Bring-Back-Powell

If the Pies held on against Geelong last week, I honestly think they’d be in the box seat to win the 2022 flag. They would’ve faced and beaten Brisbane in a prelim and gone into a grand final with absolute sky high confidence. As it turns out, they’ll be playing in front of a pro Sydney crowd at a venue that probably doesn’t suit them as much as the MCG. Geelong 16.7.103 - Brisbane 9.9.63 Sydney 11.13.79 Collingwood 9.12.66

I would love Hayden Young and he would be a fantastic long term replacement for Salem when his career is over. However, he just signed a long term contract with Freo and clearly won’t be going anywhere.

Clearly this thread was poorly executed by me and served no purpose on reflection. I’ll put my hand up. I wouldn’t mind if the moderators locked it.

For those citing a hard fixture this year, it’s not going to get any easier next year as we’ll still be in the 1-6 band. We would’ve got a 7-12 fixture had we lost one of the last 2 games and presumably then lost our elimination final. Hopefully we don’t have a repeat of that absurd Adelaide-Geelong-Alice Springs-Docklands-Perth 5 week stretch. No wonder our performances at the MCG were no good in the end.

Don’t you think it highlights that we’ve still got a way to go to becoming a consistent, ruthless team that contests prelims and grand finals, year after year without fail such as the Hawks in 2012-2015 and Geelong from 2007-2011. I guess the frustration comes from the media talking us up as a dynasty club that simply needed to roll up to the Gf this year and the flag was ours.

Can you explain exactly why it’s such a pathetic thread? And if you think it’s so pathetic then why did you waste your time responding to it? I’ve just stated the facts. It’s an unusual fact, but a fact nonetheless and it was bitterly disappointing that we couldn’t rectify the record. We had a golden opportunity this year with two home finals against interstate sides but couldn’t get it done. Now we rue another September of no finals wins.

Any chance a new look fwd line next year? Two of Petty, JVR and T Mac with a resting ruck. Turner to replace Petty. BBB to play mainly at Casey or retire due to he degenerative knee.

Our performances interstate. 7-0 is remarkable and who knows how we would’ve gone against Sydney if they took second off us.

So I take it those who have responded with smart Alec responses to this thread are all honky dory with the fact that we haven’t won a final in consecutive years since 1991. You posters are easily pleased.

Doesn’t help when our opponents kick a combined accurate 28.15 across the two finals.

Yeah I’d suggest we may have won the game had it not been for those two late ones. The players and crowd were up and about after we got 12 points up and then we inexplicably coughed up the lead in the blink of an eye. Not sure if Brisbane would’ve been capable of bridging a 2 goal margin given they weren’t as defensively sound as Sydney were the week before.

Do explain please?

Hasn’t happened since 1991 when we beat Essendon at Waverley, after winning at least one final from 1987-1990. Clearly this record will continue into a 32nd year and won’t be rectified until Sep 2024 at the earliest. Carlton has the next drought - haven’t won back to back since 2001. Gold Coast obviously haven’t even been in a final. We all love and cherish Goodwin and will be forever indebted to him for winning a flag. However this is a record that he and us ought to be disappointed with. We clearly should be in the middle of a sustained run at prelims and grand finals with this current list. Consistency and continuity of success (by way of finals wins) has eluded Goodwin’s tenure so far.

No chance we get 3 first round draft picks for a player that is such a poor mark of the football. That’s a better deal than GWS got for Jeremy Cameron, and Jeremy Cameron is pretty much the best player in league football at the moment and a far more proven quantity than Jackson. With relation to Lobb, he’s the sort of player we should he targeting. A genuine forward that can ably pinch hit in the ruck as opposed to a ruck that doesn’t have any forward craft such as Gawn and Jackson.

Excellent and accurate summary. As bad as Sparrow was last night, his career worst games was the Queens Bday game in Sydney last year.

It was 1000% deserved but it plain sucks that they won a flag when we couldn’t see it. And then a year later we get dished up a woeful finals series at our home.

Really hoping we don’t become the next West Coast. Win an unexpected flag and then go backwards each year at an alarming rate.

Had an impressive 2 marks for the 2022 finals series. The most overrated player I’ve seen at the Melbourne Football club since Michael Newton.

If you believe the MCG data, no late changes and Bedford Sub. Prior sub for them.

For those AFL members that are still undecided on attending, you can get free admission at the following areas on the top level: Bays Q15 - Q24 | Rows K - DD Bays Q25 - Q28 | All Rows

Sounds a bit Spargo-ish.

If you look at our mediocre MCG record since round 11, we've lost to Freo once, Sydney twice and Collingwood twice while beating Brisbane and Carlton once. Meanwhile with regards to our interstate record of 7-0, 5 of those wins came against non finalists. I think our average MCG record can be attributed to losing to high quality sides more so than the venue not suiting us as much. We had no issues winning our first 6 MCG against mostly mediocre clubs.

Yeah I'd rather play Collingwood in a GF rather than a prelim.

Apparently her funeral is day 10 after her death (if you believe news.com.au) so next weekends prelims won’t be affected. The Brownlow might be on at the same time??

I wouldn’t expect the game to be called off. A minute silence obviously.. When princess Diana had her funeral they had to move the 1997 Friday night elimination final to the Saturday afternoon. If the queen’s funeral is Friday night our time, I expect Friday’s prelim to be moved to Saturday afternoon.