Crystal Ball

[noddy]

I don't accept that is true. He is re-making the side. I think that there is a lot of dead wood in the playing list that hasn't been cut because they were under contract. Honestly, ask yourselves how many of our players would make the premier's side. Being generous I can think of maybe 3. When you can name about 10 then we will be around the place.

I would be surprised if we make the 8 in the next 2 years, & in the long run, our playing list would be much better off if we finished 13th than 7th.

The real question is how will the supporters handle it if we finish down the bottom again?

By then the media would have turned. Rucchi and McDermott would be pretending they thought Craig was the wrong man the whole time & Cornes would be going out of his mind with joy at the prospect of bagging both coach & club.

How do the supporters act then? Do we show a bit of test match patence & accept you may lose a session or 2 & still win the match during the 5th day, or are we 20/20 supporters who can only think short term.

I hope we have the maturity to think long term. The club have given itself an almighty shake up off season & we must give them the time for their changes to bare fruit.

Great Post.

As supporters we are always looking & hoping for our club to play & win finals.

I know i am forever the supreme optimist & refuse to believe that we will not play finals this year or in fact in any given year.

That said if the unimaginable does happen & that we do end up out of the 8 this year then for me it becomes a ? on why & how.

As long as we are competitive, give those youngsters that deserve it a fair go, have an improved game plan A,B & C & improvement in endeavor & skill from those players that have had to stand up in the past but failed to do so.

If so well i can possibly live without finals participation for another year.

 

[noddy]

If we are including Bradley/Laycock/Monfries in the list of PY then we're laughing as we can include The Count, Gibson, Meeson, Krueger, Maric, Schuie, Watts, Knights in our list. While I agree Stanton and Watson have shown something, Bradley hasn't overly impressed and Monfries is yet to play an AFL game.
Every teams supporters exagerates their list of PY's,until a player has at least played a few games, and shown something, they shouldn't be classed as a PY IMO. Just look at the multiple 2nd tiers on our list, I have heard each and everyone of them described as a PY in the past???

With you on this one SC.

Every club has a heap of promising young players & to start with we all see champion status in some of them.

The proof is in how they develop & what they deliver & until then i rate our clubs young guns as highly as the next clubs supporters rate theirs.

 

[Damp Squarie]

If we do finish 13th, the appointment of Neil Craig is going to look very very ordinary.

I dont agree Macca.
As much as not playing finals would be a crying shame for all crow supporters, Craig needs at least 2 full years to impart his game plan to his list.

Those that were considered lucky to be kept at Adelaide this year due to contractual reasons (according to drakey) will be given thier last chance.

I think this is exciting!! Itll only breed competitiveness.

Now whether Craig can extract whats needed to lift those players shouldnt be held against him.... not after a full year and a bit.

Besides the Crows wont finish 13th or lower

 

[Cap]

I'm not to fussed how we go this year in regards to ladder position as long as I see players out there busting their arse trying to win - I would also just like to see a game plan that works, Also long as we unearth - 2-3 players this year and continue to develop Hentschel, bock, rutten etc this will let me atleast feel that 05' wasnt wasted if we finish out of the finals,

saying that I can see if we finish 13th or lower the dogs and the advertiser will be baying for blood

I think Adealide supporterts need to improve a bit this year as well - its going to be a tough year so making noise is going to be quite difficult, so we have a challenge to make AAMI stadium Antieveryone except the Crows

 

[tztommo]

1) St Kilda
2) Port Adelaide
3) Geelong
4) West Coast
5) Brisbane
6) Adelaide
7) Fremantle
8) Sydney

9) Essendon
10) Melbourne
11) Carlton
12) North Melbourne
13) West Bulldogs
14) Richmond
15) Hawthorn
16) Collingwood

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

With you on this one SC.

Every club has a heap of promising young players & to start with we all see champion status in some of them.

The proof is in how they develop & what they deliver & until then i rate our clubs young guns as highly as the next clubs supporters rate theirs.

Exactly.... I rate our "AFL Games = 0" youngsters as the equal of any other teams. However, 3 teams I do consider to have an abundance of PY's are St K, Geelong and West Coast. These 3 have youngsters who have played mutiple AFL games and played well. Should put them in good stead for the next 5 years.

 

[missionpossible]

1. St Kilda. THE team on the rise packed full of absolute A class talent on most lines. Will win a flag in next 2-3 years

2. Port Adelaide. Big home ground advantage, excellent depth, talented youngsters putting pressure on the 22 and Primus and Francou back

3. West Coast. Immense home ground advantage, huge depth for quality midfielders/smalls, talls should be better in 2005

4. Brisbane. Write them off at your own peril - Michael, Leppa, Johnson, Brown, Aker, Voss, Black, Lappin - wouldnt be surprised if they make another GF but could start the season slowly with injuries/suspensions

5. Geelong - very even team with much natural improvement still to come from the many youngsters. If still had Graham would be top 4

6. Fremantle - will be the big improver. Need to bounce back after poor year (still finished 9th) in 2004. Carr, Schofield and Black are 3 ready made players - more than any other team

7. Collingwood - you dont make 2 GFs in a row without some talent. Will rebound in 2005

8. Essendon - a consistent finalist year after year. With Hird, Lloyd, Fletcher and Lucas still going and some talented youngsters they will scrape in again


9. Melbourne - could quite possibly make the 8 and will be in contention until late in the year. Query over a few KPP's

10. Sydney - have over achieved in recent years and due for a downer

11. Adelaide - could make the 8 if all goes well.

12. Western Bulldogs - I dont mind their list. A toppish shelf of 5-6 playes plus Cooney, Ray, Griffin and other talented youngsters

13. Kangaroos - in for a couple of quieter years with many of the old guard gone/going

14. Carlton - excellent coach, ordinary squad

15. Richmond - will be better. Possibly 7-8 wins for the year

16. Hawthorn - a very ordinary squad. The tall 2004 recruits will have no impact for another 2-3 years

This is very much along my lines of thinking with a couple of adjustments

I will slip sydney into 8th just purely that they will win enough games based on home ground advantage and Goodes should not be playing as a criple.

Essendon can drop down to tenth. They are carrying to many players at the moment but I would think this will be their bottom out year.

As for the bottom end well this is a lootery but lets say
12 - Carlton
13 - Richmond
14 - Kangaroos
15 - Bulldogs
16 - Hawthorn

I will say that I think there will be a huge reduction in the gap between the top teams and the bottom teams this year, which has one looking forward to a crackerjack season and head aches at the tipping table.

 

[tribey]

BUMP!

With us out, the Brownlow on tonight and one game to go I thought it was as good a time as any to bring this out of the ether to laugh and bow at one another.

 

[sapaul]

West Coast
Brisbane
St.Kilda
Port
Adelaide
Essendon
Carlton
Kangaroos


Richmond
Sydney
Fremantle
Western Bulldogs
Geelong
Melbourne
Hawthorn
Collingwood

I did well with West Coast, St.Kilda, Adelaide and Kangaroos in the top half. Brisbane, Essendon and Carlton very badly.

Richmond=closeish, not bad with Bulldogs, Hawthorn and Collingwood either.

 

[sapaul]

adelaide 4th & 6th for some? i dont know if thats just being blatantly partisan - 4th for you guys is a bit rich at this stage for mine.

 

[Stiffy_18]

I saved myself the embarasment by not doing one

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

With or without Adelaide 6 out of 8 for me. Just goes to show, no matter how good their list looks, you should never put your life on Freo to make the 8. I actually thought they may give the top 4 a shake - pffftt.

 

[- PC -]

4/8 for the top 8 worst was Kangaroos bottom 4