Do u believe in premiership windows? If so is ours closing/closed?

[kirky]

Well tomorrow I’m going to arrange for the car to be serviced on 26/9/2019 in readiness for the drive to Melbourne on the 27/9/2019.

We will be ready in 2019. Watch out and have faith these lads want redemption.

 

[Mike Smyth]

Logic would say that if you lose 3 quality players in Gov, Lever and Cameron and only bring in Gibbs then your starting 22 has gone backwards. But if I try and look at it positively I think the only ways we can still be in contention next year is if we bring in, either by trade or draft, at least 2 players who are top 16 in quality. This is on top of our current list. If come round 8, Douglas, Mackay and Otten are all first choice first 25 players we may not even be there in September. However, it still makes me angry that our 2019 fortunes will largely be in the hands of incompetent pr*** like Burton and co.

I really hope Tex gets to redeem himself and win a flag. This club owes him.

 

[Eagleboy2011]

Phil Walsh walked into the club in 2014, looked at our list profile and said this list will probably be ready to challenge in 2017.

He was right. Our senior core of Walker, Jacobs, Sloane, Jenkins, Lynch, to a lesser extent Betts, Talia and even Mackay all reached their primes at around the same time. In addition, the support acts like Atkins, Knight etc all clicked and our game plan worked. We reached that golden sweet spot where everything was just ripe for a flag. We screwed it up on grand final day.

This year was an absolute write off in fitness and conditioning terms so most of those players were diabolically out of form or injured for most of the year. It remains to be seen whether those ageing boys will be able to produce good enough football to allow us to contend, along with the team dynamics and lesser players. My suspicion is it's not going to happen.

But hey. I thought we would continue to wallow in mediocrity in 2017 but instead we came out and genuinely contended.

True but who could have factored in the Burton/Hass effect.

 

[TexForPM]

There is no window it's an illusion for the media to have something to talk about.
You never know who will breakout or strategy shuffle

 

[Iron]

Yeah I dont really buy into the talk of windows opening and closing. There's merit in discussing age profiles, provided you factor in proven talent, as opposed to speculative.

We played some premiership quality football last year and for the most part that list never had the chance to play together this year. It's still there.

We're right in the middle of the competition's awkward transitioning phase, where there really aren't any dominant teams. Itll happen again eventually, but it wont be us. So now's the 2-3 years while our best players aren't too old that we can still give it a crack.

I'll never get over what a waste this year was though. Horrible mistake to question this teams resilience, 3 years after what they all went through.

 

[1970crow]

Premiership windows are a load of you know what. Anyone can win at any given time. Like the Bulldogs did in 2016.

I don't think Richmond's was considered open last year.

 

[Cap]

No such thing as a window.

That is just a dream selling term for Vic clubs .

 

[crowded house]

I feel like lists peak and decline. As a club it’s important to recognise that each list has an age/skill profile and where you may be on that curve. it’s not black and white/ an open and window because because there are so many variables.

Each year probably starts with 12-13 clubs thinking they might have a chance and only 4-5 just wanting to play a bit better and get off the bottom.

 

[Iron]

I don't think Richmond's was considered open last year.

Precisely correct. And try to map out the Bulldogs window. Makes a mockery of the concept.

 

[CrowInFiji]

Windows are a sometimes thing. But really only exist when you have a marrying of a decent list and everyone playing a team role that makes whatever system is in place work.

Richmond are a prime example of not needing a team of superstars to be a great team.

You don't need the best list, you need the best system and a team capable of executing.

GWS are jampacked with talent but cannot go the distance.

Geelongs midfield is fantastic and yet because they dont play team first footy they are actually totally s**t and/or ineffective mostly.

We have a decent list, in fact we have a good list. We just don't have the best system yet.

So obviously teams with better lists attract favouritism because they are quality players but they arent ina window unless they are playing a good system.

Its just a happy coincedence when you get a team full of great players coupled with a great system. This is when dynasties are made, Bris, Hawthorn, Geelong etc.

But really a decent list can go the journey.

 

[kirky]

I'll never get over what a waste this year was though. Horrible mistake to question this teams resilience, 3 years after what they all went through.

Unfortunately both Pyke and Burton weren’t present in 2015. Therefore had little knowledge of what they went thru.

 

[Dc9798]

I thought the West Coast premiership window was shut at the end of last year. I was wrong.
We still have quality on our list, get it right and we can win it.



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[Pilchard_Adams]

Certainly do not believe in the “window”.

I believe a team can strategically replenish its list through smart drafting, player development and trading for needs.

Sydney, hawthorn, Geelong, west coast have all done this well.

If the idiots in charge didn’t agree to the stupid camp, brouch plays, gov doesn’t get injured by Dougy, and perhaps Sloane plays a full season I don’t think we would have been far off top 4.

 

[ABAB]

Logic would say that if you lose 3 quality players in Gov, Lever and Cameron and only bring in Gibbs then your starting 22 has gone backwards. But if I try and look at it positively I think the only ways we can still be in contention next year is if we bring in, either by trade or draft, at least 2 players who are top 16 in quality. This is on top of our current list. If come round 8, Douglas, Mackay and Otten are all first choice first 25 players we may not even be there in September. However, it still makes me angry that our 2019 fortunes will largely be in the hands of incompetent pr*** like Burton and co.

I really hope Tex gets to redeem himself and win a flag. This club owes him.

But we replaced Lever with a better player in Doedee and if Lever was still there, Doedee wouldn't have gotten games as they play the same role and we got Fogarty with the Cameron trade so has the best 22 gone backwards????

 

[Golumless]

For me the biggest question is what difference Mattner and Gooden will have in regards to if we are going to bounce back.

