View Full Version : Looking likely to get the Swans in the first week of finals
Gunnar Longshanks
13 Aug 2006, 17:43
With three weeks of H&A footy to go, the Swans are building momentum and look likely to snare 3rd place.
While the Crows have been wobbling a bit lately, I still think they're good enough to win their last 3 and finish top.
This scenario will see us get the Swans at Subi in week 1 of the finals.
There are opponents I'd prefer.
I'd love to get the Saints at Subi. We'd give them an absolute belting.
For that to happen, we'd need to either pip Adelaide and finish top (by winning an extra game in the next 3 weeks) or St. Kilda would need to beat Freo next week while Sydney lose to Geelong.
That outcome would put St. Kilda in the box seat for 3rd.
As it stands though, it looks like we're going to be coming up against the Swans again.
It would be nice to occasionally play someone else in a final.
Scotland
13 Aug 2006, 18:35
What price the AFL will fixture another Friday or Saturday night match?
The dewy surface at night would be conducive to a free flowing, highly skilled spectacle... :rolleyes:
jorel6669
13 Aug 2006, 18:54
Not worried about playing the Swans. If we lose, we lose.
The side plays better when they're up against a big challenge. The Swans offer that.
I think if we drew St Kilda or Melbourne or Collingwood in the first week, the boys may be a little complacent and there could be a chance for an upset. Remember last year, when the "reward" for finishing top was a chance to take on the "crippled Saints"? The Saints then caused a boilover.
I'd be happy playing Sydney. Knock them off and we won't have to face them again until maybe the Grand Final. However, they could come up against Adelaide in a prelim, and Sydney have a p*** poor record against the Crows.
I know that finishing 1st or 2nd doesnt really matter when it comes to home finals etc. but If we can get top spot and avoid playing the swans in the first week that could be a bit of a blessing.
It would be nice to finish top but what would be nicer would be that we get a "DAY" final at Subiaco in that first week of the finals.
A Saturday afternoon Subiaco Special would give us WAY more of an advantage as I believe we play better in daylight than night (dunno why?)
If it was something like West Coast Vs St.kilda or West Coast Vs melbourne @ Subiaco on a Sat arvo we would be good things IMO.
But we'll see.
Just hoping for no more injuries FFS!
Gunnar Longshanks
13 Aug 2006, 21:10
Not worried about playing the Swans. If we lose, we lose.Insightful stuff.
Insightful stuff.
Yeah he's got nothing on your quality posts like this one. He did carry on to explain what he meant, but I guess you just read the first line and saw a chance to be a prat. Or was it an attempt at humour?
Im actually more afraid of ending up with Fremantle and taking away the home final advantage we have worked to get all season. Id take the Swans in a heartbeat if it means avoiding Fremantle in the finals.
I'm not worried about swans either.....if I was worried about any side in the top 8 it would be freo...they are winning they have fwds they have a decnt ruckman and very underated backline....they dont have a glaring weakness.....
look at sydney results againts us....they beat us by 4 points in a GF...that we played badly for 3 qtrs.......they havent beaten us at subi for a while depsite the rantings that umps cost them every time......our second tier guys have improved really improved...
while I wouldnt say we have thier measure I also wouldnt fear them ay all...playing freo is different because the home ground advantage is then neutralised
Glass always does well on Hall...and we match up pretty well everywhere else....
Bring on the Swans, we will smash them this year!!
Hitting our straps at the right time, looking absolutley wonderful, confidence is high, really couldnt ask for more at this time (besides a derby victory :D ).
Whoever we get in the 1st week will get pounded.
Mark my words. :thumbsu:
Bring on the Swans, we will smash them this year!!
Hitting our straps at the right time, looking absolutley wonderful, confidence is high, really couldnt ask for more at this time (besides a derby victory :D ).
Whoever we get in the 1st week will get pounded.
Mark my words. :thumbsu:
I like your confidence Big Man! :thumbsu:
I like your confidence Big Man! :thumbsu:
Cheers Cuzz, but its all true.
Eagles look the goods in my eyes and are in top form.
BRING EM ON!!!!
swantastic
14 Aug 2006, 23:25
Bring on the Swans, we will smash them this year!!
Hitting our straps at the right time, looking absolutley wonderful, confidence is high, really couldnt ask for more at this time (besides a derby victory :D ).
Whoever we get in the 1st week will get pounded.
Mark my words. :thumbsu:You are a ****er,you were lucky to beat us 1st week of finals(bloody umpires)fair enough we were a little lucky in the GF but we should have buried you if not for MOL's woeful kicking.You just got over the top of us this year,more shody umpiring,you couldnt smash an ant get over ya self you cocky bastards.The only way you will beat us is if you have McClaren and Goldspink umpiring the game.
