Preview Round 18 - Essendon Bombers vs Geelong Cats - Saturday, July 15th - 7:25 pm - GMHBA Stadium

[Hird05]

Give us a small chance. We are scoring more easily now than in a long time and Cats defence is poor. Hopefully the weather is ok.

 

[Shanghaistu]

Hoping we can break the repetitive Groundhog Day pattern of regularly being obliterated in the first 20 minutes by these guys…can we stop their fast and unchecked ball movement out of the middle to their forward monsters this time?

 

[Keystone agony]

GMHBA doesnt suit us and neither does the Geelong side

 

[Happyskeret]

GMHBA doesnt suit us and neither does the Geelong side

What’s our record at GMHBA been the last few years?

 

[P Money]

Geelong are not a Melbourne side. They are not based here.

Freo and West Coast are based in Perth. Both play at Perth Stadium
Adelaide and Port are based in Adelaide. Both play at AO
Gold Coast aren't based in Brisbane. Should they have to play their home games at the Gabba?

Geelong playing their home games in Geelong is what should happen. The fact it isn't 11 games there is the issue.

As long as the next match-up is scheduled at Windy Hill I'm ok with it. I mean we are based in Essendon not Melbourne. And apparently it's fine to play AFL games at a half built stadium in the suburbs that can house a quarter of the number of supporters that want to attend.

 

[Don Won]

Give us a small chance. We are scoring more easily now than in a long time and Cats defence is poor. Hopefully the weather is ok.

There is some rain expected. We haven’t been too bad in the rain this year

 

[Hird05]

There is some rain expected. We haven’t been too bad in the rain this year

Agreed we haven't been bad just won't help our link up handball game that was super impressive in the second quarter last week.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Geelong are not a Melbourne side. They are not based here.

Freo and West Coast are based in Perth. Both play at Perth Stadium
Adelaide and Port are based in Adelaide. Both play at AO
Gold Coast aren't based in Brisbane. Should they have to play their home games at the Gabba?

Geelong playing their home games in Geelong is what should happen. The fact it isn't 11 games there is the issue.

the counter point, of course, is that interstate teams don't get a big fat chunk of effectively neutral (or at least, significantly relatively so) away games just down the road; where as many of their supporters can get in as they like. Hostile home crowd, neutral away crowd for a lot of games. Hell of an advantage. Having said that, it's one extra game a club like Essendon has to play away, hardly a big deal in the scheme of things.

I really couldn't care less about the issue, but if I was the kind of guy who went to every match it would be pretty shitty that you can't get in to this one. Geelong get a lot of geographical advantages, and good luck to them I guess, but doesn't mean it's not true

 

[supportyourteam]

There is some rain expected. We haven’t been too bad in the rain this year

Fremantle?

 

[faible]

Geelong are not a Melbourne side. They are not based here.

Freo and West Coast are based in Perth. Both play at Perth Stadium
Adelaide and Port are based in Adelaide. Both play at AO
Gold Coast aren't based in Brisbane. Should they have to play their home games at the Gabba?

Geelong playing their home games in Geelong is what should happen. The fact it isn't 11 games there is the issue.

I think it's 6 x MCG games, 9 x Kardinia Park games + 2 Marvel games.

They've got the best home ground advantage in the league from memory, with almost as many true home games as the interstate sides but a whole lot of neutral 'away' games at the MCG whereas those interstate sides have genuine away games.

It is what it is, but let's not pretend it's not beneficial to them.

 

[Don Won]

Fremantle?

I think we were flat rather than poor in the rain - hard to know how to assess that game.

 

[ghostdog]

I think we were flat rather than poor in the rain - hard to know how to assess that game.

Freo played like it was a dry deck.

 

[Saint]

It definitely benefits the cats, but they play the fewest home games at their home ground and play the most true away games (games at their opponents' home ground).

They play 13 away games and 9 GMHBA games, not including the Gather Round. (even though they get the gates for some of their Melbourne games, they're always at their opponents' home ground).

