Is the essence of the AFL at risk if goal umpires are benched in favour of tech? That's just one of the fiery debates we launch into as Fletcher, Riley, and Tommy gather around the mic to dissect the latest in footy.
Are the Cats, Blues & Dockers truly contenders? Our team-by-team breakdown gets interesting!
Our favourite ‘Last Man Standing’ returns again, with a slight tweak. We toss around potential suspensions, Supercoach strategies, and those ever-so-crucial team updates. For all this and more, take a seat at our table – and enjoy!
Follow us on:
Instagram - @pubtestpodcast_
Twitter - @pubtest_
TikTok - @pubtestpodcast_
Is the essence of the AFL at risk if goal umpires are benched in favour of tech? That's just one of the fiery debates we launch into as Fletcher, Riley, and Tommy gather around the mic to dissect the latest in footy.
Are the Cats, Blues & Dockers truly contenders? Our team-by-team breakdown gets interesting!
Our favourite ‘Last Man Standing’ returns again, with a slight tweak. We toss around potential suspensions, Supercoach strategies, and those ever-so-crucial team updates. For all this and more, take a seat at our table – and enjoy!
Follow us on:
Instagram - @pubtestpodcast_
Twitter - @pubtest_
TikTok - @pubtestpodcast_
Hello and welcome back to the Pub Test Podcast. I'm your co-host, fletcher, and the other two co-hosts are Riley and Tommy. Now say hello, you two Hi.
Speaker 2:Zoom. Which way is it Zoom?
Speaker 1:I lost you there for a little bit. I lost you two there for a little bit, but I lost you two there for a little bit.
Speaker 2:Unfortunately, we are via Zoom today. Fletcher's in Adelaide, which you're about a day too late, his Gather Round ending, but yeah, hopefully only a week over Zoom. But yeah, fletch, well, you were asking before we recorded. But, fletch, how's the vibe in Adelaide? Obviously everyone's left by now. But yeah, gather Round was a great success again, it seems.
Speaker 1:Well, there's a lot of Victorians heading home. I saw a lot of cars heading back to Melbourne, but I'm not really in Adelaide. I'm Victor Harbour, which is a little bit away from Adelaide, but it sounds like they like it. I talked to one person. He said he liked it and it sounds like they're doing it there again next year. So it's not getting spread around, it's not going around Australia, it's staying in Adelaide. It's just mostly called Adelaide round, not gather round.
Speaker 2:So oh well, it better not get spread around it better, not Like I want to hear your boys' thoughts. This idea that when Tassie comes in it's going to give you three gather rounds, I think it's going to take away from the prestige and allure of gathering. There's three of them, you're like. Well, I don't think it's as special as having a Victoria gather round. I mean, there's six games, there's five games here a week. Anyway, I think Adelaide's the perfect one. I was talking about a Sydney one. I don't think so. It's not the right place. I think Adelaide's perfect personally. But yeah, three gather-outs is a bit yuck in my opinion.
Speaker 3:I agree it's a bit much, I think you keep. If it ain't broke, don't fix it right, so keep it how it is. It's exposing a lot of really, really good sort of rural areas in South Australia, which is great. Yeah, I'm not sure how it would go into Sydney or elsewhere. I just think Adelaide you want to keep it within the one spot while it's successful and see where it takes you the only difference.
Speaker 1:I was kind of sold that it was kind of like the magic round of the NRL and that changes location every year and goes to like rural communities more than the inner city suburbs or inner city. So I kind of thought it was going to at least change around a little bit and just have that one round, not three rounds, just the one round in Brisbane, say, just to get sort of the hype up there and sort of bring in those NRL players, bring in those sort of school kids and they can go watch three games of footy and get intrigued. So I understand that Adelaide's like a perfect situation for Victorians to get there. But I thought it was kind of back rowing the game more than sort of a marketing opportunity, sort of like a ticket sales opportunity. But I don't mind it being LA, but I thought it was going to go like Perth. They only have one game a week, maximum two games a week. Why don't we give them an opportunity to have eight, nine games?
Speaker 2:So yeah, I don't know it's great in theory and Perth's probably the only other one because I think Queensland and New South Wales you're just not going to get the interest because they're NRL states and Tassie is just too small. You just won't get the numbers. The only one Perth makes sense because they love their footy and stuff. But the time zone is a big difference. Fletch, if you're going to play games back-to-back like we've seen in Adelaide, games are going to be at 9 o'clock in the morning. Here they're going to be first in and I know it's not for us, it's for Perth, but then games are going to be weird times and maybe I don't know like it is for them.
Speaker 2:So maybe it's selfish for me as a Victorian saying, no, I don't want games at 9 o'clock in the morning, but to have back-to-back-to-back, like you saw, was it Sunday, I think Saturday Sunday had like 12.30, 4.30, 7.30 or whatever late o'clock. You just couldn't do that in Perth. You just couldn't because no one watched you be in the middle of that. But it is for the fans, I guess. But yeah, we can look into it maybe, but I just think Adelaide's the perfect one.
Speaker 1:I understand how you're going to grow the game up there if you're not there. You're not, you're not up there. You've got to be there and show a presence. If you're only having one to two games a week there and they're just a regular game, there's no hype around it how you're going to grow the game. But, um, yeah, I do understand that adelaide is a perfect situation, so I get that All right. Big question of the week Tommy, do you want to hit us with?
Speaker 2:your big question of the week. Yes, and unfortunately I'm going to not pick a team, I'm going to pick the arc and, more specifically, goal umpires. Are we seeing the beginning of the end of the goal umpire? Now, that's a little bit tongue-in-cheek, but it's getting to the point now that any one of us could goal umpire, because right now their role is to signal a goal, and that's it, because anything that has 1% of doubt, nah, let's have a look at it. So that means I could pick anyone from the crowd. Okay, you go, goal umpire. You've got to look pretty, stand there, signal a goal when to go, and that's it, because this is as little skill as you need to goal umpire right now. I've worded that terribly, but right now it requires no skill. You'll pick the best goal umpires to adjudicate tough calls like the Stengelmark or you know the ones that might have hit the post. You pick the best ones Now that they're not where they're at, and I'd love to know whether it's coaching.
Speaker 2:I'd love to know whether they're being coached to their own side of caution or they're all too scared. I was talking to Jade about it and she said it's ruining her love for footy because games are so stop-start. But she said it's ruining her love for footy because games are so stop-start. You're seeing 10 reviews a game. That's an extra. There's 10 minutes, 15 minutes right there that you're losing for just waiting for the arc. I don't know it's. I think it goal umpires are going to have to back themselves, whether it's coaching or not. But what's the point of goal umpires if they're not making tough decisions? Because you could do a fletch like I don't know the only pushback is a goal.
Speaker 1:Umpire made a decision last year. He put his nuts on the line and made a decision and he's been crucified the whole season and it was the reason why adelaide didn't make the final. So I get where they're coming from. I get why they're constantly reviewing and all the talk was this cost the team season? Why didn't review it? So now they're reviewing everything. It's been over corrected. So what do you kind of expect? A goal umpire got this. Their reputation destroyed because they made a call. Because they made one call and it was the wrong one, he got his reputation destroyed. So no shit, every other umpire's gonna learn from that. Go, I'll go. Any sort of doubt, I'll go to the ARK. So I don't know how to fix this, but the media is almost the thing that's made it happen, because of the fact that there's so much pressure about making that one call right, because it may cost a game in the end, as we saw last year.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I think for me where the confusion comes from, and the commentators have expressed this multiple times. We've been told that they review every goal anyway, like even when it goes back to the centre bounce. But there's been multiple occasions where that actually hasn't happened or like it has happened and they haven't done it correctly. So a lot of commentators are rightly saying, well, if it's getting reviewed after the goal anyway, what's the point of doing this review now? Take the ball back to the middle and then, if they go, oh no, something's happened here, you can bring it back. I think that would be something to look at and I still understand that would affect the goal umpire personally, because if they are deemed to have made a mistake, that affects them. So I guess for them they're probably a lot safer to just review it, and so I got some doubt. But some of the ones from the weekend, like in the cats uh dogs game, ollie dempsey kicking that goal, what was the review for? Well, honestly, what was the review for was? I have no idea you could see that as even someone who doesn't know much about footy, you just knew that was a goal.