You are a ****er,you were lucky to beat us 1st week of finals(bloody umpires)fair enough we were a little lucky in the GF but we should have buried you if not for MOL's woeful kicking.You just got over the top of us this year,more shody umpiring,you couldnt smash an ant get over ya self you cocky bastards.The only way you will beat us is if you have McClaren and Goldspink umpiring the game.
Wow. That was called for.
Emerald
14 Aug 2006, 23:44
Im actually more afraid of ending up with Fremantle and taking away the home final advantage we have worked to get all season. Id take the Swans in a heartbeat if it means avoiding Fremantle in the finals.
Nah I'd rather us play Freo than the Swans, easy.
On one hand you've got a hardened, experienced, confident group who know they can beat us and don't mind playing at Subiaco, they're fit enough to flood against us for 4 quarters.
Then there is Fremantle. Played one final, lost one final. How many of the players from that team are still playing today? Little or no finals experience, lots of pressure from the fans and media, playing us on a ground that we play miles better than they do.
We lose somewhat of a homeground advantage but get the jump on them early and we all know how quiet opposition crowds go.
Having said that, I think on a good day we can belt anyone, so bring it on...
Bestbird
14 Aug 2006, 23:45
You are a ****er,you were lucky to beat us 1st week of finals(bloody umpires)fair enough we were a little lucky in the GF but we should have buried you if not for MOL's woeful kicking.You just got over the top of us this year,more shody umpiring,you couldnt smash an ant get over ya self you cocky bastards.The only way you will beat us is if you have McClaren and Goldspink umpiring the game.
Quit your whining
The only bad decision last year was the Stenglien one and it was at the 10 minute mark of the last quarter. And the umpire gave that because he thought Sydney were trying to use a screen.
As for woeful kicking
MOL may have kicked bad in the last Quarter but WCE blew it in the first half missing easy shots as well
Half time
Sydney 6.3
WCe 2.7
94_Eagles
14 Aug 2006, 23:56
I like your confidence Big Man! :thumbsu:
Maybe you could learn a thing or two about confidence from the Big Man.
Ruddiger
15 Aug 2006, 00:18
You are a ****er,you were lucky to beat us 1st week of finals(bloody umpires)fair enough we were a little lucky in the GF but we should have buried you if not for MOL's woeful kicking.You just got over the top of us this year,more shody umpiring,you couldnt smash an ant get over ya self you cocky bastards.The only way you will beat us is if you have McClaren and Goldspink umpiring the game.
Have a look at these
http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2006/06/09/wbFOOTYbarry_narrowweb__300x435.jpg
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,5166535,00.jpg
When you've stopped tugging firmly over Barry's mark, have a look further down the page and see the arm of one of parasites (sorry Swans) tugging firmly on Sampi's jumper.
Umpire's hey? Who'd have em?
halfbackflanker
15 Aug 2006, 05:09
Personally I think the Swans will be pretty tough - more so that Freo, Saints, Pies etc. They have a very effective limiting style which really tends to offset well the major strengths of the Eagles.
Statistically they're a bit of an oddity. Get these stats for instance:
overall possessions 16th. (WC is 2nd)
long kicks 16th. (WC is 1st)
errors 1st. (that's the most errors of any side. Adelaide is 15th)
uncontested possessions 16th. (WC is 2nd)
That seems to suggest they're one of the poorer teams in the comp, yet these are overall stats and not the oppositional differences (ie: how they perform each week as opposed to the team they're playing).
SYDNEY
overall possessions: 2nd (WC is 1st)
long kicks: 2nd (WC 3rd)
uncontested possessions: 1st (WC 2nd)
Inside 50s: 2nd (WC 4th) adelaide is 1st in both categories
Marks: 1st (WC is 16th - that's right - WC is last)
Clearances: 4th (WC is 2nd)
The descrepancy suggests that in games against Sydney, there is a very low ammount of possessions per game compared to others. And of that low number of possessions, Sydney dominate, and their big statistical advantage is made through large numbers of uncontested marks. The image of Sydney being a hard nut team who win by playing contested footy and tackling isn't borne out by the numbers at least; in comparision to other sides they're pretty middle of the road at best.
Given how much they're able to limit the ammount of play, you can see why they manage to do so well, given also they have the best forward line in the comp. Head to head WC has a whopping 54 disposals more per game than Sydney (49 of which are handballs), but Sydney still manage roughly the same ammount inside 50s than WC and need less disposals per goal.
To me that makes them the most dangerous team we could face in the finals by far. Add to that their recent performances at Subi, a ground where you'd think a limiting style of play would flounder, and you have a side which, based on this year's form, could well cause an upset, just like they did against Port a few years back in a prelim.
