Oppo Camp Non-Eagles Discussion 2025 Part 2

[Bender_]

This finals series to me really underwrites why there should be no pre finals bye. Teams like Geelong and Collingwood were beat up ending the season and with aged lists it's just frustrating.

The bulldogs (with extreme umpiring assistance on their way to a flag) also knocked us out of the finals due to the pre finals bye by getting 6 of their top 10 players back from injury in 2016.

For younger teams with less experience they lose momentum. For older experienced sides they get a chance to refresh and it's really not all that fair. The whole process of having lists and managing your list properly is so that you're primed and ready for finals.

I absolutely despise the Hawks but does anyone think that without the pre finals bye week Geelong or Collingwood would have been so fresh going into Qualifying finals, then another 2 week break to be super fresh again for prelims. Now if they were young sides it would ruin their momentum but with so much experience and older players it just gives them a huge boost.

Blame Ross Lyon and his refusal to take Freo's better players interstate before the finals. The AFL didn't like what it was doing to the "integrity" of the comp and over-corrected it. So now instead of round 24 being compromised the finals are, and as usual the AFL will have to fix their fix. Fantastic work as usual.

 

[Truly Lazuli]

Blame Ross Lyon and his refusal to take Freo's better players interstate before the finals. The AFL didn't like what it was doing to the "integrity" of the comp and over-corrected it. So now instead of round 24 being compromised the finals are, and as usual the AFL will have to fix their fix. Fantastic work as usual.

Yeah if interested in the integrity of the comp they should've just got rid of Ross the Toss

 

[Tugga27]

Hawthorn's winning this. Literally every single thing has broken their way so far. We handed them the keys to the premiership and we took their picks.

We are a clown show

This aged well

 

[Tugga27]

Yeah they're winning the whole thing. We'll take the hawks picks thanks

And once again.........

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Blame Ross Lyon and his refusal to take Freo's better players interstate before the finals. The AFL didn't like what it was doing to the "integrity" of the comp and over-corrected it. So now instead of round 24 being compromised the finals are, and as usual the AFL will have to fix their fix. Fantastic work as usual.

I hate Ross the Boss but have absolutely no problem with what he did either.

AFL are like the kents that introduced the cane toad.

 

[ioppolo]

NBA teams will literally play their bottom 5 spuds for 48 minutes in the last few games if nothing can change on the conference tables and that's ok. If Chris Scott

Chris Scott

Age

49

Ht

182cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.6

4star

K

11.2

4star

HB

5.4

4star

M

5.1

5star

T

1.6

4star

G

0.4

3star

No current season stats available

D

13.2

4star

K

10.2

4star

HB

3.0

3star

M

2.2

3star

T

2.8

5star

G

0.4

3star

did it at Geelong it'd be 'exceptional list management'.

 

[ioppolo]

This finals series to me really underwrites why there should be no pre finals bye. Teams like Geelong and Collingwood were beat up ending the season and with aged lists it's just frustrating.

The bulldogs (with extreme umpiring assistance on their way to a flag) also knocked us out of the finals due to the pre finals bye by getting 6 of their top 10 players back from injury in 2016.

For younger teams with less experience they lose momentum. For older experienced sides they get a chance to refresh and it's really not all that fair. The whole process of having lists and managing your list properly is so that you're primed and ready for finals.

I absolutely despise the Hawks but does anyone think that without the pre finals bye week Geelong or Collingwood would have been so fresh going into Qualifying finals, then another 2 week break to be super fresh again for prelims. Now if they were young sides it would ruin their momentum but with so much experience and older players it just gives them a huge boost.

Straight sets is also more common than ever tenfold since the bye. Before that it was extremely rare. Port 2001, West Coast 2007, Freo & Geelong 2014. Three seasons in 15. Since then?

Hawthorn 2016
Hawthorn 2018
Brisbane 2019
Brisbane 2021
Melbourne 2022
Melbourne, Port Adelaide 2023
GWS 2024
Adelaide 2025

It's turning into a formality.

 

[Tugga27]

Has a nickname.

Performs like most pretty good forward pockets of yesteryear, ie bob up with a freak goal once a fortnight, add another regulation one if you like, and call it a day. Adds zero outside of that. Doesn’t link up, doesn’t find the footy at a decent clip, can’t mark, can’t play anywhere else.

Take away the Wizard branding and he’d be known as a pretty fun player who ducks a fair bit. Now we have to cop “best small forward in the comp” for a bloke who kicked four goals in three finals this year and, with the game on the line, got shifted to the backline cause he had four touches (three turnovers).

The goal was ****ing sick. Needs to do something like that more than once a month to get anywhere near the top 10, let alone first place.

I can't stand the little upstart either.
But Whateley and Co were frothing over the fact he kicked 7 goals in 2 finals last year, which was a fair effort.

