Pre Match: Pies v. 'Aints - All comments please.

[David]

If we play anything like we have for the last 2 weeks, the Saints don't stand a chance.

It's just a question of being able to maintain that standard.

[magpie_born_and_bred]

[Adz]

Fraser to ruck all day?

Holland injured pfft!

Richards last game ever in the B&W last week.

[Magpie Since 1986]

That team is a joke and there is no way in hell we will line up that way. We haven't got Rocca as it is and we are going to go into a match with Fraser as the only ruck option? Yeh right, pull the other one Malthouse. Bryan will play, mark it down.

[magpie_born_and_bred]

I hope Chrissy Bryan plays too, ahh the mind games of Mick at work?

[Captain_MyCaptain]

Should be able to put this one down as a win, even though we haven't beaten them for a few years. Hope Harry's ok.
Go Pies

[David]

Didak's named... hope Holland gets over his injury soon, but he would have been lucky to be picked this week anyhow. Good to see Iles get a run as well... but wtf? I thought Richards was excellent last week.... seems odd for us to drop him now.

O'Brien in? Fantastic

It looks pretty likely that Bryan will come in. Who for? Maxwell? We'll have to wait and see. I'd like to see Davies get a crack soon, good to see him named as an emergency, anyway. And Dick hasn't been forgotten.

[Morrigu]

[Babylove]

Actually I wouldn't be surprised if Mick made Fraser ruck on his own this weekend. He hasn't been in the best form and if you remember last year when he wasn't in form Mick made him ruck on his own against Cox & Seaby in the WCE game and it worked (and with all due respects to Saints ruck stocks it's probably an easier challenge than when Mick did it last year).

[eddiesmith]

According to CH10 news we have dropped Richardson, I thought he was delisted years ago, didnt even notice he played last week

[magpie_born_and_bred]

I agree mate, I would really love to see Davies get a run, I thought he was brilliant last season, I would hate to see him be the forgotten one and then dominate at another club, throw him back in soon!

[David]

Saints have a couple of interesting 'ins'... Koschitske and Maguire

[Ev5Magpies]

Koschitske won't play, they won't risk him getting another injury again, he's had countless in his career so far & I reckon that Bryan may come in to the side as a late change, maybe for Maxwell (knee last week) or Reid (Hammy ??).

Overall a good side considering what we have to play with. Straight kicking is the key, we do this we will bury this rabble...

[Tannin]

How do you drop a senior player without dropping a senior player? Say he has a sore achilies, I guess. Then you give him a few weeks in the twos while he "regains match fitness" ... and after that, well, he has to force his way back into the side.

Perhaps Holland has been playing when he wasn't 100% fit: he certainly doesn't seem, of late, to be putting in the 101% efforts we have come to expect from him.

Iles is ready. He's had a few runs in the seniors now, knows what he has to do now, knows how to do it, and his consistent efforts at Willy demonstrate that he's dead-set keen to make his mark. Expect Iles to play well this weekend and demonstrate to the world that he's good enough to be a senior player every week, not just when there is an injury to cover. If Iles has got what it takes - and I think he has - over the next few weeks he will establish a benchmark: Holland will find it hard to force his way back in.

[RudeBoy]

As the Saints are pretty light on themselves in the big man department, I reckon Josh will ruck all on his own, with a little help from Travis, Reid and even Wakes. A win on the weekend could set up our season, but a loss could see the rot start to set in. I'm tipping a good win.