No Oppo Supporters 2025 General Discussion

[joeykanga]

FWIW, my thoughts about how the 8 is shaping up:

* I think North, Demons, Hawthorn, Brisbane finish top 4, most likely in that order (although if Brisbane can beat Melbourne then they'll more likely finish 3rd);

* I think most likely Adelaide and Saints finish 5th and 6th (this is contingent on Adelaide beating Port in the Showdown next week, which should be a cracker).

Then, if we can beat West Coast, Carlton can beat Bulldogs and West Coast can beat Carlton and we beat the Dons, all three teams will finish level on 28 points and the percentages will determine who finishes 7th, 8th and 9th. Those results are by no means givens but they are possibly the most plausible. If all of that should come to pass (which is about as likely as any multi) then I'd prefer to play Saints than Crows week 1, especially with the injuries Saints have copped. A win there might lead to a semi-final with Hawthorn, which would definitely be the easiest path to a prelim. And that's the limit of what I think we could hope to achieve.

Good post. I give them Bulldogs a strong chance against Carlton

 

[joeykanga]

If we had a random questions and comments thread, this post would belong there. But we don't. So...

I have the impression that there are more unpredictable bounces of the ball in AFLW. Do others agree?

I have the hypothesis that this could be related to the ball being smaller. What do others think?
An alternate hypothesis is that due to the women's skills being less honed than the men's the execution of the kicks contributes to the ball landing and bouncing less predictably.

Thoughts?

Amd here was I with no idea that it was a different size ball. Is it much of a difference

 

[Kiama Chris]

Amd here was I with no idea that it was a different size ball. Is it much of a difference

It makes a surprising amount of difference in your hand or kicking. I have small hands and can really feel it. Daughter played one season with Syd Uni.

Sherrin Football Size Guide

Sherrin footballs come in a range of sizes to cater for all playing age groups. Our size guide provides an indication of the ball sizing for all Sherr

www.sherrin.com.au

 

[Kiama Chris]

It makes a surprising amount of difference in your hand or kicking. I have small hands and can really feel it. Daughter played one season with Syd Uni.

Sherrin Football Size Guide

Sherrin footballs come in a range of sizes to cater for all playing age groups. Our size guide provides an indication of the ball sizing for all Sherr

www.sherrin.com.au

You may have noticed quite a few players squeeze the ends of the footy before kicking for goal. That (hopefully) makes sure that the bladder is snug into the end of the case to get best contact. Important with new balls.

 

[joeykanga]

You may have noticed quite a few players squeeze the ends of the footy before kicking for goal. That (hopefully) makes sure that the bladder is snug into the end of the case to get best contact. Important with new balls.

I have noticed that and has that heen happening moreso lately? I feel like ive been noticing a lot more lately I thought it was some kind of mental preparation thing to stop nerves.But again i had no idea. Thank you for volunteering the extra info. Thats very cool.

 

[joeykanga]

Interesting as to how many players we'd ve able to protect from being automatic free agents depending on how many we're allowed to based on sliding scale position on the ladder. Say we had to protect 2 for example who they would be. And even then wed have to try to compete with a smaller budget than Tasmania with that one player that Tasmania would he allowed to target from each club.
Ps as I've mentioned I think our improvement with star quality going forward partly comes from acquiring better Irish talent (not including Tanya in that assessment)

Clubs could protect AFLW stars from Tassie raids - https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1444583

And an article on some possible movement of 2 quality players. Also an upcoming meeting of clubs with preliminary discussions on whos perhaps gettable and then one big trade day at the end of the season with some Afl inspired trade drama or at least hoped for by them.
W Show: Trade watch on star forwards, North's big dilemma, can Dogs crash finals party?

W Show: Trade watch on star forwards, North's big dilemma, can Dogs crash finals party?

Western Bulldogs midfielder Jess Fitzgerald joins the W Show to discuss the Demon and Hawk that might be on the move, the Dogs' red-hot run home and more

www.afl.com.au

 

[Callipygian]

The race for the 8 has turned intense! We could finish anywhere from 5th to 10th! The Saints run of victories plus Port upsetting the Crows plus Carlton fading has turned things on their head. The Crows could now miss finals altogether if the Dockers can upset them. If Brisbane can beat the Demons tonight, the Hawks could see themselves playing the Kangas two weeks in a row. While top 4 looks almost locked up, the bottom half of the 8 is full of intrigue.

