I know there is a lot of talk about the grounds currently, but bringing the focus to the potential matchups and the weapons each team has i think i should highlight a segment from 360.

The King and Montagna segment, Montagna reckons the 'striker' midfield forwards will be the difference. Petracca is the best overall from all the stats pulled of the 8 players they pulled from current top 8 teams. Then King says he thinks the intercept defender is the key. Lever is #1 and #2 in the two catergories they used. 

I've already seen it mentioned how we are #1 in basically all terms of without the ball and defending. This is really our chance.

 

2 minutes ago, Rod Grinter Riot Squad said:

We should choose Alice Springs for our finals, crowds allowed, home ground..

If we are allowed to enter, this seems feasible against the Powa if we do happen to play them.

Cats and Dogs at the AO would be the right way to go about it.

3 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Who’s to say it will even be this year? We might give it everything we’ve got but Bontempelli or Hawkins or even bloody Charlie Dixon gets a hold of us in a prelim.

There’s still some brilliant teams in contention, we don’t have the finals experience of others and we might not quite be the final product yet.

A premier has to get it perfect for 3 games in the September pressure cooker. Time will tell if that’s us.

 I fear our own inacuracy infront of goal more than any anything or any-one getting hold of us. 
If the yips set in when the pressure comes on we're forked.

Edited August 18, 20213 yr by Fork 'em

1 hour ago, Jjrogan said:

I must be missing something. There's numerous studies of a home ground advantage (and a huge one done last year for soccer confirming the advantage even without crowds during covid)  due to ground familiarity and travel fatigue. Having earned the right to exercise this option, demon fans are ok for just throwing it away for 10k mostly neutral fans who dont really care about the result ?!?!

I thought the goal was to win a premiership and playing at the mcg, particularly against an interstate opponent, gives us more chance.  That's just a fact of sport.  Pert is 100 percent right to dig his heels in. 

You are missing something. We’re in a pandemic. Home ground advantage with zero crowds at the G is not a big advantage as evidenced by our record. Playing at a neutral venue it would be a sell out with quite a few demons fans. 

1 hour ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Grand final may still be at MCG if we come out of lockdown on 2 September. That’s the final deadline.

Eddie adamant on this.

For that to happen we would need to start having 0 mystery cases from tomorrow. Thanks to the mob at the engagement party and various other illegal gatherings it’s hard to see that happening. I’d also think that given the quickness of how we re entered lockdown that we will be even slower coming out of this lockdown.

2 minutes ago, CYB said:

For that to happen we would need to start having 0 mystery cases from tomorrow. Thanks to the mob at the engagement party and various other illegal gatherings it’s hard to see that happening. I’d also think that given the quickness of how we re entered lockdown that we will be even slower coming out of this lockdown.

yep, we can effectively kiss goodbye any chance of having finals in Victoria goodbye. Dan was looking for any excuse to throw us into further chaos, and those imbeciles gave it to him on a platter. There has been mass failings on all levels - monumental federal [censored]-ups with vaccine rollout - state shuts down at the sound of a sneeze - d!ckhe@d citizens blatantly disregarding public safety measures. 

Sure it would be great to see finals live and if Victorians are allowed to travel to games (next to impossible), i'd travel anywhere in the country to attend a GF if we made it. However, at the end of the day, a premiership is a premiership, and i would gladly accept one no matter the way it came.

Coming up to 57 years and counting.............

 

 

2 minutes ago, Demonland said:

 

I’m sure the headline is somewhat misleading but just worry about winning first, Patrick.

Road to a Flag.  Interesting article.   the-top-four-team-that-must-defy-history-to-win-the-flag

Three key features:

1. Winning Form:  Winners of their round 23 game have won the flag in 8 of 10 years.  Exceptions:  Sydney in 2012  Bulldogs 2016.
2. Pre - Finals Trend:  "Closing the regular season with winning form has been a surer road to Grand Final glory, with seven of the past 10 premiers dropping none, or at the most one match, in the final five rounds".

 

1. Settled Side

Low injuries (which most finals teams have).

 

Win this week and we are well placed regarding history on all three.  As we know anything can happen but not allowing MFCSS into my thinking!  Staying positive.

Edited August 18, 20213 yr by Lucifer's Hero

49 minutes ago, Demonland said:

 

Lose to us if Port win on Friday and by all means you can have your wish. 

29 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Road to a Flag.  Interesting article.   the-top-four-team-that-must-defy-history-to-win-the-flag

Three key features:

1. Winning Form:  Winners of their round 23 game have won the flag in 8 of 10 years.  Exceptions:  Sydney in 2012  Bulldogs 2016.
2. Pre - Finals Trend:  "Closing the regular season with winning form has been a surer road to Grand Final glory, with seven of the past 10 premiers dropping none, or at the most one match, in the final five rounds".

 

1. Settled Side

Low injuries (which most finals teams have).

 

Win this week and we are well placed regarding history on all three.  As we know anything can happen but not allowing MFCSS into my thinking!  Staying positive.

Got a few friends who are Sydney supporters, I don't think they feel that their side is all that settled at the moment, losing Blakey, but they reckon Hickey's knee is holding together with floss at the moment. GWS and Essendon's formlines aren't any worse than the top6 teams... it's a pretty open race. I do like that our side is settled though. 

