Preview Port v Footscray, at Marvel – Round 23, 2021 (Friday, 7:20pm ACST)

[Winganeen]

Thought when we played them here their ability to standup in the tackle and find a mate was the difference.

I hope that is the focus this week, wrapping them up and denying that disposal.

Would love to leave some bruises on them as well, over to you Zak

 

[philreich]

So the second half of this game will be played in defiance of the curfew order. Putting aside Port allegiances, as someone stuck living in Victoria that makes me livid.

Maybe they'll just play the first half, and then go home - whoever is in front at half time gets the 4 points .

 

[Papa G]

Thought when we played them here their ability to standup in the tackle and find a mate was the difference.

I hope that is the focus this week, wrapping them up and denying that disposal.

Would love to leave some bruises on them as well, over to you Zak

Actually it was pointed out when somebody beat them a while ago, Melbourne maybe, that the strategy was to not let the second and third tackler get sucked in to the player with the ball/contest, leaving other bulldogs players free to receive the handball (throw). Basically trust the singular tackler to stop the player with the ball, then the other players defend the quick handball (throw) out.

 

[Tiges1229]

Hope you don’t mind the intrusion, but just wanted to wish PAFC best for the finals and hope you guys win the flag, I’m sure a lot of Tiger fans remember your boards 2017 GF day thread and it was great reading

 

[shewho]

Here’s my notes from the game earlier in the year v WB @ AO:

It was lost in the First Quarter- 2.1 to 6.2
After that, we won by a goal- 10.4 to 9.4
We won the hit outs comprehensively (Ladhams v Sweet/Cordy 52 to 23) but lost the clearances 38 to 44
We lost contested possession 136 to 147
We lost contested marks 10 to 14
We were missing Butters, Duursma, Houston, Lycett, McKenzie and Jones from our best 23.
They we’re missing Dunkley, Hunter, English, Martin
Their best were Bontempelli, Naughton (4 goals) Liberatore, Daniel, Weightman (3 goals)

Since then, their midfield has lost some form- they were #1 for contested possession in the first part of the year but have been soundly beaten to the ball by Hawthorn and Essendon in recent weeks. We are in better form now.

So, we must:

Start well
Have a plan for Naughton and Weightman
Win the clearances
Win contested possession
And, as always, my bugbear, have composure going inside 50. Butters helps there.

 

[Chokito]

Equation for Friday night:
1. Don’t let Naughton take Aliir around the ground (send Burton)
2. Make Daniel accountable (send Rozee)
3. Accept that Bont will do Bont things
and most importantly
4. Stop Libba = Stop the Dogs

 

[Chewy316]

This looks like being the first game of the year that we haven't started favourites with the bookies!

Pretty sure St. Kilda were favourites against us at Marvel by the time of first bounce in that game. We opened up as favourites but it swung a fair bit in the last 48 hours prior to the game.

 

[RossFC]

Was this game supposed to be at Ballarat?

 

[70sDinosaur]

Was this game supposed to be at Ballarat?

No, I think it was originally scheduled for Docklands.

 

[TeeKray]

I don't know why people are getting so hung up on the curfew thing. The whole game being played is in breach of the lockdown, the curfew doesn't change anything on that front.

 

[Us against the rest]

Yep Butters for sure Wines tends to have some slow starts does a lot of his work in the second half. You can’t go giving good teams a start so something has to change.

It might prevent our slow starts, something we can afford against the top teams.

 

[VineValerian]

Thought when we played them here their ability to standup in the tackle and find a mate was the difference.

I hope that is the focus this week, wrapping them up and denying that disposal.

Would love to leave some bruises on them as well, over to you Zak

When we tackle we need to "pin the arms" rather than grab them around the waist. Arms free and they can handball/throw the ball to a team mate.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Hope you don’t mind the intrusion, but just wanted to wish PAFC best for the finals and hope you guys win the flag, I’m sure a lot of Tiger fans remember your boards 2017 GF day thread and it was great reading

Can't help but have a bit of a soft spot for the Tigers after they prevented the two most revolting clubs in the AFL from winning flags in 2017 and 2020.

