Argue against us winning the flag.

[Mantis]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

We can win. I mean, lots has to go right but we still have more upside, and shouldn’t have much downside, unless some players form falls off a cliff which it could.

We should be top 4.

Who are you most concerned about?

[MrMahatma]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

Who are you most concerned about?

I guess we all just assume the likes of Naughton, Smith, Weightman, Dale, English will likely continue to improve. But, what if they go backwards or just have an off year?

We have depth which helps, but some of those guys had really strong years and excellent finals series. They may just have “ok” seasons and if that’s the case, maybe we don’t go so deep.

Of course, if they all improve and Dunks and Treloar and JUH all play to their ability… maybe we go undefeated all season. ��

[mjp]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

One of the best basketball coaches I knew said that match-day coaching is actually pretty simple.

He's not wrong...but basketball coaches can call 'Time Out'.

[Bornadog]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

He's not wrong...but basketball coaches can call 'Time Out'.

We don't have runners any more during play (only after a goal) which makes things a little tricky as well.

[Grantysghost]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

He's not wrong...but basketball coaches can call 'Time Out'.

Do you think the restriction on runners has stifled the coaching teams ability to control the play?

I've been lamenting our ability (maybe it's afl wide) to control the tempo. The Bont or Jacko should be calling the play when we need to go slow.

In the GF, back in the day we would've started a fight. Nothing major, just enough to stop the play. Then when you get control, play keepings off. When you're in front thats basically the game.
They have to get it!

I played at a very low local level to be fair.

One of Alan Border's (one of my heroes as a kid) tactics when he felt off was to pick a fight with the slips to get himself fired up.

[Grantysghost]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

We don't have runners any more during play (only after a goal) which makes things a little tricky as well.

Beat me xD

[Bornadog]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

In the GF, back in the day we would've started a fight.

That was a tactic in the VFL days back in the 70s and 80s.

Personally I still don't understand why the runner has been restricted - just another thing AFL loves to meddle with to keep the rules committee in a job.

[Mantis]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

That was a tactic in the VFL days back in the 70s and 80s.

Personally I still don't understand why the runner has been restricted - just another thing AFL loves to meddle with to keep the rules committee in a job.

Because runners were on the ground for tactical reasons (blocking up space) rather than just used to deliver messages. They should restrict the amount of time they can stay on the ground when delivering the message rather than limit the times than can go on the ground... but that's a derail.

[Bulldog4life]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

Argue against us winning the flag. I think the main thing is Covid. With another spike expected in winter the premier will need luck in this regard. Otherwise I think the top 4 it is and from there the flag.

[Mantis]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

I guess we all just assume the likes of Naughton, Smith, Weightman, Dale, English will likely continue to improve. But, what if they go backwards or just have an off year?

We have depth which helps, but some of those guys had really strong years and excellent finals series. They may just have “ok” seasons and if that’s the case, maybe we don’t go so deep.

Of course, if they all improve and Dunks and Treloar and JUH all play to their ability… maybe we go undefeated all season. ��

There's risks with all players & teams so we aren't alone so far but from the limited vision/ feedback we receive from the club it looks like Naughton & Smith are dead-set ''flying'' and Dale & English are improving too... obviously Flea is a wait & see based on his limited preparation, but confident he will be looking to improve on a promising back half on 2021 and by the sounds of it he was playing under duress which might allow him to move more freely.

[mjp]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

Do you think the restriction on runners has stifled the coaching teams ability to control the play?

I've been lamenting our ability (maybe it's afl wide) to control the tempo. The Bont or Jacko should be calling the play when we need to go slow.

In the GF, back in the day we would've started a fight. Nothing major, just enough to stop the play. Then when you get control, play keepings off. When you're in front thats basically the game.
They have to get it!

I played at a very low local level to be fair.

One of Alan Border's (one of my heroes as a kid) tactics when he felt off was to pick a fight with the slips to get himself fired up.

1. Runners are a blight on the game and should be banned. Let the players play and keep the playing area clear.

Everyone is surprised when I say this as I've been coaching for so long but honestly, I think the week is for coaching and game day is for playing...the best coaches do their work during the week.

