Autopsy So so so close (Please read OP)

[Americanpies]

I couldn’t exactly tell but the vision up high when Sheed marked it showed Pendles was getting back into 50 so you’re possibly right. The one thing I know is that last passage before their goal was littered with errors. Mihocek was on Jetta and as they were going back, Mihocek was actually being held and Jetta almost conceded the possession. McGovern’s mark masked the hold. Everyone’s spoken about De Goey but he should have at least followed McGovern up and made him go back and kick over the mark. Then after Vardy’s mark Ryan pulled in that mark which I’m still not sure how. Then instead of Langdon getting up and minding that mark and possibly allowing players to get back he tried to lie over the ball and waste some seconds but Ryan got it to easily and played on and then not only was Sheed’s free missed he actually took a couple of steps over the mark so that should’ve been play on. I watched bits of AFL 360 and On the Couch and it’s absolutely gutting this loss. So many what if’s at the end but it was all those little things (and that’s only what I could see let alone what else happened) that will not only haunt players for a long time but us supporters as well. I still feel sick to the stomach. I can’t watch any more of that game.

That entire play from end to end was a cheat. Jetta holds onto Miochek allowing McGovern to mark it. The Vardy mark is fair. The Ryan mark is not a mark, he dropped the ball before his feet hit the ground - this is not controlling the ball. And then Rioli clear illegal block on Maynard. West Coast just did as they pleased in that passage of play. 3 illegal plays out of 4 kicks all within about 20 seconds. I don't even want to watch footy anymore. The way this game played out just puts me off AFL altogether. I'm not abandoning the Pies nor having a cry about losing. But I just cannot accept a sport where rules are made up as they go and a grand final is decided by a string of broken rules. This talk about putting the whistle away is a load of shit too. They had the whistle out for Liam Ryan mark. AFL is just WWE... all for entertainment. We all may as well go watch the circus.

 

[Americanpies]

I’d go half half on your argument here. GF i’ll Give you all the points being valid. The week before we jumped out of the blocks and then held it when they came strong in the last.

I can’t say about Pendles value as a Captain internally but on the outside looking in, has been quite soft when it mattered last couple of seasons. But we know great captains don’t always have to take the game by the scruff of the neck and pave out wins.

I’m sure I can remember plenty saying to get rid of Maxy and what a shit captain he was at the time but now it seems he was a great captain and wish he still had him. So who really knows about Pendles.

I would agree with Adams taking the reigns next year though regarding the Shaw type grunt and flying the flag. Just has to pull his head in sometimes as he can let fly (GWS).

Maybe Pendles stepping down and doing just what Pendles does (purely playing the game), will revitalise him.

One way or another, we’ll soon see.

Pendles is too much of the nice guy type to be captain. Same as Grundy. These are the types of guys that would invite opposition players over for tea after the game. A captain has to be someone with some gusto. Maxwell was tough and was always into the pushing and shoving. Don't really see Pendles doing that much. Can't ever remember seeing him in a wrestling match with another player. Looking at West Coast's captain, Hurn just looks like a tough guy... receding hairline and all... can just see him looking at Pendles saying mate... stfu or I'll knock you out... and Pendles responding with... I just want to be your friend, I don't want to fight.

 

[Jafo]

Pendles is too much of the nice guy type to be captain. Same as Grundy. These are the types of guys that would invite opposition players over for tea after the game. A captain has to be someone with some gusto. Maxwell was tough and was always into the pushing and shoving. Don't really see Pendles doing that much. Can't ever remember seeing him in a wrestling match with another player. Looking at West Coast's captain, Hurn just looks like a tough guy... receding hairline and all... can just see him looking at Pendles saying mate... stfu or I'll knock you out... and Pendles responding with... I just want to be your friend, I don't want to fight.

Sadly I can see that too. I was thinking someone softer would be Murphy at Carlton. Although, I would say Murphy Bulldogs breed was Pendles ilk but a grey Captain.

I could see Adams Captain and one day JDG.

