Opinion Comparison thread (#2)

[Pollywaffle]

Forget comparing this team to 2009.
I hate to say it but this current outfit is more reminiscent of the sides that we're going around in the early nineties. Capable of playing brilliant football, but also of putting in some shockers including three below par performances in Grand Finals. We had some terrific players who were guilty of going AWOL when the heat was on.
I hope I am proven wrong, but watching this current team when they are 'off' certainly reminds me of those days. Great expectations..bitter disappointments.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Get a grip people. Our supporter base overreact to a loss more than any other in this comp I'm afraid. Is it entitlement? Not sure.

Hawthorn lost 5 games last year to sides from outside the 8. I suppose they were reminiscent of the Geelong sides from the early 90's as well.

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

Saints aren't shit they play well in Melb. They are nothing like the 90s. Settle down.

 

[Pollywaffle]

Just pointing out my gut feel on this current outfit. Like I said, I hope it is incorrect but as someone who followed the cats through that frustrating time I can't help drawing comparisons to that era. There is a softness about certain players, and we are a little too easy to play against-to borrow a well worn term.
'Stop whinging and start impinging'

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Get a grip people. Our supporter base overreact to a loss more than any other in this comp I'm afraid. Is it entitlement? Not sure.

Hawthorn lost 5 games last year to sides from outside the 8. I suppose they were reminiscent of the Geelong sides from the early 90's as well.

Most importantly for me. That was our last game this season at that awful venue. Still bullish on top 4. Get that and not many would be confident against us given our combined H2H records.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Just pointing out my gut feel on this current outfit. Like I said, I hope it is incorrect but as someone who followed the cats through that frustrating time I can't help drawing comparisons to that era. There is a softness about certain players, and we are a little too easy to play against-to borrow a well worn term.
'Stop whinging and start impinging'

If we were losing against the top sides then I'd be concerned.

We've got another loss against Melbourne to come yet so don't get too comfy.

 

[Bobby_]

Get that and not many would be confident against us given our combined H2H records.

yep, they would be shitting their pants at the prospect of playing us!
Last time we won a final was only . . . .

I honestly don't think any side will fear us come September. They would have earned the right to feel pretty good about their themselves too.
Most teams know what we have to offer.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Get a grip people. Our supporter base overreact to a loss more than any other in this comp I'm afraid. Is it entitlement? Not sure.

Hawthorn lost 5 games last year to sides from outside the 8. I suppose they were reminiscent of the Geelong sides from the early 90's as well.

Frustrating isn't it.
3 weeks prior we send off (and smash) 3 of the best 4 contenders other than ourselves (discounting Hawks, perhaps I shouldn't?) and yet we have 1 loss vs a side coming off a nice long break, at a venue they play very good football at, while we come off 3 tough weeks in a row.
Sure we SHOULDN'T have lost, but some are drawing some seriously long bows and/or talking absolute crap.

 

[Seeds]

yep, they would be shitting their pants at the prospect of playing us!
Last time we won a final was only . . . .

I honestly don't think any side will fear us come September. They would have earned the right to feel pretty good about their themselves too.
Most teams know what we have to offer.

Um mission accomplished#. What finals win was that?

 

[Art Vandelay_]

yep, they would be shitting their pants at the prospect of playing us!
Last time we won a final was only . . . .

I honestly don't think any side will fear us come September. They would have earned the right to feel pretty good about their themselves too.
Most teams know what we have to offer.

Except for the six that have already lost to us

 

[Bobby_]

Um mission accomplished#. What finals win was that?

I believe that was in reference to Hawthorn, round 22 and a fortnight later, they beat us by 36 points (29 scoring shots to 18).

 

[Seeds]

I believe that was in reference to Hawthorn, round 22 and a fortnight later, they beat us by 36 points (29 scoring shots to 18).

Exactly. Carry on.

 

[Bobby_]

Except for the six that have already lost to us

So teams that get beaten in the season can't turn it around in a final?
Didn't we smash Fremantle by 7 goals in 2013 and then lost them in the first week of the finals

 

[David the Cat]

So teams that get beaten in the season can't turn it around in a final?

Spot on.....and the same applies to Geelong...poor losses against any team in June has little bearing on September. I still think 5-8 and a finals win would be about pre-season expectations for this group at this stage of their development.

I might be wrong, but I don't see a 2016 Premiership for Geelong and frankly never have.

