Post Round 11: What did you learn from the round?

[CowboyFromHell]

I don't believe anyone was making them out to be that good. Most sensible Essendon supporters saw this as a rebuilding year.

Anyway, just out of interest, how do you think Carlton would go without Judd, Murphy, Waite and Jamison?

Trolling's ok if you're a mod now is it?

Just as well as Melbourne did without Jamar, Davey, Garland and Grimes. You guys were very, very poor on Friday night and you can't use injuries as an excuse as we still had some very important players out, just like you have.

 

[SA HAWK]

i've got nothing interesting to contribute so i'm just gonna state the obvious...

Geelong, Collingwood

significant gap...

Carlton, Hawthorn

daylight...

the rest

I don't think the gap between Carton & Geelong / Collingwood has been much at all so far this year.

They should have beaten Geelong a few weeks back and were competitive against Collingwood.

 

[Bic]

• Essendon to rush Jobe back, just to be competitive
• Cats are purring
• Doggies are having a shocker of a year, worse than St Kilda (that's saying something)
• West Coast will fall away in the second half of the year
• The teams from South Australia and Queensland will make up the bottom 4
• Adelaide are incredibly poor. Can't defend this mob anymore. No heart.
• Marc Murphy is elite.
• Not enough torpedo passes.

 

[The Falcon Strike]

• West Coast will fall away in the second half of the year

Boys looked very flat on saturday - completely stopped running in the last quarter. On that your comment is bang on the money

Reckon we'll be a chance the next two weeks - then struggle against your mob.

We then have the bye - hopefully that freshens us up as we have a tough month - and then a relatively soft last month

 

[#superfly]

• Carlton and Hawthorn will CHALLENGE in the finals
• A.Swallow is a superstar
• Neil Craig is in trouble
• Carlton's midfield is up there with Geelong and Collingwood
• Essendon looking really flat at the moment
  
  
  
  
  

Oh and Marc Murphy, easily top 4/5 midfielder in the league.

 

[AllFooty4]

Geelong are still No 1.

Carlton is a contender
Collingwood is cruising
Hawthorn wont win the flag this year if they keep playing patchy football.

That's true but to be honest, Collingwood has been playing pretty patchy footy aswell haven't they, so I'm actually pretty confident, I just want to verse some harder teams ( the next few weeks should tell) to give a challenge Geelong has been the only one and somewhat Sydney.

 

[Rod Stroker]

That footy sucks when the Tiges arent playing. i thought for a moment that it was september!

Nope, you're not 9th. Yet

 

[HyperAgressiveDonk]

* That Geelong are playing their best football in the first half of the year again, just like 2008. One feels they have peaked at the wrong time again and will be ripe for the picking come September.

* Collingwood & Hawthorn are just cruising, doing enough to win, and are both setting themselves for a serious finals assault.

 

[serenityNow]

*Anyone would think the Dees won the flag, they beat Essendon who were deadset piss poor on friday night.
* Neil craig will not see the year out, Voss could join him.
*The top 4 is set, they may shuffle around positions who knows, but those 4 will finish there.
*Top sides seem to only turn it on when they have to.
*Carltons away strip is shocking, it must go for 2012
*Dwayne Russell is a knob, never had to mute the commentary before
*Saints or Dogs, one is gone after this friday night.

 

[Rod Stroker]

And where is the gap between Hawthorn and Carlton? Two premiership point gap?

Big, big chance Carlton can nab 3rd from them next week... some gap there....

At the risk of being branded a Blues Basher by some sensitive Carlton folk on here who don't like to deal in fact,

Yes, big, big chance of being 3rd, once you beat.... Brisbane.... in Melbourne.

Carlton have not beaten anyone higher than 6th all year. They are currently 4th, and will mostly be third next week from beating up on yet another team outside the 8. From their first half I saw today they are nowhere near the same class of team above them, and I don't care how many premiership points they have.

 

[Bassy]

Geelong
Then Collingwood by about a goal below
Big Gap
Carlton and Hawks. With Carlton making me very worried about next year and the Hawks who look really dangerous if they peak during September.

