Expectations for 2026 (Now discussing: Our next two months)

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

The game is faster then it was last year from what I can see because of the new rules and we ae still one of the worst defensive transitioning teams in the comp

Its gonna be ugly once again

 

[Couchpotato]

The game is always fast in the first few rounds and everyone gets excited by high scoring shoot outs. It’ll calm down as defences adjust.

An early concern for me is that the game has become so easy to transition (stand rule, last kick out of bounce etc) that flooding back is the best tactic. Regularly seeing 17 players behind the ball and the team with the ball pass around unopposed in their backline. Soccer-like…

 

[bzparkes]

The game is always fast in the first few rounds and everyone gets excited by high scoring shoot outs.

The 'shootouts' WCE are involved in:

 

[Couchpotato]

The 'shootouts' WCE are involved in:

View attachment 2550781

It’s just a flesh wound

 

[Rowan18]

I cannot help but feel that there is some pain and suffering to come this year. In many ways even worse than 2025.

I think we will suffer against teams that move the ball quickly and accurately. Look at Hawks vs. Ess. Tore them apart and put on 7-8 goals in a row like bang bang bang.
Hawks, GC etc. could kill us by 100+.

Despite what's to come I think we have made a big impact in turning over the list; a turnover that was absolutely required. Just need to keep people from leaving and could have an exceptional group in 3-4 years. Note that GC got Anderson and Rowell in 2019 and while they've been good for years, only recently have they become the scary dynamic duo that no-one wants to come up against.

Yep - if you take this year as Gold Coast 2020, we start to get pretty good in 2029 and probably make our big leap up to benchmark team in 2030 (just in time to win our 12 year flag).

On a serious note, if that did happen, the following current kids will be:

Hough 27 years old
Ginbey, Hewett 26 years old
H. Reid, A.Reid 25 years old
Shannahan, A Allen 24 years old
X Duursma, CDT, Lindsay 23 years old

If they develop at the trajectory we hope (even assuming Hewett and Allen are just role players), that's the core of a balanced team with a strong spine, two great mids and some great HBs. The rest of the team will be padded out by role players and seniors (Waterman, Baker, Starc should still be around and able to perform).

 

[WeaponX]

I can't see any team we could beat under normal circumstances, Rihcmond would be the closest but they looked reasonable the other night. Norths have gone well passed us but I'm hoping we can snag our first win around round 7 or 9.

 

[Quinz]

I would like us to win 6 games

Crazy people were laughing at this post because of how much I undershot

 

[Wce17]

Could have 5/6 wins by the mid-season going on what we have seen so far.

 

[amazingjoshy]

Lid is off

 

[Rowan18]

I can't see any team we could beat under normal circumstances, Rihcmond would be the closest but they looked reasonable the other night. Norths have gone well passed us but I'm hoping we can snag our first win around round 7 or 9.

Lol - this aged terribly

 

[WeaponX]

Lol - this aged terribly

I live in a reverse UNO simulation, we won't win another game all year

 

[Keys]

Comparing results from last year:

• Gold Coast
R1 (H) - 7.7(49) to 20.16(136)
R1 (A) - 10.12(72) to 20.11(131)

Still a heavy loss but 59 points away is better than 87 points at home. Importantly, whereas we saw a 45 point halftime deficit blowout further last year, we were able to have a small second half win to reduce a 62 point deficit to 59 at the end

• North Melbourne
R14 (“A”) - 6.16(52) to 9.8(62)
R2 (H) - 17.9(111) to 15.4(94)

Converted a 10 point loss into a 17 point win

• Port Adelaide
R19 (A) - 9.7(61) to 12.15(87)
R3 (A) - 13.14(92) to 13.12(90)

Converted a 26 point loss into a 2 point win

In both those losses we squandered a 3/4 time lead to lose the match but whilst being outscored in the final quarter the last two weeks, we were able to hold on to win

Overall, we’ve improved our results against the same opponent by 28, 27 and 28 points from last season. If we can repeat that level of improvement across the season from last year’s matches we’ll be on track for 7-8 wins and a percentage north of 80. That would be a successful season and something to build on in 2027

 

[Rowan18]

Comparing results from last year:

• Gold Coast
R1 (H) - 7.7(49) to 20.16(136)
R1 (A) - 10.12(72) to 20.11(131)

Still a heavy loss but 59 points away is better than 87 points at home. Importantly, whereas we saw a 45 point halftime deficit blowout further last year, we were able to have a small second half win to reduce a 62 point deficit to 59 at the end

• North Melbourne
R14 (“A”) - 6.16(52) to 9.8(62)
R2 (H) - 17.9(111) to 15.4(94)

Converted a 10 point loss into a 17 point win

• Port Adelaide
R19 (A) - 9.7(61) to 12.15(87)
R3 (A) - 13.14(92) to 13.12(90)

Converted a 26 point loss into a 2 point win

In both those losses we squandered a 3/4 time lead to lose the match but whilst being outscored in the final quarter the last two weeks, we were able to hold on to win

Overall, we’ve improved our results against the same opponent by 28, 27 and 28 points from last season. If we can repeat that level of improvement across the season from last year’s matches we’ll be on track for 7-8 wins and a percentage north of 80. That would be a successful season and something to build on in 2027

It's never linear like that though. This is a young team just learning how to play together. At the moment they haven't been able to get the starts right and have effectively been playing three quarters only. That's good enough to just beat bottom 4 teams (North and Port) but once they click they will blow them away by 5-10 goals.

