Preview Dogs on Mars: Round 8 Saturday May - 11 1:45 pm

[MacMum]

Far out people talking up Ballarat as the backside of the Earth, remote, dangerous with sub zero temperatures and icy winds. I'm getting images of people trecking into the ground with snow shoes, balaclavas, fur skins, gloves and possum hats. Fresh Salmon at half time, cooked in seal fat, followed up with a Moose heart and tongue medley.

Gees guys it can't be that bad.

It gets really cold in winter, but so do many other places in Victoria.....I love Ballarat, could live there very easily.

..went to the Stawell trots one night years ago, geez thought I was going to freeze to death! ....absolutely froze at the MCG too.

....and many stories of cold nights at the greyhounds back in my racing days, brrr!

The most important thing is to be prepared and dressed for the cold.

 

[davemc_lions]

looking weather 4-14 some showers. Have kids footy Sunday otherwise we stay over night.
Wondering if I take 4 kids in the cold
14 be real temp 7-8 with wind chill.. Yes we go there a bit normally over summer though he he he

 

[PertRoosOsborne]

If anyone can work the tribunal out drop me a line.

I think their motto is ‘vertical stripes good, horizontal stripes bad’

 

[Football Pope]

Have driven that road thousands of times mostly at night (yes, probably not far off), while doesn't hurt to be careful, have to say have never struck ice on the road (Western Fwy).....but it will be miserable though.

Have at Myrniong it's even signed there to indicate

 

[MacMum]

Have at Myrniong it's even signed there to indicate

Yes, I've seen the sign..

 

[MSB ROYS]

When I see the thread title I am looking forward to the next Cats at Venus game.

 

[dlanod]

I went to Antarctica but I'm not going to Ballarat. QED, it's too cold.

 

[carnthemlions]

I get this opinion, but the media have completely PUMPED up the doggies after the weekend especially Naughton. Could have a worse affect on them. We have been flying under the radar after the collingwood game.

Naughton did look very good on the weekend, but I remember someone pointing out that Noah Balta (the Australian Niall McKeever) was playing on him for a fair bit of the game.

 

[BuntonRules]

Keep reading about how cold it is in Ballarat. Checked the weather site and it's 7-14 degrees - gets colder in Melbourne during winter. Is it the wind?

Did a few trips, years ago, driving a parcel truck Adelaide - Melbourne and back. Bacchus Marsh and Ballarat it was always not fog, and not raining, but somewhere in betwwen.. arseh*le of the universe. weather wise.

 

[KissKiss]

At least Anthony's cutting is gone. I hated that bend (especially in the rain). Although I dont really trust the new bridge - sounds like it was pretty badly made

 

[Jpw22511]

I think their motto is ‘vertical stripes good, horizontal stripes bad’

Sounds good for us.

 

[morsie]

Just on that Morsie how many throws are getting missed this year . There's 3 umps ,they miss many of them . And then when they do pull someone up is generally a legit handball.

Umps are shellshocked

I do not think the throws are missed,they are tolerated.How often do you here a commentator refer to slick hands when to these old eyes it's a throw.

 

[Milux]

With Andrews returning, Fagan should consider playing McStay back and moving Walker forward. Josh Walker been amazing this year and is in career best form. Currently averaging 7.9 marks a game and ranked 7th in the league, only five marks behind Michael Hurley. Given that many of his marks are also contested he has been dominating opponents in the air. I would love to see him as a target in the forward line. Remember Fagan flirted with Andrews up forward in the pre-season on the strength of his marking. Based on form in the marking department Walker is a better option.

If Hipwood is suspended, which I very much doubt, then I would include Andrews up back, move McStay into defence and tell him to spoil everything and go with Walker and Keays up forward.

We are 5-2. Scored 100+ 5 times and only let 100 through on 2 occasions. I think our structure is working fine enough.

Walker is one of the in-form intercept markers in the comp. Mcstay actually isnt playing too bad apart from his brain farts. Andrew's will come in for lester or hodge this weekend.

If it ain't broke dont fix it. When we are on we play good football. Which has been 5 times this season. When we are off we are terrible. If we play 5 good games every 7 we will be more then fine. Leave well enough alone.

 

[Strato]

You ever lived there Scoman?

Coldest habitable place known to mankind

Ballarat Weather. Everyone is getting abit carried away with Ballarat Weather. I have been to Ballarat hundreds of times and it is not as bad as everyone is saying. Yes, it's coming into winter and it does get a cold chill. It's weather is about the same as Geelong. Bendigo's weather is not that much warmer. You do get really nice days in Ballarat. Always make sure you have a coat with you in winter but overall it's not that bad.

