Comparisons with Essendon 2000

[scottydeewah]

As the season was drawing to a close people on BF and in the Media started to compare us to Carlton 1995 and Essendon 2000, I am starting to think this may have been a bit premature. Hopefully we were more like Essendon 1999, although instead of losing our PF by the barest of margins we won ours, then did what we should have and shat in the GF.

Could this year be more like Essendon 2000?

I really think that again only injuries can stop us. As much improvement as the chases have in Collingwood, Port, Hawthorn it is really only the Hawks that can improve more than we can again this year.

 

[catempire]

Injuries AND...

Complacency.

Mooney suspensions.

Ottens' groin.

Egan's foot.

Lack of motivation.

Lack of innovation.

Failing to improve.

 

[noclashjumpers]

Injuries AND...

Complacency.

Mooney suspensions.

Ottens' groin.

Egan's foot.

Lack of motivation.

Lack of innovation.

Failing to improve.

Whoa! Hang on there. You're forgetting that we have TWO new logos.

Just wait and see. That will ......um ....hmmmm.

 

[tin can sam]

Injuries AND...

Complacency.

Mooney suspensions.

Ottens' groin.

Egan's foot.

Lack of motivation.

Lack of innovation.

Failing to improve.

I might seem arrogant, but that won't hurt us, the others would.

 

[catempire]

I might seem arrogant, but that won't hurt us, the others would.

We'll be hunted. Others will improve. If we don't improve, others will pass us.

 

[tin can sam]

We'll be hunted. Others will improve. If we don't improve, others will pass us.

Others will improve, but we are so far ahead, we can stay on the same level and still win the flag, just not dominate like we did this year.

 

[catempire]

Others will improve, but we are so far ahead, we can stay on the same level and still win the flag, just not dominate like we did this year.

That seems optimistic.

 

[tin can sam]

That seems optimistic.

It's the off-season and we just won the flag, no reason not to be optimistic.

 

[BigBadCam]

The only thing which can really screw us up I think is if Ottens gets injured. Blake as our number one ruck would be scary.

 

[catempire]

It's the off-season and we just won the flag, no reason not to be optimistic.

I think we're all optimistic and with good reason.

We won the prelim by 5 points. It's not going to take much of a slip or much of a climb by other teams to bring us undone.

 

[MmkMrMackie]

That seems optimistic.

Gotta keep the lid on guys. Don't get carried away. lol

 

[tin can sam]

The only thing which can really screw us up I think is if Ottens gets injured. Blake as our number one ruck would be scary.

I had a dream Ottens walked out on us and signed with Carlton, (along with Cousins)

It scared the **** out of me.

 

[catempire]

Gotta keep the lid on guys. Don't get carried away. lol

Wasn't there a symbolic burial of the lid at KP after the GF?

 

[Turbocat]

In truth Ess in 2000 or Carlton in 95 are poor comparisons , perhaps the closer would have been the Hawks of 88. They slaughtered the Dees in the GF , a margin only passed this year by us but the next year only won by 6 points.They also followed it up in 91 with another. 3 in 4 years , now thats worth aiming for.

To do it , we MUST improve.

We will not be the same as last year no matter what.We are not virgins any more.A different mindset is now in play.For some this may diminish output but for others it will increase it. For Egan , Blake, Prismall etc that weren't a part of the party , they should be desperate to ensure there is no drop off but for some it may be that the mountain once climbed is not tasty

In the cool light of day do we really think our team has peaked , that there is no room for improvement? I doubt it.That Hawthorn team was a team full of All Australians and interstate reps , here we match them but on a line by line comparison I'd say we are short of their standard.. at the moment.

The good thing is there is plenty of opportunity. Nathan Ablett , Selwood have plenty of upside yet and we still have a couple of players that I'd say are lucky to be in the side so the player on the fringe have a chance. We must set new targets and demand more from the younger players and manage the older ones with fine judgment. 3 in 4 years is do-able IF we can continue ti improve... we will see

 

[sarah.13]

I"m surprised at your pessimism CE. This group of players has a window for success in the next 2-3 years and they will not let us or themselves down.
Whilst i agree with you re injury to key players especially to our spine we have enough depth to cover most positions.
If we can get full seasons from Mooney and Ottens I don't see why we couldn't go back to back.

 

[WestCat]

I think given where our list is at the moment, we've probably got the next 2 years to really improve. We've still got another 2 very good years out of guys like Ottens, Scarlett, Milburn etc. while the likes of N.Ablett, Hawkins, Selwood etc. have signficant improvement they can make in the next 2 years and our core group from the 99 and 01 drafts have now matured and will continue to play at, and probably above, the level they set this year.

Just need to make sure we draft to replace those guys in the first group to ensure a good 5 years at the top.

 

[catempire]

I"m surprised at your pessimism CE. This group of players has a window for success in the next 2-3 years and they will not let us or themselves down.
Whilst i agree with you re injury to key players especially to our spine we have enough depth to cover most positions.
If we can get full seasons from Mooney and Ottens I don't see why we couldn't go back to back.