2. Smart man Alan Border. Starting - if not a fight but at least some "SH!T" as some kind of circuit breaker/attitude changer when the Melbourne come-back started would have been a great idea. You don't have to punch someone in the face to change the focus of the opposition...this stuff needs to come from your BEST players though.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

2. Smart man Alan Border. Starting - if not a fight but at least some "SH!T" as some kind of circuit breaker/attitude changer when the Melbourne come-back started would have been a great idea. You don't have to punch someone in the face to change the focus of the opposition...this stuff needs to come from your BEST players though.

Our non-reaction to that third quarter blitz from Melbourne is as much to do with over coaching than anything, and that's not a direct hit at our coaches, more an observation at how 'professional' the game has become in general. And not just AFL - many other sports too.

In bygone eras, that is exactly what would happened. Somebody would have taken aim at Petracca. In today's era, teams are frozen by tactics; that is, they're likely discussing more about what they need to do (i.e. defensive positioning - which ironically we didn't do anyway, and sides when they are getting belted do poorly) than somebody taking it upon themselves to be a circuit breaker.

Unfortunately, emotion has been taken out of the game to a large degree. It's also why we achieved the ultimate in 2016 and against all odds MADE the Grand Final in 2021. For all the tactics in the world (and yes, you still need tactics) the game so often boils down to emotion.

Maybe we were simply frozen by fatigue, but it would have been nice to see somebody try to buck the trend and it had to happen in the middle. That third quarter is something nobody will probably ever see again - it was actually incomprehensible what happened in such a short space of time.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

To the original question, the reality is every Premiership boils down to good fortune at the right time.

Injuries - nothing ground breaking here. If you don't have your best side, or very close to it, you won't go deep.

COVID - the great unknown. What seems likely is players missing weeks, so every side will need some good fortune.

That aside, from a playing list perspective we should be hard to beat again. Sadly, nothing is guaranteed just because we were in the GF last year. Having said that, we tick a lot of the right boxes - young list with nobody near the 'edge', plenty with scope to improve, competition for spots, experience in big games/finals.

Starting the season well is seriously underrated. We need to start like we did last year - playing 'catch up' is just too difficult.

[FrediKanoute]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

Leaving COVID aside my main concerns are:

1) who kicks the 40+ goals that Bruce did this year;

2) who is the Bailey Dale/Bailey Smith/Cody Weightman for 2022;

3) which teams from pack that didn't make the 8 are going to bolt.

Can we win the flag? Maybe. It takes a lot of work to make a Grand Final. It takes 120 minutes of good football to win a GF.

[jeemak]

Re: Argue against us winning the flag.

Our non-reaction to that third quarter blitz from Melbourne is as much to do with over coaching than anything, and that's not a direct hit at our coaches, more an observation at how 'professional' the game has become in general. And not just AFL - many other sports too.

In bygone eras, that is exactly what would happened. Somebody would have taken aim at Petracca. In today's era, teams are frozen by tactics; that is, they're likely discussing more about what they need to do (i.e. defensive positioning - which ironically we didn't do anyway, and sides when they are getting belted do poorly) than somebody taking it upon themselves to be a circuit breaker.

Unfortunately, emotion has been taken out of the game to a large degree. It's also why we achieved the ultimate in 2016 and against all odds MADE the Grand Final in 2021. For all the tactics in the world (and yes, you still need tactics) the game so often boils down to emotion.

Maybe we were simply frozen by fatigue, but it would have been nice to see somebody try to buck the trend and it had to happen in the middle. That third quarter is something nobody will probably ever see again - it was actually incomprehensible what happened in such a short space of time.

I get what you're saying, but wouldn't it just have been nice to see someone enact something that we all really would have hoped had been coached into them at some point after the first one or two goals had been kicked against the momentum we had created?

Go the hit, sure. Make funny faces, sure. Do anything other than foot to the floor attack.............too hard. I don't know what shits me more, the thought the players ignored this element or if it wasn't coached to them in the first place.