Wells 11

well, just to counter balance this ...i went with a friend and we had saint fans around all around us who were very friendly and even at times complimentary re kozi. Everyone has there own experience i know but ours was good.

It’s a massive stat isn’t it. considering, as you point out, the clearances were equal. And yes we def do look to be playing a bit differently.

do we def have a home final?

there’s big difference in body shape here. Gawn hasn’t got the weight of Hawkins to do that at stoppages. The amount of times hawkins shoves the rucks in the bk at throw ins and gets away with it astonishes me. The geelong rucking subrule ie it’s in the back unless a. it’s a geelong player at kardinia park or b. it’s hawkins

we beat richmond in the hafey game so i’m still hopeful! So early in the season players will be fully switched on anyway.

Have often thought our crap facilities since we left the g were partly responsible fr a slight % less fitness and cohesion and therefore slumps. slumps costing possible premierships in those years when we were genuinely a good side. I’m not at all convinced we are one this year btw. you might have to predate 64 as a “ doing it easy year” though. we had to beat the hawks in a tight final game to reach the finals that year, which we did with about 60 secs to go. But i could live with doing it tough like that!!

I remember our 2005 start well. From memory Bruce had 9 brownlow votes after 3 games and was the hottest player in the comp. He never came bk to the same level after that spear tackle and I’m not sure we quite found the same spark as a team after that loss either.

I haven’t read this whole thread so apologies if i’m repeating what’s already been stated. One of the biggest, game changing, attributes Gus seemed to possess in 2018 was his ability to work with Max at centre bounces. They were a formidable duo and between them turned games in dominant quarters. I remember thinking we had one of the best combos in the league there. Also, because he’s so comfortable on both sides of his body he is, without being quick, very evasive coming out of the middle. Enough with being tough in the clearance can we please put someone in there with a frikn brain. ie Gus We have now next to NO cohesion at the bounce and regularaly get slaughtered there. Like we never had another set up to follow. I cannot for the life of me understand why they’re not using him in this way.

yep. It’s sounds like the line he walks over . Hopefully he’s learned something and can tread it in the right way. love to hear from insider about how this is actually working.

Similar issue. I couldn’t choose my seats . There was an option to do so but it didn’t work. Anyway I’m in, I’m excited but hope to [censored] I’m not anywhere near the saints cheer squad.

As good as he is, I don’t think so. But it would at least be some recognition if he made all Australian. Tbh I can’t remember us ever having such a dominant key back. Biffen, Hardemam, Icke, Lyon are a few from my time watching, but none looked as utterly impenetrable as May does now.

I’d like to at least see some attempt at change. it’s like stick w the same dumb old set up all game... in fact same as last 2 years. we’re is the thinking in the box.

happy to be in front but apart from may and lever really uninspiring sloppy stuff. i didn’t think it was possible but, even from the low base we started from, we’ve gone backwards in our clearance work. hopefully an improvement in the 2nd half.

Sadly I couldn’t get down from NSW fr this week. Im def on edge today. This season could be anything , a genuine crack at the top 4-6 or a collapse and a coach sacking. Today will tell us a lot.... im in the former camp. Let’s go dees!

so many errors! from both sides really. Just seems like the physical toll of longer quarters shows up in the skills. I’m sure we’ll be the same.

yes agreed, but sub May in fr Salem.

Well, on the bright side at least theres a quarter to go Praha. It wasnt definitive. Dees to roll over the top in the 4th!

Yes it was round 1, but it did seem that fitness and fatigue had a big hand in the way that game unfolded. longer quarters on top of less interchange. Players with elite endurance fitness are probably going to do well this season. Reading previous comments its been said that one of our strengths re stoppages is going to be reduced. I remember starting 2019 thinking 666 was going to help us, so Im not going to jump early on this. Im just not convinced that the stoppages was one of our strengths anyway to be honest. As we've all noted 7000 times, being so predictable via inside players like Viney and Oliver let other clubs feed off our inside work and then smash us on the outside....not once but continually. So in one sense one of our biggest weaknesses may be being reduced. We may become harder to play against. So many questions! How will our game plan stand up in the new system? Is our fitness really superior with Burgo? If so will it deliver powerful results at the end of quarters? Can all day runners like Tomlinson and Langdon take another step up in this situation? Can Hunt become a half back weapon? Can we Tmac hold down a key position again? Bring on 2021. cant wait!

developing rapport with players is important, surely, and imo doesn’t mean being soft on their performances.

well goddam it... let’s use our real home ground advantage and play the game on paper!

Jack has played 10 games in a year only once in 2018, and in no year has he played less than 10. Aside from his very first year, where he played 13, the rest have been well above that.

Premier: Western Bulldogs Runner-up: Richmond Wooden spoon: North Melbourne Moving up: Western Bulldogs Set to fall: Collingwood Brownlow Medal: Bontempelli Coleman Medal: Lynch NAB AFL Rising Star: Rowell ( Rivers 2nd place) Best new Demon: Ben Brown Demon All Australian: Petracca, May, Gawn, Oliver Demon B&F: Petracca Big call: Buckley sacked or resigns near the end of the year Ladder prediction: 1. Western Bulldogs 2. Richmond 3. Brisbane 4.Port Adelaide 5. Melbourne 6.Westcoast 7.StKilda 8. Geelong

yep. I agree with you here.

50 odd goals AND he missed the first 4 weeks of the season from memory. Tmac was a genuine forward force in 2018.

Awesome work Picket, perhaps you've found your own "directional oath" here? Not just a training report but a work of art. memories of 87 tugging at my heart sigh. That remains THE footballing ride of my life. I don't think theres any better footballing memories for me than the lead up to, and the first 2 and 3/4 finals. And yes, Im sure Casey felt a long way from there. I think only winning a GF could better that....hope I live to see it. Maybe 2021?