AFL Grand Final Grand Final, 2023: Collingwood v Brisbane

[tomjoad]

At least at our next grand final we will get a re United Oasis as pregame entertainment in 2034

Blur actually wouldn't be the worst
#Parklife at the G.

 

[tomjoad]

I'm genuinely scared that the AFL is going to conspire to get us over the line to break the drought and keep Saints fans happy and our next premiership will be a worthless charity win and most Saints fans would take it and beat their chests proudly about It.

That thought has crossed my mind too Austinnn.
Do you know what? I'd humbly take it.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

I do. I don’t give a s**t who won. Not sure how old you are, but when I started following footy there were 12 sides. I’ve seen 11 of them in one form or another win a flag. Most of them multiple times. There’s only one side that hasn’t won one. We all know who that side is.

I won’t mention the numerous new franchises who have been around for 5 minutes who have also experienced the ultimate.

It’s genuinely depressing.

I feel you. I was there in 09 and 10. I'm definitely younger than you. But no less passionate.

Every time I watch a gf I look at the losing team and cry a little inside cos I've been there.

But this sport is amazing. And I care deeply about it.

And I hope that one day I'll be on the other side just like you

 

[tomjoad]

Reality is run wins modern footy
Pies looked quicker , got it to outside and used it well
Lions midfield in centre clearance were awol
We are imo 1-2 gun mids short ….maybe a Dougal upgrade down back as well
I do think Pies forwards - even Lions looked more dangerous than Butler /Higgins….
Ok maybe few gun small forwards short as well…
We’re a bit short is the message

Also lack creativity once out of the backline. One, because our older core are middling players at best (Hill and Wood somewhat exempt) Two, because even our best onballers aren't elite users (Crouch, Steele, and RoMa) and Three, because we're waiting for the kids to come on a bit.
I think we're a season or two away from doing special or worth noting. Once we get rid of our "happy-go-lucky," "nice job if you can get it," middling core of a group, we'll start seeing the teeth of this side, rather than its sift underbelly.

 

[StCicatriz]

I generally hate all the premiership winning teams but I liked seeing Brisbane beat Collingwood back in 2002 and 2003, I also liked seeing the Swans beat West Coast and the Hawks in 2005 and 2012 and the Dees beating the Dogs in 2021. Can't think of any others I have liked.

I probably would have liked seeing Brisbane beat Essendon in 2001 but I was too busy getting drunk at Oktoberfest to watch it. There was a place in Munich where you could watch it but I assumed Essendon would win again so I passed on the chance to watch it, I regret that now.



That would be the same time that hell freezes over.

Grand finals have lost their feel tbh. Just feels a bit meh now. Like repetitive. Nothing new has happened with them.

Even today's game heard people describe it as slow. Low energy.

 

[Plugger35]

I'm genuinely scared that the AFL is going to conspire to get us over the line to break the drought and keep Saints fans happy and our next premiership will be a worthless charity win and most Saints fans would take it and beat their chests proudly about It.

I've said to Bulldogs and Richmond supporters that I hope if we win a drought breaking flag it is won the hard way rather than being gifted umpire assisted flags like they were in 2016 and 2017. They get salty as f*** about it because deep down they know it's true.

The umpiring in the 2017 GF was almost as biased towards Richmond as it was towards the Bulldogs in 2016 but because Richmond won it pretty easily it gets glossed over. The Crows were right in it in the first half but the biased umpiring broke their spirit like the Swans in 2016.

I don't say the same thing about Melbourne winning their drought breaking flag in 2021 as they won it the hard way and not due to umpires.

 

[austinnn]

Blur actually wouldn't be the worst
#Parklife at the G.

St Charles Square our signature tune

 

[Diehard Saint]

Thank heavens that’s over … and that I’m not in Melbourne for a couple of weeks so things can blow over.
(Sorry for the rest of you!)

Yeah, I still haven't gotten over 2010. I'm not a nice person. I know less Lions fans than Pies fans so wanted the Lions to win. Why should others get to enjoy football.

Ditto.