 

[Alexander323bc]

That entire play from end to end was a cheat. Jetta holds onto Miochek allowing McGovern to mark it. The Vardy mark is fair. The Ryan mark is not a mark, he dropped the ball before his feet hit the ground - this is not controlling the ball. And then Rioli clear illegal block on Maynard. West Coast just did as they pleased in that passage of play. 3 illegal plays out of 4 kicks all within about 20 seconds. I don't even want to watch footy anymore. The way this game played out just puts me off AFL altogether. I'm not abandoning the Pies nor having a cry about losing. But I just cannot accept a sport where rules are made up as they go and a grand final is decided by a string of broken rules. This talk about putting the whistle away is a load of shit too. They had the whistle out for Liam Ryan mark. AFL is just WWE... all for entertainment. We all may as well go watch the circus.

Sadly channel 7 has ruined the game.

 

[Jafo]

Sadly channel 7 has ruined the game.

Was called into work and I was on annual leave. Haven’t watched game nor will i. Sick in the guts still from last two minutes of play I keep reading about and hearing on radio.

 

[Americanpies]

Sadly channel 7 has ruined the game.

Exactly. Broadcast rights holders now write the rules of the game.

The only reason the AFL is introducing these new rules next year is so more goals are kicked.. because channel 7 are not happy about the lack of goals this year.. less goals less ads. Footy is in a sad place right now. For purists and long time fans... it's crap. It purely now seems to exist to get people in that have never watched it before such as people living in northern states, new people to the country, young girls with the AFLW exposure, etc. I'm personally sick of it. This isn't the game I watched in the 80's when I was growing up. It's commercialized to the max and that's why nobody cares about the shit that happened in the last 2 minutes of that game. A few people like Leigh Matthews speak up about it and various media outlets and all the clowns that just hate Colingwood for absolutely no reason come out saying he's a dinosaur and biased Collingwood guy. These are the typical idiots that know nothing about footy, and only know this crap modern version of the game, disrespecting and basically garbaging a man who made this game and who is footy. Same with Moana Hope Vs Malthouse... suddenly Mick is this old man who knows nothing about footy and Moana Hope is some kind of warrior and footy god. I know I'm going off track a bit, but I am really pissed about what has transpired since the weekend and continues to and just total w***ers that have taken over this game in every place we look.

A story I read in the age about the grand final had the entire comments section filled with 100's of comments with nothing but assholes who support other teams and others who don't even seem to support footy at all bagging out Collingwood and happy as larry that we lost. Here's hoping we do a Hawthorn and win the next 3.

 

[Americanpies]

Was called into work and I was on annual leave. Haven’t watched game nor will i. Sick in the guys still from last two minutes of play I keep reading about and hearing on radio.

Don't watch it... it's 2 minutes of West Coast cheating their way to a grand final win. No team could have stopped them, as the umpires let them do as they please, to ensure they get that goal. That is the pathetic part about it. If we lost because the Eagles did some great skillful play, I can accept that as them being the better team... if Sheed flew over Maynard took a hanger and then goaled, I would accept that as a great play.... but it was an illegal mark as well as the 3 of 4 plays before it being illegal shit too. The word Robbed is beyond what happened to us.

 

[JHFC]

When are we ever going to have OUR moment in a GF? We’ve seen Leo Barry, the toe poke in the 2009 GF that won Geel the flag, Malceski to seal it in 2012, Boyd in 2016 and now this passage of play that’s going to haunt most of us for a while. The Milne bounce doesn’t count, we didn’t win in regular time! Oh yeah, when are we going to win a flag in September? Hasn’t it been since 1958? We are seriously cursed!

 

[david addison]

The Pies. Sensational. Goes to show that inroads were made in 2017, even when the wins weren't coming. If people looked hard enough, they would have seen progress. To the person who created a 'sack buckley' facebook page last year - the team's success this year was not for you. Choose another team. Taylor Adams you ****ing legend. Don't ever leave us. Travis Varcoe. Tom Langdon. Crisp Howe Grundy Sidey Pendles Maynard De Goey Thomas and everyone else I'm forgetting. The pride is high right now. Hopefully the players have got their mojo back. I don't like the wake. It's cruel to make the players face the fans after a loss.

The Eagles. Had the Pies measure 3 times this year. Undeniable. The media wrote them off at the start of the year, and they used it as motivation. I'm of the opinion, that in 2019, the media should keep their ****ing mouth shut. Thanks. It's a bit worrying though that the Eagles needed motivation. Where does it come from next year?

