Gerard Healy

[ArNcHiSe]

Worth mentioning the Pies in 2007 who finished sixth and won their first two finals against the previous year's Grand Finalists, only to lose the Prelim to Geelong by five points. A game that could have gone either way. Win that game and they would have smashed Port in the GF.

To say it can't happen is a joke.

The only joke is that the AFL has a final eight to give teams from 5th to 8th a chance to win the premiership. It's going to happen again one of these days, and everyone will be calling it unfair that a team who is average during the home and away season only have to prime themselves in September to be declared "champions of the season".

Until the AFL get rid of the final eight (probably never), then every team in the finals is a chance to win it.

If the AFL ranked last year's finalists based on a reversed ladder, I am sure Geelong and St. Kilda probably still would have made the Grand Final.

1) Essendon
2) Carlton
3) Brisbane
4) Adelaide
5) Collingwood
6) Bulldogs
7) Geelong
8) St. Kilda

Adelaide would have beaten Essendon and advanced through to the PF
Carlton would have beaten Brisbane and advanced through to the PF
St. Kilda would have beaten Collingwood, eliminating them
Geelong would have beaten the Bulldogs, eliminating them

St. Kilda would have beaten Essendon, eliminating them
Geelong would have beaten Brisbane, eliminating them

St. Kilda would have beaten Carlton, eliminating them
Geelong would have beaten Adelaide, eliminating them

Same GF, prob sam result.

this post makes no sense at all.

 

[Fossie 32]

Makes sense to me - if you're good enough to win the GF, wouldn't matter what possie you finish in

 

[X_box_X]

this post makes no sense at all.

Don't speak for everyone. Speak for yourself.

It makes no sense to you. For everyone else it's grade five knowledge.

 

[jeemak]

Finishing outside of the four doesn't mean you can't win the GF. But, being outside of the four means you're likely to come up against a side that is fairly well matched against you, without having the double chance.

The reason why every team that is competitive strives for the top four is because making it gives you a double chance, and it shows through a form line that you've been able to beat a majority of teams to get there.

The last two year's elimination finals for us have been a piss take for the most part, almost non-events. The reason why we have smashed teams in elimination finals is because we've proved over the season that we're a cut above them. You could've taken any team between 7th and 11-12th and expected them to be as competitive against us as Brisbane and Sydney were in 2009 and 2008. The point being, if you are consistent enough to finish in the top four you've been able to show a level of consistent quality over the whole season.

While it's not set in stone that you can't win it from outside of the four, the year's form line would suggest it's only the teams that have proven themselves over 22 weeks that can.

The way this year is going, I'm happy to be proven wrong.

 

[SCRAY72]

Makes sense to me - if you're good enough to win the GF, wouldn't matter what possie you finish in

Fossie
Our biggest problem is making a GF,who knows if we were ever good enough.
In 38 years following this club it disappoints me that we the only Vic club that
hasn't made it to a GF.

 

[Fossie 32]

Fossie
Our biggest problem is making a GF,who knows if we were ever good enough.
In 38 years following this club it disappoints me that we the only Vic club that
hasn't made it to a GF.

Amen to that!

 

[ArNcHiSe]

Don't speak for everyone. Speak for yourself.

It makes no sense to you. For everyone else it's grade five knowledge.

i don't think i was talking for everyone else.

and what dosen't make sense is the premise behind the post.