I don’t get it.
We have had…four months to get used to this scenario?
3 Likes
Yes you do. You don’t win enough games without one.
I’ll say this. Collinwood are a very good chance to win the flag this year. But I’m more jealous of Melbourne than Collingwood. Melbourne has a younger and better skilled team, they’re on the edge of a strong era at the top. Maybe not this year but it’s coming. Our list has a similar age profile to Melbourne. It’s them we need to benchmark ourselves to
Yep, the proof is there every year. Like Hawthorn winning three in a row with Roughead, Gunston and Hale. Sydney playing the 2016 GF but going backwards since as their tall support for Buddy from 2016 was lost. Adelaide playing the 2017 GF with a 4 tall forward line. And Melbourne and West Coast playing off in the other Prelim with tall forward lines.
Yep, the evidence is everywhere in…
People do realise that Tigers lost it with their forwards, backs and Dusty, right? They’ve been losing the clearances all year. But last night I don’t think they took a single D50 intercept mark as Cox dominated. Then their forwards kicked inaccurately. They kick 2.1 to start the game instead of 0.3 and control Cox and it’s a different game.
That’s 6 words
2 Likes
A little psychology.
Can I ask you all to clear your minds.
Now think of Collingwoods lead up to this point; think of their grinding wins, their cocky president, the fkwit supporters and major possibility they snag it.
Now replace collingwood with Carlton.
150 bucks please and you’ll get 130 back on Medicare.
1 Like
If anyone is supportive that Melbourne have overtaken us should be ashamed.
They were a f*cking basket case… at Fitzroy levels. They Couldn’t even compete. Their culture made us look like a hardworking and successful team.
Now they’re playing for a grand final spot. We’re still in no mans land.
And your point is
If Hird was still our coach, we would have won a flag 2 years ago with Ryder, Carlisle, Hibberd and Melksham a part of it.
Absolutely, no doubt in my mind about that.
We were going places until the ■■■■■■■ saga killed off every chance we had.
We are now coming from a ■■■■■■ long way back.
I’m so angry right now with AFL and footy in general and I’m sick to death of being seen as failures.
We are building talent in our team, but as evident in lots of matches this year, we don’t have the mental capacity to win when it counts often enough. Losses to Carlton, Hawthorn, Richmond and Collingwood prove that.
We better start playing and winning finals, otherwise I’m moving to another code as I’m getting zero enjoyment from this game I USED to love.
12 Likes
Wouldn’t surprise if they were on a bit of a ‘program’ the way they were carrying on last night like pork chops.
Taking after their w****r president.
Yep.
That’s how much I don’t get this thread.
Edit: And also, we already have an ‘our players don’t try very hard’ thread.
The title isn’t actually quite as polite as that, but still.
Don’t worry, Wim. Just a silly thread created by some drunken bloke who found very little joy in watching an arch enemy climb off last year’s canvas and book a place in this year’s granny. Hungover today. The rage has gone, but some jealousy is still festering in the background.
There is an excellent podcast @CJohns posted post-season. A chat with Harvs. From memory, he said that we were only 5% off the mark this year. So, to answer my own thread questions:
2019: Bombers - Premiers
How? Drafting at least two quality mids, the natural development within the group, strengthening the coaching unit & being switched on mentally from R1. A favourable draw from the AFL like the Pies enjoyed this year would also be helpful - with more games at the G.
Your thoughts, Wim, on where we finish in 2019 and how we can win more games to achieve the ultimate success. I think that is what this thread is about. I’ll ask the hungover bloke when he recovers. 
Nobody wants to hear that again from me, but sure. Why not?
We have the cattle.
Finals next year.
Should have been finals this year.
If we bring more talent into this squad over the trading period and don’t play finals in 2019 it will be…I can’t put this strongly enough…farking embarrassing.
13 Likes
Cox will win the farking Norm Smith and I’m gonna wonder what kind of dystopian nightmare my world has become.
3 Likes
We just simply don’t have the undying, manic pressure that we’re able to commit to game after game and it’s been that way for years. Yes, we do it for an exciting game or two, have a good run, pat ourselves on the back after a good month of football whilst still losing to the better teams, but then when it comes time to really stamp ourselves we let ourselves down. It’s been that way for 15 years, we just don’t have that commitment to want to get there. We all joke that we can’t win 4 games in a row but it’s true, losing is like a pressure relief valve that we need to hit after a few wins because we’re all scared of what continually winning actually means.
It’s hard when you have usually about half a dozen players that lack the consistent effort or are selfish players that think only of themselves and let the rest down, and it’s usually those that play in the midfield/flanks that scrunge together one or two tackles maybe, each game. Pressure wins games, tackling wins games and sticking tackles wins games, and I think we are very inconsistent in that regard. We have talent, talent wins some games, but not consistently.
5 Likes
I think guelfi is our first real pickup to address this issue. Hard as nails, plays anywhere,plays percentages well and keeps on applying pressure. We need another 2 or 3 of him imo.
7 Likes
Kinda like this year, hey? Drafted three talented players into the squad - all three starting in the best 22 - two with very solid seasons and one with a potentially Crichton-winning season. 7th to 11th. I guess that is what frustrates me the most. Expectations of finals this year (even top 4) only for reality to hit. Granted, we took some time to gel as a team, but the second half of the season showed that we are indeed very close. I still feel as if we are a few two way running machines off the Pies, Dees, Tigers, etc.
I think you need one or two, but to win a premiership you no longer need a midfield full of superstars, was my point.
Another thing I picked up on last night & commented on in our post-season thread was the importance of having a decent kick to handball ratio. The Pies went at 1.35 (235 kicks, 174 handballs) vs Tigers 1.12 (182 vs 163). This is reflected in the huge marking differential. 107 to the Pies vs 58 to the Tigers. Obviously, they were first to the ball and won the contest, but rapid ball movement, created by long kicking breaks apart defensive zone structures. They were coached excellently last night.
In our first 8 games, we had such a low kick to handball ratio. We stuffed around so much with handballs. From the Cats game onwards, we dramatically changed the way we moved the ball. Our kick to handball ratio skyrocketed and we started winning games. I think we have the blueprint for 2019 now. Move the ball quickly, kick it long to a contest and take the game on. You create your own fortune in this game.
2 Likes