The crowd. I don't know about other sections, but mine was mostly people getting shitfaced and having a party. Very few were invested in the game. The prelim crowd was more authentic. After the game I saw some Pies fans laughing and having a jolly old time. If those people could stay away next time, that'd be great. Leave the tickets for true fans.

I was in row A. Right on the fence. To quote a famous Crows fan from a few years ago, the McGovern mark with a couple of minutes to go 'happened right in front of me!' I had a prime position to witness some sub-par forward entries in that last quarter. Particularly Hoskin-Elliot kicking to Cox in the goal square, but kicking it to his wrong side, thereby giving his opponent easy access to punch it through for a behind; and of course Treloar's left foot kick that landed in McGovern's hands. Delivery into the forward line has been an issue for a few years, and it's the reason we got Wells. If Daniel stood up this year, season 2018 might have had a happier ending.

The Eagles scoring heavily in time-on of the 1st & 2nd quarters reminded me of the Geelong game earlier this year. The Pies need to keep playing right to the siren of every quarter. Maybe that'll come with maturity. Speaking of the Cats, it's bad enough that Shaun Ryan, who was born & bred in Geelong, umpired the 2011 granny. Now I hear that it was he who denied Maynard a free kick for being blocked. I'm sure the guy has integrity. I mean I'm pretty sure he does. Of course he does. It's terrible to question an umpires integrity. There's no way Shaun would let his prejudices creep into his umpiring. Not even subconsciously. Of course not. I mean, when Pendles kicked what would have been the match winning goal against the Cats in round 8, 2011, and Shaun refused to pay advantage and made him take the kick again, I'm sure it's not because he's a Geelong person. It's terrible to even suggest it.

The banner. Today it was revealed that the banner broke not because of wind (there wasn't much), but because the MCC put a rush on it. They made the cheer squad erect it in a hurry. I remember thinking that the post-match was rushed as well. They started playing the Eagles song the moment the final siren rang. Not a moment spared. They got the podium out in no time flat, and slapped the medals around the players necks. I've been to plenty of grand finals, and this one was definitely rushed. I noticed it, and I commented about it to the person sitting next to me. There was a time when Ian Collins got the Etihad security staff to tell people to leave their seats at the end of games so he could close the stadium quickly. He was so cheap. I wonder if the MCC were channelling Collins from beyond the grave on the weekend. Having a grand final at the G seems to be an inconvenience to them. These are the same people who left 5000 seats vacant at the prelim. I implore Stuart Fox to get his shit together.

Stuart almost won the FUTF award outright this year, but he'll have to share it with a few others. The FUTF (**** Up The Finals) award for 2018 also goes to Ticketek CEO Geoff Jones, and Virgin boss John Borghetti. John said that footy fans shouldn't feel discriminated because he was also exploiting school holiday goers. He actually said this. If you haven't seen his press conference, check it out. It's good for a laugh. By the way, John makes 5.5 million. That's $15000 a day. Such was the backlash to Virgin's inflated prices, that John gave away free tickets to LA at half time of the grand final. Metro CEO Ray O'Flaherty also shares the honors this year. Ray made sure that no extra services were available to the games this September. I saw a 75 year old woman crushed in the doorway at Victoria Park station because the carriages were overflowing. This was an hour and a half prior to the opening bounce of the Pies / GWS game. The woman was my mother. Thanks Ray. Keep up the good work. Travis Auld also shares the FUTF for giving 3 finalists a 6 day break just in case the Tigers made the grand final, which they didn't. Well done Travis. And finally, Gil. The perennial FUTF winner Gil McLaughlan everybody. Gil once again gave grand final tickets to radio stations. When 50 year club members missed out on tickets, they had to call radio stations hoping to win one. Here's Gil's acceptance speech: 'I simply focused on ratings this year, and making sure my shit sibling has a job, rather than pay attention to people who actually go to the games. **** them.'

Lastly, I want to thank Darth Vader. Darth stood outside the G prior to the game, playing We Are The Champions on bass guitar. It was one of the few times I smiled on that day. So, a big thanks to Darth. Oh I almost forgot. Steve Hocking. Steve walked the boundary line prior to the game, and people were heckling him about his ridiculous rule changes for 2019. Somebody told him to stick his extra large goal square where the sun don't shine. OK, it was me.

