Sounds like an obvious question, but we've seen this year Carlton and Essendon cop a lot of pressure and hence flak for not living up to the expectations placed on them as a consequence of making the finals last year.

Personally, I hope we don't make it. The important thing is for us to keep playing exciting football. That will hopefully get the AFL watching, and in turn get us a better fixture next year. If we can finish 9th or 10th, I think that will be best for us. Keep the finals as next year's goal.

In my opinion, no point holding back. As joel said post-match, win as many as we can and if we make the finals great

Sounds like an obvious question, but we've seen this year Carlton and Essendon cop a lot of pressure and hence flak for not living up to the expectations placed on them as a consequence of making the finals last year.

Personally, I hope we don't make it. The important thing is for us to keep playing exciting football. That will hopefully get the AFL watching, and in turn get us a better fixture next year. If we can finish 9th or 10th, I think that will be best for us. Keep the finals as next year's goal.

I've said this in another post, but its relevant here. To be motivated by what is best from a media perspective, or what is best for us as a supporter group should be an irrelevant consideration.

The only consideration should be for what is best for the development of the team. And for us, that is playing finals, and then continuing to play finals for the next 3-4 years and then making an all-out go for a premiership. That starts this year

Look at the teams who are genuine premiership chances this season- Geelong, StKilda, Bulldogs, Collingwood. Those 4 teams have played finals for years and years, and only now are pushing towards genuine premierhsip chances. Even Geelong played finals for a few years (bar a one year aberation) before they won their first premiership.

Why hold back, we didn't in 87 and no-one thought it possible at round 15 that we could make the finals then and now.

We can beat Collingwood IMO so anything is possible if they get into the finals.

Go Dees Attack

First reaction to this thread was, are you serious??

But if you do look back on Carlton and Essendon they have set a standard and have not overtaken that standard of what they set last year.

But where a club that still has a lot of developing to do, we still haven't seen high draft picks such as Blease, Tapscott, Gysbert, Struass consistently play.

So if weather we do scrape into the finals or not the expectations still will be the same next year and that is to play finals again.

There is no way that making finals can possibly be considered a bad thing. It's only the attitude we have in the off season which can be negative. If we make it, and I'm not yet convinced we will, we must remind players that we're not here to finish 8th. We want to be first. We just need to have good heads around to remind people that until we hold up the cup, there is still work to be done.

The Dean Bailey mantra all year has been about getting games into young players together as a group.

I'd have thought a final would be worth two games experience so on that basis, yes let's hope we make it.

If we don't it will not have much effect on expectations for next year. They will be high anyway. I've already got opposing supporters raving to me about how good the Dees will be!

There is no way that making finals can possibly be considered a bad thing. It's only the attitude we have in the off season which can be negative. If we make it, and I'm not yet convinced we will, we must remind players that we're not here to finish 8th. We want to be first. We just need to have good heads around to remind people that until we hold up the cup, there is still work to be done.

The best thing for the team is developing the habit of winning. This incorporates getting team structures in place and consistency within the playing group. Over the last few years we've seen the defensive structure come together, and this season has seen the core midfield group playing together and improving, and I believe the last six weeks have been significant with our key forward prospects playing together continuously as a group for the first time.

Winning is a habit, and learning to win is key. Whether we make the finals or not isn't going to effect what the Bailey is trying to build and how next year will be approached within the club. External expectation can't be managed, but we've seen how the measured club has been in building and managing the list. It's been very deliberate, and the improvement is obvious this year. The group needs to keep doing the right things, and if they do, they will be rewarded. If it's finals, so be it, but every game is an opportunity to learn how to win, and that experience is invaluable and must be taken when presented. Have faith, and enjoy the journey.

woeful question

need to dream and try to get into the finals every year and then what happens.

regardless if we are developing or not we should always want to play finals and keep the expectation high

The difference between us and the Blues/Bombers is that we still have a plethora of talent on the sidelines that have not played whereas they scraped into the finals with their best team possible. They have not had much improvement from players outside of their best 22 which is integral in our push up the ladder.

I hope we get close but ultimately miss out.