 

[ibd77]

Can't help but have a bit of a soft spot for the Tigers after they prevented the two most revolting clubs in the AFL from winning flags in 2017 and 2020.

You might get a bit more chummy when Richmond voted against the Crows joining the AFL in 1991 preferring Port Adelaide's original bid.

 

[GremioPower]

AFL, 2021 Season - R23


Port Adelaide v. Footscray
Marvel Stadium - Melbourne

MATCH THREAD PREVIEW


---​

A concerned Port barracker from Australia reaches out GremioPower to see how he is doing with the Opening Post for Match Preview thread on the Port Board at BigFooty. Little did GP know, but the thread was already up with no OP whatsoever...

---


​

[Australian Stranger] GP, are you working on the match preview? Australia is practically one day ahead of you…

[GremioPower] I’m aware of that. I’m working on it right now, to be honest.

[AS] I'm telling you this because the thread is already up.

[GP] What do you mean by "the thread is already up?"

[AS] Precisely that. It has been up there since Sunday.

[GP] But I was still thinking about the Saturday game then. The mods really like to speed up things, don't they?

[AS] Yes, that's why I came to talk to you. I thought you might need a hand or two.

[GP] Thanks. I appreciate. I might need it, after all. Do you have anything in mind?

[AS] I do actually. I don't know if it will help you, but I would have some questions.

[GP] Great! I love questions. Shoot them!

--​

1. HUMOUR?

​

[AS] You are good in self-deprecating humor. Can you do it this week? It seems we are good now!

[GP] It does, doesn’t it? Thank you for your kind words and for the great question! I believe that my OP last year was an exception. We were up and running in 2017, and I did a very humorous preview then. In 2018 and in 2019, if we didn’t laugh, we would be crying. The approach was necessary.

[AS] So, are we going to see more humor again?

[GP] Maybe, but I’m thinking in doing something different.

[AS] What is that you’re thinking? I’m curious.

--
​

2. HINKLEY

​

[GP] You see… I’ve been very critical of Hinkley after the disaster of 2018. I wouldn’t change anything I have said; even those things that I’ve been wrong. Back then, those were my opinion, and I still believe that overall they were solid. Yet, this season we seem to have repeated what we have done in 2020 – in a different path, but with similar results. We may have found a good constancy. As head coach, Hinkley deserves some praise for that. I will probably write on this as well.

[AS] So you are pro-Hinkley, now…

[GP] No. I haven’t said that. I said he deserves praise. Besides, I want Port to be Premiers, which means I want Hinkley to be a premier coach. Still, not even a flag can change the fact that he shouldn’t be leading our squad. It’s possible to do the wrong things and get the right results. It doesn’t mean you were right. It just means you were lucky.

[AS] Lucky is good.

[GP] Indeed, it is! Lucky would be good enough for me. Do not get me wrong. A flag is not less of a flag because you won it through luck. Even doing the right things, luck is still necessary. One just needs less of it, which is desirable.

--
​

3. MINOR PREMIERSHIP

​

[AS] Does it concern you that we seem unable to beat Top-4 sides?

[GP] Of course, it does. It’s impossible to win a flag without beating Top-4 sides.

[AS] Don't you believe we have a shot at all?

[GP] Mate, we are fighting to be back-to-back Minor premiers.

[AS] That’s a good point to bring it up. There has been some controversy on this.

[GP] True. To be honest, it is a weird controversy, since it doesn’t depend solely on us. We need to beat the Dogs for a Top-2 spot, and beating them is necessary for us to to have some shot at the Minor Premiership.

--
​

4. (NOT) BEATING THE BEST

​

[AS] And we would have beaten a Top-4 to get it.

[GP] Not so fast.

[AS] What do you mean?

[GP] There’s a good chance that, if we win, the Dogs fall out of the Top-4. So, in a very Port fashion, if we lose, we would have lost to another Top-4 side; but, if we win, we wouldn’t have won against a Top-4 side.