 

[George]

At least we're on track now. I was way more depressed last year. I feel we're on the way now, whether we get there who knows but I can see a path.

Been saying that last 60 years LOL

 

[Banger9798]

Honestly man who ducking cares. Any team that's not us isn't us. What hurts more dogs dees or pies ? Its all the same.

If the lions won would it be any better ?

Wel get there one day

Will we?
Even making finals this year, we still don't feel in the window, or even near the window. We have to pay overs for any trade that comes our way, no freebies through father -son like Geelong or Magpies. Our best players are rookie list graduates....not sure if that brings hope or dashes it.

 

[MUFKilda]

A good competitive match that could have gone either way and was tense right to the end. Can’t ask for more than that as a neutral really. I enjoyed it right up to the final hooter because it was a close contest. Well done to Collingwood. After several near misses in recent years it gets the monkey off their back. Very good effort by Brisbane, they’ve had a fine year. Two good sides who gave it everything on the day. A match worthy of a GF.

 

[Plugger35]

Yeah it's good to see Collingwood finally get that monkey off their back to win their first flag since 2010.

They have done it tough since then too making another GF in 2011, a prelim in 2012, a GF in 2018 and two other prelims in 2019 and 2022.

It's been a real lean run for them compared to the run of success we have had in that time.

 

[MUFKilda]

Yeah it's good to see Collingwood finally get that monkey off their back to win their first flag since 2010.

They have done it tough since then too making another GF in 2011, a prelim in 2012, a GF in 2018 and two other prelims in 2019 and 2022.

It's been a real lean run for them compared to the run of success we have had in that time.

Saints will always be a different kettle of fish. What we call a lean spell is counted in eons by other clubs. They work by the calendar; we use geological eras. Hard yakka.

 

[Plugger35]

Saints will always be a different kettle of fish. What we call a lean spell is counted in eons by other clubs. They work by the calendar; we use geological eras. Hard yakka.

I have only been supporting St Kilda for the past 30 odd years which is a relatively successful period in our 150 years of history.

I've had it pretty good compared to some previous generations of Saints supporters.

It's a tough hard slog being a Saints supporter but it's character building and it just makes those rare moments of success even sweeter.

 

[MUFKilda]

I have only been supporting St Kilda for the past 30 odd years which is a relatively successful period in our 150 years of history.

I've had it pretty good compared to some previous generations of Saints supporters.

It's a tough hard slog being a Saints supporter but it's character building and it just makes those rare moments of success even sweeter.

I’m only a few years in, but in that time we’ve made finals twice, which isn’t a bad record. Yes, we’ve had a few terrible seasons in there, but it could have been worse. I don’t think we’ve been wooden spooners in my time following the game.

 

[NoisyMinor]

I’m only a few years in, but in that time we’ve made finals twice, which isn’t a bad record. Yes, we’ve had a few terrible seasons in there, but it could have been worse. I don’t think we’ve been wooden spooners in my time following the game.

2014 was the most recent spoon for us.

 

[Banger9798]

2014 was the most recent spoon for us.

And it got us Paddy McCartin....so....swings and roundabouts

 

[beside the seaside]

Been saying that last 60 years LOL

Point I'm making is it's easier to cop when you're at least a finals side. The last few years we've been in the wilderness and the grand final has hurt more, in my experience.

 

[gringo2011]

The core of our next push isn’t conditioned at all. That’s the exciting part.

They all need to push up a level. Billings, Gresham, Dunstan, McCartin and a pile of others were all going to carry us forward. So far Nas is the only player that we've drafted that looks like he's already 100% exceeded expectation and already in our top 6 or so players. King looks likely to step up with a full season too.

The rest are still potential but promising. If that generation plateaus into GOPs we are going to struggle to move forward beyond mid table. We have to keep using those first and second round picks on drafting youth and try to pick off players that are young but have unrealised potential in trades with the junk picks.

If SOS and Gubby have a couple of bad years they have to be under the most scrutiny of anyone in the club. Apart from Toce they are the most important people at the club just about. Get list management and drafting right and you're 90% there. McRae is a good coach but without his list he's going nowhere.

