binman

How could we only beat the Suns by a few points if the blues can [censored] them? Jeez the dees are rubbish! How could only bet the blues by a couple of goals when they could beat the Suns so easily? Jeez the dees are rubbish! Yes, we beat the Tigers, but they beat the Saints and the Saints are the opposite to demons. Jeez the dees are rubbish! How could we lose to Freo, coz they got flogged by the Giants and we probably will too. Jeez the dees are rubbish! Have i got it right? Isn't that how it works?

Nice of them to schedule the first ashes test and the us golf open during our bye round.

Does DL have Russian bot accounts?

We lost deliberately. Tricked freo into thinking they were a top 4 chance. So they figured they better load hard to be cherry ripe preliminary final day. Did so, and barely raise a trot in this game. No run at all.

Good question. I suspect they think they are contenders. Remember Scott's comment last year explaining why they had embraced the dees mid season increased block around the bye period? He said they'd rather miss the 8 because they lost matches due to going hard than go into the finals without the conditioning to win the flag. Give up some battles to increase the chance of winning the war.

Trigger warning. Clearly, freo are uber fatigued. They have no run in their legs AT ALL, hence no overlap run, spread or ability to cover outlet kicks or slow the giants' transition at all. The goal the giants kicked in the last second of the third was the perfect example. No question in my mind they are in the middle, or had just completed a heavy block of aerobic conditioning. Probably expansion why giants were short priced favorites. I note this because we have been in the same boat the last three season, including this year. Fatigue has been a factor in our surprising mid season losses. But WE HAVE NEVER folded like freo are now. All our losses have been close. We have willed ourselves to keep in touch, have pushed through the pain and fatigue barrier. As dees, fans, should be proud of, and laud those efforts, Freo have done the opposite. Hugely concerning attitude and mindset. Alarm bells ringing if you are a freo fan.

No it doesn't, and that's one of the problems.

We lost deliberately. Tricked freo into thinking they were a top 4 chance. So they figured they better load hard to be cherry ripe preliminary final day. Did so, and barely raise a trot in this game. No run at all.

This is fun

It's a funny one isn't it. I suspect there is some Intel about the place. Maybe the saints are going super hard on the track atm?

No they don't get any more blocks of 2-3 days off. Once the season starts, their only real break from the club where they can do what they want eg veg on the couch, go to noosa, fly home to see family et etc is the four days they just had. That's it. They will get at least one day completely off a week, and occasionally two days. Bur not a proper rest or extended break until after their season has finished. But even on their days off they would likely still do fitness work and certainly won't go interstate or away for a trip. As -coach- said, these are elite level, professional athletes. They don't 'rest' in season. Take the nine day break from the cats game to the giants game in the Alice. We play Thursday night. They might get the Friday off, but then have to train hard on Saturday. Sunday off, and back to the club for more hard training Monday through Friday. Assuming we fly out Saturday (could be Friday I'd they are doing community stuff like previous years), they all get up ultra early, fly to Alice and have a captain's run on traeger Park Saturday arvo. Play Sunday. Fly out Sunday night. Back in their own beds, say 3am monday morning, maybe Monday off, then back on deck for more training Tuesday.

Except they won't be resting. They will be going super hard on the track and in the gym.

Well of course. But if you want to talk semantics, the context needs to be considered. And the context is the AFL industry consider a Monday game, followed by a game on Thursday week (or a Thursday game to a Sunday week game) a nine day break between games. The problem of not considering context is demonstrated in the posts above talking about 10 day breaks. Suddenly we are talking different numbers for the same thing, which creates confusion. Confusion that can be avoided by using the standard industry definition. Another example is that as per their contracts, players have to get a min 4 day break during their bye period. Goody said in his play match presser the players get a four day break, as did say Jack viney. They trained today. Five days from the match on Monday. Do we think Jack viney considers they had a five day break? They had Tues, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday away from the club. A four day break by tbe industry definition - which, to avoid unnecessary confusion, I'd argue we should use.

I take your point about Saturday to Saturday, but the coaches, Selwyn Griffith and players call it a 9 day break, so I'll go with that.

That answers those 2 questions kev - literally only a 4 day break and they can train on weekends. Mcrae said their players are not back on deck till next Monday, meaning their players get six days away from the club, and our only four. The pies don't play till Sunday week, meaning an 11 day break over tbeir bye period to our 9 days.

