Live blog: a dream run home (for fans, at least)

Date: July 11, 2012

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The race for the final eight

Watching Collingwood train at Gosch's Paddock, Rohan Connolly previews the big clash between the Pies and the Cats and lays down all of his tips for round 16.

That's it for today, everyone, thanks for all the questions and comments, it's been a lively session. Great round of football coming up, with some really big games that will go a long way to determining several teams' fortunes and finals finishing order. Given the way 2012 has gone, might be wise to expect the unexpected! Have a great weekend, and we'll see you back here at 12pm next Thursday.

WITH about two-thirds of the season gone, as it's been shaping all year, we're set for some sort of run towards the finals.

While there's ostensibly five teams jousting for the last remaining position in the eight, the form, not to mention the challenging draws of both Essendon and Geelong, can't have either the Bombers or Cats feeling too comfortable despite a sizeable break on the chasing pack.

At the top, meanwhile, is a logjam. Four teams are equal on points, two more a game behind, and with non-Victorian teams Sydney, West Coast and Adelaide sitting Nos. 1, 2 and 3, a race within a race for the top two, given the huge advantage of potential home qualifying and preliminary finals.

This flag is seemingly anyone's. But increasingly, it also looks a premiership that will be won, or more to the point lost, on weaknesses as much as strengths.

Are you equally enthused about the remaining eight rounds of the home-and-away season? Join a live blog with Rohan Connolly and discuss all things footy from midday Thursday

46 comments

hi rohan, collingwood lost to carlton only because they went in with a bad week of negativity leading up to that match, things like; dawes admits he is not playing well; pendles injury; this thing about revenge time (WTF); jolls blog about him at times feeling negatively about playing footy and then other times feeling he is living his dreams; and of course cloke's negotiations - it's not good leading into any game with these feelings - i hope they somehow get over the loss against carlton and put into their mindset, not a grand final replay but to get the job done, to win! to play footy this time against geelong and not to begin to think about the hawks the following week until they get the job done on the cats...

Commenter

Jimako

Location

Date and time

July 11, 2012, 4:59PM
- Hi Jimako, I think the distraction thing can be a little overplayed sometimes. Bottom line for me was that the Pies, while winning, hadn't necessarily been in sparkling form, and the Blues had probably their entire season on the line. After 10 straight wins, was probably a loss that was coming. Might actually have been well-timed in some respects, might help concentrate minds a bit. This is a big one, too, saw them train yesterday and the looked sharp enough, and the return of Pendlebury would make an enormous difference.
  
  Commenter
  
  Rohan Connolly
  
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  Date and time
  
  July 12, 2012, 12:08PM
Rohan,
I shuddered last week, when the "Connolly kiss of death" was given to the Pies. No problems with the Blues and an easy run home. They were unbackable favorites for the 2011 flag about this time last year how things changed. I assume there still a chance for the eight and probably will fit into the top four. What are the five things the Pies have to improve to finish in the top four and be a realistic grand finals prospect. Any chance you will commentating from the banks of the river Seine in a couple of weeks time to celebrate another famous victory for Cadel, surely the Age can afford a jaunt for one of its finest to take in the Tour and a couple of weeks of the Olympics. Would certainly give you the edge over the opposition commentators as we approach the finals - you could sell it like it was a Pies training camp in Arizona! Best regards from London

Commenter

David

Location

London

Date and time

July 11, 2012, 5:05PM
- Hi David, Sorry about that! My powers of the curse are still potent it seems! I think they'll be OK, 10 wins in a row is a lot more than anyone has managed this season. I still think they're the most reliable of the flag contenders, have the best midfield dpeth, and up forward, plenty of scope for improvement. And sadly, no, won't be seeing the Tour first hand, got a season to cover! Say g'day to Cadel for me!
  