[AS] Unbelievable!

[GP] Yet, it’s true. But, no worries, we can see things from other perspectives. First of all, it is difficult to beat Top-4 sides for everybody; including Top-4 sides. This season, it’s even harder, because there seems to be a Top-6. They are all grouped together.

[AS] And are we better against the Top-6 than the Top-4?

[GP] Errr… No! We are not. Port still has the worst record considering only the matches against those clubs.

[AS] (F**k me dead…)

[GP] Ports, mate…

[AS] Hahaha! Yes, yes… Ports! We should be used to it by now.

[GP] Hard, isn’t it? The things we do for love…

[AS] Hahahaha! Ok. I’m still curious about the OP. Tell me, if things don’t improve with the Top-6, why have you mentioned it? I hope you will explain this.

[GP] Oh, I will. It does improve. It actually may not be as bad as it sounds.

[AS] How?

[GP] The ladder is closer in the second half of the season than in the first. Lions and Cats have improved, but so did we. There are two games to be played, and one is ours – against the Dogs, who seem to have been struggling recently. Moreover, the Demons already “won" this “league,” but after a 5-0 start, they may end losing their last 2.

[AS] And, in the match preview, you are going to explain what this all means…

--
​

5. GOOD ENOUGH

​

[GP] Mate… In brief, it means that the flag might be wide open – even for us. The 2021 Finals may be a bigger crapshoot than last year’s. The odds were good even before covid decided to star a sequel in Australia.

[AS] The pandemic! It has certainly makes things tough, but also interesting, isn’t it. Are you going to write about it as well?

[GP] I can talk about the pandemic in the thread, or in PM. Being from Brazil, I’ve gotten some experience on the subject. However, this is about footy. The point on covid is that it has added unpredictability in an already unpredictable game. That may favor us. Again, I don’t trust Port in STP. Hence, change might be good. Again, we will need all the luck we might possibly get.

[AS] Aren’t we good enough?

[GP] We are. We wouldn’t be leading the ladder for the second half of the season if we weren’t. The issue is that it’s going to be close. Everybody will need luck. We will probably need more luck than the other clubs.

[AS] Why is that?

[GP] We are good enough, but that’s it. We aren’t better than that. We might have improved, but we still struggle against the best sides. Our list seems to be healthy at the right time, but our gameplay have issues. So, I am glad that we are definitely in the mix, but I’m not confident that we may win it all.

[AS] I understand. Aren't you going to talk at all about the game?

--​

6. THOSE COWARD DOGS!

​

[GP] Is there a game to play? I have totally forgotten about it! I usually don’t talk about it. Is it going to be in Ballarat?

[AS] No. At Marvel.

[GP] Those Dogs are a bunch of cowards, aren’t they?

[AS] Yes, but I don’t know why you are saying this specifically.

[GP] Did you know that they would have a perfect record at Mars, if not for Port? Then, what do they do? They stop inviting us to play there! That’s FEAR!

[AS] Totally!

[GP] Can you imagine if we would act similarly? We would practically stop playing at Adelaide Oval. You can’t do that… But, they will see. It’s going to blow up on their faces. We are unbeaten in the Docklands this season!

[AS] They can run, but they can’t hide!

[GP] Exactly! We have let them play against us at Adelaide Oval, the least they could do to retribute was hosting us on a ground we play well. Mars would be better, but Marvel will do fine.

--​

7. EAGLES & TIGERS

​

[AS] Will you write a “Last Time We Met” section?

[GP] I usually do mention a couple of things for perspective. For instance, I could tell people about the R9 match. There has been quite some time after Round 9, though. Back then, just so you can see how far it has been, Eagles and Tigers were in contention for Finals!

[AS] What?!

[GP] Can you believe it?

[AS] Richmond and West Coast were fighting for spots in the Finals!?

[GP] Yes!

[AS] You are inventing things now.

