Is the optimism fading?

[Jerry Lundergard 420]

Maybe i am jumping the gun just a tad, but the immense optimism i had around the time we beat the Lions and were sitting at 3-2 is starting to fade a little.

Expectations were probably raised a little due to that 3 game run, against what now appears to be weak opposition. But 1 win and 5 losses later, i find myself pondering are we going to be in a battle for the wooden spoon again, because even the Tigers are playing better than us at present, and interstate teams will alaways snag a couple at home.

Injuries mounting, players out of form, very few avenues to goal and tiring kids will be contributing factors to our fortunes in the second half of the season as our team continues to balance between development and trying to get wins.

I am still optimistic for our future and firmly beleive we will play finals next year, but am just starting to feel a little shaky about whats ahead in a tough second half of the season.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

You were being unrealistic.

THe younger bodies will have good games and they will have bad games. There will be ups and there will be downs.

I would be excited by every game we play as the quality on our lists gets that bit of extra experience they will need to be good football for 22 rounds and 4 weeks in September.

[e25 5]

Maybe yours is.

I think those that were predicting doom after the NAB Cup and then were eyeing the top 8 after beating the Lions, will continue to yoyo and their expectations are probably right down again.

Personally, I think we are exactly where I expected us to be.

I've posted as much in the past.

We will undoubtedly have some tough demoralizing losses.

We will also beat some teams we shouldn't.

Such is the fate of a young developing team. The future is bright.

It'll be a rocky ride but just sit back and enjoy it (you might need to hold on tight at times).

[Sir Why You Little 37,136]

Losing Petterd after round 6 put the forward line development way behind.

My future optimism is the same-i just know that patience in large doses is needed.

[Neita3000 37]

I would have loved to see how far we could have gone with a fully fit LJ and Petterd but alas it is not to be.

Just gives another kid an opportunity which is what 2010 is all about

[Freak 100]

we've got the biggest injury list in the afl. No Lj and Petterd as previously mentioned changes the whole dynamics of the team. Not to mention some bad game-day coaching by Bailey especially against West Coast when he didn't play Frawley on Kennedy.

[jayceebee31 761]

I said at the start of the season that I'd expect to win 7 games. Getting beaten by Collingwood and the Bulldogs- by less than a goal- I now think that if we win another two- Richmond and North- then we have had a fair season. However On the Couch last Monday Sheehan and Hird thought we should be able to win another four games(8 in total)

[stuie 7,374]

The obvious young talent we have is keeping my optimism from fading, but the seemingly sinking skills from some of our older players is making my frustration build... Easy to confuse the second with lost hope, but it's just the natural progression or the changing of the guard if you will

[dee-luded 2,959]

Maybe i am jumping the gun just a tad, but the immense optimism i had around the time we beat the Lions and were sitting at 3-2 is starting to fade a little.

Expectations were probably raised a little due to that 3 game run, against what now appears to be weak opposition. But 1 win and 5 losses later, i find myself pondering are we going to be in a battle for the wooden spoon again, because even the Tigers are playing better than us at present, and interstate teams will alaways snag a couple at home.

Injuries mounting, players out of form, very few avenues to goal and tiring kids will be contributing factors to our fortunes in the second half of the season as our team continues to balance between development and trying to get wins.

I am still optimistic for our future and firmly beleive we will play finals next year, but am just starting to feel a little shaky about whats ahead in a tough second half of the season.

I suppose it depends on your goals you had from the start.

My goals are Solid & Large but they Are Long Term! I'm hoping for around 13th or 14th, and getting new careers off the ground with valuable experience & a solid transfer of playing personnel. I'm hoping we have the Nucleus of our future leaders established by the end of the season and I feel we're well on our way to doing this. I'd like to see Strauss & Cheney more progressed by the end of the season & maybe Tapscott & possibly Blease with 1 or maybe 2 games as a teaser to the future.

I'll be happy with this progression as I am to date with the management going on.

Next year my Aim in games would be to ramp up some more with an eye on making the lower Eight & starting to have the outline of a Strong Functioning Forward zone.

I'm still interested in this coming draft to fit the last apparent gaps to our Rubics Cube & am looking forward to our obvious exciting future.

Edited June 8, 2010 by dee-luded

[heartbeatstrue 57]

Hi Jerry, the optimism's giving way to realism!

Rhino's right, for where we're at (skills, experience, physical development) there's lots and lots to be excited about every week. I'm expecting to lose on QBD but looking forward to seeing our list play, get another game under the belts, and who knows who will be the bright stars for us on the day. Maybe McKenzie & Gysberts get to play together, the day would be exciting just for that. And there's heaps more...

The optimism's a few years away, but the realism is that it's definitely coming.

[heartbeatstrue 57]

we've got the biggest injury list in the afl.

I reckon Geelong's is bigger.

[45HG 1,559]

We've had one poor game in a row.

Though two poor games in a row at the G is disappointed. Better not make it 3 - though I don't think we will.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Losing Petterd after round 6 put the forward line development way behind.

No it didnt. It just put Petterd's development behind.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

we've got the biggest injury list in the afl. No Lj and Petterd as previously mentioned changes the whole dynamics of the team. Not to mention some bad game-day coaching by Bailey especially against West Coast when he didn't play Frawley on Kennedy.

No we havent.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-injury-list/story-e6frf9jf-1225877166099

We lost WCE game for other reasons not that some would fathom.

[Sir Why You Little 37,136]

No it didnt. It just put Petterd's development behind.

Once again RR-your opinion...mine differs.

[praha 11,240]

The initial optimism was for us to improve this year, which we have in every aspect. I'm not entirely sure what you expect, but then again, so many people are expecting a one Jack Watts to lead the goal kicking table after only 7 games.

