Found this graphic representing teams vs top 8 and bottom 10 sides this year and noticed we are currently the 9th rank side and best performing side outside the top 8 vs top 8 sides, the 8 sides above are the current top 8. Conversely we are the 14th best side against bottom 10 teams. We should be even higher vs top 8 sides if we just closed out the games vs gws and pies too.

All this goes to show maybe we aren’t as bad as people think and not as far off as it looks

Edited July 14Jul 14 by Garbo

I'm not comparing us to other sides. I'm comparing us to ourselves c.2021

We're miles off.

If you only consider games that we played on Saturdays that were on an odd day on the third week of every second month, we’re first on the ladder. Not bad at all.

Edited July 14Jul 14 by Ethan Tremblay

26 minutes ago, Chook said:

I'm not comparing us to other sides. I'm comparing us to ourselves c.2021

We're miles off.

Yeah, agree.

Nowhere near as good as our 1964 team either.

Sheesh.

Edited July 14Jul 14 by binman

All that chart shows is that we have had some good games against some teams in the top 8.

Good victories over Brisbane and Freo.

Very close losses against Collingwood and Giants which we should have won.

That's it really. Even if we had won those games we would still be outside the eight.

The real question from here is: can this talented list turn it around next season.

6 minutes ago, BAMF said:

All that chart shows is that we have had some good games against some teams in the top 8.

Good victories over Brisbane and Freo.

Very close losses against Collingwood and Giants which we should have won.

That's it really. Even if we had won those games we would still be outside the eight.

The real question from here is: can this talented list turn it around next season.

It’s a bit glass half full or half empty, if we can start being more consistent vs teams outside the 8 and still perform vs the teams in the 8 as we already have then we would be in the 8, I guess that’s all I’m suggesting. If you want to take it the other way that our true level is that of a side round 14th and we got lucky in a few games vs top sides then I could also see your point

It shows diddly squat.

The reasons behind why we seem to 'get up' against better opposition is of far more interest and intrigue to me. And on many occasions those performances have come off the back of extremely poor games the week prior.

Of course some still claim those bumps in performance were 'loading' related, but again that's just one of those blanket excuses that seems to be oh so convenient in many cases.

We are a long way off the top. Why?

Because the top clubs at this level do not drop off like we do so consistently.

1 hour ago, Chook said:

I'm not comparing us to other sides. I'm comparing us to ourselves c.2021

Sporting teams rise and fall. Who would've thunk.

2 hours ago, Chook said:

I'm not comparing us to other sides. I'm comparing us to ourselves c.2021

We're miles off.

Interesting that you are trying to compare us to a team from 4 years ago. The squad has changed, can’t compare a team from one year to another

I agree, despite the disappointment, we’re really not far away. IF we could fix our goalkicking we’re a top 8 team.

You find a bit of positivity and people swoop with misery like a seagull at Rye back beach. You wouldn’t find many supporters that are thrilled with the way the season has gone, but we are allowed to focus on some of the things that cheer us up, god knows we’ve read the negatives over and over.

And I agree, after our opening 5 rounds we’ve been in every single game since, unfortunately we didn’t capitalise on our momentum during those games. I still believe we can get a lot out of our remaining games.

Edited July 14Jul 14 by Dee Zephyr

7 hours ago, Garbo said:

Found this graphic representing teams vs top 8 and bottom 10 sides this year and noticed we are currently the 9th rank side and best performing side outside the top 8 vs top 8 sides, the 8 sides above are the current top 8. Conversely we are the 14th best side against bottom 10 teams. We should be even higher vs top 8 sides if we just closed out the games vs gws and pies too.

All this goes to show maybe we aren’t as bad as people think and not as far off as it looks

That must be out of date. Geelong have lost to GWS twice and Brisbane twice. They are not even close to #1 against top 8 teams.

Dogs are 9-0 against bottom 10 teams with a percentage of about 500%. They are easily #1 against bottom 10.

Did you find this graphic on a Geelong fan forum site?

7 hours ago, Garbo said:

Found this graphic representing teams vs top 8 and bottom 10 sides this year and noticed we are currently the 9th rank side and best performing side outside the top 8 vs top 8 sides, the 8 sides above are the current top 8. Conversely we are the 14th best side against bottom 10 teams. We should be even higher vs top 8 sides if we just closed out the games vs gws and pies too.

All this goes to show maybe we aren’t as bad as people think and not as far off as it looks

3 hours ago, Wells 11 said:

I agree, despite the disappointment, we’re really not far away. IF we could fix our goalkicking we’re a top 8 team.

It’s not only the goal kicking, though that DOES help, it’s the delivery into the forward 50 and positioning of the deliberate shots on goal and kicking action.

But I know stuff all. I thought TMac had a great game after being out for weeks. But he will be dropped again thid week .

I think the fact we have implemented a new game plan which has taken some time is starting to pay dividends and will help us long term. I think if we end up with 10 wins then I’ll take the season as a pass. A big off season with the list

The only graph that counts.

Ladder Position

1 ┤● 2021

2 |

3 |

4 |

5 ┤● 2022 • 2023

6 |

7 |

8 |

9 |

10 |

11 |

12 ┤

13 |

14 |● 2024

2025???

