Who is going to win the first round of finals?

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Grendel

Norm Smith Medallist
Jan 23, 2000
7,947
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Spanish Announcers table
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Well now that the finals are upon us, how is the first week going to play out?

For me im going

Hawks D(of course this one is biased) Geel

Ess D Nth

Bris D Dogs

and this one im not sure, but on recent form im going Melb D Carl. I still remember that shellacking the blues gave to the d's earlier this year but, so im wary about this game. Whats the general feeling on the results forthcoming?
 
HAWKS d GEEL (I'm extremely biased - start praying!)

ESS d Nth

DOGS d BRIS

CARL d MELB

All should be fantastic games.
 
Bris df WB - Bris are in good form and have more options up forward i think.

Ess df Nth - Dont need to explain this one.

Carl df Mel - Kouta will be back i think Carlton just too strong.

Geel df Haw - Hawks are just lucky they made it this far wont go any further.
 

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Ess d Nth - both teams are playing lacklustre at the moment but Ess have a few big names on the way back

Haw d Geel - what I've seen of Geelong this year just hasn't impressed me and i think if the hawks are fired up they will run over the top of em Chick & Holland have to fire tho

Melb d Carl - Here's hoping anyway... on current form Melb should trounce em.. Carlton's win against Richmond wasn't that great.. Richmond played like absolute crud whereas melb really mauled the eagles

Bris (biassed here) d WB - We should anyway.. on Current form and providing Leigh Matthews comes up with a successful anti flood strategy we should romp it in.. especially with the way our midfields playing at the moment
 
Don't put any money on this, but.....

North to beat Essendon. I'm hoping that someone slips McKernan the angry pills again. Where there is life (or time remaining?), there is hope.

Melbourne to beat Carlton. Sorry, no Kouta no Carlton.

Western Bulldogs to beat Brisbane. I just have the feeling that Lynch's goalsquare antics from last year will come back to haunt them.

Geelong to beat Hawthorn. I had to think long about this one, but while I think Hawthorn have the more naturally talented footballers, Geelong have an edge in experience and are a harder working unit. The Cats by (excuse the pun) a whisker.
 
Every game starts off equal but when the Hawks played the cats earlier they dominated at the ends but were behind in midfield. The Hawks came out to play on friday and I believe the midfield is now better than Geelong's Earlier in the year geelong did not have Ronnie Burns and he could be the ace for geelong, as their forwards seem to drop everything.

But the Hawks have the wood on geelong and play well at colonial (described as glenferrie with modern facilities).

I wouldn't be happy if I can't get a ticket. Geelong and Hawthorn's combined membership is bigger than colonial capacity, less medallion seats. But I'm just happy to be there

There is no difference between 3rd and 8th in my opinion, so shound be an intersting finals series, before Essendon take on Carlton in the big one
 
Hawthorn to D Geelong
Brisbane to D Bullys..easy
Essendon to D North ..just..I hate saying it.

Melb to D Carlton..just because of no bradley or Kouta.

North and Carlton are the only teams who can beat Essendon.. if Essendon play Melb in the GF they will win by about 20 goals..you cant win a GF with nuffies like Ingerson and Nicholson as key defenders against Lloyd,Hird etc...here's hoping the Roos make it but if they dont I would prefer to see Carlton play essendon with Kouta back..it will at least be a contest..
 
I think that the only team that the Hawks can beat in the top 8 is Geelong so they should get through this week to the next round.
Essendon will beat the Roos although an upset could happen.
Melbourne are playing good footy at the moment but the youngsters will get found out in the first part of the finals and lose to the experienced scraggers at Carlton but will bounce back.
The best game of the lot will be the Lions vs. the Dogs at the Gabba and after watching them on the weekend I think that the Lions will go through and defeat the Dogs.
 
I have to disagree with most of you about Geelong's chances against Hawthorn.

Despite our deplorable record against Hawthorn in recent years, it is no different to that which Geelong held over Melbourne until last week.

Geelong have more finals experience, are a little better skilled and believe they can win in any situation.

After watching Hawthorn on Friday night, one gets the feeling that they may have played their final against the Dogs as the Dogs had against Essendon the week before.

That game on Friday would have taken a lot out of them and I think they will struggle against a team that wants to win and believes that it will win.

Geelong want to knock out the Roos in the second week, but realise that they have to win to get that chance.

In other games:

Essendon to defeat North
Brisbane to assassinate the Bulldogs
Melbourne to upset the Blues.
 
Hawthorn won 5 in a row at the end of 1998 and 1999 (including finals aspirant geelong)

At the end of 2000 we have won three on the trot

2 more wins to go !

PS Hawthorn can beat any team from 3 to 7 (and they can beat us too) and would go close with either of the top two if the "injury gods" favoured us.

