young midfield goes missing when pressure on

[frednerk33]

The pressure is really going to be on both coach and players this year. Fail again and long overdue questions about methods and the type og player we are recruiting will require an intensive analysis.

Pressure on ? In an acknowledged-by-everyone rebuilding year with zero initial expectation of making the finals ?

Overdue ? Only if you want to bang up that drum.

"Intensive analysis" ? In the aforementioned rebuilding year when everyone has been pleased at the number of wins and the developing youngsters ?

It seem to me you're trying to create more problems than there actually are.

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

Pressure on ? In an acknowledged-by-everyone rebuilding year with zero initial expectation of making the finals ?

Overdue ? Only if you want to bang up that drum.

"Intensive analysis" ? In the aforementioned rebuilding year when everyone has been pleased at the number of wins and the developing youngsters ?

It seem to me you're trying to create more problems than there actually are.

Does this even need a 10 page analysis. Surely you're not suggesting after 4 failed finals series that another finals under performance would be acceptable?
If we finish 6th or higher and don't win at least one final then questions need to be asked about coach and player and their ability to stand up when faced with finals like pressure.

 

[frednerk33]

Only if you want to spin up some logic by saying that in a development year, without expectation of achieving the top-8, not winning a final is under-performance.

The other side of that coin is that we're simply not good enough at the moment with experienced hard player material, and weren't expected to be - we'd be playing to our own supporter's expectations at this stage of develpment. Not sure where you pick the arbitrary "6th and must win a final" from.

Sure, wouldn't be happy at all losing yet another final, but to get that high is beyond any of our initial expectations (let alone all the great development that's happening). It feels like you're building them up to knock them down.

Surely the games we've lost to the top sides this year, and the Saints game, tells us something about our state of development and comparative ability to win finals this year against them. I put it at zero chance of that. We aren't a lucky side, say like the Hawks were ... witness all our critical injuries over the years.

 

[RoosterLad]

Totally agree SC.

If we finish top 6 we will get a home final (whether week one or two - week 3 is highly unlikely) and we must win that. We will have proven ourselves to be the better team over the season so there are no excuses really. Beating the rebuilding drum is just a weak excuse.

freddy - if we finish 5th and play 8th at footy park surely you think we should win that game? We have to win it.

 

[Stephen2]

I probably agree in the main, but what if 8th is a fired up Hawthorn?

I wouldn't expect to win that, but I would expect to beat say Carlton, Essendon, Port or the like..

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

Only if you want to spin up some logic by saying that in a development year, without expectation of achieving the top-8, not winning a final is under-performance.

The other side of that coin is that we're simply not good enough at the moment with experienced hard player material, and weren't expected to be - we'd be playing to our own supporter's expectations at this stage of develpment. Not sure where you pick the arbitrary "6th and must win a final" from.

Sure, wouldn't be happy at all losing yet another final, but to get that high is beyond any of our initial expectations (let alone all the great development that's happening). It feels like you're building them up to knock them down.

Surely the games we've lost to the top sides this year, and the Saints game, tells us something about our state of development and comparative ability to win finals this year against them.

Not trying to knock them down. If they are good enough to finish 5th or 6th then they should be good enough to win the first final. If they don't, then questions need to be asked, even in a development year.

 

[frednerk33]

Understand your sentiment, but we are purely and simply not good enough to win a final this year against a tough side. The record this year tell us so.

 

[Crow-mo]

Understand your sentiment, but we are purely and simply not good enough to win a final this year against a tough side. The record this year tell us so.

so what if we get a home final against a team that finished below us.

is it ok to lose against a lesser side?

 

[jenny61_99]

so what if we get a home final against a team that finished below us.

is it ok to lose against a lesser side?

Yes but Crow-mo - they may be "below" us on the ladder perhaps by percentage only? (ie. we finish 6th and and the 7th team has the same amount of wins but lesser percentage). They are hardly worse than us. A loss in these circumstances wouldn't be the tragedy it was if we were to finish 1st and lose to 8th, for example.

 

[frednerk33]

I agree, it's never OK and I don't want it to be so, same as you. We'd have a chance against something like a side below us but we're currently a young developing side, who have been exposed as lacking in the physical and mental toughness characteristics required to win a final. They'll come good.

Looking at the current 8, we'd be a show against Carlton and Essendon, hurrah!, but the rest will be too tough for us in finals this year, if we get there.