Blues won't get the flutters over finals

[Pamam]

Blues won't get the flutters over finals

http://afl.com.au/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsid=63034

AT THIS time of the year, if you're hanging around the bottom of the eight, or sitting just outside it, every game is a crunch game. A veritable eight-pointer.

So it's no surprise Carlton has one this week when they take on the Saints at the MCG on Friday night.

The ninth-placed Blues are less than two per cent behind the Saints in eighth, and are coming off another eight-pointer, when they beat Richmond at the MCG before the break to all but sink the finals chances of the boys from Punt Rd.

Carlton assistant coach Brett Montgomery said the round-14 clash had both been a good way to go in to the weekend off, and a demonstration of the fighting spirit in the Blues.

"I thought it was a perfect step for this week, going in to a break with the guys stepping away for a few days," he said on Thursday morning.

"There's an enormous amount of spirit amongst the young guys here, and certainly the way we've been able to come back in games is not something that you usually relate to young groups.

"Usually you don't find that they've got that real will to stay in games once things don't go their way, so that's been one thing, especially of late, that we've been impressed with."

With a finals spot up for grabs, Montgomery said there was no need to make the point to the players, preferring to keep working on the way the team plays.

"I don't think so – we've had a lot of these types of games where we've … like Richmond, for example, in the last game, that was probably one of their biggest games for the year, and we certainly did the job there.

"We've had a number of games like that – we're not really driven by results at the moment, I don't think we can afford to be like that.

"If we're still in the mix – and it's fantastic to be spoken about in the mix this time of year, something that hasn't been around here for a while – it's exciting, but not something we really dwell on."

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cant wait for the game tomorrow.........Pamam will leave work early to start drinking in the bar next to the Ron Barassi room i think!!!

GO BLUES!!!

 

[FieryNayta]

I'm expecting to miss the finals, but to still be in the mix at this stage of the year is an incredible feeling.

If a few unexpected wins fall our way however, anything could happen.

Who would have thought that early season losses to Richmond and Essendon would really make an impact for us come septemer?

 

[parrot]

When you think about it, making the finals means very little. All it means is that a team was in the top half of performers in the H&A over a given year - would mean a lot more if there was a top-5. Ladder finishes are notoriously poor predictors of future success i.e. winning flags. The priority is about developing our young players, and getting our gameplan and structure right so we can bring home flags 17 and 18 over the next few years. Regardless of whether we finish 9th or 5th this year, we've seen enough to know now that we are on the right track.

 

[Faz 2000]

To a degree, that's true. Clearly the Blues' development is well on-track, regardless of whether we make the finals this year or not.

But the experience, exposure and financial benefit of playing finals, even just one, is a bonus too. 8th is a lot better than 9th.

 

[bourbons]

Blues won't get into the finals

fixed