News Footy Is Coming Back Baby

[Optimistic Dog]

One disturbing aspect of all this disruption is that we had expected we were entering our premiership window. That's not a great time to be suffering major footy disruption.

As we all know, winning a flag requires a bit of luck during the finals but as most flags are won from a top four position (2016 notwithstanding) I'd say a premiership window is that period of time when you expect your club is quite capable of finishing top four on the ladder.

For the Dogs I'd have expected us to be strong top 4 candidates for about five years, from 2020 to about 2024. (Not saying it ends there, but anything beyond that is too hard to predict as we know how quickly lists and circumstances can change.) I'm prepared to overlook this year's round 1 disaster - at least until we see how we go in the next couple of rounds. We may or not be overrated, but either way I don't think the boys were mentally right that day. However they've had plenty of time to get used to the "new footy normal" since then so there should be no excuses next time.

We really don't know how 2020 will play out. Will it favour young lists (having to back up for another game every 5 days)? Or will it favour older players (shorter quarters and perhaps a bigger bench with a higher interchange cap)? Also older players may be better able to stay focussed on the footy basics in these strange new times.

Now it might turnout that the new circumstances actually favour us but somehow I doubt it. I would have liked every year of having a list filled with Bonts, Naughtons, Bruces, Dunkleys, Keaths, Macraes etc to be as "normal" as possible. Diminishing our chances in 1 or maybe 2 years out of a possible 5 year premiership window would be pretty disappointing.

I have got no idea how we will perform this season and beyond bit like trying to predict the stock market at the moment. On face value we look to be a buy with a lot emerging talent but on our last 2 showings against GWS in 2019 final and the first game against pies we would be a sell.

The most disturbing part for me in those 2 games was what I regarded as a strength our midfield. A shining light in a our run leading up to the finals last season yet they got smashed in those 2 games. I do not think I have ever seen a team have only 2 inside 50's up to half way through the second quarter as we did against the pies. How could this happen especially with a midfield boasting the Bont, Macrae and Dunks even allowing for no opposition against Grundy.

Hopefully we can find our mojo, no use blaming the strange season. Like we keep hearing we are all in this together and there will be winners and losers just like the economy and stock market. Let us be the winners.

 

[Sentinel]

Mark Stevens said tonight that all of Corey, Morris and Russell are still stood down as assistant coaches.

 

[NBates]

Bevo and the boys are on the track

Sent from my SM-A505YN using Tapatalk

 

[Northernsoul74]

The Age is suggesting we will play St Kilda round 2.

 

[Therealsaint]

The Age is suggesting we will play St Kilda round 2.

Bring it on boys,zip and 2 not good for you guys....

 

[Golden_6]

And we're back to Sunday twilight games. I'm worried the AFL will go full blockbuster mode on free to air and shaft us back to poor Fox time slots. It would be a shame for the club considering how commercially good our original fixture was.

 

[Werewolf]

And we're back to Sunday twilight games. I'm worried the AFL will go full blockbuster mode on free to air and shaft us back to poor Fox time slots. It would be a shame for the club considering how commercially good our original fixture was.

Have they done this because our financial position is better than most of the competition?

 

[Northernsoul74]

Have they done this because our financial position is better than most of the competition?

That would be pretty perverse logic but it is the afl so who knows.

 

[random__hero]

GWS in Rd 3 apparently

 

[weltschmerz]

 

[Northernsoul74]

 

[Golden_6]

So much for getting pushed to non prime time slots per my earlier post. 3 games in a row on seven in good time slots.

The positive with the rolling fixture is that the performing clubs should be giving priorities to the better free to air slots instead of the Carlton rubbish in prior years.

 

[ossie_21]

4-1 start to the year isn’t all doom & gloom

 

[Northernsoul74]

4-1 start to the year isn’t all doom & gloom

I’ll take 3-2

 

[Golden_6]

I just realised we have a 5 day break followed by a 6 day break to start. Surely it could've been thought out a little bit better? Will certainly be interesting with a lot less footy staff trying to keep everyone healthy!

 

[Charlie Bucket]

I just realised we have a 5 day break followed by a 6 day break to start. Surely it could've been thought out a little bit better? Will certainly be interesting with a lot less footy staff trying to keep everyone healthy!

Our opponents on both occasions have 5 day breaks, so we’ve got it easier compared to.

 

[Charlie Bucket]

Injuries a concern though, yep!!

 

[Golden_6]

Our opponents on both occasions have 5 day breaks, so we’ve got it easier compared to.

It really seems like a perfect storm with a shorter pre-season block, shorter breaks between games and less performance staff that injuries could see a dramatic rise. It could leave the season open to anyone to win.

The shorter games also do help and is probably much needed in this particular scenario.

 

[MYOB]

We will play North coming off a 9 day break compared to their 6.
The 9 day break will be handy aftet playing on a 5 and 6 day break the previous 2 weeks

 

[Bulldoge]

Looks like we're on night shift, start training with yellow footy's

 

[weltschmerz]

I just realised we have a 5 day break followed by a 6 day break to start. Surely it could've been thought out a little bit better? Will certainly be interesting with a lot less footy staff trying to keep everyone healthy!

Wasn’t that why they shortened games?

 

[weltschmerz]

Are St Kilda fans already declaring that Max King will win the match off his own boot even though it's just his second game?

 

[Northernsoul74]

Are St Kilda fans already declaring that Max King will win the match off his own boot even though it's just his second game?

If they’ve seen Gardner play you can understand their confidence.

 

[Optimistic Dog]

Outs from pies game Hunter and Gardner

 

[weltschmerz]