2011 AFL Grand Final - Collingwood v Geelong - Prematch Discussion

[larrikan]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

some random thoughts....Yes, Geelong are playing well, however, they have not had any pressure or finals intensity football in a month. Collingwood must believe after last night that they can win at all costs because WC and the Hawks threw everything at them. Also, don't dismiss the enormous pressure those two teams put on us and we still won. Right now, both GF teams have had completely different preparations.

Secondly, the fact is Podsiadly DID bump Selwood to the head not going for the ball. H and A - he's out! Finals maybe not but does he have carry over points. I know half of you are dismissing this but if it were a Collingwood player, Channel 10 would have replayed it over and over instead of glossing it over. Wait for more on this one from MRP.

Stevie J...what a sook if he plays after being stretchered off and giving me hope that the Jolly injury is even up.

Early thoughts for me are - Geelong will need to play with the same intensity that the Hawks applied to us...we need to bring our A Grade pressure to crack Geelong.

I know our best beats Geelongs best this year. I am optimistic that we have a huge room for improvement - let's hope it is next week.

 

[larrikan]

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.

what?...you're being sarcastic right?

 

[Pera]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

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

The game is 50-50. No doubt. Can someone confirm if this bloke is a troll? Mods?


EDIT..

You say we're a 1 in 2; he says it's nearer 1 in 3.

No biggie surely!

They're all only opinions after all, Swooop

 

[Zahki]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

I know our best beats Geelongs best this year.

Based on what? On the times we've beat them this year? Oh wait, we havn't, we have 2 losses and they're both to Geelong, both times we were completely outplayed.

Geelong are a better side than us at the moment. We're extremely lucky we got over Hawthorn, Geelong strapped a gimp ball into West Coasts mouth and had their way with them for 120 minutes, it's going to be an absolutely amazing turn around of form if we beat them next week.

 

[the mighty T]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

perhaps im seeing things with slightly rose coloured glasses however:

aside from the loss to geelong we havent been in that terrible form at all. we were leading west coast by closer to 5 goals before the start of the last quarter. when our press was in full effect we had control. the week before geelong we thrashed freo, the week before that beat a determined brisbane, before that a resurgent st kilda and before that lets see here, we beat just about everyone else.

its not all doom and gloom guys, were i a grand final for gods sake. next week is 50-50 at worst. its not about form, its about endeavour and the will to win. the raw emotion that MM showed after the game, the effort that we saw from those blokes to get up and win was unbelievable.

i dont know if we'll win, but ive got to say that us playing our best we are absolutely untouchable.

 

[eddiebankbalance]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

The only folk who going to take us serious, are the Geelong players. We are going to apply pressure they've not seen for some time. We will tackle hard, we'll also use the corridor.

We have players underdone, and so do the Cats. They did look tired - it's gonna be a ripper GF.

Although I reckon we throw in a player fresh with hunger, Fasolo.

 

[rustyg70]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

We will need to get first hands on the ball in the centre and go in the forward line with precision.
If we bomb it in long and high the Cats defence will just go third man up and run it out easy.
Going by the way the cats played us in round 24,they will go long down the guts and into their forward line to about 20 metres out from goal. The backs have to be prepared to help out each other.
While I dont really rate their two big forwards in Hawkins and Pods,they always make a contest and bring the ball to the ground.
Our small backs,Leon,Heater and Harry will need to be on their toes and ready to rebound it out with fast ball movement.

 

[PieBeast]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

The only folk who going to take us serious, are the Geelong players. We are going to apply pressure they've not seen for some time. We will tackle hard, we'll also use the corridor.

We have players underdone, and so do the Cats. They did look tired - it's gonna be a ripper GF.

Although I reckon we throw in a player fresh with hunger, Fasolo.

This.
If Fas doesn't get a game you can pretty much kiss our chances goodbye.

Where there's hope there's life.

 

[rhys_22]

!

If anyone thinks that collingwood, a team with a great captain in nick maxwell, will get rolled you obviously dont get it.

Maxy is by no means going to ly down.He hates geelong for rejecting him for not being a good enough player in their eyes.

I don't think he is the best player,but he is A BORN LEADER and that is a massive presence to have on grand final day,watch last years grand final and you'll see just how important he is..

I have faith,go pies!!!!

 

[upnsmoke]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

We will need to get first hands on the ball in the centre and go in the forward line with precision.
If we bomb it in long and high the Cats defence will just go third man up and run it out easy.
Going by the way the cats played us in round 24,they will go long down the guts and into their forward line to about 20 metres out from goal. The backs have to be prepared to help out each other.
While I dont really rate their two big forwards in Hawkins and Pods,they always make a contest and bring the ball to the ground.
Our small backs,Leon,Heater and Harry will need to be on their toes and ready to rebound it out with fast ball movement.

this was what I said also.

