titan_uranus

No matter what anyone says, there is huge pressure on us tonight. We haven't had enough go wrong out of our control to mean that a straight sets exit after starting 10-0 and finishing 2nd is acceptable. It isn't. I put very little weight in the margin of the two H&A games. Finals are different. We won't blow Brisbane apart (if we do, that says way more about them than us). We are better than them, we should find it easier to score against them than Sydney given their leaky defence, and we should have a point to prove and a burning desire to right the ship. I don't mind if it's a slog, or if it's close, or if we're behind at points. I just want a win. I want a shot at Geelong in a prelim, where for the first time in a long time we'll be significant underdogs.

You couldn't work out my point from my post? We were neither embarrassed nor towelled in those games, which was what you'd said and what I was responding to. You've gone again with a strong word here - you think we have shown "NOTHING that would intimidate the other contenders", which is another silly statement I disagree with. We finished 2nd despite having a significantly harder fixture than Geelong, Sydney or Collingwood (or indeed any finalist other than the Dogs). In our 23 games, we've had a 16+ point lead in 21 of them. Last week we played a really hot game against a really good side, led them for most of the first three quarters, but let it slip late. The fact we've lost all five games to Sydney, Geelong and Collingwood is evidence to suggest we're not as likely to win the flag as we'd all want. But only the Geelong loss was a truly poor game, and even in that one the margin was down to 5 points in the fourth quarter, so we weren't even out of that one in the fourth. If you take all of that and conclude "we are not playing like a challenger", so be it but I can't agree.

Embarrassed? Towelled? In our three H&A games against Sydney and Collingwood we led all of them at three quarter time. In the final against Sydney we led by two goals halfway into the third quarter of one of the best and most intense games of the year. In the Geelong game we weren't at our best but still closed to within a goal in the fourth. They were all in their own way frustrating/disappointing, as every loss is to an extent, but in no way were we embarrassed in any of them.

We didn't struggle to run out the Collingwood or Carlton games. We struggled to win them but we didn't see the same physical drop off that we saw vs Sydney last week.

The ones complaining about our lack of changes are likely, I suspect, to respond to the semi as follows: If we lose - all hell breaks loose If we win by a small amount - pathetic, we beat them by 10 goals twice this year, we're no chance against Geelong If we wi by a big amount - who cares, we beat them by 10 goals twice this year, means nothing

The only thing more predictable than us going in unchanged is the reaction from Demonland.

It's ridiculous because you write as if "4 quarters of relentless pressure" is some sort of magic kryptonite to beat us. it's the formula to beat every single side in the competition.

Because Collingwood played us twice, and then played Geelong in their first final. We played Collingwood, Fremantle and Brisbane twice each. Sydney and Geelong both played the minimum (i.e. no repeat games against the final 6 sides in the H&A season). Their repeat games were ridiculously easy, although that comes with hindsight (e.g. Sydney had the Dogs, GWS and Essendon twice - the latter two made finals last year but not this year, whilst the Dogs went from runners up to barely 8th).

Luck isn't the sole reason for those 5 losses. But in four of those losses we led by at least 16 points, and in three of them we led by 20+. We were on the wrong side of two close games (first Sydney, second Collingwood) and we did enough to put ourselves in a winning position in the other two, plus honestly the Geelong game. What concerns me is less that we're 0-5, more that each one's been similar - starting well, fading mid/late, and in all bar the second Collingwood game unable to press far enough in the fourth to stem the tide or score enough to win. In those five games, we kicked 6.10 in the fourth quarters compared to 20.13. I fully believe we're capable of beating Brisbane, then Geelong, then (likely) Sydney to win it from here. But it's going to take a concerted effort to not be run over in the fourth quarter as we have been each time we've played a top 4 side this year.

Probably because large swathes of our membership, and Demonland, would have lost it if we'd hidden it until after the finals. Imagine: he plays, we lose, he's off, we later find out about the injury. Demonland would go off its collective rocker at the club treating us like nobodies.