 

[Callipygian]

Speaking of the Lions-Demons game, it looks like Brisbane haven't been taking their chances. They were leading at quarter time 0.4 but now the Demons have overtaken them and lead 1.2 to 0.5.

 

[Kiama Chris]

The race for the 8 has turned intense! We could finish anywhere from 5th to 10th! The Saints run of victories plus Port upsetting the Crows plus Carlton fading has turned things on their head. The Crows could now miss finals altogether if the Dockers can upset them. If Brisbane can beat the Demons tonight, the Hawks could see themselves playing the Kangas two weeks in a row. While top 4 looks almost locked up, the bottom half of the 8 is full of intrigue.

Mainly just need to beat the Bombers by as much as possible. No control over anything else.

 

[joeykanga]

Mainly just need to beat the Bombers by as much as possible. No control over anything else.

We'll know the equation too at the beginning of the match. The West Coast Carlton match having been played the night before our game. We probably cant control that we do know the margins and score other than the win that we need. If Carlton beat West Coast presuming they beat GWS first tomorrow then it will be knowing we need to win and the margin at some point.
If West Coast did beat Carlton and Carlton's percentage is not too high we could still conceivably lose but 2 other teams would be lurking in Freo and the Bulldogs on the following day. Have we played games at Coffs

 

[liz]

We played a game at Coffs last season.

 

[joeykanga]

We played a game at Coffs last season.

You made me curious to go and look up the result. Not the best start and not the best result against Richmond but 8 changes to the team from last year in that game. We're a lot better and Richmond were going well. I was looking at it more from an angle of regular matches up there and whether we have some sort of advantage and decent crowd support. I guess we are familiar with the ground from the time spent up there preseason.Its a shame its not Henson. I drove up from the Gong this week maybe ill drive up to Coffs next week.

 

[liz]

You made me curious to go and look up the result. Not the best start and not the best result against Richmond but 8 changes to the team from last year in that game. We're a lot better and Richmond were going well. I was looking at it more from an angle of regular matches up there and whether we have some sort of advantage and decent crowd support. I guess we are familiar with the ground from the time spent up there preseason.Its a shame its not Henson. I drove up from the Gong this week maybe ill drive up to Coffs next week.

You should just stay in Sydney overnight and start driving early next week.

 

[joeykanga]

You should just stay in Sydney overnight and start driving early next week.

Im not sure how to interpret this comment. Im not allowed to drive up in one go and stay overnight in Coffs?

 

[liz]

Im not sure how to interpret this comment. Im not allowed to drive up in one go and stay overnight in Coffs?

It was an observation on how bloody far it is to Coffs. You’re partway there already. You could just keep going.

(I know that, to an Australian, it’s not that far to Coffs. I spent the first 27 years of my life in England, and while I’m totally Australianised in most respects (except Marmite vs Vegemite), I still struggle to get to grips with the distances.)

 

[joeykanga]

It was an observation on how bloody far it is to Coffs. You’re partway there already. You could just keep going.

(I know that, to an Australian, it’s not that far to Coffs. I spent the first 27 years of my life in England, and while I’m totally Australianised in most respects (except Marmite vs Vegemite), I still struggle to get to grips with the distances.)

Thats what i thought you meant its only an hour and a quarter to Henson with tolls nowadays. Only a little part there.
im a little different. For whatever reason I've always enjoyed a road trip. Before it was all freeways there'd always be a world's greatest pie somewhere.
Stopping for a coffee, having music on or a podcast, maybe an odd swim, being a little free perhaps almost running away from the rat race into open space i do have a Spanish background and have spent lots of time travelling France and Spain by car as a child and as an adult. I've always loved that.
Especially in northern Spain a meandering road trip always leads to a wonderful food experience somewhere everywhere

 

[Jack Lord]

Watching cats vs dogs. Why on earth is the ground underwater?

