Lucifers Hero

The top 7 are set and only the order to be decided. 8th spot will be fought out between Tigers and Bulldogs. Really a 50/50 call. Both capable of doing damage if they make it but unless they settle quickly whoever makes it will just be making up the numbers.

I wonder if @CHFis over his magnificent birthday celebrations and the hangover he was courting, not to mention enjoy our win.

Good pick up! It is probably why Kozzie was able to get free to kick goals. A bit like Sparrow, ANB, Spargo etc have said they do the defensive work so that Petracca and Oliver can do their thing. Bedford doing the defensive work allows Kozzie to do what he does best.

Just for fun, I looked at the run home for North and Eagles to see who might get the wooden spoon. Looks like it will be Eagles.😐 So no running Jackson into the preseason draft and expect North to pick him first up.

Not fussed if Lever is out for his shoulder injury. We beat the bulldogs in round 1 without him, without Petty, without Hbberd and Salem off in the first quarter. They still have no all ground defence and their backman just don't cut the mustard. And their pressure isn't so great. Undoubtedly Bevo will play games with his line-ups but at the end of the day they will lose.

10 Kysaiah Pickett (MELB) 8 Christian Petracca (MELB) 6 Connor Rozee (PORT) 4 Travis Boak (PORT) 1 Jack Viney (MELB) 1 Michael Hibberd (MELB) Split: 5/5 Pickett 4/4 Petracca 3/3 Rozee 2/2 Boak 1/0 Viney and Hibberd Pretty even by the coaches. Leader Board: The only contender that made up much ground in Olivers absence was Petracca. Can live with that! 84 Clayton Oliver MELB 75 Christian Petracca MELB 72 Andrew Brayshaw FRE 72 Touk Miller GCFC 70 Lachie Neale BL 68 Connor Rozee PORT 67 Jeremy Cameron GEEL 65 Patrick Cripps CARL 55 Callum Mills SYD 53 Hugh McCluggage BL 48 James Sicily HAW 48 Sam Walsh CARL 46 Charlie Curnow CARL 45 Peter Wright ESS 44 Taylor Walker ADEL 43 Bailey Smith WB 43 Chad Warner SYD 42 Jack Crisp COLL 42 Jack Sinclair STK

I have my sights firmly on a top 2 finish.

Not if Sydney knock them out of the top 4 which is quite possible.

Nah! They have an easy run. Let them win all 5 and be minor premiers thinking they are fantastic when in fact they may need a really good work out against some good teams before the finals. Then hope someone beats them in the first week of the finals. I'm happy for us to finish second or even third or fourth,

My query was on the poster's comment: It is a 2 week recovery at best. Re his training, it depends on when he tested positive. Given that Petty didn't train on Thursday morning, it would suggest he will be out of isolation on Thursday at the latest. When JV came out of covid isolation he did a special training run a few days before a game. They may do that with Petty and he plays.

It is in our power to shape the top 4 with games vs Freo, Pies, Blues and Lions. A strong position to be in. Given the weekend's results, Sydney will most likely make top 4 replacing either Freo or Lions.

The 7 days isolation is a legal mandate. Our governments are currently considering reducing that based on latest evidence. Of the scores of people I know that have had it, the symptoms last a few days and then ok. Not aware of AFL players taking 2 weeks to recover so not sure where that idea comes from...

Given there are only two 13-4 sides with just a few % points between them I would say we are equal best...

Melksham and Tomlinson are playing for their futures as wouldn't be surprised if they are asked to look elsewhere at EOS, ala TMc and ANB two years ago. They both need to impress suitors if they want to be more than depth. Hopefully, they both bring their best; we need them to. And that Tomlinson leaves the sulks in Melbourne.

No Dusty, No Richmond looks truer by the week!

I'm intensely jealous!! Well, not the hangover part... Happy Birthday 🥂, CHF! If you plan on having a hangover I hope it isn't top shelf champagne! Reckon you will get your birthday wish of a Dees win!

And it continues into the NT: Alice Springs, Nyirripi, Yuendemu The story: the-dees-cup-lands-in-the-red-centre The video: nyirripi which looks like serious Demon territory The pictures: dees-cup-in-the-red-centre-gallery Favourite pic: Love Kozzie! Great to see Kate Roffey travel to all the communities and that the club had AM-W front and centre and were accompanied by our AFLW players Alyssa Bannan and Megan Fitzsimon.

Did Ginnivan drop his knee into the Crows player's neck/upper chest (late in the 3rd/early in the 4th) when they were wrestling on the ground?

Good to see the umps not fall for it. Ginnivan would fair better with frees if his technique was more like Selwood's. Selwood leans his head into the opps upperarm and drops his knees just a fraction but usually keeps his feet. Ginnivan leans his head into the opps shoulder but stretches his own arm up high which is a giveaway to the umps that he is staging. He goes to ground waiting for the free, doesn't try to dispose of the ball and is correctly called HTB. I certainly don't condone Selwood's technique. Prefer they were all penalised.

DJ, I agree but I said Lobb and Logue for WBD's first. Lobb is interesting. The Giants gave up Lobb and picks No.14, 43 and 47 to Fremantle while they received picks No.11 and 19. It is said he is on about $700K having an excellent season. WBD would have to pay him in that vicinity so a first round pick would need to be in the discussion. Can't offer that money then propose a 2nd round pick.

I posted something similar earlier in this thread. Logue has also been linked to WBD. I suggested Lobb and Logue to them for their 2022 first, currently #9. Freo add their 2022 or 2023 first round pick and a player. I didn't suggest a player but Meek seems to be gaining favour. Did you get the impression from the HS that they were hypothesising a trade of that such a trade is in the pipeline?

Port have Dixon and Aliir in this time but without Lycett. We are missing Oliver and Petty. Compared to the round 4 game they are stronger. Drew was quite successful in tagging Petracca last time so they might try that again. Big implication for our clearances without Oliver there. Personnel aside there is one tactic that has been successful against us. Adelaide started it last year. While it doesn't always work it has in our four losses this year and probably a significant reason why we lost those games. The tactic? To rush our defence and attack through the corridor. Our mids and high forwards don't have time to get back and help the defence. I'm sure Hinkley will have trained for it tomorrow. Our coaches have seen it often enough. If we don't have a strategy to beat this tactic by now we do not deserve to win.

Update: Reality is though we've proven time and time again this year we aren't any good. Since when do we beat top 4 sides? What are we like 1 win against the top 8 all year? I reckon youse are dreaming. Melbourne by an easy 4 goals Anyone think this will be a grind like that St Kilda game earlier in the year? Or are we set for a belting? we are (on form) at best a lower top 8 side and melbourne are top 2. can't see us winning. Melbourne supporters whingeing about Ben Brown and wanting to cut him. Watch this space for an Alice Springs performance update. You apparently can't tell the difference between optimism and acceptance of mediocrity. Optimism without basis is delusion. It appears apathy has well and truly set in!! I used to be apathetic but now I just don’t care!! If drew isn’t tagging Petracca from the first bounce, Hinkley should be sacked at quarter time If port can actually develop and execute a game plan they could win this, but I don't think we have the smarts in the box

Throw in the 2 long haul flights in 14 days to NT and WA and the challenge grows. I take comfort from the fact we had much worse in the last month or so of 2021 HnA season and had extensive quarantine requirements thrown im, as we travelled to and from: WA.SA and Qld. So we have the formula 🤞

Damn shame the bulldogs won. Lose and there was no chance of making the 8 and they could pack up shop. Now there is some hope of finals for them, they will come out all guns firing next week against us. Like Geelong they will have revenge on their mind and throw everything at us.