I love this club to death but this year they have not been good enough or consistent enough and they do not deserve a finals appearance (or two) based on the overall season performance.

The season is like the Collingwood games. We have been great in patches. Ordinary in others and on both occasions, because of our inconsistency, we were not good enough to win. We haven't worked hard enough or performed well enough over the whole year to make the finals and if we did it would be a false reward.

Players need to be taught that nothing but hard work and consistency will get them to the top and i believe if we make the finals that lesson may not get learned by all as everyone would agree we have been terrible at times (in games we have won and lost).

If we get close then the players know the work that is still required to just make the finals let alone be a real figure in them.

I hope we get close but ultimately miss out.

I love this club to death but this year they have not been good enough or consistent enough and they do not deserve a finals appearance (or two) based on the overall season performance.

The season is like the Collingwood games. We have been great in patches. Ordinary in others and on both occasions, because of our inconsistency, we were not good enough to win. We haven't worked hard enough or performed well enough over the whole year to make the finals and if we did it would be a false reward.

Players need to be taught that nothing but hard work and consistency will get them to the top and i believe if we make the finals that lesson may not get learned by all as everyone would agree we have been terrible at times (in games we have won and lost).

If we get close then the players know the work that is still required to just make the finals let alone be a real figure in them.

On that logic, there will be at least one, possibly two teams to be falsely rewarded.

If they're good enough, they'll have won enough games (and hopefully learned from the four close games we perhaps could/should have won) to warrant being there. If they make it, it's because they won enough games to be there. If they aren't good enough, they wont make it, then so be it. However, I want my team to be good enough, and hope they can show they are.

NEVER knock back a chance to play finals. Worry about next year-next year.

Footy can be a very cruel or beautiful game. The Shockers are looking pretty ordinary-they may not win another game and limp in. If we can play and WIN a final-that is worth 5 normal games at least.

Go Demons give it a real crack from now till late September. (Look at our 2 games against the Filth.

We can play the best-we just gotta beat the rest to get there.

I don't really think Essendon's and Carlton's current situation can be put down to making the finals last year. In Essendon's case particularly, they over-achieved with an ordinary list and a one-dimensional gameplan, and this year is simply a more accurate reflection of where they are at. I really think if Essendon had lost that game agains the Hawks and missed the finals last year, they would still be in the same position now. They have alot of problems, and while last years finals appearance probably helped the more naive Essendon supporters gloss over said problems, I dont think it added to the problem in any meaningful way (i.e., they have not underperformed this year due to overconfidence).

Carlton finished last year about where they should have. They are now at a stage in development where they should be consistently making the 8, doing damage in the finals, and building themselves up to hit the top 4 in a couple of years as a seasoned finals campaigner. While not in great form right now, they are still on track to do that this year. And, again, I would put their current form down to list issues: they are still forced to experimenet from week to week trying to develop something resembling a permanent forwardline structure, and their bottom six to eight players are arguably not AFL standard. This makes it very hard to be consistent.

I don't care much if we make the finals; it'd be a nice way to cap off the year, but unimportant in the scheme of things. But I'm certainly not worried -based on the Carlton or Essendon experience- that if we make the finals we'll underachieve next year.

I say ...play to win...dont mention the F word.

its very very unlikely.. Ive always maintained theres a time and place...and this years not ours as the prime raison. dont want to get there filling up numbers.. We cant get better than 8th in theory..and we all know what happens then.

You need to temper enthusiasm with reality. Yes there will be those that call for finals at all costs, but we dont want to strive to making finals...we ought to strive to win premierships and you dont do that from 8th...far too much of a handicap.

Then there are those that will say ..ah but the experience..playing in finals.. How does it help if your first is to lose?

We can go far...and will.. but it will be in 2011 onwards. Best to perfect the play rather than fal lover the line. Its a short term price for a long term gain.

I say ...play to win...dont mention the F word.

its very very unlikely.. Ive always maintained theres a time and place...and this years not ours as the prime raison. dont want to get there filling up numbers.. We cant get better than 8th in theory..and we all know what happens then.

You need to temper enthusiasm with reality. Yes there will be those that call for finals at all costs, but we dont want to strive to making finals...we ought to strive to win premierships and you dont do that from 8th...far too much of a handicap.

