A Top 4 Finish...

[Milenko]

...is an absolute must for us next year. I for one will be absolutely spewing if we don't finish in the top quarter of the ladder. Three years in a row we have sat back and watched some average (2002/3) and some good (2004) finishes to the year culminate in away finals losses, primarily due to up-and-down seasons resulting in us finishing 7/8 on the ladder

The stellar midfield has been improved with the addition of Stenglein and Morton, while the forward line is similarly strengthened with the addition of Gardiner, Smith and hopefully a fit Gaspar and Hansen.

The only real weakness i see in our line-up is Centre Half Back, with Lynch lacking agility and endurance, Staker lacking strength, Hunter lacking height, Grayham lacking experience and even Gaspar lacking fitness.

Bring on 2005, top 4 or bust!!!

 

[dasler]

The only real weakness i see in our line-up is Centre Half Back, with Lynch lacking agility and endurance, Staker lacking strength, Hunter lacking height, Grayham lacking experience and even Gaspar lacking fitness.

Notice a problem with that and where games are usually won.......

 

[coasting]

Dasler is right, CHB is a critical position and its one of the reasons why we were so successful in the early 90s ie Jako. Its a shame about Gaspar. He would be our best option there but with his feet falling off I'm not sure he still has the agility to play there. Lynch has apparently slimmed down and Staker will bulk up so hopefully one of them can nail down the position but I'm not sold on either of them as a defender.

I wouldn't expect much from Morton next year, great footy skills but still a stick. Needs to add some weight.

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

Notice a problem with that and where games are usually won.......

No team is perfect. Brisbane is one of the rare teams that has a quality player in every position along its spine (Michael, Leppitsch, Brown, Lynch). Not even Port has the full spine (I'd question their FF and FB).
If our only weakness is CHB, I'm confident we'll have a good season.


That said, last year we were all thinking that a top 4 finish must be our aim. But with Gardiner's season finishing so early, and the horror draw we had, it suddenly became a case of just trying to make the top 8.

 

[cartman]

i must agree chb is definatley a spot we have not developed a gun, unless lynch improves a bit we might need to buy gaspar new feet.

 

[dasler]

No team is perfect. Brisbane is one of the rare teams that has a quality player in every position along its spine (Michael, Leppitsch, Brown, Lynch). Not even Port has the full spine (I'd question their FF and FB).
If our only weakness is CHB, I'm confident we'll have a good season.


That said, last year we were all thinking that a top 4 finish must be our aim. But with Gardiner's season finishing so early, and the horror draw we had, it suddenly became a case of just trying to make the top 8.

They still had a functional quality spine D4E, that's where games are won, especially on the big stage.

If we develop the young KPP's, we should be fine.

 

[Benno_900]

Bring on 2005, top 4 or bust!!!

Tough ask. Not saying its beyond the eagles, but dont u think ur spine should develop for one more year.

 

[Bartl.]

I wouldn't expect much from Morton next year, great footy skills but still a stick. Needs to add some weight.

You will actually be surprised how much muscle Morton has put on recently, although still not physically strong enough for AFL yet, I dont think it will be to far into next season, that he will make his debut. Currently training in the Eagles Midfield Group he could easily slot into the team in any position, and he is looking to play in the Wizard Cup opener against Fremantle

 

[Mead]

The december/january optimism is a bit of a cliche, really, but looking at our team I do think we'd have every reason to be very very disappointed if we didn't go top 4.

Looking back to this time last year, I had my fingers crossed that Gardie would stay fit, and was pretty confident of a top 4 spot if that happened- it didn't and as a result our season went off the rails for a while, but that was a realistic expectation- everything we'd seen previously seemed to indicate that Eagles with Gardiner = definite top 4 side. But, losing Gardiner forced us to get honest and start to play a brand of football that was more reliant on a solid structure than any one player, and minus Gardiner and Cousins in the latter half of the year we showed we could string quality wins together- contrast that with the latter half of '03, where losing Gardiner and Fletcher saw us instantly reduced from top 2 to a bottom 8 calibre side.

That structure should see us in good stead in '05-Gardiner is now a bonus rather than the thing we need to make top 4, and the one weakness in our midfield, lack of tagging, has been serviced- if Doogs, Glass and company build on 2004, then we are going to be able to take a lot of injuries without falling over, and that's often the test of a champion team.

I guess the pressure is on in a big way, because the expectations are sky high- if we don't seriously contend next year, big questions will have to be asked. A season ending injury to any one player (even the Juddster, heaven forbid) is not going to be seen as an acceptible excuse anymore.

But consider this for a moment and salivate- if we can scrape together the wins to finish top 2, we're 2 Subiaco wins away from a grand final berth.