Don't believe the media hacks who say Brisbane are in great form after beating the Saints and Dockers at home !

The form teams are: Essendon, Melbourne, Bulldogs, Brisbane (but all games at home), Hawthorn

Melbourne and North are only in 3 and 4 because of a draw which worked out to be favourable.

Richmond and Sydney are very unlucky to miss out

PS I got my ticket so colonial is great!
 
Hawks to steamroll Cats - the Cats have had a great season considering but cannot put a team away. Salmon will do the job on King and who's stopping Holland ?

Bombers to slowly strangle North - Hird has to play.

Dogs to drown Lions in the Flood. Watch for some Tribunal action late in the game.

Blues to overwhealm Demons. The Blues effort against the Tigers compared with the Demons effort V Tigers shows that Blues match up really well and their younger players off the bench really add spark. SOS is in top form.
 

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Melbourne to embarass Carlton like in 94and make them wish they hadnt made the finals.

Hawthorn continue to have the wood over Geelong. To win by 2 points with a goal after the siren by Chick.

Brisbane v WB , WB to choke again. They have made the finals 4 years in a row but have onyl won two finals games in that time.

Essendon to bring in the first leg of Kangas losing finals double by getting home by a lazy 10 goals. Sheedy will switch his players around after 1/4 time to try and keep his players and the crowd interested. Mick Martyn to redo his shoulder and Carey to wish he was playing on Jacovich instead.

The Nostril has spoken.
 
Nostil, I like you. Funny though I thought it was 3 points and on the siren not after it.
smile.gif
 
My Prediction:

CATS df HAWKS

BOMBERS df KANGAROOS

BLUES df DEMONS

LIONS df BULLDOGS


Another Prediction:

DEMONS v BLUES in the GF.
 
Ess over North.(please) North don't deserve it, so hopefully the gods will be kind, and the Bombers get what is rightfully theirs.

Bris over Dogs

Geelong over Hawthorn (I hope)

Melbourne over Carlton easily.

I sense a similarity to 1994 when Carlton who finished 2nd were drawn to play Melbourne (7th) and Melbourne won easily. The Blues then went out in straight sets. I sense deja vu.

My prediction - Carlton to go out in straight sets.

Unlike Pessimistic, I think Melbourne are the real deal. They have a fantastic midfield, and unheralded defence, and a top, forward line. The also love the MCG come finals time. Must be those MCC members. The Dees just grow an extra leg in finals.

Melbourne to play Essendon in the Grand Final.
 
Grendel,

I think the Hawks can "upset" Geelong. They basically fell into the finals on the back of their first 7 or so games whilst the Hawks haven't played too bad a brand of footy lately.

I'm hoping the Dons will be sparked by the return of Hirdy et al and knock off the Roos, but you can never write off a side with THAT man in it. Bastard.

I think the Dees midfield will be too quick for Carlton on the wide spaces of the 'G. That and Dans stat about them not losing in the first rnd of finals since Julius Ceaser was done over by Brutus.

Finally I think the Lions will be too strong at home for the Doggies. Wierd how they've never played a Vic team in the finals under Wallace. That'll change if they win, that's one thing for sure.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to it.

Go Bombers!!!!
 
Brisbane D Doggies (biased here!!!)
Essendon D Roos (I hate the roos so go dons)
Melbourne D Carlton (Dees are in awesome form!!!)
Hawks D Cats (Hawks match up really well on cats)
 
Dan,

If the kangaroos do win and surprise us all, you can not begrudge them a deserved victory.

This is finals time and is when the best teams come out to play.

I think you have stated previously that the top (two) team/s do not get an adequate advantage under this new finals system and I definitely agree with that. However, I do not think it is fair to complain if you can not win the Grand Final.

Your side has given themselves the best possible opportunity to win the Grand Final and we all think they will.

Good luck.

My tips which may change

- Geelong
- Essendon
- Western Bulldogs
- Carlton

But these are coming from someone who pulled out of his tipping competition because he was doing so badly.
 
Dave, we didn't just fall into the finals on the back of the first 7 games.

We got there because we were the team that won the 5th most amount of games during the entire season.

Even if we had have lost on the weekend, we still would have made the finals.

Just because we didn't have many big wins, we won all of our close games (except North and Carlton).

It's commonlly known that the sides that win the clsoe games are the one's who deserve to be in the finals. Look at Sydney, they lost all their close games and missed out, yet they were worthy of a top 5 spot on end of season form.
 
Just on the merits or otherwise of who 'deserves' to be there. If you win enough to make it, then you deserve the shot at the finals. The only unluckyness (is that a word?) would be if percentage kept you out. This year team 6-8 finished a game clear of 9th. Speaks for itself.
 

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