Holding back ?

[Mobbsy]

Have we been holding back?

We have known for a month, or maybe 2 that we were a good chance at playing off in the GF.

Could the players have been not digging too deep in preparation for the big dance?

We saw a sniff in the last qtr against Hawthorn.
A lot of games this year we have hit the front, backed off, motored a bit and won.

I like to think we will give 110% for 4qtrs for the first time in a long time.

If we improve and play our best....we will win !

 

[carnthepies19]

I agree, all the players will want the win, so they will hopefully keep going until they literally are dropping on the ground. Because there's no next week to prepare for (touch wood) we should be able to go flat out for the full game.

 

[Zahki]

You think they were holding back in a prelim final? Delusional.

 

[rocket1]

Yes, there's been a sense all year that they can turn it on or off at will. Some games they have just done enough to win by winning only one quarter, and other games they have smashed teams by winning three quarters.

Not one game this year have we smashed a team in every quarter, but will have to do this on Saturday and do feel that they have been leading up to being able to do that on the big day.

 

[Mobbsy]

You think they were holding back in a prelim final? Delusional.

maybe a cross between holding back and not being game fit.

Thomas and Reid got better as the game went on, Daisy took ages to get into the tempo.

Maxy, Heater, Dawes all had good hard game time.

I still believe if we go hard as for 4 qtr we will win.

 

[Number 10]

God, do I hope so.

 

[Mobbsy]

God, do I hope so.

I work in Geelong, in the media.... We Must

 

[dansa]

Not a chance.

Finals time really prompts some wishful thinking.

 

[SaddaZ]

I work in Geelong, in the media.... We Must

There's not a lot of incentive for a pies supporter to buy the addy ATM!

 

[Mobbsy]

There's not a lot of incentive for a pies supporter to buy the addy ATM!

if we win they should rename it the AdverPIEser

 

[larrikan]

Have we been holding back?

We have known for a month, or maybe 2 that we were a good chance at playing off in the GF.

Could the players have been not digging too deep in preparation for the big dance?

We saw a sniff in the last qtr against Hawthorn.
A lot of games this year we have hit the front, backed off, motored a bit and won.

I like to think we will give 110% for 4qtrs for the first time in a long time.

If we improve and play our best....we will win !

SSSShhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....the beast is about to get unleashed

 

[Mobbsy]

SSSShhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....the beast is about to get unleashed

always thought we were foxing a little

 

[Quicky]

I don't. Certainly not against the Eagles or Hawks. They just played really well and us not at our optimum but I don't think that was our design.

The round 24 game is another matter entirely. I don't think we could have done much more in many ways to concede a game and show an opposition sweet f-all.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

No holding back I'm afraid.

I was waiting for the Eagles game to see where we are at, and it appears we're spent. If we weren't spent, the Hawthorn game would have finished us off.

You heard the phrase 'played our Grand Final'? I think that might have been it.

 

[Mobbsy]

No holding back I'm afraid.

I was waiting for the Eagles game to see where we are at, and it appears we're spent. If we weren't spent, the Hawthorn game would have finished us off.

You heard the phrase 'played our Grand Final'? I think that might have been it.

Keep the faith.

Daisy, Maxy, Dawes, Reid just hitting straps.
Taz, Pendles, Swan, Harry,Trav, Ball all in fine form.

If Anvil, Dids, Beams, Tooves, Blair find touch we will be unstoppable.

Cats have had a couple of training runs, incl the Rd 24 'bye' with us.

Maybe, just maybe, the full finals manic pressure will shock the Cats.

 

[Somebody]

It's been talked about quite openly this week by coach and players - not holding back, but playing it safe - which is nto really safe at all, in fact on Saturday would be a recipe for certain failure.
so hopefully they can throw the handbrake lever out the window and go all out risk-taking extreme intensity play on at all cost footy.

 

[sr36]

We've been playing like a team with nothing to gain and everything to lose. In terms of expectations this has also been the case, as anything short of a Grand Final would have been seen as an abject failure for this team. The great news is that the balance has been restored and a premiership victory would rightfully be seen as a fantastic achievement. the pressure monkey that seems to have made us fear defeat and thus move the ball slowly has been removed. I reckon that we'll see a rejuvenated Pies take the game on and lift considerably.

Then again, this may just be wishful thinking.

