It's Almost Time

[forwardflanker]

I'm getting quite concerned about injuries and also players who have just returned form injury who are low on match fitness and practice. As it stands we can handle but one or two mnore injuries to key players and it starts becoming a pretty big concern.

 

[Jesus Baulks]

I've got to say all of you who believe that Mick is holding something back and its simply a matter of saying ok boys 4 quarters of press.....lets turn it on now.

I think if it hasn't happened so far we are roughly doing about as good as we are going to do and there isn't like some massive 50% improvement left. Hope I am wrong but I think the time to start turning that on would have been now basically....

Is everyone forgetting our lead into finals last year?

We got beaten by Hawthorn and limped over the line against Adelaide. We don't need to be running on all cylinders 6 weeks over from the GF. We were primed for the prelim final than as well and it showed, we put Geelong to the sword that night.

Everything we would be doing now, our training programs, our player management, our game strategies, will all be geared solely to being in the best shape possible come the prelim final and GF (no offense to WCE in the QF, but don't be surprised if we only play half a game of real football here).

Maxwell won't be playing forward come finals, Luke Rounds won't be in the team, Blair won't be starting in at centre bounces, Ben Reid won't be getting subbed off, we won't be playing 3 ruckmen, Harry O won't be missing games to hang out with Deepak Chopra....

I wouldn't say Mick is 'holding something back' per se, but the team we are seeing at the moment isn't the team that will run out in the prelim and GF (and I don't just mean in terms of personnel).

Dawes and Tooves back this week, Wellingham reportedly okay, Heath Shaw chomping at the bit to go in the QF, Didak now with a couple of half games under his belt. We're tracking reasonably well IMO.

 

[mattys123]

Interesting to see the percentages this week.

Because both the Cats and us didn't have big wins, we both dropped down a little bit overall, but it's pretty safe to say the Cats won't catch up to us on percentage now.

Pies % = 182.79
Cats % = 157.67

Also for and against are interesting;

Pies For = 2305
Cats For = 2315 (League best by 10 points)

Pies Against = 1261 (League best by 143 points)
Cats Against = 1467

Of course the Cats still have a bye, so we have one more game then them to go, but it's pretty safe to say we will have a better for and against then them in both categories come the end of round 24.

Basically what all this means is we will finish on top (if we beat Freo and the Lions) and have the best for and the lowest against totals in the whole AFL.

 

[Frankie23]

I'm getting quite concerned about injuries and also players who have just returned form injury who are low on match fitness and practice. As it stands we can handle but one or two mnore injuries to key players and it starts becoming a pretty big concern.

Beside Maxy and Shaw, everyone else should be primed for finals...

Dawes and Toovey are back this week, but remember they had hand injuries, so I wouldn't expect it to take too long for them to regain their match fitness (both are pretty fit anyway). Didak has been managed perfectly, Sharrod is a wait and see but he has 3 weeks to get it right, whilst really I don't have any concerns over Heath regaining his touch, look what Arizona did to Swan..

I think our list is travelling beautifully, everything is shaping up perfectly for a tilt at back to back flags..

 

[blaze036]

cats arnt purring. wojo chappy brynes enright ling mooney milburn scarlett all showing the signs of age and will have their worst finals series ever.

Their young kids arnt that skilled and will go missing in the big games, im more worried about hawks carlton eagles, this "most fatiguing season ever" is gonna hit geelong like a tonne of bricks soon, if it hasnt already (mooney scarlett milburn)

 

[mwalker]

I've got a feeling we won't treat round 24 like areas rubber. It will be statement making time to geelong. 4qtr press where they will shot bricks like they did in the prelim

I am hoping this as well. Although I think we will see it in the first half against Freo just to put the cue in the rack early.

No need against Brisbane.

 

[MegaBob]

Of all the contenders, I'm most frightened of Hawthorn. I feel Geelong have to burn out at some point (tonight's showing against the Crows helped that along). I'd prefer to not play Carlton, although ending their season seems like a delicious prospect. Saints could be dangerous too.

As much as I love finals footy, it turns me into a nervous wreck. Sudden death games are bloody terrifying. Drawn GFs are something else entirely.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

I am legitimately shocked any of you are seriously worried about it this year.

