Preview AFL Round 21 Gameday Thread: Dockers Vs Dons

[The Donners]

Its disapointing we cant beat the sides lower on the ladder, it makes beating the higher ones less of a bonus. If you look at our form all year it's obvious we lack consistency, injuries or no injuries. Once we begin to become consistent then we can have a real crack.

Good post. I agree with your post because it's 100% true.

 

[The Donners]

I agreed with you, but a final this year would be invaluable for our long term development.

I couldn't disagree with that, I believe it too BUT it's not the most important thing for our long term development.

Once we get the maturity to treat every game equally and to start winning the Richmond, North, WC and Freo games, we'll be a very good side. I'd rather know that we can mix it with the best of the best than know we can beat bottom eight sides, but lose to top 8 sides.

Add in those four wins in a year or two when we get more consistent, and we're sitting 5th. That's ignoring the other wins which will come with a more consistent side.

Yes, we have many players who are yet to mature but can I say that it's not necessarily the young players who are to blame for those insipid performances, it's our experienced players! McPhee, McVeigh etc.

 

[yaco55]

Trying to ignore everything bar Hurley atm.

Gee his bodywork is good for a 19 year old.

Less said about the rest of the game, the better.

Strange the compliments that Hurley is getting today.

He was anonymous for 3 quarters except for a mark from a beautiful Neagle kick.

 

[yaco55]

bad day . Hase killing him

Lets get some perspective about some of the performances today.

Fremantle took a big chance by placing Hasleby and Hill as hard tags on Watson and Stanton respectively.

Watson was terrible, but Hasleby had no impact on the game.

Stanton would have taken the points against Hill.

 

[yaco55]

Why are you so concerned about hawthorn and PA's performanes, they have no bearing on our opinions of where Essendon is at.

If you want to compare Essendon to the season's of those two then fine, wallow in your mediocrity.

Playing finals, on the back of these performances, sends the complete wrong message to the list.

Following your logic means that there should be no eigth team in the AFL for 2009.

Essendon, hawthorn and Power have been as bad as each other.

 

[yaco55]

After reading 21 pages of this thread - i have come to the following conclusion.

The AFL should go straight to a Grand final between Carlton and Collingwood - because they are the only teams displaying consistency.

 

[Donsftw14]

Well that was a dissapointing day. Got killed in the ruck, and sandilands actually directed his taps to someone on his team.

What made it worse was i had two dockers fans screaming in my ear all day, horrible.

 

[Lach72]

What was with Watson today? 6 touches is pathetic, injured or just shit?

Jobe looked proppy to me at the ground. Hase was beating him to the contest in sprints.
Hase couldn't beat by nanna and she's bean dead for ten years

 

[GoldenboyHird_5]

I'll tell you why playing finals wouldn"t necessarily be a good thing.

It'll allow the footy department to paper over the cracks like they have done for the last decade. We've always seem to use our finals experiences as a shield against any list management criticism.

If we don't make finals, it'll be easier to force the footy department's hand to make the hard calls and make the cuts.

Believe me there is plenty of pruning to be done.

 

[yaco55]

I'll tell you why playing finals wouldn"t necessarily be a good thing.

It'll allow the footy department to paper over the cracks like they have done for the last decade. We've always seem to use our finals experiences as a shield against any list management criticism.

If we don't make finals, it'll be easier to force the footy department's hand to make the hard calls and make the cuts.

Believe me there is plenty of pruning to be done.

Another poster who is out of touch with reality !

The cuts have been deep in the last 2 years, and will probably continue with moderation in the next 2 or 3 years, notwithstanding the compromised drafts caused by the introduction of GC and WS.

The list is in good shape to make finals in the next 3 or 4 years - assuming that we have a better run with injuries.

And it would be helpful if you suggested who should be delisted ?

 

[The Donners]

Stanton would have taken the points against Hill.

Couldn't handle a 19 year old who had never tagged an AFL player in his 15 or so game career. That must tell you something!!!

 

[daffo]

Don't think he was still 100% fit. I thought Stanton was ok yesterday.

 

[Seb78]

Adam McPhumbles.

LOL sorry cant help but laugh at this one..... should be his new name

 

[Clay Davis]

Couldn't handle a 19 year old who had never tagged an AFL player in his 15 or so game career. That must tell you something!!!

Hill was used quite a bit as a tagger at U18s level, and that's why he was rated so highly - as a player who was quite a silky outside player, but had the ability to go the other way, ie not a front runner.

I don't think Stanton was beaten by Hill though, although Hill did his best to curb Stanton's influence.