Losing a GF vs Losing a PF - which is a worse feeling?

Which is a worse feeling?


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2013 GF hurt badly and I still refuse to watch a replay of that game.

2015 PF on the other hand, what with dodgy umpiring, biased commentary; this match convinced me beyond all doubt that no-one wants us to succeed. **** the umpires, **** the media and **** the AFL who didn't want an all-WA Grand Final.
At the game. You were s**t.

Hawthorn were also s**t but s**t for fewer periods of the game.

Get over it.
 
For me having seen 70, 77, 79, 80, 81, 02, 03 and 11 losing GFs is much worse. 2 drawn GFs were weird feelings and 1990 followed by 2010 the 2 greatest days of my life. Sorry kids.

Losing PFs fade away more easily and quickly. They hurt, but you didnt make the big dance and you cant delude yourself as much. I still relive and whatif 70 and 77 all these years later
Dunno, 2007 hurts a lot more than 2003. We should've got the job done.
 

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At the game. You were s**t.

Hawthorn were also s**t but s**t for fewer periods of the game.

Get over it.

We didn't play well but regardless, dodgy umpiring didn't help.

What made it worse was the painful pro-Hawks commentary that night which probably exacerbates my feelings about that game.
 
Yeah, context is key.

The Dogs being denied in yet another prelim, this time by the AFL's 5 year old poster boy... Seeing another club that had never had to suffer come along and get that that chance so quickly (a la Eagles, Crows, Port) after everything our club had been through, all that waiting and frustration, would have been devastating.

You Serious, Adelaide and west coast were given nothing, in fact we had to pay the VFL/AFL a entry of fee of 6.3 million to enter the league to bank role your financially stricken clubs, your clubs incompetence is the reason you only have 2 premierships in 90 years or whatever it is. All the clubs who came in to the competition in the 80's and 90's were given nothing compared to what Gold coast and GWS have been given.
 
Copping a rightful toweling in 07 hurt but losing a real close one would be just ******* frustrating.
You get flogged I guess its more "well that was s**t!". Get through the phases of grief and move on.
A close one you start asking and delving deeply into the ifs, the maybes, the missed shots, the %1's.
 
Copping a rightful toweling in 07 hurt but losing a real close one would be just ******* frustrating.
You get flogged I guess its more "well that was s**t!". Get through the phases of grief and move on.
A close one you start asking and delving deeply into the ifs, the maybes, the missed shots, the %1's.

And that's just as a supporter.

Imagine being a player.
 
You Serious, Adelaide and west coast were given nothing, in fact we had to pay the VFL/AFL a entry of fee of 6.3 million to enter the league to bank role your financially stricken clubs, your clubs incompetence is the reason you only have 2 premierships in 90 years or whatever it is. All the clubs who came in to the competition in the 80's and 90's were given nothing compared to what Gold coast and GWS have been given.

Read my post again, deadweight, I didn't say you were given anything. Some people are so determined to moron.
 
Honestly depends on how your team performs on Grand final day and historical context.

Sydney fans surely can't be too dismal about 2016. 2 flags in a decade, tough fight on GF day, got to be part of a great game, not embarrassed. Why would you take a prelim loss over it? Freo got a big chip off the shoulder in 2013 by just making it.

At my own level it was always can your team hold their heads high. If we were flogged, it was an awful feeling running around for an hour plus knowing you've lost the big one and it's not great. But one of my best memories in footy was losing by 6 points to the clear best team in it with an undermanned side (started the game with just 3 on the bench and lost 2 players during the game), lost by 60 and 80 odd during the regular season, but while it was disappointing looking at the scoreboard as the siren went, within about 10 seconds I was walking around with my head high knowing we had 'done ourselves proud', apologies for the cliche. No way I'd rather a prelim loss over the chance to prove yourself on the biggest day of your league, whatever the level/standard.
 
Not that I think most are 'preferring' a prelim loss, but without being dramatic, I think I'd almost consider it weak to want a prelim loss over a grand final loss as a player.

