Review The decade that was.

[Vdubs]

West hadn't lost form. You may recall I spoke to him at a VFL game about 3 weeks before the finals and asked him why he wasn't being picked.

He said they wanted him to get the ball more around the ground.
Nothing to do with his ruck work.

I spoke to Pods a few years ago, and he was full of praise for the ruckwork of Blake.
The people that need to answer our queries are in the MC.

 

[Partridge]

Go back to the NM game. End of story. Anyway, that's how it ended. Wonder why we keep talking about that game. Is there some feeling that his omission is relevant to Stanley's this year?

It's very relevant. It's the same problem repeating itself.

Both times Scott drops the best ruckman available to us.
Both times Scott does it to cater for his pet in Blicavs, even though he was (and is) nowhere near the next best option (a fact that is continually ignored and simply not addressed by Scott's defenders).
Both times we lost games we should easily have been expected to win.
Both times it meant we blew a hard earned double chance and seriously derailed our finals chances.

 

[Partridge]

We had a premiership list in 07 and 09 and 11. 08 and 10 suggest we underperformed.
Our list in 17, 18, 19 is not in my thinking at that level.
I could be wrong.
Many things need to go so right to win a flag, and losing 08 will always be the one that haunts me. Nothing else compares since that one.

Completely agree. That's the worst blowing of a premiership I've seen us do. Clearly.

I have 2013 at number two.

 

[Partridge]

I spoke to Pods a few years ago, and he was full of praise for the ruckwork of Blake.
The people that need to answer our queries are in the MC.

There was never any issue with Blake's ruckwork.

 

[Vdubs]

It's very relevant. It's the same problem repeating itself.

Both times Scott drops the best ruckman available to us.
Both times Scott does it to cater for his pet in Blicavs, even though he was (and is) nowhere near the next best option (a fact that is continually ignored and simply not addressed by Scott's defenders).
Both times we lost games we should easily have been expected to win.
Both times it meant we blew a hard earned double chance and seriously derailed our finals chances.

Apologies for offering the bait.
I disagree that we should have easily been expected to win those games, specially the Pies final. Their home final, a bye, no way I was selecting us , ,let alone easily.
The Freo game, at home, maybe we were favourites, but again, with NO RUCKS to speak of, Hawkins and Chappy injured a lot, not that many were as confident as you portray.

 

[Vdubs]

There was never any issue with Blake's ruckwork.

Agreed.

 

[Tony Barber]

Go back to the NM game. End of story. Anyway, that's how it ended. Wonder why we keep talking about that game. Is there some feeling that his omission is relevant to Stanley's this year?

Actually. They are equally selection stuff ups.
I can go further. We would have won 07 with mark Blake.
But the ONLY way we could have lost was by playing him.

Choosing Menegola, Atkins, parsons etc in any game doesn't bat an eyelid for me.
Changing structure does.

 

[Partridge]

Actually. They are equally selection stuff ups.
I can go further. We would have won 07 with mark Blake.
But the ONLY way we could have lost was by playing him.

Choosing Menegola, Atkins, parsons etc in any game doesn't bat an eyelid for me.
Changing structure does.

Yup. Like playing your full back on the wing and in the ruck for the entire finals series.

 

[Tony Barber]

Yup. Like playing your full back on the wing and in the ruck for the entire finals series.

I remember it clearly. Missed the pre game. Put it on and it's two minutes in.
'WTF, where is Stanley? Oh no, I hope the injury isn't bad'
Not for one second would I have thought he'd be left out.

Let's blame Knights. He thinks you can win a final without a ruck.
Must have been his call

 

[Spazz Cat]

Dunno what the point in talking us down so much is.
We were easily good enough in 13 to win.
Lost to one grand finalist at the very end after having no forward structure with Tommy out.
Lost to the other grand finalist at the very death. Actually should of won.
We were a very good team.

 

[Vdubs]

Dunno what the point in talking us down so much is.
We were easily good enough in 13 to win.
Lost to one grand finalist at the very end after having no forward structure with Tommy out.
Lost to the other grand finalist at the very death. Actually should of won.
We were a very good team.

We were, we still are, but simply not the best.
A few things did go against us in 13- Simpson, Hawkins, Chappy, Boris. Just not good enough to cover all those issues. And no rucks.

 

[Spazz Cat]

We were, we still are, but simply not the best.
A few things did go against us in 13- Simpson, Hawkins, Chappy, Boris. Just not good enough to cover all those issues. And no rucks.

We were good enough that year. At least equals to the 2 teams that played off in the big one.
Was a very good chance but not to be.
You make your own luck sometimes. And in that years case, you can make your own bad luck too.

 

[Catman]

2013 and this year. Biggest opportunities to win a flag thrown away.

Still, despite this the fact we have missed the finals just once since the start of 2007 is a remarkable achievement. But there's only so much tolerance a supporter base can have to making the finals then spectacularly failing in them. It has worn very thin, even though we know how hard they are to win, it's still extremely frustrating to watch us sabotage our own premiership chances.

 

[Max Milburn]

Aaah jeez, if only winning premierships was as easy as turning up and beating the other team.
Even when a team MAKES the GF, there is nothing to say they will win it.
Surely anyone who witnessed the 90s would figure that one out.

 

[Vdubs]

Aaah jeez, if only winning premierships was as easy as turning up and beating the other team.
Even when a team MAKES the GF, there is nothing to say they will win it.
Surely anyone who witnessed the 90s would figure that one out.

