My Grand Final Preview and Prediction.

[CHF 2,736]

2 finals played……..  2 finals won.

Just a Grand Final to come. Let me just repeat that…..”Just a Grand Final to come”.

How good does that sound?

Our Dees have the opportunity to win it all this season. I am not sure that any supporter could have stood there in February earlier this year and had the intelligent thought that we would be there, or that we would have had the season that we have had. Top of the ladder at the end of H&A and playing and winning finals with confidence and character.

No matter what the outcome next week, I, for one, will look back on this season and judge it a success. What I do hope for is that this is the beginning of a number of years of consistency season to season.

The result of our qualifying final against the Cats was never in doubt. For me, it was a complete team game. Each player stood their ground and were aggressive and attacking both with the ball in hand and when the opposition had the ball or when it was in dispute. We can not ask for more, just a repeat effort in the TBO (The Big One). As for Geelong, well, they are in a world of trouble with the list they have at the moment in my opinion. Old and slow (I don’t think I am Robinson Crusoe with that thought). The papered over cracks opened under the pressure we exerted, and the Cat literally fell apart. Could not have happened to a more deserving team and at a better time. I do hope that they continue to be deluded about the quality of their list and persist with their present strategy.

A word about Max…… Just plain ‘Great’. However, he has made a rod for his own back. While we cannot expect him to play to that level each week, I am sure that he will have his future games judged against this match.

And so, to The Grand Final……. Against the Bulldogs….

If the teams play to their high standards of the two QFs, it will be a ripping game and I believe it is the best GF that the AFL could have hoped for. These two teams have been in the top two, or thereabouts, for most of the season. Gunna be a tough one to win and a tough one to lose for both teams.

Just a question: what is the record for a team playing in games in a season where it was 1 vs.2 on the ladder.

The facts:

We are coming off a good win against an old decrepit team…. But we did it well. – Advantage us

We have one day extra rest – it is a long two weeks between games so minor, very minor, advantage to us.

We are playing at a ground where we have won. – Advantage us

They have played their last two games in QLD and SA. Been on the road a while. – Advantage us?

They have to isolate in WA? …… - advantage us?

They are coming off a good win against Port – Advantage them

Problem areas of the game for us. Maintaining the standards that have been set…..

Last week our defensive structure was tested with the injury to May and it passed with flying colours. The pressure that the mid field exerted on the opposition between the arcs made sure that the delivery into their forward 50 lacked consistency and penetration which gave our defence an armchair ride. When there was a contest, they did their job very well.

This week they will need to be at their best with a few of Bulldogs forward threats in good form. They had 10 different goal kickers so the pressure from our mids will need to be there to ensure that the defence can do their jobs. Naughton is excellent on the lead, and I could see Petty getting first crack at him. Smith with 4 and Hannan with 3 were very good and will need covering. Smith was named on the wing but ran hard forward at every opportunity. Gus to play his defensive wingman role? He may not have the speed off the mark for the job. Bowey? If Weightman comes in, that might be Bowey’s job, and a big job that would be. Might be an interesting matchup. Rivers to Hannan for me. May to English. We have flexibility in matchups back there and the best structure in the league.

Midfield is going to be an interesting chess game for the coaches. Both teams have a lot of talent to throw around to try and gain an advantage in matchups. We all know the old adage….. ‘It will be won or lost in the midfield.’ Could not be more true of this game. Libba, Macrae and Bont vs. Oliver, Petracca and Viney in the guts and Langdon and Gus vs. Hunter and Smith on the wings. Juicy.

We have Harmes and Sparrow as backup and they have Dunkley who is no slouch. I tend to think we have a bit more flexibility to be able to respond to the fluid nature of a game than the Dogs….. I hope so.

One area where I think we have a clear advantage is with Max and Luke. Up against Martin and English I like our chances. Jackson is just so good at competing once the ball hits the ground or is in hand at the center bounce he is like an extra mid. Do not see either Martin or English running with him. Max will compete and attack at every opportunity either with the ball or if it is in the hands of the Dogs…

Now for the forwards… We had 10 goal kickers of our own last week and kicked more than 3 times more goals than the Oldtimers.

The good; We kicked a winning score with a good spread of kickers and some good form shown by the critical players.

The bad; Geelong…. Did I mention they are old and slow?

The ugly; Searched my mind and came up empty for this one…… any suggestions?

The forward structures worked well and look to be improving each week. Brown is doing all the things he should be doing and the rest of the team are playing off him very well. Fritsch is the hard one for the Dogs. They need to cover him but it will take a good flexible play to do that, and they may be robbing Peter to pay Paul. We have Brown, Tmac and the resting ruck for them to cover. They will be stretched. And then they have Spargo, Kossie and ANB to cope with aa well. All in good form.

