Next week

[Yorkeys]

We are not close but we are closer.

Not good enough at all still after 14 years. Essendon got decimated after the drugs scandal and watching them the last few weeks shows how much ground they have made up too with their playing personnel.

Maybe, but that's the hand we are playing. Ross didn't deal it, he's just trying to win a few tricks until it is his deal.

[saintkid]

True but some of his selection decisions this season have me perplexed to be honest.

[nostalgicsaint]

Membrey kicked 3 goals, he's not going to be dropped.
King will come in for either Caminiti or Sharman.
Howard sill come in, but Cordy would be stiff to be dropped because he's actually been serviceable to good so far.
Butler will need to be replaced so maybe Collard.
I agree that Pou needs a spell, but we don't have much to bring back in.
Dow, if fit, could be the sub.

I went early. When I posted this he had kicked 0 and had 0 tackles.

[WellardSaint]

True but some of his selection decisions this season have me perplexed to be honest.

'His' selection decisions?

Is he Kim Jong-Un?

They sit around a table.
Batchelor, Goddard, Harvey, Boris, maybe Lenny gets an equal say as Dev Coach.

They ALL have input

[Annoyedsaint]

Who is Lenny ‘developing’?

Half these imposters couldn’t get a kick out of heroin

[seano1]

Looking at what port doing we are in big trouble

[Life Long Saint]

True but some of his selection decisions this season have me perplexed to be honest.

'His' selection decisions?

Is he Kim Jong-Un?

They sit around a table.
Batchelor, Goddard, Harvey, Boris, maybe Lenny gets an equal say as Dev Coach.

They ALL have input

But Ross would have final say...
I'd say he's more like Jean-Luc Picard, than Kim Jong-Un.
He'll listen, but at the end of the day, it's his decision as he is the one accountable for it.

[Life Long Saint]

Looking at what port doing we are in big trouble

They've stopped!
Collingwood are demolishing them now...It's like the aliens put on the Collingwood jumpers at 1/4 time.

[seano1]

Looking at what port doing we are in big trouble

They've stopped!
Collingwood are demolishing them now...It's like the aliens put on the Collingwood jumpers at 1/4 time.

Didn’t see that coming

[B.M]

Preparing my self for the worst, anything better will be a bonus

Ross will no doubt talk about how awesome Port are in his presser this week.

My early tip for BOG
Houston

[mr six o'clock]

Preparing my self for the worst, anything better will be a bonus

Ross will no doubt talk about how awesome Port are in his presser this week.

My early tip for BOG
Houston

Yes
Reckon we've got Buckley's next week
Only way it will be close is if they don't have their kicking boots on.

[cwrcyn]

Collingwood came off a bye. Port have not had a break yet. Fresh legs won the day. A lot of Port players looked similar to our guys on Thursday.

I just hope our guys can freshen up a bit before next Friday

[shrodes]

Possible JHF might miss at least which would help

[mr six o'clock]

Possible JHF might miss at least which would help

Yes
Saw that
Coach said just a bit of cramp , Now if he went to the RtB school of cramp in the hammie then JHF will be out for 8 weeks

[BringBackMadDog]

Sandy played a scratch match on Saturday, 4 x 15 minute quarters. Dow, Clark, Wood all played.

[samuraisaint]

Preparing my self for the worst, anything better will be a bonus

Ross will no doubt talk about how awesome Port are in his presser this week.

My early tip for BOG
Houston

The thing is - if they're so good, how come they can't win a final? And out in straight sets again last year?
They are every susceptible to pressure, real and implied. That is the learnings I take away from this.

[SaintPav]

God we need a win. They will be raging favourites.

No better place to start than this week.

[samuraisaint]

God we need a win. They will be raging favourites.

No better place to start than this week.

They've been raging favourites in their home finals too, in the past, and they usually lose them.
No excuses. We just need to kick straight early and start well.

[Otiman]

Port know how to counter our style, it's the same thing Essendon are working on.

One on one stops us in our tracks, we can't score and they end up scoring freely.

It took until the Port game last season for others to figure it out, but it's one reason we are so hit and miss.

[mr six o'clock]

One on one stops us in our tracks, we can't score and they end up scoring freely.

It took until the Port game last season for others to figure it out, but it's one reason we are so hit and miss.

It's always been the way to play RtB sides .
And it's why we're middle of the road .
To be successful he needs a team full of players who can take the pressure and not turn it over .
Currently we have a team with less than 10 .
We need to find four to six more , either through development or drafting before we'll be capable of challenging for a flag .
And as we've seen in the past with the team of champions we had , this is no guarantee of ultimate success.

[Vortex]

For the foreseeable future you can expect Ross will play a game plan suited to a lack of talent and experience which unfortunately is ultra defensive and preys on the opposition to be forced into a turnover that we can try and score from. This game plan onlu works if you have the fitness, conditioning and strength to go the full 12 rounds. The knock on Lyon with this approach at Freo in his last four years there was it burns out the younger players and causes a high injury rate. Remembering he had a 33% win rate in that time.

So hopefully we are not repeating the same mistake but unfortunately the cupboard is bare so what choice do we have but to select a very young and raw team that is coached to prevent a blow-out and or hope an opportunity presents where we can get in front on the scoreboard and then defend the margin to the death. We don't have many more options with this current list.

[axcellence]

Next week my expectations will be 0. If it’s not a 10 goal loss, it’s a win.

[groupie1]

Whoah! some harsh responses here.

I'd go:

Out for In
Butler (inj) - Collard
Bonner - Hastie
Jones - King
Byrnes - Hotton

[groupie1]

with Seb Ross the starting sub

[B.M]

If they are the changes

It’ll be a 15+ goal loss