The what if thread

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

When clubs have back to back picks there seems to be largely a culture in the AFL of taking the one they'd prefer first.

Interesting sideline. Jon Patton made it clear he wanted to be pick one when it was notional which order we took the players in. He was told we'd be taking him top 3 months before the draft. There was an extra $10k in the contract for pick one as per the agreement, but he says he didn't know and I believe him.

 

[Billy ray]

What if Tim Watson played for west coast

 

[Macpotata]

What if, BigFooty had gold like reddit. Gold will be given to the mod that posted in the if essendon beat carlton thread.


The best what if ever in the footy world.

 

[Macpotata]

What if Tim Watson played for west coast

He liked Pepsti instead of coke so that would never have happened.

Pepsti & Coke?

Pepsi and coke I mean.

 

[plays tall 1]

I recall back in 1997 watching a semi final and WCE were in cruise control right on top of the game raring reigning premiers North Melbourne a new one. Jacko was killing Carey and Jarrod Schofield was playing like a pitbull on speed. WCE led by 32 points and as soon as Schofield did his ACL which would in actual fact be his last game for the club the momentum swung completely. North ended up winning the game and ironically Carey who was well held got the match sealing goal. Didn't help that Phil Matera kicked 3.5.

If Schofield stayed on the park, WCE win that game convincingly only o get poleaxed the next week to the saints in a Friday night prelim.

I remember vividly the North fans around me abusing Schofield as he was assisted off, with one especially sick piece of work shouting “i hope you broke your leg you f#ing dog”, the comment prompting laughter among other North fans.

All clubs have these sort of fans. Would be good if the Vic footy media would recognise that, instead of trying to push a narrative that it’s a West Coast Eagles issue.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

What if BigFooty had a Reddit like commenting template but, to save from the clutter, you could click the show less option and that each mini thread be opened in new tabs.

 

[jezza1435]

What if Mick Malthouse was still coach of Collingwood, how many more premierships?

negative 3

 

[mianfei]

Here’s another one that I saw from reading Marc Fiddian’s Days by the Lake: a History of the South Melbourne Football Club:

• What if Carlton and Essendon – in addition to the other three “big five” clubs of Collingwood, Geelong and Richmond – had voted against country zoning in 1967, so that the scheme failed to pass?
  • Essendon is to my mind the more surprising of the two – why did the club not vote against it?
  • Carlton’s deep connections with Federal Liberal Party patronage via Robert Menzies make it easy to see that the richest club in the league knew it could recruit heavily from interstate if it did not have unrestricted access to top country players

Would the “soccer belt” clubs (South Melbourne, North Melbourne, Footscray and Fitzroy) have demanded alternative schemes to aid them if their on-field results worsened even below those between 1962 and 1967? Between 1963 and 1968, Fitzroy won just three of 81 matches against the remaining eight clubs, and lost 56 consecutive matches versus those clubs between Round 11, 1963 and Round 15, 1967.

What would these alternative schemes have been and would they have passed a united “big five” and possible opposition from Hawthorn, Melbourne and/or St. Kilda?

Would the VFL have been forced into seeking relocation of “soccer belt” clubs at an earlier date – say upon colour television being introduced in 1975?

Would St. Kilda have fallen back due to lack of ability to compete financially with the “big five” and would Melbourne have returned to near the top of the table due to its financial cautiousness in an age of inflation?

 

[BigVic]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-07-13/bombers-out-to-snatch-franklin-from-hawks/1800682?pfmredir=sm

What if Essendon snared Buddy from Hawthorn in 2006. Things would be different today.

The Bombers would have a ready-made replacement for Matthew Lloyd. Buddy wouldn’t had gone to Sydney.

 

[Pessimistic]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-07-13/bombers-out-to-snatch-franklin-from-hawks/1800682?pfmredir=sm

What if Essendon snared Buddy from Hawthorn in 2006. Things would be different today.

The Bombers would have a ready-made replacement for Matthew Lloyd. Buddy wouldn’t had gone to Sydney.

Ramblings of a has been coach shoring up his job

What if Lloyd had gone to Carlton or hawthorn. Very dodgy recruitment

 

[mianfei]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-07-13/bombers-out-to-snatch-franklin-from-hawks/1800682?pfmredir=sm

What if Essendon snared Buddy from Hawthorn in 2006. Things would be different today.

The Bombers would have a ready-made replacement for Matthew Lloyd. Buddy wouldn’t had gone to Sydney.

Even with Lloyd injured, Essendon would have, with Buddy and Scott Lucas, had the most potent attack in the league in 2006, a season when they actually won only three games and drew one. (Lucas’ performance that season in kicking 67 goals for a team that did so badly tends to be overlooked compared to Fevola’s Coleman Medal, and he kicked 61 in 2007 for a team that went 10—12 and with Lloyd playing). They would certainly have done far better than that since 2006 with such forward power, and perhaps even reversed the decline shown since 2002.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

What if:

During the dying seconds of the 13 Prelim Hawthorn were behind or the scores were even (if Varcoe kicked it) when Franklin marked the ball 30 out straight in front the siren sounded, but no one heard it due to the crowd noise.

