2011 AFL Grand Final - Collingwood v Geelong - Prematch Discussion

[Quicky]

I thought i'd get this one going. I'm too pumped right now to hold off. We still don't know our opponent. But will tonight when Geelong and West Coast play off in the last preliminary final.

So how are you all feeling? Last night was a classic for the ages! I still have no voice, my neighbours think i'm a nutter for all the screaming I did and i'm sure I lost several years of my life through the sheer tension of it all.

Has your confidence in our ability to win - whoever we face - been eroded? I'm not so much concerned about a tough game, we can bounce back from that, if anything we must have great belief we can overcome anything now. But injuries to Jolly, Reid and just general niggles that many players seem to have been carrying this year doesn't help our cause in the least.

Both potential opponents have strong ruck divisions Ottens/West and Cox/Naitanui and Jollys seemingly inevitable absence looks to be huge.

This coupled with the fact we haven't really gotten near Geelong in our previous encounters this year is a worry. If we face West Coast not so.

I think we need a collective improvement in the side because we have looked shaky this finals series. Broad themes for improvement:

1) Defensive pressure must lift
2) Our spread. We must work harder to provide options.
3) Our inside 50 entries. We have been picking bad options and bombing away too much. This is inherently linked to the above two issues. If we put more pressure on and work harder to provide options it is easier to pick the right forward options as there is more time and better options available.

This seems doom and gloom but it isn't. It is absolutely reasonable to think the team can make those improvements this week as we have done this for the best part of 2 years. It is an abberation that we have dropped off in this regard.

Go the Pies!!

 

[Zahki]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

If Geelong keep playing like this we're in deep, deep shit.

 

[Chief Ten Beers]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

If Geelong keep playing like this we're in deep, deep shit.

Agreed. One team going in with great form vs the other going in with the worst form I can recall.

Although to the Pies credit they've managed to scrap and battle out two extremely hard matches. But next week will be an enormous ask.

Before I get the flames, I'm being realistic here, not pessimistic.

 

[Adz]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Surely we won't lose to them 3 times.

 

[Drizt]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Geelong will go into the game as outright favourites. The underdog status may work for us.

Geelong are playing incredibly good footy at the right end of the year. All credit to them. We will have to regain form fast if we are to be any chance against the cats.

 

[Pera]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Even if Geelong win by 70-80 points, dont forget 2007. We pushed Geelong all the way in the PF while Port Adelaide absolutely smashed the Kanga's.

Look at how the GF turned out. Having a tough PF isn't exactly a bad thing, we will be battle hardened and I'm quietly confident we will be able to beat either opponent.

 

[TradeDraft]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Geelong will go into the game as outright favourites. The underdog status may work for us.

Geelong are playing incredibly good footy at the right end of the year. All credit to them. We will have to regain form fast if we are to be any chance against the cats.

Be The 1st Time we been Underdogs this season

 

[Chief Ten Beers]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Be The 1st Time we been Underdogs

Thought we were the underdogs against the Saints last year, considering they'd been there in 2009 regardless of the 2010 H&A season results.

 

[Zahki]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Sure, if you look at the PF in isolation it's not that bad, though still worrying. But Geelong beat us by 96 points just 3 weeks ago, and we were less than impressive against the eagles. Our form lines going into next week couldn't be more different, Geelong look damn near unbeatable and we're limping in by a thread.

Gotta be in it to win it of course, but geez I'm having a hard time thinking what reason there is to believe we can get over them. It's going to take a massive turn around in 1 week, can we do it? Well I'll never write us off completely after last night but you've got to be realistic.

 

[TradeDraft]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Thought we were the underdogs against the Saints last year, considering they'd been there in 2009 regardless of the 2010 H&A season results.

I meant this Season

 

[HeavyPop]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Geeelong are playing well, but remember last year? St Kilda scraped through against the WB while we beat Geelong easily and yet we drew with them at first.

It all comes down to next week, forget about what happens in the past.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Sorry, but we're struggling big time and Geelong are flying.

Pumping on the cards next week. Big time. I was expecting a full strength pies to really go hard last night, and the effort just wasn't there until the last quarter.

10% chance at best.

 

[HFF]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

^^^ Any chance of reporting Ed's post?

We are better than a 10% chance- we didn't finish top of the ladder at 20-2 for nothing.

Like any GF- we will go in there with a 50-50 chance. On the day, anything can happen. It's not as if we are a random side that has somehow fallen into the GF and are outright outsiders.

Are Geelong at their best? Yes.

Are we at our best? No.

However, we only need to be at our best for one day and we will have achieved our goal.

 

[rose jam]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Sorry, but we're struggling big time and Geelong are flying.
.

I look at it the other way, I reckon our form turned and we're going to be in sparkling touch.
Geelong looked organised against an energyless Eagles but that will change next week. Their midfield and forward line looked mid table today. With Johnson out I think their structure will be upset and it gives Harry more option to play an attacking game similar.

 

[TradeDraft]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Sorry, but we're struggling big time and Geelong are flying.

Pumping on the cards next week. Big time. I was expecting a full strength pies to really go hard last night, and the effort just wasn't there until the last quarter.