 

[ottoman]

9:33 PM on October 1st, and I still feel physically ill.

See a doctor.

 

[ottoman]

Pendles is too much of the nice guy type to be captain. Same as Grundy. These are the types of guys that would invite opposition players over for tea after the game. A captain has to be someone with some gusto. Maxwell was tough and was always into the pushing and shoving. Don't really see Pendles doing that much. Can't ever remember seeing him in a wrestling match with another player. Looking at West Coast's captain, Hurn just looks like a tough guy... receding hairline and all... can just see him looking at Pendles saying mate... stfu or I'll knock you out... and Pendles responding with... I just want to be your friend, I don't want to fight.

We are outsiders looking in.
I would say that the most important thing is that the playing group vote for him as their leader, which tells me he must be OK at it.
Also, not directed at you but as a general observation we do seem to have short memories.
A player can have one down performance and we forget the 200+ games of sheer pleasure they have provided us with.
Pendles has been captain for quite a few years now. If he wasn't a good captain he would have been moved on.

 

[BPikkers]

They just showed on on the couch that Adams actually had Thomas breaking into space at the back so he goes 25 metres over the top we’re streaming forward. Adams issue most of the time is decision-making though that kick wasn’t hitting Stephenson anyhow. Agree he’d be a great leader though. As for next year we’re probably playing double-up games against others in top 6 (Richmond / Melbourne and probably WCE) as well as Potentially Eseendon so it will be tougher already for us to finish top 4. If we do we’ll earn it.

I don’t get why people are concerned about a harder draw. If you want to be the best, and be a deserving GF winner, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Basically what we are saying is that we only made it with an easy draw. So opposition supporters must be right.

 

[Trickster]

I don’t get why people are concerned about a harder draw. If you want to be the best, and be a deserving GF winner, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Basically what we are saying is that we only made it with an easy draw. So opposition supporters must be right.

The draw definitely impacts who finishes where in the finals. I mean if you finish 13th you only play 1 return game agst previous years top 6. It’s not the be-all and end-all but I’d rather have a favourable draw than not. In 2010 we played the other top 4 teams 8 times but we were a great team so it didn’t matter, but this year it certainly helped us that we played Carl, BL and Frem twice. We still played well enough to make finals but a return WA game agst WCE or an extra game agst our nemesis Hawt and we probably finish 5th playing Geel in an elimination than top 4.

 

[ThePhantom777]

This is true. Covering Kennedy and Darling was already a stretch. Resting Vardy and Lycett in their forward line stretched us even more. https://www.sen.com.au/news/2018/10...les-coach-simpson-that-proved-a-masterstroke/

 

[ThePhantom777]

They kicked 6 goals to our 2 goals in time on. Something that has killed us all year - red time goals.

 

[ThePhantom777]

Why didn't Mayne go to McGovern from the start?

 

[Johnny_Dogg4]

still shattered for you guys , you just played incredible across the whole finals series and worthy of being premiers.

probably the only thing you need to fix is your record in close games. when dogs won the 16 flag, we won so many close games and that's the key. hawks were the same, they always knew how to win the close ones.

i have no doubt you have a team that will make it to the business end for years to come. good luck

 

[ThePhantom777]

A good summary from Whateley and King: https://player.whooshkaa.com/player/episode/id/282283?visual=true&sharing=true

 

[Robroy22]

The Pies. Sensational. Goes to show that inroads were made in 2017, even when the wins weren't coming. If people looked hard enough, they would have seen progress. To the person who created a 'sack buckley' facebook page last year - the team's success this year was not for you. Choose another team. Taylor Adams you ******* legend. Don't ever leave us. Travis Varcoe. Tom Langdon. Crisp Howe Grundy Sidey Pendles Maynard De Goey Thomas and everyone else I'm forgetting. The pride is high right now. Hopefully the players have got their mojo back. I don't like the wake. It's cruel to make the players face the fans after a loss.

The Eagles. Had the Pies measure 3 times this year. Undeniable. The media wrote them off at the start of the year, and they used it as motivation. I'm of the opinion, that in 2019, the media should keep their ******* mouth shut. Thanks. It's a bit worrying though that the Eagles needed motivation. Where does it come from next year?

