Pre match. Pies v. Dees - All comments here

[Cannibal]

The Doggies' win has now set up two crackerjack matches - tonight's Essendon/Brisbane game at the Dome and our match with Melbourne. All three sides are now just two games behind the Saints and can close to within one by winning. That's a huge incentive!

Expect Melbourne to line up a couple of Range Rovers to run through our centreline players at the first bounce!

[peter_pies4ever]

Davis had to go, he has been a passenger since the Carlton game. Good to see McGough remain in the team and Presti return.

[Brown26]

Holland does Davis' job with more consistency, hopefully the young guy can get some form in the two's and improve on the (short) patches he showed in the WC game. Don't discount us this game - our list is still excellent, and we mathc up well against Melbounre - just throw the midfields up, with Bucks in, we look VERY good against them, and experienced too!!

- Ben

[Cam]

Davis had to go, he has been a passenger since the Carlton game. Good to see McGough remain in the team and Presti return.

Where does it say Davis was dropped? According to the AFL site, Dane Swan has been dropped along with Tarrant being suspended.

http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&s ... eid=154653

Swan, Presti & Tex are emergencies.

Out: Swan, Tarrant
In: Buckley, Holland

[Cannibal]

I thought Swan would drop back to Willi but didn't think Holland would come straight back in. However, the weather forecast is for rain, so maybe MM is going for greater midfield strength. Hopefully, Rocca comes up. There seems to be ever increasing optimism that he will be OK. Fingers crossed!

Very, very decisive victory by the Lions. I have to say they look like making it four in a row. Their injured players are slowly returning, which is ominous for the rest of us over the second half of the season.

[swooper]

Just heard on ABC that Rocca didnt train this morning.........

[spoljar]

Bottom line is this and it does not get any simpler than this.
If we win, we are one game out of the 8 plus percentage. The team in 8'th spot is Sydney and we play them next.
If we lose, we are three games plus percentage out of the 7, and 2 games plus percentage out of the 8.
To state the obvious, this is an absolute must win against Melbourne. It does not matter what sort of a run we get in the second half of the year, that would be an enormous amount of ground to make up if we lose.
Go Pies, give it eveything you have!

[Johnson#26]

We'll win because we simply have to. I don't mind if we lose though as long as we give it an absoulute red hot go all day.

GO THE MIGHTY PIES!!

[Daks]

Exactly right, as always!

No more of this weak, over possessing football!.. Early in the year, it got to the point that i didn't want to watch us play anymore.... it broke my heart!. The past three weeks have been good for me.... not great, just good. This week we finally come up against a worthy finals competitior at the home of football. We can finally prove to the football world that we are well and truly back, and are ready to make a run for September!.. Just remember Pies, everyone will be watching... lets make a show of this!!

CARN YOU MIGHTY MAGGIES!!!!

[favourites 2008]

Johnson named FP???

[foreigner]

It's showery and very windy in Melbourne at the moment. I don't know if this is an advantage to us or not ... but I hope it is.

Go Pies and flog the Demons against all odds.

and Rocca might still play ... I think he trained this morning.