Making the finals

[Nasher 33,047]

On 5/11/2019 at 10:06 AM, ProDee said:

I really don't get this desperation to limp into the finals and just make up the numbers.  We're clearly not good enough in 2019.  

Whatever floats your boat I suppose.

It’s not possible for us to limp in to the finals. From where we are now, the only way to make it is to come barging through at full tilt. Why wouldn’t you want that?

Not suggesting for a second that it’s actually going to happen of course.

[nosoupforme 3,085]

On 4/27/2019 at 12:04 AM, Little Goffy said:

Alright, here we go, here's how it would, could, might, in theory happen -

Hawks aren't actually that good, they haven't beaten anyone impressive. The four days off trick will work and we will come in with a calmer mind and better focused on what needs to be done. Disposal efficiency climbs, workrate at least reaches adequate. Win number 2 goes on the board. We're 2-5 after 7 rounds.

Suns just barely scraped their three wins against highly variable opposition and have had a bit of luck. They were exposed by an Adelaide side that still isn't really hitting great heights of their own. Their confidence will be down after being belted in Perth by an angry Eagles side. We go 3-5, and start to believe.

I wont make any pretences about our chances against the Eagles at this stage. 3-6 after nine rounds and we are still right on the edge of season over. But just maybe we turn up with some fight and at least show we're still a meaningful team - part of the healing, redeption process.

The Giants are still up and down and massively rely on a few stars to make them potent. Simon Goodwin pulls his first ever genius positional move and somehow matches the right players to lock down on Coniglio and Whitfield. Demons finally rediscover their forward connection and just barely come through in a low-margin shootout game for the ages. We are 4-6 and starting to believe.

Round 11, we return to the Northern Territory to hunt Crows, and just like last season this is the game where things really turn. Just like last season, Adelaide wilts under the weight of lost contests and clearances. Not like last season's hammering, but an important win. We are 5-6 and looking like a menace.

Queens Birthday at the MCG. We've begun to get some players back from injury, even if not stars, May, Smith, Vandenberg and Hannan have all been trickling back into the team and giving us a deeper team capable of holding their end up while the stars do their thing. Headlines start reading "Where were these Demons at the start of the year" and players respond with "we will never be caught napping in pre-season again". Incredibly, we are 6-6 at the halfway point of the season.

With Lever coming back after the long break and the team finding a new solidarity and commitment, and the coaches having learnt a valuable lesson in flexibility and tactical initiative, the pieces come together and the Demons are now a team to take seriously for the second half of the season.

Before you know it, we've knock over four quick wins against the unreliable Dockers, tiring Lions and Blues, and ever-stumbling Bulldogs. We are 10-6 and now the ONLY team in the competition that has managed a consistent run of wins.

Suddenly, it is possible to speculate about our chances against in the Eagles, back up in the NT. It is like a whole new reality has dawned in ten weeks.

 

So, there it is, each small delusion builds into the next. Each one only a moderate madness in itself, but when you get to the end you look back and go... naaaah, that is just total, absolute madness.

If it happens, I expect not only to be given an award for my prediction, but to actually be given credit for the whole thing happening and installed as an assistant coach responsible for miracles.

 

 

Nostradamus  you are on the way. The predictions are looking good. I believe in you.

Can you now predict me when the Premiership year is ?  I also believe in miracles.

[sisso 2,383]

I would have thought any finals experience our team can get is better than none, and will benefit the team in future whether we can win the flag this season or not. Otherwise what's the point of even bothering with the rest of the year just put everyone in for surgery and phone it in.

[What 18,810]

20 hours ago, Nasher said:

It’s not possible for us to limp in to the finals. From where we are now, the only way to make it is to come barging through at full tilt. 

 

Bingo.

Anyone who says theres no point making finals may as well go follow another team or giving up footy altogether.

[John Crow Batty 8,221]

20 hours ago, Nasher said:

It’s not possible for us to limp in to the finals. From where we are now, the only way to make it is to come barging through at full tilt. Why wouldn’t you want that?