 

[doppleganger]

We've been playing like a team with nothing to gain and everything to lose. In terms of expectations this has also been the case, as anything short of a Grand Final would have been seen as an abject failure for this team. The great news is that the balance has been restored and a premiership victory would rightfully be seen as a fantastic achievement. the pressure monkey that seems to have made us fear defeat and thus move the ball slowly has been removed. I reckon that we'll see a rejuvenated Pies take the game on and lift considerably.

Then again, this may just be wishful thinking.

Way I am leaning now too.

1st Q in the GF will tell the tale, will be able to tell then whether we are switched on or spluttering to the line.

Surely all supporters would be of the wishful persuasion in GF week!

 

[Fasta_123]

I don't doubt our first Qtr will be good. It's more the second and third that concerns me. We tend to come outta the blocks on fire and ready to set the tempo. Against Geelong we can set the tempo and be up by 6 goals at Qtr time but if we die off a little, they're good enough to come back. I got high hopes for beams this week. Have a remarkable playing record against the cats. Pretty sure he had 15 or so touches in the first Qtr against the cats in rd 24 only behind pendles with 18. We need cloke the human tank to just do what he's been doing all year. He's the best power forward in the league. Just gotta get Scarlett out of the game and not allow him to be 3rd man up. Goldsack would e te logical choice but who to drop? Only one would be didak. Could send Maxwell down on Scarlett but then we loose our 3rd man. This game could go either way.

 

[Ed D]

I don't think the team has been holding back, but I certainly don't think the team has been trying to win at all costs. Comments from players and Malthouse keep popping up. Against West Coast (who played a really good game) Malthouse made the comment that he wanted to be in front by 4 goals at 3/4 time so they could hold on to win. Then the way the team played against Hawthorn (who also played full on football) it didn't appear the the players were playing at full intensity until the final qtr, and then the players and Malthouse said we had to play more like that qtr instead of playing it safe, take some risks.

You can look at it however you like but both games IMO the players were leaving energy in the tank. Either way we've played in 2 consecutive games with the other team playing at full intensity, which is how the GF is going to be played. The team is prepared well, it's all about using all the energy you have to do all you can because there's no next week (unless the unlikely draw happens).

 

[Football God]

^ would the Arizona training play a role in this? Mick likes to refer the season as a marathon not a sprint and look how far weve come with this

 

[daics_35]

I dont think holding back is the right word but we deffs lift when we are introuble and dont let teams get too far ahead of us so we are a good chance of coming back. There is no way we are spent. Everyone on our team has pretty much missed games through injury or suspension like Reid, Johnson, Beams, Didak, Dawes, Wellingham, Swan, Thomas, Maxwell, Shaw. I am more confident this week then I was for both of the GFs last year. Micks last game and it being the GF, Geelong are gonna get a rude shock come QT, they wont know whats happening. Thats my honest opinion and not wishful thinking.

 

[jonbe54]

Definitely have been playing conservative footy recently.

Look lets compare last year to this year.

Last year we were the challengers, eager to prove our mettle and the Cats were the powerhouse of the AFL, we needed to make some statements to start teams thinking about the way we played football instead of how they played footy. But more than anything else we had to prove to ourselves that we could match and beat the best.

This year it is different, we are reigning premiers and a proven combination that has no need to prove anything to anyone - including ourselves. Often during the season we have visibly dropped back a gear and preserved ourselves and it's worked. As Mick has intimated you don't win the flag with a 100 point thrashing in July.

Injuries and suspensions haven't helped and there is little doubt the team isn't as composed as last year but really that's beside the point.

This team is all about work rate and desire, some are saying both have dropped off and statistically that may appear to be true but statistics are rubbery friends, you can make a set of figures mean anything with the right contextual setting.

I believe the team has been geared to peak for the finals but late injuries and especially a couple of foolish suspensions has held up that peak.

It remains to be seen if we can hit it Saturday but if we do I'll back the boys against anything except Armageddon - and I'll take even money on that!

If the boys bring their A game Saturday the Cats will have to produce the GF of all time to deny us, because simply put NOBODY outmuscles or outruns us when we are on top form!

 

[lgarth80]

At Mick's signal...

[YOUTUBE]Kc8fqgbU_SU[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Beastie03]

Collingwood were definately not holding back against the eagles and hawthorn and it shows what our current form is like. Its stupid to say we were holding back against hawthorn when the whole game we were behind and we were giving it our all against another team who were willing to give it their all. Geelong have made the press look like they are playing against an under 12's side. They have got it figured out.