Macca

Interesting stat from the past Under the old final 4 system (which ran from 1931 until 1971) no team that finished 3rd ever won the premiership Yet at least a couple of teams won the flag under that system from 4th position And North won their first 2 premierships from 3rd place under the final 5 system (which came into operation in 1972)

I distinctly remember hearing the saying back in the 70's and it might have started then (or perhaps it goes back a long way) So it's at least 50 years old and I reckon the connection relates to the leading full forward and those who passed to that player in that position

Well, you push the envelope but don't cross the line Lyon has twice rested 8 or 9 players on the eve of finals. Brad Scott did the same To me, it's not about resting players, more so avoiding any more injuries As it stands, Fritsch is still out and we've run out of tall forwards who can impact games (good luck Smithy!)

If Port beat Freo the odds are that we'll be finishing 4th so whoever finishes 1st or 2nd will be what it is So the chances are that win or lose, we will probably finish 4th (if Port win their last 2 and the Lions beat the Saints) There might be an upset result which would therefore change everything. Mine is a hypothetical where any resting of players is dependant on how the other results go By the last Sunday of the season we'll know what we have to do (or not do) First of all, we need to beat the Hawks

The point is do we want to risk imjury to any of our best players in a dead rubber? (if the Swans game is a dead rubber) And people are the same all over especially when it comes to winning at all costs

So is Harley Reid a potential difference-maker like Gawn, Petracca or Oliver? If so, take the punt and secure the player. We might have to pay overs with regards to draft picks but that's the price you have to pay We're a team in contention so to make that an ongoing feature, adding a star enhances our attributes Why fall out of the window?

Well, good to have to you back, Wyl When it's all said and done, we all barrack for the same footy team @cowboy_from_hell used to say the same thing all the time and he was right By the way, he was the OP of that infamous thread ... "Relax, we've got this"

5 months! We were worried sick, Wyl Btw, whatever happened to Biffen? And where's Cards13? Hope they're well

I don't believe the Collingwood hierarchy would be concerned With the weekend off and a home QF final in front of tens of 1000's of crazed Pie fans, they'll be up and running on the day (maybe even with the wunderkind available) They've previously earned a top 2 spot and that's where their thinking is at (in my view) Tonight's game was not about Collingwood being at their best

But it's not like they'd be couch-potatoing (is that gramatically correct?) They'd still be training and simulating match practice These days, the best are plug-in-and-play I'm more concerned with injuries than rust

Yeah, I reckon tanking is the wrong word (or description) for teams resting their starters prior to the finals Bottom teams aiming at a draft pick number do not want to win But teams 'preparing' for finals aren't necessarily effected by a win or a loss Those teams are simply resting their starters in dead rubbers and therefore, not risking injury to their best players

Right now, we can't catch Collingwood and if Brisbane beat the Saints next week, we won't catch them either The Lions will be up for a home QF final So it's 3rd or 4th for us, six of one, half a dozen of the other Beat the Hawks and rest up for September Put it this way, I wouldn't be risking Oliver if we're playing in a dead rubber. Or Gawn. Or Petracca

And if we were at our best, we'd win and win well. I'm normally reasonably confident but the Hawks are up and about and if we give them a opportunity, they can beat us I'm a great believer in blowing lesser teams out of the water but for whatever reason, we often make hard work of our wins

Richo quoting stats? What would he know? He's just a talking head to me ... blah blah blah The Pies will be thereabouts when the whips are cracking. Their best is very good We need to take care of our own backyard. We haven't been at our best since the game against the Pies and that's 2 months ago now Let's face it, are we confident about beating the Hawks? If we were in our best form, we'd obliterate them And we'd all be super confident of a victory.

I used to think the same way ... just 5 years ago. But I've changed my tune The flirting with form argument is ancient thinking. Don't take that personally, it's more an observation of a way of thinking Players not playing will still be simulating the playing of the sport without the contact or the pressure A lot like le tour riders who still ride a lot of kilometers on the rest days

As I mentioned to Jaded, the trend overseas of resting starters in games that don't matter is old news If it was allowed, I'd be happy to play Casey against Sydney if that game had no impact on our finals position But there's the whole disrepute stuff etc that would rear it's ugly head Why risk injury to the best players? Makes zero sense

Are you up with modern sporting trends? Teams aren't serious in games that don't matter once they've locked in their pathway We're just a bit behind in Oz. Which is par for the course Those here who follow the NFL or the NBA or even the MLB and soccer know what I'm talking about

Brisbane look alright but how serious are the Pies? This isn't Collingwood's best by any stretch

Now that was touched!

Hipwood set up that goal taking a risk from half back

Yep, I reckon I've tried them all ... Paringa is good as is Stonier

1st or 2nd is the same yeah? So the Pies have very little incentive to go all out (De Goey rested etc) ... and that includes against the Don's next Friday But we can't be sure of any result including tonight Port will probably win their last 2 but if we knew that for sure, we could make a lot of money We beat the Hawks and then rest our best players against Sydney (why risk injury?) ... 4th place and then launch

Pinot for me ... NZ, Bellarine, Yarra Valley or the Peninsula. Goes with anything Less of a headache next day is also the goal!

Pies can't drop below 2nd can they? Even if they lose their last 2 Port would need to gain a lot of percentage

I still can't decide which team I want to lose? What happens if it's a draw? It's Friday night and my brain is frazzled ... need wine