Sure it hurts but if you would rather a prelim loss over a gf loss just to avoid that hurt, missing out on the opportunity to perform and be involved on grand final day, I think that would be considered a losers attitude.

Not sure anyone has said anything to the contrary but that's, y attitude to what I would rather.
 

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In my years of playing football, I have won and lost Preliminary and Grand Finals so I speak with experience when I say losing a Prelim is much worse because at the end of the day you can't even say you got into the GF. My first Prelim loss was pretty hard, went down by 1 point in Under 12's. A year later we finished 4th but came up won the Prelim and Grand Final in U14's. Next year we were on a roll and finished 2nd but got smashed in the Grand Final by probably 80 points. Maybe the question is raised whether or not the closeness of Finals determines the amount of heartbreak. In my experience I can confirm that premise.
 
In my years of playing football, I have won and lost Preliminary and Grand Finals so I speak with experience when I say losing a Prelim is much worse because at the end of the day you can't even say you got into the GF. My first Prelim loss was pretty hard, went down by 1 point in Under 12's. A year later we finished 4th but came up won the Prelim and Grand Final in U14's. Next year we were on a roll and finished 2nd but got smashed in the Grand Final by probably 80 points. Maybe the question is raised whether or not the closeness of Finals determines the amount of heartbreak. In my experience I can confirm that premise.
Btw just in case you were wondering after that GF loss the next season we sunk to the bottom and have yet to play finals since :))
 
The 1994 Preliminary Final hurt a lot more than 1998 Grand Final loss, but it depends on the circumstances. In 1998 we shot ourselves in foot and then were out played in the second half. The 1994 Preliminary Final was taken away from us by the umpires, not the opposition.
 
Honestly depends on how your team performs on Grand final day and historical context.

Sydney fans surely can't be too dismal about 2016. 2 flags in a decade, tough fight on GF day, got to be part of a great game, not embarrassed. Why would you take a prelim loss over it? Freo got a big chip off the shoulder in 2013 by just making it.

At my own level it was always can your team hold their heads high. If we were flogged, it was an awful feeling running around for an hour plus knowing you've lost the big one and it's not great. But one of my best memories in footy was losing by 6 points to the clear best team in it with an undermanned side (started the game with just 3 on the bench and lost 2 players during the game), lost by 60 and 80 odd during the regular season, but while it was disappointing looking at the scoreboard as the siren went, within about 10 seconds I was walking around with my head high knowing we had 'done ourselves proud', apologies for the cliche. No way I'd rather a prelim loss over the chance to prove yourself on the biggest day of your league, whatever the level/standard.
Think it just adds to their pain of 2014.
 
From my experience, the closer the game is, the worst the loss feels regardless whether the game is the prelim or the grand final.

Carlton losing the 1976 prelim against the kangaroos at Waverley was worst than any of the losing Carlton grand finals that I remember.

Carlton had finished on top of the ladder in '76 but lost the prelim by 1 point. Numerous shots at goal in the final minutes of that game resulted in a point, out on the full or marked by Blight. As a kid I was devastated by that loss and left me wondering 'what if'.

The blues grand final losses of 1973, 1986, 1993 & 1999 were at least 5 goals or more. With those losing margins it was easy for me to accept that we were simply not good enough on the day and could move on quickly. Besides, we did not dominate those seasons.
The 1999 loss was the easiest of the lot to accept as the kangas were worthy winners and it was incredible that we made it to the grand final in the first place as Essendon were on fire.
 
Losing a preliminary final is worse because of the what ifs.

Yeah I'm sure Richmond supporters are much more devastated than Pies supporters who didn't ask themselves what if once on that infamous passage of play with a couple minutes left.
 
You always want to go as far as possible so I guess in general it has to be a PF. So close to the last day but no.

It really depends on expectations though.

For us in 2016 it never seemed likely our maiden finals campaign would be anything more that a couple of finals for experience. The QF win did raise expectations a but though.

In 2017 it was actually the QF loss that hurt. It was obvious we were a bit short of the best after that. We got players back from injury for the finals and expectations were pretty high.
 
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