Pre match. Pies v. Cats - all comments please

[Steve86]

id be tagging johnson watching there games.. We just need to beat duck wood to the ball and he's cut out of it.. If i was dropping anyone small this week it would be luke ball, and luke probably knows it. His kicking is down of late

[Piesnchess]

GOD, I hate and loathe Geelong !

[simon tonna]

Ball out, not this week me hopes.
should be made to go head to head with Duckwood

[AN_Inkling]

There seems to be a hysteria around here against poor shots for goal. Whenever someone misses a couple badly (and it was only a couple), they should apparently be out of the team. Doesn't matter what else they do besides.

As simon mentions above, this is a game where Ball is needed as much as any, up against Selwood. His form has not been brilliant, but far from awful. If he's left out it will almost certainly be based more on fitness than form.

[RudeBoy]

I hope there's no doubt on Pendles playing. Can't seeing us winning without him.

[swoop42]

Collingwood

B: Heritier Lumumba, Jack Frost, Nick Maxwell
HB: Alan Toovey, Lachlan Keeffe, Tom Langdon
C: Alex Fasolo, Dane Swan, Clinton Young
HF: Scott Pendlebury, Jesse White, Brent Macaffer
F: Jamie Elliott, Travis Cloke, Sam Dwyer
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Luke Ball, Dayne Beams
Int: Tyson Goldsack, Jarryd Blair, Taylor Adams, Steele Sidebottom
Emg: Ben Kennedy, Marty Clarke, Jarrod Witts

IN: Alex Fasolo, Lachlan Keeffe
OUT: Nathan Brown (shoulder), Ben Sinclair (hamstring)

[Collingwood Crackerjack]

Good ins those, and the backline looks a bit surer with Lumumba back there

[Neil Appleby]

Obviously I know nothing about the game.
But Faz really? Against the cats really? I just hope they put Sidey down back and give Faz the run up forward. If Faz plays back we're doomed.

[neil]

[John Wren]

[swoop42]

While I'm still to be convinced Fas is an AFL level defender (well at this stage at least) we know what he is capable of as an AFL level forward.

I'm hopeful that last year would have taught Fas that nothing should be taken for granted and a successful AFL career can disappear in the blink of an eye if misfortune strikes or one doesn't work hard enough to capitalise on natural talent.

[jackcass]

[AN_Inkling]

I'm glad we didn't go with Witts and I wish Simpson was playing. One of the things we've had over the Cats is more run, due to them always playing an extra tall, which is odd selection given their rucks just aren't that good. Even the 2011 Grand Final could have gone differently if Pods didn't get injured.

[Brown26]

It'll be interesting to see what the Cats do in defence - do they drop a player back in front of Cloke (allowing Maxwell to be loose ie. last week) or do they match up Maxy? And then what does Buckley do - push Young back, then when they match up Young aswell, push Faz back, and then Goldsack, and then Sidey - I hope so, I'd love to see Cloke, White and Elliot up forwards and 18 men in the Cat's forward 50

It'll be an interesting game, I hope we win the contested ball and clearances cause I reckon we're not that far away from a really good game. If we didn't fumble against Sydney we would've looked great. The fact we fumbled every second ball we touched (and that might be generous) means we looked a bit ordinary. But we were tough and contested and boy they put in, so I'm not complaining. Put in the same effort against the Cats and we're in with a show. Get even 50% cleaner with out ball use and we'll look the goods I reckon - how many times did we fumble handballs in the middle where if we took them cleanly we'd be away and kicking inside 50?

I doubt it'll happen this week but my gut tells me we're not far from a great game. Whether we can keep improving and consistently challenge I'm not sure, but if we can lift just a little with our ball use I reckon we might just beat the pussies.

Interesting to see who mans Johnson (Marley Williams would be awesome but not to be) and I reckon McCaffer should get Selwood - Johnson would just take him to full forward and beat him IMO.

I'd be very interested to play Fasolo on Johnson for at least a little bit or if we happen to get a healthy buffer because I reckon that'd be a great learning experience for Fas, but I don't think he'd be able to stop him (in the middle or forward necesarily) but great experience for him.

Crunch game for us in terms of momentum - if we can knock off the Cats it validates the Swans win and all of a sudden Richmond, North and Carlton (maybe even Essendon) look easier and we could go into the bye 5 - 2 or even 6 - 1, with players returning from injury and a substantially easier draw.

Lose and it doesn't diminish the Swans win but there will still be doubts, both internally and externally. Important game and I reckon it'll be close and we might just take this one I reckon, running away Pies by 16

- Ben

[swoop42]

I'd throw the challenge to Adams to go with Selwood.

Macaffer to Johnson with the 189cm Langdon to take Bartel when he's up forward perhaps.