Should we be concerned??

[Wood_Duck]

I like many other Crows supporters have very high hopes and expectations for 2010. For me anything but a top 3 finish will mean we have not improved on last year.

The pre season has me worried. We were belted by Port Adelaide, and were only at times competitive with Collingwood on the weekend. We have a very long list of niggling injuries and some that appear more severe (eg. VB). We hear on so many occassions how a players form can be influenced by the pre season preparation. Given that so may of our players have had interrupted pre seasons, I am already concerned that this year is not shaping up the way I had hoped.

Contrast that to Port Adelaide. They have played approx 9 kids in both of their NAB cup games and have looked incredibly good, they belted us and then went to Perth and belted an emerging West Coast. I think back to all of the threads last year about who had the best young list and I now understand why the PAPs wer so buoyant about their kids.

The Bulldogs look a real chance this year, Geelong are Geelong, the Saints are still going to be a very good side, Hawthorbn are still a wild card, Collingwood have improved their list on last year, and Port are a real surprise packet. On what I have seen so far this year my expectations of a top three are looking a little dubious.

 

[relapse]

I've never really considered us a threat this year and still think we are 5th-8th side, but I also wouldnt get too worried with Port though let's wait until we actually see something during the season before getting concerned. Lets not also forget that Carlton won the NAB cup and went on to win the spoon so I wouldnt rate pre-season cup form as a beacon of success.

Even after an impressive pre-season I would take our youngsters any day of the week over theirs.

 

[subaru]

It's a bit early to be concerned, but if we aren't sitting pretty after round 9, then ...well..mmmmm

I know what you mean, though. It a feeling of unease more than concern.

 

[Vader]

I'm far more concerned about our injuries than I am about the pre-season form.

Many of our injuries just seem to be dragging on & on & on - VB, Porplyzia, Moran and Symes in particular. I did have Bock in this group as well, but he's finally back in action as of last weekend. This is a definite concern.

There's nothing to worry about with regards to the pre-season. Sydney hadn't won a pre-season game in Paul Roos' entire reign, until they beat Carlton 2 in R1 this year. People have been complaining for years on this board about us peaking too early in the season and running out of steam before September - now when we look to start slow and build late they worry that we won't get there at all. Go figure...

 

[TDRP]

I'm far more concerned about our injuries than I am about the pre-season form.

I do agree... Does anyone have an opinion on the actual surgeons who are involved in a lot of our knee work. I know Moran decided himself to have experimental surgery on his knee.

On the upside, Griffin appears to be fit... and I can see him being very important all of a sudden. Just needs to believe in himself.

So compared to last year's finals side we will be missing Rnd 1:

Knights - Replace with Douglas
Burton - Replace with Walker
Maric - Repalce with Griffin
Sellar - Replace with Bock
Symes - Replace with Cook
Shirley - Replace with Sloane
Porplyzia - Hmmm... Gunston (eek!)

Assume Vince, Thompson, Danger will all be fine otherwise we will be tested.Hopefully Porps is on the mend before round 1.

 

[Macca19]

You shouldnt be worried about us. We arent a threat.

Look at your draw, even if you have a stack of injuries, chances are you will still be winning which can put you in a good position when the injuries clear up and you have a fullish list to choose from.

PS form means nothing.

 

[raymagoo]

its only the crappy nab, so wouldnt be stressing, i think each team uses this for diff reasons yearly, game plans, testing young'uns, structures etc! as said earlier we won it a few times when we sucked arse! Injuries to the porpoise and knighta could be dangerous, i love his run and think he's integral to your structure! barring injuries i still see the camry crows as a top 6 chance and a definite threat! I think the top 6 this year are as strong as ever! (my pre season tip was crows to win in sept) injuries a concern!

 

[Zvim]

I agree that injuries and a reduced pre-season for a chunk of important players is more of a concern than form in Feb.

 

[Good Win]

We have a pretty easy run in the first half of the season. I put us at 9-2 after the first 11 games (before our injuries). This will hopefully give our currently injured players a chance to warm into the season.

