Is there too much pressure to play finals?

[Glenn]

Of course the goal of every team at the start of the year is to be playing finals football, you don't say "well we are just making up the numbers, we have no chance of making the finals"
Every team wants to win the Flag, but in reality only 8 teams can so of course there will be pressure to make the eight not only from the team themself,but also supporters,sponsors,media etc, how the team copes with that pressure is up to them

[footyhead]

Swans cope badly.

[ScottH]

But to rebuild and reassess, we would have to finish in the bottom 2 or 3 (with less than 5 wins) to be able to recruit the "guns" we require. No one wants to go back to those days.

Or trade some big names, like Hall or Goodes, for a couple of good players that will develop, or early picks, etc.

[footyhead]

It's not neccessarily baout recruiting guns, it's also about finding the kind of inner voilition needed to go all the way.
Some teams find it, some coaches do. It doen't always involve a great change of playing personel.
It is about will. Mathews has it and knows how to imparte it and is encouraged to do so by his footballing administration.
The jury is still ou on Roos and especially Colless, who does not seem to be able to attract and give incentive to those coaches who are most able to change a clubs culture and premiership history.

[ScottH]

Originally posted by footyhead
Teams that re-group, build a solid team ethic over 2 or 3 years and then assult the flag with that new determination and new found culture are the ones who prove succesfull.

I thought this is what we ARE doing.

Originally posted by footyhead
It's not neccessarily baout recruiting guns, it's also about finding the kind of inner voilition needed to go all the way.
Some teams find it, some coaches do. It doen't always involve a great change of playing personel.

And what other choices are there?

[swansrule100]

who wants to punch me first for starting this thread??



i think obviously consistent finals are a good platform, but i just was curious if people closer to the club than me could confirm if there is too much happiness with playing week 1 finals

[sharpie]

For decades this club couldnt hope to make the finals. Now we are regulars. Sure does beat the bad old days.

[swansrule100]

Originally posted by sharpie
For decades this club couldnt hope to make the finals. Now we are regulars. Sure does beat the bad old days.

do you think thats a problem???

[Foreign Legion]

Well the closest we have got since '96 is 2003 - the final was played at home - and we had a chance at beating 'the best side of all time'.

Look at last year - beat the Saints in Sydney got thrashed at the G.

We have not won a final in Melbourne since 1945! We only need to win 1 to get a flag if the cards fall right (2003).

[Go Swannies]

Originally posted by Foreign Legion


We have not won a final in Melbourne since 1945! We only need to win 1 to get a flag if the cards fall right (2003).

But we did win an away final in South Australia in 2003.

[sharpie]

Originally posted by swansrule100
do you think thats a problem???

problem???

far from it.

I'm saying that our culture has improved out of sight in the last 10 or so years.

Keep playing finals. Success drives success. While we may not have had the ultimate success yet, we are far more successful these days than almost any other time in the swans history (in living memory anyway). And I mean both on and off the field.

[swansrule100]

and that was this was it?

Sat 15 Sep 45
2SF OO Collingwood 1.2 4.7 9.10 11.11 (77)
46224 Sydney 2.1 3.5 11.8 13.10 (88) Syd by 11

[swansrule100]

Originally posted by sharpie
problem???

far from it.

I'm saying that our culture has improved out of sight in the last 10 or so years.

Keep playing finals. Success drives success. While we may not have had the ultimate success yet, we are far more successful these days than almost any other time in the swans history (in living memory anyway). And I mean both on and off the field.

very good point, i liked your point in the other thread, that people actually want to play for us now!! rather than use as a retirement village!

[bricon]

Originally posted by footyhead
Teams that re-group, build a solid team ethic over 2 or 3 years and then assult the flag with that new determination and new found culture are the ones who prove succesfull.

That theory doesn?t hold true if you?d care to analyse the finishing position of the premiers in their previous three seasons. The only side that didn?t regularly play finals before they won flags was Adelaide in ?97 and ?98. Here is a list of the premiers each year from ?96; the figures in brackets indicate their finishing position in the home and away rounds for the previous 3 years.

96 ? North Melbourne (6-3-3)
97 ? Adelaide (13-11-11)
98 ? Adelaide (4-13-11)
99 ? Kangaroos (1-7-2)
00 ? Essendon (1-1-14)
01 ? Brisbane (6-3-16)
02 ? Brisbane (2-6-3)
03 ? Brisbane (2-2-6)
04 ? Port Adelaide (1-1-3)

It should be noted that Brisbane?s spectacular rise to the premiership in 2001, after finishing last in 1997 followed the merger with Fitzroy in ?97 where they picked up 8 ready made senior players in one hit and the appointment of Leigh Matthews in 1999. That type of recruiting coup will probably never happen again.

These figures show that a team has to regularly play in finals to win a flag; the ?drop down the ladder to rebuild theory? is BS.

[footyhead]

Yes but before those 3 years most of those teams had a regroup after falling down the ladder.
Now if the Swans win the flag this year, they will have achieved the same kind of result as those premiership teams you have listed.
But it's not looking very good IMHO. Not just based on this years form, but because the game plan sucks.