Petrraca has been on the end of a few recently and Oliver has shown he can kick a goal as well…. another chess match for the coaching panel.

Selection this week should be a one cheese platter night, but you never know. No changes for mine if May gets up. Jordon or Smith as Med Sub.

Bathwater express is gleaming clean and the donk is turning over nicely. Just throbbing biding its time until the big day. It charged across the Nullabor without missing a beat and fully loaded with all of our hopes and dreams. It has been a great ride on the old girl and now having delivered us to TBO, she is nearly ready to rest over the off season to build up a head of steam for 2022. Never know there might even be an additional flag flying from the arial by then.

Prediction… go with the heart or the head? Does not really matter the result will be the same….. Dees to win it. Close for a half but we will take the game away from the Dogs in the second half.

 

Go Dees!!!

[Dante 2,739]

My prediction The Dees by 20 - 30 

[jacey 333]

Watching the first 10 min of both Rd 11 and round 19. Melbourne had control in both but in round 19, Melbourne kicked 1.4. Ben brown missing 30 in front and both kozzie and Viney missing 20 slight angle running towards goal, slight pressure but gettable goals. 

Both teams have been pretty poor this year with accuracy. Expected scores, MFC is like 21-1 and 2 finals wins.  

Melbourne's game holds up. You have to nail your shots in front. 

[picket fence 17,146]

DEES to send the Dishlickers back to the old Lost dogs home in Gracie st Nth Melbourne.

EASYYYYYY.🤩

[buck_nekkid 5,858]

We are the best team in the competition - advantage us

media tyre pumping - advantage them

umpires - advantage them

we are the best team in the competition - still advantage us.

All this talk of ‘how do we stop their midfield’ - like they don't have to stop ours?  We have 2 ruckmen to  their none (what a guy that looks like officer plod from Noddy and a guy that can hardly jog?).  Yes, they have good players, and are the second best team for most of the year. They have to plan to deal with 5 all Australians.

if we bring our best, and don't over commit inside the contest, then this will be a ding dong grand final and we should get it done if we are reasonably accurate.  Hold the doggies to 10-12 goals, kick 14-18 ourselves. 

[Little Richard 6,262]

God I'm nervous but I think the squad is just too hungry to be denied.

Dees by four goals.

[Little Richard 6,262]

Also WE HAVE TO KICK STRAIGHT.

[durango 2,007]

Most GF are won by the teams that bring their 'A' Game and also kick straight puting scoreboard pressure on the opponents but this is the first time the Demons have a better than even money chance to complete the season as premiers the 1988 and 2000 teams were good but lacked the killer punch in 1988 we kicked 6 goals 20 behinds just imagine we kicked 20 goals 6 behinds the result might have been different.

In 2000 the defence was poor consisting of Ward, Ingerson, Nicholson, Walsh, Collins and Febey.

In 2021 the defence is very good and none of the players in the 1988 defence other than Febey would get a look in.

[CHF 2,736]

9 hours ago, buck_nekkid said:

We are the best team in the competition - advantage us

media tyre pumping - advantage them

umpires - advantage them

we are the best team in the competition - still advantage us.

All this talk of ‘how do we stop their midfield’ - like they don't have to stop ours?  We have 2 ruckmen to  their none (what a guy that looks like officer plod from Noddy and a guy that can hardly jog?).  Yes, they have good players, and are the second best team for most of the year. They have to plan to deal with 5 all Australians.

if we bring our best, and don't over commit inside the contest, then this will be a ding dong grand final and we should get it done if we are reasonably accurate.  Hold the doggies to 10-12 goals, kick 14-18 ourselves. 

Buck, I agree with you with regard to the midfield contest. In the two finals so far, we have not really put a hard tag on any of the opposition and really relied on our pressure at the contest to negate play makers. We do line up on an opponent at the center bounces and at stoppages but then look to attacking the ball and/or ball carrier with our pressure. 

The first quarter will be a contest to decide who is dictating terms. If it is going our way them the Dogs will need to react and try to shut us down. if we need to react to the Dogs then we are on the back foot. I know we have shown that we can turn the tide when required but I would prefer to be the proactive team.

Can see us attacking hard and fast in the early stages to get on the front foot.

[Fork 'em 6,983]

7 hours ago, Luther said:

Also WE HAVE TO KICK STRAIGHT.

Kick straight and it'll be over by 3/4 time.

[spirit of norm smith 16,448]

I’m exhausted mentally already and we still have 8 days to go !!!