Preview The Run Home

[philohk]

Freo's recent form has me thinking we might start favourites in all five remaining games. Freo and Geelong are still definite dangers though, and even the Pies could knock us off coming off a couple of short breaks and with them probably playing for their season. I think we're good enough to win at least four though, and wouldn't be surprised to see us go 5-0.

It's all set up for a cracking finish, anyway. A bit of luck with injuries would see us hit the finals with pretty much a full list, and from there we all know it's about who plays best over the month. What are people's thoughts and expectations? How many will we win? Will the Doggies be a danger game? Can we win in Perth? Will we finally smash the Cats? Can the Pies break their hoodoo against us?

 

[Davo-27]

well if we keep to form we should win all 5

but we all know our players choke against Geelong, so they will play crap in that game and possibly lose

Western/Melbourne/Freo/Collingwood shouldn't be too hard to beat imo, Geelong is the danger game as our team chokes against them during the H&A.....we play a weaker brand of football against the cats usually, we struggle to score over 100 pts which hurts us causing a tight contest, which we usually lose in the H&A

 

[Todman]

Neither Freo or Geelong's form have been impressive of late but they both have found the way to win the close games. The maggies will be looking for 2015 by the time we play them. I wouldn't be surprised if we lost this one , Maggies players to go extra hard to remain on the list for next year whilst the Hawks are not prepared to get injured on finals eve.

 

[Main Man]

Geelong game is the only danger game (shouldn't be but is) unless we completely lose the plot over the next 6 weeks.

 

[play2win]

our next loss is in 2015

 

[detox]

Geelong game is the only danger game (shouldn't be but is) unless we completely lose the plot over the next 6 weeks.

Geelong got us at a good time this year. They rely heavily one Hawkins to kill us and he usually delivers.

In the prelim, he was well held, but they made up with it with a bunch of absolutely arsey goals. We generally outplayed them for most of that game, they kicked every little chance they got.

Easter Monday, we had Cheney playing on him. Cheney and Gibbo from Memory were in charge of taking the Talls. Hodge was playing defence, and played pretty bad, until he was moved into the middle and he had an instant impact.

This time, we will have Lake, Gibbo, Shoey and Spang to pick from, so we will for once be able to cover him. In fact, i'm pretty sure Lake has only played against Hawkins once, and that was when we won. This time I feel them targeting Hawkins will be to their detriment, as I'll back Lake to win enough contests to neutralise him. It might end up like similar to the Cloke situation, as in he might kick some goals but they will be to focused on him. In the old days Shoe would be playing him and Hawkins would just beat him to easily.

Geelong sure have had their fair share of luck against us, and if things remain the way they are I'm backing us to beat them. Since 2012 we are a superior team to them.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

our next loss is in 2015

Made me smile.

I can't see us beating the Cats when they are coming off an 8 or 9 day break and playing the Blues in Melbourne and we are coming off 6 days and a trip to Perth.

Well done AFL.

 

[Main Man]

Geelong got us at a good time this year. They rely heavily one Hawkins to kill us and he usually delivers.

In the prelim, he was well held, but they made up with it with a bunch of absolutely arsey goals. We generally outplayed them for most of that game, they kicked every little chance they got.

Easter Monday, we had Cheney playing on him. Cheney and Gibbo from Memory were in charge of taking the Talls. Hodge was playing defence, and played pretty bad, until he was moved into the middle and he had an instant impact.

This time, we will have Lake, Gibbo, Shoey and Spang to pick from, so we will for once be able to cover him. In fact, i'm pretty sure Lake has only played against Hawkins once, and that was when we won. This time I feel them targeting Hawkins will be to their detriment, as I'll back Lake to win enough contests to neutralise him. It might end up like similar to the Cloke situation, as in he might kick some goals but they will be to focused on him. In the old days Shoe would be playing him and Hawkins would just beat him to easily.

Geelong sure have had their fair share of luck against us, and if things remain the way they are I'm backing us to beat them. Since 2012 we are a superior team to them.

No doubt we should beat them convincingly given their recent form but they do somehow find a different level against us and we do try and lose the game in every way we possibly can, hard to go into a match against them with any great confidence.

They did get us at a good time early this seasons and they were also playing their best football of the year at that point.

 

[detox]

No doubt we should beat them convincingly given their recent form but they do somehow find a different level against us and we do try and lose the game in every way we possibly can, hard to go into a match against them with any great confidence.

They did get us at a good time early this seasons and they were also playing their best football of the year at that point.

Absolutely.

Its funny that when the curse is mentioned, sometimes it is forgotten that in 09/10, they were a far superior side to us, and yet we would run out with blokes like Moss, Muston, Dowler, Kaylor-thompson, Murphy at Full back, a fat, unfit Hodge, Renouf, Simon Taylor ect and still take it right up to them. I would love to find our lineup when Bartel kicked after the siren. Our team was shocking and they were in their Prime and should have buried us.

Recently, in every win since 2012, Hawkins has buried us bar the prelim. In that game, they kicked at least 5 Malceski-like BS floaters. Quick kicks from the packs going through, Harry taylor snapping goals Ect. If we can Control Hawkins, have Langford take one of Selwood/Johnson, I am very confident we will end this curse.

 

[Brishawk]

Geelong got us at a good time this year. They rely heavily one Hawkins to kill us and he usually delivers.

In the prelim, he was well held, but they made up with it with a bunch of absolutely arsey goals. We generally outplayed them for most of that game, they kicked every little chance they got.

Easter Monday, we had Cheney playing on him. Cheney and Gibbo from Memory were in charge of taking the Talls. Hodge was playing defence, and played pretty bad, until he was moved into the middle and he had an instant impact.

