Jaded No More

But we dropped some silly games in 2021 as well. We lost to Collingwood who were bottom 4. We lost to GWS at home. We drew with Hawthorn. Spending all your energy in the home and away season is fraught with danger. As is spending all your luck. Fighting back to win week after week is not only physically taxing it’s also mentally taxing. How long can you sustain that? We saw what happened last year. Started like a house on fire and then the burnt the house down to the ground in finals. Mentally and physically cooked. We have a totally different run home this year and if we can get Clarry and Fritta back and avoid any other injuries, I think we are as good a chance as any other top 4 side. We have the midfield and the defensive game to beat Collingwood, Brisbane and Port.

I agree with Brisbane, unless they play Port at the G. But I think you underestimate Port. I think because they’ve failed so many times in finals we tend to think that history will repeat itself. They were very good tonight. Very impressive. I think nerves got the best of them, but they should have won that game.

And yet we beat them, Brisbane beat them and Port lost by two points because they couldn’t convert their chances. As I said, good team, but just because the media tells me they’ve won the flag, doesn’t mean they’ve won the flag. Are Port not a chance now because Pies beat them by 2 points? Are we not a chance now because we lost to Port by 4 points? Or are the Pies no chance now because they lost to us? Any of the top 4 sides can win it. There isn’t one side that stands out so much or cannot be shut down. Control the corridor against the Pies, and don’t let them believe their own hype, and you win. By the way, our comeback against Brisbane last week was better than the Pies tonight IMO. Brisbane were far more dominant than Port during the game. Nobody talks about us as being real contenders tho do they? And Pies aren’t missing their best midfielder and their best forward tonight either.

Yeah they have two very good defenders. We have 7. They get split open on the counter because they play very one way attacking footy. It works when it works but it’s very costly when it doesn’t. DeGoey has never done a thing in finals. When he does I’ll start to worry. Daicos is a star. But he’s also a kid. A hard tag and he struggles. If you’re relying on him to win a flag, good luck. They went and got Mitchell because they struggle to consistently win the contested ball. Mitchell is a contested ball winning machine but a bog ordinary kick. Our midfield is a level above theirs. They don’t have Clarry or Viney or a Max Gawn. Their forwardline is ordinary but it’s still better than ours. But you can’t tell me their defense is better than ours. It simply isn’t. The sickening love of Collingwood is driven purely by the narrative in the media. It’s fun to watch a team come back every time and win. But really good sides aren’t constantly behind and having to grind wins. Port kick straight and Pies lose. We kick straight and Pies lose by a lot more. They are a good side, but luck has played a massive part in their journey this last two years. Last year it ran out in the prelim. This year I hope it runs out when we play them.

Yep that is basically all they have. They have a very ordinary forwardline, an ok midfield and an average defense. Where they excel is their resilience. They don’t ever think they can lose. They also have some great ball users. But you know who else has come back from big deficits and won? Melbourne. Port have a very poor defense. Just look at their percentage. They couldn’t shut the game down.

See my post above. They have Geelong, Port and Brisbane still to come

The only comfort

Great. Another week of hearing about how Collingwood is the greatest team in the universe.

Garbage result

How does a draw look?

What a rubbish call in the wet in a close game. Well done umpire.

This. They’re winning week after week because teams are so worried they’ll get run over. Not because they are so much better than their opponent.

Sure. Until you defend the corridor.

This is sickening.

One day someone will really hurt him and I will stand and applaud.

Commentators having a coronary over Nick Daicos

Just die in a hole already Freo!

What are you doing Finlayson??

FMD I hate Collingwood. They just beat you psychologically. Come on Port!

Here we go 🙄

I love Boak. What a warrior.

Pies don’t love the contested game.

I hate Maynard. Love watching his stupid face when he got tackled.

You don’t want to miss these chances against the Pies.

Horrible miss from Marshall