Round 20... I'm literally salivating...

[The Dutchman!]

Can't wait for this game.

See Mad old Mick has been more impressed by Brittain's Carlscum than by the pisspoor undefeated same olds... love it... reckon Sheedy might have paid Mick to say that... nothing like extra motivation going into a game 4 wins away from a GF berth.

Serious thoughts/ predictions pls?

Dutch

PS. With Jimmy James having 3 weeks off at just the right time and even big Cess finding some form I have to say I'm quietly confident of a 2 goal win... but who knows - Freo might cut our lunch this week...

PPS. Arch- I see you've drawn level on tips... all beats are off now big fella!!!!

 

[dons_r_tops]

Cant wait, It gonna be a Cracker of a game
in round 20
hopefully the bombers will win this week first though, not to many freo Supporters on here are there.
also I would like to see the saints beat west coast cause im going to the game

 

[jod23]

Carlton will win and easily i think everyone knows including Dons supporters that Carlton are a better unit this year. The eagles will break there slump with a win over the saints not easily but they will, hope Freo push the Dons this weekend but they wont win.

 

[sandie]

Jod23, you are a typical idiot weagle supporter, look at the ladder, who's on top, who hasn't been defeated yet. I'll give you a clue, it isn't Carlcsuum. Just because your team is playing crap football at the moment, you should still be able to acknowledge a team that is playing well.
Go back to burying your head in the sand.


------------------
Mantis

 

[Dan26]

I can't wait.

It will be the biggest H&A match in te 104 year history of the VFL/AFL. I'm not exaggerating.

Ron Barassi thinks it is the biggest home and away match since 1958, when 1st placed Melbourne (who had won the last three premierships) met 2nd placed Collingwood on Queens Borthday, and 99,000 attended (a record for a home and away match)

How, hypothetically, if you were "desiging" the biggest H&A match in history, it would HAVE to be betwen first and second on the ladder, right ?

Round 20 will provide that. In addition, it will provide one team with 19 consecutive wins (maybe) agaisnt another with 14 (maybe)

That's 33 consecutive wins between them (maybe), making it I believe the biggest H&A match in the history of the game.

Add to that the traditional rivalry between the two most sucessful clubs historically (having won 31 of the 103 premierships between them) and you have the biggest match in history.

Of course, this doesn't guarantee it will be close. My prediction......Essendon by 40 points.

 

[Jaffa]

I'm not really sure who will win in Round 20. I'd probably have to favour Essendon.

However, going on history, it'll probably be a great game. Then everyone will be looking forward to the GF and hoping for a classic. One of them probably won't make it. Or it will be another shocker.

I'll say Essendon by 2 goals in Round 20. But a comfortable 5-6 goals in the GF.

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

I agree with Jaffa

The Gf this year is in real danger of being another one-sided shocker. Lets hope Essendon have an 'off' day and whoever is their opponent play above themselves for the occasion.

Otherwise what going to happen will be great for all those Bomber people who will no doubt feel vindicated but for the rest of us ?

Hope and pray like hell we'll get a half-way decent contest.

 

[RICE80SF]

Stuff a close contest we had that last year, I want BLOOD, Bloodstained

.

Looks as though our friend Frazer won't be attending, some thug head butted his fist

. Very sad about that Fraz.

I'm with Dan, I'll say about 6 goals (call me arrogant if you wish) maybe more.

Their backline won't hold our forwards and our backs will hold their forwards. Simple game footy really

. Our midfield continues to improve while theirs will not get any better. Can't see Murphy striking the form he had last year this late in the season.

Can't wait though bring 'em on.


------------------
BOMBER BLITZ IN 2000!

 

[jod23]

Sandie i am acknowledgeing a team that is playing well and that team is Carlton. I hate to crush all of you Dons supporters out there but Carlton will win and should go on to win the Premeirship. Just cos Carlton have lost three games doesnt mean there worse than the Dons, right now they both havent lost in a long time so i dont think them three losses early in the season really count anymore. Anyway if i were a Dons supporter id be more worried about the Dockers this weekend i think personally its a bit of a danger game.

