6 minutes ago, Tony Tea said:

Can we win the flag from outside the Top 4? At this rate we won't make it. But if we win a couple of finals we'll give nightmares to whoever is still in the running.

I'm super confident we win our last 2 games. Carlton and the Lions are a definite step below the form and dare and will to win that the Pies are running with at the moment. That will see us finish in the top 4. The worry is, come September, will we have stepped up a gear? We'll need to to overcome the likes of Geelong and Collingwood - Sydney too for that matter.

2 minutes ago, gs77 said:

I'm super confident we win our last 2 games. Carlton and the Lions are a definite step below the form and dare and will to win that the Pies are running with at the moment. That will see us finish in the top 4. The worry is, come September, will we have stepped up a gear? We'll need to to overcome the likes of Geelong and Collingwood - Sydney too for that matter.

I think the teams you mentioned are definitely the three biggest challenges. But I also reckon we could beat all three in a final.

Anyone get on the Collingwood/Geelong GF quinella that was paying $71 the day after Queens Birthday?

1 minute ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Anyone get on the Collingwood/Geelong GF quinella that was paying $71 the day after Queens Birthday?

Everyone at 7 probably did

1 win plus 1 Brisbane loss and 1 Freo loss should lock in top 4 barring teams winning by 100.

There was a different kind of aura to us last year. You can feel the confidence in us wavering throughout the competition. We are no longer feared the way we were, the hunger is definitely gone leaving us looking timid and vulnerable.

If we happen to win the flag this year then great but I'm no longer betting on it. Hopefully the way this season has transpired regarding all the off field crap the players will rediscover their hunger for next season, this is a generational team of talent and I doubt it will go to waste.

2 hours ago, COVID Dan said:

C''mon Master, you know it's true. Might seem like an overreaction but i am pretty confident that offense is the new black and teh Dees can't match the best.

We can kid ourselves about loading and bad luck all we want, the writing is on the wall. We have continually failed on teh big occasions.

What exactly will change in 6 weeks? Not much

Have a look at the second half of last years GF and then tell me we are not capable of offence 

I agree with the original post. Its as clear as day this group doesn't have the hunger to become a dynasty team. 

We have come up short against all the contenders and even some that aren't anywhere near it.

Unless we have the game completely on our terms and put a decent 6-7 goal gap on the scoreboard (which hasn't happened much this year, especially against top 8 teams), the oppo know they're a big chance against us.  Our game plan is far too conservative to win close games especially if we have to come from behind. That last 4 minutes was like watching a car crash in slow motion, at no point did i think we could win it once we coughed up the lead.

And finally, we cant win big games at the MCG this year. 

We are just making up the numbers this year. I hope the media pundits absolutely give it to Trac, Gawn, and  Pickett this week. We need bump from somewhere to try and get a spark into this team. 

 

Edited August 6, 20223 yr by leucopogon

I still think we can get it done. If we can crawl into the top 4 we potentially get the pre-finals bye, QF win, week off, PF win, week off, GF. One of our best games of the season was against Brisbane after our bye so we could get airlifted into the grand final if we maintain that post-bye energy. Our best is still the competition's best. Massive games coming up in the next two weeks.

We're just akin to Muhammad Ali doing rope-a-dope...

*looking forward to this comment getting 🔥

 

We need to win our last 2 H&A games to get Top 4 and then 3 finals. That's 5 consecutive wins against top 8 competition. It's getting harder to make the case.

2 hours ago, BAMF said:

We lose a game we should have won to a team who are going to finish top 4 and you come out with this absolute [censored].

We are one of many teams who can win it. You have given up already? Jesus, I hate this [censored] place after a loss. 

The irony is they're going to finish top 4 BECAUSE we lost to them.

But I largely agree, one of many teams who can win it.

2 hours ago, TeamPlayedFine39 said:

Whilst we’re a little way off it at the moment, I believe our ‘best’ is better than anyone else’s.

 

Agree.

We have to find a way to get back to it.

If we end up somehow playing a QF, no matter the opponent and after a short break, finding our best form, we can still win this year.

We have to reclaim our relentless pressure, accurate kicking for goal, selflessness and total ruthless attack on the man/ball.

We won’t win it until we learn how to wrestle back momentum mid qtr. Please, someone give me an example where we have done that since round 10?

I'll rewatch the 2021 finals series for the 10th time, shed a few tears, toast the boys and I won't give an eff.

