Taking stock

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

Would you be stoked? Currently, we're at the same point this year (3-6) as we were after 9 games last year. After Round 13 last year we were 4-8. We were looking good. 8-9 wins was a strong possibility. Completely viable that we'll win 1 of the next 3 games to put us at the same point.

How we close out the year is another metric. All it takes for this team is 1 or 2 really bad loses for things to just spiral. We saw it in 2011, 2012, 2013 and last year. We haven't seen it yet in 2015. Freo and Sydney were disappointing loses by Hawthorn was horrific. They bounced back against the Bulldogs. But the fragility is a major concern.

There are a lot of things we should be expecting of this team now. Dead weight on the list or not, finishing the season with anything less than 8 wins -- and no consistency -- would be a failure, and quite damning for the likes of Jones, Dunn, Watts, Garland, Vince, H, Dawes and Cross, because they should be leading us around the corner, and then pushing the likes of Hogan, Brayshaw etc further.

Ummm yes. Last year we won 4 games. So if we won 8 games this year, that would be double last year. Not really sure how doubling the amount of wins in a year could possibly be bad?

[binman 39,460]

I like to use the bones from a roast chicken.

Edit: misread thread title

[KingDingAling 3,681]

I couldn't care how many we win this year, so long as we see improvement, keep grinding out games, and continue to improve on our pressure. We need to keep the pressure on for longer, and obviously not totally drop our heads and stop playing. I think we have bigger issues than winning games. For example, there is no point winning games if we cannot improve upon our weaknesses - in the long term, we will win more games if we can identify and improve upon areas that we are struggling in (continued pressure, resilience). It must be frustrating for Paul Roos, because he has coached a side more than capable of implementing his teachings (as we seen against the Bulldogs), but too often, he is stuck coaching a team that just looks down on confidence.

[chook fowler 18,555]

Would you be stoked? Currently, we're at the same point this year (3-6) as we were after 9 games last year. After Round 13 last year we were 4-8. We were looking good. 8-9 wins was a strong possibility. Completely viable that we'll win 1 of the next 3 games to put us at the same point.

How we close out the year is another metric. All it takes for this team is 1 or 2 really bad loses for things to just spiral. We saw it in 2011, 2012, 2013 and last year. We haven't seen it yet in 2015. Freo and Sydney were disappointing loses by Hawthorn was horrific. They bounced back against the Bulldogs. But the fragility is a major concern.

There are a lot of things we should be expecting of this team now. Dead weight on the list or not, finishing the season with anything less than 8 wins -- and no consistency -- would be a failure, and quite damning for the likes of Jones, Dunn, Watts, Garland, Vince, H, Dawes and Cross, because they should be leading us around the corner, and then pushing the likes of Hogan, Brayshaw etc further.

Would exclude Garland, Vince and Cross from that list.

Garland has been genrally good and is under valued. Vince had a very limited preseason and is performing well in a new role.

Cross has been very consistent and probably exceeded expectations.

Very disappointed with Dunn, Dawes, Watts, M Jones , Bail, Jamar and Lamumba.

Nat Jones has been up and down but is probably playing injured and should be cut some slack given the burden he has borne over the years.

[titan_uranus 23,128]

Quite a classic Demonland thread. General debate interspersed with extreme pessimism, some extreme optimism (but we lost on the weekend so the wild pessimism outweighs the wild optimism), and WYL referring to 186.

IMO, our worst is no better than last year which is an enormous disappointment, but our best is better than last year and we're showing it more than we did last year. Being in the top half of the competition for time in front (if that's true) is, I think, testament to our improvement. And the fixture, though many don't like to hear it, has obviously played a role in our percentage (comparing ours to St Kilda based on the fixture to date is one of the silliest things I've read) and our results so far.

[jackaub 1,402]

Ummm yes. Last year we won 4 games. So if we won 8 games this year, that would be double last year. Not really sure how doubling the amount of wins in a year could possibly be bad?

We still have to win 5 more games to reach that high point

At the moment we have to win 5 from 13 which means we don't have to win two in a row to achieve that

[dee-luded 2,958]

Can anyone here remember when we last won three, or even two in a row. Matches that is. (I can remember two and three flags in a row.)

your the lucky one mono, my celebratory memory is the '87 night grand final..

[TeamPlayedFine39 8,212]

Quite a classic Demonland thread. General debate interspersed with extreme pessimism, some extreme optimism (but we lost on the weekend so the wild pessimism outweighs the wild optimism), and WYL referring to 186.

IMO, our worst is no better than last year which is an enormous disappointment, but our best is better than last year and we're showing it more than we did last year. Being in the top half of the competition for time in front (if that's true) is, I think, testament to our improvement. And the fixture, though many don't like to hear it, has obviously played a role in our percentage (comparing ours to St Kilda based on the fixture to date is one of the silliest things I've read) and our results so far.

Very true - and Paul Roos agrees with you. Our bad is very bad, but when we're good, it's the best football we've played since '06. It's not the electric, fast running, all one way Bailey style; it's a hard, sustainable brand that could stand up in finals. We are a while off doing it week in, week out though.

I had such high hopes this would be a positive thread... It seems there's many people on this site who do not enjoy football...

[Farmer 706]

I half agree and half disagree OD... When we have performed well (Bullies and Toigs) we have performed really well, so they have proven it is not beyond them... even those opening quarters against GWS and Port show that they are capable, but for some reason they lack belief and fall apart when they are not in the familiar surroundings of the MCG. With 7 of our remaining games to be played at the MCG, and if we can break our Etihad hoodoo, we could stand a chance of being a mid-tier finisher.

In thinking about our good periods, I also include the 2nd quarter against Freo, who I think are outstanding. We were thrashed in the first quarter but played v well in the second and most of the third.

Problem was that we then played Swans and Hawks, when confidence was down. I can't understand how fragile our confidence sometimes is. After all , Gold Coast and Footscray came hard at it in the last quarter and we held our nerve and won well. The loss to Port didn't surprise me but the way we lost concerned me greatly. Important we hit back hard next Monday

[Sir Why You Little 35,318]

It's the way we lose.

Not the losses

[daisycutter 28,722]

it's mabo, it's the constitution, it's the vibe, but most of all it's 186

[DubDee 21,884]

So I reckon the consensus from the past 6 pages is we will win 10 of our last 13 and make finals?

[dee-luded 2,958]

In thinking about our good periods, I also include the 2nd quarter against Freo, who I think are outstanding. We were thrashed in the first quarter but played v well in the second and most of the third.

Problem was that we then played Swans and Hawks, when confidence was down. I can't understand how fragile our confidence sometimes is. After all , Gold Coast and Footscray came hard at it in the last quarter and we held our nerve and won well. The loss to Port didn't surprise me but the way we lost concerned me greatly. Important we hit back hard next Monday

faith in self, team belief, we must have rated ourselves as a ream to deal with GCS's & the Doggies.....

Scars against Swans & Hawks, & maybe beaten after reading team sheets prior to those 2 teams?

[dee-luded 2,958]

It's the way we lose.

Not the losses