  Commenter
  
  Rohan Connolly
  
  Location
  
  Date and time
  
  July 12, 2012, 12:17PM
Hi Rohan,,
For my mighty Kangas, thank goodness that there now appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel, and it does not appear to be an oncoming train!
Three questions this week for your consideration:
1) The Wellignham suspension - do you think, like myself, that 3 weeks is outrageously lenient? That was a very serious and unnecessary hit, and to get 3 weeks is absurd in my view.
2) Andrew Demetriou holidaying for 6 weeks mid-season - good work if you can get it!? It seems amazing that a seven figure salaried senior position take a leave of absence in the middle of the season. Should he have, as I read elsewhere this week, packed the thermals and gone during the European winter post-AFL season? Surely ...
3) Chris Yarran - I regard him alongsode Cyril as the game's most exciting player. What do you think?

Commenter

Greg

Location

Date and time

July 11, 2012, 9:27PM
- Hi Greg, 1. Differ a bit here, I thought that was about right. I was on the boundary not far from where it happened, and given the speed of it, think reckless was the correct grade rather than intentional. Where the penalty is out of whack with recent ones is that the victim will miss longer than the perpetrator, but then I think sometimes too much weight is given to consequences, and Wellingham earned a discount for clean record. 2. Six weeks is a fair whack, admittedly (wouldn't mind a bit of that now myself!) but I do reckon a lot of the executives' most important work is done out of season, once the year's underway it's as much about putting out spotfires, and there's plenty of others at the AFL who can do that. 3. He's a gun, very graceful mover, reads play brilliantly, and as we saw last week, has terrific evasiveness. Love watching him play.
  
  Commenter
  
  Rohan Connolly
  
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  Date and time
  
  July 12, 2012, 12:26PM
Gidday Rohan,
The bombers new clash/away/heritage/club legend/afl-enforced/pajama strip came across quite dreary and lifeless to me, like an old office filing cabinet on legs. Didn't really scream the passion and history of our regular red and black. Did we get it wrong and why was it introduced now rather than at the start of the year when players could familiarise themselves with it.
Oh and does Heath Hocking have any brains? He's becoming rather predictable.

Commenter

Mark

Location

of Cain

Date and time

July 12, 2012, 8:41AM
- Hi Mark (when is that album going to come out?!!), I reckon most clash jumpers are pretty dull to be honest, and too complicated, logos, lines and swirls going everywhere. Guess the Dons' one was simple enough, but grey is sort of wishy-washy, isn't it. That's certainly how they played last Saturday! As for Hocking, you're right, and a lot of his priors have been pretty needless, more symbolic shows of "strength" and poorly-timed. Reckon he might have got a bit of a rap over the knuckles for it internally as well as from the MRP.
  
  Commenter
  
  Rohan Connolly
  
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  July 12, 2012, 12:30PM
G'day Rohan,
as a Melbourne based Crows supporter, could not be happier after two ordinary years. For Adelaide, much depends upon their approach to games against GWS, Gold Coast, Melbourne. We need to get our percentage up into the 130s to ensure a top 4 finish. Top 2 is difficult, although Collingwood and Sydney have tougher remaining draws than us. I believe that West Coast's home dominance will see them clinch top spot, however thay play Adelaide at home in 2 weeks - could be a very big game (Taylor Walker, fix your tackling!). At the end of the day, pre-season I hoped to sneak into 8th spot, all this is just a bonus now. i will now look forward to Adelaide aiming for a rand final place by 2014, if no disasters occur (Tippet leaving?). Nearly all our young list have already re-signed.

Commenter

gocrows

Location

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July 12, 2012, 9:04AM
- Hi Crows, It's been a great effort, certainly. I had a bit of a hunch about them pre-season (prior NAB Cup), but only snuck them into my eight, didn't think they'd be this strong. Sanderson's has been a tremendous coaching debut, that's for sure. Agree about importance of top-two finish for non-Vic teams, all of WC, Swans and Crows have really poor MCG records of late, so would only want to be playing one game there at most if possible.
  
  Commenter
  
  Rohan Connolly
  
  Location
  
  Date and time
  
  July 12, 2012, 12:34PM

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The race for the final eight

Watching Collingwood train at Gosch's Paddock, Rohan Connolly previews the big clash between the Pies and the Cats and lays down all of his tips for round 16.