Speaker 3:So those are the ones that are really frustrating, similar to cricket with the DRS, like those howlers. That's really frustrating to watch Some of them. You get it when it's the Stengel one that mark, go have a look at it. You're not sure that's really tough, but it's these really easy decisions that we think we could make as just genuine fans of the game. We haven't been trained as goal umpires. Those are the ones that are really frustrating fans and I can understand why people like jade are getting really, really frustrated and almost losing love for the game because of it, because it's not a good look at all. But I don't know what the solution is If this is the way they want to go with it, telling umpires look, continue to back yourself to review it. But we need clearer communication. Are they actually checking every goal or are they not?
Speaker 2:Tell us yeah, 100%. And even, ronald you can correct me if I'm wrong here Was there one instance in the Cats game where they called a point. The game went on and then they went back to the review.
Speaker 3:I believe, so I saw it on Twitter.
Speaker 2:That's never happened and we didn't know that could happen. So that's the concern that I've almost made that up that out of absolutely nowhere. Now, all of a sudden, there's an instance where this is what we've been calling for is keep the game going and then go back to it if there is something that's contentious. That's happened out of nowhere. So it's like all of a sudden they've made a new not a new rule, but they've made a new circumstance up without telling us. So, I think, clear communication. As you said, rod, and you're right, they review every goal. We don't need to spend five minutes and go back to the middle and then, yeah, correct or wrong. One more thing before we get on to the next question Obviously, the Carlton-Freyo game very controversial ending.
Speaker 2:Alex Pearce came out today and said the umpire actually said he didn't know what Clark said, which is another layer of confusion to it. Yeah, he came out and said the umpire's told Pearce, I don't know what Clark said, which is another layer of confusion to it. Yeah, he came out and said the umpires told Piers, I don't know what Clark said, what. Why is the umpire paying it? So I'd love to know. I'd love to be able to. I wish they'd released the audio, but they're never going to do that, so I want to hear from you first, fletch. I guess, how that eventuated. I don't really know. There's no real question about it, but it's caused a lot of controversy on Twitter. It is causing a storm at the moment. Your take, fletch.
Speaker 1:Lee Montaigne said this on First Crack last night, the one bat. He said that why, if we review goals and points, why aren't we reviewing having a coach challenge or a captain's challenge? Most other sports have it. Now it's really hard in afl because it moves so quick. It's not like the nrl where there's quite a few stops and you can kind of get a break in play. So I don't know how that would work logistically, but there should be a way to challenge in the last five minutes of a match to challenge because that was so clearly touched like it was so clearly touched um that he should be able to. There was a. He should then be able to challenge it on that stoppage.
Speaker 1:I don't think you can challenge it like a holding the ball decision that isn't called. I don't know, maybe that would create some regret, but in that situation I'd love to see somewhere you can challenge that because the wrong result happened. Freo should absolutely I know 120 bucks was this game because Carlton won, but Freo should absolutely have won this game, like with hands down, like they made a few mistakes themselves. So let's not completely blame the umpires. But that was touched Like that was so touched it wasn't funny.
Speaker 1:And then to be so precious that you've just made the wrong call and instead of just sucking up what's maybe being said and obviously didn't know it was said, but maybe what was being said said and obviously didn't know it was said, but maybe what was being said just suck that up and say I made the wrong call, but they're gonna have their sort of vent and anger at me and then we move on from instead of calling a dissent. It just seems a little bit precious. I know I'm not the person in the moment. I know maybe they said something really horrible, but if you didn't even know what he said, I think it's a bit unfair that you've just cost a game to a team just like that.
Speaker 3:And that's the whole grey area, isn't it? Because at first thought you see that a free kick is paid at that time of the game in such a dangerous area you think, jesus, something really bad must have been said, and I'm okay with that. If something terrible was said, by whichever player, bad luck. You do not abuse the umpire in that way, but again it's player. Bad luck. Like you don't do not abuse the umpire in that way, but again it's such an if of we don't know what has actually happened, what has been said.
Speaker 3:So that's a bit tricky, but I would argue that live, it wasn't so obvious that it was touched, but I was watching it and I don't think it was obvious. Yeah, it was obvious. When you get all these videos from fans that have been shared on social media and slow-mos, but in the heat of the moment, it's really hard to just call a touch like that confidently when there's no backtracking there. But I think it from very brief umpiring experience, when it's touched off a finger, it's such a distinct sound that it's a lot easier to call. When it is off a body part, like it's a bicep or shoulder or what it was for ash, I imagine it doesn't make that same sound, or it's not, as um distinctive. Like tom, you can probably speak better on this. You've been an umpire for a long time, but I'm just not convinced.
Speaker 1:It was as obvious as you're saying fletch I thought I saw the ball kind of move a bit in air when I looked at it. But I could have been wrong, it might be just my picture, but I thought I saw it kind of change a little bit. Does that make sense?
Speaker 2:It did, but in the wrong angle. So I saw you probably saw the TikTok. The TikTok. It clearly deviates. But what Rod said the biceps makes a different sound. I'm not annoyed the umpire didn't pay the touch, because I just think the last few minutes the crowd's probably going off. He's not hearing them. I think what you said, though, fletch, is correct in. Maybe this is the wrong angle to take as an umpire, because you shouldn't allow any sort of abuse to happen in the game. But if you have any kind of inkling that you might be wrong me personally, you wear a little bit of a mousse Because you're like you made the wrong call. They're going to be annoyed Now. They could have said something terrible, accused him of cheating or whatever, but then that's fair enough. But I know me. If I made a wrong call and they're having a crack at me, I'm like, yeah, shit stuffed up here on call and having a crack at me. I'm like, yeah, shit stuffed up here. But for Pearce to come out and say the umpire told him he didn't actually know, that's a problem.
Speaker 2:And I also want to kind of talk about, before we move on quickly, the free kick being paid inside 50 is ridiculous. That needs to be back in the middle. I personally thought the free kick had to be back in the middle. Now I'm going to ask. I love to get clarification. I'm going to ask, I love to get clarification. I'm going to talk to my coach at training on Thursday because I thought a free kick was back in the middle. I didn't realize. I thought he paid a free kick in 50, but he hasn't. He just paid a free kick there again. So it's a really harsh penalty to pay. But yeah, it's annoying that we're talking about that not a really close game of footy. But yeah, it's stiff for Rio, but I can understand why the umpire didn't pay touch.
Speaker 1:to be honest, All right, Riley. What?
Speaker 3:is your big question. This week I had another team lined up that I was meant to be talking about, but I changed it based off the events of yesterday. I'm going to go out there and say could Gold Coast be the GWS of 2023? Now, gws last year, they started the year four and eight under a new coach and a new system. With Adam Kingsley. They won nine of the last 11 home and away games and were one point away from a grand final berth. So I'm not saying that gold coast are going to make a prelim and be one point away. That's not what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:But they have a very generous fixture that you have spoken about a lot, tom. They play west coast twice north, twice hawthorne and they get to play richmond for the second time s and twice. There you go, and they have made bulk changes. Jima is going to, by the looks of it, implement this system. They looked great on the weekend with a couple of changes to the system and guys in new spots. Maybe they can storm home and just click at the right time of the season. So it's a big call to say could they be the GWS, but for headline's sake, can they click at the right time this top 8 is open. Brisbane are struggling, collingwood are struggling, the Saints are struggling. There's openings there. I didn't think they'd make the top 8, but I could be proven wrong. What do you guys think?
