Very similar lead up to this game as to last year as far as the press is concerned.

Ben Cousins has dominated the headlines leading into this game and you would not even know Carlton existed.

I like it.

What are you guys on about? Let's have a look at just some of our players

Jamison - now he is fit will be THE gun FB of the AFL
Bower - All Australian CHB this year
Joseph - "the barnacle"
Gibbs - Brownlow this year?
Eddie - finally fit
Warnock - ditto
Kreuzer - no one in the league like him. Well Cox maybe but he doesn't play for Richmond.
Robinson - loves the Tigers

etc etc

Should I keep going. I will give you 6 goals in. How's that! Seriously, we should smash them because if we don't it could be a long year.

_________________
"Get ready, Teddy - you're on": Ron Barassi half time 1970 Grand Final

i cant belive the posters who are worried about this game. seriously, richmond a shit. it will be tight for the 1st qtr or half but thats it. we will run all over them in the 2nd half. class will win the game. we have it they dont.

_________________
i am what i am. somebody has to be.

If ever an upset will happen it's round 1.

carlton by 40 pts.

_________________
"I had to eat"

Not so sure that we will win to be honest.

As I said previously if we are lazy and not on our game, we are stuffed.

I have not liked our pre-season form so far at all........

but i bet you loved our pre-season form when we won the nab cup and ended up finishing last.

_________________
i am what i am. somebody has to be.

We shouldn't be taking this game lightly guys... Remember, we only beat this mob by 20 points last year, and that was with Judd dominating and Fev kicking 9...
We have to be switched on from go to woe.

_________________
James Hird and Essendon* FC - #FOREVERDRUGCHEATS

Hope you are right. But i cant rid myself of this bad feeling.

we will win. wont be the 80 point flogging like last year but it will be a good win in between 28-48 points.

_________________
i am what i am. somebody has to be.

True Supercoach, we cant judge the pre-season form, but I have always worried about not having Fevola in the team, and am still worried about our goalkicking options.

Nothing in the pre-season sugested to me that we have a plan or solution to him to being there.

Time will tell......

[quote="Teddy Hopkins]

What are you guys on about? Let's have a look at just some of our players

Jamison - now he is fit will be THE gun FB of the AFL
Bower - All Australian CHB this year
Joseph - "the barnacle"
Gibbs - Brownlow this year?
Eddie - finally fit
Warnock - ditto
Kreuzer - no one in the league like him. Well Cox maybe but he doesn't play for Richmond.
Robinson - loves the Tigers

etc etc

Should I keep going. I will give you 6 goals in. How's that! Seriously, we should smash them because if we don't it could be a long year.[/quote]

Agree 100% with all of that but there's been no evidence that this team has bedded down successfully some key parts of the game during the off-season (eg. kick-ins, defending kick-ins, playing through a zone defence ...). They haven't shown themselves to be hitting the season at full speed.

Add to that the "rust" on key players like Waite and Murph and the absence of Judd and well ... I don't share the confidence. It may take this team time to get going this season. Thursday night will tell us some of where we are at against a team we struggled to shake off at the MCG last time round.

_________________
"It was like calling your ex girlfriend after a night on the booze, just a really bad decision".

Agree it shouldn't be taken lightly, nor should any game (unless tanking). However in the game where we beat them by only 20 we had Johnson, Anderson, Hartlett and Bentley in the side. So even without Juddy and Fev I think we should be able to have a stronger side from the one that met them in R15(?).

Not to mention the Tigers having a less experienced team this time round along with no Cousins. I don't really see how they're going to score if we play a much better back 6 this time while throwing AJ on Nahas.

Blues by 40

I am not very optimistic about this game.

Although I was until I heard that Jake King has been suspended and won't be playing.

didn't he get bog against us 2 years ago?

edit:
answered my own question - rnd 1 2008 - 2 votes.

_________________
"I had to eat"

We won the few games Fev didn't play for us in the last 4 years....and that's when we were a below average team.

In fact we've won lotsa games when Fev didn't fire a shot.

I just hope the team is as nervous as you and take the gTigers as a serious threat.

I know we'll win by about 50-72 points.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Teddy,teddy,teddy.....sigh
some of us are keeping a lid on it so we can get good odds...but you are going to ruin our cunning plan.

_________________
That’s not a political statement — it’s a harsh reality, and we must act,” she said. “He is a clear and present danger to the things that keep us strong and free. I support impeachment.”

At least Richmond will need to work on a bit more of a defensive strategy than "You three blokes go stand next to Fevola".

_________________
"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

..tuggers also have to implement a new gameplan/structure.. ..not only are they without their own big man [richo], but they've gotta work with a new coach.. ..tuggers vs dee's fer the spoon i reckon.. ..and the dee's are in contention purely cos of their growin' injury list, tuggers are that crap..

_________________
..if you can't be good, be good at it..

Did you see the teams from that game I posted earlier? Average side we had in that day, as for the Tigers they aren't going to improve on that side next week.

We should win but only because Richmond are seriously crap and, IMHO, we are moderately crap.

_________________
"You can't polish a James Hird"