41 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Road to a Flag.  Interesting article.   the-top-four-team-that-must-defy-history-to-win-the-flag

Three key features:

1. Winning Form:  Winners of their round 23 game have won the flag in 8 of 10 years.  Exceptions:  Sydney in 2012  Bulldogs 2016.
2. Pre - Finals Trend:  "Closing the regular season with winning form has been a surer road to Grand Final glory, with seven of the past 10 premiers dropping none, or at the most one match, in the final five rounds".

 

1. Settled Side

Low injuries (which most finals teams have).

 

Win this week and we are well placed regarding history on all three.  As we know anything can happen but not allowing MFCSS into my thinking!  Staying positive.

But if we win and finish on top we are less likely to win (most premiers have not won the minor premiership over last 10 years) 😂

Damned if we do, damned if we don't 😂😂

Edited August 18, 20213 yr by Dr. Gonzo

I think Port has pulled the wool over quite a few people. Lost to us and then have played bottom 8 sides since then. I expect them to be soundly beaten on Friday night.

I think we need to look at the big picture re finals home ground advantage.  The GF is played at the MCG every year (except last year and this year), it's our own fault we haven't taken advantage of this in the past like Hawthorn and Richmond have.

Let us not forget the NSW Removalists Truck…

 

 

2 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Road to a Flag.  Interesting article.   the-top-four-team-that-must-defy-history-to-win-the-flag

Three key features:

1. Winning Form:  Winners of their round 23 game have won the flag in 8 of 10 years.  Exceptions:  Sydney in 2012  Bulldogs 2016.
2. Pre - Finals Trend:  "Closing the regular season with winning form has been a surer road to Grand Final glory, with seven of the past 10 premiers dropping none, or at the most one match, in the final five rounds".

 

1. Settled Side

Low injuries (which most finals teams have).

 

Win this week and we are well placed regarding history on all three.  As we know anything can happen but not allowing MFCSS into my thinking!  Staying positive.

“Winners of their round 23 game have won the flag in 8 of 10 years”… and therein lies the conundrum. If we win our round 23 game, we will be minor premiers, and in the past 10 years (2010 to 2020), minor premiers have won just two flags (Pies in 2010 and Hawks in 2013).

Oops! Just noticed Dr Gonzo’s post above, stating the same.

Edited August 19, 20213 yr by hardtack

I’d like to see a R1,MFC team v St K - first game under Roos. Was it 2014?
Also same team for Goodwin’s first game in R1 2018.  

Interested in personnel changes. 
Thinking only Gawn and TMac from current best 22. 
Hibberd, Melk and Brown at other clubs. 
 

Other than Giants, MFC only team in finals that hasn’t won a flag this century. 

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

But if we win and finish on top we are less likely to win (most premiers have not won the minor premiership over last 10 years) 😂

Damned if we do, damned if we don't 😂😂

 

37 minutes ago, hardtack said:

“Winners of their round 23 game have won the flag in 8 of 10 years”… and therein lies the conundrum. If we win our round 23 game, we will be minor premiers, and in the past 10 years (2010 to 2020), minor premiers have won just two flags (Pies in 2010 and Hawks in 2013).

Oops! Just noticed Dr Gonzo’s post above, stating the same.

Correct.  

It is our year to be the 'exception that proves the rule' 

 

Does it fell weird as a Melbourne supporter that we have already sewn up a finals spot. Like it won't come down to the final round we are already in there. Our only stress is wrapping up top spot. 

I’m a bit surprised that the bookies have the cats as favourites. $4 with bet365. We are $4.20, dogs $5.25 and Port $6.50. 

After Saturdays game, I am not going to think about anything else but the first qualifier. I am not going to read any threads about what might be, or what we might do, or what odds we are winning that last match. The GF word is no longer in my vocab (till we are there).

I've spent too many years dreaming of an outcome that hasn't happened. Been disappointed too many times. So I'm only going to focus on that 1st qualifier, and no further (till we are there). I know there is an overused term for this, and I'm sure the players focus is solely on the next game, but for once in the last 57 years I am not going to dare to dream of what might be.

(I will however back-read everything I missed out on in Demonland when we win the GF)

Edited August 19, 20213 yr by Neil Crompton

9 minutes ago, Neil Crompton said:

After Saturdays game, I am not going to think about anything else but the first semi.

Hopefully you mean the Qualifying Final froggy. Otherwise you've written us off week 1 of finals.

46 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

Does it fell weird as a Melbourne supporter that we have already sewn up a finals spot. Like it won't come down to the final round we are already in there. Our only stress is wrapping up top spot. 

Or worry about some extreme scenario that statistically shouldn't happen but always does for us? 

On 8/11/2021 at 10:10 PM, rpfc said:

I am really coming around to the vaccinated can go if they pass a test within two days of a final… We are going to get to these compromise positions for summer - maybe we can test it out.

It won’t mean me probably - my first shot here in the ACT is Sept 8 but I want my dad and you guys to go.

Our risk appetite is so low tho… sigh.

Why not just a negative test? Vaccinated people can still get the virus and still transmit the virus.

There's no logic in not letting in unvaccinated people who test negative.

 

2 hours ago, At the break of Gawn said:

I think Port has pulled the wool over quite a few people. Lost to us and then have played bottom 8 sides since then. I expect them to be soundly beaten on Friday night.

I think there in for a sharp reality check Friday night.