Not suggesting for a second that it’s actually going to happen of course.

We can vent, vituperative or make apologies and excuses for our current situation but is bad form to start waving the white flag. Football can be so unpredictable and the fat lady hasn’t cleared her throat yet.

[At the break of Gawn 3,474]

10 minutes ago, Petraccattack said:

Bingo.

Anyone who says theres no point making finals may as well go follow another team or giving up footy altogether.

100% agree. I think a measure of success for a team is how long they can keep their season alive and allow their supporters to hold out hope. The best teams last until the last week of September, while the worst teams kill off their chances in May and leave their supporters despondent and asking themselves "why bother" for the rest of the season. 

Geelong is a good example; they limped into finals last year got bundled out first round, yet re-loaded again and now sitting 1st a game clear. Don't be fooled by the Adelaide example who are tricking the football world into thinking they are a good football side by having one of the easiest of draws to date. 

As a supporter, I'd much rather see us play finals than to put the cue in the rack, finish 15th and get a top pick with the illusion of hope that we'll relaunch even better next year. Nothing is guaranteed next year, and a simple awkward landing could see Gawn do a knee in round 1 and you'll have the same portion of supporters tell us the year is wasted and go again next year... We've been going again next year for the last 50 years... 

[ArtificialWisdom 3,844]

We have 4 weeks until the bye after which we get a few players back. We need to win 3 to give ourselves a real shot in the run home. GWS and Adelaide at the G and NT are both genuine chances albeit only 50/50 at best. But WC in Perth and Collingwood. Geez it would take one out of the hat to win either of them. It's not impossible. But finals are little more than wishful thinking right now.

Then again, if we learnt anything from Saturday night it's that miracles can happen

[Little Goffy 12,507]

14 minutes ago, nosoupforme said:

Nostradamus  you are on the way. The predictions are looking good. I believe in you.

Can you now predict me when the Premiership year is ?  I also believe in miracles.

Step by step, one small delusion at a time.

Seriously, anything is possible if you keep each delusion small.

Remember last week when Sam Frost was a match-saver? And this week when what-the-exploding-kitten-was-that happened in the last minute?

Clearly delusional, but small, so they slip through the net.

 

[chookrat 3,774]

8 minutes ago, ArtificialWisdom said:

We have 4 weeks until the bye after which we get a few players back. We need to win 3 to give ourselves a real shot in the run home. GWS and Adelaide at the G and NT are both genuine chances albeit only 50/50 at best. But WC in Perth and Collingwood. Geez it would take one out of the hat to win either of them. It's not impossible. But finals are little more than wishful thinking right now.

Then again, if we learnt anything from Saturday night it's that miracles can happen

West Coast are struggling a bit at the moment and if we turn up to play could beat them. 

GWS have lost 13 of their last 15 matches at the G and its entirely realistic that we will be able to get the job done. 

Adelaide at TIO presents another real opportunity which we should have Lever, Hannan and JKH back in the side. 

Win the above 3 and we will be 6-5 and will make QB v Collingwood a huge game for both teams. 

Dees! 

[ArtificialWisdom 3,844]

3 minutes ago, chookrat said:

West Coast are struggling a bit at the moment and if we turn up to play could beat them. 

GWS have lost 13 of their last 15 matches at the G and its entirely realistic that we will be able to get the job done. 

Adelaide at TIO presents another real opportunity which we should have Lever, Hannan and JKH back in the side. 

Win the above 3 and we will be 6-5 and will make QB v Collingwood a huge game for both teams. 

Dees! 

Imagine If we won all four!! I'd be on the premiers 2019 bandwagon then 

[DV8 2,271]

12 minutes ago, Little Goffy said:

Step by step, one small delusion at a time.

Seriously, anything is possible if you keep each delusion small.

Remember last week when Sam Frost was a match-saver? And this week when what-the-exploding-kitten-was-that happened in the last minute?

