Oppo Camp 2026 Other Games Rolling Thread

[Dead Eye Didak]

I’d love to get GC at the G. Feels like we only ever play them once up there. Completely different team at home

The plastic fantastic team need us for them to be relevant for one weekend up north....

 

[Vankri]

Watching the Melbourne v Suns game shows how far off our game style is compared to the 2026 model.....
If we played Melbourne next week l think they would torch us in ball movement and speed. They were predicted to finish bottom 4!!
Fly better start to regenerate parts of our game plan otherwise we are going to be way off from any finals action this year....

I agree but you also need to have the cattle for it. If we played like some of these teams ie try to make the ground bigger, play further apart from each other and take the game on with handballs and run around the players on the mark, there’s a big risk that we will get exposed as slow. In some way it is already what happened against Brisbane. We ran hard forward; and we couldn’t run hard back as a result.

Our defensive style of trying to make the ground smaller (cluster players, slow down play so we can send numbers forward), push for F50 stoppages may currently be our only option. You’ve got to remember we have lost a lot of pace compared to 23 (Markov, Noble, Murphy, WHE and currently Hill).

Looking at Melbourne and GC today they do have some young players with speed and explosiveness on each line. To match that we would need Bobby to return and based on this week you’d need exponential improvement from Hayes and for Allan to learn to use his speed and McReery to get consistency in his games (he’s the king of going missing for 1.5/2 quarters). And can’t be achieved with Nick out anyway.

 

[Dead Eye Didak]

You are kidding yourself if you think this “speed” can be maintained for an entire season by Melb or any other team.

It won't continue for a part of the season, but it will for majority of the first half of the season and definitely in the lead up to finals. By that stage you want to accumulate as many wins as possible for that lull in the middle part of the year.
By that time, we may be struggling in the lower rungs of the ladder.

 

[legendstatus]

GC is like any other interstate team that travels to the G early in its existence- 5 goals worse than their own home ground

 

[Dead Eye Didak]

I agree but you also need to have the cattle for it. If we played like some of these teams ie try to make the ground bigger, play further apart from each other and take the game on with handballs and run around the players on the mark, there’s a big risk that we will get exposed as slow. In some way it is already what happened against Brisbane. We ran hard forward; and we couldn’t run hard back as a result.

Our defensive style of trying to make the ground smaller (cluster players, slow down play so we can send numbers forward), push for F50 stoppages may currently be our only option. You’ve got to remember we have lost a lot of pace compared to 23 (Markov, Noble, Murphy, WHE and currently Hill).

Looking at Melbourne and GC today they do have some young players with speed and explosiveness on each line. To match that we would need Bobby to return and based on this week you’d need exponential improvement from Hayes and for Allan to learn to use his speed and McReery to get consistency in his games (he’s the king of going missing for 1.5/2 quarters). And can’t be achieved with Nick out anyway.

Love to see Hill Harrison and McCreery in that F50 causing havoc, maybe even throw in a Saxena!!

 

[No SPIN]

It won't continue for a part of the season, but it will for majority of the first half of the season and definitely in the lead up to finals. By that stage you want to accumulate as many wins as possible for that lull in the middle part of the year.
By that time, we may be struggling in the lower rungs of the ladder.

So “slower” teams pick up games in the middle part of the season - however break neck speed, will not return leading into finals IMO because teams will try to minimize injury, especially given heavier training loads during that time.

So we’re left with finals - where defence and contest tends to be more important than speed.

I think break neck speed will be a feature of the first 10/12 rounds - especially if Hammy injuries continue.

 

[Dtennent94]

Watching the Suns and I reckon' they have a great big Mac Andrew salary cap problem. Not turning into the player, they thought, notwithstanding the copious number of other talents up and coming on their list, there will be players ripe for the taking.

Let’s take Andrew on a half-contract and a R1 off their hands.

 

[gouki88]

Sydney and Geelong are consistent and Butters will sign with Geelong post-flag

Are you just trolling now?

 

[PieBeast]

I know we didn’t need more players around 30, but for a list with only one year left to challenge, why didn’t we go after Jack Steele? Future third rounder and he is dominating.

According to the president of our turd polishing committee Steele is going to get a massive bake from King for having 11 clearances.
Cause that's not his job

 

[leon123]

According to the president of our turd polishing committee Steele is going to get a massive bake from King for having 11 clearances.
Cause that's not his job

If he’s the President, you must be the most dedicated supplier. You’re producing enough for a lifetime appointment.

 

[BillyElliott]

This match will be a rip snorter

 

[BillyElliott]

About time

 

[stormskye]

The Bont is pretty good isn’t he

 

[satty]

How the hell did the demons win ? Any GC loss is a great thing.

Also this dogs and ons game has 100+ loss written all over it.

 

[CasuallyDressed]

Lol Essendon suck.

 

[anshell]

Good God,why does the AFL continue to pick these crappy games for prime time on commercial tv?Who is actually picking these games?Peter Vlandys from thr NRL?He must happy with the slop that the AFL keeps throwing up in prime time.

 

[Jen2310]

Come home Archer.

 

[PiCkLeJuiCe]

Good God,why does the AFL continue to pick these crappy games for prime time on commercial tv?Who is actually picking these games?Peter Vlandys from thr NRL?He must happy with the slop that the AFL keeps throwing up in prime time.

The only decent night game this week was Friday. The others have been one-sided blowouts between likely top 6 teams vs likely bottom 8 teams

 

[MooreTreloar]

Nice of the AFL to give the Bulldogs the bye two weeks in a row.

 

[stormskye]

Despite consistently getting over 30 touches and dominating clearances tsatas still can’t get a game in this Essendon team. He must really be one of those Callum brown types that dominate VFL but get found at in the seniors.

 

[PiCkLeJuiCe]

How the hell did the demons win ? Any GC loss is a great thing.

Also this dogs and ons game has 100+ loss written all over it.

Demons were never as bad as they looked under Goodwin over the past two years.

Getting rid of two dickheads in May and Oliver helps, as well as Petracca who, from the outside, blames the club for this injury.

 

[Sea fog]

Demons were never as bad as they looked under Goodwin over the past two years.

Getting rid of two dickheads in May and Oliver helps, as well as Petracca who, from the outside, blames the club for this injury.

Yes 3 troublemakers hurting their culture and the team bonds.

 

[Horaceg]

I can’t see why Essendon couldn’t be on top of the ladder…….



………….in the VFL, not up to it, need relegation.

 

[manicpie]

Demons were never as bad as they looked under Goodwin over the past two years.

Getting rid of two dickheads in May and Oliver helps, as well as Petracca who, from the outside, blames the club for this injury.

They've recruited really well
Lots of players with pace who can actually find the ball. Meanwhile, we had Hine

 

[whiskeytown]

Dogs only have 5 players tonight with over 100 games.

Bevo drills the young players well