No, you've misread me mate. I'm not pessimistic at all. As I said in a subsequent post, we should all be optimistic.

But to say that we don't need to improve is a fallacy. Going back to back is extremely difficult for all of the reasons I listed. I wasn't suggesting that any or all of them will bring us undone, just that they could.

We are the deserved favourites going into next season. A lot still has to go right though.

 

[Cattrick]

I think given where our list is at the moment, we've probably got the next 2 years to really improve. We've still got another 2 very good years out of guys like Ottens, Scarlett, Milburn etc. while the likes of N.Ablett, Hawkins, Selwood etc. have signficant improvement they can make in the next 2 years and our core group from the 99 and 01 drafts have now matured and will continue to play at, and probably above, the level they set this year.

Just need to make sure we draft to replace those guys in the first group to ensure a good 5 years at the top.

I thought we were going for 44 in a row

 

[scottydeewah]

But to say that we don't need to improve is a fallacy

WE need too in general. But i think if we played exactly the same as we did this year we would still probably win the flag. Mate our team this year was F***ING AWESOME. What do you want next year, 12 AA?

 

[catempire]

WE need too in general. But i think if we played exactly the same as we did this year we would still probably win the flag. Mate our team this year was F***ING AWESOME. What do you want next year, 12 AA?

I think it was Harley that said the season we had was a 1 in 100 type season. I'll see if I can find the quote.

It's unlikely that so many things will go right for us again in 2008. We had a great run with injuries and suspensions which is unlikely to be repeated. We produced a style of game that no team was able to effectively counter but next year they'll all have done extra homework on it. Everyone was super-motivated due to the underperformances of years gone by but will they be able to maintain the hunger after premiership success?

I guess my point is that, yes, if we reproduce 2007 form we'll probably win again. But to reproduce it is going to be a huge task. What's more likely is that we won't have a season as good as 2007 and we're going to have a handful of players fall away and we'll need a handful to step up to fill the void. We'll need further coaching innovation because our gameplan will be dissected by every other coach. We'll need luck and we'll need hunger.

I hope it all comes together again. I hope that if we can't reproduce 2007 form we'll be able to improve in other areas to ensure we're still a force.

It's no fait accompli.

 

[no_5]

we had a lack of injuries , which was awesome, but we are desparate for a backup tall defender, we have oodles in the midfield, and tenance is my roughie for a top year

 

[catswhiskers]

Essendon 99,00 and to a lesser extent 01 were awesome and still didn't go back to back. Its hard to do and thats the reason Brisbane have been easily the best outfit for a very long while.

We do have the plus that we lose none this year and we have plenty waiting for their chance from Egan to Gamble and Djerrkura .

If the selection committee continue to select on form rather than name then we are a good chance. Last year was the first time in a while this happened and it paid big dividends.

 

[stevothedevo]

As the season was drawing to a close people on BF and in the Media started to compare us to Carlton 1995 and Essendon 2000, I am starting to think this may have been a bit premature. Hopefully we were more like Essendon 1999, although instead of losing our PF by the barest of margins we won ours, then did what we should have and shat in the GF.

I think the caparisons are fully justified. Carlton, Essendon & Geelong all dominated their particular years and won the premiership..If your going to compare Geelong 2007 to Essendon 1999 we might as well compare them with Port 2003 as well. But since Port are shite we wouldn't and the shiteness of Port is for another forum anyway.

Before 2007 when the question was asked. What teams have dominated a season and won the premiership? The answer was always Essendon of 2000, Carlton of 1995. And if you wanted to go back further yeah sure, you'd throw in a hawks one somewhere as well. So no matter what the margins were, in a long forgotten round 12 match, or who won the prelim by more, today Geelong of 2007 are well and truly entrenched in that group

 

[scottydeewah]

I think it was Harley that said the season we had was a 1 in 100

1/100
2/101

Odds arent that different.

 

[Catsace]

Geelong's last twenty games were as peerless as any team from any other season. 19 wins and a loss in the last seconds of the game is testament to how well Geelong played this season.

I am confident the team will do just as well next year also. Chapman had an interrupted year due to groin/hamstring injuries, Tom Hawkins is likely to be more of a factor with a pre-season under his belt and another year of maturity. The midfield competition is white hot, with Prismall and Davenport all pressing the likes of Kelly and the other incumbents for a spot in the side. There is a fair degree of competition for spots, and the core of the team are still just 26 or so, Scarlett, Ottens, Milburn notwithstanding.

Also the intangible factor now of knowing they CAN do it, will give them a mental strength that Geelong has just not had for a long time. They can draw on their ability to always be in the game, and be confident in their ability to be able to answer the challenges put up. Their style of footy, while likely to be dissected, still requires other teams to produce a masive effort to close it down. Collingwood had that amazing ability in the Preliminary Final to answer Geelong's run with extreme efficiency in the forward line, Didak, Davis and the like were able to make half-chances count fully. The way Geelong held off Collingwood twice in huge games is also a trait that Geelong in years past would rarely do. I think the group will be very keen to establish for themselves a place in footy history by going back to back, and lay clain to being the best Geelong side of all time.