Cats KNOW Pies go through the Boundary.
What they do is put an extra man there, then have a defender wait in the middle, so when the Cats get the clearance or the win the stoppage, they KICK the ball straight to the corridor where a Cats player will run it through the corridor then help from the boundary will come as Pies try to surround him.

Cats then kick it DEEP into their inside 50s.... they dont need a legit target... they just need to get it there enough times and just attack the goals and eventually they just over run the Pies defensive line.

They can kick 4-5 goals REALLY quick this way, as evident in Round 24, against Hawks in the first qualifying final.....




Pies pretty much have to OUT-Cat the Cats.... by winning the stoppages and get the ball into the inside 50s with 1 kick... none of this handball surrounded by 3-4 Pies players.... because Cats simply need to win the ball back and they KICK it DEEP through the corridors maybe 1 or 2 times and it gets inside their forward 50s, because a lot of Pies players are away from their defensive positions.... quick kicks... beats the Pies players from getting back defensively.... where one on one situations with Pods or Hawkins are waiting...

 

[blaze036]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Ive said this a few times. BEAMZ CHOKES IN FINALS far far too often. His not even a big body, fasolo in for him PLEASE.

 

[sgnl00]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Cats are definite favourites, can't say I am anywhere near confident about winning.

Things I'd like to see:

Dids to start on the ground, as a small forward, put Krakouer in the middle as an inside mid. Would love to see Fasolo in, but if there is an out then Goldsack will more than likely come in due to his versatility (hopefully to see him shut down or at least break even with one of their play makers such as Wojo or Scarlett). This game will all be about making tackles stick and putting pressure on ball receivers. If our intensity is not there, we will not be able to run and Geelong's defence will cut off any slow movement forward and we will lose... badly.

edit: And for god's sake, put someone on James Kelly, he is simply too good.

 

[blaze036]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

if we let mitchell run free all day i doubt we'll tag kelly

 

[soreplums]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Maybe it's time to reverse the past. Haven't we lost a couple of GF's after beating our opponent twice during the Home and Away season?

 

[Hardas]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

perhaps im seeing things with slightly rose coloured glasses however:

aside from the loss to geelong we havent been in that terrible form at all. we were leading west coast by closer to 5 goals before the start of the last quarter. when our press was in full effect we had control. the week before geelong we thrashed freo, the week before that beat a determined brisbane, before that a resurgent st kilda and before that lets see here, we beat just about everyone else.

its not all doom and gloom guys, were i a grand final for gods sake. next week is 50-50 at worst. its not about form, its about endeavour and the will to win. the raw emotion that MM showed after the game, the effort that we saw from those blokes to get up and win was unbelievable.

i dont know if we'll win, but ive got to say that us playing our best we are absolutely untouchable.

Yep - this... pretty much.

Not sure about untouchable, but how about 'almost irresistible'?

I admit not having seen either prelim, even on TV [], but if we all can agree to forget the round 24 result, we are 22 and 1, with the first game against the Cats being one we could easily have grabbed, even though they outplayed us for a large part of the game.

The Cats have had a great year too, but have they already peaked?

I also think the last few weeks have toughened us up every bit as much as tired us out.

Methinks Plan A might be pretty ferocious this week for us. [Don't get me started on MM and Plan B's].

I still have lots of faith in this team, and it's great news that Dawes is back in business to support Trav. If Reidy can come up, I'm quietly confident, no make that quite confident, but Geelong are worthy opposition.

At the end of the day, I know the players will pin their ears back and battle like hell, and that's why I love 'em.

(None more than Luke Ball, who is my first favourite player since Burnsy retired).

We can do this.
Go Pies!

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

For all those who believe we have no hope: Geelong vs Hawthorn, 2008.

 

[Zahki]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

For all those who believe we have no hope: Geelong vs Hawthorn, 2008.

Hawthorn won their Qualifying Final by 51 points then their Prelim by 54 points, they were powering home with excellent form at the right time of year, completely different to our current circumstances where we just barely managed to stave West Coast off then fell limply across the line against Hawthorn.

 

[Drizt]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

For all those who believe we have no hope: Geelong vs Hawthorn, 2008.

People keep saying that but I was confident that the Hawks would win that. I was right

Geelongs current form is massively better than ours. I hope our boys can defy the odds.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

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 24 then completely gave up.

I am negative. Up until the last month or so, I was actually quite confident. But our form has been far too worrying to go into this game with any genuine confidence.

Could we turn up and play a blinder at the right time? Yes of course.

Is it likely? No.

