Who we should beat and why

[Salems Lot 2,392]

I don't know about you but I have started looking at the run in to the end of the season. If one buys into the notion that we can only win 2 1/2 more games for the season here are my thoughts on who and why:

All of North Melbourne, Richmond and Port are very beatable but we have already beaten the toigs once, Port will bring their Flat Track Bully game plan to play us and probably sneak a win and we are playing the Roos at the Dome (enough said).

We are also playing a couple of other teams who we will do well to stay with for the whole game: eg The Cats at Skilled.

This brings me to the ones that I hope don't get away:

After a number of very close and honorouble losses, I hope that we come up against a rampant Freo and beat them from 54 points down at half time (just for old times sake) Don't forget, they did put us out of the 2006 finals campaign so we do owe them. The following week we come up against Carltank (for the first time this year) I don't need to go into all of the history of this club but suffice it to say that it would be so sweet to be the team that derails their failed finals campaign with an upset win. Finally we have the Sainters who could very possibly be undefeated when we meet. It would be nice to be the team that spoils their perfect record for the year by finishing with a draw against them. This would take us into the end of the season without a loss in the final 3 rounds and quite a lot of belief to take into the preseason still keeping the PP in tact.

[Bring-Back-Powell 13,447]

I'd actually like to beat North Melbourne at Etihad for 2 reasons:

1) We've been North's [censored] for the last 3 years. For a team low on talent, they've sure made fools of us. I've never forgiven North (or the Dees for that matter) for spoiling my bucks party by killing us in round 4 last year at the G. My mates couldn't believe how bad the game was and how bad Melbourne was.

2) Would be nice to finally win a game at Etihad. May help overide the unwarranted negative perception that heaps of MFC fans have over the stadium. Plus would be our first win away from the G for 2 years.

[olgreydingo 51]

An ideal ending to the season, have two draws, and finish with giving the saints a belting in the last round.

[killawatts 0]

Would love to see us belt Carlton with Chris Johnson in the team. As i recall he didn't play in our last clash and I was looking forward to seeing Sylvia and Moloney getting stuck into him. Also be good to show Warnock and Judd who the real team on the rise is.

[TonyMelb 7]

Would love to see us belt Carlton with Chris Johnson in the team. As i recall he didn't play in our last clash and I was looking forward to seeing Sylvia and Moloney getting stuck into him. Also be good to show Warnock and Judd who the real team on the rise is.

Hopefully the MFC players moved on from Chris Johnson's departure be Xmas 2008!

We dont want to beat either Richmond or Freo to make sure they each win more games than MFC to make sure of the 2nd first round draft pick! Pt Adelaide and Nth Mlb are danger games!

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

I don't know about you but I have started looking at the run in to the end of the season. If one buys into the notion that we can only win 2 1/2 more games for the season here are my thoughts on who and why:

Correction. We cannot get more than 4 wins. ....repeat 4 wins. We get 4.5 wins and we lose the PP.

Given how poor we have been we will struggle to beat anyone unless they are tanking. And why would we give them a free leg up on the draft rankings?

Would love to see us belt Carlton with Chris Johnson in the team. As i recall he didn't play in our last clash and I was looking forward to seeing Sylvia and Moloney getting stuck into him. Also be good to show Warnock and Judd who the real team on the rise is.

You are dreaming about the outcome and the likelihood with Chris Johnson. His form at Carlton only confirms where he was at MFC. I am not sure you will show Warnock or Judd anything at all.

[heartbeatstrue 57]

Can someone please explain the intricacies of the PP system, is WC our only other competitor this year for a PP? If they tanked from here on, how would PP's 1 & 2 go... what order (along with the main draft)? What clown dreamed up this system? I hate it (but I want us to benefit from it nevertheless!!)

[Redleg 38,091]

Can someone please explain the intricacies of the PP system, is WC our only other competitor this year for a PP? If they tanked from here on, how would PP's 1 & 2 go... what order (along with the main draft)? What clown dreamed up this system? I hate it (but I want us to benefit from it nevertheless!!)

