Ready or not it will be a good thing for the boys to play finals.

Even if it's a tidy beating with our finals campaign over by half time in the elim.

It gives them a taste of what they're fighting for.

Better preparation for next year.

Beat Geelog in Geelong, we can beat them on the MCG.

It's kind of interesting how much recent history is wrapped up in thee last two games. Particularly late-season.

From the Kruezer cup against Cartlon to the Geelong draw, and the 2005 win over Geelong by less than a goal that snapped our losing run and got us back on the road to finals.

There's much more but I wont dig at the moment.

For this weekend, I choose to focus my thought's on Russel Robertson's big day out against Carlton, the 'last AFL game' at Princes Park.

looks like tippett will be in for the swans v north game..

 

good news for us

 

Anyone go on to a Kangas forum? Just curious to know how their fans are feeling about us being hot on their heels and how much their team has slumped. Surely would also feel like if they scraped in they'll probably get destroyed. 

Anxiety levels will rise. 

21 hours ago, ENYAW said:

The Dees are not ready for finals,so a win against Carlton and an honourable loss to Geelong would cap of a great year for the club and supporters.

I remember that is exactly what many demon fans said in 1987. What that really means it is the fans who are not ready. The club clearly was which showed in their very successful final series, and continued finals appearances for 15 years or more 

Get used to it ENYAW. It is going to be around for a while....

1 hour ago, Dees2014 said:

I remember that is exactly what many demon fans said in 1987. What that really means it is the fans who are not ready. The club clearly was which showed in their very successful final series, and continued finals appearances for 15 years or more 

Get used to it ENYAW. It is going to be around for a while....

exactly this - we weren't ready in 1987. We weren't ready but we beat the doggies anyway and made the finals and then we weren't ready. We weren't ready in the elimination final but we smacked North by 100 plus points. We seriously weren't ready against the Swans because we only smacked them by 70 plus points. We missed out on a Grand Final berth by 2 points and a kick after the siren.

Who thought we were ready to beat the Hawks two weeks ago ? We are young and relatively inexperienced but the first step to winning any game is being "ready" to win.

After too many years of poor performances - I am ready for us to win this week and the next week. If we make the finals I am ready to face every game knowing that if we play our best we will win. 

24 minutes ago, nutbean said:

exactly this - we weren't ready in 1987. We weren't ready but we beat the doggies anyway and made the finals and then we weren't ready. We weren't ready in the elimination final but we smacked North by 100 plus points. We seriously weren't ready against the Swans because we only smacked them by 70 plus points. We missed out on a Grand Final berth by 2 points and a kick after the siren.

Who thought we were ready to beat the Hawks two weeks ago ? We are young and relatively inexperienced but the first step to winning any game is being "ready" to win.

After too many years of poor performances - I am ready for us to win this week and the next week. If we make the finals I am ready to face every game knowing that if we play our best we will win. 

Edited August 16, 20169 yr by Chook

45 minutes ago, Macca said:

If anything is going to cost the team it will be the North loss.  The quintessential 8 point game.

We could have won the North encounter and only a bit of inexperience cost us.  We certainly didn't play poorly.  I believe that loss propelled the team forward anyway.  The players started playing with real confidence and belief from that moment.

Anyway, who amongst us genuinely thought we'd play finals this year? I'd say very few and 'very few' is not exactly a consensus.

We're in bonus time ... playing with house money.  A free hit.

 

I was at that game. I felt like the Essendon loss shocked the team into waking up from the delusion that it was just going to happen and the Kangas loss showed them how good they can be when they are switched on (and how bad they can be if they aren't). That second quarter was incredible, and the first time I saw the boys completely tear a team apart. 

Your absolutely right, inexperience got us in the end. There were some extremely interesting calls, particularly related to Boomer, but mostly they got over the line because they knew what to do in the clutch. 

If we make finals we deserve to be there and should be there, I'm not afraid of us getting to the finals and being a joke. I just can't see the boys allowing that to happen. 

2 hours ago, Pates said:

I was at that game. I felt like the Essendon loss shocked the team into waking up from the delusion that it was just going to happen and the Kangas loss showed them how good they can be when they are switched on (and how bad they can be if they aren't). That second quarter was incredible, and the first time I saw the boys completely tear a team apart. 

Your absolutely right, inexperience got us in the end. There were some extremely interesting calls, particularly related to Boomer, but mostly they got over the line because they knew what to do in the clutch. 

If we make finals we deserve to be there and should be there, I'm not afraid of us getting to the finals and being a joke. I just can't see the boys allowing that to happen. 

I believe sportspeople are more motivated by having a strong inner belief and real confidence (and ability of course)  All teams have bad days and often those bad days are best forgotten rather than dwelt on.

The Crows lost to us at home in 2014 when we struggled to a 4 & 18 season ... they missed the finals by one game that year ... but many teams with 11 or 12 win seasons follow a similar pattern. 

Teams with that sort of record often inexplicably drop a couple/few games against average or poor opposition but bob up and win a couple/few against quality opponents.  It's one of the main reasons a team can end up only winning 11 or 12 games.

The losses that stay with you are games with a lot of importance attached not necessarily those losses against poor opposition ... like a finals loss or a GF loss  - and those type of losses can be terrific motivating factors down the track.

