Losing a Grand Final or Preliminary Final?

[fpm84]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

I've woken up today with a strange sense of relief. When we lost to the Saints in the QF, I couldn't shake the feeling that our flag dream was over... I couldn't see us beating Collingwood and (likely) St Kilda in successive weeks to win it. And having suffered through 2008 at the ground, I really don't think I could have handled another GF loss. Of course you've got to be in it to win it etc, but St Kilda has shown this year it can match us and they would have had the 'revenge' factor we drew up last year in the last quarter.

Of course I'm disappointed about last night, but we stuttered our way through the season and never really put in a four quarter effort apart from the Dogs game. It was inevitable that the hunger would wane after four years of teams trying to smash us each and every week. Our win-loss record since 2007 is amazing and to have two premierships and two Brownlows (plus all the All Australians, MVPs etc) to go with it results in a period that will quite possibly never be bettered in the same timeframe.

 

[_Me_]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

i now know what port supporters felt in 2007

not a nice feeling


costa deserved a better send off, than the crap these boys put on last night
ordinary game of football from the boys

 

[fpm84]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

i now know what port supporters felt in 2007

not a nice feeling


costa deserved a better send off, than the crap these boys put on last night
ordinary game of football from the boys

Ordinary game of football or just beaten by a better side?

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

Collingwood simply wanted it a lot more than our boys did. There's not much more to it than that. I hope it hurts them like it hurts me and I'm sure it will. This is a bunch of players who have given up a ton of money to stay in the blue and white hoops and I hope they can bounce back.

And for me, losing a grand final would easily be more preferable than a preliminary. Not even close. Losing the preliminary is an experience I haven't had a lot in my lifetime. Just so...deflating.

 

[i_need_a_pencil]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

wow - I've never seem such joy at losing a final!

Yeah, lol... I thought I'd look at the positives. Because we were never a chance to beat you guys in the PF, and would have lost to you in the GF if we had of beaten the Saints.

I wouldn't really call it joy though - still hurts regardless.

 

[yebbo]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

Sit back all week and smoke or drink it up (whatever drugs you guys take) and enjoy not having to endure a week of stress and the shakes in the last qtr when a goal either way wins it for either team.

Sit down Saturday and watch and tune out to who will win cos really the Saints win - great, the Pies win - great, the Saints lose - great, the Pies lose - great. Pity they both cant f%$en lose though but unfortunetly that cant happen.

Didnt know Trevor Barkers old man died the other night, maybe its a sign for the Saints, thats all it takes sometimes and Geelong had a few bad signs this year round.

 

[Shell]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

Funny thing is, i thought of the same thing tonight.

Agree with what everyone else has already written and would say that i would much rather lose the Prelim.

It might have been different however if the game was much closer but the fact we were never really in it, i was a bit more prepared and it had sunk in.

It was good to see that most supporters stuck around till the end though!!

There were quite a few people leave at half time and 3/4 time in our bay. But eh, if thats what they wanna do that's their choice. We had a ball in the last quarter, cheering all the goals, having a laugh. What else can you do???


And absolutely, losing a prelim over a GF. 2008 and 1995 were just horrible.

 

[maryjames]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

I was happy we played Pies in the Prelim rather then the GF..

 

[catburr]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

after 89 92 94 95 08 a PF any day..

Thankyou Cats for the best 4 years of footy following I have ever had

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

Id rather lose a Pre-lim. Asked my mate today who is an Essendon supporter, which loss was worse 01 GF or 99 Pre lim and he said 99. But yeah last night i was fine really. Got 2 flags, considered one of the all time great teams. I never thought id see them win a flag to be honest. So i'm ****ing wrapped.

 

[Beth]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

I've woken up today with a strange sense of relief. When we lost to the Saints in the QF, I couldn't shake the feeling that our flag dream was over... I couldn't see us beating Collingwood and (likely) St Kilda in successive weeks to win it. And having suffered through 2008 at the ground, I really don't think I could have handled another GF loss. Of course you've got to be in it to win it etc, but St Kilda has shown this year it can match us and they would have had the 'revenge' factor we drew up last year in the last quarter.

Of course I'm disappointed about last night, but we stuttered our way through the season and never really put in a four quarter effort apart from the Dogs game. It was inevitable that the hunger would wane after four years of teams trying to smash us each and every week. Our win-loss record since 2007 is amazing and to have two premierships and two Brownlows (plus all the All Australians, MVPs etc) to go with it results in a period that will quite possibly never be bettered in the same timeframe.

I agree with this. Im gutted its over but its not a patch on how bad I felt after 89, 92, 94, 95, 08...(god thats sounds awful!) Actually 95 I was embittered and my black black heart didn't register it. Anyway I'd rather lose a prelim.

 

[noclashjumpers]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

I don't feel anywhere near as bad as 2008. And even that was nothing on 1995.

BUT! I feel a weird sense of mourning, because this is the end of the great team we've gotten used to. Sure we should still be good, top 4 possibly. But whichever way you slice it, it is undoubtedly an end of an era.

However, there's also a sense of reflection. We have all been alive to wittness the greatest most dominant Geelong side of all time. And what an amazing ride it was.

I feel sad, but privileged.

 

[Nankervis brothers]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

I'll take a PF loss over a GF loss any day. When your club makes a GF the stakes become so much higher, and defeat hurts so much more.

That said, it depends a bit on where the club is at the time. I mean, losing the 89 GF hurt, but it was the first GF we had been in for over 20 years, the first time i had ever seen the club in a GF, and an incredible match. If it is possible to celebrate losing a GF then that was as close as you will get to it.

