binman

Australia scored as many goals as the blues

Funny you should ask that. A player immediately came to mind which I thought I'd note on the pod. And, on reading your q, another player came to mind.

Weitering and Walsh are two big outs - two of their best four players. But it is a mark of just how good our midfield is that we could be missing one of best 3 players, and one of the best 3 mids in the AFL, and not miss him

A foot fetishism? Sorry, I meant food.

I thought I read on here a few weeks ago he was saying we'd do well? Don't sleep on the dees and all that. And now he has us missing the 8?

Yeah, his kicking inside 50 is terrible. Such poor technique. Oh hold on, I thought you meant Petracca.

For a bit of perspective, we're far from the only top 8 club with some injuries. At the pies, Pendulbury and Howes have both had interrupted preseasons and are touch and go round one. Their best forward, mcstay is out for the season with an acl and Krueger did a bad hammy yesterday. At the swans, Luke Parker has broken his arm and their captain, Callum Mills has a wrecked shoulder he did wrestling on mad Monday (where's the media beat up on that? - i mean getting [censored] and wrecking your shoulder is just boys being boys is it? And hes tbeir captain! Cultural issue i reckon). Both players are huge for them. They swans are resting Jake Lloyd, Tom Papley, and Chad Warner for their community cup game to ensure they are right to go against us, which suggests all three are not cherry ripe.

Based on info gleaned from Demonland (track watchers, linked articles etc) my best guess is something like (taking koz and smith out as they are not injuries - by the by, koz is in ripper nick and right to go round 1. So technically doesn't miss a round. For petts i'm assuming no surgery, but if he has surgery unlikely to add mot than a couple of weeks) PLAYER INJURY LENGTH Ben Brown Knee 2-3 weeks Lachie Hunter Calf 1-2 weeks Shane McAdam Calf 2-3 weeks Jake Melksham ACL Round 16 Harrison Petty Toe 2-3 weeks Charlie Spargo Achilles 1 week Kysaiah Pickett Suspension Fit Daniel Turner Stress Fracture 6-8 Weeks J. Smith Suspension TBA

Report: The blues smashed us. We barely got a touch. Took one mark in 4 mins of highlights - and it was taken of us!

File under sad, but i'm about to watch the blues highlights. It might knock some of my natural optimism out of me. #beggars can't be choosers

Any reports of injury concerns sb?

No, I meant the dees social is a low bar. Andy goes alright.

#backhanded compliment

Go redleggers

I can't believe it. Went to buy my ticket today. They were available. But I checked with friends if they were coming and was waiting for a reply. Wasn't stressed. Surely it wouldn't sell out. Just went to buy them. Sold out!

Blimey, that's almost as long as one of my shorter posts. More informative too. But seriously, that's what we should be getting. Basic level of professional information. I went to the mfc website this arvo to buy a ticket for tommorow. No doubt the info is there somewhere, but I couldn't find it and gave up after 5 mins. Not good enough. Struggled to find it on the afl site too but did.

Yeah, that's a fair point. As is Werridee's point that May, week in week actually has a direct opponent and usually that is their best forward. I mean how would Stewart go head to head with Curnow or Hawkins? I completely forgot about Andrews. Like Stewart. Moore and Lever he also zones off and intercepts, but i think is probably better one on one than those three players. But no may. And May can also zone off and intercept when required. So, i'm sold. May if not the best key defender in the AFL, none are better. And any top 50 that does not include May is an assessment of the author not May.

Sorry Dino, that's just wrong. And in my opinion is a narrative dees fans should actively push against, because it is one the AFL and the Pies are pushing - for obvious reasons. Compare the circumstances of Gus's retirement with Paddy McCartin. Gus hadn't had a concussion for 5 years and regularly had MRI and advanced imaging and neurological assessments to check on his brain health and there were no issues. He was out cold for at least 2 minutes after the Maynard hit. The damage from that hit was so severe there is chance any player receiving it would be advised to retire, regardless of any history of concussion (by the by i'm guessing almost every AFL player would have received multiple head knocks, if not concussion, in their junior footy career from say under 10s to TAC cup. That's to say every AFL player is likely vulnerable to the impact of concussion). Paddy McCartin had to take an extended break from the game and once back had at least 2 head hits. The really worrying thing, and the key reason he had to retire i suspect, is the last one was barely a glancing blow (he didn't play another game after that).

Haven't been in this thread for a couple of weeks and this is where I landed. Was a very good call old. Unfortunately since then we have lost Gus. But clarry looks in good nick and will be in the ones by round 3, perhaps earlier. BB had said he hopes to be back with main group in 2-3 week. Fullarton is apparety two weeks away, as is mcadam. Petts still sounds a couple of weeks away, but is on track for being back by round 2-3. Tmac is out of rehab and salo is up and running. Turner is a bummer, but will back before the mid season bye and melk seems in great shape and on track for aprox round 15.

He's certainly a gun, but not sure he's by far the best tall defender. Agree he has Moore and may covered, but I rate weitering very highly.

It's funny isn't it. It's now completely accepted that teams are nor going anywhere near a flag without an elite defence. Footy media bang on about all the time. And every year the brownlow gets, rightly in my view, for being a midfielder award And then all the media awards go to mids. Coaches award too I guess, but al least defenders get votes. And then a top 50 from the head footy writer at the hun doesn't include the best defender in the best defence in the AFL. And has Moore at 22 and weitering at 36. Curiously he has Tom Stewart at 19. A gun no doubt. Better than Moore, weitering and may? Big call.

Lots I agree with. The main one is that it will absolutely be a shame if we don't get another flag out of this group. I think we have another 3-4 seasons in the premiership window, in large because of how balanced our list age wise. Of course that depends on tracc, Max, clarry, viney, lever and May not dropping away too much. But barring injury the only player that worries me is maysie. Players are so fiit and well managed these days that most stars are still at the top of their game well into their 30s. And it depends on koz, Sparrow, Bowser, jvr, mcvee and a couple of others improving. But again that's not an unreasonable expectation. And we will have some serious coin to back fill with quality free agents at the end of this season. Agree, not making a prelim this year was a fail. And I'm sure that's how they assess it internally. And as I have noted in another thread, we tightened badly in the last 5 or 6 mins of the blues game. Even with our inaccuracy, we should have won that game. The pies game is a different matter - we deserve massive kudos for being in a position to win that game given we basically only played 3 quarters. Huge psychological effort to get up after quarter time given what happened to Gus.

With the BB article suggesting he is only 2-3 weeks away from being back training in the main group and Fullerton a couple of weeks away from returning, our injury situation is not quite as dire as some in the media have suggested - certainly not preseason from hell stuff. Including Gus, with Melk and turner out for that's only three players who wont be available for big blocks, and Turner will be back before the mid season bye (and got the clicks in before his injury).

If its choice between Riv and Salo in the middle i'd take Salo. One, on what i swa in the praccy match he looks a natural inside mid. And two, i think we lose more not having Riv playing back with his run and carry and long kicking. He has become a critical player for us down there, particularly in terms of how we transition the ball. And i think we can cover salo more easily too - Bowser for one. Not sure we have a natural cover for Riv - Howes perhaps in time.