binman

Shirking contests is the biggest issue for mine. Has done so in all 3 matches since his return

No, but I suspect teams will be finalised today so the players won't know the final line up yet (but will before it is announced tonight obviously)

I thought Wagner but you're probably right as Greene is a strong bigger and excellent over head. Might need horse's height and strength. That said he has playing am important role as an intercept mark player and not sure if he could afford to zone Greene.

Harmes would be in no doubt about his position in the team. He knows he is a total lock. It would more be about ensuring a player like Smith isn't worried about his spot, which no doubt he would have if both he and weed were named on the bench.

Speaking of the rain, i really hope it holds off until after the game (or until half way through the last when we have 4 goal lead). I'm firmly of the view that contrary to popular belief wet weather adavantages teams with good skills. And Gws are probably the most skilled side in the league. Wet weather makes executing skills more difficult and so it stands to reason good technique mitigates against that factor - and vice versa. In addition to having poor skills we have a game style (ie quick hands, chains of handball etc) that works better for us in dry conditions.

Id pick harmes (of course), wagner (need him for greene), Fritsch (so lucky we have so many injuries, would play him at wing or half forward where is best suited) and I can't believe I'm saying this Lewis (he allows fritter to move up the ground and provides some experience in a very young back line - but goes out when lever comes in). Stretch has had his chance and needs to go back and learn to release the quickly and instinctively. Slowed our forward momentum against wc a number of times, which really stood out as we were obviously instructed to play on whenever possible. If he can't sort that aspect of his game i can't see him playing AFL again. I've cooled on Pruess. Good back up for maxy but simply not mobile enough and fast enough to play as a semi permanent forward. Particularly against gws who love to run it off hb. The predicted wet weather doesn't help his cause either. I reckon goody will pick Harmed, Wagner, Fritter and Lewis.

That is incredible. I remember all the talk about but had forgotten how big the differential was. Talk about a statistical outlier.

Agree. And if he shuts him down will go a long way to helping us win. Coniglio is critical to them. Like someone else mentioned stopping Greene is crucial. All year it has been the mid size and small forwards that have really hurt us, not the bigs. Not sure who gets him. Certainly not fritter. Wagner will get the gig is my guess.

I'm finding it very difficult to remain positive.......

I might be wrong on this but my memory is that we had a pretty bad run with interrupted preseasons (TMac, Viney, hogan and others ?) and in season injuries (Gawn, Viney, Smith, VDB and others?) in 2017 and came with a late burst to almost sneak into the finals. Even last year we got Viney and AVB back near the end of the season and we looked pretty fit come finals time. The season is incredibly long and taxing the way the game is played now. The running the all team offence and defence systems demand has a huge impact on all players as does the ballistic nature of footy. Pies and cats are flying now but they might cop their injuries at the back end of the season, as might the Lions who have had a great run with injury. Just as we are coming good!

Agree BB. As I have banged on about quite a bit this season having big numbers of interrupted pre seasons AND in season injuries is the key reason we have struggled (there are others of course but often they are symptom nor cause e.g. inability to execute game plan). It has always been thus and I find it funny that the footy culture of soldier out, soldier in tricks people in underestimating the impact of those two factors. And the impact is felt all season as as you say players usually take time to get back to their best and some simply don't until the following season (Assuming they have a good pre season and no more injury). It also takes time for the team gel, and that is particularly an issue for the defence as synergy is so important. And we have four first pick defenders to come back in. All that said, if we get most players back and have no more key players go down, IF we somehow made the finals we have time for it all to come together. We only have to look at the bullies gf win for evidence to support that idea.

You are one angry poster dd. You get points for being consistent.

Annoyed this game is on at the same time as the seniors. Live nearby and would have gone. Great ground on the rare occasions it is not blowing a game.

