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1
Blah-Blah Bar / Re: Iran, I ran so far away - flock of seagulls
Last post by DJC -
The US State Department has now advised Americans to leave the Middle East by commercial airlines.  Of course, there are no commercial flights.

Marco Rubio has confirmed that the US attacked Iran because Israel advised that it was going to attack Iran and that would lead to Iran retaliating and it was best to get in first 🙄

Why on earth wouldn’t the “Peace President” tell Bibi to back off?

The troubling thing is how fluid the justification for the attack is; preventing the development of nuclear weapons becomes facilitating regime change and that becomes getting in first before Iran strikes.  No mention of Iran’s oil reserves and control of Hormuz Strait.

Meanwhile, Melania chaired a meeting of the UN Security Council.  I understand that she kept her clothes on but WTF!
2
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Pre-game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney in Sydney
Last post by Gointocarlton -
It will be very tough but I am expecting to go there and get a win and give The Peanut a very hard time on the way through.

Hayward spoke about playing against Carlton and being intimidated by the crowd.  You’re going to have to make a lot of noise G2C 🙂

I have every confidence that you can get the boys over the line 🤞
Ill make noise dont worry about that.
3
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Pre-game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney in Sydney
Last post by DJC -
It will be very tough but I am expecting to go there and get a win and give The Peanut a very hard time on the way through.

Hayward spoke about playing against Carlton and being intimidated by the crowd.  You’re going to have to make a lot of noise G2C 🙂

I have every confidence that you can get the boys over the line 🤞
4
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Pre-game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney in Sydney
Last post by Gointocarlton -
If reckon if you can pick around 75% of the Round 0 starting line up at this stage you're going to be doing pretty well :D
Challange accepted

FB Saad Weitering Derksen
HB Florent Dean Young
C Ollie Cripps Elijah
HF Hayward Kemp Moir
FF Byrne McKay Ainsworth
Foll Pittonet Hewett Walsh
Int Smith Chesser Lord Evans (minus the shades) Reidy

Reasoning as follows:
I dont trust Pittonet to go in with one ruckman, if its one its Reidy
HOK appears miles off
Happy to move on from Gov & Acres
Zaccy W unlucky but the other boys (Byrne and Ainsworth) have shown plenty up fwd compared to ZW (small sample size granted)
Derksen hasn't put a foot wrong and is hungry, ditto Reidy.
Fogarty seemed to have a strapped hammy after the game.
I have this inkling young Dean has been pestering Vossy for weeks with "Gimme Charlie, I'll get it done". The boy does not lack confidence to go with his competitiveness.


FB Saad Weitering Derksen
HB Florent Dean Young
C Ollie Cripps Elijah
HF Hayward Kemp Moir
FF Williams McKay Ainsworth
Foll Pittonet Hewett Walsh
Int Smith Chesser Lord McGovern Reidy

Evans out given he is injured??
Byrne doesnt look like he is getting a debut as only Jagga and Dean were announced today.
Gov and Williams in for me.
5
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Pre-game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney in Sydney
Last post by Gointocarlton -


Love us to give it a kick start...but I think it will be the Swans by 3-4 goals.

I'm looking to this year as an improvement on last year, and while that result may seem contradictory it actually aligns with their 2025 ladder positions.
They only finished one spot above us, but had three more wins.
Add to that its on their home ground.
If we win this one it will be a great start.

Not sure Voss or the Fans will tolerate a 3-4 goal loss to a midpack team even on their home ground.
Thats going to start the timber being ordered for the gallows...I think the time has passed for accepting honorable losses.
It will be very tough but I am expecting to go there and get a win and give The Peanut a very hard time on the way through.
8
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Pre-game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney in Sydney
Last post by Lods -
I have high hopes of improvement for this season
Jump a place and we play finals ;)
But I expect it to be a gradual build, as players get to understand and work with one another under the 'real' pressure of an AFL game.

We really don't know a lot about our side, and how they'll gel.
Practice games are only as good an indicator as the effort that's actually put in by both sides
This is the test.
I reckon 3-4 goals will be acceptable, as long as the effort is there.
Swans were a superior side to us in 2025.
They had a bad start to last year and suffered some significant injuries, but finished the season with 8 wins out of the last 11 games
They are on their home ground.
Talking them down and raising expectations is actually the kind of thing that brings pressure on a coach if we fail to beat this "mediocre" side.

