Opinion Confident about 2013

[Macca_]

Is there anyone else that is extremely confident about us winning the flag next year? We managed to make a prelim this year without our stars firing, and while being decimated by injury. If we can pick up a few good players during the off season, make some changes to the game plan and get a good preseason into our youngsters, who knows how good we can be.

We also went through this year without Dawes, Sidey, Cloke or Daisy firing, and we were missing Ball and Krak throughout the year.

TAB has us at $9 to win the flag next year. Go Pies!

 

[larrikan]

Is there anyone else that is extremely confident about us winning the flag next year? We managed to make a prelim this year without our stars firing, and while being decimated by injury. If we can pick up a few good players during the off season, make some changes to the game plan and get a good preseason into our youngsters, who knows how good we can be.

We also went through this year without Dawes, Sidey, Cloke or Daisy firing, and we were missing Ball and Krak throughout the year.

Sshhhhhhh!!!!! Lol. Lovin the $9

TAB has us at $9 to win the flag next year. Go Pies!

 

[larrikan]

Ssshhhhhh!!!! Lovin the $9.

I should all up my Swan at 3/4 time bet lol

 

[rhys_22]

If we get an injury free year then yes i do think we will be celebrating this time next year.The list is too good. I for one am very excited.We did do very well this year considering all the hurdles along the way.Such as malthouse in the back ground,a heap of injuries,clokes contract saga and jmac passing away during finals. I am very confident.

 

[mattys123]

Sydney and the Hawks showed you need a ton of luck with injuries and form just to make the grand final, let alone win it, but with the right luck we will be back there in 2013.

Some nice little omens out of the Swans win;

* There was a Reid and a Shaw playing
* The coach was in his second year after a succession plan

2013 will be our year, Freo vs Pies Grand Final, Taz does his lap of honour pre game and we win by 84 points.

 

[piesforlife]

2013 will be our year, Freo vs Pies Grand Final, Taz does his lap of honour pre game and we win by 84 points.

sounds about right.

 

[vjknight]

nothing but confident. ignoring whoever we recruit in the next month, our pickups 12 months ago were very handy this year, and so another preseason, and our core group maturing another year, we are certainties to be in the big day.

 

[jmac70]

Bit early for this. We should be "there abouts" but will need some luck.

Hawks were confident, look what happened to them.

 

[Krueger]

If we play anything like we did this year we have no chance. Need a bit of luck with injuries but most of all a gameplan that doesnt suck balls.

 

[upnsmoke]

1. Please dont be arrogant likesome of the Hawks fans.
2. No matter how well you play for 22-23 rounds, its all about winning one game at a time come September, again case in point Hawks vs Swans, Hawks was overwhelming favourites but Swans played better on the day.

3. I would only say that the Pies look stronger next season than the seasons past assuming everyone is healthy.

No premiership guarantees, no expectations of greatness... If the Pies believe the hype then they will suffer the same fate as in 2011 and Hawks of 2012.

Go as underdogs, as the hunter, and a promise from all players to avoid media rumours and speculations, a complete media ban in terms of contract negotiations. The media always try to bring down the Pies because it sells papers and derails the run for the premiership.

 

[Macca_]

There's a difference between arrogance and confidence.

 

[Mickaman]

If the stars align for us we will be in it up to our eyeballs.

Go Pies 2013.

We had so much go against us this year and made the prelims.

 

[SuperSub17]

Bit early for this. We should be "there abouts" but will need some luck.

Hawks were arrogant, look what happened to them.

EFA.

Strangely enough I'm really confident too.

Oh and we're the same odds as Carlton lol

 

[larrikan]

I'm with Mattys, 84 points of confidence not arrogance.

More confident than this year actually.

 

[JOELY]

I agree with everyone in saying we'll be there abouts. Need luck, but also need any players we pick up in the next couple of months to come off.

All I know is I want to be there on this day next year. I was barracking for the Swans big time and got a major lift out of their win, but couldn't help thinking I wish it was us. I just want one more, and I'll be happy for a while.

 

[SuperSub17]

I agree with everyone in saying we'll be there abouts. Need luck, but also need any players we pick up in the next couple of months to come off.

All I know is I want to be there on this day next year. I was barracking for the Swans big time and got a major lift out of their win, but couldn't help thinking I wish it was us. I just want one more, and I'll be happy for a while.

Sums it up for me. I can't help but feel there should be another flag left in this group.

Although that's what everybody said about Hawthorn after 2008, and their 4 years since then have been a letdown for them.

 

[DWil6]

I think there will be a bunch of teams improving in 2013. Bombers, Blues, North, Freo could all play a part. WC if injuries don't hit them again, the much improved Crows. Then there is the Hawks who shouldn't get worse and the Swans again. Nothing's a certainty in football.

 

[PieNSauce]

I certainly have confidence that we have the list to get us into finals. From there anything can happen. What Collingwood supporters above all others should know is that to make space in the cabinet before you are physically in possession of the silverware is folly.

 

[jathanas]

It's fair to say that if the stars align the team will be up there. No more than that.

