We were very good against the SA teams.
Poor away from home in the other 2.
I have fears about what Geelong did to our collective confidence levels, though we wont know for sure until after the Sydney game, unless the WB’s really open us up.
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2009, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021 all served us well
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1000%…
Put Durham back and Cox onto wing and they can rotate between wing and back line.
Either Kelly/Hepp make way.
Kelly out for Cox
Weid out for Flip
Next to make way Hepp, Laverde, Snelling, Guelfi.
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I’m sure that’s what Tigers supporters were thinking circa 2015 when they had lost their third EF in a row.
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So how many of the next 5 flags you pencilling us in for if we lose another EF this year?
What?
What do you think needs to happen for the remainder of this season ?
What is good for the side moving forward ?
Im just trying to establish your position, because it appears like you have become the most negative poster on here of late, and im not sure you have always been this way.
Though i must concede, Sat night rocked me more than usual.
It was a bitter blow to our progress for the season.
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Phillips for Brian
Davey for Snelling
Cox for Weideman
Tsatas for Guelfi
Hind for Kelly
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I think Sat rocked a few of us more because we were starting to get a glimmer of hope we were not completely ■■■■. Top 4 is lid off crap and we were never there, but top 8 and actually a shot at winning a final, maybe. However the selection, effort and game day on Sat was just ■■■■ and really makes us ask the question, have we improved at all.
I didnt think we would win, however didnt think it would mirror our last games against the cats.
For the rest of the year we need to see the effort we put in against port, with better selections and giving a fair crack to those in the VFL that either deserve it or that we want to see have a sustained go. If we can do that and make finals on our own accord through winning games, great. If not i won’t be annoyed. Playing weid and showing absolutely no effort again then its just another failed year after 20 already.
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You know what is troubling from Sat night ?
The effort was actually there in Q.1.
We just couldnt handle their physical pressure when we had the ball, and thus couldnt move it.
We were trying.
Just mis-matched in every part of the ground.
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I don’t know what you mean by “needs to happen”
I just don’t think we’re very good
And I’m not convinced we’re necessarily going to get out of no man’s land just because we’ve improved on last year.
We were in the same boat in each of those 6 years we lost and EF, assuming we were on the right trajectory and it all turned out to be nothing (albeit 2012-2014 was a genuinely strong list and events conspired against us).
Not going to get carried away off the back of beating up on poor/middling sides with the odd upset against a good side.
I said if we’re serious we beat Adelaide Geelong and Bulldogs.
But we’re not serious are we? We’re just pretty average at best.
Maybe I’m wrong and we win the next 5, but I doubt it. And I’m just not convinced we’ll win any more games next year either. I’ll believe it when I see it. Sydney and Freo were much better than us last year and look where they are this year. Why would you have any confidence our 2024 will be better then their 2023?
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I said that because it appears you want/prefer to miss Finals because you dont believe we could win one this year ?
The other poster you replied to said making Finals would still be good experience, even if we lost.
You cited history, but what has happened before does not define what will happen moving forward with this group.
Whilst losing another Elim Final would be a bitter pill for us fans, it would still be useful for a whole host of players in our 23 either yet to play a Final, or have only played the 1 in Tassie.
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Not sure making it vs not changes much.
I’m not saying I prefer to miss, I just can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel with this list. Too many holes.
We have a fair ways to go.
We’ll know a helluva lot more at the end of '24.
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There’s a saying that ‘a week is a long time in football’ and I believe this is true and we can bounce back against a Bulldogs team that is just going. Also - there’s every chance that the Cats get steamrolled by a powerful Brisbane unit up in Brisbane…!!
As for changes I dont think there will be many - maybe:
OUT: Guelfi, Weideman
IN: Cox, Phillips
Team;-
Ridley Zerk Kelly
Redman Lav McGrath
Martin Parish Durham
Perkins Langford Caldwell
Stringer 2MP Menzie
Phillips Hobbs Merrett
Bench: Snelling Cox Heppell Bryan
SUB: Guelfi
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Players who played on Sunday in the VFL are not going to play on Friday night. It is too short a turn around. So that would be a no for Davey and Tsatas. Cox was taken off the ground at half time, so he looks a likely starter.
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They could be the sub.
same turn around as when we played cats after pies on anzac day.
Could be, but won’t.
It must be ok because it has worked once in 4 weeks, a period that has included 2 absolute thumpings.
That’s pretty typical Essendon thinking for the past 20 years.
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OUT: Weid, Hind, Bryan
IN: Cox, Phillips, ADJ (sub)