My Take - This week is FREE MONEY

[mjp]

You know something? I could care less about the result this week.

I want NO INJURIES and a bit of a return to positive footy...I actually thought we played OK vs the Bombers 2-weeks back (Peter Wright firing arrows from 50m out? That wont happen again!) and I think on projected score rate we had a 5-goal win...they hit, we missed, happens sometimes. Hawthorn? Bottom side in Tassie? Could. Not. Care. Less. And besides, haven't you heard that Clarko is a master coach? Except for everything that has happened since 2015 of course...which is 5x full seasons....(I mean, ask Luke Hodge how he liked living in Brisbane, ask Jordy Lewis about the MFC experience and ask the Hawks fans about how their recent finals form has been and how it feels watching Isaac Smith cut it up for the Cats!).

The finals start NEXT week. Nothing that happens tomorrow night really matters in the scope of the next few weeks. Win or lose - it doesn't matter - in both cases we play again the following week. If we are genuinely concerned about our ability to beat Essendon or the Orange (likely 7 and 8) well, we shouldn't be. We have been in the best couple of sides all year and those sides have been scrambling to make the 8...it's because we are better. Am I saying 'try to lose'? No - I'm saying it simply does not matter and the 'real stuff' starts in 7-days.

I hope we all get to sit down and watch a good game of footy tomorrow night - and relax and enjoy it. It's all about to get pretty real - the last two finals series have SUCKED for us - and double chance or no I'm going to be nervous as all get out next weekend....

So here's to the finals. Enjoy the prime time game in the last week of the season (with a finals spot sewn up). Enjoy the guarantee of a full week off before our next opponent...and Go DOGS.

[bornadog]

Double chance or not, I would still like to win against one of the top 4 contenders and get the psychological advantage over them. Having said that, Port haven't beaten anyone in the top four and I saw a stat the other day, Port have only won 3 of the last 27 against top 4 sides.

We are better than them, and fingers crossed for a great spectacle.

[Mofra]

The most concerning stat is the 'last 8 weeks before finals' - no team that has lost 5 of those has won a final in 20 years.
If we beat Port, we go 4-4 over that period. I think this week's game is very important and I'm less nervous than I am interested to see how we respond.

This is a team we beat on their own home ground in front of their fans just a few months ago. We know we can beat them, the question is whether we do.

[Axe Man]

Double chance or not, I would still like to win against one of the top 4 contenders and get the psychological advantage over them. Having said that, Port haven't beaten anyone in the top four and I saw a stat the other day, Port have only won 3 of the last 27 against top 4 sides.

We are better than them, and fingers crossed for a great spectacle.

It's amazing that Port could finish on top if results fall their way having only beaten Sydney, Essendon and GWS of the current top 8 to this point.

Ross Lyon was quite confident that we would win on Footy Classified last night and thinks that Port's defensive press doesn't stand up against the better sides.

[The Pie Man]

I was relieved this was a Friday game so we don’t - club & fans - have to wait long to right the wrong of last Sunday and lock in top 4.

Finals start now and I’m pumped

Should we lose tomorrow and finish 5th? Where/when we play, I watch & cheer…but I won’t be thinking we’re a serious contender for the flag. Can’t see us catching lightning twice.

[MrMahatma]

There's a possible benefit of not winning - cause if you win your way to a prelim, and then have another week off after the prelim (which is what's being suggested will happen) you have essentially 1 game of footy in almost a month in the lead up to the GF... that's not a lot.

[jeemak]

There's a possible benefit of not winning - cause if you win your way to a prelim, and then have another week off after the prelim (which is what's being suggested will happen) you have essentially 1 game of footy in almost a month in the lead up to the GF... that's not a lot.

That's if there's a pre-finals bye, which I think is less and less likely.

[Axe Man]

That's if there's a pre-finals bye, which I think is less and less likely.

Pre-finals bye has already been ruled out. There may be a bye before the prelims or Grand Final, or perhaps not at all.

MrMahatma is correct - if there is a pre-grand final bye a team could play say 28th August, 11th September Prelim and 25th September grand final.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

I don’t get how there can be a bye before the prelims. That would mean the two teams from the top 4 who win in week 1 would have two weeks off before the prelim. That’s surely not ideal.

[Rocco Jones]

I don’t get how there can be a bye before the prelims. That would mean the two teams from the top 4 who win in week 1 would have two weeks off before the prelim. That’s surely not ideal.

It would be due to quarantine period in WA. Either the week before the prelim if they are both there or the week before the GF if it's due the granny. Ideal and pandemic don't make for great bedfellows.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

If we blow a top 4 spot tomorrow night, I don't think I'll be overly invested the following week.

There was a stat flying around that we had been top 4 for 20 weeks. The most amount of weeks a team had been entrenched in the top 4 but missed out was like 11 (think it may have been Port).

Losing tomorrow night would be a disaster.

[bornadog]

I don’t get how there can be a bye before the prelims. That would mean the two teams from the top 4 who win in week 1 would have two weeks off before the prelim. That’s surely not ideal.

Before GF, not prelims

[Rocco Jones]

Before GF, not prelims

I think both are options.

[bornadog]

I think both are options.

Doesn't work Rocco. The winner of the qualifying would have two weeks off.

[MrMahatma]

Doesn't work Rocco. The winner of the qualifying would have two weeks off.

I guess if, say, PA made a prelim but not the right to host in Adelaide, and maybe Brisbane could also… or there could be COVID in Brisbane and Adelaide… it’d mean the AFL might run out of neutral venues to play at and have choice but go to WA for prelims and crowds.

Agree it’d be a horrible outcome for teams who should be advantaged by winning in week 1, but anything is possible!