Having watched us struggle to kick a goal against them at Marvel for a half, I fear what Saturday night will look like.

Cold and wet I think will favour both forwardlines as their backline is too top-heavy and their midfield is a lot younger and softer than it used to be. Our backline will be troubled by their pace of ball movement.

If they bring Isaac Smith

7

Isaac Smith

Age

35

Ht

188cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

13.0

5star

HB

8.4

5star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.7

4star

D

19.4

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.3

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

2.5

3star

CL

1.3

4star

D

19.2

5star

K

10.6

4star

HB

8.6

5star

M

7.6

5star

T

2.0

4star

CL

0.6

3star

back in, that'll be useful for us too.

 

[Yoda_]

What’s our record at GMHBA been the last few years?

last time we won was 1990, lost last few there, 2018 iirc was last game there.

 

[Yoda_]

I think it's 6 x MCG games, 9 x Kardinia Park games + 2 Marvel games.

They've got the best home ground advantage in the league from memory, with almost as many true home games as the interstate sides but a whole lot of neutral 'away' games at the MCG whereas those interstate sides have genuine away games.

It is what it is, but let's not pretend it's not beneficial to them.

#equalisation

 

[dank420_]

Feel for the Geelong supporters who have to drive their tractors to the MCG

 

[Beerfish]

Feel for the Geelong supporters who have to drive their tractors to the MCG

Feel worse for the ones that have to drive their cows there.

Actually.. feel worse for the cows

 

[Vindicater]

Feel for the Geelong supporters who have to drive their tractors to the MCG

And for the players who only have to drive to away games instead of having to fly, sleep in a different bed and adjust to different climates.

 

[dank420_]

Feel worse for the ones that have to drive their cows there.

Actually.. feel worse for the cows

The cows aren’t even in to footy!

 

[Godzke]

We'll get pumped

We struggle to match up against Geelong more than any other team, and now without Ridley and first two choice rucks.

Will be a miracle if we get up.

Wet conditions will suit them more, because the only way I see us beating them is by either kicking short through the zone or by hard running off half back. Both hard to do in the wet.

Geelong will easily pick off the standard long down the line stuff (as happened earlier this year).

Sent from my SM-S911B using Tapatalk

 

[andleanback]

The fact there isn't a stadium in geelong that can host AFL games without locking supporters out of the ground is the issue.

The fact the somehow geelong even got the money to rebuild a whole stadium that only hosts 7 games a year is another issue. And the Tasmanians are complaining about new stadium funding

 

[windyhill]

Boo ...get stuffed. Only 26,000 capacity and G vacant...

Phillips ban adds to Dons’ ruck woes; AFL won’t shift blockbuster to MCG; ACL heartbreak for ’Roos defender

The Bombers and Cats will clash in arguably the game of the round on Saturday night, but GMHBA’s delayed rebuild means attendance will be far less than what it could have been had it been held at the MCG. And, grim news for Kangaroos recruit Griffin Logue.

www.theage.com.au

****ing pathetic.

 

[windyhill]

I really couldn't care less about the issue, but if I was the kind of guy who went to every match it would be pretty shitty that you can't get in to this one. Geelong get a lot of geographical advantages, and good luck to them I guess, but doesn't mean it's not true

I’m your guy. This will be the fifth game I’ve missed in Victoria since 1973 (obviously take out covid lockdowns) Cheers alphabet stadium !

 

[Happyskeret]

last time we won was 1990, lost last few there, 2018 iirc was last game there.

Oh well if we win this Saturday we will have evened the ledger there after 6 years. Not bad.

 

[supportyourteam]

I’m your guy. This will be the fifth game I’ve missed in Victoria since 1973 (obviously take out covid lockdowns) Cheers alphabet stadium !

Could almost give you my ticket. But I have booked a motel and it has entered the non refundable phase. 1973. Tuddy was coaching.