Oppo Camp Non Geelong football (AFL) discussion 2023, part I

[Vdubs]

This is a terrible take considering our season last year.

Not sure why you think Collingwood's was better but whatever floats your boat I guess.

All I am saying is Pies pushed us to the limit in that final, and we were good enough to do it.
I'm not bringing up the hypotheticals, but we will never know.

 

[Munich]

It was important, no doubt, but I also had little doubt as 2022 wore on that we'd go all the way.

Sometimes flags are just written in the stars.

It's a bit sad some can't see that. They will continue to doubt and talk up other sides above their own.

 

[Munich]

All I am saying is Pies pushed us to the limit in that final, and we were good enough to do it.
I'm not bringing up the hypotheticals, but we will never know.

Um. Ok.

 

[Vdubs]

I'd say winning 14 in a row suggests we were in serious form, and therefore would've been quietly confident against the Swans had we dropped that game.

14 straight then a loss..
It didn't happen, but ...

 

[Cataholic]

Sometimes flags are just written in the stars.

It's a bit sad some can't see that. They will continue to doubt and talk up other sides above their own.

It's exactly how I felt as last season went on......like it was preordained, and just a matter of going through the motions.

That sounds arrogant, but my confidence wasn't inspired by that......rather the feeling that 'it's just meant to be'.

Was still nervous in that game against the Pies, and in the GF, though mind you.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Their all playing second, we have a mostly fit list and nobody else is really that close IMO.
Our best, even our "normal" best is pretty comfortably the best in the league.

I have watched alot of collingwood last year and this year, and can honestly say the best game they have produced by far was that qualifying final against us.

The intensity and effort they brought to the game along with 100,000 bizerk Collingwood fans behind them like a sailing ship was the pinacle I have seen from them.

I don't know if I have seen players drop to the floor in near tears like that either after a qualifying game very often.... you could just tell they had not another mm to give.

 

[fpm84]

Pies are a very good team but Adelaide completely shot themselves in the foot today. On ANZAC Day Collingwood just outplayed Essendon when it mattered. Today, not only did the Crows have one of the worst goal kicking displays in recent memory but their coaches went far too reactive. They put Dawson down back when he’s quickly become their best mid; akin to the times we’ve played Danger forward when we can’t buy a centre clearance. They also seemed under instruction to kick to the boundary line and force stoppages wherever possible when the Pies just took it straight down the middle. Really poor coaching and the main factor in their loss IMO.

 

[Cataholic]

14 straight then a loss..
It didn't happen, but ...

No, it didn't.

Was an awesome display.

 

[fpm84]

I have watched alot of collingwood last year and this year, and can honestly say the best game they have produced by far was that qualifying final against us.

The intensity and effort they brought to the game along with 100,000 bizerk Collingwood fans behind them like a sailing ship was the pinacle I have seen from them.

I don't know if I have seen players drop to the floor in near tears like that either after a qualifying game very often.... you could just tell they had not another mm to give.

Iconic.

 

[Vdubs]

Um. Ok.

fair enough, guilty in retrospect

 

[Munich]

It's exactly how I felt as last season went on......like it was preordained, and just a matter of going through the motions.

That sounds arrogant, but my confidence wasn't inspired by that......rather the feeling that 'it's just meant to be'.

Was still nervous in that game against the Pies, and in the GF, though mind you.

I was ok for the GF. Prob the most relaxed I've been heading into one.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

A personal story in 3 acts from a fan of another club. Names redacted to protect the identities of those the courts would deem not guilty by mental defect.

Mods please delete if not allowed. I think I'm within the law but not 100% certain.

Act 1: A new hope
"I’ve put money on us to win and I’ll probably put a bit on us to win the flag as well but need to shop around for the best price. I apologise if it backfires but the typically media driven Richmond are cooked narrative is enough for me to back our boys in.

Our season starts today and I think we’re going to * some campaigners up"

Act 2: Battle plans first contact with the enemy
"Missed first half.. * we look s**t"

Act 3: Ragnarok
"Trent Coleman? Seriously who was the deluded * that thought he could play up forward in his last year. He is ******* useless up forward because he is so slow.

We lost at selection. Why was Miller selected? Why oh ******* why did we not sub him.

Resting Prestia as well what a ******* joke, why not rest him v Melbourne because we knew we were going to lose. * this club at the moment absolute bunch of *******s… it’s probably Hardwick just like it was pre 2017. Our assistants won our flags not DH the genius who wanted Balta up forward last year and Cotchin this year."

