SaberFang

Absolutely, the gameplan was found out and nullified halfway through the year. Why didn't we have a plan B? You can't just expect to keep the one gameplan throughout the whole year without teams catching on (or in Hawthorn's case, outright copying). It's an indictment on our coaching group as much as our players.

Shudder to think what the vibe is like in the Viney household tonight. I imagine Todd and Jack watched together. Just yesterday he was fielding questions on 3AW about whether he'll play in the first final. [censored], he must be livid right now.

Exactly, how many years do we have to put up with the excuses? How many years do we have to be "a few players away from success." Enough is enough. Seriously. A team with nothing to play for yesterday just outperformed us. A team with everything to play for didn't show up until QT. Today, two teams with everything to play for showed up and earned their desserts.

Collingwood fans would be loving this given what happened yesterday.

"Internally, they believe they can win the Grand Final."

10 years achieving nothing. What's 1 more? No other club tears their supporters hearts out the way you do. This is a new level of sadism, even for the MFC. I can't describe how gutted I am right now. [censored] you for making me feel this way.

Imagine if we hadn't let them get out the back at the end of Q2 with 0:01 on the clock!

I feel like throwing up. Everywhere.

Lucky we put the cue in the rack against Brisbane! What an embarrassment.

They didn't bother for Fremantle. They won't bother here. They don't care if they shamelessly fix outcomes.

Spoiler alert: We miss finals.

So, wait, this is how a team plays with finals on the line? Hopefully MFC players take a few notes.

The umpires doing everything they can to ensure West Coast win. Pulling free kicks out of their ass.

I can't even muster the energy to be angry, I'm just in a state of shock right now. As an MFC supporter, this was the most predictable series of events imaginable. What in the hell have we done to deserve this torture? I don't know how much more I can actually take. Supporting this club is incredibly damaging to my mental health.

Just make sure you finish the whole bottle!

My point is that the aforementioned teams had something to play for and they delivered. Just as we did not deliver, neither did GWS, the Bulldogs or St Kilda as you pointed out. Do many rate the latter two as good teams this year? We're certainly not the only team who stumbled badly this weekend but arguably we had the most to play for and that makes it all the more heartbreaking. At least GWS were guaranteed the double chance, they just lost a home final. We stood to lose our place in finals altogether. Anyway, I'm checking out of this thread. If nothing else, it's proving detrimental to my mental health and I can't keep putting myself through this angst. I'll keep my fingers crossed for a miracle tonight but that veil of negativity is in full swing for me right now.

Just my opinion but I think the circumstances are different. Collingwood have been under pressure all week with the Buckley factor. There's a lot of history between Melbourne and Collingwood. We embarrassed them on Queens' Birthday and that would have stung (especially after the stupid comments Adams made). Then there's the Dunn/Howe factor. They would have been salivating at the prospect of bringing down another team from playing finals, if they couldn't play themselves. Similarly, Fremantle had an opportunity to cost Essendon finals. Different set of circumstances with Adelaide. They're locked into 1st and don't stand to gain or lose anything by risking injuries today. I'd love nothing more than for you to be right and for Adelaide to go hell for leather today, but sadly I don't see it happening.

Try 40 points. It'll be a training drill for Adelaide, they don't care about the result now they're locked into 1st. Good luck to them! At least they're finally giving their fans some hope and delivering on expectations. Something we've consistently failed at doing for over a decade. Like Melbourne they've put their supporters through a decade of crushed spirits but they've turned a corner, a credit to them. Geelong, Port, Sydney, Richmond, Essendon, Hawthorn. These were all teams that needed to win this weekend for one reason or another. They had something to play for. A champion to farewell, a top 4 spot on offer, a place in the finals on offer. They have all delivered when the heat was on. Melbourne did not.

[censored] blatant, isn't it? The AFL don't even pretend to hide what outcome they want. Can't wait to read the final free kick tally tonight. Meth Coast 35, Crows 9?

Essendon finished with barely a better percentage than us, despite the benefit of an incredibly soft draw (multiple rematches against low-finishing opponents). If we'd put just one or two more teams to the sword (cough, Brisbane) we wouldn't even be in this position. If we'd kicked just one extra goal in those infamous 3 matches we would've been eyeing off the top 4 rather than staring down the barrel at a heartbreaking 9th. Every match, every goal scored, every goal conceded matters. The difference of inches costs teams finals. Switching off in the final 30 seconds of a quarter costs teams games. Let this be a harsh lesson for our playing group. I hope their stomachs churn with the same crushing disappointment we supporters feel.

Yep, with West Coast in, the AFL have 4/5 states represented in finals. Just what the broadcasters want.

Well, we only needed 3 results to happen for us to miss finals. We've seen the first 2, now it's time for the 3rd.

$$$ West Coast are the richest club outside Victoria, aren't they? Huge incentive for the AFL's coffers if they get in, just like Essendon and Richmond. I won't be surprised if there's some suspect umpiring to secure Richmond in the top 4, just like the blatant pro-Essendon umpiring bias we're seeing at Etihad.

Like others, I felt even worse this morning than I did yesterday. It was the last thing I thought about before sleeping and the first thing I thought about when waking up, combined with a sick feeling in my stomach. The hangover combined with a restless sleep do wonders. Not sure how I'll react when West Coast beat Adelaide. I'm trying to make peace with its inevitability. I should scope out a dark corner somewhere in my house to crawl into.

Watson's first 3 disposals for the game all came from free kicks. [censored] convenient! The AFL are creaming themselves at the prospect of Essendon making finals. Hence giving them pick 1 and the softest draw for artificially finishing 18th last year.