Its On Again..........

[freocynic]

Football is not life and Death...its much more important than that! - Bill Shankley (Liverpool Manager)

I for one like the pre season derby. We have won the last few, the game is no way near the intensity of a 'real' derby, so it is not that draining, and I don't see how playing the e-girls in the NAB cup lessens any of the regular season derby's importance at all. Think about this years 2 regular season derbies. Were the crowds down? Were the games less intense? Both teams are still trying things in the NAB cup after all. If the regular season draw was even, ie we all played everyone home and away twice, it may be a different story. But its not and probably never will be, so the AFL have an obligation to schedule the most lucrative matches. The AFL draw isn't fair, but hey, life isn't fair. Get used to it.

I agree with GJ, Rick Hart could probably pipe and say a bit more to Eyebrows Demetriou

 

[sabre_ac]

I don't understand a lot of the thinking here...I know its only the NAB cup but shouldn't we try and win every game we play???

I think its been seen that players basically start the season with a finite tank, you play them too hard too early and they fade out or are more likely to be injured come season's end.

Could be why many of the bottom sides dominate the NAB cup, as they have nothing to loose.

I would like us to have a decent stab at the NAB derby, but would like to see a team much like the one we had against the Power.

 

[Freo Big Fella]

Ultimately, it would be great if we could get like a 'Darwin Dockers Supporters Club' or a 'Tassie Dockers Supporters Club' going with some decent numbers.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember seeing quite a reasonable swath of purple in the Darwin crowd when we played the bullies.

Not an enourmous issue for mine, we'll be playing the B-team for the South African game, so you'd assume there'd be a fairly minimal number that play both games. As long as Harves has his player management downpat we should be right.

Boycotting is stupid. We aren't one of Demitriou's favourites so we'd probably be slapped with a fine that would be better spent in other areas.

 

[estibador]

I don't understand a lot of the thinking here...I know its only the NAB cup but shouldn't we try and win every game we play???

I used to think that too.

But then this year I saw one of Freo's fairest (and best) players rubbed out for 4 weeks because the AFL had decided they needed a scapegoat to show off their shiny new rules. That's 4 weeks of the real season. The bullshit competition he was playing in wasn't even important enough for suspensions to count in.

Plus I realised all this talk of winning every comp was just a thinly disguised attempt by our club to boost the players' confidence. We're not an English soccer club. The NAB Cup isn't the FA Cup. Our coaching staff's aim to win the cup was more about getting an underachieving group to believe they were winners rather than any hunt for trophy glory.

Well winning the comp has done sweet FA for Carlton lately. We're not a bottom feeder. We don't need to win a meaningless tournament to believe we can compete. No club that's serious about the premiership is serious about the NAB cup.

So f**k the NAB Cup. F**k the AFL's attempts to convince us it's a meaningful comp using criminally disproportionate prize money. F**k the rule changes forcing players to spend their most important practice matches of the season playing by rules they won't be facing during the season. And most of all, f**k the AFL tribunal for their blatantly obvious attempts at snaring a scapegoat for every new crackdown they dream up. A crackdown that everyone knows won't last as the season goes on. Everyone except the AFL tribunal that is.

I say count backwards from the worst player on our list and that's our team. Get flogged in week 1 and concentrate on a low key buildup away from the cameras while the media write us off.

 

[Keys]

Blah blah blah - you know what you said.

And you are spot on - pre season is all about making sure the players are ready for Round 1. Victorian clubs need success in the preseason to drum up membership, Fremantle do not anymore than we do.

A derby in the preseason does no favours for either team, beacuase although the game means zilch, reality is the competitive instincts between the clubs raises the intensity of the game far higher than it deserves. FFS an exhibition game in London got the players from both sides up.

 

[estibador]

A derby in the preseason does no favours for either team, beacuase although the game means zilch, reality is the competitive instincts between the clubs raises the intensity of the game far higher than it deserves.

Exactly. It's like playing sport against your younger brother. You went out there to have a bit of fun but you'll be ****ed if you'll let that little bastard beat you. Even if it means you can't walk the next morning.

The AFL needs to wake up and realise what a gem they've got on their hands in the western derby. One of the standout games of the entire season, but every meaningless preseason game cheapens the real derbies. You can't ask players to play out a halfhearted practise western derby.

FFS an exhibition game in London got the players from both sides up.

And one of the coaches too.

Toilets can be hard to find sometimes.

 

[Keys]

Exactly. It's like playing sport against your younger brother. You went out there to have a bit of fun but you'll be ****ed if you'll let that little bastard beat you. Even if it means you can't walk the next morning.

Good analogy - having a younger brother myself I know exactly what you mean. Most games, even Monopoly ended in a puch up and I discovered that cricket stumps make an excellent spear.

The AFL needs to wake up and realise what a gem they've got on their hands in the western derby. One of the standout games of the entire season, but every meaningless preseason game cheapens the real derbies. You can't ask players to play out a halfhearted practise western derby.

Most people outside WA (maybe excluding South Australians) fail to understand the intensity of a derby. In years to come this will become the standout fixture of any season just as the Old Easts v Bulldogs games were. A derby GF when it happens will be a complete eye opener forthe rest of the country - it will dwarf the Carton V Collingwood games in intensity.

And one of the coaches too.

Toilets can be hard to find sometimes.

