Prediction An open letter

[luthor]

i remember being at the brunswick street oval the sunday morning after the 2004 grand final and i distinctly recall leigh matthews got up and gave a bit of a speech and said "don't get used to this grand final business what this group has done is extraordinary it might be 20 years before we'll be here again" not verbatim but pretty close from my recollection. i often bring that up with my son who was with me at the time and say leigh could turn out to be prophetic. we are building for or 2024 return to the big day.

I was at the Gabba on that same Sunday but late in the afternoon. I wasn't even going to go but willed myself to do it, my reasoning being that since I had gladly joined in the ensuing festivities in all of the Three-peat Flags, the least I could do was to front up and lend my support to the team when they were GF losers

I too remember Leigh saying pretty much the same thing.

Which in no small part, generated a general mood among the assembled masses of quiet resignation and deflation.

I sometimes think back on that speech by Leigh and think it probably was a mistake. The players heard it too.

We as a club, may have been better served by a more upbeat, optimistic prognosis, rather than being given a virtual death sentence by our coach at the time.

 

[M Malice]

I was at the Gabba on that same Sunday but late in the afternoon. I wasn't even going to go but willed myself to do it, my reasoning being that since I had gladly joined in the ensuing festivities in all of the Three-peat Flags, the least I could do was to front up and lend my support to the team when they were GF losers

I too remember Leigh saying pretty much the same thing.

Which in no small part, generated a general mood among the assembled masses of quiet resignation and deflation.

I sometimes think back on that speech by Leigh and think it probably was a mistake. The players heard it too.

We as a club, may have been better served by a more upbeat, optimistic prognosis, rather than being given a virtual death sentence by our coach at the time.

the other thing i remember from that morning was that whoever the MC was that morning (it wasn't anybody from the club) asked the crowd and players to sing the song and it was the most downbeat, sombre delivery of the club song i could ever imagine being part of. the crowd talk was why the hell did we need to do that.

 

[Last of the Roys]

i remember being at the brunswick street oval the sunday morning after the 2004 grand final and i distinctly recall leigh matthews got up and gave a bit of a speech and said "don't get used to this grand final business what this group has done is extraordinary it might be 20 years before we'll be here again" not verbatim but pretty close from my recollection. i often bring that up with my son who was with me at the time and say leigh could turn out to be prophetic. we are building for or 2024 return to the big day.

Yeah I was up in the old grand stand - I remember hearing something along those lines.

Definitely it was an emphasis on don't get used to it; what we have achieved is an extraordinary thing. But gee almost 12 years later and we still haven't necessarily found the bottom or turned the corner. No one some Lions fans have had enough.

There is a whole host of people who can share in the blame for what happened, but the more important issue is how do we make our way back to the top from where we are. That is something that is looking like an insurmountable task right now given the 'poverty trap' type conditions we are stuck in. But things are never as bad as they seem - just ask Leigh.

 

[M Malice]

Yeah I was up in the old grand stand - I remember hearing something along those lines.

Definitely it was an emphasis on don't get used to it; what we have achieved is an extraordinary thing. But gee almost 12 years later and we still haven't necessarily found the bottom or turned the corner. No one some Lions fans have had enough.

There is a whole host of people who can share in the blame for what happened, but the more important issue is how do we make our way back to the top from where we are. That is something that is looking like an insurmountable task right now given the 'poverty trap' type conditions we are stuck in. But things are never as bad as they seem - just ask Leigh.

i think we have done pretty well with the last few drafts, still a lot of water to flow under the bridge to see if leppa and his team have got this rebuild right. players like andrews, schache, keays have shown enough in their brief time to say they will be really good players and maybe elite. IMO the next 2 drafts and trade/FA periods it will be vital to nail those picks. we also need 3 or 4 of our young players to step up over the next couple of years to the A grade category for us to compete for top 4. eg. hipwood, skinner, matheison, gardner, mcstay, robertson, william, freeman.

 

[beatnik]

Sorry but I don't understand the point of this thread. Yeah we're all pretty crestfallen right now with the state of the club but does a new thread need to be made everyday about how shit we are? I mean if you're sick of it then stop watching. Who cares how long you've supported the club for. Stop your whinging and stand by the boys or run off and find another team to support. You know what makes the good times all that much sweeter? Experiencing the rock bottom. We've hit rock bottom now boys & girls and guess what. In a few years time when we're playing finals again my god will it be sweet. And if we make the big one and win oh my it will be the sweetest feeling of all. Now until that happens I will whip the whipping boys, call for the coaches head and scream bloody nursery in match day threads. But I will not threaten to abandon the team and I will get to the Gabba every game and sit in my increasingly emptier section until they start winning again.

Ease up mate, any Lions fan who has endured the past dozen years has every right to have a spray...

you should care how long these fans have supported the Lions because it demonstrates just how bad things are...these are not shots at the club or the team, they are targeting the ridiculous environment in which the Lions are expected to survive, let alone thrive

Its tine to call a spade a spade...Lethal was right about there not being room for two teams in SEQ

Tell it like it is...Leuey did recently and I think it shocked a lot of people about the state of things up north

#deadcanaries

 

[Skoob]

Ease up mate, any Lions fan who has endured the past dozen years has every right to have a spray...

you should care how long these fans have supported the Lions because it demonstrates just how bad things are...these are not shots at the club or the team, they are targeting the ridiculous environment in which the Lions are expected to survive, let alone thrive

Its tine to call a spade a spade...Lethal was right about there not being room for two teams in SEQ

Tell it like it is...Leuey did recently and I think it shocked a lot of people about the state of things up north

#deadcanaries

You don't post here often enough. Should drop in more.

 

[lions2010]

Not a bad post but you are way too harsh on Mitch Robinson. He deserves to be in the group above among the likes of Rockliff, DBeams ect.

Thats the problem. If the Lions are serious, Mitch Robinson would not be on the list. Sounds harsh, but thats reality.

 

[lionshine]

Thats the problem. If the Lions are serious, Mitch Robinson would not be on the list. Sounds harsh, but thats reality.

But Bastinac would? Have you even been watching how well Robinson has played since he has arrived at the club?

 

[lions2010]

But Bastinac would? Have you even been watching how well Robinson has played since he has arrived at the club?

Yes, he has played ok, but still, his not the guy who will be a member of the team to get us back up the ladder, Bastinac the same.

 

[lionshine]

Yes, he has played ok, but still, his not the guy who will be a member of the team to get us back up the ladder, Bastinac the same.

You can't have a team full of 22 superstars mate. You need reliable workhorses and MRobbo is the ultimate reliable workhorse who puts his body on the line for the team and does the hard, gritty stuff such as laying the tackles and winning contested possessions/clearances. I strongly disagree with you on this one.

 

[BuntonRules]

Thats the problem. If the Lions are serious, Mitch Robinson would not be on the list. Sounds harsh, but thats reality.

Close to the silliest post in history, IMO.

 

[Football Pope]

Thats the problem. If the Lions are serious, Mitch Robinson would not be on the list. Sounds harsh, but thats reality.

Serious?...not sure you are....We have far more experienced list cloggers than Mitch!