Round 2: the other games. Oooh, Mr Beveridge has just exploded!

[Nico]

Hewett positioned himself on the defensive side at centre bounces and Pittonet was winning the ruck. A number of times he tapped straight to Hewett who then dished off to Cripps or another player in what looked a set play. I couldn't believe no one went to him at centre bounces.

What Carlton did was pressure the Bulldogs at every contest exposing their soft under belly. The games they lost last year were when the opposition pressured and bullied them. The Bulldogs look way under last year's form and could very well be a big slider this year.

[neilfws]

The first Sunday game has the Eagles as clear favourites against the Kangaroos. I didn't see the Kangaroos play last week, but that market suggests that they played really badly. But still, I wouldn't have any confidence in this Eagles side winning away from Perth.

Eagles will be lucky to field a side at this rate...

Sunday’s game to go ahead as COVID chaos depletes West Coast Eagles

[Thunder Shaker]

The first Sunday game has the Eagles as clear favourites against the Kangaroos. I didn't see the Kangaroos play last week, but that market suggests that they played really badly. But still, I wouldn't have any confidence in this Eagles side winning away from Perth.

The Eagles have run out of AFL-listed players. They've got to play some top-ups this week. I don't see them winning this week against anyone, so how they could be favourites is beyond me. They started as favourites against the Suns and they lost. Sooner or later people will realise that the Eagles are not the side they were two years ago. The last time we had a side with such a decimated player list was Essendon in 2016 when they had 10 players suspended for doping breaches and had to select top ups. They finished last that year with three wins.

North Melbourne finished on the bottom last year, but it was a competitive last place with four wins and a draw (20.5%). The only bottom side that has won more games this century is Brisbane in 2017 when they won five. Carlton also won four and a half games in 2005. One of North Melbourne's four wins last year was against West Coast in Perth.

So the idea that West Coast should start as favourites in an away game is rubbish. They may still win, but last year they lost to North Melbourne at home. I don't see a West Coast win as very likely.

[Thunder Shaker]

West Coast's changes for this week:

In: C.Jamieson, L.Duggan, A.Witherden, T.Kelly, S.Giro, J.Williams, L.Ryan, J.Darling, L.Shuey, B.Ainsworth, A.Black, A.Dewar
Out: A.Gaff (injured), T.Barrass (HS Protocol), J.Rotham (HS Protocol), J.Redden (HS Protocol), Z.Langdon (HS Protocol), H.Dixon (HS Protocol), J.Kennedy (HS Protocol), J.Waterman (HS Protocol), N.Naitanui (HS Protocol), B.Hough (HS Protocol), J.Jones (HS Protocol), H.Edwards (HS Protocol), I.Winder (HS Protocol)

After the massive crowd invasion at the SCG, I hope that we're not in the same position next week.

[DeadlyAkkuret]

COVID protocols can @@@@ off how is any of this still a thing?


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[Thunder Shaker]

COVID protocols can @@@@ off how is any of this still a thing?

Players who acquire this virus are less able to play than players who are well.

This is true of other viruses as well. Clubs have had virus protocols in place before Covid-19 but they were less formal.

[Ralph Dawg]

Didn't watch the game but Crows seem to have easily been beaten by the Pies. Can't help but think that JD has really made such a bad decision, especially after the Friday night our team had..............

[stevoswan]

Didn't watch the game but Crows seem to have easily been beaten by the Pies. Can't help but think that JD has really made such a bad decision, especially after the Friday night our team had..............

He made his bed....and it's lumpy and uncomfortable.

Good.

[stevoswan]

Bomber started like trains against the Lions, holding a 22 pt quarter time lead but normal service has resumed with Brisbane kicking 6 goals to 0 so far this second quarter and now leading by 12 pts.

[i'm-uninformed2]

Didn't watch the game but Crows seem to have easily been beaten by the Pies. Can't help but think that JD has really made such a bad decision, especially after the Friday night our team had..............

He had a few possessions, but what struck me was how either got a few cheap ones down back as they chipped it around, or, given they are a bit of a rabble, how many were possessions were under pressure. He got crunched a few times and his kicking was scrambled as it was under serious heat.

[stevoswan]

Dawks thrashing Port at the moment.....44 pts up late in the third....in Adelaide. WTF?

[Thunder Shaker]

As I expected, North Melbourne defeated the Eagles. With a 15-point margin, the match was closer than I expected but North still won.

- - - Updated - - -

And for those who still think inside 50s are relevant to form, West Coast had more inside 50s than North but still lost. That makes it only one game out of seven this round so far where the side with more inside 50s won.

[NeonBible]

Do GWS have a ticker problem??

It is clear at the game (hubby's best pal is a Tiggs fan!) and a check at the player stats confirms it!!

They don't have a single mid with over 4 tackles or 20 pressure acts!

Compared with us when we played them in rd 1, we had 5 mids with over 4 tackles and 4 mids with over 20 pressure acts!!

It would appear that none of them want to get their hands dirty and are all expecting the others to do it!

[i'm-uninformed2]

And when they don’t, GWS have nothing else. They lack KPP class bar Sam Taylor, and Toby’s out for being a moron, so they need their mids at peak performance.

[i'm-uninformed2]

Zac Merrett just been ruled out for two months with an ankle injury, which means Mick Malthouse’s flag prediction is looking a little wobbly. Who’d have thought the old fella has lost his touch?