 

[Jabber]

We could easily have been top 4 this year, but for some screwups in front of goal ie. both Port Adelaide games. I expect nothing less than 14 wins in 2005 which is usually good enough for top 4 but at the very least gives us a home final.

 

[hawkeye23]

Needs to add some weight.

Coasting, I can teach anyone how to gain weight. For some reason, it seems to come very naturally to me!

 

[Ruddiger]

We could easily have been top 4 this year, but for some screwups in front of goal ie. both Port Adelaide games.

Agreed. Those two Round 3 vs Essendon and possibly Round 11 vs Collingwood. So about 3-4 matches, which would have put us well into the Top 4...

Next year !!!

 

[Streaker]

Three of our away games are against the bottom teams in 2004, Hawthorn Richmond and the Bulldogs. If we win only 9 of our 11 home games and those 3 games we will still be around where we were this year. I think we can improve on last year as our younger players gain more experience and see no reason for us not to be a top 4 contender.

 

[zero]

we have a pretty easy draw next year really, and we are developing some good depth in most areas.

if we can make keep a pretty good run at subi and beat the lesser sides away, we are looking at a top 4 finish. if subiaco is a fortress and we only lose away games against the toughest sides, we are looking at a top 2 finish.

 

[Milenko]

Three of our away games are against the bottom teams in 2004, Hawthorn Richmond and the Bulldogs.

Please remind me again the last time we beat Richmond away from home?

That is a diabolical stat...

 

[jod23]

Bare minimum is top 6! We must at the very, very least get a home final. But top 4 is a definite goal. I think we can do it. IMO in the second half of the year, we were just about the best team in the competition without Gardiner and Cousins. I think we have strengthened our squad over the off season and were ready for a full assault at the premiership.

 

[Mr Q]

Our entire away record in recent years is diabolical

http://www.eaglesflyinghigh.com/statistics/game.php?s=2&q=0&t=0&w=0&v=-10&j=0&b=2000&e=2004&r=70&z=1

 

[Bestbird]

I just pray for a home final

Has been a long time coming Grrrrr

The best thing about last year though was that woosha was able to take us out of a slump during a season. I think that is a sign that he will be a top coach in the future

For this reason would hope for at least top 6 and maybe top 4 if good injury run and KPP improve

 

[monarch4]

At this early stage I will be picking the eagles to finish in the top 4 in 2005. They have a good spread of talent on paper (and i know games aren't won on paper), but I think they can do well if they stay injury free.

 

[SYDNEY_EAGLE]

In order for us to finish top 4 the following things need to happen:

1) We need to develop a more defensive, hard-nosed approach through the middle.

2) We need 17-18 games out of Michael Gardiner.

3) We need someone to hold down CHB and CHF.

Hopefully, the recruitment of Tyson Stenglein will go a long way to solving the first problem.

If we get close to a full season out of Gardiner, then that's CHF covered.

That leaves only the gaping hole at CHB. At this point, it looks like Lynch will be starting there, with Staker rotating through when required. A fit Travis Gaspar would be very handy to help plug that gap.

 

[Ruddiger]

1) We need to develop a more defensive, hard-nosed approach through the middle.

Hopefully, the recruitment of Tyson Stenglein will go a long way to solving the first problem.

Stenglein can shut down key players e.g. Ricciuto in Round 1 and Round 22. I was watching the West Coast vs Adelaide match from 2003 and he limited Cousins quite well.

 

[Casey]

I mean as a bombers supporter i'd rather see my team win, but if the Eagles were to win the premiership then i'd be stocked, being western australian, however, a top four finish is not realiastic

 

[L84AD8]

Anything between 5-8 for the eagles and still vast improvement must come from your talls. Its all about development with some of these players...Your midfield is purring no doubt but you need some more names down your spine.
Without a couple of genuine talents back and fwd better off aiming for an eight finish like the rest of us...

 

[sinepari]

Supporters from other teams come on here and immediately criticise our supposed 'lack of talls', but what they fail to recognise is that we have some of the most talented up and coming tall men in the league. Just give them time. I cant wait to the day when these players have developed so we can stick it up everyone who says we dont recruit tall young players.

 

[SYDNEY_EAGLE]

Supporters from other teams come on here and immediately criticise our supposed 'lack of talls', but what they fail to recognise is that we have some of the most talented up and coming tall men in the league. Just give them time. I cant wait to the day when these players have developed so we can stick it up everyone who says we dont recruit tall young players.

I think what they should be saying is that we don't have any proven players at CHB.

Glass is now a quality FB.
Gardiner is capable of doing well at CHF.
McDougall has been OK at FF, and that is the position we have the most options i.e Smith, Hansen.

And our ruck divisision of Cox and Seaby is really solid.

CHB is the only place where I expect us to struggle. I just hope Lynch can take the bigger forwards and Staker needs to improve if we are to use him as a second option.