I keep going back to 08, when we actually were the team to beat

 

[Spazz Cat]

I keep going back to 08, when we actually were the team to beat

I must have been the only one who thought Hawthorn were faves.
Sounds crazy but I thought they were the better team when we played them a few weeks earlier. & they were! We were so lucky to win that one.
Then Bomber said a few comments after the Dogs final that got me really worried.
That GF doesn't hurt for me like the other losing GF's or the Nick Davis game or Hawks 13 cause I got too drunk to remember it and never watched a replay.
& we won the year before. Was still riding that high even then.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Explain why West was not selected. Most seem to ignore that his form and confidence were ordinary. What happened 12m before is irrelevant.

West was still capable of competing in the ruck. 25 HOs in round 23, 42 against the Giants, 31 against Richmond. Just wasn't getting many games. You can argue form if you like; I would contend that at the very least he'd shown he was semi-competent at providing a contest in the ruck, whereas the guys played in front of him in that QF - Walker, Vardy, Blicavs - well, what exactly did they do? Barely touched the ball and didn't do anything in the ruck. Just let Sandi run wild.

West wouldn't have been able to stop Sandi having a massive influence, but in a game that's tight, a few fewer HOs going Freo's way to give them one of their many clearances may have been the difference between winning and losing that game, much the same way as playing a ruck against Grundy could have.

When you don't play your best ruck against a high-quality ruck, and then you get absolutely belted in the ruck, you sort of open yourself up to criticism I think.

 

[Spazz Cat]

West was still capable of competing in the ruck. 25 HOs in round 23, 42 against the Giants, 31 against Richmond. Just wasn't getting many games. You can argue form if you like; I would contend that at the very least he'd shown he was semi-competent at providing a contest in the ruck, whereas the guys played in front of him in that QF - Walker, Vardy, Blicavs - well, what exactly did they do? Barely touched the ball and didn't do anything in the ruck. Just let Sandi run wild.

West wouldn't have been able to stop Sandi having a massive influence, but in a game that's tight, a few fewer HOs going Freo's way to give them one of their many clearances may have been the difference between winning and losing that game, much the same way as playing a ruck against Grundy could have.

Absolutely. That's all we needed. Both games you mention.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Sounds crazy but I thought they were the better team when we played them a few weeks earlier.

We were missing several key players in that game (Ablett, Ling, Milburn) yet still won, so the perception of many was that with a full-strength squad we'd romp it in.

 

[Vdubs]

West was still capable of competing in the ruck. 25 HOs in round 23, 42 against the Giants, 31 against Richmond. Just wasn't getting many games. You can argue form if you like; I would contend that at the very least he'd shown he was semi-competent at providing a contest in the ruck, whereas the guys played in front of him in that QF - Walker, Vardy, Blicavs - well, what exactly did they do? Barely touched the ball and didn't do anything in the ruck. Just let Sandi run wild.

West wouldn't have been able to stop Sandi having a massive influence, but in a game that's tight, a few fewer HOs going Freo's way to give them one of their many clearances may have been the difference between winning and losing that game, much the same way as playing a ruck against Grundy could have.

When you don't play your best ruck against a high-quality ruck, and then you get absolutely belted in the ruck, you sort of open yourself up to criticism I think.

AFL Tables - North Melbourne v Geelong - Fri, 2-Aug-2013 7:50 PM - Match Stats

afltables.com

I went to this game and West was discussed at length during it and after it. He was abysmal. This was the beginning of his end. Anybody who thinks otherwise either can't recall or has selective amnesia. I am not into player-bashing at all, but it was a pivotal game, and an important loss, and revealed our major weakness which was to be borne out in September.

 

[Vdubs]

I must have been the only one who thought Hawthorn were faves.
Sounds crazy but I thought they were the better team when we played them a few weeks earlier. & they were! We were so lucky to win that one.
Then Bomber said a few comments after the Dogs final that got me really worried.
That GF doesn't hurt for me like the other losing GF's or the Nick Davis game or Hawks 13 cause I got too drunk to remember it and never watched a replay.
& we won the year before. Was still riding that high even then.

I actually agree with you. That game was a worry, We walked away thinking we got the 4 points, but it was not impressive, and they had plenty to be confident about.
I went to that GF game with my son and mate and all 3 of us thought Hawks would win. The heat, their September form, and we were pretty bashed up after the Dogs game, BUT, after finishing on top with only 1 loss, and it being my birthday, it was horrible to witness it panning out the way I hoped it wouldn't.

 

[Spazz Cat]

We were missing several key players in that game (Ablett, Ling, Milburn) yet still won, so the perception of many was that with a full-strength squad we'd romp it in.

Yeah we were missing a few but I just had that feeling like they worked out a way to beat us.
I remember Fat Stu didn't play for them. In hindsight I wish he did and played well so we would of taken him a bit more seriously.
But who would of thought?

 

[Spazz Cat]

I actually agree with you. That game was a worry, We walked away thinking we got the 4 points, but it was not impressive, and they had plenty to be confident about.
I went to that GF game with my son and mate and all 3 of us thought Hawks would win. The heat, their September form, and we were pretty bashed up after the Dogs game, BUT, after finishing on top with only 1 loss, and it being my birthday, it was horrible to witness it panning out the way I hoped it wouldn't.

Yeah not a great day.

 

[Sttew]

What more can you say...



Most contested marks between 2010 & 2019

 

[Partridge]

AFL Tables - North Melbourne v Geelong - Fri, 2-Aug-2013 7:50 PM - Match Stats

afltables.com

I went to this game and West was discussed at length during it and after it. He was abysmal. This was the beginning of his end. Anybody who thinks otherwise either can't recall or has selective amnesia. I am not into player-bashing at all, but it was a pivotal game, and an important loss, and revealed our major weakness which was to be borne out in September.

Can you remember who the sub was?