4 hours ago, Wells 11 said:

I agree, despite the disappointment, we’re really not far away. IF we could fix our goalkicking we’re a top 8 team.

^^^^^^^^

well if we aren't that bad, lets win a chunk of games to finish the season. Then go into next season with genuine hope.

No doubt we really let ourselves down between rounds 2 and 5 (in fairness the Geelong game wasn't a disaster) and more specifically the St Kilda game in Alice Springs. That was objectively our worst loss of the year given we were almost back in the hunt at 5-6 and the amount of missed shots that day. We blew our season in one afternoon of footy and I bet your bottom dollar that we win that game if it were at the G.

Aside from that, we've been ok this year overall. Just a couple of points:

1) We've seriously done some heavy lifting with our fixture between rounds 8 and 17, with 6 interstate trips. More specifically, name me a club that would go better than 1-2 that's copped Port, GC and Adelaide 3 weeks in a row on the road. While 0-3 is not good, GC and Adelaide away are turning into the hardest assignments in footy, and we took it up to Adelaide.

2) Since the inspiring and 'feel good' Freo game in round 6, we've gone 4-2 at the MCG which is perfectly acceptable. But if you dig deeper, one of the losses was against Collingwood which IMO was our third or fourth best performance of the season. We were pretty damn good that day and better than in our wins against WC and Richmond and arguably North. We only let ourselves down against Hawthorn in that horrible last quarter. Therefore, it's only the entire GC game in round 3 and the Hawks last quarter that we've been poor at the G.

3) Our inaccuracy was hitting record books low before the bye. However, it's definitely stabilised and trending upwards since the bye with a much tidier 41.35 in our 3 most recent games. Law of averages suggests we'll have more accurate than inaccurate games on the run home and will win games accordingly.

4 hours ago, Wells 11 said:

I agree, despite the disappointment, we’re really not far away. IF we could fix our goalkicking we’re a top 8 team.

IF my Aunty had wheels, she’d be a bike.

5 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

IF my Aunty had wheels, she’d be a bike.

And if she had meringue for hair she'd be a pavlova.

For every "we were just one moment away from victory" there is an example of being one moment away from a larger defeat.

Champion Data has a lot to answer for. It lets you tell any story you want about your team and have it backed by a serious man in chinos and a jacket holding a clipboard.

17 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

IF my Aunty had wheels, she’d be a bike.

lol okay… but l don’t think it’s as far fetched as that. Let’s just go for an achievable goal and just not miss sitters within 20 meters. that’s got to be doable?

Trac is down on physical confidence as is Oliver both post affected pre seasons . Fritsch ( as a new parent) has had an unusually poor kicking year. All will be better next year if they’re still with us.

Despite your Aunt ;-) I still think we’re really not that far off. But ask me again after we play the blues and saints. We could still finish this year on 10 wins and with a dreadfully unlucky losses to GWS and the pies.

Amongst the optimism and hyperbole of changing the bearings of this season’s voyage at the commencement of the fixture. Much of it prematurely generated from within the club. My feelings were strangely ambivalent. Nothing like 2020 vision. Five losses was sobering though. Pessimists only index spiked on Demonland ‘let’s celebrate like it’s 1999 2013’.

If the incoming bucket of the icy coldest reality water hits this year’s love generation proponents fully where it counts. And flushes away the wishy washy nonsense to be replaced with a harder edged approach. Good! Back end of the home and away, North was a tentative first step.

Edited July 15Jul 15 by Tarax Club

10 hours ago, Garbo said:

Found this graphic representing teams vs top 8 and bottom 10 sides this year and noticed we are currently the 9th rank side and best performing side outside the top 8 vs top 8 sides, the 8 sides above are the current top 8. Conversely we are the 14th best side against bottom 10 teams. We should be even higher vs top 8 sides if we just closed out the games vs gws and pies too.

All this goes to show maybe we aren’t as bad as people think and not as far off as it looks

So we're bang average against top 8 sides and even worse against other bottom sides.

At best we are a bog average side. Cool.

6 hours ago, Wells 11 said:

I agree, despite the disappointment, we’re really not far away. IF we could fix our goalkicking we’re a top 8 team.

We have been a negative club this year but I see things slowly turning on field, whilst the wins have not been their our performances bar our goalkicking have been commendable.

Our team is still a decent team, the question i would really like to know is what happened during our pre season to start the season so sluggishly?

It destroyed us.

What I think the coaching panel, list manager, selection committee have finally worked out is that they need to start integrating the next batch of youngsters into the line up and breath new enthusiasm in and around the club.

I'm hoping to see more youngsters get a go in the next month and really generate some momentum on the field and off it with the introduction of new CEO Paul Guerra and new El Presidente Steven Smith.

In the last 3 years we have stagnated as a club with off field issues, negative media coverage, unstable admin direction, lack of progress on new facility, poor recruitment of mature players.

Its just been one bad thing after another and our on field performance has suffered as a result.

I can see the dark cloud that has hovered over us clearing and the club gaining new direction with new leadership and we can ride this new wave of momentum into 2026.

🤞🪵🫲

Edited July 15Jul 15 by YesitwasaWin4theAges