2015 the aberration?

[clivenator26]

At the start of 2008 we committed to a rebuild, after Rd 1 Mark Harvey had selected some senior types but by Rd 2 we had debutants in Mayne & Palmer and continued to blood new guys over 2008-09 and again in 2010 but were in the finals on the back of huge seasons from Barlow, Pav, McPharlin, Mundy & Sandi.

2011 we were looking ok, largely inconsistent before injuries took a toll, we were in the finals mix until late in the year and it looked like we would still be on the right track and were a reasonably young team at the core.

2012 Ross came in and took half a season to get us right and we then went on to play some great footy over the next 2-3 seasons.

In 2014 we were ousted in straight sets and many pundits had us falling down the ladder heading into 2015.

At the start of 2015 we won a nail biter against Port before destroying Geelong away, WCE (for 3/4s), Sydney, Melbourne, Essendon, a close game against the Bulldogs away, a smashing of North and a classic Fyfe vs Dangerfield battle which gave us a 9-0 start. In the last 6 of these games Fyfe had 5 x 3 votes and 1 x 2 votes. He basically won us close games against Sydney (big mark to seal it when Sydney were closing), Bulldogs (3 goals) and Adelaide (40+ touches and a goal).

Richmond hammered us at home before three close games were won against the Suns away, Collingwood at home and Brisbane (very close at 3/4 time) at home - Fyfe polled 3 x 3 Brownlow votes and was basically the difference in the Suns game (2 goals). We then played Hawthorn away, were smashed, Fyfe was corked and we would limp to the end of the season 5-3 with one of those wins courtesy of Bachar Houli's kick out* & Mundy's clutch goal and 2 more Brownlow votes for Fyfe who looked hampered with a pillow on his thigh. One of these losses we tanked. We then just got over Sydney (minus Parker, Franklin, Nick Smith) before the prelim which we battled hard in but came up short against the Hawks who we beat only 2 times across 2009-2016.

What is the point of all this? Well the trend for our team was a downward one heading into 2015 however a freak season from Fyfe whose performances in close games helped us win numerous times. We overachieved in 2015 season imo and that is why the fall down the ladder since has been hard to fathom for some - especially the Vic media who saw sinister motives.

I guess I'm just trying to rationalise things, it wasn't JUST Fyfe in 2015 but he was incredible and crucial in 5-6 wins which had hey gone the other way we'd have finished 6-8th and then 2016 wouldn't have been as big a surprise - thiugh still no one in their wildest nightmares would've predicted OWEN- whatever.

*had this kick out not happened we would've finished 5th with Richmond among top 4 - however a win over Port would've got us back in BUT still it's worth looking at how small things can have such an impact.

 

[FUS_RO_DAH]

It was an aberration. We were bog average. There was only a handful of decent teams that year instead of the big spread of quality we saw last year. Hawthorn, West Coast and us (kind of), North Melbourne made a prelim ffs.

2015 held back our rebuild significantly.

 

[clivenator26]

Having said that if there's a chance at a flag you go for it full speed. I don't think too many kids have missed games - maybe Weller & Blakely could've played an extra 3-5 games during 2015.

We're light on for talent, the first Rd draft pick busts (for a variety of reasons) have hurt, we've fought it off but it's hitting home now.

I'm also not one for just blooding kids, eg look at Tabs, he has had 40 games but probably isn't going to make it. We will see Balic, Logue & Collins in the next month come in if things head in the same direction.

 

[Righteo]

Not an aberration but the beginning of the end in many ways. Still enough residual talent to carry us through the regular season but our stagnation post-2013 caught up with us in the end. Honestly Fyfe was so damn good that year he singlehandedly managed to mask a lot of our deficiencies.

 

[dockerfemme]

I think the other thing that a factor in 2015 was the loss of Crowls. It forced change and allowed our midfield to be more attacking.

 

[wild side]

Having said that if there's a chance at a flag you go for it full speed. I don't think too many kids have missed games - maybe Weller & Blakely could've played an extra 3-5 games during 2015.

