Yze_13

I think we're all hopeful of a 20-goal GF win! I only want one. I'm jealous of the supporters of other teams who've been there and got to experience it all - and some 3 times in a row.

I have no idea what happens. Hopefully, with another strong pre-season and some shrewd recruiting, we come out on fire, make the 8 with 2-3 rounds to spare, and win the GF by 20 goals against the Pies. The Club's survived plenty worse than a 10th place finish.

Fair enough. Thanks for your contribution.

Yep - I'm not saying he's got a job for life. All I'm saying is in my view he'll be given a 'normal' year with 'normal' footy to lift the bar, and after 5 years, if it doesn't happen, the Board will move then. I'm sure everyone here would say Daniher was a far more successful coach than Goody. Interestingly though Goody's winning percentage is better. And Neale got 10 years.

Sure - if you look at everything that's happened since with the expectation of 2018 levels all the time you'd be disappointed. Much more so in 2019 than in this year. As I said in an earlier post, I'd rather this than 2012. I didn't think it was realistic to make top 4 with the list we had at the start of the season, and I still don't. It's not that good a list - perhaps more imbalanced than anything - with an over-reliance on inside mids and not enough good outside ball users. I guess we all want the same thing - to win every game by 10 goals and the GF by 20 goals. Just never going to happen.

Sure - I get it. I'm hurting too. I'm not happy about how they fell away against two mediocre teams either. But was I happy with where we sat, all things considered, before the last two matches? Absolutely.

Depends where you think the list quality is at I guess! We can agree to disagree. My estimate pre-season was that we'd finish between 6th - 12th (and I think most judges thought that).

I doubt it. I really don't want to talk COVID, but if we eradicate the virus domestically by next March there will be no reason to have hubs at all.

Trent Rivers with pick 32. Will play 200 games (hopefully all for us).

Not really what I meant - hence the 'normal'. The only thing a vaccine will affect is the number of fans at a game. What I meant is games every weekend, 6/7 day breaks, full quarters (which will really help us), a proper pre-season, no trips to Adelaide then Brisbane then Alice then Cairns, and so on, and so on.

What about 2012? Or is being apathetic and losing by 80 points every week better because at least you know what you're going to get?

They're not going to sack him lads - forget about it. There are too many alibis this year. Played off back to back 4 day breaks in muck conditions after an exhausting win in Alice Springs. They're about where most judges expected them to be. You can complain about the game style all you like, but there's no planning or coaching for two fumbles in D50 and a banana from the boundary on the run. The Board will give him and the game plan a clear look at it in 2021 with footy being back to 'normal' and I expect next year it's make finals or bust.

The Jones goal was a bigger moment for me - for a bloke who'd been through some of the worst times, and was in a position to taste finals success for the first time in twelve years, to in essence seal the game was pretty special. Still get chills thinking about it. Oh to be there again. Surely a good omen - two years ago today?

It depends how you define mentally weak. I would say that, in general, we are no more or less weak than other sides. Everyone focuses on the immediate past (which was obviously unacceptable) but between the Port game and this one we’d put 3 poor sides to sword and struggled over the top of St Kilda. Teams will have inconsistent performances this season given the nature of the challenge. Honestly, who here at the start of the season was predicting a top 6 finish? I feel like there is a core of posters here that would find fault if we won every game by 10 goals. It’s simply not realistic. There are times where you come out flat and you get beaten. You cannot be up every game. The margins between sides are incredibly slim - it doesn’t take much to get found out. What the team lacks is a cadre of super experienced leaders (think Hodge & Lewis, or Dangerfield and Selwood) who can turn the tide when things aren’t going our way. Top teams don’t go goalless in a quarter, or concede 5 in a row - they change things and find a way - and it’s always easier when you’ve done it together for 100 games. That’s what we’re missing.

Brayshaw will be at Freo next year. No surer thing. Question is what we get for him.

Brilliant. Just brilliant. How good was that! Rock solid defensively all night. Fantastic. Stephen May you star. And “Muddy” Rivers, and the ball bouncing off square. I love this club.

I don’t mind the team. For all those saying you need pace - Geelong aren’t quick and they beat the Saints by 10 goals. Good ball movement and defensive running makes you looks fast (and vice versa). I suspect Richo has had a fair bit to do with the game planning and structure here. I also wonder whether we’re advantaged by the Saints never having played Traeger before. A little home ground advantage for a change. I’m looking forward to the contest.

Like last week when we kicked 16.4?

Jason Norrish?

Where are all the peanuts calling for Goodwin to get sacked?

What a cracking performance. Sensational. So proud of the whole 22 (and the coaches). That’s the standard now. Nothing less.

Cracking performance. Only the most churlish supporter could find anything negative about that (ok, perhaps the poor conversion). Not sure whether we had a player who didn’t win their position. Thought Spargo was fantastic - especially leaving his man and bursting through the line in the third quarter for the long handball. Challenge for him is to back it up. Luke Jackson could legitimately be the best player in the competition in 5 years. I’ve maintained all along that our form line is not that bad - 5 losses (2 by less than a goal) all against top 6 sides. Pretty good really. We’re beating the sides we’re supposed to.Having said that, it was a performance against a dispirited and depleted outfit. Let’s see that level maintained against the Pies and I’ll be happy

Max

VDB fractured eye socket apparently.

I actually think the tentativeness in the first three quarters was the players not wanting to make a costly mistake and put Goody under more pressure. That to me speaks that they’re playing for him, and want him to do well. The last quarter speaks for itself really - our game plan in full flight against limited opposition. For me, Oliver’s decision making, Jackson’s athleticism and May’s aggressiveness the highlights (and Viney’s first right foot goal ever - prove me wrong). We did what we should have done against the bottom team - a 9 goal win. The cadence of it is not so relevant. I thought we were the dominant team most of the night. Challenge is now to maintain the effort and pressure against better opposition.