Defensively we were a mess last year despite a lack of injuries there and our midfield has been a structural mess for close to a decade.

Fix that and get a healthy run at it (seeing we still have Hass, that's unlikely) and I do expect a bounceback. The league is pretty weak right now, and if Collingwood becoming a grand finalist should teach you anything, really there is no such thing as a window right now.

It'll become a concept again when the league settles a bit and a few powerhouses form.

 

[Betts are off]

If the last 3 years has taught us anything, its that the concept of 'Premiership Windows' is complete and utter crap. The competition is so even that in the last 2 years the Premier and the Minor premier has failed to reach the finals after making the GF the year before. And on top of that the odds of the GF winners from the past 3 years were so long that no betting man worth his salt would have dared lock in on any of them; i.e.

In 2016 the Western Bulldogs odds to win the premiership at the TAB were 22:1 (good for 11th)
In 2017 the Richmond Tigers odds to win the premiership at the TAB were 51:1 (good for 14th)
In 2018 I couldn't find the TAB odds, but neither the Eagles or Pies were considering in the top 8 in terms of betting odds at either UBet or GoBet.

If you were a betting man looking to pick a winner in 2019, based on the last 3 years you would say no team in the 2018 top 8 is a good choice based on previous results.

 

[Niximus]

Premiership windows are not really a thing, but losing culture is. To get out of it you either have to change the culture dramatically, or have the AFL let you throw your way to a flag. The latter isn't happening and they are too comfortable to do anything about the former.

 

[Jack is Back]

Premiership windows are right up there with the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus.

1) This year’s grand finalists finished win 12 wins and 9.5 wins in 2017.

2) There have been 7 different AFL Grand Finalists in the last 4 years.

3) The Bulldogs came from 8th to 1st, The Tigers came from 13th (8 wins) to 1st, The Eages came from 6th (12 wins) to 1st.

The top 12 teams this year would all believe that a flag in 2019 is possible (even though one of them may be delusional).

So yes, along with about a dozen other teams our window is open.

 

[jackster83]

It depends on the health/form/fitness of your best/structurally most important players. We saw the eventual premiers struggle without their key forwards during the year, while Collingwood lost the grand final on account of Pendlebury and Sidebottom having shocking games.

This year we saw dramatically reduced outputs from Tex, Betts, Smith, Jacobs, Brad Crouch and Sloane, with Matt Crouch slightly down, and really only Laird and Talia really holding down the fort as far as A grade players go.

Of those in the down group, Smith has already made a successful return, Matt finished strongly and Sloane got through without appearing to be in too much discomfort.

That leaves Tex, Betts, Jacobs and Brad. I think Jacobs is completely cooked, as he can't jump or bend his back anymore, which is a considerable problem. Betts is seemingly in decline, and probably needs to change his game to accommodate his drop in pace and kicking distance - a player of his class should be able to do so. That really just leaves Tex and Brad as massive unknowns.

 

[Thegibbsgamble]

I thought the West Coast premiership window was shut at the end of last year. I was wrong.
We still have quality on our list, get it right and we can win it.



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This is the moment thier window opened


They were beat this game

Had they lost they would of travelled the first week. Had they lost that a prelim against Richmond to make granny

 

[Thegibbsgamble]

You can pick quarters out from last season that still show we have the best game

Third quarter against Richmond.
Last quarter against west coast

Second and third quarters against Geelong.

You can even go as far as saying last quarter in the rain against Melbourne

Second quarter away to gws

Just the gang was never together
Always on the back foot. If key forwards got fit key defenders would drop and so on all year. Admin was never able to settle with incessant media attacks constructed to kick us when we were down. When the competiton relies on mark Williams for ammo against us. You know they clutching at straws

We relied on gibbs to much as a result of injury. He had to much Carlton in him. He came from the fire and into the frying pan without oil.

We found doodee and Milera. To an extent Murphy. Fogarty is in a good place with all the experienced forwards.

If the crouch boys fire we will make top 4

And our game is good enough.

 

[Dc9798]

This is the moment thier window opened
View attachment 567683

They were beat this game

Had they lost they would of travelled the first week. Had they lost that a prelim against Richmond to make granny

Ah those footy Gods hey.
They still had to take their opportunity that game and did and the rest is history.


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[CrowBloke]

Taylor walker. 28 next yr

Tex turned 28 in April, this year.

3 problems looking ahead:
--- Sauce, looks past it sadly. I love the bloke.
--- fitness/conditioning under Burton and Hass again. How Hass kept his job is staggering.
--- mongrel/team unity.
Fix those, Crows should go Top 4 in 2019.

 

[moogerfooger]

We can't keep losing Lever/Cameron/McGovern types every year. Otherwise you're just papering over the cracks until the whole thing falls apart.

Pyke needs to win back the playing group. Strong playing group cultures are built from within - they were key factors in the last three flags. Ours fell apart this year. It remains to be seen whether it can be put together again.

 

[John Who]

Logic would say that if you lose 3 quality players in Gov, Lever and Cameron and only bring in Gibbs then your starting 22 has gone backwards. But if I try and look at it positively I think the only ways we can still be in contention next year is if we bring in, either by trade or draft, at least 2 players who are top 16 in quality. This is on top of our current list. If come round 8, Douglas, Mackay and Otten are all first choice first 25 players we may not even be there in September. However, it still makes me angry that our 2019 fortunes will largely be in the hands of incompetent pr*** like Burton and co.

I really hope Tex gets to redeem himself and win a flag. This club owes him.

Losing Lever, Cameron and Gov is offset by gaining Gibbs and regaining Smith and BCrouch in 2019.
If the forwards can remain fit, we still have a team capable of high scoring feats.