Post match: Pies lose to Dogs. All comments please.

[Woods]

I'm fairly certain you don't have a comma before the word "and"
Just sayin.

Yes you can. Its called an Oxford comma. Purist use it but most editors these days avoid it (along with unnecessary capitalization etc).

But it is useful, if not essential, it avoiding ambiguity in some sentences that contain a series of things.

Eg. Fred won awards for Most Goals Kicked and Best and Fairest could be read as meaning he won three awards.

But by using an Oxford comma it becomes clear that he won only two awards: Fred won awards for Most Goals Kicked, and Best and Fairest.

[Leggie]

I'm fairly certain you don't have a comma before the word "and"
Just sayin.

Yes you can. Its called an Oxford comma. Purist use it but most editors these days avoid it (along with unnecessary capitalization etc).

But it is useful, if not essential, it avoiding ambiguity in some sentences that contain a series of things.

Eg. Fred won awards for Most Goals Kicked and Best and Fairest could be read as meaning he won three awards.

But by using an Oxford comma it becomes clear that he won only two awards: Fred won awards for Most Goals Kicked, and Best and Fairest.

Well there you go.
It's amazing what you learn on Nicks.

Cheers mate.

[Geek]

I'm fairly certain you don't have a comma before the word "and"
Just sayin.

Yes you can. Its called an Oxford comma. Purist use it but most editors these days avoid it (along with unnecessary capitalization etc).

But it is useful, if not essential, it avoiding ambiguity in some sentences that contain a series of things.

Eg. Fred won awards for Most Goals Kicked and Best and Fairest could be read as meaning he won three awards.

But by using an Oxford comma it becomes clear that he won only two awards: Fred won awards for Most Goals Kicked, and Best and Fairest.

As an extension, it is also used as the last list separator in a series containing semicolons. You'd create such lists when each item has multiple words in its name. Eg: Fred won awards for most goals kicked; best and fairest, and best clubman

[Piesnchess]

They locked my other post about the positives from today. But I saw the future of our mighty Club today. And I am very excited. Darcy Moore should be our Captain in 2017 and we will win the flag. Lets not kid ourselves, today was not good, but it was all worth it to see this kid perform like he did. Love what we have here and will be looking forward to more from Moore.

Bingo. Forget the loss. The future is Moore. And more you shall get. Stop winging about Bucks and the season 2015. Its over. Lets now play the roll of finals wreckers for all those scum above us that think they can win the Flag. Give em hell.

Tall poppy syndrome is something I think is uniquely Aussie. We do it better than anyone else. So lets live up to our national sport reputation and train wreck these Clubs above us as they hope to keep winning. Ninethmond we should aim for first.

Good on you Hiss. It's nice to see you back on board after last week. No one likes to see us lose five in a row, but that's life. Shit happens. So let's move on to next week and the remainder of the season. We have a third of our list injured or not available and we still won our VFL game today. McCartin played today at the MCG and kicked one for StKilda, which was four less than Moore kicked. De Goey is playing out of the middle in his first year and everything he does is class only he doesn't do enough of it, but that will come with more experience. Maynard is another who shouldn't be out there but for injuries. That's three first year players out there today who are going to end up 200 game players for Collingwood and form part of our next premiership team. We were never going to win the 2015 premiership. It's all about setting ourselves up for a run at the next flag and wins are important, but not the be all and end all.

My pleasure. The Pies VFL is very exciting. Big hope here for many senior players. I am just so happy we have found a home grown superstar in Darcy Moore. I watched his father play at Victoria Park and was there camping out for GF tickets the night he won the Chas.B. Brought a tear to my rum fuelled eyes that night along with others. We need to build a side around players like him for the 2017 flag. Hawthorn are pretenders and I agree with Carey that Mitchell wouldn't get a game in any other side cos he is too slow.