Speaker 1:With their fixture? Yes, but is that a true lie? Is that the truth of where their team is at? Probably not. When you've got West Coast and North Melbourne, that should be four wins right there, and then they should at least half those other games. So there's another four wins. So you're eight right now. You just need to find another four during the year and if you're making finals then you should be knocking off a few sides. It's very early to call, very, very early to call. I'm going to say no, I just I can't see it. They've got some great talent there, but they've got a lot of improvement a long way to go. I, with how many teams looking for the eight? I just can't see them being one of them. To be honest with you. Sorry, this is gross.
Speaker 2:Riley was so cold on them in preseason. All of a sudden they're going to be the giants of last year. To answer your question there, rod, yes, but not to the same extent. I think what you said you said not necessarily, apparently, but they're going to make a run. There's going to be a period where they're going to absolutely smack sides and they're going to look like a top 8 side at some point. Where they make. It's another story. And they're going to look like a top eight side at some point. Whether they make it's another story, but they're going to look like a top eight side for a good chunk of the season. I honestly believe that You're right, rob.
Speaker 2:They passed its selection. They gave the older blokes a few weeks, not good enough. Bang Seven changes and the young blokes stood up. That Klohesi Ray Graham got a lot of CBAs. He pushed Flanders out of the midfield. That's a midfield that hasn't changed for a couple of years.
Speaker 2:Mac Andrew, I've never seen a guy be the best player on the ground and the worst player on the ground in the same game. He cost them three goals. I think. He had two horrendous kicks and a bad free kick, but he was also the best player on the ground for most of the game Like. He was unbelievable. He's going to be one of the best in set players in the club in a couple of years' time. He was gross to watch. But, rod, I agree that they are going to make a serious charge. It's just whether they can they bank enough wins early to make that charge. Be right, you're giving them four or five wins for turning up and then you just have to, like you said, halve the rest of the games. They make finals. So, yeah, I agree, rod, they're going to make a charge.
Speaker 3:And I don't think I put enough weight into how easy the fixture is. You tried to tell us, Tom, in the preseason how easy it was, but I didn't really put much weight into it. But I think you're probably right. That has to be a factor. And they took GWS all the way. Yesterday, who have been the best team in the comp so far, scored almost 100 points against them when not many or I don't think any team's gotten close to that. So it's really exciting.
Speaker 3:Dimmer's already putting his stamp on this team. Putting Flanders at halfback. That looks like a masterstroke. Now His ball use off halfback, compared to Bartiric and Sexton, was off the charts. He beautifully would start at halfback, roll up to the stoppage and they would always look to handball backwards to him because they know how good he is using the ball. So he looked great. Lacosha's down back as well. As another good ball user. I think Dimmons realized that they need just elite ball use out of D50, and they didn't have it those first couple of weeks. And when you turn the ball over in your defensive half you're not going to win games. So Dimmons clearly recognized that and based off only one game. They just look far better. So dim is putting his stamp on this team and I think there's, yeah, like the end of the tunnel very interesting.
Speaker 1:My question of this week is pressure and hard work beats anything in the competition. I will take it over talent or system, no matter what what. So Sydney has looked really good for the first couple of weeks. They then only just got a line against West Coast and then lost to Richmond. West Coast has looked dog shit for two weeks and then suddenly turned up against Sydney. Where was that effort against the Bulldogs earlier?
Speaker 1:Gold Coast looked really good against Richmond, then really poor against the Dogs and then really good against GWSws one of the best in competition. So this sort of pressure and hard work there's. Just these teams aren't massively overhauling their system, they aren't. Gold coast made a few changes, but they didn't um sort of change too much up. They have got a relatively the same system, same players, but yet they're getting vastly different results every week or week to week.
Speaker 1:Is it just simply the mindset and willingness for players to be switched on 24 seven or for the whole game and the right preparation, or is there actually some? I think it's just purely down to being in the right position that your teammates expect you to be there right away, and this is what 60 point losses versus 20 point loss, or maybe even a win, is. Richmond was shocking the first round and then all of a sudden they I think I can't remember who they versed Carlton. They were pretty good against Carlton, then they beat the Swans and then on the weekend I can't remember what happened with them on the weekend, but right right there in that three-game span, why didn't they beat Gold Coast, considering what they dished out the next two weeks? So effort and pressure I'll take any day of a system or talent, no matter what you've got on your side. So I'd love to get your thoughts on this.
Speaker 2:I mean, the perfect example of that was the Hawthorne-Plyers game last night. Like Collingwood dominated well, at least the back end of that first half, and then Hawthorne swings Hardwick forward and they just pressure on the footy and wanted it more and they almost beat us. I think that was probably the perfect example of that fletch, that a little bit more effort around the footy, a little more pressure and all of a sudden they rattled Collingwood and it probably was stiff not to win it. So yeah, I think we're we're seeing these like big changes in results. Like you said, west Coast have been a VFL side for a couple weeks. All of a sudden probably should have a four goal lead at half time against the Swans who were saying is the benchmark. So we're kind of seeing that, that that the amount of pressure and effort is kind of dictating results and it sounds so basic to say, but you know we're seeing such big changes that, yeah, perhaps you are right, but it is interesting.
Speaker 3:Rod, what do you reckon? Yeah, and I think it speaks as well to how even the competition is now that a team that's as talented as a Sydney or whoever it could be can drop off for half an hour whether it could be a quarter and a team just makes up ground like that, for example, cats Hawks Easter Monday the Cats just elite, pressure, beautiful ball use for the first quarter up by seven goals and then it flips completely because Geelong drops off and Hawthorne, a team who most believe now are going to be a bottom four side, make the Cats look amateur. So that speaks to how talented all these teams are. But that just can't be your barometer, because we always talk about pressure gauge. It always pops up on the bottom of the screen at Fox footy and 99 times out of a hundred the team that has the high pressure is currently winning the game by a fair way. So it's always a really interesting thing to watch and, yeah, like you know, even watch the who was it mic'd up James Rowbottom during the week. They showed him and his like genuine intent to just win the ball.
Speaker 3:And it doesn't have to be pressure just to get to the ball as well, it's pressure on your teammates, pressure on the people around you, because if you can create pressure for a long period of time, then it's quite cliche. But the perceived pressure comes in as well, where teams start to worry about where you might be. They're looking over their shoulder, they're rushing their ball use because they think you're going to be there. It makes a massive difference and that's why I think Collingwood because they think you're going to be there. It makes a massive difference and that's why I think Collingwood that was such a big part of their success last year was the perceived pressure, because they hunt and that wins you games.
Speaker 1:Yep, love it. So now we're going to do we did pretenders last week or people that aren't very good, and this week we're going to do some teams that we think are a lot better and if they're in the running to make top four win a premiership or aren't really in the running and their record is bluffing us fans at the moment. So I'm going to start off with the Cats. I'm going to start off with Riley, because it's your team. What do you think is happening with the Cats?
Speaker 3:Contenders. Baby you beauty, we are back. We are good. 4-0 against four of the best teams in the comp, we're just absolutely flying. So, no, we're super borderline for me.
Speaker 3:Like we, to be honest I think, have shades of the Cats teams from a couple of years ago where we're close but not quite in that tier A of contenders. So for that reason I would say we are pretenders because I think we're in the tier below. Yeah, gws and Melbourne, for now, um, that was sort of like that team just above there and maybe another team that's in this bracket. But um, yeah, I mean we, we do look really, really strong. Uh, our defense will always be super, super tight. Got an elite forward line. It's still going to be the midfield.