[GP] No. I’m serious! They were both in the 8, and they weren’t far behind of the Top-4 teams. Eagles were actually tied for 4th; only 7th on %. And they both won their R9 games. The Eagles ended that round tied for THIRD!

[AS] My Lord Geezis Kroyst! It feels like a journey through ages…

[GP] Yep. I felt like an archeologist while collecting the data. Those two basket cases thought they had a chance…

[AS] Hahahaha!

[GP] I will probably not mention that, though. It will deviate from the main subject of the OP.

[AS] I think you should...

--
​

8. LAST TIME WE MET

​

[GP] I know! Ok. I will try to put it there somewhere. On our previous game against the Dogs, I am only going to say a few things, like: it was a clash of 2v3 (now, it’s 3v4); they were 1 win ahead of us on the ladder; and they have beaten us quite comfortably (12.5:77 - 15.6:96).

[AS] Just that?

[GP] Well, the game started equal, but they ran us over in the second part of Q1; we reacted in Q2, but they dominated 2/3 of Q3 to put the game away from us for good. The stats don’t show any sign of their dominance, but for disposals, marks, and EI50%.

[AS] Why would that be? Any idea?

[GP] No clue. Would it be because they’ve dominated only 35 minutes of an 120' game? I don’t know. I hope people may be able to comment explaining it. The score seemed to have flattered us that night.

[AS] But people would like to know your opinion on our line-up, the Dogs’…

[GP] What could I say? The Quadrangle of Doom was in the line-up, but we didn’t have Lycett. Hence, it doesn’t count. Houston, Butters, and Duursma were also out. Farrell and Hartlett were in. Our side seems to be stronger now. I cannot comment on the Dogs. I could also say that, after the R9 match, they remained in 2nd, while we dropped off of the Top-4. Since then, however, their record is 7-5; while ours is 10-2. I don’t think I have anything else to add.


[AS] It looks that you have enough for the OP, already.

[GP] I hope so. Thanks for helping.

[AS] My pleasure.

​

 

[Kingfish73]

We may as well run around with Ass Bandit patched on our jumpers. We will cop a monumental reaming from the umps to give Bulldogs a 2016-dream-like run to GF. It's in the AFL 2021 playbook.

I hope we play at our best to avoid their influence. Fxxx their s### up boys. Hope Butters obliterates Bailey Smith

6

Bailey Smith

Age

23

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.3

5star

K

8.5

3star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

3.8

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

19.8

5star

K

9.6

4star

HB

10.2

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

3.2

4star

CL

3.2

4star

D

14.8

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.2

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.4

5star

CL

1.6

4star

in contested footy. Drew to Bonts. Wines has poor record on him.

 

[PortWTF]

[AS] My Lord Geezis Kroyst! It feels like a journey through ages…

Bonus points for getting the accent 100% correct.

 

[Marmozet]

AFL, 2021 Season - R23


Port Adelaide v. Footscray
Marvel Stadium - Melbourne

MATCH THREAD PREVIEW


---​

A concerned Port barracker from Australia reaches out GremioPower to see how he is doing with the Opening Post for Match Preview thread on the Port Board at BigFooty. Little did GP know, but the thread was already up with no OP whatsoever...

---

View attachment 1209245
​

[Australian Stranger] GP, are you working on the match preview? Australia is practically one day ahead of you…

[GremioPower] I’m aware of that. I’m working on it right now, to be honest.

[AS] I'm telling you this because the thread is already up.

[GP] What do you mean by "the thread is already up?"

[AS] Precisely that. It has been up there since Sunday.

[GP] But I was still thinking about the Saturday game then. The mods really like to speed up things, don't they?

[AS] Yes, that's why I came to talk to you. I thought you might need a hand or two.

[GP] Thanks. I appreciate. I might need it, after all. Do you have anything in mind?

[AS] I do actually. I don't know if it will help you, but I would have some questions.

[GP] Great! I love questions. Shoot them!

--

View attachment 1209246​

1. HUMOUR?

[AS] You are good in self-deprecating humor. Can you do it this week? It seems we are good now!

