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The Melbourne Football club, are we really that far off September success?
2011 has certainly had its ups and downs but this last month has really promoted a lot of negative discussion about aspect of our season and prompted a lot of supporters to question our team from top to bottom. I too as a passionate Melbourne fan have reflected on our year but I’ve been quite surprised to find us on the right track.
Fellow Dee’s fans, I dare you to pull back the shadow of the last month of football. A month that has seen us outplayed and exposed by the teams 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd on the ladder, the sacking of a coach and the tag of ‘laughing stock. Look at our season as a whole, not single matches and you too may find some hope as 2011 comes to a close.
I’m sure you will know that we during the Bailey era we only beat 2 Victorian teams, Essendon and Richmond but If you look at more then just individual result it’s apparent that the Vic’s have been very competitive over the last 4 years. This year only 2 teams currently sit below us on the ladder, Richmond and Bulldogs. 2 very different teams, a young up and comer like us and finals veterans with big bodies and a lot of experience. I am not surprised we lost to the Dogs, we don’t have the strength to wrestle them. Yet.
If you look at the AFL ladder as it stands, as the end of the season approaches and most teams are well and truly settled into their position you will see that other then the Bulldogs and Roo’s we have done very well against teams 7th and down. The top 6 have blown us away but when you consider how young we are and how injuries have disrupted key players all through the year you might find some perspective of where we truly are at.
Looking at our season and comparing our results to the Ladder at the end of Round 21 you can see exactly how we have fared against the many teams at a similar level in the AFL cycle to us.
1 Collingwood played once L
2 Geelong played once L
3 Hawthorn played twice L
4 Carlton played twice LL
5 West Coast played twice LL
6 St Kilda played once L
7 Essendon played once W
8 Sydney played once Draw
9 Fremantle played once W
10 North Melbourne played once L
11 Melbourne ...some may say we have played ourselves all year.
12 Footscray played once L
13 Richmond played once, play once more W?
14 Adelaide played once W
15 Brisbane played once W
16 Gold Coast played once, play once more W?
17 Port Adelaide played once, play once more W?
Much like North Melbourne, the team closest to us in development, 2010 and to some extent 2011 season (excluding the start of their year where injuries were much worst then ours) we have done very well against the teams below and around us while being very outmatched to the teams above us. We aren’t playing good footy at the moment but would it be different if we played 4 of the bottom 5 instead of 4 of the top 5 over the last 4 weeks? By looking at our season as a whole it is reasonable to assume we might be viewing our club very differently.
I honestly think another preseason and a smart game plan will result in a few more 'bolded' conquests higher up the ladder as we continue to defeat the teams around us. Of course it’s not as simple as just that but maybe we are not the rabble that recent weeks would lead you to believe.
Thoughts?
2011 has certainly had its ups and downs but this last month has really promoted a lot of negative discussion about aspect of our season and prompted a lot of supporters to question our team from top to bottom. I too as a passionate Melbourne fan have reflected on our year but I’ve been quite surprised to find us on the right track.
Fellow Dee’s fans, I dare you to pull back the shadow of the last month of football. A month that has seen us outplayed and exposed by the teams 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd on the ladder, the sacking of a coach and the tag of ‘laughing stock. Look at our season as a whole, not single matches and you too may find some hope as 2011 comes to a close.
I’m sure you will know that we during the Bailey era we only beat 2 Victorian teams, Essendon and Richmond but If you look at more then just individual result it’s apparent that the Vic’s have been very competitive over the last 4 years. This year only 2 teams currently sit below us on the ladder, Richmond and Bulldogs. 2 very different teams, a young up and comer like us and finals veterans with big bodies and a lot of experience. I am not surprised we lost to the Dogs, we don’t have the strength to wrestle them. Yet.
If you look at the AFL ladder as it stands, as the end of the season approaches and most teams are well and truly settled into their position you will see that other then the Bulldogs and Roo’s we have done very well against teams 7th and down. The top 6 have blown us away but when you consider how young we are and how injuries have disrupted key players all through the year you might find some perspective of where we truly are at.
Looking at our season and comparing our results to the Ladder at the end of Round 21 you can see exactly how we have fared against the many teams at a similar level in the AFL cycle to us.
1 Collingwood played once L
2 Geelong played once L
3 Hawthorn played twice L
4 Carlton played twice LL
5 West Coast played twice LL
6 St Kilda played once L
7 Essendon played once W
8 Sydney played once Draw
9 Fremantle played once W
10 North Melbourne played once L
11 Melbourne ...some may say we have played ourselves all year.
12 Footscray played once L
13 Richmond played once, play once more W?
14 Adelaide played once W
15 Brisbane played once W
16 Gold Coast played once, play once more W?
17 Port Adelaide played once, play once more W?
Much like North Melbourne, the team closest to us in development, 2010 and to some extent 2011 season (excluding the start of their year where injuries were much worst then ours) we have done very well against the teams below and around us while being very outmatched to the teams above us. We aren’t playing good footy at the moment but would it be different if we played 4 of the bottom 5 instead of 4 of the top 5 over the last 4 weeks? By looking at our season as a whole it is reasonable to assume we might be viewing our club very differently.
I honestly think another preseason and a smart game plan will result in a few more 'bolded' conquests higher up the ladder as we continue to defeat the teams around us. Of course it’s not as simple as just that but maybe we are not the rabble that recent weeks would lead you to believe.
Thoughts?