Speaker 3:That just really is a concern. We saw it on saturday night liber and bont and Treloar just absolutely towed us up. Young Jai Clark looked out of his league. Tanner Bruin, after a dominant game the week before, went missing after quarter time. So that continues to be a concern. If you can't be a good clearance team, it's quite difficult to win games because you're not having the ball in your half. So I would err on the side of pretenders. Still think we're a genuine top eight. I'd be disappointed to miss the eight from here, but probably just out of the genuine contender sphere.
Speaker 2:Tommy, for me I think I'm similar, right A bit boring. It's hard not to say contender because they're just too long. Once again they're just players, fringe players from last year, and now Guns Dempsey's the perfect example of that. I think it's still pretender for now, just because they played good sides but haven't played the top few yet. So, like Bulldogs around the mark, saints around the mark, they haven't played a Sydney or a Giants. They're playing Brisbane next week Brisbane, I guess, a one and four. So I guess you can't really say they're contender. They're playing Brisbane at the Gabba. So I want to reserve my judgment until they play a Sydney or the Giants or a Melbourne.
Speaker 2:But it's hard not to say contender because they're Geelong Football Club and they just find a way. But it's hard not to say contender because they're Geelong Football Club and they just find a way. But right now their midfield is probably the only thing stopping me from saying contender. So I'm going to say pretender, same as Rod, just because their midfield, like you said Rod, is weak and something's got to change. Danger's not in it. They're relying on a 35-year-old Danger. How old's Danger Rod? He'd be mid-30s, he'd be close to that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he'd be close they're relying on an old danger who is going to get injured again. So whether he's fit in finals or another thing, but they'll make finals. But are they a top-excellent contender? Probably not yet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like you said there, Tommy, they're kind of versus the rest and they're better than the rest, but are they better than sort of the top ones, better than sort of the top one? So you've got to sit there with a pretender at the moment. It'll be interesting when they verse a Blues, or Brisbane or Collingwood. Even Collingwood and Brisbane, you don't know where they're at, but even, yeah, geoverse and Sydney are the other two that you want to see in verse. All right, tommy, your hated team in the Blues. Where do you think they are around?
Speaker 2:I'll put my bias aside. They are a contender, they just are. And the scary thing for me, boys, is they're not playing great footy and they're still winning. So I think Marcus mentioned to me on Saturday night he said that Carlton are the 2024 Collingwood they were Collingwood of last year that this cardiac Carlton is mimicking this Collingwood kind of thing where they just find a way to win when the game probably suggests they shouldn't.
Speaker 2:I think you look back at their results. Brisbane in opening round, look, they played great second half but they're not in that game. If Brisbane don't let them in. 50-50 game against Richmond. If Richmond won that game, you're like, yeah, in they. 50-50 game against Richmond. If Richmond won that game, you're like, yeah, fair play, that's a game that they probably ran too close. And then you go to Friot on Saturday. Friot were better. I just think Friot should have won that game. I honestly believe that Friot had the game on their terms and I think Friot probably run that game. But good sides just find a way to win. And Walsh, one of the best bits in the comp. To come back, I think they're missing Jack Martin. I think they're missing that third tall and Wiedering. No pre-season, he's obviously already started well, but he's going to get better again. They've got one of the best defences in the comp this year.
Speaker 3:I think they're a contender boys I agree with tommy um, and for the other reason as well, because they're finding other avenues to score. For me, last year they were so reliant on clearances and if you beat them at the stoppage they didn't really have another way to score, another way to beat you. They weren't good off turnover, couldn't really set up the ground from a kick in or get any chains going. It really was just their main man in the clearances trying to get it forward. And this year I read on the AFL website last year they were fifth for clearance differential, they're 17th this year. But there's so much more, I guess, menacing or dangerous off turnover and Freeman will squash that for 98 or arguably 100% of the game. But let it slip for a minute with a brain fade and they lose.
Speaker 3:But Carlton, it just seems like they're a more well-rounded team this year, like Tommy said, even though they're not playing pretty. They even that North game had patches where I mean North scored 80 points on them. That should not be happening. And yeah, they've won what. Brisbane, they won by a point. Richmond, they won by five points. Fremantle, they won by what like eight to ten points. But that's a bit fake. So they are skating through by the skin of their teeth, but I still somehow just think they're a contender. I think there's just this chaos, footy, and it's working, so I'll label them a contender. Fletcher. What are you reading?
Speaker 1:Oh, you two make good compelling arguments and you can't argue against four points, but I'm going to try. I think they're still pretending All those things that you said in the fact that they're not sort of winning the stats. They're not winning inside 50s. Their clearance game is quite poor when they've got extremely good players in there, like they've got Brownlee medalists and stuff like that in there. And I want to see a convincing win At some point. Give me a win where I go. Yeah, you're the best team in the or you're not. You're a top four team in the cop, like Collingwood I know you're saying about Collingwood got some close wins. They did put together some really nice games where they smashed opponents.
Speaker 3:So but they didn't win stats either. They never like they rarely won inside 50s or contested possessions. They just found a way. It's cringy, but they just did, and that's what Carlton's doing the Melbourne game, that Melbourne final.
Speaker 2:they lost inside 50s by 28, collingwood.
Speaker 1:I understand that, but how many times are you going to bet against that? How many times have we seen a team, apart from Collingwood last year, consistently lose stats that we think are critical and yet win games?
Speaker 3:Maybe that's just this new style of footy, though this slingshot scoring from turnover. I think that could just be a product of how footy is played now.
Speaker 1:Scoring from turnover is definitely an important stat. It's the main way everyone scores. But how long are they going to go on without winning inside 50s, without winning clearances, without sort of having their star players playing extremely well? I know Mackay and Kuno have been pretty good, but Paddy Cripps has been down, so I'm just betting against what the weighted numbers would generally tell you to do. That's all. They could definitely be a contender in a couple of weeks, but I just want to see a convincing win where they have at least three quarters of just good dominant footy against anyone. It could be against anyone, because north melbourne they didn't even do it against them, so just anyone 25 round season fletch.
Speaker 2:I just don't think it's physically possible to be great for 25 rounds I said for me, I said one yeah for me.
Speaker 2:I'm just willing to bank on the fact that they're going to come good at some point and, like rod said, they're doing a different way. That's going to balance out. They're not going to come good at some point and, like Rod said, they're doing it a different way. That's going to balance out. They're not going to be the 17th best side in the comp for clearance differential. That's going to even out. Right now they're purely focusing on turnover and they're doing it great. I think they'll even out where the turnover will maybe come down a little bit, but their clearance game where they bash sides, will come back up and and they'll be great again. I just think we saw last year. They did it for 11, 12 weeks and I'm willing to bet they're going to do it again at some point. It's a long season.
Speaker 1:The only other argument are you saying they're finishing in the top four, because if they don't finish in the top four, technically they're not a contender. Typically, you don't win outside the top four, apart from the Western Bulldogs in 2016. So four apart from the Western Bulldogs in 2016. So what you're saying is GWS, sydney Blues and someone else is your top four Right now.
Speaker 2:If I'm making it now, would you?
Speaker 3:Okay, they finished in top four. Yeah, Because I had them finishing maybe sixth or seventh. I thought their early injuries was going to derail the start to the year. I thought no Wiedering, no Walsh, was just going to put them far, like way too far back and then they play catch up. But they've covered that so well.
Speaker 3:I don't think we've spoken about that enough, to be honest, that their best midfielder is not playing and they are still doing this. I think Walsh is their best midfielder. Cripps is the most he has like the awe about him and he has that presence. But Sam Walsh is their best midfielder and they're finding a way with that and with other guys as well, like Kennedy's been pushed out through, young guy and Jack Carroll, who is ball use, is very skeptical but he knows how to win a hard ball. So that's good. But they have a good four or five weeks of footy coming up. They play Adelaide this week and then they go on a tough run. So they play GWS, Geelong, Collingwood and Melbourne and then Sydney. So that is five weeks of genuine top eight teams. You could argue like top six, top seven teams. So that is going to be a brutal run and that's where we'll find out.