We're light on for talent, the first Rd draft pick busts (for a variety of reasons) have hurt, we've fought it off but it's hitting home now.

I'm also not one for just blooding kids, eg look at Tabs, he has had 40 games but probably isn't going to make it. We will see Balic, Logue & Collins in the next month come in if things head in the same direction.

Logue & Balic will make it

 

[Eski3]

It will take us about 10 games this year to start to gel together. The new recruits, combined with the young players, need to develop chemistry. If anything, it's like we're starting 2012 all over again. We were absolutely terrible for the first half of that season too.

People are seriously overreacting over that Geelong game. We won a number of statistical indicators, including the inside 50s. We just wasted our opportunities, and literally every single tiny opportunity that Geelong had they converted. Seriously, I can't remember them missing a single shot. Every single speculative bomb from 55 went through for a goal. They kicked 18.7, about 4 of which were rushed. So that's 18.3 from kicking for goal. That kind of accuracy is a statistical anomaly. It was 23 scoring shots to 25.

It's round 1. Everyone needs to calm down a bit.

 

[Grandstan]

2015 wasn't the outlier, cos you can't write off 2014 by simply saying we went out in straight sets. We finished top 4 and were seriously competitive despite being undermanned in a crucial away qualifying final. The heavy conditions took their toll that week, while Port had a walk in the park against Richmond.

The big reason for the drop off since mid-2015 (apart from Fyfe's injuries) has been our slow movement out of defence. Duffield, Johnno and McPharlin got old/slow/injured and nobody else has been able to compensate.

 

[E Shed]

It will take us about 10 games this year to start to gel together. The new recruits, combined with the young players, need to develop chemistry. If anything, it's like we're starting 2012 all over again. We were absolutely terrible for the first half of that season too.

People are seriously overreacting over that Geelong game. We won a number of statistical indicators, including the inside 50s. We just wasted our opportunities, and literally every single tiny opportunity that Geelong had they converted. Seriously, I can't remember them missing a single shot. Every single speculative bomb from 55 went through for a goal. They kicked 18.7, about 4 of which were rushed. So that's 18.3 from kicking for goal. That kind of accuracy is a statistical anomaly. It was 23 scoring shots to 25.

It's round 1. Everyone needs to calm down a bit.

Numbers are one thing but watching the game we were a clowns act for most of it. Keystone Cops bad and almost completely bereft of any confidence or fluency in our skills and ball movement.
Its the worst we've looked since the bad old days IMO. Never in it once Geelong headed us on the scoreboard.

 

[igon value]

I think we played our best footy in late 2012 (after the Collingwood game IIRC, around the time Walters came back) and throughout 2013. We were average from the start of 2014, never really recaptured what we had before that.

The first five or so rounds in 2015 we were amazing, but as I remember we had trained in preseason specifically for that burst. Ross said as much after the round 1 game. Also coincided with Fyfe playing the best individual football I've ever seen.

I guess what everyone is noticing is a decline in team footy. Whereas at once they all worked for each other, it increasingly looks like they have no idea what their team mates will do.

 

[Tazmania]

It all went to s**t after the bye in 2015. Prior to that we were attacking through the middle and moving the ball fast on 45 degree angles up the ground.

After the bye we started going across the backline in a rinse and repeat fashion and I swear I watched the same game about 12 times. I had absolutely no confidence going into the finals that year as we had lost all creativity.

Something change during the bye...I have a theory that what gets measured gets done and what we're seeing today is a reflection on how the players are measured for effectiveness or something. It also coincides with Johnson doing his hammy.

 

[Freomaniac]

Was 2015 an aberration? debateable.

If anything Freo in 2015 was similar to Geelong of 2014. Geelong in 2014 got top 4 with 15 wins but unlike the Geelong of top 4 they had from 2007-2011, Geelong of 2014 wasn't a top 4 side that didn't show that they were going to push close to the flag. Geelong in 2014 won 7 games under 12 points or less.

