Now I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but on the back of our two wins I've run my eye over what's left of our draw and noticed a few interesting things.
Here it is:
6 - Blues v Crows (MCG)
7 - WCE v Blues (Subi)
8 - Blues v Lions (TD)
9 - Blues v Freo (TD)
10 - Cats V Blues (TD)
11 - Port V Blues (AMMI)
12 - Pies v Blues (MCG)
13 - Blues v Dons (MCG)
14 - Tigers v Blues (MCG)
15 - Blues v Saints (MCG)
16 - Blues v Syd (TD)
17 - WB v Blues (TD)
18 - Crows v Blues (AMMI)
19 - Blues v Port (TD)
20 - Blues v Roos (TD)
21 - Lions v Blues (Gabba)
22 - Blues v Hawks (TD)
Things to note:
1. we only play the current top 4 - Geelong, Hawthorn, the Bulldogs and the Swans - once.
2. Of those, the games against the Cats and the Swans are both in Melbourne. Not that it is likely to make much difference against the Cats but you take the breaks you can get against a side like that.
3. We also only play the Roos (currently 6th) once.
4. We only play interstate 4 times, with the away games against WC, Port and even Brisbane all looking distinctly winnable for the first time in I can even recall.
5. We don't play the Hawks till round 22, so even if they were to crush us like a paper cup again, it won't happen mid season where it will derail any momentum we may have built up or be building.
6. We have a dream month of football at the MCG in the middle of the season where we will have the opportunity to reverse some of the disappointing results of the first 3 rounds where we were underdone.
Now obviously the ladder is hardly set in stone after a mere 5 rounds, but IMO there is enough exposed form now to conclude that the fixturing gods have smiled on us this season. It was a good draw to begin with, it's an even better one now that we know now good the Hawks and Dogs are, and how much WC and Port appear to have slipped. In fact the only way we could be better placed is if we played the Dees again but I guess you can't have everything.
If we can keep building on the good work of the last two weeks then the pack may well open up in the second half of the season and give us a sniff of finals.
Blues by 7 in a thriller this weekend to keep the ball rolling