We are so far ahead it's not even funny. You need to look at these H&A games the same way the club does, as an extended NAB Cup.

You'll see a different team in a few weeks time. One that is literally unstoppable.

 

[HeavyPop]

I don't care who we play. Nearly every finals game has the same feeling. I just re-watched the 2010 Prelim and still got excited during the first quarter.

If Shpeshal Ed believes we are unbeatable, then I don't know how anyone can disagree.

 

[free at last]

What are the chances you guys could rest a plethora of your guns in round 23?
I think it would be very strategic move,no travel fatigue,nice & fresh to put the cats to the sword,thus driving home a huge psychological advantage.

 

[Pie eyed]

I am legitimately shocked any of you are seriously worried about it this year.

We are so far ahead it's not even funny. You need to look at these H&A games the same way the club does, as an extended NAB Cup.

You'll see a different team in a few weeks time. One that is literally unstoppable.

I have to say Ed, your turn around over the last 2 season must be one of the most dramatic in BF history.
I'm pretty optimistic too, but that's tempered with a lifetime of bad memories.
I've just got my fingers crossed some "unseen" forces remain on our side.
Though I'm really looking forward to confirming my GF seats in the near future.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

I have to say Ed, your turn around over the last 2 season must be one of the most dramatic in BF history.
I'm pretty optimistic too, but that's tempered with a lifetime of bad memories.
I've just got my fingers crossed some "unseen" forces remain on our side.
Though I'm really looking forward to confirming my GF seats in the near future.

Well, in all fairness, before last year we had shown nothing, and in all honesty, I hadn't really seen anything to suggest otherwise.

Technically, I haven't really changed, I've always called it as I saw it, and still do.

Also, I can't be anything other than optimistic, because the coach I really want takes over Collingwood next year, so we're only going to get better. I've watched a lot of our opposition prety closely this year, and I've seen nothing to suggest that we won't be going back to back short of any sort of act of god.

We'd have to basically stuff up on a Geelong level of 08 or worse to not win this year's flag, because right now, I can't see anyone good enough to actually legitimately take it off us.

A full strength Hawthorn is ALWAYS a threat, but they're not full strength.

 

[Pie eyed]

I've got to say all of you who believe that Mick is holding something back and its simply a matter of saying ok boys 4 quarters of press.....lets turn it on now.

I think if it hasn't happened so far we are roughly doing about as good as we are going to do and there isn't like some massive 50% improvement left. Hope I am wrong but I think the time to start turning that on would have been now basically....

I definitely had the feeling MM was holding back against St Kilda.
As soon as a I saw Maxwell forward.
By holding back I mean he made sure they did not get a good look at our normal structure.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Mick's in his last year of coaching, he's going to pull all sorts of tricks, and try all manner of gimmicks to ensure that second flag is ours.

The beauty of the great Nathan being opposition coach, is that while we're tinkering, experiementing and resting, we're still shutting down opposition while not really performing our game the way we plan to come September.

As I said earlier, you will see an almost different team come September. Intensity levels will be through the roof.

 

[lgarth80]

I can see a press being put on in the first half of round 24 v Geelong. If the press works, and the Pies are 5-6 goals up at half time, I can see us playing keepings off for a half trying to preserve our team, and the Cats will probably play along. Will be a soft second half most likely.

Still think we will have to beat Hawthorn in the Prelim to make a GF, and nothing's certain, though we could hardly be in a better spot at the moment, despite all the injuries.

Competition for places is massive, there is leadership strength at all levels, and a coach and playing group hell-bent on back-to-back. Would be a great exclamation mark if we can win our next 6.

 

[Jelly Bean]

I definitely had the feeling MM was holding back against St Kilda.
As soon as a I saw Maxwell forward.
By holding back I mean he made sure they did not get a good look at our normal structure.

I really really doubt this.

Nick played forward because he needed a defensive job on Fisher (particularly because we were shorter than usual with no Dawes), and also because (as we will see more and more) there was no particular match-up for him down back.

If the Saints wanted to look at our structure, they could just watch any game we play this year, I doubt Mick tried to hide something that is so apparent on the field.