A win is not out of the question and much will depend on how the side comes together with a number of new players.
3-4 goals (with effort) will be a reasonable first up result.
It will be the manner of the result that will lead to pressure on players and coach.
What we don't want, and can't afford is a blowout, or a lapse where they pile on the goals after we make a good start.

I'm struggling to see some of the logic in peoples opinions on this match.

Me too...Some folks spend all the off-season rubbishing the list management and fretting over lost players and then go out and tip us against the third favourite for the flag on their home ground. :D

For months i've heard we won't miss charlie and the incomings will cover the loss of the outgoings.
I've heard we expect to jump a position.
Which all makes sense.

Until you look into that with....
1. The incomings and outgoings mirror sydney. That is Charlie, Florent and Hayward swapped. Our incoming, covers the outgoing. Which suggests the opposite for them.
2. We finished 11th last year, Sydney finished 10th. THEY are the position we expect to jump up into
3. We are relatively fit, with most of our injuries to fringe players. Jagga back is an upgrade on anything we have out.

So why do the people who have been saying these things, things a 3-4 goal loss is 'about right' ?


If we won't miss the players that left and the team is improved with the players coming in and we expect to improve on last year, then why doesn't that translate into a win against Sydney??

Because first games of the season are completely unpredictable.
They are even more unpredictable with quite a few players playing their first game together.
We'll build connections as the season goes on.
When Charlie left us he was a bit of a wreck, he looks to be up and firing.

1.-Here's the part you seem to struggle with...
The assessment of the loss of Charlie was never about Charlie in good shape. It was about the 2025 version of Charlie.
And we didn't lose a lot losing 'Charlie 2025.'
We only have to cover 'Charlie 2025' to be better

2.We're not taking the Swans 10th spot...we're going to take the 2026 team that would fill that spot if we don't take it.
That's who we have to beat.
Swans are tipped to go top 4, and while I'd  like that spot...probably not this year.

3. It will take our side a while to gel and Jagga in particular will get a bit more attention this week.

In spite of the fact I think we'll have a better season, the Swans are currently third favourite for the flag so beating them would be  a pretty good achievement.
9
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Pre-game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney in Sydney
Last post by Thryleon -
Sydney had one off year and were grand finalists the year before.  They havent gone too far backwards is my only logic.  Its possible we both rise this season, and they experience a greater rise than we do, which is the result of head to head perhaps a win for them.

Personally, im tipping us to win in a narrow affair, as there wasnt much between us last year, and there isnt much between us this year.  They likely have more continuity, and we likely have more newness.  Both are factors that could tip it either way imho.
10
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 0 2026 Pre-game Prognostications Carlton vs Sydney in Sydney
Last post by kruddler -
I have high hopes of improvement for this season
Jump a place and we play finals ;)
But I expect it to be a gradual build, as players get to understand and work with one another under the 'real' pressure of an AFL game.

We really don't know a lot about our side, and how they'll gel.
Practice games are only as good an indicator as the effort that's actually put in by both sides
This is the test.
I reckon 3-4 goals will be acceptable, as long as the effort is there.
Swans were a superior side to us in 2025.
They had a bad start to last year and suffered some significant injuries, but finished the season with 8 wins out of the last 11 games
They are on their home ground.
Talking them down and raising expectations is actually the kind of thing that brings pressure on a coach if we fail to beat this "mediocre" side.

A win is not out of the question and much will depend on how the side comes together with a number of new players.
3-4 goals (with effort) will be a reasonable first up result.
It will be the manner of the result that will lead to pressure on players and coach.
What we don't want, and can't afford is a blowout, or a lapse where they pile on the goals after we make a good start.

I'm struggling to see some of the logic in peoples opinions on this match.

For months i've heard we won't miss charlie and the incomings will cover the loss of the outgoings.
I've heard we expect to jump a position.
Which all makes sense.

Until you look into that with....
1. The incomings and outgoings mirror sydney. That is Charlie, Florent and Hayward swapped. Our incoming, covers the outgoing. Which suggests the opposite for them.
2. We finished 11th last year, Sydney finished 10th. THEY are the position we expect to jump up into
3. We are relatively fit, with most of our injuries to fringe players. Jagga back is an upgrade on anything we have out.

So why do the people who have been saying these things, things a 3-4 goal loss is 'about right' ?


If we won't miss the players that left and the team is improved with the players coming in and we expect to improve on last year, then why doesn't that translate into a win against Sydney??