Who would be most disappointed not to win the flag from here?

Adz

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Thread starter #1
Geelong - top 2 finish again, you'd think anything other than at least a GF birth would be a disaster

Adelaide - finished on top though their finals record isn't particularly impressive

GWS - So close last year, all that talent. Surely now is their time ?

Sydney - would possibly be happy to just win a final for a pass mark given their start

Richmond - need to have a dip before Martin leaves. Might not be able to back it up next season.
 

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Judd2Sewell

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#3
Geelong/Adelaide - challengers are weak compared to previous seasons.

Sydney - looking for redemption from their last two GF performances.

GWS - given the world, now must deliver.
 

citizen-erased

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#5
So a different way of saying who is favorites...
Crows and swans would be favourites, but I reckon Geelong would be disappointed not to win it from here.
Tigers have achieved more than a pass mark getting to top 3 from bottom 5 last year.
Win or not, this year has been good for them.
I'd say port too. Dropped a couple of critical games this year that would have seen them top 4 comfortably. But much like the tigers, a final win would soften the disappointment as best you can
 

Roobs321

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#6
Essendon would just be glad to win a final, and Richmond making the prelims would be big for them, but everyone else would probably be disappointed. Adelaide, Geelong and (especially) Sydney have been thereabouts enough times in recent times to be dismayed at anything but a flag. GWS in a second straight season where the flag is claimable, in a market that could do with one. Port and West Coast have been dangerous at various points over the last couple years, so despite having nothing to lose, an elim win for them won't be enough.
 

beert

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#7
I think Sydney have the most to lose. They are playing well, everyone's saying that missing the top 4 doesn't matter because of the bye, and people are talking about them as a grand finalist.

If they make the grand final then the pressure will be immense. If they lose the label of "grand final pretenders" will be very hard to shake.

An honourable loss to Adelaide at their best in a prelim would be the most honourable exit for them without winning it all.


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Overhang

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#8
Most people haven't thought we're a genuine threat for the flag since round 6, we've had no continuity this year in our list due to injuries and suspensions and debuted a lot of kids. So no I don't think its a fail if we don't make the GF.
 

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Roobs321

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Most people haven't thought we're a genuine threat for the flag since round 6, we've had no continuity this year in our list due to injuries and suspensions and debuted a lot of kids. So no I don't think its a fail if we don't make the GF.
Geelong have been close many times though. 2012 a dark horse bundled out early by Freo. 2013 lost the prelim after a sizable lead at 3/4 time, 2014 straight sets, 2016 disappointing home prelim, 2017 another home QF. Along with Adelaide, they are overdue for another GF appearance, anything less is tragic.
 

10571z

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#15
I don't think there is a dominate 2 sides like say Geelong and Pies 2011 who were both serious premiership chances. Any side can win but I don't think any expect to.
 

Overhang

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#17
Geelong have been close many times though. 2012 a dark horse bundled out early by Freo. 2013 lost the prelim after a sizable lead at 3/4 time, 2014 straight sets, 2016 disappointing home prelim, 2017 another home QF. Along with Adelaide, they are overdue for another GF appearance, anything less is tragic.
You have to judge each season on their merits, if we don't make the GF then in a few years we will no doubt look back at this period and say we underachieved given the opportunities. But the reality is most people haven't considered Geelong a serious flag threat for some time, if anything we have overachieved this year given our injuries.
 

donbooger

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#18
Not sure about cats. We are clearly behind crows and swans. Its been dissapointing we cant seem to match them but going forward you got to be realistic.

I think the disapointment going forward would be crows and swans as there expectations are higher then ours or gws going into finals.

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demondavey

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#20
Geelong have been close many times though. 2012 a dark horse bundled out early by Freo. 2013 lost the prelim after a sizable lead at 3/4 time, 2014 straight sets, 2016 disappointing home prelim, 2017 another home QF. Along with Adelaide, they are overdue for another GF appearance, anything less is tragic.
I tend to agree. I think Geelong really have given themselves a huge chance on many occasions since 2011 to get there and they have been bundled out. 2013 was bad, they should have bene able to go on and win that game against Hawthorn. I feel that last year they would have smashed the Bulldogs if they got there, but they can't beat Sydney. It has to change at some point for them and the players have to force that change. A very reasonable chance of playing Sydney again in the semi final this year.

I think if the Cats win this week against Richmond they can go all the way, Sydney will be on the other side of the draw and a preliminary final would be most likely against GWS, West Coast or Port. That should be a winnable game given their current form. I think if they make the GF they can win it, even with Sydney there. By that stage Sydney would have played every game in the finals and hopefully for Geelong will have lost some steam.
 

demondavey

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#21
You have to judge each season on their merits, if we don't make the GF then in a few years we will no doubt look back at this period and say we underachieved given the opportunities. But the reality is most people haven't considered Geelong a serious flag threat for some time, if anything we have overachieved this year given our injuries.
You have had a lot of disappointments though.

2012 - Lost to Fremantle in the elimination final
2013 - Lost after having a good lead in the prelim
2014 - Straight Sets
2015 - No finals
2016 - Lost a home prelim

I think this year they really have put together a list that is pretty complete, and if the GWS game was anything to go by they are in quite good form.
 

PhatBoy

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#22
We would be disappointed not to make a Gf.
But funnily enough I think Sydney would be the biggest disappointment if they don't win the flag.

Lost a couple of grand finals they've been expected to win.
Started this season expected to be there at the end.
Had a wretched first 6 games but have recovered to play arguably the best footy of the season.
Now that they've done all that hard work, and take a huge amount of momentum into the finals, if they were to just bomb out I think it would be a huge waste.
 

Overhang

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#24
You have had a lot of disappointments though.

2012 - Lost to Fremantle in the elimination final
2013 - Lost after having a good lead in the prelim
2014 - Straight Sets
2015 - No finals
2016 - Lost a home prelim

I think this year they really have put together a list that is pretty complete, and if the GWS game was anything to go by they are in quite good form.
We're too inconsistent, GWS was probably our best game of the season so we look in great form until you watch the week before and we struggled to beat an undermanned Collingwood at the G. I hope we can put it together for just 3 games, time will tell.
 

Roobs321

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#25
Whilst Geelong have never demanded a flag, more of a stellar H&A perennial and ultimate pretender, the following would have to disappoint:

2 x home final losses to Fremantle
1 x home final loss to Sydney
Straight sets at hands of 8th finalist North Melbourne.

Maybe another failure in 2017 would be worse for Chris Scott than Geelong. Agreed that Sydney have more to lose than Geelong (and Adelaide) on Grand Final day itself, but Geelong and Adelaide would be most aggrieved to fail at making a Grand Final once again (most especially historically, but obviously as the top two, in Qualifying finals against opponents with limited experience at that level).
 
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