Top 4

[Robroy22]

We're a middle of the ladder side. We're still young and potentially developing. When you have these "developing sides" in amongst a whole lot of other developing teams (St. Kilda, Melb, Ess, Carl, GC, PA, etc..) then it comes down to things like draws, injuries, luck and other intangibles. The power interstate teams will still be there (their draws ensure that) so Sydney, GWS, WC and Adelaide will always be locked in. Then Geelong is becoming the fifth "interstate" team with it's Kardinia Park advantage. Hawthorn has managed to lock down Tassie as its second home and gets lots of percentage from its "home games against weaker sides in Tassie".
As usual we play all the weaker sides interstate (and we'll have to wait to play GWS in a final I guess to play at our home ground)....

My summation: I'd love to make the 8 but there's a whole heap of similar placed sides that will be vying for that honour this year. I see Sydney, GWS, WC, Adelaide, Hawthorn, Geelong, WB's all making finals with 6-8 teams fighting for the last spot. I think it all comes down to intangibles this year. I think we'll be pushing it.

 

[Scodog10]

We had a few winnable games last year that we let slip, and mainly due to injury. If we can get a consistent team on the park then expect a rise up the ladder. I have a great deal of respect and trust for Buckley, he will stop at nothing in the pursuit of success

Its the same message repeated ad nauseum for the past five years just re-packaged for 2017. Good luck with it is all I'll say!

 

[jonbe54]

Its the same message repeated ad nauseum for the past five years just re-packaged for 2017. Good luck with it is all I'll say!

Sco agreed
BUT
We have had the most INCREDIBLE run of injuries since mid '11 that I have ever seen in over 50 years of supporting the Pies.
I can't bring to mind any team that has even gone close to the amount and consistency of occurance that we have suffered over the last 5 or so years.

 

[Saintly Viewed]

Sco agreed
BUT
We have had the most INCREDIBLE run of injuries since mid '11 that I have ever seen in over 50 years of supporting the Pies.
I can't bring to mind any team that has even gone close to the amount and consistency of occurance that we have suffered over the last 5 or so years.

Injuries are never a reason or an excuse allowable in these parts.
Apparantly we should treat injuries like Marcellus Wallace told Butch Coolidge to deal with pride.

You have to fight through that....

 

[Saintly Viewed]

^

 

[Saintly Viewed]

^

 

[THATSGOLD]

Not with Buckley coaching us.

 

[mike123]

Probably not surprising based on most of your comments, just need to realise that we have better ball users now in defence, a deeper more experience and options in the midfield and a fully available forward line

It'll all come now to the availability of our stars

Have a bit more faith mate.


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Do we now?

 

[Vicky Park]

Desperately hoping some reasonable improvements and enhancements will get us into the 8. Less injuries and better players not getting injured. Winning the ball out of the centre more often and landing it on the chest of a fit Fas or Elliott. Kicking bigger scores, mainly due to the presence of the latter two. A tighter defence which holds together, and with better structure (this last one is the hardest to achieve).

If these things all happen we wil 3-4 more games than last year.

 

[Vicky Park]

The leaky defence of the last few seasons was horrendous. Don't want another season watching this carnage unfold before us.

 

[frizzle]

The leaky defence of the last few seasons was horrendous. Don't want another season watching this carnage unfold before us.

Not the leaky defence so much for me. I hated watching us allow uncontested mark after uncontested mark from one end of the ground to the other every bloody week. Make the opposition kick to a contest for goodness sake. If we are going to insist on playing a defensive zone, it has to be a hell of lot better version than we have used the last few years.

 

[soreplums]

Of the teams finishing above us, we conceded less scoring shots on goal than north, st kilda, Melbourne and Port last year. We also had more scoring shots than Melbourne, st kilda and bulldogs, and only six less than North (probably even more than a few other teams if you include Cloke's OOF).

We'll finish above north, st kilda and Melbourne. Adelaide and Dogs will fight it out for Hawthorn's spot in the 4.

If we improve defensively and win more footy around the clearances, a fit Elliott will alone improve our forward line and we'll at least make the 8.

 

[TradeDraft]

Not the leaky defence so much for me. I hated watching us allow uncontested mark after uncontested mark from one end of the ground to the other every bloody week. Make the opposition kick to a contest for goodness sake. If we are going to insist on playing a defensive zone, it has to be a hell of lot better version than we have used the last few years.

