I don't think beating Richmond and the Bulldogs is amazing, because I don't think they're any better than we are.
Obviously they are, because they've been in the hunt for a top four spot and have beaten teams that are flag contenders, and we haven't. Not to mention they are either in or just entering the point where the core of their side should be ready for a shot at the title. We aren't.
We're not. Can you point out a poster that expected us to go 22-0 this year?
What we do expect is to comfortably account for the teams that range from mediocre to rubbish and that have nothing to play for. That's it.
You say Richmond and Footscray are no better than us, yet we're better than Collingwood, St Kilda and Melbourne. Melbourne I'll give you as a really disappointing performance, but I'd say St Kilda and Collingwood are at a very similar point to us. Both of those sides have also played some good footy against decent teams this year and had some nice wins.
We're at the point where we are having a change of the guard. Right now for me it is all about giving the young blokes some opportunity to show they are ready. Now I'm not going to argue the point on who's getting a fair go and who's not, that is largely irrelevant. What is relevant is that a lot of our young players
are getting opportunities, and when a team is going through a period of passing the torch like we are, more often than not, the kids are going to have games where they are found wanting. Some days a few of them will be up and others down, then the next week the guys who were up are down and vice versa. That's just how it goes.
It would have been nice to win these games and keep the streak alive, but the reality is we would have been making up the numbers. Perhaps dealing with the disappointment of missing out this year is better for development than making it and getting hammered by a so so side.
A year like this one was always going to happen, and now that it is all but done, I am far from looking at where we are at and contemplating 10 years out of the finals. I look at the list and see a lot of talent there. I feel like we are putting together a strong core of players who can be the impetus for another premiership tilt. If we keep Motlop and sign Dangerfield, Selwood and Henderson, even moreso.
I can tell you now, if I went back to points like r2 2004, the end of 2006 or even as late as r5 2007, I would find many of the posters who are calling for Scott's head on this thread (and who were around at the time) doing the same with Bomba Thompson. And Cameron Ling. And Steve Johnson. And James Kelly. And Corey Enright. Etc etc etc. What I learned from those points in time, because I won't lie, I got the wobbles a little bit at certain points myself (without throwing the baby out with the bathwater), is that unless you can see huge cracks opening up a la Brisbane or Essendon, then you just have to suck it up, be patient and take the good with the bad. I know people are going to say they see huge cracks opening up, but I don't see any basis for it.
Ultimately, I suppose it depends on what you want to follow footy for. I honestly wonder whether a lot of the people melting right now purely watch to give them something to vent at.