 

[liz]

Watching cats vs dogs. Why on earth is the ground underwater?

Because they're playing on Mars?

 

[Kiama Chris]

Watching cats vs dogs. Why on earth is the ground underwater?

Unwatchable

 

[Callipygian]

It was an observation on how bloody far it is to Coffs. You’re partway there already. You could just keep going.

(I know that, to an Australian, it’s not that far to Coffs. I spent the first 27 years of my life in England, and while I’m totally Australianised in most respects (except Marmite vs Vegemite), I still struggle to get to grips with the distances.)

How did you get into footy, if I may inquire?

I didn't grow up with footy either and I started drifting into it in the 90s. I guess the Swans making the grand final in 1996 probably built some awareness (that previously had been mostly related to Warwick Capper and the Swannettes for me) and then I was there the day Plugger kicked his 1300th. I was paying close attention by the time of the 2005 flag and since then I've become steadily more devoted.

 

[liz]

How did you get into footy, if I may inquire?

I didn't grow up with footy either and I started drifting into it in the 90s. I guess the Swans making the grand final in 1996 probably built some awareness (that previously had been mostly related to Warwick Capper and the Swannettes for me) and then I was there the day Plugger kicked his 1300th. I was paying close attention by the time of the 2005 flag and since then I've become steadily more devoted.

May 1995. I'd been in the country just over six months. A colleague (and fellow Pom) told me he was organising a group of people to go to watch the Swans on Friday night, did I want to come? I asked "what sport do the Swans play?". So I went along, and it just happened to be round 8 against the erstwhile all-conquering Blues. A large crowd (for the Swans back then) of over 20,000 decided they fancied some sporting theatre and the queues meant we were delayed getting into the ground. But once in, boy! I didn't have much of a clue what was happening, except that a big, beefy guy kept catching the ball in front of the Swans goal and every time he did, the crowd went mental. Then he'd walk slowly backwards, line up his kick, and kick it dead straight between the goal posts. The crowd went mental again.

I had no idea who he was, or who anyone else on the ground was. But it was sporting love at first sight.

 

[Callipygian]

AFL.com.au consensus ladder predictor have the ladder finishing:

North
Melbourne
Brisbane
Hawthorn
Carlton
St Kilda
Adelaide
Sydney

Ladder predictor: Eagles on a knife's edge, Swans all but secure

The race is on for the top eight, and AFL.com.au's reporters have crunched the numbers to predict who's likely to make finals

www.afl.com.au

If they're right, that will be ideal for us. I think we can be pretty confident facing Carlton week 1. Then, if we win, we would likely face Hawthorn week 2, which would be our best (only?) hope of making a prelim, which is, realistically, the best we can hope for IMO.

There'll be a few return bouts of recent matches if the ladder were to pan out this way. Not only will we play Carlton again (possible), but Hawks will play North (almost certain) and Melbourne and Brisbane will also face-off again (highly likely).

 

[liz]

Confident facing Carlton? Did you watch them (without McKay) against the Giants?

They’ll be at home, not at Henson Park. And they’ll have learned a lot from our recent contest.

 

[Callipygian]

Confident facing Carlton? Did you watch them (without McKay) against the Giants?

They’ll be at home, not at Henson Park. And they’ll have learned a lot from our recent contest.

None of that will make them favourites (in my mind). Anyway, let's see how the round plays out: we have to beat Essendon and they have to beat West Coast to finish 5th and I'm not sure they can. Even if both those things happen we might overtake Adelaide on percentage or Crows or Saints might lose. There are a lot of plausible permutations.

 

[joeykanga]

None of that will make them favourites (in my mind). Anyway, let's see how the round plays out: we have to beat Essendon and they have to beat West Coast to finish 5th and I'm not sure they can. Even if both those things happen we might overtake Adelaide on percentage or Crows or Saints might lose. There are a lot of plausible permutations.

I agree...they looked good in the first half but then again GWS were losing all the ball in the middle. They mightn't have been up for it. Once they had that enforced break GWS were a little more fearsome and motivated and evened that up and Carlton were second best for the second half.