Davey is an embarassment to the sport. If anyone should be cited over play acting it is him.

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Each game in 2008 and 2009 against these lepers I have felt supremely confident in our advantages in talent and skill getting us over the line.

Each time we've had our pants pulled down.

So I'm not confident of beating them this week. I feel we should, but I am not confident in the result.

I think we need to put the clamps on Jobe (although I am not sure if AJ is the match up here???), and we need to own the corridor and force them wide. If they get forced wide, it becomes a game of skill for them and that's where they will struggle. If we let them own the corridor as we have done repeatedly in Ratt's reign, we'll once again spend the night chasing tail and looking foolish. They'll be desperate to return to their running game as evidenced by Knight's comments this week.

We need to be a smart footy team on Saturday night.

Great comment from Commetti during the Bombers Freo game.

He said Davey was a far better player without the ball than with it.

Take that...

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“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
Turkish Proverb

I heard that

Although I think he was slightly off... the way Davey continually avoids any form of physical contact when going for the ball (his ridiculous spear tackle effort last week aside) would indicate he's a better player in the chase than going for or disposing of the ball...

Would have to be one of the more useless players in the history of the league.

the're due for a good slapping

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NG
S M C , S F L

I would prefer Carrazzo.

I'm the same. I usually think we will win before most games. Always optimistic before the game. But I think my psyche has been fractured by these pr!cks with the results of the last 2 years. We are vastly superior on paper but we have been for the last 4 encounters and we all know what has happened. I just can't shake this nagging feeling that they will do us again.

@#$%&! I hate them so much.

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Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

Lovett Murray is back too.
He seems to be one of those players that people don't rate, yet Ratten and the blues always play him into form

I dont think weve played Lovett Murray in to form at all, its just that he is a good match up on Fisher as he is good in the air and not bad on the ground. His ability to run off Fisher has led it to look like he is in the best players. Same thing as Pears last year off Fevola - he didnt really do anything that special but because we were full of angst against Fevola it looked better / worse than it did.

Watson destroyed us last time but remember he hurt his ankle and was off by half time (or so). The real catalyst was Lovett and an avalanche of defensive errors / poor efforts that just saw us crash in a heap. Austin's missed mark against Reimers sticks in the memory - woeful stuff.

I think we're a far more complete team and we'll surprise. 6 goal win.

I want a big game from Gibbs this week.

With Judd out, Gibbs is the player we need to lead us home.

Lift Bryce.

Brace yourself.

Faltering Dons stand by tactics

I think we have to place Essendon* 2009 v 2010 into view - last year Lloyd was still a tremendous target, particularly against us. Off a Lloyd mark or spill you could throw Winderlich or Lovett and they would be able to crumb. Lucas and McPhee were still there, and whilst not in great form were still the target. They dont have that. Williams is a shattered footballer with minimal prospects IMHO and Gumbleton promises alot but has played less than Henderson.

They need big matches from Hille and Ryder who were smashed by Sandilands. Some amazing stuff from Ruder who just copped the bump in ruck contests and dropped his head. id expect him to play forward this week to try and bring life to him and their forward line. We'll need a back up plan for that. The best way for us to stop this is really for the 2010 Kreuzer to take on and beat Hille. Kreuzer has that added size this year and his work ethic is still phenomenal.

Bombers might have looked very good when on fire in the past but that forward line is really missing some proven options.

He brought them back into the game R3 last year with his tackling. Don't worry he annoys the crap out of me as well, but he is the type who will begin kicking goals out of his backsides against us.

Thing is all things being equal, we should win. Our midfield is superior, and in the ruck we should at least break even (im expecting Hille to lift), but their forward line looks like a work in progress like ours, unlike the past couple of years when they had Lloyd/Lucas and McPhee (though not great was a decent 3rd forward target).

Defense wise, both sides look quite solid, but the above mentioned midfield advantage should see us home.

Carlton by 23.

Stop Watson
Stop Hille

and...

don't feed their running game by turning over the ball

NO TURNOVERs

Yes, turnovers is a big focus after the Brisbane game.
But I'm worried that in doing so, we'll slow the game down too much and clog ourselves up.

We need to be hard and fluid. Don't stop to wait for a man 10m clear. Keep running but make sure of the disposal. Keep focused on the task at hand rather than mentally jumping to the next thing before the kick/handball/mark/tackle has been executed.

They will come out fast and furious but kind of like, as someone said about Davey, "like a fox terrier on speed". We just need to match their intensity but maintain our composure. They don't have Lloyd to inspire them with a huge contested mark. They don't have Lovett to burst through the centre. Hille could be dangerous but Kreuzer can handle him now.
Watson can be damaging and we must curb his influence.

They will be shitting themselves about curbing Murphy in hot form, Gibbs, McLean, Betts, Kreuzer, Waite (who should improve a bit more now in his 3rd match....) not to mention Simpson, Carrazzo.
And I'm still expecting Walker to turn it on at ay moment - this could be a good moment for him!

Carlton by 8 goals.

Carazzo on Watson
AJ/Armfield on Monfries

@#$%&! we must win this one. And win well.

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Congratulations CK95

Yes good call.

No Lovett
No Lloyd
No Lucas.

No chance.

SO many posters were worried before the Richmond game. Okay, the Dons are better than the Tiges but then so are the Alice Springs 4ths. But its only a game.

As long as no one in the backline holds the bloody ball up to slow the game down (are you listening Bret Thornton) and the boys are switched on, it should not be a tough game.

Setanta and Lachie are proving to be a couple of real KPP up forward, something the other mob don't have any more. I reckon with our mids feeding them plus Waite, and kicking a few themselves, that will be the difference.

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

Would love to see Robinson use his aggression to dominate someone as a tagger. He's just floating round the outside picking off the weakest in the herd at the moment.

Watson has just the right lack of speed to give a guy like Robbo two shots at him.

Would be worth the free kick count to see it.

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

If you dont want to see that Teddy, I'd recommend you stay home for the night because there will be plenty of tempo management in this game.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.