If West Coast and us win 4 games or less we each get a PP. The lowest placed team goes first and then the other. The picks then go in usual draft order, lowest to highest. For us to get 1 and 2 West Coast must win another game and we must finish last with 4 wins or less.

[heartbeatstrue 57]

So is this correct, neither of the teams currently on 3 wins (Richmond & Freo) qualify for a PP this year?

And what happens if WC finish on 4 wins, with say another team between us & them, what order do the picks (including the 2 PP's) go then?

thanks.

[45HG 1,539]

They will get a PP, but at the end of the first round (i.e. before the second round, pick 17/18).

If W.C. end on 4 wins, they will get a PP (which, again, comes before the round). We'd get 1 and 3, they'd get 2 and 5 with the team in between getting 4. I think.

Edited July 8, 2009 by 45hotgod

[titan_uranus 22,811]

I'd like us to beat all of them. But since that's neither a realistic probability nor a good outcome for the club, I'd most enjoy us beating Carlton and Richmond.

However, it's more likely that we'll lose to Carlton and beat Fremantle instead.

Really, so long as we win two more (and only two) then it doesn't matter who we beat.

[Guest Rojik of the Arctic]

Carlton - I would love to wipe the smirk off those cheating SOB's faces.

Edited July 8, 2009 by Rojik of the Arctic

[Danny_Deckchair 0]

With our upcoming matches I wouldn't be surprsied if we win 4 coming into round 21 and then Carlton costing us the priority pick YET AGAIN

[Akum 2,660]

None of the sides in reach of the finals will lose to us. It's such a tight race for the finals that losing to us might mean the difference between 6th & 9th, or 4th & 7th, for example. They'll play all out, tag all our best players, put pressure on the younger players all day etc etc. That cuts out PA, Cats, Swans, Carpton & Saints as wins.

Toigs & NM won't lose to us. They ruined their tanking prospects by taking on new coaches who are auditioning for next season and beyond. If they lose to us, goodbye senior AFL coaching career, next year or ever.

So in 7 of our 8 games, we meet sides who are better than us with far more to lose. It's actually good timing that we play Port this week and not Round 22 when they might have lost touch of the 8 and have dropped their bundle completely

That leaves Freo at MCG round 20 as the only possible win. Also means that we can afford to win another game without jeopardising PPs, and we play Carpton at Etihad the week after Freo with the chance to wreck their whole season. Then we can finish the season with a close and honourable loss to the eventual premiers St Kilda in a high-scoring game in which Stef Martin holds Kosi goalless, JW & LJ each kick 5 and Morton is BOG.

[Je Roos Salem 661]

Port Adelaide, Geelong, Sydney, Richmond, North Melbourne, Fremantle, Carlton and St.Kilda.

If we could.

[dreamin' man 0]

I would get easily the most satisfaction from beating Carlton -- because of their "culture", Judd & Johnson & because I loathe them.

[Guest Rojik of the Arctic]

I would get easily the most satisfaction from beating Carlton -- because of their "culture", Judd & Johnson & because I loathe them.

Johnson? Best give away we ever did. A Carlton mate of mine was rubbing it into me earlier this year telling me that he was "the pick up of the PSD". I pointed out that he hit targets rarely and he should keep an eye on a fella named Jurrah. He's been pretty quiet lately

[dreamin' man 0]

Johnson? Best give away we ever did. A Carlton mate of mine was rubbing it into me earlier this year telling me that he was "the pick up of the PSD". I pointed out that he hit targets rarely and he should keep an eye on a fella named Jurrah. He's been pretty quiet lately

Agree, Johnson is a nothing player. It's just that beating Carlton, & I reckon by then -- rd 21? they'll be heading for the finals, trying to shore up a place -- I'd like to land a blow to expose them as an ordinary side.