 

[biggiemediums]

Without sounding like a shmuck, and feel free to disagree, but I think a big part plays on whether we can fill that 2nd ruck. I feel like if the Qstick rumours are true that will improve our biggest weakness and we will have every chance of winning the big one!

 

[jonbe54]

Far too early for this, we have the ingredients necessary but we need to somehow stop this run of injuries we've had since just before the '11 finals

Given a good injury run this team is second to none, fingers crossed Murphy leaves us alone next year.

 

[Copeland]

I think there will be a few other teams thinking the same thing.

It can come right down to the bounce of the ball, see drawn GF.

 

[Matz]

its going to depend on the game plan IMO , we are to predictable and if this doesnt change i think it will be a tough year. We need to be innovative again.

 

[76woodenspooners]

There are a lot of reasons to be confident about 2013 ...

There are a brace of players to return from injury: Ball is a big 'in'. Keeffe will be a welcome return to the backline. Caff will back into the forward line. Williams to come back after his stellar rise. Hartley to continue his development.

There are a few players who lost significant time in 2012 due to injury, and with any luck in 2013 will have a much better year: Krakouer, Pendlebury, Sinclair, Reid, Brown and Johnson.

There are many young players we can expect good improvement from as they continue to develop. Paine, Ellliott, Sinclair, Keeffe, Williams all impressed at various stages this season. We've seen what they are be capable of at their best. And as they mature they will find consistency. Fas looks like he's been playing forever, but he's only a 20 year old and still has a lot of development left in him. Blair and Sidebottom are still young and improving. Beams is young, but could he possibly improve much more? - an exhilarating prospect. Dawes is an established player who is learning a new role and can only improve. Clarke will be better for having another pre-season.

There are a bunch of young players who are on the cusp of senior selection, who even at worst, will create competition for spots: Gault, Ceglar and Thomas. And the prospect of Witts possibly debuting in 2013 gets the heart thumping.

There is even the possibility of a young fringe player, if given the opportunity, popping up and making a contribution in much the same way as Blair did in 2010 or Sinclair did in 2012: Ugle, Yagmoor, Rounds, Young, or Hartley.

In 2009 there was Beams, Sidebottom and Brown. In 2010 there was Ball and Jolly. In 2011 there was Taz, Krakouer and Fasolo. In 2012 we had Paine and Elliott. These are players who at this stage of the previous season weren't even on our radar, let alone on our list. But after being drafted they became an important part to the following season's campaign. We have a good record with recruiting, so it's easy to feel optimistic about the contribution of a player or two who hasn't even set foot in the Westpac centre yet. All the more so with Matt Rendell joining the recruiting staff.

In 2013 the coaches will be another year wiser and will be more familiar with their players and with each other. Maybe there'll be the turnover of a coach or two, but it'll be nothing like the great purge we had at the end of last year. We'll be better for having a more settled coaching outfit this year.

In 2013 the main Westpac Centre renovations will be complete. We'll have the new oval. We'll have the new jumpers and it'll be interesting to see how much of a tactical advantage they become.

But there will be challenges in 2013 too.

Surely, it is a fool who thinks that the whole Malthouse-Buckley succession plan is well behind us and the detractors have been silenced. Nothing short of an emphatic superiority of Buckley's team over Malthouse's team will achieve that in 2013.

In 2012 we had the Cloke signing saga. But as sure as night follows day, there'll be another signing saga in 2013 - the media will ensure it.

There'll be the inevitable drop off in form of senior players. In 2012 Swan dropped form, Jolly dropped form, Daisy dropped form, Pendles dropped form (sure, some of those can be attributed to injury, but whatever the reason, ageing players do not maintain peak form forever).

There are no guarantees that the players returning from injury will immediately return to their previous form. Brown has shown us that. 'Caff has struggled to play since the 2010 GF, it's anyone's guess what he'll be like next year.

The opposition will improve. Who, this time last year would have picked Swans to be the 2012 Premiers? (Paul Roos doesn't count). Who, this time two years ago would have picked West Coast to pick themselves up out of the cellar and become a contender? In 2013 the Suns and Melbourne are unlikely to be the easybeats they were this year. Surely GWS, Port and Bulldogs couldn't be any worse? North are on the way up. As much as we'd like to deny it, nobody would be surprised if Carlton head up the ladder. Essendon will likely find better consistency and with a better run with injuries, like us, will improve. West Coast will surely do better next year without their bad run of injuries. Freo will surely be better year 2 under Lyon. Adelaide did very well is year and surely will be better year 2 under Sanderson. Watters seems to be doing good things at St Kilda. Richmond, ever the optimists, will be looking to turn the corner. Hawthorn will remain a challenge. The Swans are up and no longer have us as a bogey team. Geelong's demise is predicted year after year, and yet it never arrives - only the brave and the foolish would tip them to be out of finals contention next year.

Nearly every team has a lot of reasons to be confident about 2013. But not everyone can head up the ladder at the same time.

Do we have more reason to be confident than the others? I can't wait to find out!

 

[76woodenspooners]

There's a difference between arrogance and confidence.

Can you explain that difference?