Preview Who will finish higher - Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, St Kilda or Hawthorn

[LeverPuller]

At the end of Round 21 we looked like we were missing finals and plenty were calling the season a fail.

Now we have played a s**t prelim and plenty are still calling the season a fail.

The baseline is there. Now the players just how much you have to give to even be COMPETITIVE against a quality opponent at the pointy end.

Very disappointing yesterday but a good year overall and a great launching pad for the next few seasons.

 

[Sprout]

Yep opportunity lost.

Dees were good enough to win it all IMO. Had them as wildcards at the start of the yr.

Who knows what happens now. Gawn could.do another knee. Hogans foot might never get better while Brayshaw is a serious head knock away from a long lay off or retirement. Meanwhile the Tiges land Lynch and every other team gets better (apart from GCS ).

Would be absolutely filthy as a Dees fan at the team for pissing away such a golden opportunity and waste the year in such an open season.

I take your point, and it’s obviously s**t to bow out in that fashion, but it would be silly to dismiss the bigger picture out of hand.

Making a prelim is an achievement as well as a missed opportunity. It’s several steps ahead of where we finished last year. I wanted improvement this season and I got that. To that end, I’m happy. It’s not really comparable to the Dogs losing numerous prelims. You saw seven of them. This is the first one we’ve even made in 18 years.

The average age of our starting midfield is 22, coming off a season where we are one of the top 3 contested sides of the past 20 years. Hogan is still only 23. Weideman is a relative baby at 21. This is a very young group of core players and they appear united. They just weren’t ready for this occasion. There will be further opportunities ahead.

If I’m sitting here in 10 years time and we haven’t made another prelim, you reserve the right to say I told you so.

 

[TheFourPillars]

I think a lot of u are missing the point. Its not about the loss but how Melbourne respond to it. It can obviously go two ways. It can scar them and they fall away or steel them and they take step forwards. The answer to this will only come next year.

 

[Xhoquelin]

Last thing I want is a GWS style rebound from the first prelim where half of our team goes down to injury and we don’t get any continuity, before a dirty captain injured one of our best midfielders in the second prelim. To this date I think their midfielders still haven’t established good continuity; one of Kelly/Shiel/Cogs has always been injured.

Perhaps we need to keep Tyson for when Oliver gets his head taken off by an opposition midfielder. Same for Jeffy; young Spargs has injury history and so does Kent.

But anyway, we seem to have solid depth with 3 fairly good tall forwards and tall defenders. Hopefully Weideman can continue to develop, his 2018 AFL season was pretty similar to his 2017 VFL season and hopefully next year he hits close to 40 goals H&A.
OMac and Frost continue their development and we will at least finish top eight next season.

Ideally the guys who have had torrid years with injury this year like Hunt Stretch and Kent can step up and force their way into the side.

 

[ApplecrossWC]

Being humiliated in a final like that is going to play on their minds. No goals in the first half, they really Melbourned that.

 

[hk89]

'Deranged', 'a dope' and not a seer of 'nuance' - all for disagreeing with you.

Welcome to interacting with Trav. Disagreeing with him is apparently synonymous with being mentally handicapped. One of the most thin skinned and humourless posters you'll find on BF. I guess years of failure can really embitter some people.

 

[markm106]

Being humiliated in a final like that is going to play on their minds. No goals in the first half, they really Melbourned that.

I think the group will get great confidence from the 4 games prior. They’ll know what they’re capable of. Hopefully that loss will burn in their guts and motivate them. If got bundled out in the first final like they then yeah I could see issues.

 

[Leeda]

crush heavy, these things are diabolical, and also transparent.

 

[Bazza97]

I'm very disappointed with our game yesterday especially with a GF spot on the line but overall I reckon it was another season of improvement and growth for our team.

 

[Pessimistic]

Anyone game to put dogs or saints above the other two for 2019?

 

[joop]

Anyone game to put dogs or saints above the other two for 2019?

Is anyone game enough to put us above Gold Coast or Carlton?

 

[Scotland]

I'm not game to put the Saints above Gold Coast and Carlton.

 

[markm106]

I can’t see anyone finishing below Gold Coast.

 

[TedDougChris]

Anyone game to put dogs or saints above the other two for 2019?

Most were channeling the spirit of your username about the Hawks chances this time last year, but it’s unlikely that the Saints or Dogs substantially rise next season.

Dogs could rise, but need a lot to go right...

 

[hk89]

Is anyone game enough to put us above Gold Coast or Carlton?

I am. You had a tough draw and things generally went badly. Struggle to find a single win for GC.

 

[hk89]

Most were channeling the spirit of your username about the Hawks chances this time last year, but it’s unlikely that the Saints or Dogs substantially rise next season.

Dogs could rise, but need a lot to go right...

Dogs seem to have the scope for a big improvement. Very bad injury run, and very young list (partly due to injury run, but still very young irrespective of that).

 

[TedDougChris]

Dogs seem to have the scope for a big improvement. Very bad injury run, and very young list (partly due to injury run, but still very young irrespective of that).

We have been saying that about our injuries for a while, so no guarantee it improves. We are leaning on the kids heavily, if they stagnated we might struggle.

 

[Xtreme]

Hawthorn by the length of the Flemington straight

Or 2km Davey Warner special pieces of sandpaper.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Oh god are we doing this again?

Anyone going for the 'natural progression' argument again?

 

[SufferingS8INT]

I

Oh god are we doing this again?

Anyone going for the 'natural progression' argument again?

I think west coast just proved there is such a thing.

 

[TedDougChris]

Oh god are we doing this again?

Anyone going for the 'natural progression' argument again?

You would need to draft some kids to be aware of this concept !!

For some of us it’s all we have to hang onto....