92, 94, 95 were a different story. While we were not really the best team in any of those years, those loses were still very bleak. And 08, when we were the best team that season..... well, that loss hurt a lot at the time (though the 09 Flag and regular wins over hawthorn have since made up for it).

As for Fridays loss, i am not cut up. We had an incredible 4 years. The team managed 83 wins from 100 games - the most 'winning' team in VFL/AFL history. They picked up a couple of flags along the way, a couple of Brownlow medals, a couple of minor premierships, and have an unprecedented number of AA players on their list. They developed a beautiful style of football that was a joy to watch. Basically we have been watching a golden era with few rivals.

 

[DeanoT]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

92, 94, 95 were a different story. While we were not really the best team in any of those years, those loses were still very bleak.

We were the best team in '92 over the course of the H&A games, we just couldn't put the Eagles away in a final. 3 goals up just before half time in the GF only to capitulate - that hurt.

'89 Hawks were better, same for '94 Eagles, and '95 I wish we never made the GF, Carlton were that good.

 

[Nankervis brothers]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

We were the best team in '92 over the course of the H&A games, we just couldn't put the Eagles away in a final. 3 goals up just before half time in the GF only to capitulate - that hurt.

'89 Hawks were better, same for '94 Eagles, and '95 I wish we never made the GF, Carlton were that good.

The 92 season was so close. We finished the H and A first only by percentage to Collingwood and Footscray, with the Eagles just a win behind. But the Eagles matched up so well on us. Still, as you mention, squandering a half time lead was a complete downer.

And yes, we were always doomed against Carlton in 95. They were a class above, though they were probably cheating the salary cap at that point.

 

[catfan1]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

What a team, what a journey.The last 4 years have been an amazing ride,we have played the game true to our song and have earned the respect, and admiration of all the clubs.I will miss not being there this year but Collingwood are playing an awesome brand of footy. Losing to them in the prelim you can get over, a gf never.

 

[Cats408]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

I'd rather lose in a GF I'd have to say at least we made it tha far and good for the players to have a GF under their belt if they ever make it the next year or any following year for that matter as well.

 

[patience]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

If we hadn't made a GF in years you would probably prefer a GF. We were smashed to splinters at the end of a great era. Less painful in a PF.....I think....maybe

 

[Strangled Cat]

There's absolutely no way i would prefer to see us lose another GF. You can quickly forget a prelim, but a GF loss burns forever. I had a feeling at the start of this year that whatever happens, we will reach the end of our era, and that this would be our last shot at a GF.

As much as the GF loss in 08 hurt, and boy did it hurt, I knew we would come back in 09 even stronger and hungrier. I had been saying it all year in 09 that we would be like the Kangaroos of a decade ago, and come back stronger than ever after kicking ourselves out of the GF the year before.

This year though, even though we were strong, had some awesome wins, I felt that we were quite vulnerable. After the Carlton loss in round 5, I knew that this would be our last real shot for a GF. Round 9 gave me some false hope in that there wouldn't be any challengers as we beat the pies by 6 goals and the saints were struggling with a form lapse.

As the year progressed, it did become more apparent that if we were to win the flag again, it would be about us being good enough rather than anyone else being better. We were slower, playing in patches of brilliance rather than quarters or even games of brilliance.

Our inability to execute our game plan due to slower ageing players.meant that we were in unchartered territory when we turned the ball over, and we were getting slaughtered on the rebound. And for the first time this year, since our era begun, I doubted as to whether we had that ability to grind games out.

But for all the evidence that had been slowly encroaching into my mind over the course of the year that suggested our era of domination was at its twilight, the preliminary final was a sledgehammer smack in the face that no longer was our era of dominance over, we were no longer even contenders.

But unlike 08 as mentioned before, this is different. 08 was only made bearable by the thought of the boys going back for redemption. There would have been no redemption after this year, so to bow out at the end of out domination to the hands of a rampaging Collingwood would have been unbearable and it would have burned inside forever.

 

[scruffydog]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

Excitement? Perhaps a little, but mostly I remember lots of anxiety, tension, nervousness, sleeplessness, irritability, intense fear ............

Ok, maybe you're right. It's Monday morning and that just started kicking in. I can feel the nervousness building inside me

 

[jim boy]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

tonight's loss is 10% of how bad i felt after losing in 2008. just nowhere near it.

2005 was much worse than last Friday

 

[Strangled Cat]

Totally agreed mate 05 was like an uppercut in the solar plexus from Iron Mike. It hurt like hell, and I felt like I couldn't breath for an hour. Sydney winning it that year really made me wonder whether we could have made it all the way and won.

 

[scruffydog]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

Ok, maybe you're right. It's Monday morning and that just started kicking in. I can feel the nervousness building inside me

And now it begins again, with no confidence going into the second GF :/

 

[Hybrid7]

Re: Losing a GF or a PF?

Yeah I think the Pies supporters are going to be a hell of a lot quieter this week than last - they dont look like the unbeatable Juggernaut they did going into last weeks game.

Maxwell summed it up nicely when he said that they dodged a bullett not having extra time on saturday!!

Its going to be very very interesting!!

So, with the new 10 mins extra time, if its still drawn after that what happens? Grand final replay replay?
Would make things very humorous, cause I would say Saints supporters will be a lot more vocal this week than they were against the Pies supporters last week, if its a draw again we probably wouldnt hear boo from either side the week after