AFL 2021
-
@kiwiwomble if someone predicted that ladder after 4 rounds you would call them an idiot.
Doggies and Port in the top 4 was probably predictable, North and Hawthorn the bottom 2 the same. The rest? all over the shop.
Sydney unbeaten? fucking Melbourne unbeaten? Adelaide up and about? Richmond losing a couple i could see, but games 3 and 4, not 1 and 2 is a surprise.
After 4 weeks a couple of things are apparent:
Shark is right, and Melbourne look pretty good. Their midfield is winning enough ball, and they are kicking enough goals. Should be a good season for them
With the open game style, having youth, pace, and a willingness to take the game on are huge benefits.
Which brings us nicely to Geelong, who have none of those, and have gone from premiership favourites to a side battling to make the 8. Danger and Cameron coming back in will obviously help, and i don't see them missing the 8, but Scott's rigid game is fucking killing them.The Dogs' game plan looks sustainable, i back them to finish top 4. Richmond have too many good players not to finish top 4. West Coast the same, with the added bonus of the Perth advantage. The rest is wide open. How good?
Oh yeah, and fuck knows what has happened at the Lions. Daniher has come in, and done fuck all except free up Hipwood, who is playing bloody well. Our best player is a shadow of last season. Our apparently gun midfield gets beat most weeks, and our small forwards are not having an impact. It's all fucked.
-
It's been a cracking season for sure. Of the teams that made the eight last year, currently Geelong, St Kilda, Brisbane and Collingwood are outside.
How many of those get back in by seasons end? I'd say maybe only two or three. Collingwood look to be in a bit of strife, so does Brisbane. Geelong could go either way, but I think they are too classy to miss out.
Carlton had a scrappy win on the GC in tough conditions. Wasn't pretty but that's a game we would lose in previous years, so happy to bank the four points and move on to Port. Still don't think we're a top 8 side but at least we're hanging in there.
-
@mariner4life definately, i even said earlier in the thread i expected another year of the swans "building"
-
@barbarian not Collingwood. Maybe not Brisbane (though i struggle to wrap my head around that). Like you i just expect Geelong to make it. Saints should
But nothing is certain
-
@mariner4life A better way of thinking about it might be flipping it - instead of who goes out, it's who comes in.
Outside of the Demons and Swans you'd be hard pressed to make a compelling case for anyone else. The Crows will fall, I'm not sold on Carlton or the Dockers, Essendon are frisky but very young, GWS are injured.
So I think you've likely got just two coming in, which means there is plenty of time for Brisbane to get their shit together.
-
@mariner4life said in AFL 2021:
@mariner4life said in AFL 2021:
Sydney good again
Great to see gold Coast do to North what they should
The dons are nothing. The roos are nailed on for the spoon.
Melbourne look like they will actually achieve and finish 6-8th
I'll go so far as to suggest we can make the top four.
Gawn, Jones, Oliver, Petracca, Neale-Bullen, May, Viney, Pickett, Brayshaw, Fritsch, Harmes, Salem, Weiderman, MacDonald all healthy makes a bloody competitive unit.
gulp
Lol yeah righto
We made it. Doesn't need to be the end of the season does it?
-
We've got Hawthorn this weekend, then a big game against Richmond ANZAC Day eve and then North. On form, we win games 1 and 3 comfortably, but the three game series is a huge test for a relatively young side on the up. Not bottling it due to over-confidence against the lesser teams is one challenge, but another is a game against the defending premieres on a really big stage. We could be 7-0 in early May , but it wouldn't surprise me to see us lose to the Tigers and drop one of the other games. And speaking of May (see what I did there), we'll need him back from his busted eye-hole quick smart.
-
Starting with a hiss and a roar is entirely different to hitting your straps at the end.
-
@antipodean said in AFL 2021:
Starting with a hiss and a roar is entirely different to hitting your straps at the end.
No shit?
I just said I don't expect them to maintain this early season form. But after a 4-0 start I'd like to think we win 50% of our games moving forward and make it to September. We also have key forwards to come back in which might help correct any forthcoming lull. There's enough there to maintain a positive outlook for the season and for our post-season hopes, but I'm also realistic which comes from being a long-suffering Dees fan. To be quite honest, I don't give a fuck if we limp into a knock-out game after going 1-3 towards the end or something like that: I'll just be happy to make the eight again and anything can happen from there. I didn't expect to reach a qualifying final a couple of years back so who knows. -
The media are sniffing around for their early coach assassination. And with a couple of clubs doing better then expected they have fallen on Buckley. Not for the first time, but without his best backer, they might get their scalp this time. Though what anyone else would do with that team right now...
-
@mariner4life would collingwood be one of the richest clubs?
-
@kiwiwomble said in AFL 2021:
@mariner4life would collingwood be one of the richest clubs?
without a doubt. In fact i wouldn't be at all surprised if it was the richest. Eddie might have been a flog of the highest order, but that bloke brought in the money.
-
@mariner4life i thought so but wondered if i might have missed something, well resourced club and a coach thats been given several years to implement a plan, woulnd't be surprised if the club expected better
-
@kiwiwomble said in AFL 2021:
@mariner4life i thought so but wondered if i might have missed something, well resourced club and a coach thats been given several years to implement a plan, woulnd't be surprised if the club expected better
their list is a disaster. And from what i read, they have no draft picks either. Who the fuck is getting all the money?
-
@mariner4life cougheddiecough
-
@mariner4life Brodie Grundy is on a massive salary, as is De Goey. It's a case study in salary cap mismanagement. It may have been impossible to hold all of their talented players, but to let both Treloar and Stephenson go is criminal.
That said, if the Suns lose a few more then Stewy Dew might be in strife. Their injury list is ridiculous though.
But it's all so dynamic this season, the Pies could go over and beat West Coast and everything is tickety boo, a bit like the Saints last weekend.
-
@barbarian Gold Coast will be disappointed to lose to Carlton, but they have a few qualifiers. Their injury list is ridiculous, and they keep losing players during games. They are also still young in key spots. Firing Dew would be a terrible idea, like firing McKenna turned out to be.
Cameron is flying under the radar. I think more heat should be on Scott at Geelong.
-
the bar for firing someone at the suns has to be lower than someone like collingwood, expectation wise
-
Yeah you'd still have Bucks a firm favourite in the 'first coach sacked' market. I like Dew but they could well be 2-8 relatively soon and that would at least start a conversation.
The win against the Pies has saved Cameron, combined with their injury list. I'd suggest he lasts the season at very least.
But the reality is outside of North Melbourne every team has shown enough on their good days to suggest they could challenge for the 8. So there are no really dire situations right now, though that won't stop the media from trying to create a few.
-
St Kilda back to earth with a resounding thump. Richmond's demise greatly exaggerated. What a frikken hiding.
