So today is D-Day

[LostDoggy]

G'day everyone!
So today is D-Day. That D can either stand for Doom or Dogs.
Hopefully of the latter...
Describe how your feeling right now in the lead up to the match, and also describe how you want to feel after tonights game.
Let your fellow WOOFers be your psychologists for today ;)

I for one am feeling extremely anxious, but just as excited! As it's my first preliminary final that I've been to, and just like any of you, I want this won!!
Over to you guys!

[Go_Dogs]

Agree on the anxious, I woke up at 4am and have struggled to get back to sleep.

If we have the willingness, we'll get up today.

[mjp]

Stuff the Doom Day idea. We are in another prelim - only 3 teams still playing and we are one of them...it is a time for celebrating and enjoying it.

The season might not have gone to plan, but we are still alive and DOGS DAY it is.

[DOG GOD]

Feeling a little anxious too i must say. Got a head of mixed emotions and am already playing the ideal game over in my mind. Come 7pm tonight i may have the barf bag out with the butterflies. I agree with MJP. We are one of 3 remaining teams.

Anything is possible while we are still ALIVE and in the race.

GO DOGS!!!!!

[LostDoggy]

I'm feeling fairly positive and looking forward to the game tonight. After being at 7 losing preliminary finals, I'm really hoping for a win. I want to experience Grand Final week with my team competing. I know I'll be in tears after the game, either tears of joy to get to a grand final, or tears of pain seeing Johnno leaving the ground for the last time.

GO DOGS!!!! :)

[aker39]

I just come back from Rose St, in the heart of Essendon, and it was full of Collingwood supporters, I couldn't believe it. They are everywhere, all jumping for joy. They were all saying good luck to me, and I'm sure it's only because they think they will whip our butts next week.

Last night gave me some confidence that we may be a chance tonight. Maybe our loss to Collingwood in round 1 wasn;t as bad as it looked. If the mighty Geelong can be thrashed like they were last night, than I think we can win tonight.

I'll be keeing busy today, hoping the time goes as quickly as possible.

Bring it on, it's DOG's day.

[Daughter of the West]

I felt ill heading in on the train to the final against Collingwood, I reckon that I'll be even worse this evening.

I'm clinging to the hope that it WON'T be Johnno's last game, but I'm trying to set myself up for the worst, so if the opposite happens, the euphoria will be double!!!

GO DOGS!

[LostDoggy]

I'm very nervous, but I'm like that every game. I think we will win, but I think that every game.
I keep thinking what someone on here wrote, with our history of prelim finals we will always be underdogs until we win one. So one day (TODAY) we will shock everyone and win one. I'm also inspired by the fact that I think Collingwood beat Geelong (The Greatest Team Of All) easier than they did us, even though the end margin was less.

[Ghost Dog]

Excited but realistic. Should be a cracking game of footy. We have a 50/50 chance I bet.
Much better than most pundits give us.

[craigsahibee]

I'm very nervous, but I'm like that every game. I think we will win, but I think that every game.
I keep thinking what someone on here wrote, with our history of prelim finals we will always be underdogs until we win one. So one day (TODAY) we will shock everyone and win one. I'm also inspired by the fact that I think Collingwood beat Geelong (The Greatest Team Of All) easier than they did us, even though the end margin was less.

Last night made our loss in Week 1 look better than it was (does that make sense?).

Trying not to think about tonight it it's difficult.

Just want to the boys to have a crack. Individually we can match it with the Saints, if not better them. We all have to be on tonight.

'85, '92, '97, '98, '08, '09. I'm ready in '10, how 'bout you?

[The Pie Man]

An online forum's all about passing nervous time waiting for a night like this.

Trying not to get my hopes up - and despite September historically being nothing but pain, it's still better to be there then not. DOGS DAY!

[AndrewP6]

A pessimist by nature, I prefer to not raise my expectations too much, and therefore I go into the game tonight just ready to enjoy our Dogs being in PF action. No one externally gives us much of a chance, and I've gotta say I concur with that. The dreamer in me says I'd be ecstatic if we could get up and give Johnno a crack at that elusive Cup. But the realist says our form hasn't been nearly good enough for most of the year, and with our injury issues, we're going to be swimming upstream. So I'm not really nervous or anxious - odd, I know.

However, as I get off the train at Richmond, and make my way to the home of football, seeing the majestic MCG lit up and fans pouring in, the sheer excitement of the finals will hit, as it seems to each time. I'm just going to enjoy the ride, and remember that there are 14 teams not in it anymore.

Of course I want to feel the elation of a victory, but overriding that is that I want to just feel like we've left nothing in the tank. I want the boys to have a red hot crack, take them on and give us something to shout about.

I'm supposed to go to a wedding today, and I'm coming down with a flu-related achilles injury in order to see the game... after all, I'm not THAT close to the groom. (A work colleague) GO DOGS!

[boydogs]

I am worried that we are not at 100%, with too many injuries and sore players. I can't see our youngsters Grant, Wood, Hooper and sore players Ward, Williams, Lake standing up.

