Finals Week 1; the other games. Tasmania, home of football!

[Thunder Shaker]

For what it's worth, I hope Geelong beat the Evil Plastic Whackers next week, though I am not optimistic. Geelong's recent form is not that great.

Round 19: Beat Richmond by 38 points. Okay. Their form drops away after this.
Round 20: Beat North by 20 points. Not great against the bottom side.
Round 21: Lost to GWS by 19. This is why I am pessimistic about the Cats' chances.
Round 22: Beat St Kilda by 14 points. Not convincing.
Round 23: Lost to Melbourne by 4 points. A loss to the top side, but they led by 44 points in the third quarter and had that game won, even with a minute to go.
First final: Lost to Port by 43. A bad loss.

[Markwebbos]

BT on fire.

There was this absolute masterpiece last night too

[mcs]

For what it's worth, I hope Geelong beat the Evil Plastic Whackers next week, though I am not optimistic. Geelong's recent form is not that great.

Round 19: Beat Richmond by 38 points. Okay. Their form drops away after this.
Round 20: Beat North by 20 points. Not great against the bottom side.
Round 21: Lost to GWS by 19. This is why I am pessimistic about the Cats' chances.
Round 22: Beat St Kilda by 14 points. Not convincing.
Round 23: Lost to Melbourne by 4 points. A loss to the top side, but they led by 44 points in the third quarter and had that game won, even with a minute to go.
First final: Lost to Port by 43. A bad loss.

Without Greene, I reckon the geriatric old cats will have too much for the plastic brigade. But it'll be as boring as bat@@@@ to watch, and hopefully whichever team gets through gets spanked in the prelim.

With us out of the finals, Melbourne/Brisbane are my preferred winners, followed a bit by Port, then the rest I don't care.

[dejavoodoo44]

Without Greene, I reckon the geriatric old cats will have too much for the plastic brigade. But it'll be as boring as bat@@@@ to watch, and hopefully whichever team gets through gets spanked in the prelim.

With us out of the finals, Melbourne/Brisbane are my preferred winners, followed a bit by Port, then the rest I don't care.

Yes, my dislike of GWS is starting to reach Hawthorn levels.

[mcs]

Yes, my dislike of GWS is starting to reach Hawthorn levels.

I guess that is what the AFL wants, a genuine rivalry. But they are an absolute 'nothing' club (so are Gold Coast) - manufactured, plastic and still with vitally few that give any sort of @@@@ what happens to them.

What I fear is that one day they'll actually wake up and realise they've got a dud coach, and then they might actually fulfill the destiny that a team constantly plastered with as many advantages through the draft as they have had over the years. They are still reaping huge benefits from all that, and will for a while yet.

[barry]

I'll be going for the giants for the remainder of the finals. NSW through and through.

[i'm-uninformed2]

I'll be going for the giants for the remainder of the finals. NSW through and through.

No, just no.

By the way, Clayton Oliver is currently showing everyone why he is the best player in the comp right now. A stunning half of footy.

[Bangalore Swans]

I guess that is what the AFL wants, a genuine rivalry. But they are an absolute 'nothing' club (so are Gold Coast) - manufactured, plastic and still with vitally few that give any sort of @@@@ what happens to them.

What I fear is that one day they'll actually wake up and realise they've got a dud coach, and then they might actually fulfill the destiny that a team constantly plastered with as many advantages through the draft as they have had over the years. They are still reaping huge benefits from all that, and will for a while yet.

Why are you suggesting that Leon Cameron is a dud coach? The Swans have lost three straight finals against GWS.

I don’t think the current GWS team is as talanted as the Swans team.

Cameron keeps them going despite losing up to three good players a year.

[barry]

Don Pyke was always questioned whether he had a finals game plan.

[mcs]

Why are you suggesting that Leon Cameron is a dud coach? The Swans have lost three straight finals against GWS.

I don’t think the current GWS team is as talanted as the Swans team.

Cameron keeps them going despite losing up to three good players a year.

He has had how long is it at GWS to get it right? One grand final appearance where they got absolutely trounced and that's it. He has had a continual run of a list with unparalleled quality and depth that most other clubs could only dream of for a large chunk of that. And while they may lose players every year, they just replenish them every year, so its an ongoing cycle in that sense.

They play a turgid brand of football to go with it now too.

The guy is a dud imo - give several other coaches that list and that much support and they'd have more than a solitary GF appearance to their name.

[dejavoodoo44]

He has had how long is it at GWS to get it right? One grand final appearance where they got absolutely trounced and that's it. He has had a continual run of a list with unparalleled quality and depth that most other clubs could only dream of for a large chunk of that. And while they may lose players every year, they just replenish them every year, so its an ongoing cycle in that sense.

They play a turgid brand of football to go with it now too.

The guy is a dud imo - give several other coaches that list and that much support and they'd have more than a solitary GF appearance to their name.

A comparison of those taken as top 20 picks, in today's squads is interesting.
GWS.
Ash, pick 4. Bruhn, 12. Coniglio, 2. Cumming, 20. Green, 10. Greene, 11. Haynes, 7. Himmelberg, 16. Hopper, 7. Kelly, 2. Perryman, 14. Taranto, 2. Ward, 19. Whitfield, 1. (And Hogan was a probable first rounder, taken as a zone access selection).

Swans.
Franklin, 5. Florent, 11. Heeney, 18.

[mcs]

A comparison of those taken as top 20 picks, in today's squads is interesting.
GWS.
Ash, pick 4. Bruhn, 12. Coniglio, 2. Cumming, 20. Green, 10. Greene, 11. Haynes, 7. Himmelberg, 16. Hopper, 7. Kelly, 2. Perryman, 14. Taranto, 2. Ward, 19. Whitfield, 1. (And Hogan was a probable first rounder, taken as a zone access selection).

Swans.
Franklin, 5. Florent, 11. Heeney, 18.

Interesting indeed. They aren't stacked as they once were, but they still have had access to outrageous quality across the squad. They should have achieved a lot more then they have by now.

[dejavoodoo44]

Interesting indeed. They aren't stacked as they once were, but they still have had access to outrageous quality across the squad. They should have achieved a lot more then they have by now.

And of course, no matter how well they do from here, they still have Collingwood's first round pick.

[Mel_C]

Last 20 finals with C.Scott in charge- 6 wins 14 losses. Not a peep out of Melbourne media. Protected species.

Before the final series my brother said he wanted the cats to recruit Clarkson to coach during the finals. He is sick of losing finals under Scott.

[Torpin de Torpe]

GWS have been hard enough to play in recent years under Cameron. Imagine what they'll be like when Clarko takes over in 2023.