We're still a pretty crap team. 40 point losses to finals teams like Carlton are to be expected. I can't imaging us winning anymore than 2-3 more games this year, if that. But I won't be disappointed in that, because I expected around 6 wins.

We are still so far off from being a good team. We will see fades of the future (game vs. Brisbane, for example), but we will also see the team going back into its shell (games vs. Carlton).

Edited June 8, 2010 by calabreseboy

[jnrmac 20,189]

Clubs started to take us seriously and it isn't hard to work out how to beat us. It's not like we have three or four game plans. Shut down a couple of our stars and put pressure on us and we crumble....

[The Chazz 4,077]

Clubs started to take us seriously and it isn't hard to work out how to beat us. It's not like we have three or four game plans. Shut down a couple of our stars and put pressure on us and we crumble....

You have hit the nail right one he head - WE DON'T HAVE A COUPLE OF STARS!!! We have potential stars like Scully, Trengove, Grimes, Morton, Gysberts, but we cannot sit here and call Davey, Sylvia, Moloney and Jones STARS. They are good players, some can be very good players for a few games in a row, very rarely can we seriously call any of them genuine stars of the competition. The sooner some of our supporters realise this, the better off they will be.

It's because of this that allows other teams, especially those that are better than us, to shut us down so easily. Carlton for example had Carrazzo (?) shut down Davey, Sylvia, Jones and Moloney played well without being influential, and while he was well held for 3 quarters, it was a true star - C Judd, that killed us in the end.

Fast forward 2-3 years, all of a sudden we (hopefully) have a group of STARS that will take stopping. If Scully is having an off day, Grimes and Morton are being well held, we still have Trengove and Gysberts who can pull us through.

That's a big slap in the face with reality and optimism people, love it or hate it, that's exactly where we stand in 2010.

[bush demon 2,062]

You have hit the nail right one he head - WE DON'T HAVE A COUPLE OF STARS!!! We have potential stars like Scully, Trengove, Grimes, Morton, Gysberts, but we cannot sit here and call Davey, Sylvia, Moloney and Jones STARS. They are good players, some can be very good players for a few games in a row, very rarely can we seriously call any of them genuine stars of the competition. The sooner some of our supporters realise this, the better off they will be.

It's because of this that allows other teams, especially those that are better than us, to shut us down so easily. Carlton for example had Carrazzo (?) shut down Davey, Sylvia, Jones and Moloney played well without being influential, and while he was well held for 3 quarters, it was a true star - C Judd, that killed us in the end.

Fast forward 2-3 years, all of a sudden we (hopefully) have a group of STARS that will take stopping. If Scully is having an off day, Grimes and Morton are being well held, we still have Trengove and Gysberts who can pull us through.

That's a big slap in the face with reality and optimism people, love it or hate it, that's exactly where we stand in 2010.

Part of the problem is that little separates most teams in the competition. It's going to be trench warfare for the next 2-3 years until we can establish a pathway to the big sticks. at present we are putting a lot of energy into getting goals. so disappointed with jack watts when he dished off on saturday (early) instead of doing what he's paid to... have a shot.

[H_T 3,049]

Losing Petterd after round 6 put the forward line development way behind.

In a way it did. BUT, it also enabled the FD to look at other development alternatives without Petterd. In effect, Rhino's opinion holds in that it stalls Petterd's development, not necessarily the team's though.

Once again RR-your opinion...mine differs.

Yeah, it does. You both make valid points, yours only somewhat valid, I disagree with your description of "way behind". Because there are side benefits for the FD in Petterd's absence.

[pringle 42]

The optimism is not fading. The timeline has not changed. We are still another season away from finals. 2012 at earliest in my opinion. If we fluked it into finals next year it would be a bonus.

[Rogue 585]

At the start of the year - just like last year - I said I was more interested in wins than percentage. Our percentage is pretty healthy.

Clearly the optimism on Demonland has waned somewhat, but it was built on unrealistic expectations of what we'd achieve (just like the pre-season pessimism was unfounded).

The yo-yo comment is pretty apt. I admit I'm finding the losses a bit more disappointing this year, but I'm still enjoying the ride. Who's our next Gysberts?

PS. Losing Jurrah and Petterd to long-term injuries was a massive blow to an already weak forward line. RR/H_T have alluded to the opportunities this gives others, but if we talk about performance I think it's been a pretty clear-cut negative.

[H_T 3,049]

PS. Losing Jurrah and Petterd to long-term injuries was a massive blow to an already weak forward line. RR/H_T have alluded to the opportunities this gives others, but if we talk about performance I think it's been a pretty clear-cut negative.

I think Bennell has been a positive to come out of it. Although, agree with your summation as an overall view.

[e25 5]

I think Bennell has been a positive to come out of it. Although, agree with your summation as an overall view.

Hard to say about Bennell.

He may have benefited from having more quality talls to crumb off.

In either case, with opportunities presenting themselves, it is good that we've been able to get games into Watts, but equally disappointing that at times we've had to resort to Miller, Hughes and Newton.

Personally I'd have hoped Dunn would be able to step into one of those roles, or that we'd find another kid to give a game rather than players who are biding their time before an exit stage left.

[Stigga 25]

On a difficult day to play footy, Carlton had the more experienced heads in the most important age group-24-27:

Carlton:

Walker

Judd

Simpson

Russell

Hadley

O'hAilpin

Betts

Armfield

Waite

Thornton

Houlihan

Jamison

Carrazzo

Melbourne:

Miller

Sylvia

Moloney

Rivers

Davey

Jamar

Edited June 9, 2010 by Stigga