Agreed he has to do more than being a highlights package though.

 

[Bender_]

NBA teams will literally play their bottom 5 spuds for 48 minutes in the last few games if nothing can change on the conference tables and that's ok. If Chris Scott did it at Geelong it'd be 'exceptional list management'.

I have zero problem with what Ross Lyon did, he should be allowed to make his own decisions regarding his team without the AFL trying to micromanage everything. And I'm fairly certain he did it when the fixture had Freo playing in Tasmania for the final round - so they could've just attempted to alleviate the travel burden within the final round instead of introducing a bye round for f*cks sake.

It's the same as the 666 rule - taking away the coaches ability to stem the tide of momentum going against them is absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Jeremy McLovin]

NBA teams will literally play their bottom 5 spuds for 48 minutes in the last few games if nothing can change on the conference tables and that's ok. If Chris Scott did it at Geelong it'd be 'exceptional list management'.

I mean collingwood were doing it throughout the year and were lauded for it, so yeah.

 

[squashface]

I have zero problem with what Ross Lyon did, he should be allowed to make his own decisions regarding his team without the AFL trying to micromanage everything. And I'm fairly certain he did it when the fixture had Freo playing in Tasmania for the final round - so they could've just attempted to alleviate the travel burden within the final round instead of introducing a bye round for f*cks sake.

It's the same as the 666 rule - taking away the coaches ability to stem the tide of momentum going against them is absolutely ridiculous.

Must be the only 'professional' sport in the world where every year they sit down and say "ok what rules are we going to change this year?" and there is even an announcement when no rules have been changed.

 

[amazingjoshy]

Straight sets is also more common than ever tenfold since the bye. Before that it was extremely rare. Port 2001, West Coast 2007, Freo & Geelong 2014. Three seasons in 15. Since then?

Hawthorn 2016
Hawthorn 2018
Brisbane 2019
Brisbane 2021
Melbourne 2022
Melbourne, Port Adelaide 2023
GWS 2024
Adelaide 2025

It's turning into a formality.

Wait, doesn't that stat mean the pre finals bye has made it easier for the bottom half of the 8? That's always been my issue with it

Have no issue with it benefiting the top 4 teams. We play 24 rounds to earn a top 4 spot, it should be an advantage

 

[Jeremy McLovin]

Yo The Big Dipper
Heard you no longer busy champ.

Mind providing those receipts kiddo?

Nah he's still busy - has just pivoted to the idea that we'll trade pick 2 to the hawks so they can draft Dyson Sharp.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

I mean collingwood were doing it throughout the year and were lauded for it, so yeah.

Pendles didn't travel even when he was young, but that's just the compromised complicated fixturing system where everyone plays each other home and away money overrules fairness.

 

[Lunchtime]

This finals series to me really underwrites why there should be no pre finals bye. Teams like Geelong and Collingwood were beat up ending the season and with aged lists it's just frustrating.

The bulldogs (with extreme umpiring assistance on their way to a flag) also knocked us out of the finals due to the pre finals bye by getting 6 of their top 10 players back from injury in 2016.

For younger teams with less experience they lose momentum. For older experienced sides they get a chance to refresh and it's really not all that fair. The whole process of having lists and managing your list properly is so that you're primed and ready for finals.

I absolutely despise the Hawks but does anyone think that without the pre finals bye week Geelong or Collingwood would have been so fresh going into Qualifying finals, then another 2 week break to be super fresh again for prelims. Now if they were young sides it would ruin their momentum but with so much experience and older players it just gives them a huge boost.

100% agree. It should be open slather, best of the best....the best playing against the best.

Unfortunately it happens most years where players would be injured before week 1 of finals. The pre finals bye has helped older teams like Collingwood and Geelong.

 

[Astro7]

Impressive game from Danger.

Thank heck the Hawks are finally out.

Really relying Brisbane to save this shitshow of a season.

Feel the same, but it's a tough ask, although the Lions did much the same last season.
The Lions beat the Pies only a few weeks ago at the G. Pies team looks pretty even and settled...and well rested. Lions beat Cats in '24 prelim. They also beat Cats twice this season, but of course lost to Cats in the first final.
No Lachie Neale. Would be sensational if they won.

 

[InTheWings]

I swear I've told you this before but...

Can you be a good side with an average ruck division? - Yes
Can you be a good side with the worst ruck division? - No

I'd agree with this.
Average rucks can at least halve the contest on most occasions.
The worst rucks mean the opposition midfielders get silver service on most occasions. Even more than that, when they did win the tap this year, how often did our rucks regularly tap the ball straight to the opposition?

 

[BSD]

Rumour has it Sam Mitchell has personally offered to drive Max Holmes back to Geelong.

