Game Day Changes & Pre-match Discussion - RD 19 vs. Fremantle. Sun 20/07 @ 3:15pm (MCG)

[Doc1763]

Are his new "Lachie Neale" type tatts a new addition?

he would have had them done under general anesthetic

 

[swoop42]

Really important that we win this one. If not we're going to have far less opportunity for player management for the rest of the year unless others fall over.

We've been forced into some management and still decided on even more, so it may be we continue to manage no matter what. We make top 4 the non negotiable but don't go all out to ensure top 2. Being at our best for finals is key, maybe even bigger than the difference between top 2 and 3rd or 4th. We'd still be a good chance of top 2 anyway, so the risk is probably worth it.

After the season we've had to date I don't like the thought of not finishing top two from here and securing a home final.

This is especially so as for that to happen it probably means we would have been defeated by the Lions at home and/or the Crows in Adelaide in our final games of the H&A season.

Either of those two could then be our opponent come week 1 of finals.

With the 3 week stretch of games to come after Richmond, you are correct that beating Fremantle shapes as crucial, as our buffer could be quickly eaten up by just 1 loss in that stretch of games if defeating Freo doesn't occur.

Personally I'd be very happy to come away with 2 wins in this period and have already factored in a loss in any calculation.

Adelaide in Adelaide particularly worries me, while we know the talent Brisbane possess and our history against the Hawks.

It's a brutal test before finals have even begun.

 

[cfc19902010]

Sullivan has to be luckiest man at Collingwood


Stays in week after week
3 small forwards injured so far this year then Bobby’s issues
No jordy
Happy Xmas Lachie

 

[The Royal Sampler]

Sullivan has to be luckiest man at Collingwood


Stays in week after week
3 small forwards injured so far this year then Bobby’s issues
No jordy
Happy Xmas Lachie

Possibly helped by Beau training with the mids this week too, as Jen mentioned.

 

[Rorzza]

Sullivan has to be luckiest man at Collingwood


Stays in week after week
3 small forwards injured so far this year then Bobby’s issues
No jordy
Happy Xmas Lachie

You could add additional names to that list.

 

[3rdMan]

After the season we've had to date I don't like the thought of not finishing top two from here and securing a home final.

This is especially so as for that to happen it probably means we would have been defeated by the Lions at home and/or the Crows in Adelaide in our final games of the H&A season.

Either of those two could then be our opponent come week 1 of finals.

With the 3 week stretch of games to come after Richmond, you are correct that beating Fremantle shapes as crucial, as our buffer could be quickly eaten up by just 1 loss in that stretch of games if defeating Freo doesn't occur.

Personally I'd be very happy to come away with 2 wins in this period and have already factored in a loss in any calculation.

Adelaide in Adelaide particularly worries me, while we know the talent Brisbane possess and our history against the Hawks.

It's a brutal test before finals have even begun.

I don't disagree. But at some point (may have already come*) there could be a decision to be made between pushing hard for top 2 or ensuring we're best placed for finals by managing players. Choosing either option is defensible. I'm not really pushing a preference, I definitely want us to finish top 2, but I want to win the flag even more, from the outside it's difficult to know how much player management is needed for our best chance at the latter.

* last week and this week have been important games for securing top 2, but we have managed players in both games despite also having a significant injury list.

Hopefully we get the win against Freo and this becomes much less of a concern.

 

[danielnajdek]

We don't get top 2 it makes winning the whole thing way harder. Don't want to be traveling to Adelaide or Brisbane in a knock out game. Top 2 is a must.

 

[cfc19902010]

You could add additional names to that list.

Just hope when Bobby comes back we don’t lose another small forward because then he stays again

 

[live fast pieyoung]

We don't get top 2 it makes winning the whole thing way harder. Don't want to be traveling to Adelaide or Brisbane in a knock out game. Top 2 is a must.

We'd win anyway
Just don't want to have to travel to gws

 

[Finnishpie]

You could add additional names to that list.

Who?

 

[gouki88]

Who?

Probably trying to allude to his anti-Long crusade without getting shot down again

 

[gerryg400]

With all due respect, Damian Barrett is a snout nosed moron. Have you read his sliding doors articles? He says the dumbest shit

Plus I’m pretty sure he doesn’t actually understand the sliding door principle.

 

[IlovethePies]

We get the maestro Brett Rosebury for the umpteenth time this year again
God help us

Sub Rose for Pendle, and we have the real maestro.

 

[jmac70]

Big statement on Mitchell. Let’s see if it frees up Long to return to his best form.

 

[Finnishpie]

With all due respect, Damian Barrett is a snout nosed moron. Have you read his sliding doors articles? He says the dumbest shit

The sliding doors articles are like a grade three kid's homework assignment. They make you dumber as you read them.

 

[Finnishpie]

We'd win anyway
Just don't want to have to travel to gws

We'd win in Brisbane? I want the drugs you're on.

We're about a 50% chance up there, I'd say.

 

[Finnishpie]

Big statement on Mitchell. Let’s see if it frees up Long to return to his best form.

What's the statement? He's sore? Not that big.

 

[jmac70]

What's the statement? He's sore? Not that big.

I think there is a bit more to it. IMO, he’s not the preferred option in the middle.
I could be wrong about that, but I don’t think Mitchell and Long will play together.

 

[jmac70]

We'd win in Brisbane? I want the drugs you're on.

We're about a 50% chance up there, I'd say.

We’ve won our last five games against Brisbane, including two at The Gabba.

 

[Finnishpie]

We’ve won our last five games against Brisbane, including two at The Gabba.

The past is not always a good measure of the future. The Lions are flying at the moment and we're cruising. I give us 50/50 up there.

 

[jmac70]

The past is not always a good measure of the future. The Lions are flying at the moment and we're cruising. I give us 50/50 up there.

Well, we won’t play up there this year again, so I guess we’re fine.

 

[Finnishpie]

I think there is a bit more to it. IMO, he’s not the preferred option in the middle.
I could be wrong about that, but I don’t think Mitchell and Long will play together.

I don't think they will either. I just think the fact her couldn't do all the training meant no statement needed to be made.

 

[Finnishpie]

Well, we won’t play up there this year again, so I guess we’re fine.

the discussion was more about finals and top 2 being especially important given Adelaide and Brisbane.

 

[jmac70]

the discussion was more about finals and top 2 being especially important given Adelaide and Brisbane.

For sure, top two is super important. But, we have no fear of the Gabba or Adelaide Oval.
I expect us to finish top with some margin to second. We will then crush all before us in the finals.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

We don't get top 2 it makes winning the whole thing way harder. Don't want to be traveling to Adelaide or Brisbane in a knock out game. Top 2 is a must.

Looking at the ladder it’s probably only Adelaide that can knock us out of the top two as they have an extra win over the field. ( Arguably GC too but we have a percentage advantage over them)

Beating Fremantle will take us a long way there. After beating Richmond we will maintain that two games buffer on Adelaide with four games left. Unfortunately we have no percentage advantage over them.

Then we have three consecutive “ eight point games” that will dictate our fate. Win one of them and top two is a near lock….win two of them and it’s almost a certainty regardless of beating Melbourne in the last round.

We’d want to go into the Crows away game with top two locked up. Wouldn’t be fun facing them away if top two was at stake in the second last round of the year.

So for mine the non negotiables are wins against Freo, Richmond, Hawthorn and Melbourne. Even better if we knock off the Crows but as I said, by the time we get to that game the ideal scenario is that we are a mathematical lock,