Perhaps wait until the season's over before writing obituaries? Goody's "stubbornness" has seen us sit inside the top 4 for 44 straight rounds and finish top 2 twice, win a flag and currently be in a semi final. Ah yes, it's so easy! I suppose that's why we finished a lowly...*checks notes*...2nd on the ladder... FFS, statements like this are so ridiculous. If any of the 17 sides applies "4 quarters of relentless pressure" they'll likely win. But when was the last time Brisbane did that?

I'm in again. I'll kick us off with: 49ers, Colts, Packers

Different circumstances though, right? Both Geelong and Collingwood are older than us. Collingwood's also had injuries, so they've had no choice but to play more of their squad. We don't have ageing stars like Collingwood and Geelong do, and funnily enough the player who is in most need of having a replacement prepared is probably Gawn, so we've been putting serious minutes into Jackson, which dazzle has complained of. And of course, we finished 2nd on the ladder. So whatever we were doing in the H&A season was, overall, working.

I reckon: Sydney will have no issues with either Collingwood or Fremantle (though if I were Sydney I'd definitely be barracking for Fremantle to upset Collingwood, just to avoid any potential Collingwood close game hairiness) Geelong will blow Brisbane off the MCG if they get the Lions in the prelim. It will non-competitive But if Geelong get us in the prelim... I'd have much rather we won last night and given ourselves a week off to recuperate before getting either Fremantle or a chance at revenge over Collingwood. But we have no choice but to dust ourselves off and launch ourselves at our bunnies. Hopefully some start to pump up Brisbane's tyres, as is common for the EF winner against the QF loser, so that the pressure is released from us a bit. If we can make the prelim, we'll be underdogs, which might suit us perfectly.

Yep it's up on the AFL website now too. Would make sense for Geelong to get the Friday prelim and Sydney the Saturday prelim, but I suppose the potential spanner in the works would be that Geelong ask for the Saturday prelim to get more of their fans to the game. Would mean that Collingwood/Fremantle would have to play Sydney off a six-day break, so I think the AFL would prefer to avoid that and give both semi final winners six days into the prelims.

They've won their last four and only lost twice on the road all year Having said that, the Dogs are a number of levels below Collingwood and indeed all other finalists, so it's very easy to get fooled by that comeback.

At the ground it looked like a multi-weeker. On replay he collided with his chest, not head, so I'm comfortable with just a fine. A relief for us IMO. Harmes was one of our better players early and with Jordon injured we don't have a replacement for him.

Our game was the best balance of defence and scoring until three quarter time, when the game was despite your MFCSS well and truly alive. It was clearly done after Heeney's goal, if not earlier after the Melksham miss. Melksham kicks that (for him, routine) set shot though, and who knows what happens. Time will tell whether Sydney's the best side in it. They looked like it this weekend, but Geelong had insane levels of pressure on them going in and perhaps that will be freed for the prelim (obviously I hope that's not right).

Can't say I feel sorry for the Dogs at all. In fact, I take a degree of joy from that.

Luke Jackson premierships = 1 Hayden Young premierships = 0 The 2019 draft is a key reason we won the 2021 flag.

The principal problem I had with the mid-season loading argument was the way it was used to explain why we lost those three games in the run into the bye. The only way that argument could be shown correct was to see us running games out with aplomb at the end of the year. That hasn't happened, at least not in any way we supporters can see. We don't look to be any fitter than our opponents, nor in any way fitter than mid-season. Accordingly, either our loading program just didn't work, or loading wasn't a reasonable explanation for why we lost those pre-bye games. Either way, we can put the debate behind us now, can't we?

That Richards tackle on Switkowski gets paid high to the Dogs every time.

Source? Does that mean the prelim, if we win, will also be on the Friday? Certainly better against Brisbane, but the pressure level vs Brisbane was nowhere near vs Geelong.

15 points down at half time to a side who shouldn't have finished 10th, let alone 8th, is an insipid way to start your first final in 7 years.

Bedford was really poor in the fourth quarter of the Geelong game. Looked to be well behind the pace when that game got hot. I'm not sure he's good enough to be playing AFL finals right now.