 

[gringo2011]

I'm genuinely scared that the AFL is going to conspire to get us over the line to break the drought and keep Saints fans happy and our next premiership will be a worthless charity win and most Saints fans would take it and beat their chests proudly about It.

I'd take that.

 

[gringo2011]

Will we?
Even making finals this year, we still don't feel in the window, or even near the window. We have to pay overs for any trade that comes our way, no freebies through father -son like Geelong or Magpies. Our best players are rookie list graduates....not sure if that brings hope or dashes it.

We should be cautiously optimistic IMO. This generation coming through looks on track to be at least good. The period between drafting Brendan Goddard (lucky break due to Carlton cheating) and Max King were an absolute disgrace. As John Beverage got to retirement age we just kept pushing him out part time and then grabbed the Geelong guy who got us a few good players that went to other clubs because Ross wasn't playing them.

Then Trout and Pelican pretty much went on some kind of acid bender and just made bad decision after bad decision. Even after we'd got rid of Pelican we kept Trout who was a line coach under Ross Lyon that had personal issues so we gave him a job in an area he had no experience in and kept him for ever with no KPIs to meet. We then cut the footy department spend so that talent identification internally, development and list management were all nearly comical.

Add some coaches that were as creative as concrete and that's how you blow a decade doing nothing and have nothing much to show for your time.

The good news is that in a 5 year cycle you can pretty much put together a competitive list but you have to be disciplined. Having Lyon as a coach sets a bar at a standard that should be a minimum and the new kids are learning to meet that as their base line. We were drifting on the ocean of mediocrity before and were always trying to hide from our mistakes. Lyon is going to at least build this wall with some mortar in it rather hold a sheet up in front of our shame.

Footy department spend is also on track for the first time in decades, possibly ever. Collingwood are the most successful club in footy. They've played in more GFs than anyone and have matched the Blues and Dons for flags. Part of it is incredibly high standards are demanded and players coming in have to meet them but huge part is that they are well supported and have always had a huge amount to spend on the best backroom staff.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

I'm genuinely scared that the AFL is going to conspire to get us over the line to break the drought and keep Saints fans happy and our next premiership will be a worthless charity win and most Saints fans would take it and beat their chests proudly about It.

Every other club gets a leg up to win the flag.

 

[cowboy18]

Yes, reading above, I think it's worth taking a little break from reflection on the club's historical lack of success. Both overall in our putrid track record and the generational failures on the big stage (esp the winnable games 71, 97, 04 prelim, 09, 10 game1) since I first started supporting in 1970.

But it seems to be really messing with the psyche of the supporters and destroy the joy of watching the game, as well as celebrating or simply acknowledging the well-earned successes of others. For instance, I was watching Insiders on ABC and found Luke Ball's introduction as a "Collingwood premiership player" and Caroline Wilson's suggestion that 2010 game 1 was one of the all-time great finals a bit much.

Thankfully our memberships automatically renew and I'm not organised enough (and still too invested) to cancel that.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

But it seems to be really messing with the psyche of the supporters and destroy the joy of watching the game, as well as celebrating or simply acknowledging the well-earned successes of others

2010 still destroys us. That's the driver behind it

I've not enjoyed a GF since then myself.

 

[gringo2011]

Yes, reading above, I think it's worth taking a little break from reflection on the club's historical lack of success. Both overall in our putrid track record and the generational failures on the big stage (esp the winnable games 71, 97, 04 prelim, 09, 10 game1) since I first started supporting in 1970.

But it seems to be really messing with the psyche of the supporters and destroy the joy of watching the game, as well as celebrating or simply acknowledging the well-earned successes of others. For instance, I was watching Insiders on ABC and found Luke Ball's introduction as a "Collingwood premiership player" and Caroline Wilson's suggestion that 2010 game 1 was one of the all-time great finals a bit much.

Thankfully our memberships automatically renew and I'm not organised enough (and still too invested) to cancel that.

What's s**t is that we've been to more GFs than the Dogs but won less. They are 2 from 4. We are 1 from 7. For a traditionally small and struggling club it's not a bad effort. Just got to make it count next time.