Where are we at?

[mightytiges]

Now that we've played every side in the comp. once and can get a truer guideline on how we're going, where do you guys think we are at?

[cub]

I know it aint fair and you can only beat who you play, but we really haven't beaten anyone that has been in form yet.

If we beat the saints this w/end, Finals here we come and with a bit of confidence going in who knows.
As we know from previous years it is all about who hits the finals running, not that I am expecting anything.

Melbourne are down and I see (was it) Timmy watson has stated they will not make the finals, I think if they get their side together and hit the finals running they are as good as any.

[JohnF]

We are trying very hard and playing fairly well as a team but we haven't got enough top line players, or players with that touch of brilliance which can rise to teh occasion in finals.

If we want to challenge for a flag we have a lot of improving to do. If we finish in the top 8 this year it will be a fantastic result for the talent level of our players IMO.

[Tiger Spirit]

Pretty much agree with JohnF’s comments.  Any win from hereon in is a bonus.

Probably says something about the rest of the comp. that we’re looking like playing finals this season.  Might say something about a lot of other things too.

[WilliamPowell]

Probably says something about the rest of the comp. that we’re looking like playing finals this season.  Might say something about a lot of other things too.

What's is it that you're saying TS

Melbourne are down and I see (was it) Timmy watson has stated they will not make the finals, I think if they get their side together and hit the finals running they are as good as any.

Timmy also has us missing the finals. Reckons we will get the 12 wins but our low % will mean we miss out

We are trying very hard and playing fairly well as a team but we haven't got enough top line players, or players with that touch of brilliance which can rise to teh occasion in finals.

If we want to challenge for a flag we have a lot of improving to do. If we finish in the top 8 this year it will be a fantastic result for the talent level of our players IMO.

I tend to agree JohnF.

There is no doubt we have improved but there is still alot more improving to come I reckon. I think most of us would have taken 9-6 after 15 rounds at the start of the year.

However, I would still like to see us play finals. I just think we (the members and supporters) deserve it.

Do I think we will make the 8 and play finals - yeap I do. Howlong will last in the finals - don't really care to be honest but it would certainly give us a much better indication of the areas that need major improvement, finals footy is another gear up IMO

[mightytiges]

Like others agree with JohnF's comments. We're along way off.

Also agree with TS. The AFL comp at the moment has too many mediocre teams in it and some are rewarded with playing finals when 20 years ago with a top 5 they would have missed out. It's a shame we are rebuilding this year. It's one of those seasons where a number of sides could pinch a flag depending who's up and running at that time of year like the Crows were in 97/98. I know West Coast are on top by a large margin and with home finals will cruise to GF day but they have just snuck home twice by less than a kick playing in Melbourne and anything can happen on GF day. The rest from 2nd to about 11th are just yo-yoing with form.

Might say something about a lot of other things too.

Is that a subtle and cryptic Spud-bash there TS? 

[Ox]

We must play finals, if not simply for the symbolic significance such an achievement
would represent.

1) - Wooden spoon to Finals.

2) - Another  nail in Spuds reputation

3) - Dawn of a new era.

[the_boy_jake]

I've always thought that whilst % doesn't win premierships, it is a more accurate indicator of where a team is at.

   1    West Coast Eagles   139.23   56   
   2    Adelaide              125.83   40   
   3    Brisbane Lions           116.92   32   
   4    St Kilda                  112.87   32   
   5    Geelong                      112.25   36   
   6    Melbourne                 105.55   36   
   7    Sydney Swans           103.52   36   
   8    Richmond               98.95   36   
   9    Kangaroos              98.28   36   

I think that shows us about where we are - mediocre.

[JohnF]

Agree Jake.

Our percentage sucks and we have fallen well short of the 16 goals a game Wallace was preaching at the start of the year. We are doing well to get over the line in a lot of matches but we've only really thumped one team this year and had battles in every other win.

[mightytiges]

Agree with Jake that we are mediocre. But we've gone over one summer from being totally and utterly crap to mediocre lol which is way above expectations for this year. Granted we've had a kind draw in terms of who we play twice but you can only beat the teams you play.

We flogged Carlton and Port. Freo wasn't far behind. Probably that was our peak for the year as we were at full stength and the Port game restored confidence and belief within the playing group.   

Our percentage took a hammering during those 4 losses before the break. We lost around 20% . Before the Melbourne game our percentage was up around 115.

We've done extremely well to still be in good position to play finals given the injuries to key players we've copped. You've got give it to Wallace  for the way he's been able to restructure the side after Browny went down.

On the run home we don't want to suffer back to back hidings from St Kilda and Port in Adelaide in the next 2 weeks. 12 wins and a poor % might not be enough. We need to pump Carlton and the Hawks.

[tiga]

We must play finals, if not simply for the symbolic significance such an achievement
would represent.

1) - Wooden spoon to Finals.

2) - Another  nail in Spuds reputation

3) - Dawn of a new era.

Couldn't agree more. We need to finish this season strongly if we are to keep the momentum flowing into next season.

[the_boy_jake]

Agree with Jake that we are mediocre. But we've gone over one summer from being totally and utterly crap to mediocre lol which is way above expectations for this year. Granted we've had a kind draw in terms of who we play twice but you can only beat the teams you play.

We flogged Carlton and Port. Freo wasn't far behind. Probably that was our peak for the year as we were at full stength and the Port game restored confidence and belief within the playing group.   

Our percentage took a hammering during those 4 losses before the break. We lost around 20% . Before the Melbourne game our percentage was up around 115.

We've done extremely well to still be in good position to play finals given the injuries to key players we've copped. You've got give it to Wallace  for the way he's been able to restructure the side after Browny went down.

On the run home we don't want to suffer back to back hidings from St Kilda and Port in Adelaide in the next 2 weeks. 12 wins and a poor % might not be enough. We need to pump Carlton and the Hawks.

Agreee with all that. Importantly the skill level seems to be on the rise, although there is a tendency sometimes to revert to old ways. I do think we desperately lack a cool, authoritive head at the back - Gas is a scrapper, Kellaway similar, and Bowden can be too cool - reckless at times.  When we are playing well, we are great across halfback, when we are poor we get bogged down there.

[mightytiges]

We do get bogged down when we are struggling because some of our defenders don't have the necessary precise skills but we also get bogged down IMO because the whole team stops running to generate options in space further up the ground. Even when we are winning we are sometimes too slow to move the ball on and we revert back to a stagnate kick and mark style of play. You can see we are in transition as we play a mixture of the old and the new run and carry modern gameplan that Wallace actually wants us to play.