The team you most fear and why?

[LostDoggy]

Firstly I should state that I think we can beat any team in the competition and last year proved that but I'd like to know which team you most fear and why?

The team I most fear is the Crows. They are an excellent team but for some reason they really do appear to save some of their best football for when they play us. It doesn't mean we can't beat them and we have a few times in recent years but this is the team that I never feel that confident against.

I think the fact that they are such and even team across the park means that they can't be easily exploited. They play accountable football and rebound very well and when their game is on they can really stifle our othewise very good midfield.
Our win last year against them was probably the most enjoyable from my perspective.

Is there any other teams that you don't enjoy playing?

[bulldogtragic]

Any team with Cousins, Judd, Kerr, plus a good ruck in Cox, plus decent talls like Hunter and Lynch has got to make you cautious.

[alwaysadog]

Adelaide are my bogey team. They have potentially got it all. Mercurial players like McLeod, tough ones like the Roo, and then a range of emerging KPP some of whom had injury interupted seasons last season.

The other two main contenders Weagles and swannies, can be beaten if we can match their physical force.

FWIW there is not much difference between team 1 and team 16 that can't be accounted for by conditioning and what's between the ears.

What marks out the big 3 is there mental toughness and their conditioning, so the one to worry about is the one which you can't physically prevent from dominating you or the one that has the capacity to do the unexpected. Adelaide used to have that, whether they still can remains to be seen, but I'm wary.

[bornadog]

I suppose in Victoria Melbourne seems to have the wood on us over the past couple of years. They seem to match up so well against us and there isn't much we can do. Interstate, I would have to agree that Adelaide at home is really tough, you only have to look at the last two beltings we got over there.

[Dry Rot]

Which teams haven't we beaten in the last 2 seasons?

Just the Swans and and the Saints?

[BulldogBelle]

I would have to say St Kilda their strength is always a big factor against us, our games usually are close but then they go into that next gear and get over the line. Another one I hate playing against is Melbourne I always have a fear when we play them.

[southerncross]

I suppose in Victoria Melbourne seems to have the wood on us over the past couple of years. They seem to match up so well against us and there isn't much we can do. Interstate, I would have to agree that Adelaide at home is really tough, you only have to look at the last two beltings we got over there.

I agree but funnily enough I still don't rate the Dees that highly. I really rate our chances every time we play them. Their record against us suggests that I must have blind faith though.

It's interesting about the Crows. They don't really have a forward line that can hurt us but they do seem to rattle us. The Saints are the concern for me. Two or three key forwards and we struggle when one or two of them get going.

[BulldogBelle]

I agree but funnily enough I still don't rate the Dees that highly. I really rate our chances every time we play them. Their record against us suggests that I must have blind faith though.

I am the opposite, I always feel really anxious when we play Melbourne. I think of Aaron Davey doing his "Runs" and kicking goals, I think of the "Neitz" factor he has a great goal record against us. I just wish that the Melb team would go with their supporters up to the Snow with their 4WD's the weekend that they play us.

[bornadog]

The Saints are the concern for me. Two or three key forwards and we struggle when one or two of them get going.

The Saints forward line is a real concern to us. Last year we really struggled against the Saints, especially the second time round.

[Dry Rot]

Surely would have to be the swans - we haven't beaten them since 2002.

[Go_Dogs]

I'm on the Adelaide bandwagon too. They always destroy us at AAMI, and although we have had a couple of good wins against them at the TD and MCG in recent years - both can be put down to acts of brilliance from good players. Darcy kicking 5 at the TD and Cooney matching that with Westy having 40 odd touches at the MCG gave us that win.

I really would like to play them again, just so we can beat them in a final, but at the same time I wouldn't be overly confident. Not in Adelaide at least.

The thing with Sydney is we haven't had a fair game against them for years due to selling our home game, and I feel that if we played them on a bigger ground where it's harder to keep a game tight and play that highly contested brand of footy, our players would be able to run through them - much like they do against Adelaide when we manage to beat them.

Adelaide just has a lot of bad memories, especially living in the city that's Crows mad.

[Sockeye Salmon]

I'm on the Adelaide bandwagon too. They always destroy us at AAMI, and although we have had a couple of good wins against them at the TD and MCG in recent years - both can be put down to acts of brilliance from good players. Darcy kicking 5 at the TD and Cooney matching that with Westy having 40 odd touches at the MCG gave us that win.

I really would like to play them again, just so we can beat them in a final, but at the same time I wouldn't be overly confident. Not in Adelaide at least.

The thing with Sydney is we haven't had a fair game against them for years due to selling our home game, and I feel that if we played them on a bigger ground where it's harder to keep a game tight and play that highly contested brand of footy, our players would be able to run through them - much like they do against Adelaide when we manage to beat them.

Adelaide just has a lot of bad memories, especially living in the city that's Crows mad.

The only thing the Crows have got going for them is their home ground and Neil Craig. Ordinary list with 1-2 ageing guns. They won't make the 8.

[GVGjr]

The only thing the Crows have got going for them is their home ground and Neil Craig. Ordinary list with 1-2 ageing guns. They won't make the 8.


I said the same last year. I agree that the list looks ordinary but somehow Craig has got them playing very good football.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Adelaide @ AAMI.

Never get close. They have, literally, the last two times destroyed our side.

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St. Kilda.

One of Gehrig, Kosi, Riewoldt or Hamil always manage to kill us, kick 6+ and win the game for The Saints. Every time.

They're basically the only team I come into a game thinking, "Damn, this is gonna be hard".

[dog town]

As most people have said I dread playing the crows. The most well drilled side that I can remember and the amount of money they have is starting to make a difference. I read somewhere that Craig has blokes taking stats on things like unrewarded running into space and creating space for others. They are just looking for every single advantage they can get.

I think people have got our problems with Stkilda a little wrong. Yeah their tall forwards killed us in round 21 but we were beaten at our own game. They absolutely murdered us at the stoppages (probably their biggest strength) and then they even ran us into the ground. If the saints are out running us then we are in big trouble. If we can get a game played on our terms we will run all over them IMO its just we havent been able to do that for more than a quarter or so.

[Go_Dogs]

Crows will make the 8, w/o doubt. They have a few quality kids coming through their ranks also. Maric and Messen and promising, as is John Griffen in the talls department, plus Van Berlo, Richard Douglas, they are going to be ok this year, don't worry about that.

[Mofra]

One from leftfield - North Melbourne

Whenever we are higher on the ladder, they seem to do well against us.
When we were struggling, we still seemed to be able to beat them.