No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

[Ghost Dog]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

I see this often, so not having a go at you Flamethrower, but Geelong had a new coach last season & won nearly all of their games, Collingwood have a new coach this season & I don't expect them to take half a season to adapt.

I guess the difference is, those new coaches had quite a bit to go on in terms of momentum of success.

[Eastdog]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

Splinter Bum !!! ... This is fence sitting personified ... Give a number; have a stab !!

I did in an earlier post in this thread Scraggers. I predicted that we would finish in 11th position.

[LostDoggy]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

I will go for 4th, if the players adopted the defeatist attitude, we do not have a hope.
With my rose coloured glasses on I'am thinking if we can get one of Lakey, Coons or Shaggy back to near their best, ths would make a big difference, two of them WOW, all three raise the flag now !

[GVGjr]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

10TH at best

[LostDoggy]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

10TH at best

Agree.

North/Richmond/Melbourne fighting for 8th with us a step or two behind.

[LostDoggy]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

Agree.

North/Richmond/Melbourne fighting for 8th with us a step or two behind.

Hmm. This makes me think.

I know everyone talks up Richmond at this time every year, but we should beat Richmond, and I do see us potentially being in the same bracket as North and Melbourne, who aren't exactly flush with superstars. This makes me think that we're closer to the 8 than we think.

The difference with North is easily just Petrie, but if Lakey gets back that's nullified. Melbourne don't go that deep, and Richmond.. everyone is in love with Riewoldt and Hardwick, but one swallow doesn't make a summer. I'm yet to be convinced Hardwick can coach at this level.

I guess the same question marks hang over our coach, which is where some of my caution and confusion is coming from.

[LostDoggy]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

Realistically I reckon 10th or 11th but its a funny game.

[LostDoggy]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

Realistically I reckon 10th or 11th but its a funny game.

Wow -- I think this is the post that best sums up the billion or so words I've poured into thinking about this.

Beautiful economy of words that says it all -- Hemingway would have been proud.

[jeemak]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

11th for me.

Teams on the way up tend to be quick and skillful, teams on the way down tend to be slow with deteriorating skills. We're the latter.

Our grunt mids are as good as anyone's as are our key defenders if fit, but the players that hold down the periphedal positions within our team aren't, and I am concerned with the reliance on players like Hargrave, Gilbee, Cooney, Minson and Lake all having good seasons for us to be competitive.

The competition is very even, and it might come down to a game or a game and a half between teams that make the eight, or don't. Due to our lack of pace and skill, I just can't see us having that little bit extra to fall in to that 7th or 8th position on the ladder.

I hope the team adapts to the game plan well, and I'll give almost a full season before I put an assertion towards us progressing or otherwise, but realistically I can't see more than a bottom middle of the road finish for us.

[Missing-Dog]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

11th for me.

Teams on the way up tend to be quick and skillful, teams on the way down tend to be slow with deteriorating skills. We're the latter.

Our grunt mids are as good as anyone's as are our key defenders if fit, but the players that hold down the periphedal positions within our team aren't, and I am concerned with the reliance on players like Hargrave, Gilbee, Cooney, Minson and Lake all having good seasons for us to be competitive.

The competition is very even, and it might come down to a game or a game and a half between teams that make the eight, or don't. Due to our lack of pace and skill, I just can't see us having that little bit extra to fall in to that 7th or 8th position on the ladder.

I hope the team adapts to the game plan well, and I'll give almost a full season before I put an assertion towards us progressing or otherwise, but realistically I can't see more than a bottom middle of the road finish for us.

Tutt
Dalhouse
Sherman
Grant
Cooney
Murphy
Wood

You are telling me these guys are not fast enough?

Cooney fit and firing would be lightning, Tutt and Dal some of the quickest players in the competition. The rest I listed are quick no doubt but not the fastest. Enough to make top 8 I would think

[the banker]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

You really think so? Not having a go, a genuine question. We were premiership favourites this time last year, so if on paper we're looking better, then we should still be a top 4 chance. After all, some people do think that the only reason we were crap last year was Rocket's outdated gameplan and losing Coons and Lake.

We'll see, won't we? If Coons and Lake come back in and we jump back up to third or something then we'll know that it WAS Rocket's fault and injuries all along.

On paper having Lake and Cooney in the line up adds a lots of structure and quality. Performance is another thing. Hargrave back as well can cover Morris to a degree.
Expect Sherman can build on his first year with us ditto Libba. Ward is our biggest loss but we have a few option there.

Forward structure, plan and performance will probably be our season deciding factor. Still not sure what the coaching panel has in mind here. Barry was fantastic but not sure that structure suited us, a bit Fev in a way. Grant, Panos and the resting rucks seem to be the key and none of them have form, so it is a bit of a wish and a prayer. Confident in Gia, dahlhaus, Sherma, Cooney, Griff, and even Higgins to produce goals.

[LostDoggy]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

Wow -- I think this is the post that best sums up the billion or so words I've poured into thinking about this.

Beautiful economy of words that says it all -- Hemingway would have been proud.

Thanks Lantern, I BS with BSer's all day...

Without 3 weeks, an Ishikawa diagram, monte carlo and risk analysis I really dont think I can do justice to all the factors that go into one teams ladder position.

[westdog54]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

Realistically I reckon 10th or 11th but its a funny game.

Wow -- I think this is the post that best sums up the billion or so words I've poured into thinking about this.

Beautiful economy of words that says it all -- Hemingway would have been proud.

I agree, very succinct.

I'll say 11th, I just dont see where the improvement beyond that will come, at least not this year. I see next season as the one we're well be a truly genuine contender.

I think it was Neale Daniher that said 'Footy sucks sometimes' after a narrow loss. I'm sure the opposite applies as well though.

[Bornadog]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

I'll say 11th, I just dont see where the improvement beyond that will come, at least not this year. I see next season as the one we're well be a truly genuine contender.

Unless players in the age bracket 24 to 28 show some serious improvement, next year could be even worse for us. In 2013 we could see an exodus of quiet a few 30 year olds which we currently rely on.

[Sedat]

Re: No Sitting On The Fence - Where Will We Finish?

On paper having Lake and Cooney in the line up adds a lots of structure and quality. Performance is another thing. Hargrave back as well can cover Morris to a degree.

We got nothing from Cooney and Lake last year and we finished 10th - both will surely offer more in 2012 than they did last year. None of our 28-30yo players will get worse in 2012 compared to 2011 (even Gilbee, he was a non factor in 2011 anyway) - it's not as if they are already 31-33, when they could easily start hitting the wall. Morris is a big, big hole but Shaggy's return counters that partially. And none of this is to mention the expected improvement from our under 22 brigade.

For these reasons I can't see us becoming bottom 4 competition fodder in 2012 - we might well fall in a hole in 2013-14 if our youth doesn't come on and our 28-30 brigade do star hitting the wall, but there is enough talent at the 28-30yo level, and much stronger expected contributions from two of our most vital players structurally (who the opposition will have to put time and resources into every week) for us not to at least match our 2011 season output.