Expectations for 2014

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I guess expectation and "maybe if all things go right we can fluke it" are two different things. Can we do an amazing bradbury? Maybe. Will we? I doubt it very very much. Glad to see we are all roughly on the same page! Will be interesting how things pan out during the year. The hardest part for me will be to change my expectations as I am used to going for flags for so long now.

Will have to keep reminding myself during matches that we are rebuilding and are a middle table team so I don't lose the plot. Is an exciting time though!
 
I think we will finish somewhere between 5th & 8th, similar to last year. Lost some experience & need time for the younger players to develop.
 

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As I have posted before I am a lot more bullish about 2014 than most. A minimal expectation would be to at least be in the hunt for a top 4 spot deep into the season. Reality is though I will be disappointed not to finish top 4. If we end up top 4 a flag tilt is on.

I don't really buy the thought we are a young middle of the ladder list. Less than a season and a half ago we were on top of the ladder and equal flag favorites. Since then not much has gone right. 2013 especially was as bad a season as we have put out there in many years. Given a better injury run I can only see us improving in 2014. We still have 14 premiership players on our list. Those 14 are in the main significantly better players in 2014 than they were in 2010. That list includes elite talent in Pendles, Cloke, Beams and Reid.

In addition since 2010-11 we have the likes of Grundy, Adams, Elliott, Young, Kennedy, Keefe, White ,Thomas, Seedsman and Williams (potentially) to replace the turned over talent. I can understand some saying they feel the list isn't quite at the level it was in 2010-11 but has it dropped so far so quickly as people could see it as natural we will struggle to make finals.

Last pointI make is I have always regarded football observers to be too short term in their views. We were well below what we are capable of in 2013. That has happened to plenty of teams, a bad season. It is just as often replaced by a much better effort the following year. I think our list is still one of the best few going around and if we play to potential in 2014 we are definitely top 4 material. I still see us as a real flag chance this season.
 
I'd love to say title challenge but from what I've seen on exposed form so far, we still have a long way to go. There's just too much holding us back at the moment to seriously contend. A lot would have to change drastically for us, particularly defensively to bat with the heavy hitters.

Top 8 and winning a final would be a pass.
 
I'll settle for anywhere in the top 8 but expecting inconsistency. I'm hoping for some insane performances against some top 4 contenders while fully expecting to drop games we should win. Oh yeah, and absolutely smash Carlton, Thomas squibbing every physical contest and the Carlton ferals turning on him and Malthouse. Yeah, that's about it.
 
I expect Top 6.
I'm hoping Top 4.
I'm wishing to pinch a flag from Top 4.*
I'll accept Top 8.
Anything less & I'll be pissed.

& I'm a big Buckley fan. Best player I've ever seen. Even in 2007, injury riddled the guy would hit a teammate on the chest who was 90+ metres away. Either side of the foot.

The thing we have against us is a tough draw to start with. This is where I want to see Buckley stand up- we know they're Collingwood & will be scrutinised like mofos. Deal with it.

I'm wishing Mick's mob get done by GWS. I wish the prick bursts a neck vein in the process too.

(* why can't we for once 'pinch' a flag instead of losing one? Pretty sure my old man has seen 11 Grand Final losses in person. Would go a long way. FFS, if Pendles isn't the best player in the comp, he's not far off. & we have swannie & trav too. We get Top 4 we can scare- a few boys have been there before & know what to do. Go Pies! Bring it the fudge on!!!)
 
Scodog10 said:
I'm going to be rather blunt here, but IMO that's just delusional. Sure to a man we all hope it comes to fruition! It's another matter entirely to expect it though.

It's akin to a Carlton supporter expecting a top 4 finish or a Giants fan a top 8 position.

Unfortunately even with a charmed injury run and fast start to the season our best 22 just isn't experienced enough any longer to compete with the likes of Hawthorn and Sydney at the business end of the season.

5-8 while battling for a top 4 spot is my expectation. Anything below 10th is a failure.
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Experience didn't win us the flag in 2010
 
Scodog10 said:
I'm going to be rather blunt here, but IMO that's just delusional. Sure to a man we all hope it comes to fruition! It's another matter entirely to expect it though.

It's akin to a Carlton supporter expecting a top 4 finish or a Giants fan a top 8 position.

Unfortunately even with a charmed injury run and fast start to the season our best 22 just isn't experienced enough any longer to compete with the likes of Hawthorn and Sydney at the business end of the season.

5-8 while battling for a top 4 spot is my expectation. Anything below 10th is a failure.
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so then how do you explain Port last year? Knocking us out.
 

