Oppo Camp Regular Non Eagles Discussion

[Dylan82]

They wont finish top 4 so no chance of a flag unfortunately.

Sydney (as well as GWS) will be based in Melbourne for likely the rest of the season now, so travelling during finals won't present the usual set of problems for them.

Played the last two weeks in Victoria and have dismantled us before taking out a top 2 team in the Bulldogs on their own deck.

 

[Coasters7]

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[Ochre]

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[ziad]

Sydney (as well as GWS) will be based in Melbourne for likely the rest of the season now, so travelling during finals won't present the usual set of problems for them.

Played the last two weeks in Victoria and have dismantled us before taking out a top 2 team in the Bulldogs on their own deck.

That would be the 70 minute flight they will avoid.

 

[FKASC]

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A thing of beauty

 

[Big Cox 88]

You hate to see it. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of flogs. Both players and supporters.

 

[FKASC]

What’s the bet they tank it now for a juicy draft pick

 

[BrotherDodge]

So that's 2/8 tips for me this round! I've done the right thing and changed tomorrow's to North now.

 

[WCErevival]

Whats the lowest finish of a reigning premier?

 

[woosha24]

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Wow. Our percentage is worse than Freo's. You know - that side who's star forward is Matt "anyday now" Tabener.

Let that sink in.

 

[ioppolo]

Whats the lowest finish of a reigning premier?

Bulldogs finished 10th in 2017

 

[Forward Press]

Whats the lowest finish of a reigning premier?

Recently, the Dogs finished 10th in 2017.

Freo went from 1st at the end of the 2015 home and away rounds to 16th.

 

[kane249]

Whats the lowest finish of a reigning premier?

Adelaide 13th in 1999 (16 team league)

 

[Nuke Fremantle]

Hope our fellas had a look at Sydney today.

A team that's been in a hub for nearly 3 weeks and with no end date sight. Indeed the way things are looking in NSW they could be spending the rest of the season away from home.

But they've refused to sook it up and have actually produced their best 2 weeks of football for the year.

 

[Dylan82]

When the fall comes, it comes quickly.

Four losses in a row for the Tigers now. Just a single win from their last 6 matches at the MCG.

-25 contested possessions, -86 uncontested possessions, -58 marks, -9 intercepts, -260 metres gained; against a Collingwood side that managed just 4 wins this season before today and had forced out their coach of the past 10 years.


And Richmond still have Brisbane, Geelong, Fremantle (away) and GWS to play.

Even the remaining two, against Hawthorn and North Melbourne, look potentially shaky with an MCG fixture.

13th or 14th is now where the premiers of 3 of the last 4 years are likely to finish.


I expect there are going to be a series of retirement announcements coming soon as the reality now sinks in that their dynasty has come to an abrupt end.

 

[Ok Boomer]

Well Richmond plunging off the cliff is a nice redemption arc for the 2021 season.

Cya idiots.

 

[KERRPOW]

And they only just re-signed chief sooketh too.

Wah woowwww.

 

[KBLT]

Watched on my iPad in hospital and was disgusted. Season was over after the Eagles game. That’s killed us.

Time for a new strategy/plan and mix of players to prepare for a strong 2022

 

[Coasters7]

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To be fair that’s exactly what our gameday threads look like. What us and Richmond both have in common is that we’re systematic, zonal marking sides and I think the game has passed that by.

Not to mention injuries to both sides which disrupts the entire gameplan. Both gameplans have been the best in the league for the past 4 years but the Achilles heel has always been the fact that it requires a very specific lineup and skillset of players.

The game has also changed a lot with the new rules and neither of us can defend the ground and stop momentum anymore with the added space. I don’t think it’s necessarily solely the players dropping off in performance, although that’s still a big part of it for both sides. But the nature of some of the losses leads me to believe there’s something else on top of players declining.

Both of us have the same issues, conceding clumps of goals and getting run over in the last quarter after being in control for most of the match.

 

[Dylan82]

Now the pressure is off, could totally see us losing.

It would be typical of this Eagles team to do exactly that tomorrow.

What worries me is that North Melbourne's sole strength is their stoppage clearance game - in just 1 of their past 7 matches, have they lost stoppage clearances (against Brisbane and that was by just -1).

When West Coast has failed to win the stoppage clearances this season, they are 0-7.

 

[KERRPOW]

It would be typical of this Eagles team to do exactly that tomorrow.

Careful, some would take Umbridge to this sort of criticism levelled at the eagles and will make it known.

 

[Dylan82]

What us and Richmond both have in common is that we’re systematic, zonal marking sides and I think the game has passed that by.

The key is both teams implemented zones that are anchored in the defensive half of the ground - with faster ball movement, players are simply unable to get back into position quick enough, particularly when the additional fatigue from reduced rotations becomes a factor late in matches - as a result, if the opposition starts winning contested and stoppage ball, the zones get torn to pieces.

Zones that are pressing much higher up the ground (i.e. Sydney, Melbourne) or corridor-focused (i.e. Bulldogs, Geelong) are standing up much better defensively as the opposition is less able to generate chains of possession that allow for rapid attacks and one-on-one opportunities up forward.

I'm still amazed somewhat that we haven't seen a team pivot towards a full-scale forward press yet - Sydney would be the closest example, but they are still a long way off from the kind of pressing that we have seen executed by teams in the past.

 

[Dylan82]

Careful, some would take umbrage to this sort of criticism levelled at the eagles and will make it known.

Spelling fixed


Unfortunately, the team does have form for bottling expected wins:

Lost to Hawthorn at home in 2019 to miss top 4.
Lost to Bulldogs in 2020 to miss top 4.

The team also has lost by a collective 147 points in its past two matches, we shouldn't be considering anything as a surety right now.

 

[KBLT]

To be fair that’s exactly what our gameday threads look like. What us and Richmond both have in common is that we’re systematic, zonal marking sides and I think the game has passed that by.

Not to mention injuries to both sides which disrupts the entire gameplan. Both gameplans have been the best in the league for the past 4 years but the Achilles heel has always been the fact that it requires a very specific lineup and skillset of players.

The game has also changed a lot with the new rules and neither of us can defend the ground and stop momentum anymore with the added space. I don’t think it’s necessarily solely the players dropping off in performance, although that’s still a big part of it for both sides. But the nature of some of the losses leads me to believe there’s something else on top of players declining.

Both of us have the same issues, conceding clumps of goals and getting run over in the last quarter after being in control for most of the match.

I was more smug about this part

Season was over after the Eagles game. That’s killed us.

I like the idea that we put the nail in the dynasty's coffin.

 

[Tugga27]

Careful, some would take Umbridge to this sort of criticism levelled at the eagles and will make it known.

TBF, It's usually only the moronic criticism like drop Shuey and Kelly, sack Simmo and trade half the list that gets a a response.