I'm with you BB, just have this feeling that they will pull a win out against us and it will turn their season around. Would HATE that to happen tho Hopefully Fevs and Lance will fire and Davies will pull a few out of his arse like he has in the last few.

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I stole Sheedy's Gatorade...

I reckon we should all wear Justin Davies masks - it will scare the shit out of The Filth.

"Hey Mick look behind you - Justin Davies - BOO!!!!"

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

I'm fearful of the new 15 man defence blocking us to death.

As much as I loved thr Friday night game - yes even those middle quarters when I thought Sheedy's coaching was superb - I am dreading this game and the side to side kicking and flooding that the Pies will utilise I am sure it's going to be woeful, regardless of results..

That being said, our defence is a huge weakness at the moment. Without Livo to try to break even, its up to the Pies forwards to try to make a game of it. But if Tarrant / Rocca don't kick say 6 or 7 between them, minimum, its our game.

Ok time to start remembering why we have to beat the bastards.

1) Tony Shaw once going to a bad taste party in our sacred jumper

2) Magro on Jezza

3) That little mongrel Holland

4) Eddie

5) Banks on Rhys-Jones

6) Their feral supporters

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"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." - Gene Hill

I really just can't see us losing. Pagan is smart enough to ahve the guys up for this and not believeing the Collingwood are stuggling line. We won't be taking this game lightly.

I see Fev having a night out...he hasn't been playing badly, but has been unlucky and the ball hasn't really come down the same as in the Wizard Cup, but I expect our midfield, starting with French to Kouta, to be on top and provide Fev and Whitts with plenty of quality passes.

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

I dont thiink its foolish to be concerned about this weeks game. Collingwood have the equipment up forward to trouble us and the motivation.
Wakelin and Clement are capable players. so Whitnall and Fev wont have it all their own way. Malthouse may revert to youth this week and a player like Travis Cloke or Chris Egan may get a game which always adds something new and someone who we dont know much about which can be dangerous.
Normally a good Carlton team would pump Collingwood this week by about 5-8 goals but I think it will be a dogfight and harder work than we think...

A-hem....

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SIDE BY SIDE
COOOOOLLLLLIIIINGWOOOOOOOD

Should beat them with their injuries and lack of form but we have an annoying habit when we go into games as favourites of underestimating our opponents
Dogs in 2004 kangas first round 2005
Must play more than 45 minutes of football
Get a good start - last 4 real matches been behind opposition early - won a few of those but cant win from behind all the time
Main danger Rocca and tarrant - especially without thorton Clement one of the best defenders in AFL - so lance betts de luca waite have to pick up slack from Fev

Main positive is that we tend to have very good last quarters and they tend to drop off. Hopefully we can keep it close for x3 qtrs and then run all over them in the last. Hope Rocca doesnt rip as another one like his brother did.

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I stole Sheedy's Gatorade...

Had a dream last night that we were beaten by two points by the Pies. I wasn't very impressed.

I have the utmost confidence this week.

Lets look at the form:

From the last 10 competitive matches (last 4 rounds of ‘04/Wiz Cup/first 2 rounds of ’05) the win:loss ratio of both sides is:

Carlton 8 from 10
Collingwood 2 from 8

We will win because we have a more consistent forward line, a more direct style of play and quicker on-ballers. Our backline is under the pump at the moment, but they are doing ok. Don’t forget Skinny and Houla had only average games last round – I expect a better output from them this week. Big Red will be floating down back more this week – he won’t have Hird as his shadow.

Fev will have a day out – 6/7 from the Shag!

Yes, they have copped plenty in the media – what’s new!

Dennis will have this team primed for a win. It would have been one pencilled in by him prior to the season commencing.

Blues by 40 for me!!

...except for those rare ones with taste who can appreciate Campo.

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"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." - Gene Hill

A-hem....

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SIDE BY SIDE
COOOOOLLLLLIIIINGWOOOOOOOD

You didn't happen to catch the Tattslotto numbers while you were at it, did you Wojee?

I'm super confident. I don't think we lost to the Roos because we took the game easily - their win against the Swans shows that they have started the year off well like they usually do. Maybe a bit of a "premiership hangover" added to the problem, as did injuries, but I don't agree with Frank's suggestion that we took it too easily.

We should be able to muster the appropriate level of self-confidence coupled with intensity, and Pagan's comments to the media show that he will not allow the players to get too far ahead of themselves.

It is true that the Pies will, or should, come out breathing fire. This intensity will be difficult to maintain for much more than half a quarter. And the self-doubts that they must obviously feel will quickly rise to the surface if we can beat them in that initial phase. The veneer of determination won't protect them.

Their preseason form has been deplorable, and they have suffered injuries to their best and/or most vital players: Buckley, Fraser, Tarrant, Rocca, Didak, Richards. Tarrant is labouring under injury, and Rocca's preseason has been cruelled by injury, so that even though they will both take the field they are not going to have the presence that they should.

We have multiple options in the ruck and they should be exposed there for talent and experience. The lack of Buckley's skills, leadership and example will make it much easier to break their spirit.

Flooding isn't really their style. And as their style is to chip the ball wide to the wings before running it to the front of goals, it will be very hard for them to change their gameplan within a week to flood and then counterpunch by long kicking down the corridor. Under pressure, it is too much to expect them to stick to an effective flooding tactic.

Now, I don't want the players to think this. That would be disastrous. But as a mere supporter, a great deal of confidence is appropriate for this week. We don't need to say the stuff we want to hear from our team - that we are taking it a week at a time, the Pies will rebound, we know that we will have a fight on our hands.