[GP] It does, doesn’t it? Thank you for your kind words and for the great question! I believe that my OP last year was an exception. We were up and running in 2017, and I did a very humorous preview then. In 2018 and in 2019, if we didn’t laugh, we would be crying. The approach was necessary.

[AS] So, are we going to see more humor again?

[GP] Maybe, but I’m thinking in doing something different.

[AS] What is that you’re thinking? I’m curious.

--

View attachment 1209247
​

2. HINKLEY

[GP] You see… I’ve been very critical of Hinkley after the disaster of 2018. I wouldn’t change anything I have said; even those things that I’ve been wrong. Back then, those were my opinion, and I still believe that overall they were solid. Yet, this season we seem to have repeated what we have done in 2020 – in a different path, but with similar results. We may have found a good constancy. As head coach, Hinkley deserves some praise for that. I will probably write on this as well.

[AS] So you are pro-Hinkley, now…

[GP] No. I haven’t said that. I said he deserves praise. Besides, I want Port to be Premiers, which means I want Hinkley to be a premier coach. Still, not even a flag can change the fact that he shouldn’t be leading our squad. It’s possible to do the wrong things and get the right results. It doesn’t mean you were right. It just means you were lucky.

[AS] Lucky is good.

[GP] Indeed, it is! Lucky would be good enough for me. Do not get me wrong. A flag is not less of a flag because you won it through luck. Even doing the right things, luck is still necessary. One just needs less of it, which is desirable.

--

View attachment 1209248
​

3. MINOR PREMIERSHIP

[AS] Does it concern you that we seem unable to beat Top-4 sides?

[GP] Of course, it does. It’s impossible to win a flag without beating Top-4 sides.

[AS] Don't you believe we have a shot at all?

[GP] Mate, we are fighting to be back-to-back Minor premiers.

[AS] That’s a good point to bring it up. There has been some controversy on this.

[GP] True. To be honest, it is a weird controversy, since it doesn’t depend solely on us. We need to beat the Dogs for a Top-2 spot, and beating them is necessary for us to to have some shot at the Minor Premiership.

--

View attachment 1209249
​

4. (NOT) BEATING THE BEST

[AS] And we would have beaten a Top-4 to get it.

[GP] Not so fast.

[AS] What do you mean?

[GP] There’s a good chance that, if we win, the Dogs fall out of the Top-4. So, in a very Port fashion, if we lose, we would have lost to another Top-4 side; but, if we win, we wouldn’t have won against a Top-4 side.

[AS] Unbelievable!

[GP] Yet, it’s true. But, no worries, we can see things from other perspectives. First of all, it is difficult to beat Top-4 sides for everybody; including Top-4 sides. This season, it’s even harder, because there seems to be a Top-6. They are all grouped together.

[AS] And are we better against the Top-6 than the Top-4?

[GP] Errr… No! We are not. Port still has the worst record considering only the matches against those clubs.

[AS] (F**k me dead…)

[GP] Ports, mate…

[AS] Hahaha! Yes, yes… Ports! We should be used to it by now.

[GP] Hard, isn’t it? The things we do for love…

[AS] Hahahaha! Ok. I’m still curious about the OP. Tell me, if things don’t improve with the Top-6, why have you mentioned it? I hope you will explain this.

[GP] Oh, I will. It does improve. It actually may not be as bad as it sounds.

[AS] How?

[GP] The ladder is closer in the second half of the season than in the first. Lions and Cats have improved, but so did we. There are two games to be played, and one is ours – against the Dogs, who seem to have been struggling recently. Moreover, the Demons already “won" this “league,” but after a 5-0 start, they may end losing their last 2.

[AS] And, in the match preview, you are going to explain what this all means…

--

View attachment 1209251
​

5. GOOD ENOUGH

[GP] Mate… In brief, it means that the flag might be wide open – even for us. The 2021 Finals may be a bigger crapshoot than last year’s. The odds were good even before covid decided to star a sequel in Australia.