10% chance at best.

Does not Look Good but I will not say we are no Chance at the Moment.

But Form line is not good

 

[mattys123]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Before today, the Cats were considered certainties, after today, not so much.

The Pies will get nothing but goodness out of our win, we played as well as we have all season in that last quarter, and it's typical of sides to take the late form in the last match into the next match.

We also will be the under dogs, the players, the coaching staff and the club will love this, the pressure is off, we will not be expected to win, and therefore we can just play our game.

This will be brutal, tough, hard uncompromising football, and I just don't know if the battered, old Geelong players can stand up to 4 quarters of what will be dished out.

Players like Swan, Thomas, Pendles, Ball, Wellingham, Sidebottom, Shaw, Davis etc will go, and go again, and go all day, and this is where we beat the cats.

We out run them, we out last them, we have to make this game a war, and we can prevail.

It will be tight, no team will get anywhere near the 100 point mark, expect 80 to win it, and maybe even something in the 70 point region.

I'll back us, our players are proud, they will never say die, as shown last night and we can win, and we will win.

BACK TO BACK BABY, it's still on, and it will happen.

 

[upnsmoke]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

I wish i have the same confidence as some.
Pies struggled to score against this same eagles team, sure the are tired but so was hawks last night.

Cats doubled the scoring attempts and smashed eagles inside forward 50s. This will continue against us, since cats mid field are even better than hawks.

the only way is to blitz them early get on with a 30 point lead and hope pies hold. Pies midfield lacks the body size to win those in and under scrimmages against cats.

 

[WakeUpPies]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

If we don't play with 100% intensity from the get go we will be pumped.

 

[Pera]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Sorry, but we're struggling big time and Geelong are flying.

Pumping on the cards next week. Big time. I was expecting a full strength pies to really go hard last night, and the effort just wasn't there until the last quarter.

10% chance at best.

You have to be the most negative poster on our board. We finished top and we're in a GF FFS.

We are not a 10% chance, 50% is more realistic.

Have some bloody faith, we'll beat them. I'm very confident. We slammed on four un-answered goals in the first quarter of Round 24 then completely gave up.

 

[upnsmoke]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Before today, the Cats were considered certainties, after today, not so much.

The Pies will get nothing but goodness out of our win, we played as well as we have all season in that last quarter, and it's typical of sides to take the late form in the last match into the next match.

We also will be the under dogs, the players, the coaching staff and the club will love this, the pressure is off, we will not be expected to win, and therefore we can just play our game.

This will be brutal, tough, hard uncompromising football, and I just don't know if the battered, old Geelong players can stand up to 4 quarters of what will be dished out.

Players like Swan, Thomas, Pendles, Ball, Wellingham, Sidebottom, Shaw, Davis etc will go, and go again, and go all day, and this is where we beat the cats.

We out run them, we out last them, we have to make this game a war, and we can prevail.

It will be tight, no team will get anywhere near the 100 point mark, expect 80 to win it, and maybe even something in the 70 point region.

I'll back us, our players are proud, they will never say die, as shown last night and we can win, and we will win.

BACK TO BACK BABY, it's still on, and it will happen.

wow. Thats disrespecting cats players big time, their players are capable of beating all those names you listed down.

Their defense isnt short like hawks, their defense is better than pies overall.

That tactic of kicking quick through the corridor is going to be ugly for the pies defensive lines.

 

[upnsmoke]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

You have to be the most negative poster on our board. We finished top and we're in a GF FFS.

We are not a 10% chance, 50% is more realistic.

Have some bloody faith, we'll beat them. I'm very confident. We slammed on four un-answered goals in the first quarter of Round 22 then completely gave up.

50% is what a optimistic pies fan will hope for. But not realistic at all. 30% chance is realistic.

 

[mattys123]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

wow. Thats disrespecting cats players big time, their players are capable of beating all those names you listed down.

Their defense isnt short like hawks, their defense is better than pies overall.

That tactic of kicking quick through the corridor is going to be ugly for the pies defensive lines.

So, Swan, Pendles, Ball, Thomas, Davis are all not as good as the Geelong players, BAH.

Swan is the best player in the game at the moment, Pendles might win the Brownlow, Thomas should have won the Norm Smith in either game last year, and Davis is the most versatile small man in the game at the moment.

Ball will negate Selwood, he is as good at winning the hard ball.

I know how good Geelong are, that's why I said this will be tough, but we can win, we have the better team, we do, it's as simple as that.

Where's our Christensen? Stokes? Duncan? Varcoe? West? Seriously, Geelong have a bunch of stars, but their bottom end is starting to look a little thin with injuries starting to kick in a bit (Vardy, Menzel and Johnson all likely to be missing from their best 22).

We are a massive chance, I won't put up with anyone saying we aren't.

 

[daics_35]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

My worry with them is when they move the ball fast down the corridor and they always find a loose man in their forward line. For us to win the backline will have to be at its very best. We can win it we just need to be hungry and desperate like last years prelim final. Its gonna be a looong week.

 

[HeavyPop]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

It's gonna be a long week.

 

[Magpie_Magic]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

We will win.