Pre-match: MAGPIES v Kangas - all comments here.....

[Two_Pies]

Kick em in the Shinbones Pies ... if you cross the white line on Sunday and you are playing for Collingwood you play your best and for those around you. C'mon Pies this is a game they expect to win and we are expected to lose ... remember West Coast, Geelong, Port Adelaide !!

We will need a few things going our way and I am looking for an MM special - the Master & the Apprentice ... Kangas were in our grasp last time round and this time we will go one better. (Two_Pies heart)

Now Two_Pies head can talk. We can lock them up as the way to win this. Flooding will be the key they look for forwards in Thompson and Co. these days and if we can have a bit of run out of defence with Bucks spelled up forward and Carra performing we can have some avenues at goal. I hope Dids can come up and C3 have a good one for that will be our other main task kicking a winning score.

Will be tough but Pies by 5 in a close one.

[foxychick]

in johnno davidson/morrison/dids(if available)
out tarrant lonie

[perthmagpie]

Can we borrow a couple tall players from the Kangas to even it up a bit?

[Johnson#26]

IN: Jonno, Davies, Davidson.
OUT: Taz, Lonie, H.Shaw (unlikely, but probably the only option to be dropped).

[paulie]

Got a really good feeling about this week.Hopefully Didak will be back in.Which will give us the three goal sneaks in Didak Leon and Carrotseller in the one team.So we need C3 to contest well and at least bring the ball to ground.Our backline and our on ballers would seem to match up well.And BJ should be fired up after a week at Willy.Pies by 10 points in a classic upset.

[Two_Pies]

Why are we playing this at the Snow Dome when the Blues are playing an interstate club at the G. I know it's a bit late to complain but what is the point of having a home ground ??

[Lloyd Christmas]

It's getting close to round 22... expect Andrew Williams to make a return, then stay on our list for another year.

NOOOO!!!!

[HAL]

"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition! "

[mister_snaggs]

Rocca will come in for Taz. Mark my words, the big guy will be out there for the rest of the year... huffing and puffing at full forward (as opposed to huffing and puffing somewhere else on the ground as he is prone to do).

i have it on good authority from a very reliable source. you see, my brother (very reliable; never let me down once... well, except for that time he told me i was adopted) had a chat with Pebbles a couple of weeks ago, and he's been working towards a return for the kangas game for a while now. He wants to play against his brother, who isn't nearly as reliable as my brother.

It's true. All will be revealed in a few short hours.

[Cannibal]

I can't see Pebbles playing after such a long break without at least a run at Willi, but must admit it would make a helluva difference if he did play. He'd be more puff than huff but dangerous nonetheless. You'd have to think he'd stay out for the rest of the year, though; I just can't see the match committee allowing him to play after the debacle which cost him the season in the first place (he should never have played that game).

Regardless, and despite the fact that North are set to play finals, I have a good feeling about this match. We've got a lot of raw young kids in the side, just as we had late last year when we struggled through the last handful of games, but I think this lot are a damn sight better players than last year's handful. Therefore, i think we are in with a chance.

Unlike a lot of supporters, I'm not fussed with our supposedly "slow" midfield. Some are deadset snails (Woewoeful, for one), but it's illusory; when we've been able to play play-on footy, we move the ball just as fast as the sides with supposedly quicker midfields. It's all about whether we can present leading targets up forward, to enable the mids to move the ball quickly to them. In the absence of Pebbles and Taz, we've not done this too well, whereas other sides, eg Footscray, have been very effective with small forward lines. This "hold the ball" style of play is totally useless. Why we persevere with it is one of the great mysteries of modern football.

North are a quick side, yet we've always matched up well against them. There's no reason why we can't do so again. My advice to Malthouse is to throw caution to the wind, have a go, and see what happens. If we lose whilst having a red hot go, I, for one, won't be complaining. Flooding, holding up the ball, going sideways, possession football, call it what you may, is a recipe for a loss. Go straight down the guts and see what happens. Maybe we can pull this one off.

I think we can win. The head stills says pick North in the footy tipping, but the heart says the 'Pies will get up in a thriller. In a deadset edge of the seat game. By 3 points.

[Jace]

Even is Rocca isn't 100% fit, all he has to do is stand there 7 draw their #1 defender that will make it easier for others. But not worth coming back if there is any risk of re doing his injury. No point, better off losing the game than losing Rocca for another 6 months!!!

If all that fails we need a tall forward quick smart. With all the injuries & lack of tall forwards maybe it is Davidsons chance to move up from the 2nds.

Otherwise, all we will have is Buckley... which isn't a bad thing, but I get the feeling he still wants to play in the centre or Ruck Rover & not ready to be retired in the forward line..

Roos are an interesting team. To me, no real superstars, gotta love the amount of heart & determination they play with. If we have a fair go, tackle hard, attack the ball hard & stick up for each other we can get over the line here. Plus we would be all happy, even if they lose, just show us some heart guys!!!!

[lawboy]

Nothing Davidson has done since his 2nd knee warrants inclusion. Unfortunately the only other tall options back in the 2s are Hall and Morrison. Id expect to see Hall play, or maybe even they will throw Lokan to full forward (scary but i can see it happening).

Surely the realistic option is to play Bucks out of the goalsquare for the entire match. If nothing else it will be great to watch him and Archer (who is an out and out star) go head to head.

Would love to see us line up our forward line:

FF: Bucks and Woey from goalsquare
HF: Didak, Burns and Caracella with Trav playing around the 60m mark and floating back into the 50 from time to time.

They do have 3 good medium sized defenders in Archer, Colbert and Makepeace though so might not be the best team to try this against.

In: Dids, Davies, Johnno
Out: Taz, Lonie, Maxxy (victim of circumstance - prefer him as a backman than J.Clo but J.Clo can play a bit of ruck and Maxxy is like Mal Michael when he moves forward - yick)

[slangman]

If we kick straight for once we might actually have a chance to win.

Our inaccuracy has been the biggest problem for quite a few years.

Even in 02/03 we weren't as accurate as the other top teams.

[Broken_Benjamin]

Tis ok guys Im making the trip over from Tassie for my 18th. Im the good luck charm, Only other game I have made it to this year was against Weagles and that proved to be an un expected win
We can do it, Ill be looking to see which foward stands up in taz's absence.
Bring it on

[punkologist]

In: Dids, Davies, Johnno
Out: Taz, Lonie, Maxxy (victim of circumstance - prefer him as a backman than J.Clo but J.Clo can play a bit of ruck and Maxxy is like Mal Michael when he moves forward - yick)

No way would I drop Maxy, he has been great. He actually did some really good things in the forward line last week. Set up one goal with some brilliant evasive skills.

Id say

IN: Dids, Davies, Johnno
OUT: Taz (suspended), Lonie (injured), Woey (useless)