Pre-Match. Pies v. Hawks. All comments.

[Haff]

McStay won’t be back surely. 40% game time in the vfl is very different to playing afl where he will need to play a full game.

[derkd]

My argument is this....even IF all our first choice players came back this weekend....people here can't expect these players to just come back and play at peak proformance.

I know i have made this point before. but i will make it again...the likes of Howe and Cox and Mitchell (for example, and their are others) these guys are now well into their 30's as such, the top end playing ability they offer isnt what it has been in years gone bye. It is possible they might be done....I would argue the club has to start to look past these guys....at least to look at the alternative....and i dont mean a game here or there.

If you keep going back to the same old stagers ....we are not going to improve anything for the future, at some point very soon they will retire...and if we drop anymore games, the club has to start asking the question are we plannning for now...or are we looking to the future?

Maybe Jack Bytel and Mcare and Allan et.al are not up to AFL level. Collingwood really have dropped off in so many areas, might as well give it another run.



Anyone for this game, given how badly we are playing, and conversly how well Hawthorn are ticking along. Hawthorn should win this by Collingwoods standard losing margin of 12 to 24 points.

Now that i have written that, Collingwood will probably come out and win (we can hope). I think the most dissapointing aspect for me is just how bereft of confidence the team looks, it was only eighteen points against Geelong, but it did feel like much more.

[Gerry Cooper]

If we dont man up when Hawthorn start the inevitable chip kick-mark possession game we will lose by six goals. The solution to that gambit is simple yet we seem reluctant to use it.

Schultz will be out I guess. Who comes in? Sullivan or DeMattia?

On Richards: People like him. So do I. However he isn't doing anywhere near enough. He needs to be going in harder and running harder - he's almost unsighted in the back line. He needs to learn how to tackle hard. Most of his tackles are weak and easily broken. A St Kilda school girl could break them. If it was up to me I would send him up to Jarrod Blair for part of the summer. Say what you like about the little guy, he could lay a good hard tackle. Richards needs to add that to his game too. If he doesn't he will stay a small sized outside fringe player, and we don't need too many of those.

Maybe the only other change i recommend is Markov going out. Poor Oleg is way down on confidence and form and is over-compensating as a result, leading him to make some basic (and clutch-time) mistakes. He needs to go back to the VFL and find some form and confidence. I would pick Allan if he is fit to play in the back-line and see how he goes. Having the ball coming in front of him may help improve his game.

Reef must be selected to play in the starting 18. Starting him as the sub and playing him in the last quarter makes him worthless to us. By the time he's got a sense of the game, it will almost be over.

I hope we win this one but Hawthorn will think they can beat us and if we don't lift our game significantly, they probably will.

[warburton lad]

Outs: Schultz, Markov

Ins: Cox, Howe...

Schultz is under concussion protocols
Markov needs to play VFL and reignite his run and dare from half back

Cox changes the forward dynamic significantly
Howe adds incredible stability to the back half.

B: Howe, Frampton, Quaynor
HB: Pendlebury Moore. Maynard

C: J Daicos. Crisp. Lipinski
Ruck: Cameron. De Goey. Nick Daicos

HF: Richards. Krueger. Hoskin-Elliott
F: Hill. McInnes. Elliott

IC: Noble, Cox, Harrison, Long

SUB: Sidebottom

A few notes:
* Lipinski is meant to be our best endurance runner and kick inside-50- put the guy on the wing and invite him to show us what he can do.
* Cox must ruck from the 15 minute mark to the 25 minute mark each quarter- Cameron has carried this team in 2024- time to share the load. Cox must spell frequently in the forward half.
* We need to start to prepare for the post-Pendles/Sidey world. Play Pendles off half-back and have either him or Howe as the designated kicker-in after points. Sidebottom is looking tired, but he will prove a great sub.
* McInnes and Cox can share full forward- This will give us two distinctly different targets moving forward. McInnes simply has to get senior experience under his belt.
* Richards, Harrison, Long and Krueger have shown skill sets which indicate they can make it at this level however, if either Harrison or Richards are quiet this week, it might be prudent to bring back Finn Macrae or Sullivan (or both)
* Moore needs to be told to attack the ball in the air as he is such a great mark. If played at centre half back, he has the opportunity to dash through the centre of the ground and set up deep attacks.

I think that we will win.

We have had many injuries and we have been down on form (over four quarters) but we still have plenty of talent on the field.

Howe and Cox back this week and, perhaps Schultz and McStay back against Richmond. Throw Mitchell in for the game after Richmond and the band is slowly getting back together.

On a brighter note, Demattia, Jiath, Smit, Allan, Dean continue to show promise in the VFL- there are diamonds in our rough to be sure

No team will want to play us in the finals- irrespective where we finish in the eight.

[The Black and White Lion]

Can I just say for one, I'm really glad the karma bus has hit finally Charlie Cameron with a 3week ban over one of his sniper tackles. Should have been rubbed out for striking Howe in the GF. Should have been done twice since then. Finally he's taken down and he's gone for 3 weeks so if the lions argue a downgrade to the charge he's still going to be rubbed out.

Pity he wasn't rubbed out or me to cover his past offences.

I hope this gives the Pies an edge for the next 3 weeks and we can climb the ladder back above the lions and Cameron has a shocker in Round 23 and we knock them down another peg

[Gerry Cooper]

Can I just say for one, I'm really glad the karma bus has hit finally Charlie Cameron with a 3week ban over one of his sniper tackles. Should have been rubbed out for striking Howe in the GF.

The fact that his late charge on Howe wasn't even mentioned as being looked at is completely outrageous, even more so since he broke Howe's ribs. Cameron has been a late sniper for years and the AFL have let him off the hook time and time again.

[think positive]

^

Came here today this!

[3rd degree]

I would roll the dice on McStay. We have nothing to lose.

[Jpies]

I would roll the dice on McStay. We have nothing to lose.

Well, apart from the risk of having a key player on a big money, 6 year contract with a recurrent ACL injury.

[Piesnchess]

I would roll the dice on McStay. We have nothing to lose.

Spot on, this is our last stand, roll the dice, an maybe show flair an play Moore up forward for a while, gethim to touch the ball again, take the pressure off him, even if only for two quarters. Time to mix things up a bit, for the piss and poop Dawks.

[Big T]

Fck no. We don’t need another acl. Stick to the plan for big Dan.

[RudeBoy]

While I'd love to see McStay make his long awaited return, I suspect he'll need to get through a full VFL game first.

However, we should expect to have Cox and Howe return, which will go a long way to overcoming our recent arial weakness, which has been a major factor in our losses. It should also provide some welcome relief to Cameron, who has been valiant doing 90% of the ruckwork, but at great risk of breaking down. Krueger should also benefit by not having to spend time in the ruck. Howe is still one of our best players, and his inclusion should instil great confidence to our team, whether he plays up forward or in defence.

Nevertheless, the deciding factor will be the performance of our midfielders. We need a major improvement in centre clearances if we are to win this, or any game at all.

Pies by 17 pts.

[warburton lad]

Win the next six games.
Finish Top Four.
Win first semi final
Week off
Win Preliminary and Grand Final
Relax...

No team will want to play us in September- if we are in.... we win.

[Piesnchess]

^^ I like your thinking, we dare, dare to dream.

[woodys_world69]

Ideally we would finish 8th
Essendon finish 5th
we defeat essendon in the first final and continue their finals drought
we play freo in perth and and win into a prelim
play carlton at the G and win, and go into the GF against Sydney and flog them

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