Speaker 1:We've got three minutes left of the Zoom call and we're going to come back after this, but one thing right now. Tom Riley, I'm going to put you on the spot here and I want to say this to the listeners I haven't given any of you any notice about this. Rank, your top power ranking teams. Top eight, top eight teams. Just really quickly, top eight, yeah.
Speaker 3:Okay, I just need to look at the ladder because I'll forget teams.
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm doing it. I'm going to look at the ladder as well.
Speaker 3:GWS, gws One, melbourne, yep, yeah, geelong is third. 100% Get a big hand.
Speaker 2:It's power ranking sledge I can guarantee that no, no, no, undefeated, undefeated. Gws Melbourne, geelong, sydney, fremantle, carlton, port Adelaide, collingwood. For me I've got Giants at one, I have Melbourne at two. I have Sydney three, carlton four. That's basically the latter. So boring Ford at five, geelong at six. Where's?
Speaker 3:Freo mate, Where's Freo?
Speaker 2:307, collingwood at eight. That's purely form and I've gone basically the latter there, but I think the latter is pretty accurate right now. Consider Melbourne, number one, actually, yeah, melbourne one, giants two Sorry, fletch.
Speaker 3:Melbourne, one Melbourne one. Giants two Right. What do you got, Fletch?
Speaker 1:What do you think? Oh shit, I was calling you off guard, not myself.
Speaker 3:Did any of those pop out to you that you were like, geez, that's too high or that's too low?
Speaker 2:Well, geelong was the big one, because he didn't like your Geelong call.
Speaker 1:I didn't mind it. It's a very early call on a team that hasn't beaten anyone. That I'd say is premiership worthy. Yet.
Speaker 2:That's a power ranking splurge. That's the whole point. Of power ranking is right now. Yeah, I know, but I don't think they're going to be the third best side. But, rod, on form they undefeated, so you can't argue yeah, okay, sure, I was.
Speaker 1:I probably put a. If you beat a GWS or something like that, I'd put a bit more points against that, but I'm pretty happy. Gws Melbourne 1, gws 2, sydney 3, carlton 4, geelong 5, port 6, fremantle, and then one of the one of the one of the grand final teams. But even then, neither, neither Collingwood, brisbane, have sold me anything this year. It's pretty much based off last year, really like Collingwood beat Hawthorne, who's booked shit house for the first month. So anyway, love your work. We'll see you in the next pod. We'll see you at the after the intermission. So see you guys and welcome back to the pub test podcast. We have returned. I've been to the pub. These two fine gentlemen have stayed in the house and had what for dinner? Tacos.
Speaker 3:Mexican, mexican. I had pies and roast potatoes with some carrot and some zucchini. Nutritional.
Speaker 2:Pies and roast potatoes. That's so gross.
Speaker 1:And zucchini. It looks like little pies.
Speaker 3:Yes, we went to Ferguson Player yesterday. Got bulk cold pies. We cooked them tonight. Valued for money so we cooked them. Roast potatoes in the air fryer, in the Kogan air fryer Zucchini, little zucchini chips. So you slice the zucchini and then you crisp it, cut the chippies and fish fillets.
Speaker 1:Tommy, the best part about that is the we he did fuck all. It was all his mum that did it.
Speaker 3:There was no we in that at all. We, as a family, consumed it.
Speaker 1:Deb did everything. Thank you very much. Can you blame?
Speaker 2:Rod, though Deb is a wonderful cook, so can you blame Riley.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Jade and I cooked the tacos yesterday. I cooked the meat, so the meat probably wasn't very good. So I'd much rather eat Jade's cooking or Mum's cooking, not my own. So I can't blame Riley. Thanks, Tom. That's a weird combo, Rod. I'm not going to lie. That's a weird combo. I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 3:That's a strange combo well, you know you haven't got deb, so don't come up with me. I didn't know. I thought it was a great combo.
Speaker 1:Just I'm sure it tasted great oh, lovely to hear about your meals. Um, to hear about your meals, well asked. Hey, I didn't say it sarcastically, it might have sounded like it because I did. But, riley, give us your last man standing. Who is going to guarantee a win this week?
Speaker 3:A guaranteed win this week. I would love to tip GWS again, but I won't. So I Thank you, Tom, because we've already done them before I'm going to go Carlton against the Adelaide Crows.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:At.
Speaker 1:Marvel, I don't mind it. Whose home ground is this? Who has home ground advantage here?
Speaker 3:at Marvel Stadium, carlton would have home ground advantage is their home ground, not the MCG no, it's definitely Marvel. I really thought they were MCG they should be they have the following when they're doing well to be at the G. Oh, you know.
Speaker 1:Just point some fingers there, say some names.
Speaker 3:No, no names, Just in general. Yeah, in general, we saw the media circus last year, fair enough, then?
Speaker 1:All right, tommy, who is your last man standing?
Speaker 2:We also forgot to preface that we've changed the rules somewhat, that we are no longer allowed to pick teams that are playing West Coast or North. So I've got a little bit of feedback that it's going to become very easy that we just pick whichever team is playing West Coast every week or team is playing North. So we're banning ourselves from that just so we have a few more rounds in this game. So for me, I'm tossing up between Port Adelaide against Freo and also Carlton against Adelaide Crows. I'm sorry, Jade, I'm also going to go Carlton.
Speaker 3:That's boring.
Speaker 2:I know Jade's going to hate me, but oh, copy me. I know Jade's going to hate me, but I just can't see Adelaide. Now I hope I'm wrong here. I wouldn't mind being proven wrong and to be honest, I'm kind of hedging here that if Adelaide wins, then Fletcher wins the challenge, but then it's a new game, but the 0-4, I can't see him beating Carlton, who are 4-0 away from home and Adelaide's away form is deplorable. So I'd be utterly shocked and happily proven wrong if Adelaide prevail. So they won't be.
Speaker 1:Well, I hope this week you two are picking, getting some scratchy tickets for us to go on our Bali trip, end of season Bali trip. I'm going to go a little bit different, not too rogue, but sticking in the line of teams that play poorly away. I'm going to go a little bit different, not too rogue, but sticking in the line of teams that play poorly away.
Speaker 3:I'm going to go Melbourne for a guaranteed win against Brisbane at the MCG.
Speaker 1:I like it. Their record at MCG is not good, so I'm going to go Melbourne. Let's check you on there for Brisbane against Brisbane MCG.
Speaker 2:Come on, MCG give me that, so hopefully, you two are paying for the footy trip. Yeah, man.
Speaker 3:Nice, we can do that. No, I like that. There's a bit of intrigue in that game, for sure.
Speaker 1:For sure it's a pretty tight week. When you look at it overall, it's pretty tight. It's pretty hard to pick a team, so might as well start quickly fletch, was it?
Speaker 2:if either of you boys was there any thought of picking richmond? Oh, we can't pick west coast, but could you have that? Would you have done, richmond, if we we didn't do this rule? Yeah, definitely even though, even even at optus yeah, they've been good they've been good.
Speaker 3:West Coast have won like Two games in the last 18 months.
Speaker 2:It just feels like West Coast are going to win one this year. It just feels like a game West Coast could win.
Speaker 1:Joshua Cairn, did you hear that?
Speaker 2:Richer and Luton, I'm not going to tip them. I'm not going to tip. I'm not going to tip West Coast, but do not be surprised. They're going to win one or two games in a year. They have to win one of these games. This could be one they win, just saying.
