What if Stringer had taken that mark?

[F'scary]

Season's Greetings. Just musing on how major historical events can turn on one little detail.

Let's go back to Round 23, 2014, Doggies vs GWS, Etihad Stadium, 30 seconds before the final siren. The scores are level. A long kick spears into our forward line towards a Stringer lead. Stringer has played a brilliant match being one of only a few who have kept us in the game. He hurls himself for one last effort and makes position to take a chest mark. If he takes it he will have a set shot from 50m out, within his range. Any score will win the game for the Dogs. He flies through the air twisting slightly to meet the ball...and drops it to the audible groans of the faithful. GWS rebounds and scores the winning goal with 10 seconds left.

What if Stringer had taken that mark and gone back to kick the winning score?

We would have ended the season on a high.

The way things go in football, it would have massively influenced the evaluation of our entire season and inspired proclamations for even better things in 2015.

Our coach would have been lauded for the positive direction he was taking the side.

Maybe the tensions in the dressing room would have been relieved enough for dialogue to take place, for discontent to be forgotten.

Maybe the Grifter would not have done what he did...

...if Stringer had just held that mark.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

Season's Greetings. Just musing on how major historical events can turn on one little detail.

Let's go back to Round 23, 2014, Doggies vs GWS, Etihad Stadium, 30 seconds before the final siren. The scores are level. A long kick spears into our forward line towards a Stringer lead. Stringer has played a brilliant match being one of only a few who have kept us in the game. He hurls himself for one last effort and makes position to take a chest mark. If he takes it he will have a set shot from 50m out, within his range. Any score will win the game for the Dogs. He flies through the air twisting slightly to meet the ball...and drops it to the audible groans of the faithful. GWS rebounds and scores the winning goal with 10 seconds left.

What if Stringer had taken that mark and gone back to kick the winning score?

We would have ended the season on a high.

The way things go in football, it would have massively influenced the evaluation of our entire season and inspired influential proclamations for even better things in 2015.

Our coach would have been lauded for the positive direction he was taking the side.

Maybe the tensions in the dressing room would have been relieved enough for dialogue to take place, for discontent to be forgotten.

Maybe the Grifter would not have done what he did...

...if Stringer had just held that mark.

I'm not sure too much would've changed. RG was gotten to long ago. Jones was sulking in the VFL, Cooney & Higgins refused to defend or do anything, Tutt & Howard were not doing much in the VFL. Guys like Austin were getting games and injured guys were forced to play in agony the last half of the year. Macca made the Macrae comments weeks before which in hindsight was the first crack. All I think all that might have happened was to wall paper some cracks which in the long term would've been worse.

I copped some resistance a while back when I compared Neeld, Mickey Arthur (Aust Cricket Coach) and BMAC in terms of wins, personnel and style. They were near identical numbers/issues at the time. All 3 'development' coaches got axed with time on their contracts. I think fate was cast way before Jake.

I often have expressed concern we haven't bottomed out traditionally to get a pick 1 player. Usually when you drop down the ladder you go to the VERY bottom of the ladder, ergo getting the best player in Australia. In '12 & '13 we didn't plus GWS coming in and 2014 was looking the same and with Melbourne getting pick 3 compo. We needed to hit rock bottom to get a pick 1 superstar. We did. Maybe Stringer dropping the mark was in a fact a sliding door for a premiership? Book mark this thread for 6 or so years time.

[Remi Moses]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

The apple had truly turned rotten no matter what happened .
Clearly there were major issues with players and McCartney from around halfway.
We made the best out of a crap turn of events .

[F'scary]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

I'm not sure too much would've changed. RG was gotten too long ago. Jones was sulking in the VFL, Cooney & Higgins refused to defend or do anything, Tutt & Howard were not doing much in the VFL. Guys like Austin were getting games and injured guys were forced to play in agony the last half of the year. Macca made the Macrae comments weeks before which in hindsight was the first crack. AllI think all that might have happened was to wall paper some cracks which in the long term would've been worse.

I often have expressed concern we haven't bottomed out traditionally to get a pick 1 player. Usually when you drop down the ladder you go to the VERY bottom of the ladder, ergo getting a the best player in Australia. In '12 & '13 we didn't plus GWS coming in and 2014 was looking the same and with Melbourne getting pick 3 compo. We needed to hit rock bottom to get a pick 1 superstar. We did. Maybe Stringer dropping the mark was in a fact a sliding door for a premiership? Book mark this thread for 6 or so years time.

Your skillfully worked reference to the greatest chick flick of all time will strike a deep note within all Woofers. The Grifter - our very own Gwyneth Paltrow.

[F'scary]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

Reflecting a bit, I think I agree with both of you, Remi & BT. The footy gods may have been smiling on us benevolently when they caused Stringer to drop the chest mark. Either that or they are trying to make us go mad.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

Your skillfully worked reference to the greatest chick flick of all time.

When did I refer to 'definitely maybe'? That being the best chick flick of all time.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

Reflecting a bit, I think I agree with both of you, Remi & BT. The footy gods may have been smiling on us benevolently when they caused Stringer to drop the chest mark. Either that or they are trying to make us go mad.

Yep, for the rest of the afternoon after they went coast to coast to win it sucked hard. The flip side, Stringer strikes me as a kid who will better himself for the disappointment he might have felt. If that helps him even 1% in the preseason that's a big win right there.

[Twodogs]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

Yep, for the rest of the afternoon after they went coast to coast to win it sucked hard. The flip side, Stringer strikes me as a kid who will better himself for the disappointment he might have felt. If that helps him even 1% in the preseason that's a big win right there.

It would mean he is displaying 11% of his capacity by Bmac's reckoning.

[F'scary]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

When did I refer to 'definitely maybe'? That being the best chick flick of all time.

Sorry, but I'm a Sliding Doors man.

[boydogs]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

Maybe you're right F'scary, I guess we'll never know

[jeemak]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

BT you copped resistance when you compared Rhode with McCartney and if you want to now cop something with a Neeld comparison all power to you. It's just as stupid a comparison in my view.

Jake Stringer taking a mark in the hands - ergo - doing the things he should be doing without any issues doesn't make the weeks of poor man management disappear, nor does it grant Gruffyn a heart, or Cooney and Higgins some accountability.

A win in that game may have stopped us from acting now which would have been a terrible result for our club.

[Twodogs]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

I've gotta say that I'm pretty happy with how things have turned out.

[Remi Moses]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

Your skillfully worked reference to the greatest chick flick of all time will strike a deep note within all Woofers. The Grifter - our very own Gwyneth Paltrow.

Fair to say just like Gwyneth and Chris Martin Griffin and the dogs became uncoupled

[Flamethrower]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

The cards fell nicely and we ended up with a once in the generation power forward we have never had in our history.

If Stringer takes that mark and we win a meaningless game, maybe it wallpapers over the many growing cracks at the club and we fall into an abyss from which there is no recovery.

At the same time Tom Boyd walks off the field watching us celebrate and makes it his lifelong goal to punish us every time he plays against us forever.

[Twodogs]

Re: What if Stringer had taken that mark?

The cards fell nicely and we ended up with a once in the generation power forward we have never had in our history.

If Stringer takes that mark and we win a meaningless game, maybe it wallpapers over the many growing cracks at the club and we fall into an abyss from which there is no recovery.

At the same time Tom Boyd walks off the field watching us celebrate and makes it his lifelong goal to punish us every time he plays against us forever.

If the negotiations were taking place as early as Liam Pickering says they were he would have been thinking "I'll have to learn the words to that song"