Prediction Brisbane....they are a genuine chance of winning the flag

How many times they play at mcg this year? Got pumped by Essendon there I remember and lost to Freo at Optus with a similar sized ground. Home final they could win though
Twice I believe. Once against Essendon, and the next time will be against Richmond in Round 23. That'll be a big, albeit late, litmus test for this team playing against a big home crowd in the heartland.

Not sure how we'd go being considered flag candidates, but if more opposition coaches also want to base their game strategy on a 22 player tag for Neale for half the game then that'd work well for us thanks.
 
Sep 25, 2011
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History suggests if you finish top 4 you’ve got a very close to 50/50 chance of making the GF. If they manage that you’d be silly to say they don’t have a genuine shot at it.

The next three weeks will be interesting - three sides in North, Hawthorn and the Dogs who have all had good nuisance value lately. Win all three and they’re in the box seat to make it.
 
Feb 17, 2006
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Cmon we’re absolutely no chance. I agree with the poster above - we would be 5th favourite for the flag.

It’s just nice to be able to enjoy games we’re we are competitive for more than 10 mins. It’s not unreasonable to say we could have been sitting 14-2 at present. We should have beaten Fremantle. We had the Bulldogs on toast and would have buried them if we had kicked straight. We were 40-3 against Carlton and switched off.

A few years ago they were offering a burger if we won a quarter at the Gabba for goodness sake. Our best young players were pillaged. Our administration was a joke.

10 wins would have been the the internal benchmark at the start of the year. Probably adjusted to making finals 6 or so weeks ago. Now the cut off would be to host a final.

I don’t agree that finals experience is mandatory though. We’ve busted a lot of hoodoos this year - beating Sydney and the Crows for the first time in forever, beating GWS in Sydney, winning at the Adelaide oval, leading from start to finish in a game. Regardless as to what happens for the rest of the year, knocking over Richmond at the MCG would tick a couple more off the list.
 
Aug 14, 2011
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Twice I believe. Once against Essendon, and the next time will be against Richmond in Round 23. That'll be a big, albeit late, litmus test for this team playing against a big home crowd in the heartland.

Not sure how we'd go being considered flag candidates, but if more opposition coaches also want to base their game strategy on a 22 player tag for Neale for half the game then that'd work well for us thanks.

Hodgey & Fagan were part of the Hawks team that took apart the 2015 Eagles team on GF day, thats got to help.
 

DaveEgoat

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Won’t lie I was checking their flag odds at half time

Richmond coming good at the same time. This might be more open than we think
 
Sep 13, 2015
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I think the lack of finals experience will be a problem. Hopefully the steps in the right direction this season yield a flag in the next couple of years. Geelong is the last club to win a flag without playing finals the year before but they played finals in 2004 and 2005 en route to the 2007 premiership. Brisbane's last finals match was in 2009.
2017 says hello

And our prior finals experiences were not helpful either.
 
Sep 19, 2013
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As Slobbo said the other night after the win over GWS, there is no next year. That has to be the attitude internally. Progression to be a serious contender next year isn't guaranteed. For all we know a player or two may seek a trade for compassionate reasons, Zorko and Neale might go down pre season and the game may take a turn that our coaching staff don't see coming. So the Lions have to be thinking it's all or nothing this year.

We on the other hand we can speculate all we like. If I am being honest I feel we will be just off the mark against the likes of Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong and West Coast in a Prelim or Qualifying final. I just don't think we have the power in the middle when it will be needed.
 
They are very much like the Hawthorn team of 2007. Lions will win a final and then lose the Semi or Prelim. Brisbane will win the 2020 Premiership and Hodge will be the Lions version of Stuart Dew. ;)
 

Rotayjay

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As Slobbo said the other night after the win over GWS, there is no next year. That has to be the attitude internally. Progression to be a serious contender next year isn't guaranteed. For all we know a player or two may seek a trade for compassionate reasons, Zorko and Neale might go down pre season and the game may take a turn that our coaching staff don't see coming. So the Lions have to be thinking it's all or nothing this year.

We on the other hand we can speculate all we like. If I am being honest I feel we will be just off the mark against the likes of Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong and West Coast in a Prelim or Qualifying final. I just don't think we have the power in the middle when it will be needed.
Fuly agree - never, ever think that 'next year could be our year'. You never know whether you'll be around the mark or whether you'll have an annus horribilis that sets the club backwards years.
 
Feb 23, 2009
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It is relevant, do finals somehow have more weight under the current system than previously? You just don't like the example because it goes against your preconceived beliefs.
Just stop. There's one outlier that comes under a different finals system. One random example isn't a good case, it's an anomaly, and under a different system it lacks validity. It's also 20 years ago, how far back do you want to pull examples from? The 80s?

Brisbane are a fantastic young team but just won't beat multiple battle hardened finals sides to win the flag this year, history mounts this case too.
 

Warhorse

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Prefer watching them over geelong at the moment with the slow defensive garbage that Scott has been rolling out.
 

Johnny Bananas

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Just stop. There's one outlier that comes under a different finals system. One random example isn't a good case, it's an anomaly, and under a different system it lacks validity. It's also 20 years ago, how far back do you want to pull examples from? The 80s?
How about no? You completely ignored my point to just restate your own. There was a final 8 back then too, and if anything it was harder since Adelaide didn't have a guaranteed double chance and had to play every week, when they would have had a SF bye in the current system. You can go on about it being an "anomaly" but it doesn't take away that it has happened before and therefore it can happen again. You can pull examples from any era you like, mine is from 1997 and you're only dismissing it because you don't want to admit you could be wrong.
 
Oct 21, 2015
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Honestly find it hard to trust that they'll kick a winning score in finals, until I see it happen. Charlie Cameron, Lincoln McCarthy and Eric Hipwood as your top 3 goalscorers doesn't fill me with confidence come September.

You would say the same thing about DeGoey, Mihocek and Stephenson but you nearly got over the line last year and will go close again this year.

We very well might struggle, but everything we've done this season suggests the firepower is there. Second most points scored and most scores of 100+ on the season.
 
Feb 23, 2009
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How about no? You completely ignored my point to just restate your own. There was a final 8 back then too, and if anything it was harder since Adelaide didn't have a guaranteed double chance and had to play every week, when they would have had a SF bye in the current system. You can go on about it being an "anomaly" but it doesn't take away that it has happened before and therefore it can happen again. You can pull examples from any era you like, mine is from 1997 and you're only dismissing it because you don't want to admit you could be wrong.
:thumbsu:
 
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