Freo, way to go...

[Blood]

Freo have knocked off Port!!!

We are 4 points behind Port and have a better %.

Can we still do the impossible?

Fellow optimists only in this thread

[swans_premiers]

yes we can.

If we do....we will cause some damage too ;-)

[pinkemu]

Freo have knocked off Port!!!

We are 4 points behind Port and have a better %.

Can we still do the impossible?

Fellow optimists only in this thread

One of the 3 tips I got right this week

[DST]

If we had knocked off the Saints we would have been in the eight tonight.

Absolute long shot and really don't care if we do get in.

Enjoying watching White, Jack, Smith, Hannaberry, Barlow and MOD play at present and seeing off our retirees with a good standard of football.

DST

[pinkemu]

If we had knocked off the Saints we would have been in the eight tonight.

Absolute long shot and really don't care if we do get in.

Enjoying watching White, Jack, Smith, Hannaberry, Barlow and MOD play at present and seeing off our retirees with a good standard of football.

DST

Lets enjoy watching them take out a few of the big shots out on the way.
(Collingwood)

[swans_premiers]

here's the deal to be in the 8 next week.

We def Cats.
Saints def Bombers
Carlton def Port

possible.

[Beaussie]

Freo have knocked off Port!!!

We are 4 points behind Port and have a better %.

Can we still do the impossible?

Fellow optimists only in this thread

Fingers crossed. On the AFL ladder predictor I have us finishing 8th even allowing for a loss against the Pies. First week of finals in my scenario is against the Lions. Must beat the Cats this week. Carn Swans. We can do it.

[GoSouth33]

At least we can go into the game against the Cats with a bit of confidence. They're a little down and we're up. If we play like we did against the Saints, we win. Don't really care about finals this year: dropped those expectations a few weeks back. However, it's fun to watch the games without the pressure and the results are looking after themselves. Could be our biggest home crowd of the season next Saturday.

[ScottH]

WTF?????

I'll believe it in 3 more games.

[Lucky Knickers]

Well it's not over 'til it's over and I see only positives from the last couple of weeks. We pushed the leading team to a 1 point win, we've smashed a bottom team and everyone is contributing.
Cats will show us where we are at. If we can roll them then I will smash the emergency glass and get out the lucky grand final knickers.

[573v30]

I bloody hope so but I can see the Cats mauling us back to reality...

[BigD]

I predict 2 wins out of our last three

Cats - win
Pies - loss
Lions - win

I don't know that that will be enough unless a lot of other results go our way.
way.
That said, I'll be cheering and praying all the way.

[SimonH]

One thing is looking increasingly likely. Whichever team collapses, slightly embarrassed, into 8th spot, may well have the worst 8th place record in the 16-team era. Record currently set the very first year of the era-- 1997 by the Brisbane Lions with 10-1-11 and 105%. (Which was a bizarre year where even the 13th-placed team ended up on 10-12 and so only missed the finals by half a game.)

Interestingly, in both of the first 2 run-throughs I did on the ladder predictor I did, Hawthorn made 8th (i.e. they still made it even when I had them losing to Adelaide in Melbourne this weekend). Richmond R21 speaks for itself, and even though Essendon rolled Hawthorn earlier in the year, Essendon would be a very pleasant R22 opponent for mine. Just not as hard as other teams in a finals-like environment.

Port's R21 game (Brisbane away) seems like such a certain loss, and their R22 game (North at home) such a certain win, that their real grand final is this weekend: Carlton at home.

[laughingnome]

Sorry to rehash it, but this is the run home for the final spots in the 8:

Currently:
7 - Adelaide 11W 8L 109.00%
8 - Port Adelaide 9W 10L 90.6%
9 - Essendon 8W 1D 10L 99.3%
10 - Sydney 8W 11L 95.1%
11 - Hawthorn 8W 11L 91.4%

Adelaide: Hawthorn (MCG), West Coast (AS), Carlton (D)
Port: Carlton (AS), Lions (Gabba), North Melb (AS)
Essendon: St Kilda (D), Fremantle (S), Hawthorn (MCG)
Sydney: Geelong (ANZ), Collingwood (MCG), Lions (SCG)
Hawthorn: Adelaide (MCG), Richmond (MCG), Essendon (MCG)

With Sydney's superior percentage to Port, we need to win one more game in the final three rounds then the Power do. Port's form this year has been notoriously fickle, but with the smell of finals you must expect them to wise up. Most would pencil in a loss against Brisbane and a win against North, so a lot rides on Carlton this week. If Carlton win, Sydney can make the 8 by winning two of the last three. If Port win we have to beat every team to make it.

Essendon's draw against Brisbane holds them above us, and effictively puts them in the same boat as Port to our concern. All of Essendon's games are dangerous - St Kilda is threatening to break the Bombers' record, then a trip to Subiaco and a crunch against Hawthorn. All of them could go either way.

Hawthorn: Can make the 8 if all above them fail. Hawks fans would look at that list and say they have the easiest run home and that destiny is in their hands, and they wouldn't be totally wrong. All three games are at the MCG and they could go 3 - zip.

[Doctor]

A one point win rather than a one point loss last week would make things look rather different right now.

What a dismal, insipid performance from Port. At least if we snuck into 8th you know we'd put up a fight in our away final. You can't guarantee Port will.