ONE of the rare times i absolutely agree with you Hiss, well put, and you are right about Darcy, he has a fantastic pedigree, his dad was an utter champ, and theres a helluva lot to like about his young kid, he will dominate in seasons to come, and lead this young team to some real glory, its all in the future.

[HAL]

Oops. Too much data.

[Piesnchess]

[align=center]Oh my God!
I don't think anyone here has the faintest idea what has happened in the last 5 weeks! I mean most of you are borderline illiterate, but I at least thought you could watch a football game and understand the basics of it!!!

Apparently NOT!

5 in a row!
why?
KICKING!!!!!
If we could kick like Hawthorn players kick, we would have beaten Freo and Hawthorn, and Port. By then we would've been probably second. Possibly first.
Do you THINK Footscray would've, could've beaten us under those circumstances? Anyone? And who gives a shit if they did! we'd still be first or second! Whoever is first or second when the season is finished are the two teams who can win the flag, especially if both are WA teams. Let me try to explain it in a way any of you idiots can understand...

If we could kick the footy ball straightly... am I being clear? Straightly means when I kick the footy ball, it goes right to the man I was trying to kick the footy ball to so he could catch it with his hands. OR it means when I kick the footy ball at the reeeeally big tall white painted poles, and I try to make it go between the even reeeally biggest poles of all - which are the ones in the middle - where the man in the hat stands - it DOES go through the reeeeally biggest poles with the white paint.

If only some body would find some other really clever man who could teach our Collingwood Magpie player men how to do those kicking things I said before,
then coLingwood wood WIN THE footy ball game!!

Yay for the Collingwoods! there my fAverit!!!!
Or was that too technical for you fkn morons here?

[/align]

Well, youve won me mate, no argument there, our general kicking and shots at goal are atrocious, we need to work very hard on that aspect of our game, a priority. BAD KICKING IS BAD FOOTBALL, as my late grandmother told me time and again, it was 100 years ago, and it still is, kicking is the soul of the game.

[September Zeros]

I'm fairly certain you don't have a comma before the word "and"
Just sayin.

Yes you can. Its called an Oxford comma. Purist use it but most editors these days avoid it (along with unnecessary capitalization etc).

But it is useful, if not essential, it avoiding ambiguity in some sentences that contain a series of things.

Eg. Fred won awards for Most Goals Kicked and Best and Fairest could be read as meaning he won three awards.

But by using an Oxford comma it becomes clear that he won only two awards: Fred won awards for Most Goals Kicked, and Best and Fairest.

As an extension, it is also used as the last list separator in a series containing semicolons. You'd create such lists when each item has multiple words in its name. Eg: Fred won awards for most goals kicked; best and fairest, and best clubman

Screw punctuation ......can we recruit Fred?


And somebody get 35 some Xanax please.

[35forever]

Yeah! Fred sounds like an Ace!!!
And thanks SZ, but I have a full pack, poppin' 'em like skittles during Collingwood games!

[Pies4shaw]

The dogs are the ones with legitimate excuses with a first year coach.

Beveridge has achieved a lot in just one preseason and shows it's totally tosh to believe it takes years to implement changes to game plans that markedly improve a sides performance.

It's taken us 4 to show some genuine improvement.

We've had a cushy draw and less injuries yet still heading for another 11-11 season.

Contract extension beyond 2016 must not be offered now unless we make finals.

The Welfare is coming off a ridiculously low base and I have seen nothing to suggest they will be seriously competitive within the next 5 years. They have no key position players of any acceptable quality (unless Boyd suddenly comes good) and are incapable of beating a decent team in a final.

I think you're seriously underselling the Doggies. They definitely have some gaps but factor in the quality of the kids they've got developing and they're definitely a team on the rise.

I may be underselling them - I just don't think that Ping-Pong style of play will beat decent teams on the MCG.