 

[Barney]

Who cares who wins round 20..the real season is the finals and there are always surprises.
You would have to favour Essendon who have more pace and skill..but carlton are hard at the footy and have only Bradley and Lappin as "soft" players unlike the bombers who have
a fair share of softies like Caracella,Blumfield,Misiti,Heffernan,Mercuri,Ramanaskus,Fraser..highly skilled softies though i must say.

 

[Daniel]

It certainly looms as the best match of the season for neutrals. Channel 7 are talking about a live telecast into South Australia because of the game's status, which is a change in policy because all Friday night games not involving one of the SA teams are on a 90-minute delay here. I welcome the move, as it would mean I can listen to the game on radio while also watching it live.

At this stage I would tip Essendon, because of their superior players across the whole of the ground. Although Carlton also has great depth, Essendon has more potentially damaging players and may lift to the occasion with an inspired burst like the first quarter against the Kangaroos in Round 13.

Dutch mentioned tipping...how many winners has everyone got? I'm on 92, which I think is reasonable, but it would be interesting to compare.

Tonight's Essendon-Fremantle game again has been given some extraordinary odds. Fremantle, with a 7-10 record, are at 10/1 with Centrebet while Essendon are 20/1 on. Fremantle are definitely not that bad and are receiving a 45 point start!

As I check the odds again, Freo are down to 8/1 so someone must have plunged some money on them.

 

[Dave]

Barney what drugs are you on? Misiti, Mercuri & Ramanaskus soft? The others I grant you but these three? Get real!

 

[sainter]

Gee my internet connection is slow tonight. I think the computer is bored with me after the length of one of my other posts.

Anyway, I think you are underestimating Carlton a fair bit Bloodstained Angel. If it were not the unbelievable run of Essendon, everyone would be raving about Carlton at this moment.

I think they definitely have the capacity to defeat the bombers. However I do agree with you that a lot of things will have to go right for Carlton and wrong for Essendon. The evenness of the Essendon team across the board is their biggest strength in my opinion. (But I am just stating the obvious I suppose)

And who knows, while the form of most of the other contenders has been fairly poor, there is no reason why everything won't come together in the next few weeks.

 

[Razza]

Joke 23 !! Fremantle danger game?. Gee, Carlton havn't lost in a long time you say. BRILLIANT deduction but then Essendon havn't lost in a longer time Don't let hate cloud your obviously limited intelligence.

 

[jod23]

Now now razza just cos your team is going to lose to Carlton.....it wont do you any good taking it out on me

 

[servo]

I think the Round 20 winner is obvious to all. Crows will win.

 

[Slatts]

Interesting match

The last time essendon lost was to carlton and the last time carlton lost was to essendon. Ess only won by 24 pts last time but should have won by more. Still, I don't think ess will give up the chance to create history and win all the games.

 

[Pessimistic]

Keep it up guys ! unbeaten Titans going hard at it on a friday night

Why bother with the irrelevance that is round 19 ?

Perhaps Bulldogs and Hawthorn will concede the points now and they can all have a rest before the spectacle that is round 20

But keep it up, get sucked in

 

[Grendel]

To right Pess. Hope they keep their eyes of the ball and concentrate on the rnd 20 and forget they actually have a game to play this week.
While I think they have to be favourites (Duh!) I can go in with some cause for optomism.

Forgetting the Hawk bias and the actual rnd20 game, ooh dont know. Carltons midfield is better, the Dons forwards and backs are better. The ruck situation now would be even with Allan out. Wild card is Kouta, that last Q last year still sticks in my mind. Basically no one can go with him if he decides to do that.
Hird cant go higher than the level he is on. Not knocking Golden Boy its just he plays at such a consistently high level all the time, he never really 'lifts' as he is sort of already there (if you follow what im trying to say).
Should be a great game regardless, here is hoping after all the hype.

ps Shinboners is it me or are your mob starting to sort of look interested again?