Speaker 1:Tommy has now tipped for West Coast Eagles 2-1 put your money on it. Put your house on it. He's picking West. Coast to win, it would be about it would be about2, $3 for that to happen. Oregon $3.50,.
Speaker 2:I think $3.50. I think for the middle hang on it is $3.34.
Speaker 1:There you go. All right Tips. Happy to do some tips. Happy to do tips. Well, it starts off with the Thursday night MCG match Melbourne versus the Brisbane Lions Obviously pick Melbourne. So I'll give you a hint right now I'm going to pick Melbourne, win this game. I'd love to hear Riley's thoughts about this match and who he thinks is going to win, since he didn't tip him as a lock.
Speaker 3:Well, it's almost a lock but I'm too scared to make it a lock that melbourne are playing such good footy at the moment and you don't really want to tip against them. To be honest, the way they're playing, they look pretty complete. I I almost made them my question of the week because I sort of sat there thinking they probably have the best path to a home top four finish than anyone else. They have a buy at round six and then another buy. I believe it's round 14. Yeah, round 14. So they have two buys spaced out perfectly and it gives them a chance to rest guys like Gorn and potentially Oliver off a limited preseason. So they are very well placed. I just think they're going to be far too strong for Brisbane. They'll use the space very well. Like you said, Fletch, Brisbane seem to struggle on the big turf of the MCG, the big dimensions. I'm going to go on margin as well. I'm going to ask for both your margins, but I've got Melbourne by 34 points.
Speaker 2:That's big. I'm not as confident as you boys seemingly are. I'm not as confident as you boys seemingly are. I know Brisbane have had their woes there. I think they kind of quashed that somewhat. Now what I will say is they're playing not so great right now, so I don't think I can tip them, but I think it's going to be a lot closer. So I'm going to go Melbourne by about 15 points.
Speaker 2:That is such a vanilla margin, come on, I refuse to believe the reigning grand finalists are going to get absolutely murdered. I refuse to believe it.
Speaker 3:34 points isn't murdered. 34 points is comfortable margin of victory.
Speaker 2:That's too comfortable.
Speaker 3:What constitutes a murder for you? What's a? Murder 40 plus yes 34 is not a murder, whatever Fine.
Speaker 2:Well, we've let you call him a lock and you're saying they're very close to a lock. You're really confident? I'm just not really confident.
Speaker 3:Has Brisbane shown us anything to believe? Otherwise, no, no, against North, no, no, probably not.
Speaker 2:No, maybe I'm going off last year a bit too much, but I just don't believe that the MCG is going to kill them as much as you boys seemingly do. That's my opinion. But I think Melbourne win, but I don't think it'll be 35 plus like you're predicting.
Speaker 3:Melbourne could also just be a far better team, which they are right now.
Speaker 2:That's true, at the moment they are, but I'm banking on the buy kind of reset. Let's go again, thanks.
Speaker 3:Tom.
Speaker 1:Margin margin, margin margin margin 30 points. I'll say 30 points. I think it's going to be pretty safe. Eric Kipwood's been in not good form and he's going to come up against the best defense in the league, pretty comfortable with the best defense in the league. It's going to be a tough ask for this sort of team. Melbourne's just such an honest side. You've got to play them so honestly. Any crack you have they will find, and they don't have cracks. You've got to create everything. You've got to find ways to score. It's not going to be come off their turnovers or their sort of poor running or lack of effort. They are just a super hard outfit to play against and they'll take four good quarters to beat them. Four good quarters, not one, not two, not three. It takes genuine 120 minutes. That's why I've got them All right. The Friday night game the Western Bulldogs versus the Essendon Bombers. Tommy, who you got here and give us a little preview?
Speaker 2:I'm going to go the Dogs with not very much conviction. I think I like the look of Jamara and Darcy. I think that's your two key forwards. I think I heard a stat that targeted Norton 10 times this year. For me he's almost a waste at the moment, but we've talked about that numerous times. Really good test, because Essendon up until last week had the best midfield in the comp by stats, this year against Liber and Bond who had their own footy on Saturday night. So I think English is going to be too big a factor and I think the Dogs midfield are going to overrun them. So for me and I just don't think the Essendon forward line is going to expose the leaky Dogs defence I don't think that's going to happen so well. The Liam Jones is very good. So for me, dogs will win by about four or five goals.
Speaker 1:Rod.
Speaker 3:I think, game of the round here. I think this is going to be super, super close. But I'm going to tip the dogs. I do just worry. We saw what happens to Essendon when their midfield and Merritt and Parrish and those guys in particular don't essentially put them on their back when they don't win the clearances comfortably, they just get exposed. Their defense was getting absolutely teared up because their midfield was as well. To be honest with you, rosie Butters and Drew answered a lot of critics against them and it meant that what Port scored from 47% of inside 50s, so Essendon were just leaking scores. But whether the Dogs can capitalize, I'm not 100% certain. So I think this will be very close, but Dogs by. Yeah, very close. Not going to go margins, but Dogs just.
Speaker 1:As a Dogs fan, I was actually quite happy with the Geelong game on the weekend. I think we did pretty much everything right against Geelong, which is a very tough side to play against. So I'm a bit more positive than I was at the start of the year. Considering what happened, I feel like we've done pretty well. So I'm going to go Dogs and probably about 30-point margin there Saturday. I actually reckon we're playing not bad for you. Geelong arguably could have won that game. I'm not going to sit here and like it's close, so you sit there and kind of go. You could have won that game with a few mistakes. Geelong could say it could have been a 20-point win. I think the Dogs could have said a 20-point win, but they're both in good form. So yeah, it was a good game of footy. I know me and Riley spoke about it it was a ripping game of footy GWS Giants versus St Kilda Saturday morning. Who you got here, tommy?
Speaker 2:Probably would have been my lock if I hadn't already picked the Giants. So for me, the Giants will win back at home. Yeah. I think a little bit of a blip on the weekend, but they will Nice to see Toby Green return to form. I think he had a bit of a slow start no doubt one of the best players in the league and he flexed his muscles. So yeah, for me, the Giants.
Speaker 1:Just quickly before Ryla says something Toby Green, will he get one week?
Speaker 2:Would have come out by now, wouldn't it? I don't think he has.
Speaker 1:Not sure. I thought I saw something in the news in the pub that he might have got a week along with Cozzy Pickett. I'm assuming, cozzy Pickett, we're happy with one week there, Cozzy?
Speaker 2:yeah, and he's challenging it. He is not getting off that.
Speaker 3:He is a disgrace. He's the dirtiest player in the league it's terrible but, to be fair.
Speaker 1:I would be challenging because you never know you get off.
Speaker 3:I know it's not morally right, but I'm challenging 100 because the afl is in shambles it just leaves such a sour taste in my mouth after this whole angus brayshaw thing for him to leave the ground, bumper bloke and challenge it. But I get what you mean Objectively business side of things. Why not try? But it's pretty grim.
Speaker 1:GWS Rod. Yeah, comfortably, I'm the same there, GWS. I don't think we need to talk too much more there. Carlton versus Adelaide I'm going to go with Carlton here. I like your lock sort of theory here. Is this a game that they'll release the shackles for the Crows? It would be really interesting if they can get their forward half game going again and boot maybe 80 or 100 points. I'm going to say no, so Carlton is my winner here. We obviously know you two are the locks. I'm going to assume that you kind of think the same thing there, that the Crows won't get their season back on track.
Speaker 2:Carlton's defense is too good right now. I think Adelaide's attack's been poor. They're not going to unlock it against the best defense in the competition statistically, yeah, that's fair Hawthorne versus Gold Coast Suns.