When you gotta go you gotta go.

 

[Moo]

Both sides just play the tweeners and kids .....cotton wool the stars and wait for the real stuff.

 

[royalsfan]

In early 1982 John todd's swan districts beat collingwood in the escort cup to set up a crucial match with richmond to get in the semi finals. The game was to be held in melbourne on a tuesday, after the swans had already played their regular wafl fixture. Todd said **** you to the then vfl and sent reserves and colts players, would have been a thrill, for them but the scoreline ended up 33 goals to 4.

My Thoughts are why can the eagles or dockers ever get a reasonable Nab cup fixture, we should put a united front up and boycott

Sorry for intruding - but - those are my thoughts as well. I refused to go last year and will do so again this year. The NAB is all about the dollars for the AFL, so if people don't attend the game, the AFL don't make any money. Easy.

 

[The Night Shift]

I used to think that too.

But then this year I saw one of Freo's fairest (and best) players rubbed out for 4 weeks because the AFL had decided they needed a scapegoat to show off their shiny new rules. That's 4 weeks of the real season. The bullshit competition he was playing in wasn't even important enough for suspensions to count in.

Plus I realised all this talk of winning every comp was just a thinly disguised attempt by our club to boost the players' confidence. We're not an English soccer club. The NAB Cup isn't the FA Cup. Our coaching staff's aim to win the cup was more about getting an underachieving group to believe they were winners rather than any hunt for trophy glory.

Well winning the comp has done sweet FA for Carlton lately. We're not a bottom feeder. We don't need to win a meaningless tournament to believe we can compete. No club that's serious about the premiership is serious about the NAB cup.

So f**k the NAB Cup. F**k the AFL's attempts to convince us it's a meaningful comp using criminally disproportionate prize money. F**k the rule changes forcing players to spend their most important practice matches of the season playing by rules they won't be facing during the season. And most of all, f**k the AFL tribunal for their blatantly obvious attempts at snaring a scapegoat for every new crackdown they dream up. A crackdown that everyone knows won't last as the season goes on. Everyone except the AFL tribunal that is.

I say count backwards from the worst player on our list and that's our team. Get flogged in week 1 and concentrate on a low key buildup away from the cameras while the media write us off.

Second that...

 

[summerthebat]

I used to think that too.

But then this year I saw one of Freo's fairest (and best) players rubbed out for 4 weeks because the AFL had decided they needed a scapegoat to show off their shiny new rules. That's 4 weeks of the real season. The bullshit competition he was playing in wasn't even important enough for suspensions to count in.

Plus I realised all this talk of winning every comp was just a thinly disguised attempt by our club to boost the players' confidence. We're not an English soccer club. The NAB Cup isn't the FA Cup. Our coaching staff's aim to win the cup was more about getting an underachieving group to believe they were winners rather than any hunt for trophy glory.

Well winning the comp has done sweet FA for Carlton lately. We're not a bottom feeder. We don't need to win a meaningless tournament to believe we can compete. No club that's serious about the premiership is serious about the NAB cup.

So f**k the NAB Cup. F**k the AFL's attempts to convince us it's a meaningful comp using criminally disproportionate prize money. F**k the rule changes forcing players to spend their most important practice matches of the season playing by rules they won't be facing during the season. And most of all, f**k the AFL tribunal for their blatantly obvious attempts at snaring a scapegoat for every new crackdown they dream up. A crackdown that everyone knows won't last as the season goes on. Everyone except the AFL tribunal that is.

I say count backwards from the worst player on our list and that's our team. Get flogged in week 1 and concentrate on a low key buildup away from the cameras while the media write us off.

Right on

 

[ImperialPurple]

I used to think that too.

But then this year I saw one of Freo's fairest (and best) players rubbed out for 4 weeks because the AFL had decided they needed a scapegoat to show off their shiny new rules. That's 4 weeks of the real season. The bullshit competition he was playing in wasn't even important enough for suspensions to count in.

Plus I realised all this talk of winning every comp was just a thinly disguised attempt by our club to boost the players' confidence. We're not an English soccer club. The NAB Cup isn't the FA Cup. Our coaching staff's aim to win the cup was more about getting an underachieving group to believe they were winners rather than any hunt for trophy glory.

Well winning the comp has done sweet FA for Carlton lately. We're not a bottom feeder. We don't need to win a meaningless tournament to believe we can compete. No club that's serious about the premiership is serious about the NAB cup.

So f**k the NAB Cup. F**k the AFL's attempts to convince us it's a meaningful comp using criminally disproportionate prize money. F**k the rule changes forcing players to spend their most important practice matches of the season playing by rules they won't be facing during the season. And most of all, f**k the AFL tribunal for their blatantly obvious attempts at snaring a scapegoat for every new crackdown they dream up. A crackdown that everyone knows won't last as the season goes on. Everyone except the AFL tribunal that is.

I say count backwards from the worst player on our list and that's our team. Get flogged in week 1 and concentrate on a low key buildup away from the cameras while the media write us off.

Great post IP.


Oh hang on....

 

[dominguez]

I don't understand a lot of the thinking here...I know its only the NAB cup but shouldn't we try and win every game we play???

Carlton have won 2 of the last 3 NAB cups so there is no correlation between winning in the pre-season and then in the season proper. IIRC Sydney lost all four pre-season games the year they won the flag.