I think it comes together in the next week or two. Once it does, the team will crush the odd basket case, beat mid table teams and match it with the odd top side. Wouldn't surprise me if we beat 1 or 2 of the next 3 and end up with 10-14 wins for the year (likely taking one of the away wildcard spots).

 

[Bleedblueandgold]

My prediction is currently 7-8 wins max. Maybe more if we can beat Sydney this weekend.

 

[MaxHunt]

Its a long season, the team is young and the injuries are growing at round 3. Anything over 5 wins is an awesome result.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

I’m not looking at the fixture and thinking there are our five or six wins, lock those in, but it is a mark I think we will get to.

More important than a W/L tally though, the things I want to see develop over the year are:

• Game style. We looked at our best drawing a man and handballing off the back flank, running in waves etc. Does that go up a gear now that everyone has had a year to embed it, and what’s the next layer? How do we move it by foot off half back if we can’t get any run and carry going? Time of possession was a real worry but something we started getting a little better at, do we have a Plan B if things aren’t on our terms?

• Midfield support. Harley’s in for a massive year, but I’d love it if he could have some friends go with him. I’d like to leave the footy excited that I got to see him in full flight, not a bit sad that the teenager is being tagged, scragged and targeted by four oppo mids with nobody able to step in and make them think twice about that.

• At least one small forward to emerge. Lots of guys on the list with the quintessential bag of talent but no consistent hurt factor. It’s also hard in a forwardline with minimal supply, but in the absence of Ryan, Rioli is long gone, Cripps is retiring and has always been the hard graft over the razzle dazzle type, who is going to step up and reliable adds crumbing goal and some hurt factor from the smalls? Champion, Williams, Newton (not a small forward but maybe too talented to be denied?), Brockman, Long, Owies (maybe not Owies). Someone has to end the year owning the 1A small forward role, and not by default.

• What is Archer Reid? I maintain he should be viewed as the Gov heir, but if he can make that ruck role his own with a few shifts up forward that would go a long way to resolving a big hole on our list.

And I’ll throw out a fun one: Jobe Shanahan for the rising star.

Five or six wins? Very much in play.

Game style? Take territory and set up the wall. Forward handball. Less about time of possession and more about time in forward half, regardless of who owns the ball. Still some work to be done when the opposition bottle that up, we’ll need to add the kicking through a set defence layer to take the next step but good early return in the game style department.

Midfield support for Harley? Tick. Takes very little alongside him for him to look like a deadset jet.

At least one small forward to emerge? Two weeks into the Milan Murdock experience, tick.

What is Archer Reid? Too small a sample size to make any career long calls here, but has proven himself to be a more than useful ruck, next step will be taking that on full time. My ‘send him to the backline’ thought will wither on the vine if he keeps kicking accurately and presenting hard up forward.

Shanahan for Rising Star? He’d have to be up there in the most likely candidates here today.

Three weeks in, it’s hard to be unhappy with any of it compared to preseason expectations.

 

[bzparkes]

The 'shootouts' WCE are involved in:

View attachment 2550781

Well, this was prophetic after the GC game.

 

[stallon]

My expectation: 2011

 

[EagleEgo]

I expect the Eagles to win at least 7 matches before our bye

 

[THE A5]

 

[Cuzz09]

2-3 after round 5 we would have all taken that.

played current 1st, 5th,7th,8th and 10th sides and about to play 2nd side.

After next week we have a run of about 10 games where we will give ourselves a sneaky chance or at least should be highly competitive.

The last handful of games look tough again.

Hoping like heck we double the wins we are currently on at minimum but as long as we dont get flogged its not too bad

 

[triplegee]

It's all about %.

Got to be going at better than 75% to be making progress.

 

[Cuzz09]

It's all about %.

Got to be going at better than 75% to be making progress.

Well considering we are already on 64.3% can't see our % getting into the 70s

We're gonna lose more than we win margin wise

 

[stallon]

Well considering we are already on 64.3% can't see our % getting into the 70s

We're gonna lose more than we win margin wise

If we have a bunch of smaller losses, our percentage will go up.

eg. if we score an average of 80 every game, and concede average of 90 every game for the rest of the year our final percentage will be about 82%

As long as we dont get flogged too often, getting it over 70 is still very achievable

 

[Cuzz09]

If we have a bunch of smaller losses, our percentage will go up.

eg. if we score an average of 80 every game, and concede average of 90 every game for the rest of the year our final percentage will be about 82%

As long as we dont get flogged too often, getting it over 70 is still very achievable

oh ok. I just assume if you lose it goes down.

We seem to have the odd belting which will make that hard.

Fingers crossed we pull out a random ten goal win