Mmmm don't blieve me last night but believe the Herald Sun this morning?? I'm stunned they know who Livo is.
Teague will play in the ressies and Livo was on the plane. Not sure who if the other emergencies were there (Bannister, Wiggins)....But if you read my previous post...relating the aboriginal allstars....I wouldn't be surprised if all of them got a go..(but I doubt they will).

We need 22 fit running players....


...Prenda...here's your big chance!

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“Every single element of the Club has to be the best in the league, meticulously and methodically, and only by doing this will we be elite and challenge for number 17.”
Greg Lee

Synbad if Livo has gone up with the team then he will be doing less than sitting on the pine... he will be in the grand stand... unless of course he is playing.

Elwood, one of Merrett's marks was from a direct turnover and Luke had taken off up the ground and was caught out of position. He tried to track back but was too late. I can't exactly remember the other one. Merrett kicked 2 goals. And in the 2nd half, with the way the ball was coming in, even SOS would've been under the pump! AFAIC, Luke did not play a bad game

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C'mon Blueboys!

One of them should have been a free to Livo, Merrett had a hand full of Livo's jumper and dragged him out of front position. If Livo had done it to him you could guarantee the umpires would have pinged him for it.

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The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

Ronald Reagan

Livo looked like a slug moving around last week. He was lucky he didn't have a bagged kicked on him, in fact i don't know why he didn't. He did one or two good smothers and blocks but was beaten in the air each time it came to him. Like i said, lucky it didn't come in with the frequency it usually does against Brisbane. But that was because they were kicking goals on the run from outside 50 instead of passing to the leading forward.

Besides Livos first game of the season (until he got injured) and his first game back from injury he's been dissapointing. He will be in the navy blue next year though and if he was ever gonna be dropped this was the perfect chance to do it seeing as the Dogs are so small and all the talls that can go forward (Bandy, Rawlings etc.) will be occupied with Fev, Waite and Whitnall.

Plus, we can see if Chambers, Bowyer etc. are up for it and will be around next year. I think that's what Pagans doing. Working out whos gonna be around next year.

Not shocked with these ommissions at all (still believe Livo is an even chance to play). Mentioned in another thread that Livo had his pants pulled down in the last qtr by a 2 gamer in Merrett. His effort against Sydney was not earth shattering either. In fact when has he done anything to impress? Five years down the track the Class of 2000 have yet to establish themselves in this team.

As for Teague - courage aside the second ex-Kangaroo reject to play above himself in a number of games during the season to garner sufficient votes to win the B&F. An indictment to the CFC and shows just how far the giant has fallen.

Agree with that..

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

No kidding

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"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." - Gene Hill

livo was shit last week, can't even beat a 20 yr old kid.
I hate it when he always only go for his opponent instead on reading the flight of the ball and make a decision himself of where the ball will land.

eg. the ball is flying towards the goal, his opponent tries to sheppard him off, livo watches his opponent and runs straight to him and his opponent is able to sheppard him off successfully and the ball flys through the goals. Livo doesn't see where the ball lands and tries to run around his opponent and takes a mark.

Maybe he is a forward.

Livo and Waite on the HF line

Lance in the square, Fev on the lead.

Woot!

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"The Wigg's big in 08!" - Chris Judd

Good observation...thats how he does play and he needs some work in that area....who does the coaching of the defensive players now that SOS has gone to Collingwood?

BB...I should just let you respond under my name...you know me that well..

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Going tall in the forward line is an option. But it carries its own risks. Sure, if we had Fevola, Jonathan Brown, and an uninjured Michael Gardiner and Luke Darcy, you'd stick them all in the forward 50 and challenge the doggies to do something about it. We'd take our fair share of marks and kick enough goals that we wouldn't have to worry about their counterattack.

But Fevola is injured and he is in dubious form. In any event, Fevola, Lance, and Waitey are not brilliant at taking pack marks. They are OK in one-on-ones, find it difficult to beat more than one opponent, and do better running to take marks uncontested (Fev and Waitey exploiting their pace and Lance his ability to find space and lose his opponent).

Add Livo to the forward line, and what do you get? Another forward who can mark on a lead, but who has a doubtful ability to pull down hotly contested marks.

The problem with multiple tall leading forwards is that our ability to spot up leads has been dreadful. If we had the footskills in the middle of the Eagles or the Lions, it would be workable. But not if our inability to find targets inside 50 continues.

