IIRC from Ratt's interview OTC Sentanta wont be playing.

He will be back via the Ants.

Icke alluded to the fact that he might play, which won't happen as he has missed way too much footy.

I can't believe I agree with Keogh

Ants have a bye this week

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Cheats never prosper (except in the AFL)

Hendo struggles to take any mark, contested or otherwise. But our only option IS to play him forward.

I'd also bring back Setanta regardless of his time out. Get games into his legs right now. Sub him in or out if you like, but get him in to the side.

Play Kreuz at CHF, Hendo in a FP and AW at FF. Get Hendo to lead wide and long and keep away from the corridor.

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Love that our supporters can't even recall Henderson's 2010.

Look at the stats Duke - you saying Hendo can't take a mark and for a CHF he averages 4.5 marks a game - Waite is 5.5 and Dawes is 5.2 and Cloke 6.6 - But then to say to Setanta who only averages 3.2 marks a game and Kruez who is at 2.9 marks a game - Hampson 2.3

We need someone who can clunk them until such time we find one we have to think outside the norm when it comes to a forward set up

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

Collingwood are persisting with 5 talls, a ruck and Leigh Brown, plus they have plenty of tall mids/flankers. There's marking power galore in the side and enough to skill to make use of it all.

We need to be able to compete in 1-on-1s as well as on the ground.

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29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

I try not to take too much notice of stats alone Syd, we all know they can be very misleading. Take for example his game against the Bears where he took 10 against a pretty ordinary opposition. However, he has been working down back the last couple of weeks so hasn't been in a marking situation, so I'll cut him some slack on that.

On Setanta - He's big, he's strong, he's fast and he's mature. He's played on the MCG in front of massive crowds before. Given our lack of depth and if he's available, he should be a starter for this week and play defence.

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Very nervous about Saturday. I can't see us winning, but I hope we give them a fight. My head says it could be as bad as a 10 goal loss if Collingwood get a roll on.

Ya think? Why would you say that? . I'm not suggesting he's no good - he's just been struggling big time this year - for whatever reason. But one thing I'm sure of, he's not a backman. Play him in a pocket and get him following team rules. Putting him in the backline will kill his confidence this week.

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For what ever reason =

The fact he missed 10 weeks of pre season from a relatively serious operation would be a good indicator. The boy is seriously talented and will come good. We need to be realistic and patient.

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Koperek.

If we try to match them player for player and spend our time worrying about them we will lose by 15goals IMO. We need to get back to doing what we do well. We need to get them wondering why they have so many talls in their team. We need to apply pressure all day and use our small forwards to separate their defense and then hit them on the way back. Personally i am prepared to wear a loss if they out mark us inside their 50 providing we get back to applying the sort of pressure around the ball that we know we can for as long as we can. Providing we inject run back into our game.

At the most they will play 3 talls in their foward line. Henda(or tbird) / bower and Laidler should match up ok. Cloke Brown and Keefe are scary only because of cloke.

This is just my opinion. Ratts wants the players to be bold then the coaches should bold up too.

Although not that confident about actually winning I have this "little" glimmer of hope bubblying inside!!

Optimistic yet achievable!!!

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FITTER, FASTER, STRONGER!!!

Pity Setanta didn't get back to the Ants last week. Whatever his deficiencies, and I am sure there will be posters willing to list them, he does give us height, agility and versatility. Given the Ants aren't playing this week if Setanta is fit I'd use him as the sub so he can at least get a run and as sub it means we can sub Warnock or anyone really and he can play a role forward or back. I am not proposing him as making a huge difference, but we don't have lots of classy talls, so before people write him off tell me all the tall guys who are better.

I just can't see us winning this game. Eade is a very smart coach and used some tactics that undid our game plan. Other coaches will have watched. Yarran's opponent will run him everywhere, Judd will have 10 on him. Hendo should take Travis Cloke, a daunting task but a great acheivemnet if Hendo can at least stop him getting a bag. Warnock seriously needs to show why we went after him so hard. Is he really any better than Sam Jacobs? gets all the taps, but rarely are they decisive in the manner that Cox and NicNat are, and he has no physicality. We seem to have thought we were getting a Justin Madden, but Madden had a greater height advantage, was very strong and our gun midfield could take advanatge of his taps in an era when there was way more space.

Blues, be competitive, because the Pies will be out to humiliate us, and we don't want any loss to be so bad that it carries over into the following week v. Essendon*.

PS If we win this one, it will be one of our greatest triumphs

I'm sure he will come good. But playing an out of sorts forward (for all the reasons you suggested) on Cloke is madness for him and the club - so I hope common sense prevails.

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It won't matter who plays on Cloke if we don't have excellent team defense. He will beat any of our players one on one. Laidler and Duigen have massive roles to play on Sat. The madness will come when Cloke is allowed to be one on one in the goal square.

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Koperek.

Warnock should hit the ball out of the congestion around stoppages rather than the limp wristed crap we've seen from him all season.

cant let that tosser maxwell play loose man in defence

This is the critical area. We must have a very mobile forward line that has the abilty to shut down the pies attack out of defence.

I'd like to see just the one tall permanent forward (Thornton) surrounded with small/mediums who will break the tackling record.