I'm not quite sure where i stand on this game yet yeater. Much will depend on selection and how the three boys who were concussed come up. All three are important, for different reasons. We need ANBs run as GWS will 100% look to use the width of the G, though not as much as say the Hawks, Pies or WC. The they will look to use the corridor more but still we need runners to cover them. Smith gives at the contest and up forward and the player who can play as a defensive forward on Shaw. And personally i hope they don't pick Preuss and Smith gives us that option. And Salem is the most critical of those three as we simply can't afford not have by far our best kick not playing this game. I've gone off Lewis to be honest and i think he will play out the season at Casey once Lever is back but i wonder if he comes in for Friiter or Stretch (although Stretch isn't like for like). But they also might decide not to make any changes and back the 22 from last game. So i'll keep my power dry until the final teams are announced Friday night.

If (and yes it is very big if) we get a win this week there will be some very positive vibes coming from the club with so many players on the cusp of being ready for senior selection.

Says a lot about the world we live in. We are dumbing down at an alarming rate. But fear not you are well and truly not alone. It appears to me the majority of people can't - or more likely simply can't be bothered- apply logic or intelligence to issues. Much easier to throw some wacko comment our there and expect people to react to said comment and then bat it back and forward. I feel old.

You obviously took no time to try and apply some logic to the question. Give it a go.

There are any number of reasons why they might publically say they didn't review that game when in fact they had. And much nuance in rhe statement the club did not review it. Apply some intelligence and thought to it and you will work out what those reasons might be and what the nuances might be.

Fair dinkum I'm getting fed up with this sort or rubbish. The way so many so called demon fans on this site insult omac is simply pathetic. This (ridiculous) thread is about teamates not sticking up for max. One of the players that reacts is omac, but still he's not immune from critisism. Our he man that everyone was drooling over pre season gets suspended in a practice game for being a stupid faux tough guy and misses round 1 and who knows costs us the game. Did you watch the game? Meek? Omac attacked contest after contest and despite the fears of darling and Kennedy rag rolling him more than held his own. Laid some big tackles and got smashed plenty of times too. And unlike Frost didn't make any brain dead errors, turnovers or clangers that cost us goals or chances to clear our defence. Don't believe me? Go look at omac's video of his involvement on statspro on tbe AFL website. His best game for the season. Joeboy even called it serviceable, which for him is akin to saying very good game. How about posters get around the young fella, who as is pointed out above is only 23. Still young for a KPD. Many seem to love Sam Collins for gc. Instructive he us older (just) than omac and was towelled up by tmac against us and I think cost them the game. Love him, hate him, ambivalent or simply don't think he is up to the job at least be happy we have him in the side atm while his two highly paid teammates sit out with injury, one for being an undisciplined peanut who despite being a so called leader didn't think to ask his new club what their expectations were for him in terms of getting ready for preseason. Now that's meek.

Right on. Would have clocked him, given them another goak snd copped a six week suspension.

It was that day.

The issue is that if you come to the afl with a suspect kicking technique it may improve a bit but will always be suspect. A gun junior like trac will have kicked a footy 100, 000 times. More probably. Hard to re train that. And a gun like trac would not have that weakness exposed as s junior. His skills would still put him above everyone.

I wondered if they might do that Friday night. Not the craziest idea, in part because playing him higher mitigates somewhat his biggest weakness - his kicking ie turnovers are not in such a dangerous spot.

That is exactly right. Those sort of blocks occur at almost every marking contest with multiple players contesting. Gawn gets blocked like that all the time. The other issue is where the free gets paid. That ridiculous decisions gifts them a goal, so a huge impact. The failure to pay a blatant throw (albeit one that is hard to see) gifts them another. When you consider the Smith error, which unquestionably was wrong and me likely would have resulted in a dees goal, and the fact we did not receive any frees for blocks that occurred near our goals then it is hard not argue the umpiring errors had a bearing on the result of the game (Yes, yes Macca we lost it with our rubbish kicks for goals so I AM NOT BLAMING THE UMPIRES). In isolation that is not great but it happens. But where it is the norm rather than the exception the supposedly elite competion has a real problem. And no amount of head I'm in the sand, let's not bag the umpires, it is a difficult game to umpire palaver will change that. But lets be clear I don't blame the umpires , i blame the AFL for not biting the bullet and having professional umpires like other elite sports.