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popin said:
Look at our first ten rounds before getting your hopes up.
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If we manage to be 5/5 or anything better i will be ecstatic, from there our draw opens up a bit

Finish anywhere between 4-13 this year, a lot of even teams. On our day we can scare anyone but u never know what u going to get week to week with our performances
 
I think it will be a slow burn year, where we will hit better form - hopefully great form - in the second half of the year. We have a young team where many guys have played very few games. Talent + youth are not enough. But talent + youth + games are much better. We will be a much improved team next year. We need some patience Pies fans, not one of our strong points.
 
ksardog said:
If we manage to be 5/5 or anything better i will be ecstatic, from there our draw opens up a bit

Finish anywhere between 4-13 this year, a lot of even teams. On our day we can scare anyone but u never know what u going to get week to week with our performances
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First ten games will give us an idea to how we will finish up so pick what games we should win?
R1 Fremantle ? R13 Bulldogs
R2 Sydney Swans ? R14 Hawthorn ?
R3 Geelong ? R15 Carlton ?
R4 Richmond ? R16 Gold coast
R5 North Melbourne ? R17 Essendon?
R6 Essendon ? R18 Adelaide ?
R7 Carlton ? R19 Port Adelaide ?
R9 Adelaide crows ? R20 West coast ?
R10 West coast ? R21 Brisbane ?
R11 St Kilda ? R22 GWS ?
R12 Melbourne ? R23 Hawthorn ?
 
RobbyTMagpies said:
so then how do you explain Port last year? Knocking us out.
Click to expand...

I don't particularly understand your point in relation to the text you bolded. Are you stating that they should have expected that at the start of the year? Because with an untried coach and the 3 year build up they had that would have been the hope that they could manage such an effort and an unrealistic expectation.

Seedsfan said:
Experience didn't win us the flag in 2010
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Correct, a brilliant tactical advantage and even spread of talent did. Which we don't have in 2014.

As it is I'd argue that experience provided a huge catalyst. We get knocked out in a Prelim the year before, are on the up and up and recruit the experienced duo of Ball and Jolly to compliment our squad to take us all the way.

Conversely this year we're on a downward trend from 2012-2013 ship out Shaw and allow Thomas to leave with Adams and Scharenberg/ White the replacements. Good footsoldiers they may be, but not yet the hardened finals footballers you need when the whips are cracking...

Hopes and dreams is what keeps us all going, but if you can't see the signs that a premiership is a poor expectation in 2014 you're going to be in for a rough year!
 
Scodog10 said:
I don't particularly understand your point in relation to the text you bolded. Are you stating that they should have expected that at the start of the year? Because with an untried coach and the 3 year build up they had that would have been the hope that they could manage such an effort and an unrealistic expectation.
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All i was pointing out is that us to win like the guy you quoted said is not delusional imo.
 
Vicky Park said:
I think it will be a slow burn year, where we will hit better form - hopefully great form - in the second half of the year. We have a young team where many guys have played very few games. Talent + youth are not enough. But talent + youth + games are much better. We will be a much improved team next year. We need some patience Pies fans, not one of our strong points.
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I would not disagree with this possibility re 2015 but would qualify it by saying we will already have been a much better side in 2014 than 2013. You mentioned talent and youth are not enough but should also see we will be fielding a much more experienced side in 2014 compared to 2013. In 2013 we had many debuts including Dwyer, Frost, Martin, Grundy, Witts, Kennedy and Oxley (7 debutants).In addition players who can be expected to be regulars in 2014 who gained in matches played during 2013. Theses are Elliott, Fasalo, Adams, Keefe, Thomas, Seedsman, Caff, Sinclair and hopefully Williams.

Most importantly we have a number of experienced players who missed large chunks of 2013 who seem fit to go. Beams, Ball, Toovey Goldsack and Young. Throw in Fas, Keefe and Grundy who missed big parts of 2013. If we don't get many injuries in 2014 the debutants of 2013 will be mainly depth players. Our 14 ex premiership players remain an extremely strong base and we have a lot of younger players who have now strung together the 20-40 game base from which they should improve rapidly. Heater is the only loss from 2013 who played a significant amount of games

In 2014 we won't be debuting 7 youngsters in the season. We won't have a need to have so many kids running round. I haven't even considered the Broomheads, Freeman's, Sharenburgs etc because I don't see any of them playing many games in 2014 unless they absolutely scream down the doors . There are already too many in the line ahead of them. This is a problem we haven't had for the last 2 seasons. Collingwood will rise up significantly in 2014
 
jasonwilde said:
I expect Top 6.
I'm hoping Top 4.
I'm wishing to pinch a flag from Top 4.*
I'll accept Top 8.
Anything less & I'll be pissed.

& I'm a big Buckley fan. Best player I've ever seen. Even in 2007, injury riddled the guy would hit a teammate on the chest who was 90+ metres away. Either side of the foot.

The thing we have against us is a tough draw to start with. This is where I want to see Buckley stand up- we know they're Collingwood & will be scrutinised like mofos. Deal with it.

I'm wishing Mick's mob get done by GWS. I wish the prick bursts a neck vein in the process too.

(* why can't we for once 'pinch' a flag instead of losing one? Pretty sure my old man has seen 11 Grand Final losses in person. Would go a long way. FFS, if Pendles isn't the best player in the comp, he's not far off. & we have swannie & trav too. We get Top 4 we can scare- a few boys have been there before & know what to do. Go Pies! Bring it the fudge on!!!)
Click to expand...
I really like this post.
The thing which worries me, though, is the inconsistency of effort. I hope it's just the youth issue. I hope Buckley has the players.
 

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Expectations for 2014

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