It's not even as if they are so undermanned down there that anyone over 190 cm will kick a bag. Harris, Hargrave and Rawlings give them enough height. Fev, Lance, Livo and Waite aren't huge anyway. They could get away with playing smaller, more mobile defenders on one or more of them.

The counterattack would hurt us badly. Once the ball comes to ground, the doggies love to run the ball upfield through free men. Lance isn't quick enough to chase down his opponent easily, and Fev is but may not be able to do so this week. I doubt whether Livo would be able to exert much pressure on the ball carrier either. And the odds are that the Doggies would be able to keep one of their opponents as a free link man further up the ground.

Should Livo be on the bench? That way he could be put in defence if they try to go tall there, or rotate with the tall forwards for some variety. But he would only be able to try to fill Lance's spot, as he really can't give us the speed the other 2 offer. And wouldn't it be better to go in with another small like Simmo or Chambers who can help cope with the expected heavy rotation of midfielders engineered by Eade in oppressive conditions?

Maybe he might be a good match-up for Bandy, freeing Thornton for other duties. And maybe he will come into the team to give us the extra tall who might go back or forward. But it is a risk, and I for one would not blame Pagan for choosing not to take it.

The other thing that bothers me a bit is the possibility that some may be a bit hypocritical. There are many of us who are looking forward to a priority pick. I wonder how many of those that want us to win no more than 2 games nevertheless give the selectors a caning each week the team is announced.

The strange thing out of this is is that the Bulldogs are quick but not tall up forward, so Teague might at least have had a matchup his size even though he'd probably still be slower than his opponent..

I think we might line up as follows in defence (what I'd do anyway):

Thornton on Bandy
Bowyer on Robbins
Carrazzo on Murphy
McGrath/Scotland on Eagleton
Houlihan on Smith

It's hard to find a matchup for Johnson, I can see why they dropped Livo from that perspetive...maybe Carrazzo on Johnson, Carrazzo played on Mark Williams earlier in the year and Williams is smaller than Johnson...it's not a conventional forward/defence setup anyway but if this were the case Carrazzo's run from defence would be stymied..

We could go Bowyer on Johnson or we could even go Thornton and hope someone undersized like Prender could take Bandy..

Hard one to plan for!

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Formerly Blues-Back2003.

I know you say some but I dont usually complain about selection but given Dennis made big splash about difficulties experienced by team without livo and thorton for the first 6 weeks - difficult to fathom decision to drop livo given lack of structure was the reason provided why we were not playing to our potential
Moreover this has turned into cane the fb and he is no good when we have the worst midfield in terms of accountability in the AFL and playing on good forwards with the supply they are getting wouldnt be easy
Livo IS NO AND NEVER WILL BE A SUPERSTAR but was far from the worst last week or the week before
Furthermore if you are building for the future and structure and process are so important then dropping livo makes absolutely no sense
Dont also understand why he would retain bowyer instead of livo and given we have struggled to find a key defender since silvagni retired why wouldnt livo be given every chance to be that defender

As for losing - hate it with a passion - dont accept it and whilst realistic about quality of our list -NEVER WANT to be beaten - we do need draft picks but every loss is not greeted with glee but gut wrenching indignation
Yes at the end of the season will look to the draft and hopefully will have early picks but until that time will hate every week we lose
For what it is worth I think hoping for draft picks will all be nothing because I dont think we will end on the bottom Hawthorn will

I certainly didn't mean you, Frank. Your comments, as always, were from your true blue heart. I might disagree with them to a degree, but I respect your opinion.

In fact, my comment wasn't really directed at anyone in particular. I couldn't be bothered doing my homework on the point. Maybe Jarusa could track down the culprits, if they exist

I must say I agree with you about being unable to wish a loss on the boys. Even though I know that my wishes can't affect the result, I still would feel disloyal. But it really isn't like last year when we had a chance to do the impossible and get into the finals. And the chance of a priority pick certainly takes the edge off losing.

Tank... but I still think he'll play.

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The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect
So hard to earn, so easily burned
In the fullness of time
A garden to nurture and protect

#DopeThenStash

Agree with everything said - But still no Wiggins

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Ecclesiastes 1:4, "One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but The Blues abide forever."

I think at the very least we could play Livo on Bandy and Thornton on the next biggest forward, even if that was Murphy. Otherwise you play either of those two up forward and stretch the Bulldog's.

I'm always fascinated with turning good, skillful backmen into forwards and I think a run up forward might refresh Thornton a little.

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010