To be fair, so did most of the team.
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Agreed, we go in a player lighter (no pun intended) if we play him round 1
And weāre still debating and thinking heāll probably play 
If Walla plays heāll likely kick a few in the first half.
All up and about. Stay the distance unsure. Then Menzie kicks a few 2nd half. Team on a high and 2MP clunking and goaling. Weiderman chipping in. Who knows what Alwyn does.
Letās go in positive and dissect later. Big Sammy might even kick goal of the year again. Hawthorn wonāt want Voss in. Bring.
CANāT WAIT!!!?
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Iām not sure if heāll play seniors or not. He didnāt look ready in the practice games.
Having said that, I know who Iād rather coach against out of him and Snelling, with due respect to Snelling.
My heart says play him when heās ready, and I think thatās not yet, but I could be wrong. My gut feels as though he will play this week.
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Us selecting him wonāt prove anyone wrong who is claiming that he isnāt at the required fitness level to play 4 quarters of footy at AFL level. To assert as such would be comparable to saying the club always makes the right decisions.
I think weāll play him but I donāt believe we should as itās pretty evident that heās not where he needs to be yet. And thatās completely ok, he is coming from a long way back, itās not a slight on him. He should be given a few games in the VFL at least from what Iāve seen.
Of course some of that is āguessworkā if you like, by looking at how he covered the ground in the 2 practice games and also the visuals of the condition heās in.
I suspect we pick him and he might do the odd thing on talent (of which he has plenty) but that he will not be able to run defensively and offensively at the intensity needed for 4 quarters of footy.
If he does get picked I obviously hope myself and others have misread the situation and heās at a fitness level that is consistent with the high standards we are purporting to uphold under this new regime and that he goes well.
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Just look at him!
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Pretty evident? Based on what? Just your perception based on photos or a training session youāve seen?
If he is picked he wonāt be miles off fitness wise. He wonāt be Lachie Neale but he doesnāt need to be.
If thatās the only thing that matters he would have been running laps and nothing else at training.
The club has prepared him to play AFL footy and Iām backing the club.
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That, and he didnāt get near it when he played. When the senior coach says āif youāre not fit, you wonāt playā, and then you potentially select a bloke who is badly out of condition, that doesnāt send a great message to the rest of the playing group. Heās still got a way to go. We have enough small forward options that can play right at the moment that we can afford to play him in the VFL for a solid 3-4 weeks, get him fully match fit, trim down a bit more and once heās ready, get him in. Nobody is doubting Wallaās ability at all. The intensity of the season probably will be significant great than match sim or a practice game.
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A lot of people saying heās not fit and using as evidence a quiet practice match, which he got better in as the game went on. Think it makes more sense to view that performance as someone who hasnāt played in 18 months, rather than assuming it was lack of fitness.
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This.
I remember coming back from a year off and I was no where near it.
I wasnāt anywhere near it before the year off either.
And after a year of being back - I was no closer.
Actually I donāt think I was ever near it to be honest.
But this is Walla weāre talking about - heāll get a bit closer.
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I expect him to make it into the squad for Sunday but, I think Menzie might just beat him into the final team . On the other hand if he plays, it will be great to see him back playing again.
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What is good is that wherever he is at right now, heās completing every session and no soft tissue issues are cropping up, so heāll be better each week.
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Doesnāt seem that way!
Brad and the coaches must have felt he wasnāt ready yet either hey.
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Thereās a difference between those that have an opinion and those that know what theyāre talking about
ā¦
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Tippa as sub. I called this over a month ago.
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It was a beautiful moment today.
Itās hard to see him getting back to the required fitness, but nice that he was still able to make some memories.
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As fans, we need him, we love him.
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From AFL.com
Tippaās return adds to positive Bomber vibes
Sundayās contest was well and truly decided before he came onto the ground, but the impact Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti had on this game ā and potentially on Essendonās season ahead - canāt be underestimated. Even as their side was racking up the goals, Bombers fans had one eye on the bench as they waited for the cult hero came on as a sub, and his arrival created an electricity in the MCG that charged Essendonās players with more than just energy. Brad Scott has talked about how important it is to welcome āWallaā back to the club as part of his desire to fix the damage of the past few years. If Sunday is any indication, the heart and soul of Windy Hill has returned. ā Howard Kimber
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