I really hope that of the 20 people who voted 'No', 19 are Carlton supporters in disguise.

WTF is wrong with Melbourne supporters that they could ever dismiss the benefits of playing finals. I wonder if anyone at board level at Melbourne is saying to Dean right now "Bails, please don't make finals, because then we might crumble under the pressure of making the 8 in 2011" :wacko:

We SHOULD play finals in 2011, and if we make finals in 2010 we'll be better prepared next season. We have nothing, absolutely nothing, to lose. How often can a team go into a final and say that?

BB, you are a fool.

(For this thread I've gone for the less words with more impact approach to posting!)

I voted no because I'd hate to miss seeing the boys in finals action for the first time. But I really mean yes as finals would be a wonderful achievement for the group.

I reckon we'll lose to Hawthorn and certainly Port Adelaide to finish 9th. Carlton and Sydney will both survive.

Im entitled to my view.. you all to yours..

If you train a race horse for a particular journey and resultant races you get it to peak at the proper time.. All other events need to be tempered with that in mind.

Im sticking with my view...

Strive for finals when your primed....and thats nextyear and beyond.

Its all very rairy tale stuff to a lot of you..and thats exactly what it is..its not the reality.

fire away

Im entitled to my view.. you all to yours..

If you train a race horse for a particular journey and resultant races you get it to peak at the proper time.. All other events need to be tempered with that in mind.

Im sticking with my view...

Strive for finals when your primed....and thats nextyear and beyond.

Its all very rairy tale stuff to a lot of you..and thats exactly what it is..its not the reality.

fire away

I was wondering when you would trot out the race-horse analogy; and you wonder why we consider your comments to be the stuff of fairy tales?!?!?

Teams and individual players will ALWAYS strive for the finals, because that is precisely why they play the game. Do you seriously think that they are going to start tanking in order to avoid playing finals football??? Finals experience is invaluable, regardless of the results as it gives them a sense of the occasion and a taste that they will want to experience again the following season... if results counted and a smashing demoralised a team so much they could not recover by the following season, then we probably should not have won a game this season following the beating we were given by Hawthorn in round 1.

if we make the finals it will be because we played our way into the 8. and i hope we make the 8.

playing finals will be great for both players, football department and the administration....

it will allow the MFC to attract more members, better sponsorship deals for the club and improve profit/reduce debt.

Strive for finals when your primed....and thats nextyear and beyond.

if you have a chance to make finals you take it. We might not get there this year, but we should sure as hell try.

Next years results should be improved from this year, but you never know when you might have an off year (ie. Hawks after their flag year, crows this year). So you take any finals chance that you can and give it a red hot crack regardless of any grand long term plans

Im entitled to my view.. you all to yours..

If you train a race horse for a particular journey and resultant races you get it to peak at the proper time.. All other events need to be tempered with that in mind.

Im sticking with my view...

A race horse analogy ???

FCS, race horses can still win races in the lead up to it's GF ie. Melbourne Cup.

What is wrong with Melbournefc finishing off the year well in winning a few games ?

You're in tanking mode. Wake up.

I want us to lose the next 4 games and finish as low as possible.

We need another tall forward and losing will bring us the highest pick so we can get Darling or Cook.

Following this, I hope we finish bottom 4 in 2011, 2012 and then bottom 2013 before our premiership tilt in 2014 with all our draft picks dominating.

Once we've won the premiership, I fully expect us to win the spoon the very next season to prolong our success.

I want us to lose the next 4 games and finish as low as possible.

We need another tall forward and losing will bring us the highest pick so we can get Darling or Cook.

Following this, I hope we finish bottom 4 in 2011, 2012 and then bottom 2013 before our premiership tilt in 2014 with all our draft picks dominating.

Once we've won the premiership, I fully expect us to win the spoon the very next season to prolong our success.

I know you're only kidding, but I felt sick reading that. There is absolutely no way I could endure another period of disgraceful footy that 08 and 09 brought any time soon. It stretched me to breaking point.

I know you're only kidding, but I felt sick reading that. There is absolutely no way I could endure another period of disgraceful footy that 08 and 09 brought any time soon. It stretched me to breaking point.

It was even worse writing it.

I can understand that way of thinking but my common sense overrides it.

It gets even more hazy when you look at the nature of the competition in the form of swings and roundabouts.

Every team eventually gets a chance to be on top and pleasure ultimately leads to pain and vice versa in the distant future.

Although this can't be taken for granted; we could easily be no

more as a club if it weren't for the prospect of ultimate success on the horizon.

For me it only highlights the need to make hay while the sun shines, specifically building your club for longterm strength and survival during periods of success because you'll bloody well need it when you're going the other way.

(I was a bit worried for a moment that I'd fooled you Nasher and was poised to start work on a sarcasm font.

Crisis averted, I can relax now.)