 

[Viceregal]

Ballarat Weather. Everyone is getting abit carried away with Ballarat Weather. I have been to Ballarat hundreds of times and it is not as bad as everyone is saying. Yes, it's coming into winter and it does get a cold chill. It's weather is about the same as Geelong. Bendigo's weather is not that much warmer. You do get really nice days in Ballarat. Always make sure you have a coat with you in winter but overall it's not that bad.

So not BallaSiberiaRat as per some of the suggestions then...

 

[Gadzorks]

Ballarat Weather. Everyone is getting abit carried away with Ballarat Weather. I have been to Ballarat hundreds of times and it is not as bad as everyone is saying. Yes, it's coming into winter and it does get a cold chill. It's weather is about the same as Geelong. Bendigo's weather is not that much warmer. You do get really nice days in Ballarat. Always make sure you have a coat with you in winter but overall it's not that bad.

we Queenslanders think 15 is cold so are very impressed/horrified with the Victorian weather. Happy to hear the Ballarat stories even if they are a little exaggerated in the way some people like horror movies.

 

[dlanod]

You do get really nice days in Ballarat.

I heard it was Jan 16 this year.

 

[royboys4eva]

Far out people talking up Ballarat as the backside of the Earth, remote, dangerous with sub zero temperatures and icy winds. I'm getting images of people trecking into the ground with snow shoes, balaclavas, fur skins, gloves and possum hats. Fresh Salmon at half time, cooked in seal fat, followed up with a Moose heart and tongue medley.

Gees guys it can't be that bad.

Forecast of 13 degrees and if its windy it will feel more like 7-10 degrees. No huge Grandstands to protect players from the cold winds.. Just like its advantage to us when teams travel to Brisbane and its humid this will be a shock for some of our players. I always think in games like this when its miserable conditions you find out a lot about players. Every hit / knock will hurt just that bit more - lets see who puts there head over the ball and body on the line.

Its seriously a very cold place as anyone who has been there will attest to.

 

[Lions Lions]

Was on the Mars playing surface middle of winter last year and I have never been so cold in my life.... felt like my fingers were going to snap off. Shivered halfway home. Very nice oval, good new first stage grandstand development but needs a 1000 heaters and a roof!!!!

 

[MacMum]

We are lucky that some of our more important players are used to playing there in those conditions........although they may have gone a little soft since living in the sun and surf of Qld.

 

[lionsrules]

Jeez I am a little one foot in either column on the changes to the team.

I would like to see Harris Andrews back for sure.

I feel I am leaning towards in for Bailey.(just a little extra pace around the back half... maybe have some influence in tracking Caleb Daniel

Would still keep Matheison out for this game. I can see our midfield improving the last 2 games and Lyons seems to be the man thats benefited from Rhys being out.

 

[jackess]

Jeez I am a little one foot in either column on the changes to the team.

I would like to see Harris Andrews back for sure.

I feel I am leaning towards in for Bailey.(just a little extra pace around the back half... maybe have some influence in tracking Caleb Daniel

Would still keep Matheison out for this game. I can see our midfield improving the last 2 games and Lyons seems to be the man thats benefited from Rhys being out.

Caleb Daniel has been playing down back and I think we'll expose him given that all our smalls are good overhead.

 

[Dalions]

Can anyone believe that it is actually week 8 this week?
This year is flying on by!
Maybe because we are having a few wins, doesn’t make the week feel so long after a loss?

 

[Roogal]

They play 11 games a year at Metricon to be fair.

And in Darwin, Launceston, Alice Springs, Cairns, Canberra at similar sized venues. Mars Stadium is only in its first stage of what wll be a three stage developmnent which will see it transform by 2028 into a 20,000 capacity state of the art boutique Aussie Rules/Cricket and Rugby Union arena serving a city of 130,000 which the ABS are forecasting will double in size by 2040. It's been built to a budget and really is fantastic value for money given that what is there ATM only cost $20 million to build. Particularly when we consider that the Federal Government threw $250 million to build a 25,000 capacity rugby only stadium in Townsville at the last election.

The Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne long advocated for the AFL to construct a boutique Victorian venue to allow the smaller clubs to break even when competing against low crowd drawing teams.

The solution for North Melbourne was Hobart, for Hawthorn it was Launceston, for Melbourne it is the NT and for the Bulldogs it is Ballarat (exactly 60 minutes drive on a freeway from Footscray (so indeed hardly a backwater).

 

[Gadzorks]

with these weather comments really glad it’s a 1.45 game. Imagine a night game in the wet would be nightmare stuff.