General footy chat Round 12: the other games.

[dejavoodoo44]

I've been death riding the Saints all season, because I found the crap they constantly spouted about the academy to be particularly irksome, but I think I'll make an exception tonight. I mean, I have decades of simmering resentment against Hawthorn (and some of it's even rational).

Much the same tomorrow night. I've been enjoying Carlton's misery all season, but it'll be, go the Blues, because these days, I'd genuinely barrack for Hawthorn if they were playing against Geelong.

I find the odds in the Saturday afternoon game interesting. Brisbane are $1.70 favourites, despite being flogged by GWS last game and despite Fremantle being on a ten game winning streak. I assume that people are thinking that a suitably chastised Brisbane can flick a switch and get back to their best. Rather than the other scenario, where they've been destabilised by a long injury list for the first time in many years, and now the wheels are genuinely falling off.

Vaguely similar in the Melbourne v GWS game in Alice Springs. Melbourne are favourites, despite GWS kicking 14 goals in a quarter against the reigning premier.

There also be some of interest, as to whether Essendon can get the dead coach bounce, when they take on West Coast.

[Kafka's Ghost]

It’ll be interesting to see if GWS can back it up after last week’s freakish effort. Hope you’re right about Brisbane being destabilised by injury, too.

[dejavoodoo44]

It’ll be interesting to see if GWS can back it up after last week’s freakish effort. Hope you’re right about Brisbane being destabilised by injury, too.

Yes, three premierships in a row would be a bit excessive.

[Jimitron5000]

Probably a good opponent for Essendon to take on after sacking their coach. I'm not they have enough life for the dead coach bounce to take effect though.

[Thunder Shaker]

I have decades of simmering resentment against Hawthorn (and some of it's even rational).

Yes, three premierships in a row would be a bit excessive.

Your justified resentment of Hawthorn is explained here. Hawthorn have won seven of their last eight Grand Finals going back to 1988. In the same time period, Sydney Swans have also played eight Grand Finals and won only two. Hawthorn's entire VFL/AFL record is 13 premierships and 6 losses from 19 Grand Finals, all in the last 65 years. One premiership every five years is excessive. They are overdue for losing a few.

[dejavoodoo44]

The St Kilda tactics seem to be to chip it around the back half for a while and then either bomb it long to a contest or kick it directly to a Hawthorn player. Dire football.

[Sandridge]

It's almost 60 years since St.Kilda won their only premiership.

They will easily beat our record of 72 years between flags.

[imuninformedtwo]

After what they did to the academies, I will always put the Saints in the same category as the Dogs. May they forever be a @@@@ and irrelevant club.

Tempted to wander over to bigfooty for a laugh.

[dejavoodoo44]

It's almost 60 years since St.Kilda won their only premiership.

They will easily beat our record of 72 years between flags.

And perhaps Essendon will win a final by then.

[Sandridge]

The St Kilda tactics seem to be to chip it around the back half for a while and then either bomb it long to a contest or kick it directly to a Hawthorn player. Dire football.

Truly awful, aren't they!

[dejavoodoo44]

After what they did to the academies, I will always put the Saints in the same category as the Dogs. May they forever be a @@@@ and irrelevant club.

Tempted to wander over to bigfooty for a laugh.

Once Tasmania comes into the competition, I suspect that the AFL will want to add another expansion team to even out the numbers. Personally, I reckon they should go the other way. My preferred option would be to merge St Kilda with GWS and send them to Canberra. It would remove a largely irrelevant team from Victoria and free GWS from the miserable task of trying to grow a supporter base in western Sydney. Plus the name of the ACT Aints has a certain appeal.

[Sandridge]

After what they did to the academies, I will always put the Saints in the same category as the Dogs. May they forever be a @@@@ and irrelevant club.

I feel the same way about St.Kilda but my hatred for them goes back decades. A very, very ordinary group of supporters - I, too, hope they remain cellar dwellers.

[Sandridge]

St.Kilda have worked out that if you kick the ball towards your goal instead of across the ground or even backwards, you're more likely to score!

Unfortunately for them, Hawthorn are using the same strategy.

[Thunder Shaker]

And perhaps Essendon will win a final by then.

Essendon will win another final before St Kilda wins another premiership. Essendon have won 69 finals. St Kilda have won one premiership.

Essendon's current problem is they have been stuck in an eddy of mediocrity: never really bottoming out for long (2016 spoon notwithstanding), never being good enough to win a final. They need to rebuild, and they can't do it effectively until Tasmania is established as the 19th team. I'm expecting their next finals win in about 2034.

Essendon's speciality seems to be making finals only to lose various elimination finals in the first week, which they've done 26 times, including their last six finals. The current winless streak is not the only time Essendon were mocked for losing finals. They also didn't win any finals in the 1970s and early 1980s, losing five elimination finals in 11 years. They've won 16 premierships, so they get finals right sometimes.

St Kilda have always been a rubbish club. One premiership (by one point) and 28 wooden spoons in 128 years is a grim record. In four of those spoon years, they won no games. In another four, they won one game, and also have two seasons with one win and one draw. They've played in 17 finals series and won 22 finals. They've lost 6 Grand Finals including their last four.

St Kilda has been making up the numbers ever since they were invited to join the VFL in 1897.

[Sandridge]

Essendon will win another final before St Kilda wins another premiership. Essendon have won 69 finals. St Kilda have won one premiership.

Essendon's current problem is they have been stuck in an eddy of mediocrity: never really bottoming out for long (2016 spoon notwithstanding), never being good enough to win a final. They need to rebuild, and they can't do it effectively until Tasmania is established as the 19th team. I'm expecting their next finals win in about 2034.

Essendon's speciality seems to be making finals only to lose various elimination finals in the first week, which they've done 26 times, including their last six finals. The current winless streak is not the only time Essendon were mocked for losing finals. They also didn't win any finals in the 1970s and early 1980s, losing five elimination finals in 11 years. They've won 16 premierships, so they get finals right sometimes.

St Kilda have always been a rubbish club. One premiership (by one point) and 28 wooden spoons in 128 years is a grim record. In four of those spoon years, they won no games. In another four, they won one game, and also have two seasons with one win and one draw. They've played in 17 finals series and won 22 finals. They've lost 6 Grand Finals including their last four.

St Kilda has been making up the numbers ever since they were invited to join the VFL in 1897.

I thoroughly detest St.Kilda for a host of reasons going back decades but one of those reasons revolves around your post. For a club with such a terrible record, their supporters are unbelievably arrogant.