45 years of suffering means I'll probably be dead before I can amass that much sadness again in this lifetime 

 

Edited August 6, 20223 yr by Hatchman

2 hours ago, Hellaintabadplacetobe said:

Overreaction. We just played in the match of the season and fell short by a kick to a team in red hot form.

If we kicked straight it would have been game over at half-time and the footy world would be saying it's ours to lose.

We have another gear in us for finals, Pies are playing in overdrive and about to blow a gasket.

Some sanity, thank you 

7 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

We won’t win it until we learn how to wrestle back momentum mid qtr. Please, someone give me an example where we have done that since round 10?

Yep can't wrestle back momentum and get ourselves out of trouble like last year.

Funnily enough the trend this year is lead at HT by 20-30 points then cough it up. Then last year we trail at HT or in the 3rd and roll the opposition. I prefer the latter.

2 hours ago, wisedog said:

I haven’t given it away. If we took our opportunities, we would have probably put the game away by 3 quarter time. We just beat Fremantle away from home, and it was only a few weeks ago that Freo were touted as Premiership favourites. #flagmantle

Historically, it’s not as if the great Premiership dynasties have finished top of the ladder every year - that’s not what matters. They pace themselves. They do what they need to do to go top 4 and they don’t go too hard too early. I remember Alistair Clarkson rested half his team in one of the final rounds a few years ago.

We’ll probably finish top 4 and from there, we know we can beat anyone.

Pies are having a dream run. An 11-match streak with an average winning margin of 8 points? Are you serious?! Sooner or later their bubble will burst and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they went out in straight sets.

I admit there are worrying signs and the fact that we’re trialling Joel Smith forward would indicate the Club are aware Plan A, B, and C have failed 

Apart from" shoot outs" what do you think are plans B and C?

And are you saying they have been pacing themselves?

I thought it was just loading.

Geez

Edited August 6, 20223 yr by IRW

Part of me thinks it will click when we hit September but we need to fix a few things.

 

Don't agree. But five of our six loses have been on our home ground and that is a concern. 

Geelong and Collingwood  have been wonderful,  I'm hoping they've peaked too early and will run out of puff come September.  We will probably be playing one of them again in the first week of the finals.

Edited August 6, 20223 yr by one_demon

2 hours ago, COVID Dan said:

I guess you were trying to prove that you're more dopey. I apologise.

Just a tip there hot shot, there is a difference between discussion and being a jerk.

I'll let u work it out chief 

Mate. You could have posted the opening post of the thread in the post game thread. It would have got a few likes and a few replies and been lost in the rest of the thread.

You wanted to start a new thread. You wanted the extra attention that comes with that. You are totally allowed to do that, more power to you.

People are going to react to that in different ways. They don't like your opinion. That's their right too.

You have said in the opening post that you don't think we can win it. You then said in a reply later that you think we can.

Rather than defending your opinion you have agreed with the people disagreeing with you less than an hour later. It's a [censored] thread.

47 minutes ago, IRW said:

Apart from" shoot outs" what do you think are plans B and C?

And are you saying they have been pacing themselves?

I thought it was just loading.

Geez

I think we have been trying to pace ourselves, if not physically with training regimens, then certainly mentally. Having said that, it’s not advisable to spend too long in the cruising mindset.

‘Plan A, B, and C’ is a bit of an exaggeration. I really just mean the combination of forward sets ups we have trialled since Tom McDonald has been out.

Edited August 6, 20223 yr by wisedog

In his presser, Goody seemed both phizzed off and also very confident.  Shootouts don’t suit us.  
 

we can win, but not like that.  When we allow them to move the ball so easily and crumble under pressure we are stuffed.  We won almost all the important stats, but lost the game.  That won’t happen too often.

time to get this stuff sorted and line ourselves up for a finals campaign.  We can win it from anywhere in the 8.

14 minutes ago, BAMF said:

Mate. You could have posted the opening post of the thread in the post game thread. It would have got a few likes and a few replies and been lost in the rest of the thread.

You wanted to start a new thread. You wanted the extra attention that comes with that. You are totally allowed to do that, more power to you.

People are going to react to that in different ways. They don't like your opinion. That's their right too.

You have said in the opening post that you don't think we can win it. You then said in a reply later that you think we can.

Rather than defending your opinion you have agreed with the people disagreeing with you less than an hour later. It's a [censored] thread.

I agree with your points chief, but there is a difference between attacking the man and debating a thought.

Not that difficult to work out.