- Essendon peaked way to early and are injured quite bad.
- Dog's are playing just awful
- Freo cannot hold a game
- Melbourne will have a new coach next year.
- Sydney will finish where Sydney normally finish.

 

[Bic]

Boys looked very flat on saturday - completely stopped running in the last quarter. On that your comment is bang on the money

Reckon we'll be a chance the next two weeks - then struggle against your mob.

We then have the bye - hopefully that freshens us up as we have a tough month - and then a relatively soft last month

By no means am I criticizing your mob, I still think you will finish top 6. I just think you will have a down patch, a lot of young guys won't be able to keep up the intensity you were showing the past couple of months.

 

[XXX KINGS]

I don't believe anyone was making them out to be that good. Most sensible Essendon supporters saw this as a rebuilding year.

Anyway, just out of interest, how do you think Carlton would go without Judd, Murphy, Waite and Jamison?

Trolling's ok if you're a mod now is it?

HAHAHAHA please tell me you are joking!

You're comparing Murphy, Waite and Jamison to Hocking, Hurley and Pears???

Hurley and Pears are young players with plenty of potential and I think will become excellent in the future but if you think their impact this year would compare to Waite or Jamison you are kidding yourself...

Murphy comparison to Hocking is just hilarious!

 

[Rod Stroker]

top 4 is most likely cemented.

You're possibly selling your mob short there. I think the Eagles and Swans have an alright run home and expect one or both of them to finish top 4. Carlton to slide.

 

[Rod Stroker]

- Essendon are struggling, need Jobe back asap.
- Demons are a young team primed for a big future.
- Geelong continue to win.
- WB in big touble, need to clear the list and prepare for the future.
- West Coast showed signs of tiredness.
- Gold Coast showed yet again why they will be a powerhouse in 3+ years time.
- Saints stil are a long way from challenging again.
- Pies continue to impress are are so good.
- Swans showing good signs of a top 8 side.
- Brisbane Lions also struggling, disgraceful performance against Sydney.
- Hawthorn show why they are top 4 material, but is Buddy more important to them then we thought ?
- Fremantle been hammered by injuries this season, but still are a few years away from challenging.
- Adelaide are in a deep hole, Neil Craig is almost certain to go.
- North Melbourne slowly improving, showed signs that they have a future with their team today.
- Port Adeliade ARE trying, but just arn't good enough.
- Carlton are a very good side and will finish top 4.

Well observed. We still have HMac, Bastinac, Grima, Firrito, and possibly Campbell to come back in. Reckon we'll have a solid second half to the year.

What I've learnt is that for all the talk of the Dogs being a fast side that moves the ball quickly, they sure do look slow this year.

 

[Baz_hawk]

Gold Coast are starting to find their feet and already look like they will finish in the top end of the bottom 8. Improving every week

Geelong doing it easy at Skilled Stadium. Still find the record they have down there to be irrelevent

Pies are cruising, Dale Thomas doesn't enjoy being tagged.

Hawks are patchy, have a lot of potential when on their game but need to show it more often

Carlton are up there. Still looking good and running out games well

Geelong/Hawks game has already began building up. You'd think they'd show it live on TV the way Channel 10 have been talking it up.

 

[Thrawn]

Carlton have not beaten anyone higher than 6th all year.

Guess Sydney isn't an AFL team then? Sorry champ, can't beat too many teams above you when you are 3rd or 4th when the season is halfway from finished, so the ladder is the proper reflection of where teams are at atm. We have not played West Coast, Hawthorn or Freo yet - so there's really no point saying we're no good because "have not beaten anyone higher than 6th all year". Mostly due to the fact that a) there is still another half of the season to go and b) the statement is a flat-out lie.

From their first half I saw today they are nowhere near the same class of team above them, and I don't care how many premiership points they have.

Haha. Shall I take into account Hawthorn's loss to Adelaide? See, it's not hard to cherry pick results to suit your argument. I can do it too! On the flip side, I can also point to our result vs Geelong - that is the closest anyone has come to beating them this year. If we're no where near the class, then how on earth are we 4th and matched it with the unbeaten team who are in terrific form?

