Pre-Match: Collingwood v Fitzroy Bears, all comments here...

[Pies4Life]

The possibility of 3 "rucks" is huge

Seriously Bryan is just as good of ruckman as Fraser(He cant ruck!!!)

With Bryan and Wood Rucking and Fraser up foward it could well work

Also Bryan looked real good yesterday at training

[Kermit Brereton]

Burns should play this week, but what about players like Holland & Lonie?

Are they gone or what?

Yeah. As far as I know they are.

Wow HAL, that not only made sense, it was also pretty accurate imho.

[HAL]

Can you please rephrase that with fewer ideas, or different thoughts?

[Magpie_Dan]

Egan worked hard last week and had a fair bit of the pill, would be very very unlucky to be dropped. For Rus, bring in Dawes and as for Burns and Johnno, its really hard to say who will have to be put out of the team for them!!!

[Fire Up]

ok maybe play 3 ruckman. have josh up forward.

ill be happy for josh to play anywhere except ruck.

but keep in mind he left early on tuesday at training due to finger

[burnsy17]

In: Burns, Reid

Out: Rusling, R Shaw


Johnson will probably come back through the reserves

How can you drop Shaw?
Thought he was one of our better players.

I thought he was quite ineffective and his disposal is poor.

he also panic's alot under pressure.... ie throwing the ball onto his boot or handballing blindly...

There were at least 4 examples of this i can pick out from Sat's game.

Yes he got some posessions, but in my view most of them were poor.

[collingwood_till_i_die]

Michael, we wouldnt have 3 rucks, fraser isnt a ruckman. His a gun footballer, but not a ruckman and that is that. Bryan could well come in, fraser would dominate up forward and he is a proven performer around the ground, but not in the ruck, I have faith in woody to keep up what he showed us last week, with bryan as a pinch hitter., but as long as fraser doesnt play ruck, i think woody will do fine and rogan can bag a few goals

[themonk]

To drop Egan after an impressive start to the season would kill any confidence that he's regained.

impressive? I suppose he did have 21 disposals, although as always his issue has been efficiency.

I do agree though, maybe he needs a run of 3-4 games in the seniors, but at the expense of Burns or Johnno?

[Fire Up]

yea he can only play forward. centre ruck he has lost it.

[Zakal]

I think anyone wanting Fraser as a permanet forward will be disappointed.

He does not have the body for it, and whats more, it allows a conventional tall defender or ruckman to man him up.

Play him in the midfield or on a wing (or even HFF) and there isnt an opponent in the comp who can match him for height, endurance, leap, and skill at ground level...so any opponent is going to have to be targeted at one or two of these things (most likley a tall midfielder) leaving Josh the ability to exploit his other strengths.

Play a tall defender/ruckman on him, and Josh will run rings around them (literally)...play a 190cm midfielder on him and Josh will stand 6inches taller making him very hard to counter. This is where Josh's effectiveness lies, not in a fixed position like a forward or ruck.

However i think its too early to abandon Wood just yet, so maybe we can just promote Wood to first ruck and still get support from Josh. I actually wouldnt mind seeing both Wood and Fraser in at the centre bounces...Wood can ruck, Josh can Rove. He has fantastic skills below his knees for his size...and a good tap by Wood will see the ball stay about 2m off the ground where Josh can scoop it out of the air.

...alright maybe that last part is a little wacky..but i'd still love to see it.

[Johnson#26]

Bring in Burnsy, with Ruz out. Though MM and co. know best, so if one of Reid, Anthony, Dawes or Casey-Leigh are deemed the man and Burnsy misses out, I'll back it in.

But that won't happen - this is Brisbane, we need big bodies repeat required lads of a solid build in both mind and body.

You know, I'd be tempted to try Brown on Brown. Give it a go. If it comes back to hurt us you have to cop the hit. I'm just so relieved that we beat Freo, because to lose both first up would sting badly, as the Tigers are always at their best before round eight, and the Blues will lift for us no matter what. So safety first. But we've got to keep winning, and keep the focus on this week. Keep this ball of momentum rolling.

I'm happy to back us in. Jonno starred at the Gabba in R9 last year, meaning he may be an outside, horses-for-courses chance. Brodie's bigger body may receive an early call up, though to drop anyone would be harsh. I'll leave that to MM, I reckon.

Need a lift from Josh this week.

[Dave The Man]

Woody To Make Leigh to eat his Words

[daicos35]

Rhyce has to play this week. The sight of a Brisbane jumper is gunna be like a hot poker to him. If he keeps going like this he'll bury alot of demons in 2008. Please, play Rhyce, he's a magpie, through and through.

The other players we have aren't magpie through and through because their name isn't Shaw right? Egan surely is not magpies through and through because he is black right? Anyway we've been burying the supposed demons for five years now.

I don't think we performed that badly against Brisbane back when they were dominant, we certainly played alot better than most sides did against that team. How many sides beat them back then??

Every time we beat them, it's "we've buried demons", every time they beat us it's "ahh Brisbane still have the wood on Collingwood", how long can this merry go round of bullsh1t carry on for? 2050, "err get out the shovel Collingwood have beaten Brissie, looks like they have buried those demons"

ps. I realise you probably weren't referring to Collingwood's demons but Rhyce's specifically but what I said applies to most people's opinion. Also just ignore the black call, I'm sure you aren't racist but I do believe alot of people are subconsiously and indirectly racist towards aboriginal players, they tend to get judged more harshly and people often make up their mind quicker on them. If Egan was white I doubt people would say "ra ra ra I don't think he goes in hard enough" sure people are saying it for Lonie now, but not when he was 21.

Trust me, I love Chris Egan too, lucky enough to see him in the preseason in Albany, he is really coming on. I can't say a bad thing about him. I played 8 years of footy in Broome, a couple with Gavin Mitchell(StK) when he was a lad, so thinkin I might be racsist gave me a chuckle. I'd play 'em both, they're in form, they're fit, it's gunna be hot up there. Peace brother.

[Magpie Since 1986]

In: Burns, Reid

Out: Rusling, R Shaw


Johnson will probably come back through the reserves

How can you drop Shaw?
Thought he was one of our better players.

I thought he was quite ineffective and his disposal is poor.

he also panic's alot under pressure.... ie throwing the ball onto his boot or handballing blindly...

There were at least 4 examples of this i can pick out from Sat's game.

Yes he got some posessions, but in my view most of them were poor.

Yeh well Malthouse does NOT share your opinion of Shaw. Therefore it is pointless to even discuss dropping R Shaw. It is not going to happen. On footy classified they showed the coaches votes for the Freo game and R Shaw had been given votes. Good luck seeing Malthouse given Shaw votes then kick him out of the team.

[stui magpie]

Very interesting thoughts.

Much as I'd love to bring in Reid, I also see some merit in the idea of playing Egan as third tall forward.

Something that I don't think anyone has mentioned is the Peth factor. Brisbane played last week in WA. Teams that have to back up after that trip traditionally struggle, although the bruins are better at travelling than most.

It's going to be a hard game and make no mistake, we're going to have ups and downs this season. The great last few rounds made some people forget the ups and downs during the home and away rounds.

Burns will walk in if fit. I'd be tempted to have Burns for Ruz as the only change with Ego going forward.