Our starts to the year....

[jnrmac 20,276]

Looking since 2006 we have started the season appallingly almost every year. Every year we seem to have no momentum at all from the pre-season with lack lustre performances that carry over to the year. Its rare for our full team to play together before the opening game.

When are we going to change things around so that we train over the summer like we want to play rather than the bulltish 'training loads' and slow build ups that they make each player endure. How about getting a footy early and playing games the way we would like to play - against each other or whatever. I am so sick of the way this club struts out all the positive rhetoric over summer and then lets us down at the start of every year. Its killing our supporters and our corporate revenue. Our kids have given up as have many adult supporters.

Why can't we take a different approach??

2007 Lost first 9 games. Finished with 5 wins

2008 Lost first 6 games. Won 3 games for the season

2009 Lost first 3 games, won 1 game then lost the next 9 games

2010 Lost the first 2 games and won 8.5 for the year

2011 Drew 1st game, won another 8 games for year. Infamous 186 game

2012 lost first 9 games. Won 4 for the year

2013 Win 1 game out of the first 6.

We can't seem to get one aspect of our game under control. Defending a kick in for example. If we at least worked that out we have something to build around. But no every year we stink at it. Same is our own kick ins. Real basic stuff that kills us week in week out.

[Grimseyisgod 378]

firstly 2011, we drew first game.. (against Sydney)

To be honest, i think this is the issue. if we can get early wins on the board i think thats the key to a successful season.

We saw with Adelaide last year, Port this year.. you need a good start. If you can start well, i reckon you could very well finish well

[jnrmac 20,276]

firstly 2011, we drew first game.. (against Sydney)

To be honest, i think this is the issue. if we can get early wins on the board i think thats the key to a successful season.

We saw with Adelaide last year, Port this year.. you need a good start. If you can start well, i reckon you could very well finish well

Corrected.

cheers

[MadAsHell 4,217]

And don't forget, even in 2006 we lost our first 3 but still made the finals that year!

[jnrmac 20,276]

Bump.

My moan over the past few years is that we never start with any momentum. We dont train as a team together playing football but as a bunch of guys getting fit and with three weeks to go they get a footy in their hands. We have poor pre-seasons, with no structure, game plan or any semblance of what our team will look like on the field.

It seems to me that there is a lot more footy based training this year with simulations, drills, running patterns, kicking to position and contesting the ball. Then after that training is done they players work on their running.

the players appear to be enjoying it a lot more. It seems more purpose based and they are practising their skills when they are fresh rather than dog tired. They are getting more match practice simulation than ever before.

I know Roos is notorious for playing doggo during the pre-season but I get the feeling we will be much better prepared this year than previously.

Geez we would want to be....

[DeeSpencer 26,301]

Agree training seems to be more game and pressure based which is a positive.

Important to note this year that with only 2 nab challenge games that most clubs will be heading in to round 1 without a heap of match practice so that might help even the playing field in the early games. Although another change of coach and new game style means we might start slowly again.

[Grimseyisgod 378]

I was looking through the draw and i do not see why we cant get more then just a few wins on the board.

Round 1 v Stkilda- should be able to WIN

round 2 v WCE @home- would expect to go close to winning in this one

round 3 v GWS- WIN

round 4 v Calrton- we never beat them, loss

round 5 v GC- should be able to WIN

From there the draw gets harder, but the point is, we should be able to win 3 or 4 out the first 5 or definitely be more than competitive.

[DemonOX 8,837]

Great way to bring out the Christmas spirit by bringing up one of the most depressing topics possible.

Hopefully that will all change in 2014.

God I hope so.

[DemonOX 8,837]

I was looking through the draw and i do not see why we cant get more then just a few wins on the board.

Round 1 v Stkilda- should be able to WIN

round 2 v WCE @home- would expect to go close to winning in this one

round 3 v GWS- WIN

round 4 v Calrton- we never beat them, loss

round 5 v GC- should be able to WIN

From there the draw gets harder, but the point is, we should be able to win 3 or 4 out the first 5 or definitely be more than competitive.

Like your optimism G but lets get past the first round then we can all reassess the rest of the games.

Hope u r right though!!

[Grimseyisgod 378]

Like your optimism G but lets get past the first round then we can all reassess the rest of the games.

Hope u r right though!!

ofcourse this depends on basically round one...

but with Roos i'd like to see things pan out abit differently and with some real new recruits in the Midfield

[CBDees 3,167]

I was looking through the draw and i do not see why we cant get more then just a few wins on the board.

Round 1 v Stkilda- should be able to WIN

round 2 v WCE @home- would expect to go close to winning in this one

round 3 v GWS- WIN

round 4 v Calrton- we never beat them, loss

round 5 v GC- should be able to WIN

From there the draw gets harder, but the point is, we should be able to win 3 or 4 out the first 5 or definitely be more than competitive.

Don't write off St Kilda too quickl. We thought we could bank Port Adelaide last year and look what happened. IMO we can even beat Carlton and a win there (against Malthouse and Brock Maclean) would be better for our morale than the other four matches combined!

[monoccular 17,644]

For the first time in ages we have

- improved though not perfect physical fitness

- experience available in the midfield

- an experienced coach who knows how to win

- a team that trusts their coach and will be prepared to work their backsides off for him and their teammates

Surely given that, and the record on which we are trying to improve, things must look up.