Of course it's possible to play around with stats and find anything in them, and while I call Sydney's game-plan one of 'limiting' and opposition, it's also pretty clear that some of our gameplan is based around that as well. In WC games we've dominated possession more than any other side, coming in at 1st, while Sydney are right behind us. It may have been one of the reasons we managed to hang in on a couple of games that looked shaky. No doubt though that these stats have been buoyed by recent results though - the Adelaide and Saints games were completely dominated possession-wise.
Sorry to make this reply so long. Just thought I'd supply another perspective. In short, I think we need to worry about Sydney more than just about any other side.
swantastic
15 Aug 2006, 08:20
Have a look at these
http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2006/06/09/wbFOOTYbarry_narrowweb__300x435.jpg
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,5166535,00.jpg
When you've stopped tugging firmly over Barry's mark, have a look further down the page and see the arm of one of parasites (sorry Swans) tugging firmly on Sampi's jumper.
Umpire's hey? Who'd have em?Have a sook wet toaster,great mark by Leo,and if your going on about holding the jumper there could have been a lot more free kicks that day.Except the umpire let the game flow more get over it you lost we won.:p
Arcadion
15 Aug 2006, 09:54
You are a ****er,you were lucky to beat us 1st week of finals(bloody umpires)fair enough we were a little lucky in the GF but we should have buried you if not for MOL's woeful kicking.You just got over the top of us this year,more shody umpiring,you couldnt smash an ant get over ya self you cocky bastards.The only way you will beat us is if you have McClaren and Goldspink umpiring the game.
http://img19.exs.cx/img19/2936/wambulance5fw.jpg
swantastic
15 Aug 2006, 12:46
http://img19.exs.cx/img19/2936/wambulance5fw.jpgArcadion thats a good 1,if i give it i surpose i gota take it:)
Eagles 4 Mine
15 Aug 2006, 13:19
Have a look at these
http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2006/06/09/wbFOOTYbarry_narrowweb__300x435.jpg
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,5166535,00.jpg
When you've stopped tugging firmly over Barry's mark, have a look further down the page and see the arm of one of parasites (sorry Swans) tugging firmly on Sampi's jumper.
Umpire's hey? Who'd have em?
Not to mention the tribunal letting big bad Bazza off and GEELONG letting you off the hook as well you should be counting your lucky stars you bitter little boy. I would hate to see what swantastic would have said if we had beaten then in the GF. WHAT A DWEEB.
GrayNicolls
15 Aug 2006, 13:49
its a case of 3rd time lucky for us at subi if we meet in this years finals.............
i don't know why but i reckon the pies would be a chance to knock you off at subi as well
Gunnar Longshanks
15 Aug 2006, 15:00
i don't know why but i reckon the pies would be a chance to knock you off at subi as wellPfffttttt....
At Subi, you actually need some leg-speed to be competitive.
Glass would give Rocca a bath. Hunter would shut down Tarrant.
I'd love to get Collingwood in a final at Subi.
You are a ****er,you were lucky to beat us 1st week of finals(bloody umpires)fair enough we were a little lucky in the GF but we should have buried you if not for MOL's woeful kicking.You just got over the top of us this year,more shody umpiring,you couldnt smash an ant get over ya self you cocky bastards.The only way you will beat us is if you have McClaren and Goldspink umpiring the game.
I can tell from your response that you I know speak the truth.
If I was a opposition supporter coming to play the West Coast in the firstweek I would be pooing bricks.
This is our year you can see it in the boys eyes.
THEY ARE HUNGRY!!!
Maybe you could learn a thing or two about confidence from the Big Man.
I used to be much like our little friend but you cant deny that the boys are hitting their straps at the right time.
swantastic
15 Aug 2006, 15:57
Not to mention the tribunal letting big bad Bazza off and GEELONG letting you off the hook as well you should be counting your lucky stars you bitter little boy. I would hate to see what swantastic would have said if we had beaten then in the GF. WHAT A DWEEB.How can i be bitter WE WON u TOSSA,you Wet Toasters are just big SOOKS,you got done by the better team on the day just get over it.You might even get another crack at us this year,you guys are just as cocky as the saints supporters and that could come back to bite you in the arse.
West Coast 06
15 Aug 2006, 16:28
How can i be bitter WE WON u TOSSA,you Wet Toasters are just big SOOKS,you got done by the better team on the day just get over it.You might even get another crack at us this year,you guys are just as cocky as the saints supporters and that could come back to bite you in the arse.
Don't know if you are aware, but the supporters don't actually take to the field?
As for being compared to a Saints supporter, well that is a low blow! :D
Maybe you could learn a thing or two about confidence from the Big Man.
True True - I'll be confident next year when we are going for back to back.