Jaded No More

Massive chance. For what it's worth I have Brisbane as the biggest improvers of the season.

Surely nobody looks at the BOM a week out and goes "might rain next Sunday, guess we are not going to the footy". People will surely make a decision on the day, especially as the game is a later start. I shall be there rain, hail, snow storm, or bush fire. GO DEES!

Ablett was always going to play unless he re-injured himself. Lets be honest, if we had Ablett on our list and he had zero pre-season, we too would back him in. He has enough runs on the board to suggest that even on half a leg at FF he will still do a very good job, certainly better than whoever else would be up for replacing him (Geelong has very little depth. I suspect/hope Nev takes him when he's forward of the centre, I think they're a good match up. As for Danger, this is a long season and Geelong are certainly backing themselves in for a top 4 and a tilt at the flag, why else would you get Ablett back? So to risk their best player 2 weeks into a hammy injury, would be sheer madness. Their next game is Easter Monday against arch nemesis Hawthorn, so it gives Danger 4 generous weeks to get himself perfectly ripe. I think they back themselves to win against us without him, and won't take the risk.

Footy is a winter sport and our home ground is MCG, Melbourne. If rain deters fans from showing up, and players from doing the same, then I don't even know what the point of life is anymore. Besides, who listens to the BOM a whole week in advance? They get it wrong even on the day. My phone app sometimes says it's currently raining when it isn't.

We all know he threw up on Scully to make sure he [censored] off, to give us pick 1, to get us Jesse Hogan. Gawn is basically a recruiting genius!

Been looking for a new profile pic. Thanks!

I agree. As I said above the queues at Richmond station are the most concerning. I remember after Queens Birthday last year standing in a line for 20 minutes, and Dad (ex- army) and I were both talking about all the possible ways that a terrorist could just about kill the 20,000 people cramped in this spot in under a minute. It's a massive security concern. I am sure x-ray machines will be next for bag inspections outside. The amount of 'checking' that is done by the security is a joke. I understand it is a time issue, but the safety of patrons is so important. If heaven forbid there is ever an attack at a footy game, the damage to the game and attendance will be irreparable.

Yep I get that lots of cars is a security risk. But so is standing outside the stupid overcramped Richmond station because everyone has to tap their dumb Myki to get inside. If they don’t let people flow through the entrance to the station, the security risk is just as great as letting people drive and park near the stadium. I hope this gets rectified going forward.

You can play Hunt on him and see how fast he can run to try and catch him

Driving to work this morning I saw a massive ad for the Tigers who are aiming for 90,000 members this year. I thought to myself "not even with 8 flags in a row will we ever get to these numbers". If we start the season off well I predict we will push 47,000. But lose 2 of the first 4 games, and we'll be pushing to get to 42,000 again.

Either way it will be a risk, and I hope we tested him out during the game!

Ablett with half a hammy is still a better player than 98% of the competition. Let's not take him lightly just because he has had limited preparation. He is very damaging both in the middle and up forward. Doubt the club is going to take his inclusion in the side lightly. I bet they have a specific plan for him and Danger, and that won't change until the final 22 are listed.

Didn't Frost miss 89 weeks with a sore toe before? *Enter panic mode*

This is pretty funny. Clearly Chris is a lonely nerd and therefore a North supporter.

Mine would be called "F*&K my life - the story of a Melbourne supporter"

Which just goes to show that these 'experts' have no f'ing clue and are guessing like the rest of us, so there's no need to really take much notice. I just find the bias from the Essendon people in this article absolutely mind blowing. I mean I don't, because all Essendon supporters are sick deluded [censored], but really, what a joke Lloyd, Hird and Robinson are to journalism* *I use journalism loosely given the high quality publication they all write for.

Look, I would prefer to beat Geelong and take the 4 points with their best team playing, but I’m not stupid enough to not be slightly relieved that their best player may not be playing. We aren’t that good that we can just laugh in the face of good fortune. Regardless of whether he plays or not, I hope we come out there with the right mindset and not thinking we are gonna win because some of their best players are underdone.

And yet our list has never looked stronger.

Good. It's a small part of a long season, and there is no point in him breaking down with injuries because we are rushing him.

I also think the drop off in the 3rd quarter coincided with having Maynard and Salem in the centre bounce for virtually the entire 20 minutes, and Jones was barely sighted (probably rested that quarter). We got well smashed in the centre that quarter which allowed the Saints to control the game. All of a sudden contested ball went in their favour after we dominated in the first half. Winning was clearly not the priority, as I am sure if this was a real game, the set up would be very different. Also I don't think it's a coincidence that when OMac went off in the second half, that Bruce started bobbing up. Frost is nowhere near as good a defender as OMac, which I know is a bitter pill for some people to swallow, but he is very good and clam under pressure and while Frost does some nice things, he panics easily and his disposal is bog ordinary. Missing TMac up forward and having Hogan playing high, didn't help our forward 50 entries, especially when we weren't winning clearances in the third so had to rush the entries. My biggest disappointment of the night is Hunt. We have to work out how to play him to best expose his speed. I know he is getting heavily tagged now, but we need to get 15 touches a game from him, or else his position is not warranted in the starting 22.

He’s fine. Being interviewed now. Full body cramp he said ?

Well we haven’t lost a game this pre-season. Can’t ask for much more.

Looks happy enough on the bench. Just a cramp. 1:22 left. Please please no injuries now.

Get. Gawn. Off.

Bugg is so goddamn infuriating!