[Courtney_Fish 183]

round 4 v Calrton- we never beat them, loss

That's the spirit!

[Demon Disciple 12,452]

Our better years have usually come off the back of good form in the pre-season competition (in whatever form they may have been).

[angrydee 842]

Great way to bring out the Christmas spirit by bringing up one of the most depressing topics possible.

Hopefully that will all change in 2014.

God I hope so.

Like

[Carrot Top 947]

I was looking through the draw and i do not see why we cant get more then just a few wins on the board.

Round 1 v Stkilda- should be able to WIN

round 2 v WCE @home- would expect to go close to winning in this one

round 3 v GWS- WIN

round 4 v Calrton- we never beat them, loss

round 5 v GC- should be able to WIN

From there the draw gets harder, but the point is, we should be able to win 3 or 4 out the first 5 or definitely be more than competitive.

If we were 3 and 2 after 5 games I'm make a shrine to Roos worship at it each day.

A couple of years ago I was listen to SEN and they had Robert Shaw on talking stats. It must have been on or around round one, but he tossed out the stat that if you won the first two games you had a (I can't remember the real one so let me play a bit loose with this) 75% chance of being in the top eight. If you were in the eight you after round five then you were (say) 90% assured of playing in September. OK the stats are made up but the gist was real: get it right at the start of the year, and unless the wheels fall off in a big way you'll be there at the end.

Another thing he mentioned was that each year one team from the top 4 drops to the bottom half of the eight, and one falls out of it completely. Also that there is always a team that makes a leap from nowhere to almost good team.

I'm sure none of this is perfect, but over the last decade it's pretty close. Get a good start, and all of a sudden you become the hunter and not the hunted.

[Undeeterred 3,127]

How can we possibly start to judge form at this stage??

We could just as easily be 5-0 as 0-5 - it is just completely useless to try to gauge this now.

[CBDees 3,167]

We are just on line full of optimism and making heroic predictions like we do every year. I am not a cricket fan so I prefer to either talk AFL or head for the water during summer. I hope that we whip Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon next year!

[jnrmac 20,276]

For us its all about pre-season momentum

The teams that have had poor years cannot afford to limp to the start of the year. Think Port last year, Ess in 2011. It didn't help Bris last year winning the pre-season comp but we have not had any momentum pre-season for years. Our record early on shows how that has affected us.

This year needs to change

[Slartibartfast 18,009]

For us its all about pre-season momentum

The teams that have had poor years cannot afford to limp to the start of the year. Think Port last year, Ess in 2011. It didn't help Bris last year winning the pre-season comp but we have not had any momentum pre-season for years. Our record early on shows how that has affected us.

This year needs to change

Richmond, Geelong and Hawthorn. Hard to change.

[jnrmac 20,276]

Richmond, Geelong and Hawthorn. Hard to change.

?

[Slartibartfast 18,009]

?

They are the teams we play in the preseason. I would have preferred games against at least one if not two lesser teams. I think we need to win a few in the preseason to build confidence and erase some of the metal damage of 2013. Whilst it could be argued that by beating one of these teams it will give us confidnce (and it would) I don't see the likelihood as high.

Having said that I'm bullish for this season. I think we can have genuine expectation at winning games against GWS, Footscray, Saints, GCS, Brisbane, PA, Adelaide and WC (the last three more so at home games). We can be competitive against NM, Richmond, Carlton, Essendon. We will struggle against Hawthorn, Geelong, Freo, Sydney, Collingwood.

It would have been nice to have a PS game against a couple in the first group.

[jnrmac 20,276]

Oh OK.

I don't think we necessarily need to win the pre-season games but momentum can simply be we are refining our game plan and players are getting used to each other, the running patterns, kick ins etc.

Previous years we have been diabolical in these areas during the pre season AND we have gotten thumped most of the time. Also when we have been behind we haven't been able to stem the flow of goals (this definitely carried through to the main season)

So yes it will be hard to win pre-season games but I can't imagine the teams above will be full strength. And having played finals they should in theory be behind us in terms of fitness - maybe now I am just wishful thinking.....

[Grimseyisgod 378]

Don't write off St Kilda too quickl. We thought we could bank Port Adelaide last year and look what happened. IMO we can even beat Carlton and a win there (against Malthouse and Brock Maclean) would be better for our morale than the other four matches combined!

Stkilda arent as good as Port Adelaide and i know you cant just say that.

But Port still had a real midfield.

Stkilda have 2 gun midfielders and one of which will not be playing, so itll just be Steven.

Mckenzie will hopefully lock him down and Tmac takes Rooey again.

Go dees

[CBDees 3,167]

Oh OK.

I don't think we necessarily need to win the pre-season games but momentum can simply be we are refining our game plan and players are getting used to each other, the running patterns, kick ins etc.

Previous years we have been diabolical in these areas during the pre season AND we have gotten thumped most of the time. Also when we have been behind we haven't been able to stem the flow of goals (this definitely carried through to the main season)

So yes it will be hard to win pre-season games but I can't imagine the teams above will be full strength. And having played finals they should in theory be behind us in terms of fitness - maybe now I am just wishful thinking.....

You are wishful thinking but it is not unusual for teams in the NAB Cup to not be full strength as they tinker with their list during the pre-season. You never know, we could beat Geelong and Hawthorn whilst they are tinkering?