[AS] The pandemic! It has certainly makes things tough, but also interesting, isn’t it. Are you going to write about it as well?

[GP] I can talk about the pandemic in the thread, or in PM. Being from Brazil, I’ve gotten some experience on the subject. However, this is about footy. The point on covid is that it has added unpredictability in an already unpredictable game. That may favor us. Again, I don’t trust Port in STP. Hence, change might be good. Again, we will need all the luck we might possibly get.

[AS] Aren’t we good enough?

[GP] We are. We wouldn’t be leading the ladder for the second half of the season if we weren’t. The issue is that it’s going to be close. Everybody will need luck. We will probably need more luck than the other clubs.

[AS] Why is that?

[GP] We are good enough, but that’s it. We aren’t better than that. We might have improved, but we still struggle against the best sides. Our list seems to be healthy at the right time, but our gameplay have issues. So, I am glad that we are definitely in the mix, but I’m not confident that we may win it all.

[AS] I understand. Aren't you going to talk at all about the game?

--

View attachment 1209252​

6. THOSE COWARD DOGS!

[GP] Is there a game to play? I have totally forgotten about it! I usually don’t talk about it. Is it going to be in Ballarat?

[AS] No. At Marvel.

[GP] Those Dogs are a bunch of cowards, aren’t they?

[AS] Yes, but I don’t know why you are saying this specifically.

[GP] Did you know that they would have a perfect record at Mars, if not for Port? Then, what do they do? They stop inviting us to play there! That’s FEAR!

[AS] Totally!

[GP] Can you imagine if we would act similarly? We would practically stop playing at Adelaide Oval. You can’t do that… But, they will see. It’s going to blow up on their faces. We are unbeaten in the Docklands this season!

[AS] They can run, but they can’t ride!

[GP] Exactly! We have let them play against us at Adelaide Oval, the least they could do to retribute was hosting us on a ground we play well. Mars would be better, but Marvel will do fine.

--

View attachment 1209254​

7. EAGLES & TIGERS

[AS] Will you write a “Last Time We Met” section?

[GP] I usually do mention a couple of things for perspective. For instance, I could tell people about the R9 match. There has been quite some time after Round 9, though. Back then, just so you can see how far it has been, Eagles and Tigers were in contention for Finals!

[AS] What?!

[GP] Can you believe it?

[AS] Richmond and West Coast were fighting for spots in the Finals!?

[GP] Yes!

[AS] You are inventing things now.

[GP] No. I’m serious! They were both in the 8, and they weren’t far behind of the Top-4 teams. Eagles were actually tied for 4th; only 7th on %. And they both won their R9 games. The Eagles ended that round tied for THIRD!

[AS] My Lord Geezis Kroyst! It feels like a journey through ages…

[GP] Yep. I felt like an archeologist while collecting the data. Those two basket cases thought they had a chance…

[AS] Hahahaha!

[GP] I will probably not mention that, though. It will deviate from the main subject of the OP.

[AS] I think you should...

--

View attachment 1209255
​

8. LAST TIME WE MET

[GP] I know! Ok. I will try to put it there somewhere. On our previous game against the Dogs, I am only going to say a few things, like: it was a clash of 2v3 (now, it’s 3v4); they were 1 win ahead of us on the ladder; and they have beaten us quite comfortably (12.5:77 - 15.6:96).

[AS] Just that?

[GP] Well, the game started equal, but they ran us over in the second part of Q1; we reacted in Q2, but they dominated 2/3 of Q3 to put the game away from us for good. The stats don’t show any sign of their dominance, but for disposals, marks, and EI50%.

[AS] Why would that be? Any idea?

[GP] No clue. Would it be because they’ve dominated only 35 minutes of an 120' game? I don’t know. I hope people may be able to comment explaining it. The score seemed to have flattered us that night.