Edited August 16, 20169 yr by Macca

I've believed for many years that teams finishing 7th or 8th (before finals) are just making up the numbers in that particular year. However, it can be of immense value for future years as it provides the playing group with both belief and the experience of playing finals. Not every team goes on to greater things (Fremantle, Richmond) but it's rare that an inexperienced finals team goes all the way.

Whether we play finals or not this year is moot. But if we get there, I'll be delighted for what it portends for the future.

Martin Blake has written an article saying that if we make the 8, we don't deserve it. 

Su rely if you have more wins than the bottom 10, you deserve to be there. 

26 minutes ago, Mickey said:

Martin Blake has written an article saying that if we make the 8, we don't deserve it. 

Su rely if you have more wins than the bottom 10, you deserve to be there. 

What utter carp!

If we make the 8 we make the 8. Mickey you are right ,and Martin Blake is added to the ever growing list of morons working in the media.

48 minutes ago, ManDee said:

What utter carp!

If we make the 8 we make the 8. Mickey you are right ,and Martin Blake is added to the ever growing list of morons working in the media.

He argued that we have only beaten 2 top 8 sides... so have north. And of we beat geelong that's 3

Who's Martin Blake? Sounds pretty irrelevant to me.

12 minutes ago, AdamFphlebeb said:

Who's Martin Blake? Sounds pretty irrelevant to me.

He's a very experienced journalist (and, irrelevantly, Jude Bolton's uncle).

5 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

He's a very experienced journalist (and, irrelevantly, Jude Bolton's uncle).

Sounds like a flogadonis trying to catch a headline to me.

23 hours ago, hells bells said:

Beat Geelog in Geelong, we can beat them on the MCG.

I thought that too .. but don't Geelong get a home final at Kardinia Park now ? (which would make it almost impossible to get a ticket to)

17 hours ago, Pates said:

Anyone go on to a Kangas forum? Just curious to know how their fans are feeling about us being hot on their heels and how much their team has slumped. Surely would also feel like if they scraped in they'll probably get destroyed. 

I did. I checked out the North area of bigfooty. They don't seem to have a dedicated fan site eg 'Land, Nicks, Punt Road End, Blue View etc.

Bigfooty is all they've got!

Their main concern at the mo seems to be what the media think of them. Digs at their old list ("but what about all our under 23s!"), media have it in for them (but doesn't every club think that?).

Claims and counter claims about deserving/not deserving to make finals.

[Side note: who cares? It's not like the AFL is a scrupulously disinterested competition with every semblance of unfairness ironed out. It's a rigged draw, chooklotto tribunal, nodding to TV, etc. You're either playing well enough within the constraints of the above, plus a bit of lady luck, to make the finals, or not. "Deserve" doesn't really come into it. It's like arguing whether masterchef competitors "deserve" to be in the top 10. They've worked the game show well enough to be in the top 10. No "deserve".]

As to the mighty MFC, they are rightly more concerned about themselves than us. But do worry about this round in particular because of percentage. If ever there was going to be a closing of the gap it will be with us playing CFC and them playing SFC esp with Buddy in crazy good form. Then it's really game on.

But twangs of nervousness do sound out. One of them thought it good that GFC play us in the arvo, as if they win, that turns the NMFC night game into a "dead rubber". You'd hope the NMFC players don't think like that!

6 hours ago, Ted Fidge said:

I did. I checked out the North area of bigfooty. They don't seem to have a dedicated fan site eg 'Land, Nicks, Punt Road End, Blue View etc.

Bigfooty is all they've got!

Their main concern at the mo seems to be what the media think of them. Digs at their old list ("but what about all our under 23s!"), media have it in for them (but doesn't every club think that?).

Claims and counter claims about deserving/not deserving to make finals.

Haha the only other teams I've found that with is GC and GWS! 

They should be concerned with their list, many pundits have been predicting it in the last few years and fair play to them they managed to keep going but I see their fall being as dramatic as Freo. At least Freo got to a GF though!

On 14/08/2016 at 10:19 AM, tappysquads said:

Cash out my "final 8" bet with Sportsbet for about 2 grand I reckon. Cash out up to $700 now

Leave it and lay off on the unthinkable.

12 hours ago, Mickey said:

Martin Blake has written an article saying that if we make the 8, we don't deserve it. 

Su rely if you have more wins than the bottom 10, you deserve to be there. 

If this is the one, what an awful article that is.

Opens by saying we don't deserve it but the only argument he advances in support of that statement is that we're "2-5" against top 8 sides.

Which is wrong. We're 2-6. So he didn't even get his numbers right. And, of course, he has failed to mention that North is 2-7. And, if we make it and they don't, then we will necessarily be 3-6 whilst they will necessarily be 2-9.

Genuinely awful writing.

It's not as bad as people make out - just normal rubbish, filler and he ends with "Melbourne is a stock worth buying".

On 14/8/2016 at 4:10 PM, demon_fanatic said:

What's the percentage equation about 4 behind yes??  Will two north losses by about 20 and say we win by 30 b Carlton and 10 v cats be enough to reverse this?  North have a few coming back next 2 weeks apparently. Hopefully they are underdone, they do play well in Hobart though but SYDNEY are hot and want to sew up top 2 next week!  Then gws will have top 4 to play for last round let's hope'! Don't want a situation where gws are locked into a position and can't move so their motivation be less 

It would be good if West Coast can win tonight, as I think that is the best chance of GWS needing something to play for, as they would be either playing for a top 4 or just to stay top 6 and secure a home final.