I have a sense however that we are going to kill them in the middle - Boyd, Cross, Griffen, Picken, Addison plus Hudson and Minson to be tougher than nails and dominate the contested ball

Everything crossed...

[boydogs]

I'm coming down with a flu-related achilles injury

lol :D

[angelopetraglia]

"Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment
Would you capture it? Or just let it slip?"

"You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo"

hO2wA0Te0wM?fs

[LostDoggy]

I'm coming down with a flu-related achilles injury

Andrew, I hope that flu-achilles problem sorts itself out - nothing worse (except maybe a hayfever knee injury! :D)

[LostDoggy]

BTW - I think it is...........DOGS DAY!!!!!!

[AndrewP6]

Andrew, I hope that flu-achilles problem sorts itself out - nothing worse (except maybe a hayfever knee injury! :D)

I hope it persists...I'd rather go to the game than the wedding! :)

[ratsmac]

So I'm glad that I'm not the only nutbag that is nervous over a game of footy that I'm not even playing in. Very anxious about tonight, but I have a feeling that tonight will be Dog Day. I too am always pessimistic when it comes to the doggies, but tonight just could be the one.

[cinder]

So I'm glad that I'm not the only nutbag that is nervous over a game of footy that I'm not even playing in. Very anxious about tonight, but I have a feeling that tonight will be Dog Day. I too am always pessimistic when it comes to the doggies, but tonight just could be the one.

You're not, I feel sick :S

[LostDoggy]

You're not, I feel sick :S

Cinder, I spent most of the last 10 minutes of last years NRL grand final in the toilets at ANZ Stadium as I thought I was going to be sick!! I know how you feel. :o

[1eyedog]

It's a weird feeling, like being trapped in a Dali painting, whatever that feels like. Prelim day when your team is playing floats by like a dream. My stomach is unsettled, I'm tired because I woke up at 5.30am and the first thought in my head was we are in a Prelim tonight and I really wish 7.30pm would come around.

I don't know what I would think or do if we won tonight, I just can't think that far ahead. I have dreams of moving the ball super quick and splitting St. Kilda down the middle, just once...please?

[Murphy'sLore]

Weirdly I feel less nervous today than I did last week. I'm just rapt we're still in the hunt. Realistically I think we've been the fourth best team this year, we are where we deserve to be tonight -- anything more will be a massive bonus.

Having said that, I have hope in my heart -- believe we are a genuine chance tonight if we come out fighting hard. The Saints are flaky, they could crumble like a Sarah Lee pastry!

I could even handle being smashed by the Pies next week just to get into the GF (blasphemy I know). Just to be there...

[Mantis]

I am worried that we are not at 100%, with too many injuries and sore players. I can't see our youngsters Grant, Wood, Hooper and sore players Ward, Williams, Lake standing up.

I have a sense however that we are going to kill them in the middle - Boyd, Cross, Griffen, Picken, Addison plus Hudson and Minson to be tougher than nails and dominate the contested ball

Everything crossed...

You say that, but still expect us to win by 41pts (as per your prediction in game day thread). We would need our backline to play out of it's skin for this to happen and this piece doesn't fill me with hope.

[bornadog]

I just come back from Rose St, in the heart of Essendon, and it was full of Collingwood supporters, I couldn't believe it. They are everywhere, all jumping for joy. They were all saying good luck to me, and I'm sure it's only because they think they will whip our butts next week.

Last night gave me some confidence that we may be a chance tonight. Maybe our loss to Collingwood in round 1 wasn;t as bad as it looked. If the mighty Geelong can be thrashed like they were last night, than I think we can win tonight.

I'll be keeing busy today, hoping the time goes as quickly as possible.

Bring it on, it's DOG's day.

Also Geelong's thrashing makes the Saints form not as good as first thought. The Saints have had a poor 8 weeks themselves, only hidden by a finals win that could easily have been a loss if it wasn't for that free kick. They lost to Adelaide and Essendon and drew with the Hawks and then a lucky win to Geelong.

I am starting to feel nervous, but want to enjoy every moment as the win tonight will mean so much to so many that have waited for so long.

[The Pie Man]

Am now nursing a pint of Fat Yak at the London Tavern to calm the nerves...it's not working, I'm wound tight.

My wife asked me before I left would I cry if we won tonight...if you don't like the sight of a grown man losing it, look away if we win :)

[boydogs]

You say that, but still expect us to win by 41pts (as per your prediction in game day thread). We would need our backline to play out of it's skin for this to happen and this piece doesn't fill me with hope.

Disagree on the backline bit. Their goals come from turnovers, we need the midfield and forwardline to play out of their skins, the defense has no chance otherwise.

As a said, I think we will dominate contested ball from the centre and from around the ground stoppages, and so keep the ball in our forward half enough to kick a winning score. I'm thinking something like 10 goals to 8 before we kick away in the last 10 minutes