Perfection

 

[MisterMarcus]

Let it. I'd much prefer nobody talks about us.

Absolutely.

Get all the commentators jerking themselves raw about other teams, while we just quietly go about the business.

 

[Romeoh1]

Easy to say that now, but had we lost against Pies , travelling to face Swans in Sydney may have been a challenge.

But that’s the whole point-we didn’t lose. ( despite not even bringing our best footy, we were the ones who found a way in that game, and against a red hot pies -as opposed to a complicit team)

 

[The_Koulouriotis_Fan]

I think too much is made about the 5/6 day breaks. A few in a row might have an impact, but these are professional athletes, we saw in 2020 that teams could back up well off shorter breaks.
Pies are the fittest team in the comp and top of the ladder. They’ll be there at the end of the year & will be the most dangerous team to face in finals.
Having said that, I don’t think they have the quality of Geelong, Melbourne or Brisbane when it comes down to it.

 

[Vdubs]

But that’s the whole point-we didn’t lose. ( despite not even bringing our best footy, we were the ones who found a way in that game)

True, I conceded that.

 

[Romeoh1]

I think too much is made about the 5/6 day breaks. A few in a row might have an impact, but these are professional athletes, we saw in 2020 that teams could back up well off shorter breaks.
Pies are the fittest team in the comp and top of the ladder. They’ll be there at the end of the year & will be the most dangerous team to face in finals.
Having said that, I don’t think they have the quality of Geelong, Melbourne or Brisbane when it comes down to it.

If dees and brissy are playing the pies at the G, I’m definitely on the pies.

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

Pies come off a 5 day break and win again in SA, against an in-form team. Not an easy task at the best of times. They deserve some plaudits

They do absolutely. But they beat a team who should have been 10 goals up in the second quarter. A young team.
Yes the Collingwood team is heroic and blah but play a mature side and that’s game over.

The perceived pressure got into the minds of the Crows (and to be fair it gets into the minds of alot of teams) and the Crows kept missing easy goals.

The pies haven’t played 4 quarters of good football for a few weeks now. They have issues and it showed early. They aren’t a perfect team.

 

[Vdubs]

They do absolutely. But they beat a team who should have been 10 goals up in the second quarter. A young team.
Yes the Collingwood team is heroic and blah but play a mature side and that’s game over.

The perceived pressure got into the minds of the Crows (and to be fair it gets into the minds of alot of teams) and the Crows kept missing easy goals.

The pies haven’t played 4 quarters of good football for a few weeks now. They have issues and it showed early. They aren’t a perfect team.

True, yet are on top, and still doing Houdinis. Imagine when they peak, like us, plenty to look forward to.

 

[Cataholic]

What's with the term 'outnumber' suddenly becoming the fashionable turn of phrase??

 

[BotsMaster]

 

[Mr Meow]

Playing poorly...?

I said they were the standout team in the comp, but yes 6 of their last 8 quarters have been poor. Geelong and a couple of others are making up ground.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

I honestly think all they have to do is draft country kids. Send Vic metro kids and they'll complain about the coffee. Send Vic country kids and they'll have an insta full of 4 wheel driving and fishing. Ask them if they've ever been to the Ute muster and if they ask what that is then put a line through them.

GWS and the Gold Coasts retention problems started with anonymous players in irrelevant teams. These kids will never be anonymous nor irrelevant, even when getting spanked every week. They will be country footy heroes on the news every night.

It's a way better platform than the last couple had.

I think being in a footy city will help them.

Speaking as a younger guy myself, it's not something that we want to admit in the industry, but for a lot of these draftees winning a premiership isn't at the forefront of their minds.

They want fame, they want attention from girls, they want to be the talk of the town on a night out. The thirst for team success often comes after a year or two in the system and that novelty of fame has worn off.

We often forget that these are young men with massive egos. They go from being the local hero to some no name in Western Sydney or the Gold Coast overnight. It's a shock to the system.

Of course they're going to go home. They'd get more attention in Melbourne as a rookie listed Collingwood player than they would as a star on the Gold Coast.

As you say, in Tassie if they're any good they'll be huge. A lot of players will stay for that alone.

 

[winty]

LMAO. Richmond wanted a quarter of their membership base to get to Marvel yesterday, and they couldn't even manage that.



Is the bandwagon starting to empty?

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

14 straight then a loss..
It didn't happen, but ...

But what?