This time, we will have Lake, Gibbo, Shoey and Spang to pick from, so we will for once be able to cover him. In fact, i'm pretty sure Lake has only played against Hawkins once, and that was when we won. This time I feel them targeting Hawkins will be to their detriment, as I'll back Lake to win enough contests to neutralise him. It might end up like similar to the Cloke situation, as in he might kick some goals but they will be to focused on him. In the old days Shoe would be playing him and Hawkins would just beat him to easily.

Geelong sure have had their fair share of luck against us, and if things remain the way they are I'm backing us to beat them. Since 2012 we are a superior team to them.

Interesting stat, Geelong's leading goal kicker has been a small forward 6 times in our past ten meetings. Hawkins and Pods have had two standout games each but routinely the smalls have hurt us.

You are right, Lake has only played one game against Hawkins (for Hawthorn) however by that stage Pods was done and Hawkins had a crook back. We don't really know how he will go against a fully fit version of Hawkins. As an aside, Shoey has played on Hawkins 7 times for one bag of 6 and one of 3 (both in 2012). Shoey has kept him to 2 or less goals 5 times. Whoever we have in defence is going to have a tough time on Hawkins. He is a monster and Geelong know how to kick to his advantage. Need to pressure the ball carrier.

 

[kenneje]

Dogs: We should win. I reckon they'll push us for the first quarter, but we'll take control, kick away, slow down and they'll score well in junk time.

Melbourne: Mark it down as a win. They're on the up, but lack a lot of talent just about everywhere.

Freo: If they stay in this kind of form, we'll do them by 6+, but I reckon this is the game they turn it around (payback?) ... We'll beat them in a very close game.

Geelong: Second 6 day break, bruising encounter with the Freo the week before, mix that in with our players CRAVING to play like pricks against these guys in the H&A and I don't have a lot of faith at this stage.
It would be really nice to win this one, I would love to knock them out of the 4, and end up with a situation where we play them in a prelim.

Collingwood:

 

[threesixpio]

our next loss is in 2015

Always saw you as a glass half empty type

 

[play2win]

Always saw you as a glass half empty type

hah that's funny. if anything i am a glass and a half full type!

 

[Dinsdale]

Yeah, but those pre-season games mean nothing anyway.

nah he meant one of those silly intra-club games

 

[Flukey!]

Cats is the big test. Based on our most recent win, we look like we should account for them.
That said, I have thought that plenty of times since '08 and been correct just once.

 

[HR Roughnstuf]

Qualifying will be Hawks vs Geelong on the Saturday afternoon.

Bookmark it

 

[MrFujiMoto]

I have gone 3, but I think it will be 4. The great thing is, with the surprise Freo loss and Port's slide, that even if all other challengers win all of the games they should (i.e - Freo win 3, Syds 4, Geelong 4 and us only winning 3) we should finish 3rd at the worst or first / second if we win 4. The likely outcome if we only win 3 more is that the Cats will finish second and us 3rd, meaning no travel in the first week. I think we would have to drop off badly to miss a Melbourne final from here.
That is the main thing. Thanks to the Power and Freo, Geelong has added that extra Vic team into the top 4 , giving us that extra chance at a "home" final.

Cheers Freo and Power.

 

[philohk]

I have gone 3, but I think it will be 4. The great thing is, with the surprise Freo loss and Port's slide, that even if all other challengers win all of the games they should (i.e - Freo win 3, Syds 4, Geelong 4 and us only winning 3) we should finish 3rd at the worst or first / second if we win 4. The likely outcome if we only win 3 more is that the Cats will finish second and us 3rd, meaning no travel in the first week. I think we would have to drop off badly to miss a Melbourne final from here.
That is the main thing. Thanks to the Power and Freo, Geelong has added that extra Vic team into the top 4 , giving us that extra chance at a "home" final.

Cheers Freo and Power.

Was just thinking the same thing on the way to work this morning. But I reckon we'll win all five.

 

[MrFujiMoto]

Was just thinking the same thing on the way to work this morning. But I reckon we'll win all five.

I think it will be 4 or 5, with the Cats or Freo game being a blip on the radar. Either way, we could drop them both and as long as we beat the Demons, Dogs and Pies we are still a HUGE chance for a "home" final. Seriously, I can't thank Ross Lyon and Darren Burgess enough. I am starting to think they took pity on our injury run, it could not have worked out this well for us otherwise!!

 

[Ranj Sri Lanka]

our next loss is in 2015

This my friend is gold...
I am a true believer - We will win all 5.

 

[Thaihawk]

our next loss is in 2015

I agree. Clarko has finally worked out the recipe to kill the cats. They've had their nine lives, now they're going to taste eternal fire.

 

[WWSD]

While Fremantle are a very good side and shouldn't be taken lightly, I'm not worried about that game as I am about our match against Geelong in Round 22. I think we will beat Fremantle and lose to Geelong.

Western Bulldogs (W)
Melbourne (W)
Fremantle (W)
Geelong (L)
Collingwood (W)

17-5 losses. We will end up finishing either 2nd or 3rd and a qualifying final against Geelong in week 1 looms likely.

 

[threesixpio]

How would people have answered this after the North game?

 

[Procrastinator35]

Made me smile.

I can't see us beating the Cats when they are coming off an 8 or 9 day break and playing the Blues in Melbourne and we are coming off 6 days and a trip to Perth.

Well done AFL.

It's nice to see at least one sane & sensible post in this thread!

Not looking any further than this week....The Dogs will be tough work, Melb & Coll should be O.K....The other 2 I'm not in the least bit confident about.

Still a lot of hard work to go & luck with injuries to endure before making any grand statements or predictions!....Though a 17/5 Season should see us secure a Top 2 berth!

 

[Agent Smith]

our next loss is in 2015

That's a bit negative. What, you expect us to suck in 2015?