I think we'll get a top 4 pick in the draft.

[plugger66]

Plugger, I agree with a lot of what you are posting - but I am suggesting that our form against good sides has not been top shelf this year - shows improvement, but is still comparable to the previous two years, 2013-14, when playing top 8 sides - or thereabouts. Regarding the Eagles: the last ten years, before the last three, we had strong sides. Before that they beat us by around 80 points loads of times over there. Let's have another look at our form against top 8 (or thereabouts) sides:

Hawthorn - 63 points (okay improvement)
Port Adelade - 63 points (slight improvement)
Collingwood (when they were flying and had no injuries) - 74 points
West Coast (here) - 53 points
Adelaide Crows - 46 points
Fremantle (here) - 37 points

In the next four rounds we play sides who have flogged us over the past four seasons, two of them interstate: North, Geelong, Sydney and West Coast.

You can't compare these sides to the sides (in the condition they are now) which I am speaking about in relation to an Essendon with their backs to the wall. We have in the past beaten sides at the tail end of the year on the back of shocking form, when we've had club champions retiring, or facing sides who have had mediocre seasons, when we have been rank outsiders, and this is what I think Essendon will do against the Suns and Collingwood. They might not beat them both, but they will definitely win one of them, and that might be enough, based on the amount of percentage we have already lost on the past two games.

My opinion is only that, and I hope we are competitive, and really hope we win one, but the first quarter against Freo does not exactly inspire me with confidence for the rest of this year - although I loved the fightback.

It does seem though as if you agree with me that Melbourne will finish above us. Am I correct there?

Melbourne will probably finish above us but unless any of us have picked 161 winners so far its only guess work so based on form and who is playing who then I would expect us to finish either a game clear and percentage or percentage ahead of Essendon and a game behind Melbourne but I haven't got close to 161 winners. And I don't buy that Essendon have their backs against the wall this week but didn't last week. Anyway picks 4 to 6 don't really worry me at all.

[samuraisaint]

Don't think Fletcher's retirement game might give them a bit of intrinsic motivation to win that game - likely to be Collingwood?
Do you 'think' we will win any of the last four games?

I'd love to turn up to a game in the next few weeks and see us really turn it on for four quarters against Geelong or Sydney - or watch us smash North on TV, but our improvement this year has been consistent and gradual, and I just for the life of me, cannot see us beating any of those sides who have so much more to play for.

[plugger66]

Don't think Fletcher's retirement game might give them a bit of intrinsic motivation to win that game - likely to be Collingwood?
Do you 'think' we will win any of the last four games?

Chance against WCE if they cant go anywhere and a slight chance against Geelong but more than likely no wins. Cant see Essendon winning a game or one at the most.

[Teflon]

Pick 5 we've done well
Pick 4 we've "played" out of our skins!

Parish please (need religious intervention and Parish at Saints just feels right).

[plugger66]

Pick 5 we've done well
Pick 4 we've "played" out of our skins!

Parish please (need religious intervention and Parish at Saints just feels right).

Hopefully we win 3 more and still get pick 6. How has parish looked Everytime you have seen him play?

[Teflon]

Pick 5 we've done well
Pick 4 we've "played" out of our skins!

Parish please (need religious intervention and Parish at Saints just feels right).

Hopefully we win 3 more and still get pick 6. How has parish looked Everytime you have seen him play?

I've liked what I've seen Parish - last weekend very impressive in terrible conditions and had great dash with ball winning ability and kicked 3.

Who are the 3 we will beat u think?

[plugger66]

Pick 5 we've done well
Pick 4 we've "played" out of our skins!

Parish please (need religious intervention and Parish at Saints just feels right).

Hopefully we win 3 more and still get pick 6. How has parish looked Everytime you have seen him play?

I've liked what I've seen Parish - last weekend very impressive in terrible conditions and had great dash with ball winning ability and kicked 3.

Who are the 3 we will beat u think?

I don't think we will win any but hopefully at least 3 or even 4 would be fantastic. Where did he play last weekend? Local footy?

[samuraisaint]

Parish seems to be the flavour of the month. He's a tall version of a Luke Ball type isn't he? Taller inside midfielder - left footer?

[plugger66]

Parish seems to be the flavour of the month. He's a tall version of a Luke Ball type isn't he? Taller inside midfielder - left footer?

I hope he is outside as well. We don't need an inside only player. I think he plays outside from what people have said on here.

[samuraisaint]

Don't think Fletcher's retirement game might give them a bit of intrinsic motivation to win that game - likely to be Collingwood?
Do you 'think' we will win any of the last four games?

Chance against WCE if they cant go anywhere and a slight chance against Geelong but more than likely no wins. Cant see Essendon winning a game or one at the most.

So, in a way we agree - it is within the realms of possibility for Essendon to pinch at least one of those wins.

[samuraisaint]

Parish seems to be the flavour of the month. He's a tall version of a Luke Ball type isn't he? Taller inside midfielder - left footer?

I hope he is outside as well. We don't need an inside only player. I think he plays outside from what people have said on here.

Okay, I don't know anything about the guy except what I've read on footy forums. For some reason I thought he was an inside mid.