Freo of 2015 won a fair amount of games by 12 points or less as well. Port in the opening round by 7 points, Crows in Adelaide by under 2 goals, Richmond at the MCG by a mundy kick after the siren.

Looking back at it, it was a good year for us. I don't care what anyone says. Yeah I was gutted with that prelim loss, But I was happy to a degree for the McClelland trophy.

 

[TheMcManusNose]

Less the aberration and more the beginning of the end as others have said. Various factors - an ageing Pavlich, Duff/Johnno/McPharlin slowing down and yeah Fyfe probably masked it to a great extent.

We gave ourselves a pretty good chance that year though. We were a few key skill errors from falling over the line against the eventual premiers in the prelim - not that I think we would have won the GF without Fyfe though but still, i'd take 2015 as a reasonable success. We gave ourselves a good enough chance to get into a GF that I think it's better we didn't start the rebuild then.

However it did show some pretty clear issues with the list. That's why I was stoked with the club coming out and saying we were rebuilding a few rounds in to 2016. The key will be staying that course. If we lose focus on bringing some more youth through we're destined for mediocrity - and that's on Ross now.

 

[Scham]

It all went to s**t after the bye in 2015. Prior to that we were attacking through the middle and moving the ball fast on 45 degree angles up the ground.

After the bye we started going across the backline in a rinse and repeat fashion and I swear I watched the same game about 12 times. I had absolutely no confidence going into the finals that year as we had lost all creativity.

Something change during the bye...I have a theory that what gets measured gets done and what we're seeing today is a reflection on how the players are measured for effectiveness or something. It also coincides with Johnson doing his hammy.

Nah, it started well before the bye. Opposition teams had started to work us out by about Rd 6 from memory and we scraped by in quite a few games usually on the back of Fyfe. The Adelaide game (rd 8?) was when things really started getting tight.

 

[Scham]

It will take us about 10 games this year to start to gel together. The new recruits, combined with the young players, need to develop chemistry. If anything, it's like we're starting 2012 all over again. We were absolutely terrible for the first half of that season too.

People are seriously overreacting over that Geelong game. We won a number of statistical indicators, including the inside 50s. We just wasted our opportunities, and literally every single tiny opportunity that Geelong had they converted. Seriously, I can't remember them missing a single shot. Every single speculative bomb from 55 went through for a goal. They kicked 18.7, about 4 of which were rushed. So that's 18.3 from kicking for goal. That kind of accuracy is a statistical anomaly. It was 23 scoring shots to 25.

It's round 1. Everyone needs to calm down a bit.

I agree that there's been some overreaction but there are two things that really worry me. Firstly the poor skill level and our coach has admitted its never been a focus of his or his teams so don't expect it to improve. And secondly just how poorly the forward line played and I just can't see any great improvement for it this year.
Other than that there were some goods signs and Geelong are a good team that were fit and ready, well prepared and well coached. They'll be right up there this year.

 

[DudleyDocker]

I agree that there's been some overreaction but there are two things that really worry me. Firstly the poor skill level and our coach has admitted its never been a focus of his or his teams so don't expect it to improve. And secondly just how poorly the forward line played and I just can't see any great improvement for it this year.
Other than that there were some goods signs and Geelong are a good team that were fit and ready, well prepared and well coached. They'll be right up there this year.

This has always been his philosophy and has got him to 3 grand finals and a coach of the year award. He is the most successful coach (winning %) in St Kilda history and the most successful in Fremantle's history.

We have some work to do, but personally I don't miss the days of Harvey, Connolly, Drum and Neesham.

 

[beetz]

Take me back to 2012. Freo playing footy that we had never seen before plus winning games away from home and one after the other against teams that would usually smash us. At this point in history us fans had no idea a grand final berth was around the corner, we were happy just enjoying watching Freo play.

 

[Freomaniac]

Take me back to 2012. Freo playing footy that we had never seen before plus winning games away from home and one after the other against teams that would usually smash us. At this point in history us fans had no idea a grand final berth was around the corner, we were happy just enjoying watching Freo play.

I rather be taken back to 2013 to be honest just for that finals series alone.