 

[Shinboners]

Grendel

Um, it's hard to tell. I'm staying pessimistic because of that red and black mountain that sits between the Rooboys and back-to-back premierships. I reckon North can take on and beat Carlton, but whoever wins the flag will have to beat Essendon, and on current form......we're not capable of doing so. Still, no-one is going to want to play us in the finals.

The other team to keep an eye out for is Melbourne. They're in good form, have a great midfield and strong forward line...slip Neitz into centre half back alongside their running defenders....it's not a bad side. I think they will take 4th spot and will give Essendon plenty of problems in their final. A Melbourne vs Essendon Grand Final is not out of the realms of possibility.....here's a scenario:

Week 1

Essendon beat Melbourne
North beat Carlton

Week 2
Melbourne and Carlton win their finals

Week 3
Essendon beat Carlton
Melbourne to do the unthinkable

Grand Final
Essendon vs Melbourne

AS their theme song says, keep your eye on the red and the blue. As for the royal blue and whites, the best I can hope for is to copy Adelaide '97 and '98....the main similarities (or grasping at straws?) for us is that like those Adelaide sides, we're getting players back and slowly hitting some form.....on the other hand, we need Motlop to do a McLeod impersonation, Burton to turn into Rehn, and Grant to snap some freakish goals a la Jarman.....now wouldn't that be nice?

 

[Bernie]

Shinboners,

I'm surprised that you feel at ease with the thought of beating the Blues. In their last meeting ( albeit at PP ), North were pretty much taken apart and Carey made to look a chump by trying to beat Kouta one on one. Sice then I think that the Blues have actually improved.

I agree that Melbourne are the wild card - or more specifically Jeff Farmer - but the Blues REALLY cleaned them out at the G. How did they lose that game against North the other week ?

I'm keen for the Blues to play North ASAP - I would chalk that in for a definate.

Amazingly, the club that has given the Blues the most grief recently is Geelong ! Got wacked at the G last year and very close at PP this year.

Anyway, I can't wait for this game. Thank God it's not at PP or Docklands. The Blues are set to make $500,000+ from this game ALONE !! I wonder if that sort of money could EVER be made on a game at Docklands ?

BTW, what has been the biggest crowd at Docklands ? What REALLY is the capacity of that dive ?

 

[RICE80SF]

How was Pigs Arse coming out and saying he'll be overseas for the Essendon V Carlton match, "it's not a big deal" the Collingwoodenspoon match was "far more important", so he stayed for that

. Yes John we believe you

. Who does he think he fools with his bullshit, does he really believe he there are people out there who swallow it?

How could even Carlton supporters like him?


------------------
BOMBER BLITZ IN 2000!

 

[sandie]

I believe him, he probably wants to be away so he doesn't have to witness his carlscums defeat & nobody will see him cry.

------------------
Mantis

 

[Shinboners]

Bernie

I'm probably sounding a lot more confident than what I really am, but I just feel that we match up pretty well against the Blues. IT's just one of those gut instinct things. I agree, the Blues have improved since you beat us at Princess Park, but in a do-or-die match at the MCG, you never know.

 

[Dan26]

To be honest, I am shit scared of Melbourne.

If we meet Melbourne (who should finish 4th) in the first week, i will be shaking in my boots.

There is something about finals time and the Melbourne Fotball club that goes well together. They ALWAYS win first up in the finals. Their last 7 finals campagains (1987,88,89,90,91,94 and 1998) all resulted in them winning first up.

And they always cause havoc in the finals.

I'll be happy if we can avoid the Dees first up. If we finish 22-0, Essendon's most damgerous match is not the prelimiary final or the GF (they will be "up" for both of them)

The most dangerous match is a first up final agaisnt 4th, after the "let-down" of a 22-0 season. If the match is agaisnt Melbourne, I might even feel a bit "pessimistic". Melbourne always seem to lift a cog at the MCG with the MCC behind them come finals time

Carlton don't concern me. We can handle that mob.