Franklin kicked it over to Rioli in the square who played on to kick the goal, but it was all after the siren actually sounded.

What would have happened? As Franklin would have obviously stopped to take the easy shot if he heard the siren.

 

[Pessimistic]

What if:

During the dying seconds of the 13 Prelim Hawthorn were behind or the scores were even (if Varcoe kicked it) when Franklin marked the ball 30 out straight in front the siren sounded, but no one heard it due to the crowd noise.

Franklin kicked it over to Rioli in the square who played on to kick the goal, but it was all after the siren actually sounded.

What would have happened? As Franklin would have obviously stopped to take the easy shot if he heard the siren.

thought it was Rioli2Franklin

 

[Judd2Sewell]

thought it was Rioli2Franklin

Yes it was, my bad!

 

[Macpotata]

What if Hawthorn met Richmond in week 1 of the finals and beat them. Monumental upset and big footy would explode. It is a big what if though. I don't even think the Hawks make top 4. Sydney should take care of them in the last game. On paper at least, that looks like being a classic.

 

[mianfei]

What if:

During the dying seconds of the 13 Prelim Hawthorn were behind or the scores were even (if Varcoe kicked it) when Franklin marked the ball 30 out straight in front the siren sounded, but no one heard it due to the crowd noise.

Franklin kicked it over to Rioli in the square who played on to kick the goal, but it was all after the siren actually sounded.

What would have happened? As Franklin would have obviously stopped to take the easy shot if he heard the siren.

My impression of Hawthorn’s 2012 and 2013 Preliminary victories was always that they could play better than they did in those games – I was less surprised than most at the Hawks’ 2012 Grand Final loss because I always felt they had to play better to beat the Swans.

As it was Hawthorn did not have that much trouble defeating Fremantle in the Grand Final of 2013, so if Geelong had won they might have beaten the Dockers too. However, it might have been a better opportunity for a Docker flag than they ever actually received.

 

[Vdubs]

My impression of Hawthorn’s 2012 and 2013 Preliminary victories was always that they could play better than they did in those games – I was less surprised than most at the Hawks’ 2012 Grand Final loss because I always felt they had to play better to beat the Swans.

As it was Hawthorn did not have that much trouble defeating Fremantle in the Grand Final of 2013, so if Geelong had won they might have beaten the Dockers too. However, it might have been a better opportunity for a Docker flag than they ever actually received.

CHAPPY would have been available

 

[FootyJunkie]

What if Tim Watson played for west coast

Watt Coast

 

[BigVic]

Scott Lucas doesn’t kick 8 goals in Round 22, 2007 or Darren Glass was never benched in the Semi vs Collingwood. How would we have gone?

 

[BigVic]

What if Dustin Martin was fully fit for the Preliminary Final and David Astbury didn't caught a bug. Richmond would've beaten Collingwood and easily won the GF against either West Coast/Melbourne. The game itself would be akin to 2007.

 

[Wallaby]

What if Dustin Martin was fully fit for the Preliminary Final and David Astbury didn't caught a bug. Richmond would've beaten Collingwood and easily won the GF against either West Coast/Melbourne. The game itself would be akin to 2007.

Much as I would like to froth at the mouth as a fanatic Richmond supporter, I don't think Martin and Astbury being fitter would have made that much difference to a 44-point half-time lead. Collingwood had a plan and executed it well, Richmond kicked poorly for goal(which is just another way of saying 'performed badly at a basic skill'), and Richmond's 'Plan B' was either useless or missing.

Of course, umpires...........................

 

[BigVic]

We had a plan B all season. Losing Nic, Gaff and Sheppard wasn’t the end of the world for us.

Sheed (the GF hero), Schofield and Lycett/Vardy all stepped in to be heroics when it counted. Everyone must have a plan B.

 

[Damon_3388]

I recall back in 1997 watching a semi final and WCE were in cruise control right on top of the game raring reigning premiers North Melbourne a new one. Jacko was killing Carey and Jarrod Schofield was playing like a pitbull on speed. WCE led by 32 points and as soon as Schofield did his ACL which would in actual fact be his last game for the club the momentum swung completely. North ended up winning the game and ironically Carey who was well held got the match sealing goal. Didn't help that Phil Matera kicked 3.5.

If Schofield stayed on the park, WCE win that game convincingly only o get poleaxed the next week to the saints in a Friday night prelim.

Schofield actually played 1998 at West Coast too, including 10 of the first 12 games of the year.

 

[Macpotata]

Schofield actually played 1998 at West Coast too, including 10 of the first 12 games of the year.

Thanks mate. I forgot that actually. He obviously went to Port the next year.

 

[Macpotata]

We had a plan B all season. Losing Nic, Gaff and Sheppard wasn’t the end of the world for us.

Sheed (the GF hero), Schofield and Lycett/Vardy all stepped in to be heroics when it counted. Everyone must have a plan B.

Schofield and Vardy were huge. Immense. Schofield was solid all day. Vardy had some massive moments and that mark and goal was a massively response after the Pies went two up early on in the last.

A pressure, crunch kick, and he answered the challenge.