There are plenty of things we need to work on over the next couple of days before we fly back down to Melbourne to take on the Demons at the MCG.
One of those things will most definitely be how we move our ball into the forward line. It’s probably hard to believe, but we actually went inside 50 metres more times than the Bulldogs (52-50) - even though they kicked 13 more goals. Obviously our ball use wasn’t too effective.
It’s always exciting to play at the MCG because we don’t get the opportunity too often. Back in 2009 we played there a couple of times - including the Semi Final against the Bulldogs - but visited the ‘home of football’ only once last year. On that occasion, Melbourne beat us pretty convincingly which dented our confidence a bit and started a bad run of losses.
A few of the boys from last weekend would never have even played a senior game at the MCG, so it should be a special experience for them.
Guys like Jesse O’Brien, Rohan Bewick, Ryan Lester, Broc McCauley, Claye Beams and Pearce Hanley would probably have never played on the ground, while there’s a handful of others - including myself - that would have only played there a couple of times.
The ground itself is not too different to the Gabba so it should suit our game style. Although history suggests we don’t have a flash record there over the past few years.
Maybe it’s because of the aura surrounding the stadium, or the fact that we’re always up against the home side who generally have the bulk of the crowd support.
We expect it to be no different this Sunday against Melbourne, although hopefully a few of the Victorian Lions fans come out and provide us with some support in the stands.
There was a good selection of fans at Etihad Stadium last week and a few even hung around to see some of the boys at our aftermatch function.
I popped up briefly and was surprised to see so many of our fans with smiles on their faces. After such a tough loss, they were still willing to hang around and see us. I know all the boys who attended the event really appreciated their support.
Hopefully we can give everyone something more to cheer about on Sunday.
