Tigers won't win the premiership: Pagan (Age)

[one-eyed]

Tigers won't win the premiership: Pagan

By Michael Ramsey
The Age
3 September 2018 — 3:39pm

Dual premiership coach Denis Pagan reckons Richmond are vulnerable heading into the finals.

Pagan, who will present the Jock McHale Medal to this year's premiership-winning coach, believes the Tigers are in danger of getting ahead of themselves after being installed as short-priced favourites to claim back-to-back flags.

The North Melbourne great, who led the Kangaroos to premierships in 1996 and 1999, is backing West Coast to go all the way, after winning two home finals.

"I think the Tigers have had a long while to think about premierships," Pagan told reporters on Monday.

"I'm sure their players would have been thinking about premierships probably from about four or five weeks ago when no other side in the competition had the opportunity to think about it.

"It's going to be exciting to see what Damien [Hardwick] does to get their minds on the job and play in the present and not get involved in the future."

Pagan compared Richmond's situation to the 1998 season when the Kangaroos won the minor premiership but lost to Adelaide in the grand final, adding that the week off before their first final wouldn't help the Tigers' cause.

"I think they'll beat Hawthorn this week and that means they're not going to play many games," Pagan said.

"We're in this age of sensitive new-age coaches and strength and conditioning guys.

"I know people will say I'm a silly old fool for talking like this but on the Saturdays off I used to say to our guys 'the side isn't finalised, bring your mouthguards, it's going to be on for young and old'.

"I think the players thrived on competition."

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/tigers-won-t-win-the-premiership-pagan-20180903-p501gt.html

[MintOnLamb]

Articles like this should be ignored.

It's stressfull enough as it is FFS

[PremiershipClock]

Articles like this should be ignored.

It's stressfull enough as it is FFS

The article's fine - The headline is disingenous

[Owl]

Awwwe but I wanted to win the premiership!

[pmac21]

I think all teams have had the same time to think about it. 
Stick this up on the players lockers.  Stick it up em. 

[georgies31]

Like Dimma says we concentrate on our own 4 walls not what media and people say.Aren't all clubs fighting for finals thinking about a flag why play the game for then.Haven't seen a ounce of us being ahead of ourselves.

[Slipper]

The West Australian trumpeting this article like you can take it to the bank

[dwaino]

Well that's it then. It was a great year but we won't win it apparently, time to go home.

[wayne]

Wallsy thinks the Dees will win the flag.

[dwaino]

From what I've seen, the Dees think they've already won it. They are making our 2013 lead up look calm and collected.

[wayne]

From what I've seen, the Dees think they've already won it. They are making our 2013 lead up look calm and collected.

They think they're following our path... do they forget that our path was 3 elim final losses in a row?

The first was from 5th position too.

[WilliamPowell]

I must have missed the bit in the actual article where he said the "Tigers won't win the premiership" 

[one-eyed]

The West Australian trumpeting this article like you can take it to the bank

This one?

https://thewest.com.au/sport/west-coast-eagles/five-reasons-why-the-west-coast-eagles-can-win-the-afl-premiership-ng-b88948878z

[yandb]

Using his logic the Hawks should not have won in 2014 and 2015.

Just because he couldn't coach back to back premierships it doesn't mean that no-one else can.

[one-eyed]

Astbury talking about Pagan's comments:

Two-time premiership coach and this year's Jock McHale medal presenter Denis Pagan suggested on Monday the Tigers could suffer as the result of thinking too long about finals and going back-to-back.

But Astbury said there was no evidence to suggest the players were getting ahead of themselves. 

"It's an interesting concept he's got," he said.

"Football's full of provocative comments, but you're not going to get one from me. Everyone is entitled to their opinion … we won't buy into that too much.

"I think naturally people might look to outcome a little bit, but with our playing group we're a week-to-week outfit.

"We've won 18 games this year and we back our system in, we don't look too much for outcomes, we just play to our strengths and generally that serves us well.

"If we look too far beyond that it will bite us, so we just look to the next session, the next game, and we're sure that will hold us in good stead."

Source: AFL website