It’s started already. AFL coaches take an almost orgasmic pleasure in messing with fantasy coaches’ heads, and Geelong coach Mark Thompson is no different. Speaking to local rag the Geelong Advertiser while waiting for the plane to Adelaide, Bomber dropped the bombshell that pre-season fantasy favourites Brent Prismall and Harry Taylor were not going to be named in the Cats team for round 1. Neither player is mentioned in the article at all, but the piece displays a complete lack of acknowledgement that David Wojcinski will miss out with a ruptured finger tendon, which injuryupdate.com.au has as being at least a month-long injury. It was generally thought that Prismall was Wojo’s ready-made replacement. Max Rooke’s injury is discussed but Taylor is not nominated to replace him on the backline, his spot apparently going to Tom Hawkins. Ryan Gamble is allegedly the third of three ins.

I’m quite prepared to believe that the journalist who wrote this was incompetent enough to misquote Thompson and get his or her facts wrong. The end result is that we are going to have to wait to see whether Taylor, Wojo and/or Prismall are named today, and then the countdown begins to those 70 minutes of madness the final teamsheets 45 minutes before the match where we find out how much Bomber is speaking out of his rear end.

Oh, and BTW, I wouldn’t pick up Trent West. If I had Brendon Lade in my team, however, I’d seriously consider making him captain for round 1.

EDIT: Further confirmation from Superfooty: Brad Ottens will miss Geelong’s season-opener