Then there are those that will say ..ah but the experience..playing in finals.. How does it help if your first is to lose?

We can go far...and will.. but it will be in 2011 onwards. Best to perfect the play rather than fal lover the line. Its a short term price for a long term gain.

If the MFC keep winning we are a show to make the Finals-don't be so scared of reality.

We are not guarrenteed to make finals next year-nobody is.

Seize The Day..as Mr Keating from "Dead Poets Society" so wisely said.

We cant get better than 8th in theory..and we all know what happens then.

actually we could make 7th, but if we finish 8th it might be Freo at Subi, a fixture we should have won 2 weeks ago. I'll take it.

Not scared of any reality about making the finals.. The reality is we are highly unlikely to unless all the planets line up again.

Timing is often 'everything' ..and the timing is about being in the right place at the right time. Its simply my view that this isnt the time for us..not a time when we can do anything meaningful other than fall into them and then out. I dont see that as achieving anything.

However playing to win is. Finals is a road...not a destination.

If we do make the finals it will because we have got our game plan to click and are playing with confidence allowing us to win 6-7 of our last 8 games. That alone is reason enough to want us to make the finals.

Coming into the finals with that kind of momentum anything could happen and a win would be an invaluable experience.

Success in 2010 won't lead to overconfidence in 2011. IMO many of our games this year have been lost because too many players lack confidence. Additionally, Bailey appears to be the most level-headed person in the world - at a press conference you wouldn't know by his face if we had lost by 15 goals or won by 15 goals - he won't let us get ahead of ourselves.

I say ...play to win...dont mention the F word.

spot on. we play to win, and hope. The Essendon and Carlton comparisons are not apt. Carlton is a team that whether they made it last year or not, would have been expected to finish top 8...they should have made it last year anyway, disgraceful team. Essendon are just a badly constructed side, finishing between 7th and 13th each year should be enjoyable for the scum.

For us it's about winning a flag...If we could get even just the one game under our belts it would be worth the experience. IMO we should be aiming top 6 next year, and it's not an inconceivable leap that with a real gem of a season we finish top 4! That taste of finals would be invaluable . Geelong missed out in '06, but had many guys with finals experience before '07.

i agree with all the dont worry about finals etc etc, but the actually idea of this thread is appalling.

there is no reason this club is coping [censored] for tanking last year when supporters are suggesting we shouldn't make finals so the pressure isnt on next year.

if we want to make a grand final in 2013/14 we need to make finals as often as we can not just show up in september that year and make it all the way.

If we are a serious team the pressure shouldnt be our biggest problem.

Disappointing thread

Sounds like an obvious question, but we've seen this year Carlton and Essendon cop a lot of pressure and hence flak for not living up to the expectations placed on them as a consequence of making the finals last year.

Personally, I hope we don't make it. The important thing is for us to keep playing exciting football. That will hopefully get the AFL watching, and in turn get us a better fixture next year. If we can finish 9th or 10th, I think that will be best for us. Keep the finals as next year's goal.

Are you really serious? Playing exciting footy in the finals will gaurantee us a better fixture and get some really young guys a feel for finals footy so we have a serious crack next year!

Initially I was like some and didn't want to be an Essendon bombing out in the first week if we did, then I realised we're not like them, so I'm more than happy to see us make it.

I can't see a loss, if we do in fact lose, in the first week causing us any more problem than getting beaten in a home and away game. On the other hand a win would give the boys a taste of what the big time is like, unfortunately it will probably be over in Perth if we do get there.

How Essendon and Carlton have gone this season has nothing to do with where they finished last year. I can't believe people don't want Melbourne to make the finals. What a pathetic attitude to have.

Carlton and Essendon's plight has nothing to do with prematurely making the finals, it's just because they're average sides.

I'm not fussed about finals. My expectations for the season have already been exceeded; anything from this point onwards is just cream. That said, I can't understand why you'd actively not want us to make the finals, even if we do all know that we'd just be making up numbers if we got there. It would be a huge achievement to get there, and it gives us an opportunity to see how our team goes when it really counts.