Not that unlikely I don't reckon. The pies could slip to 3rd or 4th. The lions could finish top or 2nd. And even if the pies play week one at the g, a scenario could unfold like last year, where they have to play interstate.

I'm not saying the gabba is an impediment winning a flag. In fact i of itself, it's a huge advantage because of the unusual conditions weather wise mean the lions will always have a huge home ground advantage - as evidenced by their crazy good record there. That record almost guarantees at least finals every year. So that s a big leg up in terms of their chances of winning a flag. I'm saying the current game plan and list the lions has developed, consciously or unconsciously, is driven by the conditions they play in. It increases their chances of winning at the gabba. But decreases their chances of winning everywhere else (except maybe on small grounds like taxpayer park and docklands). They are way too slow. That lack of pace is not exposed on a slippery night at the gabba because the hames always devolve into lots of stoppages and contests. Lions main scoring source is from stoppages and clearnces. So their game is perfect for night games at the gabba. A good example is their win over the pies up there. But footy now is about scorimg from turnovers and transition. And transition is quick, with wave running. And if turned over, requires pace of those same wave runners to get back in defence. And away from the gabba the lions literraly can't keep up - on offence or defence. Footy back when tbey won their 3 flags was all about the contest. Which suited the lions with their incredible, tough, strong, deep midfield. They haven't adapted since.

That exactly right. And is why talk of a mcg hoodoo is ridiculous (and yes one more ridiculous media narrative to add to the pile). The MCG is not the problem. Their list and game plan is.

I did that once. Well, turns our I was dreaming and just fell out of my hospital bed.

The Gabba is a double edged sword for the lions. They have a phenomenal record up there. It must be the best home record in the AFL, surely. Geelong wouldn't be far behind I guess. Every season they bank good points from their home games. But most games are at night, and it is almost always humid and slippery, so the ball is on the deck and the conditions are tough going. The conditions suit contest to contest, tough footy. And that's basically the lions game plan in a nutshell. Meat and potatoes footy. Works well at the gabba, but not so well elsewhere, particularly at the G, where the extra space and better conditions expose their lack of leg speed. That's the other edge. Build a game plan and list, by design or otherwise, to maximise wins at gabba. Gets them to top 4, so big upside. But if the game plan and list can't deliver a flag they're stuck if they don't change something.

Lions have got a real issue with forward connection.

The fox crew got struck right into fritter at half time, or post match for supposedly staging. I think it was Johnson who had the footage pulled up to make that accusation.

I'm really looking forward to selection for the cats. They have followed through on the preseason talk of being more flexible in terms of how they manage players (though goody will never being too many in unlike say bevo - values predictability too highly for that) - Flexible both in terms of player management (eg hibbo, salo coming straight back in) and on field strategies like time on the ground and rolling more players through the middle. Is this a target game? If so, they pick their best 23. But if not, maybe they manage some players. So maybe give jvr a spell? Easy to forget he is only nineteen. Or maybe even give Maxy a chance to have a good break, and give brodie a solid run in the ruck in the process, perhaps wth smith giving him a chop out. Petty was listed as a week on Monday - will they bring him in for the cats game? Or wait till the giants game, which would give him another full 9 day break? Could chin do with a spell? Kozzie? Spargo looks to be paddling a hit. Maybe Laurie can come in for him. Or they find a way to give Howes or woey a run? They'll go with the analytics and their their elite coaching skills and knowledge. I'll go with the vibe and suggest some new faces and some different roles will create a buzz and some energy in what could otherwise be a cold mid winter slog on the worst ground in footy. And will increase our chances of winning. Nek minit; no changes.

Stengle is my guess

It funny you should say that, i was gob smacked. I can't recall who it was, or whether was half time or post-match analysis, but it was fox. And as you say they accused Fritter of being a stager. Which is pretty harsh accusation given the implication of being a cheat. Then they showed the video, which to me showed the Pies player (murphy?) bumping Fritter pretty hard, and certainly when he wasn't expecting contact. As you say, absolutely a free very day of the week. Maybe it was Dunstall who then said blocks should be paid, but otherwise they all simply ignored what the video showed - Fritter did not stage for that that free. And so not did not retract their accusation of staging. Yet another example of media narrative not supported by evidence - in this case Fritter is a stager. That was such a stupid free to give away. Completely unnecessary. I would have thought a much more relevant discussion for people supposedly analyzing the game would have been to question the discipline of the Pies or whether they were frustrated about the strategy to have Fritter shadow Moore and were trying to break that tag.