[AS] But people would like to know your opinion on our line-up, the Dogs’…

[GP] What could I say? The Quadrangle of Doom was in the line-up, but we didn’t have Lycett. Hence, it doesn’t count. Houston, Butters, and Duursma were also out. Farrell and Hartlett were in. Our side seems to be stronger now. I cannot comment on the Dogs. I could also say that, after the R9 match, they remained in 2nd, while we dropped off of the Top-4. Since then, however, their record is 7-5; while ours is 10-2. I don’t think I have anything else to add.


[AS] It looks that you have enough for the OP, already.

[GP] I hope so. Thanks for helping.

[AS] My pleasure.

View attachment 1209256​

TeeKray please merge this with the other preview thread as GremioPower was scheduled to do it this week

 

[EskimoPAFC]

I'm hoping we beat them but not by enough that they fall out of the top 4 and let Brisbane in.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

I'm hoping we beat them but not by enough that they fall out of the top 4 and let Brisbane in.

We win by 2 goals, Brisbane only have to win by about 14 pts to jump over the dogs. Brisbane will win easily.

 

[TeeKray]

I'm hoping we beat them but not by enough that they fall out of the top 4 and let Brisbane in.

We need to avoid Brisbane at all costs in both week 1 and week 2 of finals and then hope someone else takes them out. So we need to finish 2nd or 3rd to achieve that.

Ideal scenario is beat the Bulldogs and then Melbourne beat Geelong meaning a 2nd v 3rd QF at the Oval against Geelong.

Most likely result unfortunately is we lose, Melbourne win, QF against Melbourne in either Brisbane or Perth which would then become a must win or the prospect of straight sets against Brisbane looms large.

 

[yepits2020]

Equation for Friday night:
1. Don’t let Naughton take Aliir around the ground (send Burton)
2. Make Daniel accountable (send Rozee)
3. Accept that Bont will do Bont things
and most importantly
4. Stop Libba = Stop the Dogs

If I could like this twice I would. There is a fifth element to this and that is the tackling from two points. As pointed out by Papa G about multiple players getting sucked into the tackle and focusing on where the ball is going and disrupting the second and third movement. The second point was their ability to get free kicks at the stoppages from opposition tackles. In our game with them I recall them going in low and hard at the ground ball and throwing their heads back in the tackle. I would be inclined to stay back a bit and stop the ball movement.

 

[malcheski]

This notion that we must avoid Brisbane is a weird one. People said the same thing last year about Geelong and we beat them. I reckon if we get Brisbane in a home quali, and win, we go on to win it all. The belief that would build in the group would be immense. Also, we dont have Hipwood around to jag 17 out of his anus turning from Kepler Bradley to Peak Lockett vs us.

 

[WhyAlwaysMe]

We need to avoid Brisbane at all costs in both week 1 and week 2 of finals and then hope someone else takes them out. So we need to finish 2nd or 3rd to achieve that.

Ideal scenario is beat the Bulldogs and then Melbourne beat Geelong meaning a 2nd v 3rd QF at the Oval against Geelong.

Most likely result unfortunately is we lose, Melbourne win, QF against Melbourne in either Brisbane or Perth which would then become a must win or the prospect of straight sets against Brisbane looms large.

Aside from the whole mental thing of not being able to beat a top 4 team, another scenario which could work out well is the following. We lose narrowly which would snuff out Brisbane's top 4 chances and Melbourne beat Geelong by enough to see us stay in 3rd spot on %, and then play the Bulldogs in a neutral QF. That way we'd avoid Brisbane until a PF/GF if we were to make it that far.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

We need to avoid Brisbane at all costs in both week 1 and week 2 of finals and then hope someone else takes them out. So we need to finish 2nd or 3rd to achieve that.

Ideal scenario is beat the Bulldogs and then Melbourne beat Geelong meaning a 2nd v 3rd QF at the Oval against Geelong.

Most likely result unfortunately is we lose, Melbourne win, QF against Melbourne in either Brisbane or Perth which would then become a must win or the prospect of straight sets against Brisbane looms large.

I agree completely that our best outcome is to get the Cats. Crazy how much has changed since this time last year when we wanted to avoid Geelong.