 

[catempire]

Where does the expectation come from that we should be invincible and undefeated? It is a very even competition, particularly a very even top 8, and not much gap from the top 8 to the next 4-5. Our list is not far and away better than everyone else. We don't have a revolutionary gameplan that hasn't been worked out. We don't have a team of stars although we have maybe a few.

All of these things add up to being competitive and hopefully successful at the pointy end (if things go the right way), but there's no real reason to expect there won't be ups and downs along the way.

There are 7 other teams in a similar boat (all envious of our record against top sides) and ten others that would kill to be in our position. Things ain't so bad.

 

[Cataholic]

Where does the expectation come from that we should be invincible and undefeated? It is a very even competition, particularly a very even top 8, and not much gap from the top 8 to the next 4-5. Our list is not far and away better than everyone else. We don't have a revolutionary gameplan that hasn't been worked out. We don't have a team of stars although we have maybe a few.

All of these things add up to being competitive and hopefully successful at the pointy end (if things go the right way), but there's no real reason to expect there won't be ups and downs along the way.

There are 7 other teams in a similar boat (all envious of our record against top sides) and ten others that would kill to be in our position. Things ain't so bad.

Great post

 

[Art Vandelay_]

So teams that get beaten in the season can't turn it around in a final?

They could but so far 6 sides we're likely to play when it matters haven't been able to do so, we'll see if that changes in the next 6 weeks. Still quite confident that we'll win at worst 2 of the games at KP v Sydney, Adelaide and the Dogs. Let's say we lost one. That'd still mean that 5 of 7 haven't been able to beat us this season.

So "most teams know what we have to offer" is all just hot air if they can't beat what we have to offer but I guess we've lost to our 3rd crap side so we might as well pack up now and return for the NAB cup.

As for referencing past finals failures. As relevant as the grazing habits of a 3 legged cow in Peru! We're a different side since then. None of that nonsense matters anymore.

Didn't we smash Fremantle by 7 goals in 2013 and then lost them in the first week of the finals

It was their WAFL side, very depleted. Again, as relevant as a 3 legged cow in Peru.

What, and we don't have improvements in our team still? Against the teams that truly matter, we've got the form line. The sides you also rate btw, NM and Hawthorn. The former struggled to beat St.K and the latter had an ump assisted win over them, also narrow.

 

[BotsMaster]

Most importantly for me. That was our last game this season at that awful venue. Still bullish on top 4. Get that and not many would be confident against us given our combined H2H records.

We still have to play the bummers at Etihad in round 20.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Spot on.....and the same applies to Geelong...poor losses against any team in June has little bearing on September. I still think 5-8 and a finals win would be about pre-season expectations for this group at this stage of their development.

I might be wrong, but I don't see a 2016 Premiership for Geelong and frankly never have.

When does this group compete for a flag then?

 

[Art Vandelay_]

We still have to play the bummers at Etihad in round 20.

Ugh! Can we boycott like the Tigers have. Ugh!

 

[Art Vandelay_]

When does this group compete for a flag then?

lol this was never a 2016 or bust hail mary recruiting mission. 2017-18 should still be in the window.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

lol this was never a 2016 or bust hail mary recruiting mission. 2017-18 should still be in the window.

I never said it was 2016 or bust. But given the results this year, the way other teams are performing, and how the landscape of the competition is likely to look in the next few years, 2016 presented a good chance to snag one.

How do you think the side will go in the next couple of years when it needs to turn over almost the entirety of the backline? How do you replace the experience and composure of Enright? Where does the Lonergan replacement come from?

 

[Art Vandelay_]

I never said it was 2016 or bust. But given the results this year, the way other teams are performing, and how the landscape of the competition is likely to look in the next few years, 2016 presented a good chance to snag one.

Presents... Not presented. Not past tense.

get a grip. Last night HAS NOT ended our year.

 

[Bobby_]

lol this was never a 2016 or bust hail mary recruiting mission. 2017-18 should still be in the window.

good luck winning a flag in two years time when the franchise clubs are well and truly peaking.
I reckon they will beating teams by an average margin of 50 points by then, particularly GWS.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

good luck winning a flag in two years time when the franchise clubs are well and truly peaking.
I reckon they will beating teams by an average margin of 50 points by then, particularly GWS.

Sigh. See you in 2021 then. This place will be torture until then, too many Debbie Downers