[Old Mate]

Parish is a combo mid. Does his best work as an outside mid however very capable of winning clearances. His playing style is a little bit like Marc Murphy. Less productive but more damaging. Parish is always heading towards goals and can break the lines. Will be a star IMO. Likely out of our reach now.

[plugger66]

Parish is a combo mid. Does his best work as an outside mid however very capable of winning clearances. His playing style is a little bit like Marc Murphy. Less productive but more damaging. Parish is always heading towards goals and can break the lines. Will be a star IMO. Likely out of our reach now.

I heard 2 people in the last 2 days say the first 3 and he wasn't amongst them so he will be at least 4 in those peoples opinions. Only probably has to go to 5 for us to get him.

[Old Mate]

Parish is a combo mid. Does his best work as an outside mid however very capable of winning clearances. His playing style is a little bit like Marc Murphy. Less productive but more damaging. Parish is always heading towards goals and can break the lines. Will be a star IMO. Likely out of our reach now.

I heard 2 people in the last 2 days say the first 3 and he wasn't amongst them so he will be at least 4 in those peoples opinions. Only probably has to go to 5 for us to get him.

Parish is in the 3/4 range IMO. That's excluding the academy kids who will go to the northern state teams. The three you are alluding to are obviously Weitering, Schache and Francis. Francis and Parish are fairly interchangeable with picks 3 and 4 IMO.

[plugger66]

Parish is a combo mid. Does his best work as an outside mid however very capable of winning clearances. His playing style is a little bit like Marc Murphy. Less productive but more damaging. Parish is always heading towards goals and can break the lines. Will be a star IMO. Likely out of our reach now.

I heard 2 people in the last 2 days say the first 3 and he wasn't amongst them so he will be at least 4 in those peoples opinions. Only probably has to go to 5 for us to get him.

Parish is in the 3/4 range IMO. That's excluding the academy kids who will go to the northern state teams. The three you are alluding to are obviously Weitering, Schache and Francis. Francis and Parish are fairly interchangeable with picks 3 and 4 IMO.

Yep they were the three.

[Bunk_Moreland]

Parish is a combo mid. Does his best work as an outside mid however very capable of winning clearances. His playing style is a little bit like Marc Murphy. Less productive but more damaging. Parish is always heading towards goals and can break the lines. Will be a star IMO. Likely out of our reach now.

I heard 2 people in the last 2 days say the first 3 and he wasn't amongst them so he will be at least 4 in those peoples opinions. Only probably has to go to 5 for us to get him.

the firstr three touted have been Schacse, Wietering and Francis, all KPP. The thought is that the first three clubs (Brisbane, Carlton, and GC) need KPP,s.

Then comes Hooper and Mills, then Melbourne and us (depending on where we end up). Though is then if it goes to the above script any one of Parish, Mathesion, Dunkley (if not FS), Balic, Tucker and probably one or two others like Curnow

Parish has been in the top 10 since this time last year.

If we get Parish, fine. If we get Mathesion, fine, if we trade £6 for Kelly from GWS fine.

Nothing is a lay down misere.

[bigred]

We wont win another game.

[Bunk_Moreland]

We wont win another game.

Ever??????

[Teflon]

Pick 5 we've done well
Pick 4 we've "played" out of our skins!

Parish please (need religious intervention and Parish at Saints just feels right).

Hopefully we win 3 more and still get pick 6. How has parish looked Everytime you have seen him play?

I've liked what I've seen Parish - last weekend very impressive in terrible conditions and had great dash with ball winning ability and kicked 3.

Who are the 3 we will beat u think?

I don't think we will win any but hopefully at least 3 or even 4 would be fantastic. Where did he play last weekend? Local footy?

I don't think we will win 3 or 4 either so never mind is my attitude.
I saw Parish play last week in the backyard - I had a bbq and asked him
If he wouldn't mind coming over and kicking the ball round with my 2 little ones, he looked sharp I must say and had them well covered (they're 3 & 4). When we finished him, Lenny and I all sat back and had a good laugh about the good old days.

[bigred]

We wont win another game.

Stranger things have happened.

Queue is in the rack.

[Con Gorozidis]

Which Norf is going to turn up? Good Norf or Bad Norf?
They are due for a stinker.

[samuraisaint]

They are - but I doubt it will be this week. At Blundstone arena on a wet, windy day in the elements, and with our skills by hand and foot as they are t the moment, you would think that they would account for us comfortably. I want to see a four quarter competitive effort, and if we do lose, that the margin isn't a blowout - under 50 points.

[samuraisaint]

They are - but I doubt it will be this week. At Blundstone arena on a wet, windy day in the elements, and with our skills by hand and foot as they are t the moment, you would think that they would account for us comfortably. I want to see a four quarter competitive effort, and if we do lose, that the margin isn't a blowout - under 50 points.

[FQF]

Reports in the HS today that Brisbane expect pick 2 in compensation for Leunberger based on the precedent set last year with Frawley. How corrupt has the AFL become that they've now created a new priority pick system out of the blue.

[plugger66]

Reports in the HS today that Brisbane expect pick 2 in compensation for Leunberger based on the precedent set last year with Frawley. How corrupt has the AFL become that they've now created a new priority pick system out of the blue.

It will still be based on the length of contract and the amount he gets as Frawleys was.