Rain should offer to navigate for Mr & Mrs Mitchell, i don't think the Hawks travel to Geelong that often.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

I'd agree with this.
Average rucks can at least halve the contest on most occasions.
The worst rucks mean the opposition midfielders get silver service on most occasions. Even more than that, when they did win the tap this year, how often did our rucks regularly tap the ball straight to the opposition?

I've been saying this for a couple years now, imagine how decent we'd be with an actual competent ruck. Having a good ruck makes you at least a 4 goal better team, imagine how more horrendous North would be without Xerri.

We ain't gonna get any better while we got a key forward who pinch hits in ruck as our number one ruck (Williams) Flynn had a good last part of the year, but it's probably why teams around the league expect us to take CDT at pick 2.

 

[shoutsatclouds]

Look I want an all-non Vic Grand Final (and Prelim finals...) as much as the next normal non-Vic kent, but Hawthorn vs Geelong and Collingwood vs Brisbane is as good as it gets outside of that. Intense rivalries, cracking games, likeable players (I know, I know, but there are a few) plus a whole bunch you just want to punch in the face.

Last night's game was a cracker. Hawthorn shooting out to an early lead, Bender losing his mind at posters losing their minds, Danger putting in one of the greatest individual performances of all time, a heaving MCG, Mitchell showing his tactical brilliance by throwing Watson in defence, the devastation of missing a Grand Final with concussion, the game had it all, and I am hyped for today's game too. 2023's Grand Final was a classic and we get a replay today.

Pffft...if he was that brilliant, he would have moved Barrass up front for the final push home...

 

[ziad]

That might get it down to earning more than 93% of the population... So they're doing pretty well at that.

First year apprentice electricians in Sydney on $100k with allowances. $180k when qualified.

 

[DorothyG]

Straight sets is also more common than ever tenfold since the bye. Before that it was extremely rare. Port 2001, West Coast 2007, Freo & Geelong 2014. Three seasons in 15. Since then?

Hawthorn 2016
Hawthorn 2018
Brisbane 2019
Brisbane 2021
Melbourne 2022
Melbourne, Port Adelaide 2023
GWS 2024
Adelaide 2025

It's turning into a formality.

Yet again though, this is what the AFL want. They want the unpredictable "any given Sunday" comp.

Problem is, as you point out, it all eventually falls down at the pointy end.
The best, fittest, rested teams will win through to the final two weeks of the season

Next year, or the year after, even though no one has asked or cares for it, we are going to have a Wildcard weekend. Do we honestly expect a team coming from 10th on the ladder, who will have to play potential an additional 2 finals games, and most likely be a team from interstate who will have to travel for 5 consecutive weeks if they make the GF? No. It's ridiculous.

 

[Happy Mastenator]

I have zero problem with what Ross Lyon did, he should be allowed to make his own decisions regarding his team without the AFL trying to micromanage everything. And I'm fairly certain he did it when the fixture had Freo playing in Tasmania for the final round - so they could've just attempted to alleviate the travel burden within the final round instead of introducing a bye round for f*cks sake.

It's the same as the 666 rule - taking away the coaches ability to stem the tide of momentum going against them is absolutely ridiculous.

Not only that, from memory they couldn’t even get direct flights from Perth to Tassie, and the afl refused as always to allow west coast and Freo charter a plane, forcing them to transit through Melbourne. So yeah, it was Freos fault, not the afl for doing a stupid arse fixture

 

[Astro7]

Look I want an all-non Vic Grand Final (and Prelim finals...) as much as the next normal non-Vic kent, but Hawthorn vs Geelong and Collingwood vs Brisbane is as good as it gets outside of that. Intense rivalries, cracking games, likeable players (I know, I know, but there are a few) plus a whole bunch you just want to punch in the face.

Last night's game was a cracker. Hawthorn shooting out to an early lead, Bender losing his mind at posters losing their minds, Danger putting in one of the greatest individual performances of all time, a heaving MCG, Mitchell showing his tactical brilliance by throwing Watson in defence, the devastation of missing a Grand Final with concussion, the game had it all, and I am hyped for today's game too. 2023's Grand Final was a classic and we get a replay today.

Agree, finals can be next level, regardless of who's playing, if teams are well matched. In the excitement of the game, partisanship soon takes a back seat. The Freo game was a cracker also. Nothing worse than a soggy sag-out, a flogging, especially in a GF.

 

[Lunchtime]

Not only that, from memory they couldn’t even get direct flights from Perth to Tassie, and the afl refused as always to allow west coast and Freo charter a plane, forcing them to transit through Melbourne. So yeah, it was Freos fault, not the afl for doing a stupid arse fixture

If clubs want to charter an aircraft (and pay for the aircraft themselves, bearing in mind it isn't cheap) then that's their choice and the AFL shouldn't have a say how clubs travel from point A to point B during Home & Away or Finals matches.