100% Agree. I hate the uncontested mark where there man would stand 10 Meters off there own Man

 

[TW Sherrin]

We are in the 4 - 12 bracket.

Get on a roll and belief is a massive thing.

 

[TradeDraft]

We are in the 4 - 12 bracket.

Get on a roll and belief is a massive thing.

I say that is a Safe Area but I could lower 12 to 14th-15th

 

[TW Sherrin]

Agreed, love him but he's not getting any younger or more durable. I think they should groom him for the 3rd tall role/quarter back. We need someone who can really dominate CHB and have Reid using his skills to get us out of the backline.

He's a gun intercept mark but he can't play the quarterback role as he doesn't run and carry the ball.

 

[Smoky]

I say that is a Safe Area but I could lower 12 to 14th-15th

I'd say belief is not so massive then.

 

[Soups]

He's a gun intercept mark but he can't play the quarterback role as he doesn't run and carry the ball.

I guess we probably have a different definition of quarter back. I have him as the one kicking to the guys that run and carry the ball.

 

[TW Sherrin]

I guess we probably have a different definition of quarter back. I have him as the one kicking to the guys that run and carry the ball.

Hodge, McVeigh, Bob Murphy are the ones I'd consider quarterback types. Pendles tried to play it last year when he broke ribs.

 

[Soups]

Hodge, McVeigh, Bob Murphy are the ones I'd consider quarterback types. Pendles tried to play it last year when he broke ribs.

Yeah I agree those guys are quarter backs because they don't have the pace to run and carry. They use their skills to gain meters. Exactly the role Reidy was made for if we could have someone to play CHB as well.

 

[TW Sherrin]

Yeah I agree those guys are quarter backs because they don't have the pace to run and carry. They use their skills to gain meters. Exactly the role Reidy was made for if we could have someone to play CHB as well.

Youreckon mcveigh and murphy don't run the ball?

No point discussing this any further.

 

[mike123]

I'd use Wells in the quarterback role.

 

[Soups]

Youreckon mcveigh and murphy don't run the ball?

No point discussing this any further.

Yeah sure they run the ball but their first instinct is to look for someone on the outside who is going to break the lines. They don't necessarily run the ball out of defense at top pace. That's what I'd prefer a player like that in that role with good skills that can hit the quicker guys on the hb/wing.

 

[Scodog10]

Sco agreed
BUT
We have had the most INCREDIBLE run of injuries since mid '11 that I have ever seen in over 50 years of supporting the Pies.
I can't bring to mind any team that has even gone close to the amount and consistency of occurance that we have suffered over the last 5 or so years.

The football department haven't made any notable changes to the "high performance" group in three years yet we still scratch our heads at why we have injuries. What's the definition of insanity again?

I've always wondered if people see such a correlation between injuries and success why the parameters haven't changed at our club. Given that correlation I bet if they were shifted to games missed through injury rather than wins that there would have been different staff in that department by now.

After all less games missed means more wins doesn't it? Meaning the coach survives and we improve...

My two cents. Injuries in general are a copout a look at our midfield in 2016 suggests they were overplayed. Overall Jon I unfortunately can't see that one the same way as you, but here's to hoping your right, that injuries are the key and our "high performance" team finally does their job.

 

[Kappa]

On paper? Depends on the statistics the paper is based on.
Take Fasolo as our top scorer with 20 odd. One statistic says he scored reasonably good for his avg per game played but if you look at his avg over the season cos he got injured it is not impressive at all. Output of Elliott and Broomhead over the seasons are similarly statistically skewed.
You will find that most will look at the stats where the one eyed/optimist amongst us look at potential .
On paper the stats of Elliott, Fasolo, Moore, WHE and Broomhead doesn't look impressive but it does get me moist if we can get them to play together.

It's easy to throw around this word "potential" but in reality guys like Fasolo Broomhead and WHE have been in the system a long time and only shown glimpses at best, Fasolo for instance has never kicked 30 goals in a year and he'll be our main forward next year outside of a skinny 20 year old kid called Moore who'll be getting the number 1 KPD every week and more attention.

I would say the chance of all three been bursting out and having amazing seasons is extremely slim.

Elliot is a different story and everyone who knows a bit about his back condition knows it's still very much a question mark what impact he'll have in 2017.