fans and fan boys get a sugar hit, but they do not look like the favourites for premiership threat atm. I'm not saying they can't turn it around, but geez they want to do it quickly. We will get a better guide next Friday night.

Cmon cats. Season's over. Get clumsy. Sharpen up the elbows. Put some mayo on the tackle. Bump. Maul. Scrap.

That goal to Cameron was the perfect example of the above.

The way the pies push up so high defensively just exposes them.time and time again.

Ta. Won't be 70 i dont think then. I can't remember what game it was, a big one last year - the second tigers game maybe. GA started half way up the top section of the Ponsford, with the rest reserved seats. And that crowd was 70k

They should. Yes the pies pressure was better that quarter, as was their run, but to my eye, they still didn't look to be running over the ground like they were pre bye. The cats lack of speed flattered them Even if they go on to win, it will be fascinating to see if the pies can really run out this game the way we have been in the last three games. The pies do not want anymore injuries that's for sure.

That's the entire area isn't it DZ ie all level 4 is GA. If so that's brilliant - for me. That's where I want to sit. And I have a GA ticket. But it means they will be lucky to get 55k to the game.

Could care less who wins this game. Seen enough. Even if pies win, they are looking all over the shop defensively. What I want to see is huge contest after huge contest. Lot's of big hits from the cat's dad's army. Let's see how they go next Friday night against the lions, who will be looking to smash them in the contest. And what was that from BT - they're like mushroom, they're coming alive!!! The week three people die from toxic mushrooms!

Agree. Very hard to win at the gabba. But the crows will give it a shake, it's an elimination final for them and they have a pretty good defensive system.

In their loss to the blues they were coming off a six day break after their epic against Port. It's worth remembering that port got hammered by the crows, and also looked flat as a tack, after their loss to the pies.

Doesnt sound right. Closed for now perhaps They sell tix in blocks, which is very frustrating. I assume it's so they don't open an area like top of the ponsford if they don't have to coz otherwise they have to staff it. But it forces people to buy tix in an area they don't nessarily want to sit in. It was the same deal for the tigers game I'm going as a GA, as I did for the tigers game. Got a perfect seat top of the Ponsford down near the bottom of it. I read earlier in this thread from fear the beard they are expecting 70k. If they haven't yet opened the top of the Ponsford for tix (which I hope they haven't) my guess would be 70k is unlikely. You'd have to think the excepted rain and the clash with the matlidas game will keep it to aprox 55-60k

Good pick up TU Hadn't noticed, but it's def a thing when you hear the repetition of a particular theme in the lead up to a game, particulay big ones - like a dees mantra.

I'm going to go and will keep a close eye on tmac.

That's my take too. On Hibbo, i reckon part of the thinking is also trying to reduce the risk of impact injury, which given the way he plays is always a risk, because Goody is dead keen to have him fit and raring to go come finals - which makes perfect sense becuase he is built for finals, Very similar approach to how the Cats managed Danger last year (not dissimilar players in terms of their intensity and attack on the ball). And with Smith, in addition to managing his minutes and keeping him match fit, it is very likely he is going to be designated sub come finals so it also makes sense to give him some really sold minutes down back to get used the defensive systems, build synergy with the other defenders and get good touch because he may have to come on early in games.

Agree. Very hard to win at the gabba. But the crows will give it a shake, it's an elimination final for them and they have a pretty good defensive system.

Wow, that is a massive drop in price a day out from the game (i just checked sb, and yep 1.57) A week out that wouldn't be so remarkable because the pool would have been relatively small and any big bets would have an outsized impact on the market. And it wouldn't be remarkable, though still relatively unusual, to drop from 1.70 to 1.57 incrementally through the week with a steady flow of small and medium bets on the dees (which didn't occur - we opened and have stayed at - 1.70, which as i noted in the run home thread i thought was a touch overs - i thought 1.65 was about right). But a drop from 1.70 to 1.57 the day before the game is huge - one of the biggest drops ive seen all season - because whilst the pool will still grow a bit, it would be near its peak now and so some serious money must have been dropped on the dees - most likely by a seriously big punter or punters (unlikely enough small punters like myself could move the dial like that). To answer your question, i very much doubt we will get any shorter. More likely we will go back out a touch, perhaps to the 1.65 i predicted. But given the amount of up and about blues fans who are likely backing their team (which i have stopped doing - except for flags, Brownlow's and norm smiths!) i'm guessing a big punters, or punters (or the bookies) might have some inside info and there might be a big out for the blues that has yet to be announced. If that's not the case then the big punters have really jumped into the dees because they agree with my assessment we were overs at 1.70 (we are the better team, have been playing at a higher level, have much fewer best 22 not available - and the blues form isn't as good as it looks from the win loss column - the Saints are average, the Pies looked flat as a tack, Port had seven outs and forget about the others)

I think this is so important, particularly now that Petty is out. A huge part of pett's role was to create a contest and bring the ball to ground. But with his ability to find leading lanes, mark on the lead, contested marking skills and ability to take his chances, Petty looked a natural forward. Grundy doesn't bring the same natural forward skills, but i'm confident he can do the job creating contests and stopping oppo defenders marring the ball - and all the other donkey working up and down the ground, as well as giving Maxy a chop out in the ruck. Any goals he kicks are a bonus. But that makes JVR even more important that he would have been with Petty in the team as he is the now the key pure tall forward. And for him to thrive we don't want him spending all his petrol tickets working up and down the ground, rucking and getting smashed up on the half back in marking contests from the long ball from May. We need maximum Van Ruin impact close to goals

For ever and a day i lamented the dees lack of genuine A grade talent in the middle. I remember being ridiculously envious of the lions midfield of voss, black (one of my all time fav mon dees player) and akermanis. And i have had now had the joy of watching a midfield the equal of that group- better if you include maxy. But what's weird is how quickly I have come to taking it for granted. Clarry out has been a great reminder of how lucky we are and I can't wait to see him play again. Man oh man. A huge positive of clarry coming back in is Tracc can play forward as much as goody wants him too - rather than as a rescue mission like against the tigers. And there wont be the need to run the A team - maxy, tracc, oliver and viney - at centre clearances UNLESS goody wasn't to go all shock and awe at some point. Flex.