10am: Beware the Sleeping Swans

[swans_premiers]

Sydney vs West Coast Grand final

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Second half of the year is much harder BTW with Geelong twice, the Hawks again, Carlton, West Coast and Collingwood.

We really need to win at least 3 of those 6 games. West Coast at Subi could be very tough, but it should be an amazing game. The encounters with Geelong and Hawthorn at the SCG need to be wins if we're serious about the top 4, too.

[Melbourne_Blood]

Always have hope against West Coast, our rivalry always produces a close game and close games can go either way. Gelong, at our best, i think we can beat, and even the pies ( we got close last time ) . I think we will struggle against the hawks and Blues again though.

[DLBIA14]

Sydney vs West Coast Grand final

Wouldn't that be fantastic. I love playing West Coast and having a non-Victorian final in an era where Vic teams are expected to achieve big things would be hilarious. A proverbial @@@@@@@ you to all the knockers. That being said, I have serious doubts about our credibility when we are such a poor skilled side.

[DeadlyAkkuret]

I unfortunately agree with you M_B. It's hard to believe we had the wood over the Blues only 18 months ago (give or take) and used to beat the Hawks quite regularly.

[The_Jam]

While it is a relatively easy draw for the first half of the year, in my very humble opinion, going 10-1 or 9-2 would be an amazing achievement. I can understand the reasoning of why we should do it: besides Hawthorn, we are current favourites in all the other match-ups.

But where, I think, this reasoning fails, is that winning 10 games you?re favourite for is quite different from winning 1 game you?re favourite. Winning 10 requires fortitude. Winning 10 requires super consistency. Winning 10 requires the type of belief that usually comes from a premiership or three. But if we do pull it off, it will surely herald good-times aplenty.

[WeHaveTheGoodes]

I unfortunately agree with you M_B. It's hard to believe we had the wood over the Blues only 18 months ago (give or take) and used to beat the Hawks quite regularly.

We beat the hawks on a regular basis when they were either rebuilding, tanking or the cusp of their players maturing. The blues..well they were absolute @@@@ for nearly a decade..there good draft picks and one c judd coming of age last year and no suprises that now they beat us.

No coincidence that these teams were low on the ladder during our GF years and those teams tanked. Even bloody collingwood tanked in 2005. Now look at them..hawks the pies and soon the blues will have a flag each.

I don't care if you call me negative but the reality it is..we are a top 6-8 side and i will keep repeating that until the end of the home and away season when we finish 6th.

[DeadlyAkkuret]

We won't know until the end of the year and I don't really want to get into your tank to win argument because I think that's a terrible way to look at things. Melbourne and Richmond are perfect examples.

We'll be top 4 in 2013/2014 imo.

[Melbourne_Blood]

West Coast bottomed out and we didnt, both after similiar periods of success. They are ahead of us, yes, but not by enough to suggest we erred in not going to the bottom to get priority picks. Im happy with our progress, i think we're coming along nicely.

[WeHaveTheGoodes]

We won't know until the end of the year and I don't really want to get into your tank to win argument because I think that's a terrible way to look at things. Melbourne and Richmond are perfect examples.

We'll be top 4 in 2013/2014 imo.

richmond and Melbourne have bigger problems. Culture..nothing could make these clubs good again unless they do a massive clean out and improve the culture.

Teams who tanked but have a healthy culture are now reaping the rewards.

[Melbourne_Blood]

In the case of Collingwood, 5 years later. In the case of Carlton, they tanked ( or were just plain @@@@house) in early 2000's didnt they? and they've still yet to reap even a top 4 finish. Our last flag was 7 years ago, i beleive our next one could be as close as a year or two away. Nothing wrong with that.

[WeHaveTheGoodes]

In the case of Collingwood, 5 years later. In the case of Carlton, they tanked ( or were just plain @@@@house) in early 2000's didnt they? and they've still yet to reap even a top 4 finish. Our last flag was 7 years ago, i beleive our next one could be as close as a year or two away. Nothing wrong with that.

They were crap from 2003-2008. Collingwood have beaten us since 2005 and have won a flag and have dominated one season with only 2 loses in those 5 years. It's not like they umm havent done anything since they tanked in 2005.

Carlton are on the verge as much as we all hate to admit it.

Us? Yeah sure we will be up there for the next 5 years just like we have for the past decade.

[Melbourne_Blood]

So if i am to understand you correctly, we should resort to being woeful for a good 4-5 years so we can then be on the 'verge' of a sustained period of success? Despite the fact we are, IMO, almost on the verge of one anyway ?

[WeHaveTheGoodes]

I just love the optimism. A flag in 1 or 2 years?

Really?

hahahaha

anyway i'll let you all dream..to bad when reality hits it bloody hurts!

[DeadlyAkkuret]

So we can't predict flags or be optimistic about our future but you can be a pessimist and it's just a fact we need to accept?

The highest Carlton have finished since they tanked is 5th and our highest finish since 2006 is....yep, 5th. They needed to trade in an absolute gun in Judd to do so, we're not a big Victorian club who will get many superstars asking to be traded to us.

We've made two GF's since 2000 and really could have won both. Carlton haven't made one GF in that time and the Hawks have only made one. The most successful team over the same period has been the Cats and I can't remember when they last "won" a spoon.

So forgive me if I think the tanking theory is a big load of crap and forgive me for not worshipping teams like Carlton for achieving zilch.