We have only played two teams above us on the ladder thus far - against Collingwood and Geelong. Probably should have beaten Geelong, and were competitive against Collingwood. If that is all we can go by, then it shows we can match it with the best. And if you can, anything can happen.

 

[blues4flag]

At the risk of being branded a Blues Basher by some sensitive Carlton folk on here who don't like to deal in fact,

Yes, big, big chance of being 3rd, once you beat.... Brisbane.... in Melbourne.

Carlton have not beaten anyone higher than 6th all year. They are currently 4th, and will mostly be third next week from beating up on yet another team outside the 8. From their first half I saw today they are nowhere near the same class of team above them, and I don't care how many premiership points they have.

We beat Sydney who are 5th.

We've played 1st and 2nd and predictably we lost. Since when was the 3rd or 4th placed team expected to beat the top 2?

Our loss to Geelong was by 2 points. Had more shots on goal (30 to 28) and the only reason we lost the game was because of a missed goal in the dying seconds.

The only team who we've struggled against are the raining premiers, and that due to a 10 minute patch in the 2nd where they ran over the top of us. We broke even in the 1st, 3rd and 4th qs.


Also, since you're mentioning North's players to return, I reckon we're going pretty well without Kreuzer, Warnock, Henderson, Bower, Houlihan and Laidler in the side.

 

[BluesMan]

If rodney eade gets another contract... surely it won't happen? it can't? The guys taken them to prelims, not a granny, when they have had the chance to, for over 4 years. Now they won't (probably) make the finals.
How could you offer this bloke another contract would be beyond me!

 

[BlueTouchPaper]

I don't believe anyone was making them out to be that good. Most sensible Essendon supporters saw this as a rebuilding year.

Anyway, just out of interest, how do you think Carlton would go without Judd, Murphy, Waite and Jamison?

Trolling's ok if you're a mod now is it?

Soft post.

We're without Kreuzer, Warnock, Bower and Henderson due to injury.

Your team had fewer injuries, and less important injuries than Melbourne.

They can't always be the excuse.

What I've learnt?
- Carlton need to put together 4 quarters.
- Melbourne need to put that win in perspective.
- Sydney can play quite an attacking game
- Western Bulldogs need a shake-up

 

[Keys]

Collingwood and Geelong (and Hawthorn and Carlton to a lesser extent) have a touch of class / extra gear that other sides don't have - the 2011 premier will be on e of these four sides.

Of the remaining sides currently in the top 8, Sydney are the only team that I am convinced will make the finals although I'd be surprised if they made it past the semifinal stage.

West Coast, Essendon and Fremantle are all showing signs that they may run out of steam and miss the 8.

Of those outside the 8 I can only see Melbourne, Richmond and St Kilda making a run at the finals.

Bulldogs are shot.

Gold Coast have the makings of a very good side in 3 - 4 years

 

[piespremiers2011]

- The bulldogs will go the way of Old Yeller
- I'm sick of ruining my footy tipping by picking against Sydney
- West Coast underestimated the Suns and it nearly cost them (more's the shame!)
- Adelaide is worse than Port
- The Saints may have the heart to make the finals this year but it's just prolonging the pain (for everyone else as well who has to watch them!)
- Hawthorn need Rioli more than Buddy
- and finally, that Arizona seems like a nice mid season holiday

 

[Teffy]

- Collingwood and Geelong are still head and shoulders the best 2 sides.
- Hawthorn are still the smokies.
- Bulldogs are shot.
- St Kilda are back as a finals contender.
- Essendon are imposters.
- Carlton, West Coast and Freo are overrated
- Swallow is elite
- Goldstein is elite. He will take Smith to the cleaners next week and put paid to any doubters that are left.
- Ziebell has arrived.
- North still gets the worst run with the umpires out of any side in the comp.

 

[indy nile]

Umpires need to call play on when players run round the mark a hell of a lot quicker.

 

[Blackas87]

Melbourne's best vs Melbourne's worst is the biggest difference of any side I have ever seen.

Both Essendon and Frenantle need to prove something in there clash

As good as Carlton have been there still a fair bit off the top sides

North's season isn't over yet