Clearly delusional, but small, so they slip through the net.

 

We were all deluded, over the off season, and look what happened... it snowballed.

[Diamond_Jim 11,674]

41 minutes ago, ArtificialWisdom said:

We have 4 weeks until the bye after which we get a few players back. We need to win 3 to give ourselves a real shot in the run home. GWS and Adelaide at the G and NT are both genuine chances albeit only 50/50 at best. But WC in Perth and Collingwood. Geez it would take one out of the hat to win either of them. It's not impossible. But finals are little more than wishful thinking right now.

Then again, if we learnt anything from Saturday night it's that miracles can happen

3 out of 4 would get me interested.

The likelihood is 1 out of 4... we should luck into one win.

The interesting conundrum is if we win 2 out of 4.

TBH the problem is that even our wins have been very unconvincing. Just hard to see us turning it around in the next month

[Lucifers Hero 36,983]

37 minutes ago, Little Goffy said:

Step by step, one small delusion at a time.

Seriously, anything is possible if you keep each delusion small.

Remember last week when Sam Frost was a match-saver? And this week when what-the-exploding-kitten-was-that happened in the last minute?

Clearly delusional, but small, so they slip through the net.

 

??? I like kittens ???

[Mazer Rackham 14,968]

17 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

??? I like kittens ???

Handy, because thousands of MFC fans all had kittens around 7:10 on Satdee

[old dee 22,807]

7 minutes ago, Mazer Rackham said:

Handy, because thousands of MFC fans all had kittens around 7:10 on Satdee

I think I had a full size lion.

[DubDee 20,332]

Crows have their mojo back, 4 on the trot. their defence is as tight as a drum.

best chance of 2 wins is WC and GWS

[Demons11 6,404]

If we can win 2 more before the break, then we might be a chance.  Most blokes should be back after the bye and then we can squeeze 8 out of 10.  Long shot but fingers crossed. 

[Demons11 6,404]

18 hours ago, DubDee said:

Crows have their mojo back, 4 on the trot. their defence is as tight as a drum.

best chance of 2 wins is WC and GWS

Adelaide have beat nobody. Saints, Freo at home and an under strength Port.   

[GCDee 3,004]

4 minutes ago, Demons11 said:

If we can win 2 more before the break, then we might be a chance.  Most blokes should be back after the bye and then we can squeeze 8 out of 10.  Long shot but fingers crossed. 

I really think this year it's going to be 12 wins will get you into the finals. So I think we likely would have 3 loses up our sleeve post the bye.

[chook fowler 18,170]

with 11 - 12 of our top 25 missing it would be an exceptional effort. I doubt it is possible but hope that it is.

[What 18,810]

Two very winnable games the next two weeks.

GWS are putrid on the MCG,   Adelaide are overrated and easily beatable.   We should get Lever and Hibberd back for the Crows game too.

 We will play finals.

[Dee Zephyr 17,302]

On 4/27/2019 at 12:04 AM, Little Goffy said:

I wont make any pretences about our chances against the Eagles at this stage. 3-6 after nine rounds and we are still right on the edge of season over. But just maybe we turn up with some fight and at least show we're still a meaningful team - part of the healing, redeption process.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

You’re hitting Birdies LG. Hitting them sweetly.

[dazzledavey36 48,641]

% will be our biggest issue.

[Docs Demons 1,656]

18 minutes ago, Petraccattack said:

Two very winnable games the next two weeks.

GWS are putrid on the MCG,   Adelaide are overrated and easily beatable.   We should get Lever and Hibberd back for the Crows game too.

 We will play finals.

I'm quietly confident also. This first half has given our 2nd tier players a taste which goes well for future. Get some troops back and as I said in other posts win 2/3 next games then bye then players back and we will give it an almighty fright. If miss out we will certainly determine in who makes it and no one will want to play us.

[GCDee 3,004]

Yeah next two weeks are huge... Probably need to win both given we have the pies shortly after. Should be pretty close the full strength post the bye