Geelong ( and the most crucial game of our season)

[Bulldog Joe]

Yeah. But you have to take what is infront of you.
If the dogs tank the GC game and happen to loose. Then (hyperthetically) have two weeks of bad luck or just go down to Geelong / Syd in a well foughtout but dissapointing affar. Then we'd be wishing we had the GC game back. Too late then.
Win what is infront of you then worry about next week, next week.

I am not suggesting we tank against Gold Coast.
We do however need to manage players through the season.
I would rest Minson this week and at least one of Boyd,Higgins, Gia or Griffen.

[Cyberdoggie]

What a bunch of pessimists! You've all been bulldog supporters for way too long

That is true

[choconmientay]

What a bunch of pessimists! You've all been bulldog supporters for way too long

I have not been a dogs supporter for too long but the way I see thing is different to you.

What are we really playing for at the moment? We are not really at the top of the table! The chance are that we will not make the 8 this year. Probably we are in the building/re-building phase. We need to teach young players to play together and learn from the senior players. We need to teach them to adapt to a system where we can win games consistently and maintain the momentum. Players needs to spend as much times together as they can.

For these reasons, we should just play our best team in Darwin. You could add some more rotations on match day and allowing "premium" players to have less game time to rest them. You could also play some new fringe players, young players to the team just for them to have some exposure to the modern game. This way we also add more depth to our squad.

Momentum means a lot in the modern game. If we keep our winning streak and keep the morale high, winning next game or the game after will sort itself out.

[1eyedog]

I have not been a dogs supporter for too long but the way I see thing is different to you.

What are we really playing for at the moment? We are not really at the top of the table! The chance are that we will not make the 8 this year. Probably we are in the building/re-building phase. We need to teach young players to play together and learn from the senior players. We need to teach them to adapt to a system where we can win games consistently and maintain the momentum. Players needs to spend as much times together as they can.

For these reasons, we should just play our best team in Darwin. You could add some more rotations on match day and allowing "premium" players to have less game time to rest them. You could also play some new fringe players, young players to the team just for them to have some exposure to the modern game. This way we also add more depth to our squad.

Momentum means a lot in the modern game. If we keep our winning streak and keep the morale high, winning next game or the game after will sort itself out.

Sorry it was a joke, hence the laugh. I see things the same way and am trying to inject a bit of 'what if' into the line of inquiry. If we beat Geelong watch opinions turn around.

[choconmientay]

Sorry it was a joke, hence the laugh. I see things the same way and am trying to inject a bit of 'what if' into the line of inquiry. If we beat Geelong watch opinions turn around.

Sorry, I misread the joke

[LostDoggy]

I am not suggesting we tank against Gold Coast.
We do however need to manage players through the season.
I would rest Minson this week and at least one of Boyd,Higgins, Gia or Griffen.

Tank was probably a bad word to use. I mean to go in light and expect a cakewalk win.

Choco is right though. Think of what the team needs to achieve this year and play to that. Melbourne has dug one of the deepest graves in AFL history where they have tattooed a loosing culture into their club and have dropped their next youngsters into it. The dogs need to keep sprinkling our next gen through this team and expose them to wins like last week. This week should also not be wasted as some of our youngsters would benifit with a trip away and getting a winning result.

[Bulldog Joe]

Tank was probably a bad word to use. I mean to go in light and expect a cakewalk win.

Choco is right though. Think of what the team needs to achieve this year and play to that. Melbourne has dug one of the deepest graves in AFL history where they have tattooed a loosing culture into their club and have dropped their next youngsters into it. The dogs need to keep sprinkling our next gen through this team and expose them to wins like last week. This week should also not be wasted as some of our youngsters would benifit with a trip away and getting a winning result.

I think it is a good week for the young players to take up the challenge.

We do need the intensity from the North game brought to this week. Cordy and Roughead need to step up as more than just support players as Wallis, Libba and Dahlhaus are doing.

[jeemak]

I think it is a good week for the young players to take up the challenge.

We do need the intensity from the North game brought to this week. Cordy and Roughead need to step up as more than just support players as Wallis, Libba and Dahlhaus are doing.

Add Grant to that list. As we win more and more of the ball and start to figure out how to use it well they'll all be presented with opportunities to show they can become reliable contributors.

[LostDoggy]

I think the 6-day break, combined with the travel, will mean we may fade off in the 4th against Geelong as we did against Collingwood. We also run the risk of doing what we did against GWS, by looking forward a week too far.

If we're going to beat Geelong, we need to smash them in the clearances, the contested ball, and we need to be at least 6-7 goals up at 3/4 time.

[LostDoggy]

GC = massive danger game.

[LostDoggy]

GC = massive danger game.

Thanks Marcov, everyone was tiptoeing around it. But now you have jinxed it. If they loose this weekend it'll be your falt.

[stefoid]

If I remember the eventual premiers were also shitcanned early last year for lackluster performances.

I think the cats players who have 3 premiership medalians are just pacing themselves for a long season. Why bust a nut early on when you need to be peaking in september?

They will start to turn it on around... now.

[Maddog37]

Swallow is out for GC I think.

[LostDoggy]

WE must take our best team and we must apply ourselves as rigorously as we did against North. Any sense of taking them lightly and we are history. It's going to be hard enough as it is, being a shorter week for us and being in Darwin.

If we get to a point where we are controlling the game, then we can rest key players for a little longer. But the mental state of the players will be everything on Saturday and if it's off just a little, because we don't take our best side, then we will deserve everything we get.

[1eyedog]

Swallow is out for GC I think.

He copped a corky on the weekend, I was hoping he'd miss.