Optimistic rather than doom gloom

[INSIGHT]

There have been lot of negative comments regarding our top four chances after our 2 losses. Yes I agree 2 losses in row is not good but the season is long one. The wce eagles was a big ask with a short break and the heat and Carlton loss was not good mainly caused by skill errors in kicking for goal and hitting targets. We are normally much better in this area and our contested footy is still good.

I believe we win this week we have good recent record against St Kilda and our most important player Adam Cooney will be back plus AKA, Murphy will be improved by the game last week. We will be 4/2 and then should be beat the Crows and Dees 6/2. From there we probably need to win 8 of last 14 games.

The main cause for the optimistic though is by the seasons end our young players in Williams Grant, Ward, Hill, Everitt will be much improved as the season progresses plus there is the promise of O'Keefe, Reid, Wood, roughead and Cordy maybe one these guys may come through.

I am not saying we will beat Geelong but I am very confident we can make the top 4.

 

[rodogs]

Yeah- those 3 paragraphs look good.

We haven't looked great in any game so far. Tigers and Freo totally dropped away which inflated the wins. WC we lacked intensity- but weren't far off. Blues we stunk in the skills/decision dept.

I think we're a bit unsettled. Getting games into Williams and Grant is important. Might cost us against Crows and Saints- pay off could be later in the year.

This week- Bob Murphy should be sharper. Hopefully Cooney can run- changes the midfield from hard/workmanlike to slick.

Optimisim certainly. Quite a bit of fine tuning needed though.

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

I believe we win this week we have good recent record against St Kilda and our most important player Adam Cooney will be back plus AKA, Murphy will be improved by the game last week. We will be 4/2 and then should be beat the Crows and Dees 6/2. From there we probably need to win 8 of last 14 games.

I hope like anything that you are right

I have done a couple of posts where I have said that it won't be an easy task to make the top four. I havn't done this out of doom or gloom, only to highlight how even the competition is, and how things can change quickly.

I thought some of the media got too far ahead of themselves at the start of this year and after the first three rounds. They just assumed that because we finished third last year and were 3-0 at the start of this year, that it was a fait accomopli that we finish top 3 this year. But things can change so quickly. You only need to be 3% down on your game, and you are brought back right to the field. We need to work extremely hard and have a lot of things go right, to finish top four. That is the point I was making.

If I had to put percentages on it as at round 5, I would say that I am 95% confident of making the eight, and 75% confident of making top four.

 

[Bulldog Joe]

I am one who remains optimistic. The losses were in games that always looked threatening given the schedule.

I think everbody would have been happy to be 3-2 from that schedule.

We will get better from here. Our draw is not easy but the scheduling is much better later in the season. The fact that we are likely to have to fight for our position right through the year is also a good thing.

 

[cosmicr]

I feel like the AFL has tried to make our fixture 'entertaining'. Example, they give us heaps of travel early in the season, when they know we go well at the start of the season. Then they give us nearly all home games late in the season, when we usually slump. Then there's a blockbuster game on a friday night against geelong which is sure to get ratings.