 

[Wood_Duck]

You shouldnt be worried about us. We arent a threat.

Look at your draw, even if you have a stack of injuries, chances are you will still be winning which can put you in a good position when the injuries clear up and you have a fullish list to choose from.

PS form means nothing.

Macca its not so much a mater of worrying about your blokes its just a bit of a compliment about the football you have been playing with so much inexperience in the side.

 

[Riggy1]

no!!

 

[Allbetsroff]

This type of stuff will be so funny later in the season when we're in the top 4.

 

[Wood_Duck]

This type of stuff will be so funny later in the season when we're in the top 4.

I sincerely hope you are right. I think we have all been spooked a bit by Hawthorn of 09. They won a premiership in 2008 against the best team of the decade and were reduced to a smouldering carcass last year on the back of a poor pre season.

 

[Wood_Duck]

no!!

Well that certainly puts everyones minds at ease.

 

[KUNG FU]

+1 for more concern about injuries

Alice Springs was a bath. We weren't switched on against Port and have been enduring a gruelling pre-season physically. Not great, but no the biggest concern. As long as we get ourselves into September playing our best football, that's all that counts.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Yes we should be concerned re the injuries. The form is not a concern yet - better to put in some bad ones now than later.

Teams that have injury troubles early tend to keep having injury troubles through the year. Players out injured puts more strain on those players that do take the field - a player with a niggle will be under more pressure to take the field if there are fewer options to cover them. And as others have said an interrupted preseason is rarely the base to build a solid year of form upon.

Look at Hawthorn last year. Injury trouble early - just wait til we get our full team back on the park... but it never happened.

 

[Lordcrud]

Richmond beat geelong by 51 points this week, does that mean they're going to win the premiership this year?
They are just practice matches, no one cares.

Injuries are a bit of a concern though, but most should be back a few weeks into the season, and we should win our first 4 games anyway.

 

[jackster83]

Concerned???

Footy season hasn't even started yet.

End Thread.

 

[Wood_Duck]

Concerned???

Footy season hasn't even started yet.

End Thread.

Are you trying to say that the only things that affect the season happen between March and September?

 

[Jars458]

If we lose to Melbourne then we can stat to worry

 

[Wood_Duck]

If we lose to Melbourne then we can stat to worry

If we had to play them right now, we could struggle.

 

[jackster83]

Are you trying to say that the only things that affect the season happen between March and September?

No, I am insinuating that the teams who do well in pre-season are generally the teams who have no hope in hell of even making the eight in September and are just trying to fool fans and bandwagoners to sign up as members.

We sucked in last year's pre season too (only managing to beat Box Hill), so I wouldn't read too much into it.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Broooce whipped out a stat last season (or the season before) during the NAB Cup that the teams that progressed to the NAB Cup grand final invariably went on to make the finals in the regular season. Apart from 1-2 exceptions this went back quite a few years.

But then on the other hand, the Swans...

 

[Wood_Duck]

No, I am insinuating that the teams who do well in pre-season are generally the teams who have no hope in hell of even making the eight in September and are just trying to fool fans and bandwagoners to sign up as members.

We sucked in last year's pre season too (only managing to beat Box Hill), so I wouldn't read too much into it.

I pretty much agree and I certainly couldnt give a stuff about winning the NAB cup. It would be nice to see a glimpse of form though (particularly given that NC has insisted we were trying to win).

 

[amer]

St Kilda last year, as others have pointed out. Bundled out in round 1 of the NAB Cup, then got hammered 59-113 against Port Adelaide. Vastly different result when the Saints turned up to AAMI in the season proper with Port struggling to score full stop, and of course we know what happened during the H&A as a whole.

The form is of no concern. In the PS it's a combination of ordinary sides trying to build some positivity by hitting the ground running and a couple of the stronger sides happening to be sharp early.

The only thing I'm keeping an eye on is the Knights situation. We want him back ASAP.