Speaker 1:This is an interesting game, rod. I'd love to hear your thoughts from this one.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it feels like the Hawks are due for a breakout game, a real four-quarter performance, and I feel like Gold Coast is a team very susceptible to just letting a team sort of run over the top of them. But I saw enough from Gold Coast on the weekend and they're playing at home. I think Gold Coast will get the job done, but not with a lot of confidence whatsoever. Home I think Gold Coast will get the job done, but not with a lot of confidence whatsoever. I'll go Gold Coast.
Speaker 1:Yeah, tommy, what are you thinking?
Speaker 2:Yeah, rod said it that this almost Gold Coast's last few years has been defined by they had a few nice games and they lose a game that it shouldn't be losing. So this reeks of just that. For me, I'm going, whichever team is the home team, which is Gold Coast. So, yeah, this could be a close one and if it was a G I'm probably tipping Hawthorne. But for me I'm going to go Gold Coast. I think that midfield will be too good, but Blake Hardwick probably plays forward again you would imagine.
Speaker 1:But he changed the game last night. Also, we go on the Gold Coast Suns with not a whole lot of confidence, as you guys have stated. These are the ones they lose or are prone to losing. But the way that Hawthorne another thing that kind of scares you a little bit. The way that Hawthorne kind of got the game going in that second half against Collingwood, especially in the fourth quarter, and they kind of did that against Geelong too the week before. I know the Thunderstorms kind of played a part in that. But are they slowly getting their mojo back and that sort of sneaky, skillful brand of footy that they kind of found last year? I think maybe it could be coming true. But this has got a lot of issues in the back half which they will get exposed with, uh, jed walter and max king. So I got the gold coast ones for me poor.
Speaker 1:This is to me the game of the round here and we'll find out um a contender or pretender pretty quickly here, port adelaide versus the freeman or dockers. Um, it's at adelaide oval, so I'm going to pick port adelaide for that reason. But if they don't run back, uhremantle will expose them in two-way running here Fremantle's got the best spreading midfield in the competition. They run hard in defense and offense. They get to the contest. They find ground. Ball gets everywhere. This is one of the better aerobic capacity midfields in competition. They also use it very well, which helps, and their defence is just rock solid. So I'm going to pick Port Adelaide just because of the home ground advantage here. But I'm really keen to see what Port Adelaide can do when a team really pushes them and sort of keeps them under 60 or 80 points. If they can keep their resilience up and push through that, it'll be a big tick for me this week. What about you, tommy?
Speaker 2:What do you think? Yeah, this is a really, really good one, because I think we ran out of time. We were going to talk about Freo and that contender or pretender, because they're playing some seriously good footy and, like we talked about, I think they probably should have won on Saturday. I'm going to tick Paul. I just think their offensive game is going to be too good, but it wouldn't surprise me if Freo played that game style, that restriction. They did a really good job of doing that to Carlton. So no for me, port. But yeah, this is going to be a good one.
Speaker 1:Hot Rod.
Speaker 3:I'm going to swerve. I'm going to go Freo. They're going to respond from a lot of talk and a lot of drama during the week and for me, this is just a good matchup for them Port, a midfield full of players who you could argue aren't the best ball users going inside 50. And Freo are going to expose that, and Port, just to be honest, ran into a shell-shocked Essendon team and ran away with it. Freo is far more professional than that.
Speaker 3:Yes, port will probably go on a run there at home. I get that and it's a tough place to go and win, but this Frio team is really good and we didn't give them enough credit. They are an elite defense. They've got guys who are really really smart. Even their young defenders are playing really really well, so they're a well-rounded team. Like you said, fletch, they're gonna make port pay if they do have any mistakes, and I just think that they're prone to that. But, as rosie drew, uh, even horn francis, they're not elite ball users and guys like luke ryan and alex pierce the way he's playing are just gonna read the ball. So so well. So big game for ports midfielders. But I'm going to go Freo. Dust, I'm going to swerve.
Speaker 1:Yep, I like it. I think it's going to be Dust too. Oh, do we even need a tip Sunday? So Cats versus North Melbourne, GMH vs GMH vs stadium.
Speaker 3:A Kelly Underwood game. I reckon this is going to be.
Speaker 2:Kelly Underwood.
Speaker 3:That.
Speaker 2:TikTok page. They're predicting Kelly Underwood or avoiding Underwood, I think it's called that's gross. I think this is prime, isn't it?
Speaker 3:The Cats have finally run into destiny, I think this week, which is a shame, but we'll see.
Speaker 1:So if we're going to pick the score here, what are we thinking? 90 plus?
Speaker 3:Cats to be up by 50 points at half time and then the margin to be 50 points at full-time.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:I can see that. I can see North being competitive for a quarter or so, but it's hard. Yeah, you're not tipping against the Cats in front of that glistening new Joel Selwood stand which is a sexy thing. But no, for me it'll be Geelong, Like you said, big at halftime, cruise to the end.
Speaker 3:Also big watch. I think there'll be a lot of changes to the Cats team. This will be a week to give some tired old legs a rest. I reckon Hawkins Potentially Seriously could be. I think so.
Speaker 1:West Coast Eagles versus Richmond. I'm going to go Richmond but, Tommy, you might go on West Coast. Is that what you said before?
Speaker 3:Yeah, you have to double down, come on.
Speaker 2:Well, I can't tip West Coast on here and then tip Richmond on my actual tipping thing. This will be inside four goals. This will be close. This will be close.
Speaker 1:Richmond's been good, almost a murder.
Speaker 2:This will be close, Almost no, this will be close. This will be close. I think Richmond prevail, but yeah, highly ready to have 30-key goal.
Speaker 1:Is that what he did?
Speaker 2:He won't have 30, he'll have a tank, but he will dominate again 30 and a goal Put on West Coast 30,.
Speaker 1:a goal for Harley Reid 25 and a goal. 25 and a goal and West Coast win.
Speaker 3:Put it in, put your house load on it. Yeah, West Coast little win Reid 30, reid goal.
Speaker 2:He's not having a good time. Yeah, they don't want to take that.
Speaker 1:I think we'll be done with West Coast.
Speaker 2:He's broken the most tackles in the league. He's broken the most tackles in the league Reid.
Speaker 3:And they were good players. He was breaking too Grundy Heaney Rowbottom like big boys, he was breaking them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, wow.
Speaker 1:Riley, you going Richmond? Yes, absolutely All right, we've got Richmond. And then Supercoach Tommy. Now I heard that you're going to go last because you've got this big, big, big week here. You've had a massive week, you've gone up the ranking, so we'll keep you last. Riley, what happened with you this week?
Speaker 3:That is cruel. Tommy's a nice guy. I had a good week actually, which was nice. I scored 2,303. Oh, 2,305. Sorry, scaling.
Speaker 3:So moved up the ranks a bit. Um, been trading very aggressively so I used three boosts on the trot just going for it. Uh, might come to bite me in the ass, but I've just, yeah, sent it, trying to upgrade my team as quick as I can. Uh, brought in, uh, sam flanders, which was a very good watch him playing off halfback. He looked fantastic. But it meant getting rid of Nat Fyfe and watching him have 15 touches in the first 35 minutes, which was tough to watch.
Speaker 3:Got rid of Wines. Brought in Jack Steele. All week was saying do I get Took, do I get Steele? I texted Tommy, read multiple articles and finally settled on Steele and, thank God because he blew, took out of the water and then got in Sam Darcy for Jack Billings and, wow, sam Darcy needs to play more because he had like 60% game time and looked like your most dangerous forward whenever he was down there and was good in the rock as well. So he's going to make some serious cash. But, yeah, looking to trade out James Jordan this week. Got to get in that pesky bastard. Nick Martin got to get him back in because he's going to average so much If he keeps kicking the ball like this and then going to go early on closey from Gold Coast because he looks fantastic and we'll be at the expense of Howes from Melbourne.
Speaker 1:Love it, Tommy. How did you?
