The heart beats true

So, what needs to happen for Collingwood to be out of finals today?

I still reckon Naughton should be there centre half back. With Darcy and Jamara really coming on it’s their defence that needs class.

I hope Jack Viney is watching this North game.

You have to wonder how the Dogs can fit Darcy, Ugle-Hagan, Naughton and English contracts long term?

That arc decision stinks!

No doubt. I wasn’t having a crack at him, but you can see it means so much to him and he hates when he makes a mistake. That’s what I meant by ‘he’ll hate the review’.

Kolt is going to hate the review of this game. It’s good for him to be out there, but he’s made some poor decisions.

Melksham’s foot skills are insanely good.

I like how difficult it is to see the game in the shadow of the stand. May as well be guessing what’s happening.

Draper loves playing Grundy. He owns him. He smashed him last year when Grundy was with us. Brodie is just a battler these days. He’ll have some good games, but his importance was always over inflated because of who he played for.

Shout out to the Essendon supporters who gave a standing ovation to their players at half time. For future reference, it’s actually a four quarter game.

It was actually just a bit of a joke at the expense of @picket fence because, and I’m not sure, but I think he wants Jefferson to get a game.

Surely any Demonland review needs to begin with the most obvious of questions, delivered by you know who… ‘WHY IS JEFFO NOT GETTING A BLOODY GAME???!?!????’

Bulldogs taking dangerously long contracts with players, like we do… or just locking up their best talent, like every other club does?

I totally agree with this. It’s seems like fault can be attributed everywhere, but also that when everyone gets on with their jobs a lot of the issues can solve themselves. I do think it’s very unnecessary for it to play out publicly, just as I did when the family was unhappy. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to look at where the information could be coming from.

I think, and it’s only a theory, that young ambition men without a lot of life experience being openly criticised for a lack of professionalism by a peer would sting - and this is what they latched onto as a response. Conversely the devil makes work for idle hands, and we are now seeing that play out publicly for the second year in a row.

Peter Ryan’s article in today’s Age mentions 2 things (verified by 2 separate sources) that help articulate what’s going on. 1. Christian is frustrated by player standards and professionalism, and 2. Players are frustrated that as a senior leader at the club, who has been openly frustrated at them, Christian was in Noosa and not at the club. If that’s the issue it’s really not difficult to see that once Christian is back driving standards a lot of this simply goes away.

Crossy works at North now I think. Last time I saw him he looked unbelievably fit. He’d still get 20 possessions in the AFL. He was such a hard working player.

You’d be uniquely well positioned to recognise this trait in others.

This was clearly leaked from the club against theirs, and the players wishes. Someone should hang for this. A player being up front and honest with the club in a professional manner that allows them to plan for the future, and someone betrays that and runs to tell a journalist? All that means is the club won’t have players come forward in the future, and will leave them scrambling. It’s hugely disappointing.

Garry Lyon said last week that Clayton’s hand is virtually unusable, and then this week said that the club made the decision to keep him on the park, as all parties concluded it was the best thing for the club, and for Clayton’s mental health. He’s been very loyal, and so have we. I think that suggests a really productive period coming up for Clayton, once he gets his body right.

I don’t want a celebration of Brayshaw anywhere near Collingwood.

Is it fair to say that he didn’t got on with Bolts?

Oh I’m sad. I love Nibs.

It’s a joke about someone inferring in another thread that Petty forward was a reason why people don’t go to games.