Finals

[AnnieH]

Bloody useless Fweo.
All we needed was for you to win ONE game.
Losers.

[barry]

Gold coast is a real danger game for us. It almost feels like the 8 is an unreachable target, and I hope the players arent exhausted from the constant pressure of the last month. It would have been a great physiological achievement to have a big win in Melbourne, and be in the 8 this week, but alas, not quite.

Gold coast are a very good side, and are a challenger for 8th spot. We could easily underestimate them and drop this.

[mcs]

Gold coast is a real danger game for us. It almost feels like the 8 is an unreachable target, and I hope the players arent exhausted from the constant pressure of the last month. It would have been a great physiological achievement to have a big win in Melbourne, and be in the 8 this week, but alas, not quite.

Gold coast are a very good side, and are a challenger for 8th spot. We could easily underestimate them and drop this.

I agree it is a danger game - but don't that 'it almost feels like the 8 is an unreachable target'. We might have not finished a round in the 8 yet, but we are now just one game (but with a decent whack of percentage) off 5th on the ladder!

Yes we need to keep on keeping on in terms of winning, but we are now in a position where we can probably drop 2 games over the stretch yet still make the 8, maybe even 3. If our form line continues, a home final week 1 is not out of the question at all. No room for any mistakes though - we need to pretty much win all our remaining home games, and hope we can snag one of the three tough away trips in Geelong, GWS and Adelaide. Difficult - yes. insurmountable or unreachable - most definitely not.

[barry]

The question really now is, how long can we sustain this form ?

All season, then we possibly could be top 4, or at least 5th or 6th.

or, have a lull game which could be this weekend.

[liz]

The question really now is, how long can we sustain this form ?

All season, then we possibly could be top 4, or at least 5th or 6th.

or, have a lull game which could be this weekend.

Last year we lost five games in the H&A for the whole season. Three of those were games we were ahead in with moments to go and really should have won. Another was an early season game against the Crows in Adelaide where we went down by a narrow margin after a seesawing final quarter. (That was a "coulda won" rather than a "shoulda won".) The only game that we were completely outplayed was against the Giants at Spotless. Given the core of the team is the same as last year, I think that gives a pretty reasonable indication of what the team is capable of.

After a poor start to the year on the injury front, we are probably currently enjoying almost the best injury situation of any club, with Tippett the only player of note not currently available. (I think Cunningham might work his way back into the side by the end of the year but he's not a key player.) We need that "luck" on the injury front to continue. We've had a couple of recent seasons where late season injuries have really taken their toll, including last year.

Performances will need to improve, however. Our defence is back to its miserly best over the last couple of months, after looking all at sea early in the year. The midfield has refound its hardness and ball-winning ability, though disposal skill remains just OK. But we do need to start getting better value from our forward entries. It's not just about better conversion of actual shots. The team's not generating enough quality shots at goal for the entries it is creating. I think the same could be said of the side for much of last year, but in the middle two weeks of the finals, they went bang-bang early against Geelong and Adelaide and really got reward for their ferocity at the contest in the centre. We need a similar improvement in the last couple of months this year.

[707]

We are playing as well as anyone at present and can't see any reason why that would drop off. We can beat anyone and everyone in the run home. Have faith, this looks like a determined squad, we may not just make the 8 but barnstorm even higher.

Better team than last year on a mission.

[chammond]

I think Cunningham might work his way back into the side by the end of the year but he's not a key player.

. . . . But we do need to start getting better value from our forward entries. It's not just about better conversion of actual shots. The team's not generating enough quality shots at goal for the entries it is creating.

I've always thought that Cunningham's career has been stunted because the club uses him to fill gaps, rather than letting him develop as a permanent forward. On the rare occasions when he starts as a forward, he invariably kicks goals. He's very good at finding space on the "fat" side, and is a fast lead. And crucially, he's a reliable shot at goal.

The AFL ratings rank him ahead of Papley and Rohan as a small/medium forward, and at no.14 overall - putting him well into our best 22.

I'll be glad when he's back in the team.

[penga]

Our defence is back to its miserly best over the last couple of months, after looking all at sea early in the year. The midfield has refound its hardness and ball-winning ability...

They really do go hand-in-hand. Is Rampe's inclusion more pivotal, or winning the contested possession battle in the middle? I would suggest the latter as more influential.

Speaking of Rampe, his early intercept mark was reminiscent of a cornerback baiting a quarterback into an interception. Too early to call our back six the No Fly Zone (to borrow from my Broncos)? Probably. Haha.

[Hotpotato]

The Dogs kicked one goal in the second half against the Crows.
Makes you wonder how they made the Granny last year.

[S.S. Bleeder]

The Dogs kicked one goal in the second half against the Crows.
Makes you wonder how they made the Granny last year.

We all know the answer to that. They had close to a full list combined with the umpires on their pockets, or vice versa. They'll go down in history as the worse premiership side in history (at least my living history).

- - - Updated - - -

We've been climbing the ladder an average of one place a week since round 7. Not far to go now.

I've had a few dreams in the last several weeks that we ended up third on the ladder. Fingers crossed that dreams come true. That's coming from someone who said our season was over after the unlucky loss against Scumthorn.

[Sandridge]

The Dogs kicked one goal in the second half against the Crows.
Makes you wonder how they made the Granny last year.

Lost by almost 10 goals last night. Still won the free kick count, though!
Hoping they continue their downward trend and that people will see last year's premiership for what it was - an umpire assisted one hit wonder.

[dejavoodoo44]

"Bless me, father, for I have sinned."
"Oh, and what have you done?"
"Errr...well...I've been going for Hawthorn, because I think we've got a sneaky chance of getting past the Giants."
"Hmmm......"

[Thunder Shaker]

"Bless me, father, for I have sinned."
"Oh, and what have you done?"
"Errr...well...I've been going for Hawthorn, because I think we've got a sneaky chance of getting past the Giants."
"Hmmm......"

Nek minnit ... Hawthorn 14.13 (97), Giants 15.7 (97). It's only the third time in VFL/AFL history that a team has played in two draws in a row, and the first time it's happened and hasn't been Carlton.

[barry]

Draw is as good as a win for hawks, with their poor percentage. Still in the hunt.

[aardvark]

Got to admit I did barrack for the Hawks a bit too. But I have a bad cold and I'm not feeling myself today.