Winning which game is more important: R23 or W1 Finals?

[Elder van Berlo]

North Melbourne are highly likely to rest players this weekend anyway. Which makes a bigger mockery of the AFL

Why would they do that? It depends a bit on the results of other games (mainly ours), but if they all go to form then a win for North would see them play the Dogs week 1 - with the Dogs leapfrogging WCE and GWS into 5th.

If North lose they play GWS in Sydney week 1. Or perhaps even have to come here.

They need to win this week.

 

[The old man]

W1 finals definitely more important....don't worry about Friday night.

 

[TheKev]

If other results go as expected, pretty much the question is who would we rather play in W2 Finals:
- GWS away (lose this week & win W1 finals)
OR
- WB/WCE at home (win this week & lose W1 finals)

I'd fancy us in both but 2nd option would obviously be preferred.

 

[GreyCrow]

Why would they do that? .

North on 48 points cannot move whether they win or lose. Same scenario as last year

 

[Crowbots are dead]

Basically this is a first final in my eyes. It is to determine our position for the rest of the finals. We are playing a rival for the flag. It's a final.

 

[Elder van Berlo]

North on 48 points cannot move whether they win or lose. Same scenario as last year

Sure, they can't move. But they can directly affect who they play against. Same scenario as last year.

Just last year, it suited then to lose so they played Richmond instead of us (as it turned out it wouldn't have mattered because we lost to Geelong, but they weren't to know).

This year it suits them to win so they play the Bulldogs instead of GWS (again, contingent on us winning)

 

[Tex200]

No loss is good but for the sake of the argument - this week for sure.

Hawks showed you can still win it all after losing wk 1. You can't win from 5th.

Losing Friday will ruin the season

 

[JPetro83]

if we finished top 4 even if we lose this week id say winning week 1 is more important

 

[CrowinNT]

Good heavens get one's priority right. This week is a must win. I'm relinquishing my post from defending the North to get to this game.

 

[Iron]

Historically, how many teams have had to worry about winning to finish top 4 in last round of the year at 16-5?

 

[pjcrows]

Historically, how many teams have had to worry about winning to finish top 4 in last round of the year at 16-5?

Not many, but a lot were still playing for Top 2 and a home Qualifying Final. If we think the pressure is on this week, wait until (hopefully) Prelim or GF week!

I am making the call - if we win on Friday night and secure Top 2, we will make the Grand Final.

 

[Dirty Bird]

North on 48 points cannot move whether they win or lose. Same scenario as last year

Actually, they could have moved last year.
They were 2 points behind us and 4 points and % behind Bulldogs and Tigers

Their choices were
1) Tank and play Richmond at the mcg (or maybe the Bulldogs if they could make up 5%)
2) Win and have open up the chance of travelling to Adelaide to play us.


Finals basically become neutral with crowds, so they didn't care which of Richmond/Bulldogs they played as it's at home, but if they could take out the chance of travel, they'd be fools not to try.

In the end, both Bulldogs and us lost rd 23, so a North win just would've made it Richmond vs us and Bulldogs vs North.

 

[Godallblighty]

W1 finals definitely more important....don't worry about Friday night.

Win Friday and lose W1 final = home final against team from 5-8
Lose Friday and win W1 final = away final against top 4 team

How on earth is winning the first final more important?

 

[Schulzycrow]

Win this Friday and win well. Our form has been patchy at best especially in front of goal when the opposition are actually giving a toss about trying. Wet Toast won't be pushovers even without NicNat so winning this week is vital for % and also to not put our fate in the hands of others.
Winning both is important, but this week's is the most.

 

[Iron]

Not many, but a lot were still playing for Top 2 and a home Qualifying Final. If we think the pressure is on this week, wait until (hopefully) Prelim or GF week!

I am making the call - if we win on Friday night and secure Top 2, we will make the Grand Final.

Yep. Would agree with that. Which is why I'm scared because we've always found a way to * this part up.

 

[lincsPJ]

ok so the consensus is that this week is the most important game of the year to win, and i cross over to the selection thread and a combination of people are wanting to drop thompson or douglas and bring in beech and wigg. ah big footy.

 

[Keys]

I think you should conserve your energy for the finals and not worry about winning on Friday

 

[PCORF]

W1 finals definitely more important....don't worry about Friday night.

Both are important. But I'd rather see us win Friday Night to secure the top 4 spot and get a double chance. These chances don't often come so lets beat the Eagles and grab this chance.

 

[Bovo]

I like to think about this one week at a time. This week round 23 is the most important. Ask me again next week.

 

[Southerntakeover]

If we win on Friday night then the worst case scenario that could follow round one of the finals still puts you in a better position than the best case scenario that comes from losing on Friday and not finishing top four (if GWS win).

The entire system is designed such that it is more advantageous to finish top four than to finish bottom four.

 

[JP Sauce]

Friday night.

 

[Southerntakeover]

If you were to produce a ranking of the four possible outcomes from week one of the finals, it would go like this:

1. Host home preliminary final;
2. Host home semi final;
3. Play in semi final away;
4. Elimination.

 

[Murray2503]

Haha...stupid question! Want to win 4 more matches, that is all!

 

[Alwaysacrow]

It's the old mantra. One week at a time. The most important game is the next one. That's what Pyke has been saying for the last 6 weeks or so. That's what we need to do.

 

[6BTS]

I think winning finals will always be more important than any regular season game, however, I do think back to 2005 when we managed to beat WC in Perth, but Roo got suspended and we lost week 1 (against St Kilda?) at home undoing every reason it was important to win the final regular season game to secure top spot.

So based on what I judge to be more important in the grand scheme of things, winning week 1 finals will always be more important than a regular season game, even if we lose this week and that means we finish 5th and have to play week 2 of the finals despite winning week 1.

But I love the question, it does make you have to think about it considering what the outcomes might be.