 

[rose jam]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Brisbane 2003 were injured played a tough finals series, were terrible in the prelim but found a way to run over the Swans in the last quarter and that sparked a form reversal. We played 2 soft finals and got done over by the intensity the following week.
I think this is the pattern for next week.

 

[Kirby]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Yeah we should use Brissy 03 as our template.

I'm excited by this week and I think we are a very good chance to win. I'm not as down as many around here.

I'm not confident but I think we can do it and when we do I'm going to go off.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Brisbane 2003 were injured played a tough finals series, were terrible in the prelim but found a way to run over the Swans in the last quarter and that sparked a form reversal. We played 2 soft finals and got done over by the intensity the following week.
I think this is the pattern for next week.

God I hope you're right. Good comparison too. Forgot about Brisbane 03.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Brisbane 2003 were injured played a tough finals series, were terrible in the prelim but found a way to run over the Swans in the last quarter and that sparked a form reversal. We played 2 soft finals and got done over by the intensity the following week.
I think this is the pattern for next week.

Exactly. Never say never. The boys won't be giving in, why should we? Lets go PIES!!!

 

[larrikan]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

Based on what? On the times we've beat them this year? Oh wait, we havn't, we have 2 losses and they're both to Geelong, both times we were completely outplayed.

Geelong are a better side than us at the moment. We're extremely lucky we got over Hawthorn, Geelong strapped a gimp ball into West Coasts mouth and had their way with them for 120 minutes, it's going to be an absolutely amazing turn around of form if we beat them next week.

We should have two threads for every topic this week for the negative naysayers who have lost the faith and those whose opinion is we finished top of the ladder and won two intense finals to make a GF.

a) it's a joke when the you compare round 24 as a "loss" and Round 8 "loss" when our backline structure was upset without Maxwell and Toovs. Still held Cats to 8 goals in an arguable (Pendles goal) 3 point loss. I would love our chances in a low scoring game this week.

b) Geelongs form prior to round 24 was 6th in formline and had critics writing them off

c) Comparing our WC game to Geelongs WC game is just ignorance...WC fought to finish fourth then had a bruising game on the MCG against us (just ask the players about that game) they then had an epic encounter against Carlscum at Subiaco then back to the MCG for the Cats (after their week off)

d) Our perceived drop in form is because we have been smashing teams by over 10 goals all year...now we just win. What? WIN. yeah that's right we are still winning!!!!!

I am so glad half our BF posters aren't playing next week. Take your negative cliched bs to the Cats board.

Geelong are a good football side. Our best is better than their best!!! We are still favourites with the bookies. Why? If they think we will lose, they should take easy Collingwood money to go with what they are already holding.

WE ARE THE HUNTED. WE ARE THE BEST SIDE IN THE COMPETITION. SIDES WILL BRING INTENSE PRESSURE AGAINST US TO HAVE ANY CHANCE.

In saying that...you cannot predict this weeks game because injuries and weather will be huge. I would be even more confident in a wet low scoring game.

Anyway I don't know why you negative posters even bother coming in here saying we will need an amazing turn around to win. What's the point?? Do you want to be able to say "I told you so" or you have more football knowledge because your opinion is Geelong outplays us.

I am going to make a point of ignoring this crap this week and wait for all the apologies next week coming in here saying you were wrong

WE ARE THE BEST SIDE THIS YEAR WE ARE STILL WINNING AND WILL CONTINUE TO WIN.

Go Pies

 

[mattys123]

Re: The 2011 Grand Final Prematch Thread

I am going to make a point of ignoring this crap this week and wait for all the apologies next week coming in here saying you were wrong

WE ARE THE BEST SIDE THIS YEAR WE ARE STILL WINNING AND WILL CONTINUE TO WIN.

Go Pies

I'm with you all the way, I will not back down at all.

By the way, do all these negative idiots actually understand that we just played the best quarter of football we have all year.

Forget about the last quarter versus the woeful Crows, that last quarter on Friday Night is as good as we have played all year.

We were playing the 3rd best side in the competition, and under the extreme pressure of a finals eliminator, we lifted, and kicked 5.4 to 2.0, with one of those two goals being a freakish effort by Buddy.

We will carry that form into the Grand Final, the players will not leave anything out on the field at all, and we will win.

I went to the Storm game tonight, and they got beat, they played a very similar game to us, in that they were behind for most of the night, but they lacked the fightback that we had. The Warriors on the other hand are on a role, they beat the Tigers with the last touch of the game, then have beaten the top team.

What I am saying is the form from the last game is relevant, in fact it's so bloody important it's not funny.

Geelong had an easy game, and can not take anything out of it, we took everything out of Friday Night, and we will bring it on Saturday.

GO PIES.