They really are much better-performed at Docklands than elsewhere. This season, they have won 6 of 8 games there at an average of 122 points per game - call it 18.14 per game (and they lost to St Kilda and Fremantle but even in those they kicked 13 and 14 goals, respectively). Away from Docklands they've won 4 of 7 and scored 72 points per game - call it 10.12. Admittedly, that includes Richmond in round 2 and the Swans in round 5 but, however you view their performances away from Docklands, 7 of their best 8 scores for the season have been at Docklands (and include their two losses there).

In fact, their only score of more than 12 goals away from Docklands was in July against a weakened Gold Coast - and that was only 14 goals. Apart from that game against hapless opposition, they've kicked 8, 9, 9, 9, 11 and 12 goals in their non-Docklands games.

No, those statistics don't excuse Collingwood losing to them - but they do, I think, justify my scepticism about the Welfare's likely future progression.

[Pies4shaw]

The Welfare is coming off a ridiculously low base and I have seen nothing to suggest they will be seriously competitive within the next 5 years. They have no key position players of any acceptable quality (unless Boyd suddenly comes good) and are incapable of beating a decent team in a final.

I think you're seriously underselling the Doggies. They definitely have some gaps but factor in the quality of the kids they've got developing and they're definitely a team on the rise.

I may be underselling them - I just don't think that Ping-Pong style of play will beat decent teams on the MCG.

They really are much better-performed at Docklands than elsewhere. This season, they have won 6 of 8 games there at an average of 122 points per game - call it 18.14 per game (and they lost to St Kilda and Fremantle but even in those they kicked 13 and 14 goals, respectively). Away from Docklands they've won 4 of 7 and scored 72 points per game - call it 10.12. Admittedly, that includes Richmond in round 2 and the Swans in round 5 but, however you view their performances away from Docklands, 7 of their best 8 scores for the season have been at Docklands (and include their two losses there).

In fact, their only score of more than 12 goals away from Docklands was in July against a weakened Gold Coast - and that was only 14 goals. Apart from that game against hapless opposition, they've kicked 8, 9, 9, 9, 11 and 12 goals in their non-Docklands games.

No, those statistics don't excuse Collingwood losing to them - but they do, I think, justify my scepticism about the Welfare's likely future progression.

I know that this is now in the Match forum graveyard, so no-one much will read this but, for the record, I observe that the Dogs have done yet another number on a reasonable quality opponent at Docklands. Today, they beat Port Adelaide 128 to 64.

We might find out a little more about them on 23 August, when they next play away from Docklands (this time, in Perth).

[Jezza]

The Bulldogs record at Etihad Stadium this year:
Round 1 v West Coast = WIN (97-87)
Round 4 v Adelaide = WIN (125-68
Round 6 v St.Kilda = LOSS (87-94)
Round 7 v Fremantle = LOSS (88-101)
Round 10 v GWS = WIN (113-68
Round 12 v Brisbane = WIN (146-74)
Round 13 v St.Kilda = WIN (62-56)
Round 14 v Carlton = WIN (64-53)
Round 17 v Collingwood = WIN (104-86)
Round 18 v Essendon = WIN (127-40)
Round 19 v Port Adelaide = WIN (128-64)

= 9 wins, 2 losses

The Bulldogs record outside Etihad Stadium this year:
Round 2 v Richmond (MCG) = WIN (85-66)
Round 3 v Hawthorn (Aurora Stadium) = LOSS (57-127)
Round 5 v Sydney (SCG) = WIN (77-73)
Round 8 v Melbourne (MCG) = LOSS (64-103)
Round 10 v Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval) = LOSS (62-100)
Round 15 v Gold Coast (Cazaly Stadium) = WIN (95-73)
Round 16 v Geelong (Kardinia Park) = LOSS (64-72)

= 3 wins, 4 losses

I feel that overall the Bulldogs play their best football on smaller grounds and can't handle playing games on larger grounds hence I think they'll struggle when they confront teams at the MCG or at Patterson's Oval for example. They've had a great season for their standards but the ultimate test will come in a few weeks for them in the form of the Eagles.