I can't see how this is even considered a question.

It's akin to asking me if I'd like to sleep with Jennifer Hawkins.

Im entitled to my view.. you all to yours..

If you train a race horse for a particular journey and resultant races you get it to peak at the proper time.. All other events need to be tempered with that in mind.

Im sticking with my view...

Strive for finals when your primed....and thats nextyear and beyond.

Its all very rairy tale stuff to a lot of you..and thats exactly what it is..its not the reality.

fire away

Who has ever said the team has to be fully primed to make the 2010 finals?? This year is about learning & that is exactly what 1-2 finals would do this year.

Over summer in pre-season next year, who knows what will happen. Players may have long term injuries.

Who knows what the future holds.

You still haven't answered my question BB-If we win a final, where does that put your theory then??

Bring on september.....

I can't see how this is even considered a question.

It's akin to asking me if I'd like to sleep with Jennifer Hawkins.

I wouldn't. She'd be way better than me in bed and would shatter my confidence for the next time I got with a girl. I'd think "oh no, what if I fail like I did last time?" I mean, really!

I wouldn't. She'd be way better than me in bed and would shatter my confidence for the next time I got with a girl. I'd think "oh no, what if I fail like I did last time?" I mean, really!

Shattered confidence or not. Who Cares. It would be the best 17.47 seconds of her (and my) life!!!!!!!

One thing is for certain, there will be no wooden spoon three-peat!

If we can win 2 out of the next 3 (Rich, Hawks, Port)then the Round 22 game against the Roos will most defiantly be like an Elimination Final for us. Win that game and then head to the finals?!!! Wow, that would be an amazing result and the boys would get more out of those 2 weeks than 20 games.

The young guys are hungry and guys like Sylvia running into A grade peak form, getting this sort of taste will make this group salivate for it from 2011 onwards, I can see nothing but positives from making a great run and hitting the finals.

Sydney have Hawks (H), Freo (A), Dogs (H), Lions (A) - Carlton have Ess, Rich, Geel, Freo (A).....if either of Sydney or Carlton manage only 1 win from the last 4, we will take that spot providing we can win 3 from 4.

If they both manage 2 wins we would need to win all 4 games.

North have Freo (H), Saints, West Coast (A) and of course the Dees. 2 out of those look possible for Nth up to our game which would be the decider should one of Sydney or Carlton only manage one win which looking at both their draws and form is very very possible.

Bring it on, Go Dees!!

Good summation--GO DEES.

I wouldn't. She'd be way better than me in bed and would shatter my confidence for the next time I got with a girl. I'd think "oh no, what if I fail like I did last time?" I mean, really!

Shattered confidence or not. Who Cares. It would be the best 17.47 seconds of her (and my) life!!!!!!!

...wow. That analogy works surprisingly well. Well done lads

the closer we are to the food, the hungrier we become

the closer we are to the food, the hungrier we become

+1

The only issue I have with us pushing for the finals is that it may mean a few younger guys don't get a run. Would love to see Tapscott and Gysberts back before the end of the year, but I get I'm just being impatient - I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of them in years to come

I guess I'm just used to trying to be excited about prospective future stars rather than actually winning games and finals etc., but that's not surprising given thats what the club has been asking us to do for the last few years.

Edited August 5, 201014 yr by Ascobar

but it would ruin Bailey's plans.

This year - games into kids. Learn lessons.

Next year - competitive. finals.

2012 - Grand Final win.

He might have to 'modify' some team structures to get the results he originally planned.

Yeah, Go Dees.

7th. Beat Hawthorn. Beat Collingwood or Footscray. Beat SK. Geelong um, er , yeah, shades of 88, maybe lets wait for next year.

I read in "Inside Footy" today in the ladder, that according to them we're still a chance to make finals, but not sure if it would be worth it, or words to that effect?

What are people smoking?

Just because Essendon limped in last year and went backwards this year doesn't mean it's a BAD thing to make finals. Our list couldn't look any less like the Dons' if it was made up of farm animals.

Edited August 5, 201014 yr by Dappa Dan

I'd love for Jimmy to begin to reap the fruits of his labors and see us play finals THIS YEAR.

Can anyone imagine Jim thinking we'd be best served by missing finals?

Gave up reading the many posts in this thread - it's the silliest ever. I can't believe anyone is taking it seriously.

I thought the object of each game was simply to win it. If the stars align and 8th spot falls our way, so be it, it's a fate we can't avoid. Well, not without tanking.

Anyway, the fact is, the actual chances of our slipping into 8th spot are infinitesimal. We haven't even beaten Richmond yet.

I can't see how this is even considered a question.

It's akin to asking me if I'd like to sleep with Jennifer Hawkins.

There's actually a few things to consider re: sleeping with Hawko - wife, kids, girlfriend. Nothing to consider with finals