Speaker 2:go Back to reality. I was going very well until this week where I dropped a sub 2200 score. I am now going from 7k to 14k, so it's not terrible. But like, yeah, the one that bit me in the ass was all week. It was Draper versus Brown and my gut said Brown. Then I went to the Supercoach forums and I was like, hey, everyone who should I pick? And they went towards Draper. So I went Draper, supercoach forums and I was like, hey, everyone who should I pick? And they went towards Draper. So I went Draper.
Speaker 2:I knew that Draper would score less this week because he was going to play on Curnow and Mackay, not 70 points less. So that killed me. Brea's going to make so much money, draper will not. But look, yeah, disappointing week for me, but it's okay. You know we're back, we're back, we'll go again. 14k is still okay.
Speaker 2:So for me, this week will be Jordan up to a premium midfielder. I have no idea who, because there's about 15 guys I want to pick and I also want to do house to Khloé Heasy, like Riley is doing. So a lot of people are going to get rid of Grundy, which I will not be doing, so a lot of people are going to get rid of Grundy, which I will not be doing, but most from what I've seen on Twitter, rod, everyone's getting rid of him. I just think there's more pressing issues, so I'm going to wait until the VARs to do that, I think. But, yeah, but, fletcher, I heard that you're going to bring in a big boy midfielder this week, but how did you go this week? Before we go into that, so I had 2-2-2-6.
Speaker 1:So not too bad. But I did go Sorong 94 as my vice. So I went into Tom Green only 110, which isn't too bad. So I was hoping to get a bit more points there. Tom Stewart was a shit this week. And what was the other one that had a stinker? I think it was someone else. I swear had a stinker. No oh no, it was someone else. I swear I had a stinker. No oh no, it was Oliver. Sorry, tom Stewart had 77, so that wasn't great.
Speaker 1:I'm going to do the same thing How's and James Jordan out, primo mid and then closey. I don't know what mid I'm going to pick. You've pretty much tipped me on the head. There's so many guys I want to do. I want to do a pod like under 10% owned, just because points now are going to be so important.
Speaker 1:It's kind of just trying to go the opposite because I'm already behind. I've got to go do something different. I can't keep picking the same guys that everyone's already got. So I'm looking at Lockie Neal or Zach Merritt. Zach Merritt is a bit more cash, but I like him a little bit more and less owned, I think. But Lockie Neal is a bit cheaper, got the ankle injury a bit more, so I'm kind of a bit more I don't know who I'm swaying towards, probably between those two, but apart from that, if you've got any forwards that you know you can get, this is incredibly hard. I don't know how you guys are finishing a forward line, but I generally don't know Like Harley Reid's definitely staying, probably for the rest of the year and at this rate, dempsey's probably staying, to be honest, with you. So, um, I don't know, I don't know who forward what forwards out there are good love to get your guys inside.
Speaker 3:To be honest, yeah, in hindsight would have loved to have kept five because someone like him it feels like if he averages 80 to 85 for an extended period of time, he's a guy that you just want because it's getting to the point where.
Speaker 3:So I've got Luke Jackson, who has been great, but he's going to start leaking money quick and we have enough trades that I can trade him out for someone and then if Darcy gets injured again in six weeks, I can just get Jackson back in for 150K less. So I'm looking at who to trade to and I've got no idea. I think I'm looking at who to trade to and I've got no idea. I think I'm going to take a punt on Taylor Adams just because, honestly, like every other player, is a key forward and I don't want a key forward in my team. So going to look into that, going to let Jackson hopefully have a good score against West Coast. But yeah, fletch the forward line's just yuck. That's why we just went with guys like Tom Powell and luckily Heaney worked. But you just sort of hope these 400k guys can average 80 to 90 and that can be enough.
Speaker 2:And if someone else pops up in six weeks you grab them, but it is a dumpster fire yeah, yeah, um, I think fletch, you're talking about it earlier we can probably afford to pay a bit more for guys like Merritt, because the four line is going to be the cheapest it's ever been to finish a team, so you probably need less money. I remember preseason seeing a video from AbsMagic who's really good on Twitter. He went through how much money in previous years you would need to finish certain lines and this year you'll need like half the money because it's all going to be speculative picks like Adams. So you can probably afford to splash on a Zach Merritt. So I personally won't be speculative. Well, I don't have the money anyway, but even then I probably still. I just don't like doing it. But I think this year is probably you can afford to do it because you just fall behind. You're just going to be grab a $300K guy and see what happens, or even the end of the year we'll be grabbing key forwards.
Speaker 2:I'm more certain we're finishing our team with a charlie kerner who's like who's dropped a stinker in the hope that he can do something okay. So, um, but yeah, rod, did you have any who? Um, your best myth to bring in would be, I know, and that's probably trying to ignore the obvious ones, like a butters and stuff, because I was sort of fletcher. We're talking about it. Honestly, I don't know. I'm in the same boat, so, um, yeah, any thoughts?
Speaker 3:yeah, part of it depends on sort of a, how much money you're willing to spend and, um, how much money you have.
Speaker 3:But it's really tricky because it feels like guys are either there's no fallen primos who you really want I feel like past years it'd be a gun primo who just had two bad weeks, but this year, like it's Dawson, who hasn't scored 100. It's LDU who looks way off the pace and they're really cheap, but they might not even be top 10 mids at this stage. So honestly, I think if you didn't have Steele, I'd be seriously looking at Steele for for under 600k he looks back to what he was three, four years ago eight to ten tackles, a game contested beast. He's moving around the ground, he's getting a lot of uncontested marks, which is getting him easy super coach points. So I'd honestly be looking at someone like him and then yeah, so wrong in two weeks is going to be close, sort of 600, 610.
Speaker 3:But for this week it probably is, I think, lockie Neal in terms of uber primos, I think he might be the one I'd go Lockie Neal Merritt, just because he looks like he's a freak. Jack Steele or Laird Rory Laird has flown under the radar Fletch. He's only in 5% of teams and he's averaging 118.
Speaker 1:So that's another one to consider, drew, I was thinking about this earlier with Andy at the pub. Is Clayton Olley on your radar in like six weeks' time, because of how poor he's been scoring? Not even touching him.
Speaker 3:Next year he'll be one of my first picks, but I'm too scared of him. To be honest with you, I'd need to see a prolonged period of serious dominance to even consider him. Tommy, you said you kind of.
Speaker 2:I'm going to need to see more, for example, jordan Dawson. Rod and I had Jordan Dawson high on our list. We're going to see one big score from him and a decent role and we're probably going to try and bring him in, although you're going to need to see multiple. For me right now he's got a hand issue. He's obviously still building up fitness. I'm not ruling him out. He's going to be around 500K. It almost feels like a free hit. So I understand why people are not going to and some people won't. I understand why people are not going to and some people won't and I don't understand why. But I'm eyeing him off. But it'd be like almost after his bye. It'd be a long way down the track, but at 500K it feels like it was a steal.
Speaker 1:But you're right, he'd be a brave guy. It could be the Paddy Cripps situation from last year, where it just keeps going worse and worse and worse and worse. A few people got caught in that last year, um, all right, another good pod.
Speaker 1:Nothing else to talk about, happy with everything very happy, got a lot of head shakes here, so we're gonna wrap it up here. Thanks for listening to the latest episode of the pub test podcast. Um, that's been gather round. Hope you enjoyed. Tell a friend, tell a stranger, check out the socials um. Instagram, tiktok. Um. Check it out. Um. Leave a comment. Sort of messengers what do you want to hear or what you want to? Sort of discussions during the week. Maybe it was chris dot, chris scott, saying it would be unfair. They got a five-day break. Um, I know I got a little reaction out of there and riley, so, uh, that was good. Um, yeah, just anything. Just texas, and thanks for listening and we'll see you next time see you later.