The crowd. I don't know about other sections, but mine was mostly people getting shitfaced and having a party. Very few were invested in the game. The prelim crowd was more authentic. After the game I saw some Pies fans laughing and having a jolly old time. If those people could stay away next time, that'd be great. Leave the tickets for true fans.

I was in row A. Right on the fence. To quote a famous Crows fan from a few years ago, the McGovern mark with a couple of minutes to go 'happened right in front of me!' I had a prime position to witness some sub-par forward entries in that last quarter. Particularly Hoskin-Elliot kicking to Cox in the goal square, but kicking it to his wrong side, thereby giving his opponent easy access to punch it through for a behind; and of course Treloar's left foot kick that landed in McGovern's hands. Delivery into the forward line has been an issue for a few years, and it's the reason we got Wells. If Daniel stood up this year, season 2018 might have had a happier ending.

The Eagles scoring heavily in time-on of the 1st & 2nd quarters reminded me of the Geelong game earlier this year. The Pies need to keep playing right to the siren of every quarter. Maybe that'll come with maturity. Speaking of the Cats, it's bad enough that Shaun Ryan, who was born & bred in Geelong, umpired the 2011 granny. Now I hear that it was he who denied Maynard a free kick for being blocked. I'm sure the guy has integrity. I mean I'm pretty sure he does. Of course he does. It's terrible to question an umpires integrity. There's no way Shaun would let his prejudices creep into his umpiring. Not even subconsciously. Of course not. I mean, when Pendles kicked what would have been the match winning goal against the Cats in round 8, 2011, and Shaun refused to pay advantage and made him take the kick again, I'm sure it's not because he's a Geelong person. It's terrible to even suggest it.

The banner. Today it was revealed that the banner broke not because of wind (there wasn't much), but because the MCC put a rush on it. They made the cheer squad erect it in a hurry. I remember thinking that the post-match was rushed as well. They started playing the Eagles song the moment the final siren rang. Not a moment spared. They got the podium out in no time flat, and slapped the medals around the players necks. I've been to plenty of grand finals, and this one was definitely rushed. I noticed it, and I commented about it to the person sitting next to me. There was a time when Ian Collins got the Etihad security staff to tell people to leave their seats at the end of games so he could close the stadium quickly. He was so cheap. I wonder if the MCC were channelling Collins from beyond the grave on the weekend. Having a grand final at the G seems to be an inconvenience to them. These are the same people who left 5000 seats vacant at the prelim. I implore Stuart Fox to get his shit together.

Stuart almost won the FUTF award outright this year, but he'll have to share it with a few others. The FUTF (**** Up The Finals) award for 2018 also goes to Ticketek CEO Geoff Jones, and Virgin boss John Borghetti. John said that footy fans shouldn't feel discriminated because he was also exploiting school holiday goers. He actually said this. If you haven't seen his press conference, check it out. It's good for a laugh. By the way, John makes 5.5 million. That's $15000 a day. Such was the backlash to Virgin's inflated prices, that John gave away free tickets to LA at half time of the grand final. Metro CEO Ray O'Flaherty also shares the honors this year. Ray made sure that no extra services were available to the games this September. I saw a 75 year old woman crushed in the doorway at Victoria Park station because the carriages were overflowing. This was an hour and a half prior to the opening bounce of the Pies / GWS game. The woman was my mother. Thanks Ray. Keep up the good work. Travis Auld also shares the FUTF for giving 3 finalists a 6 day break just in case the Tigers made the grand final, which they didn't. Well done Travis. And finally, Gil. The perennial FUTF winner Gil McLaughlan everybody. Gil once again gave grand final tickets to radio stations. When 50 year club members missed out on tickets, they had to call radio stations hoping to win one. Here's Gil's acceptance speech: 'I simply focused on ratings this year, and making sure my shit sibling has a job, rather than pay attention to people who actually go to the games. **** them.'

Lastly, I want to thank Darth Vader. Darth stood outside the G prior to the game, playing We Are The Champions on bass guitar. It was one of the few times I smiled on that day. So, a big thanks to Darth. Oh I almost forgot. Steve Hocking. Steve walked the boundary line prior to the game, and people were heckling him about his ridiculous rule changes for 2019. Somebody told him to stick his extra large goal square where the sun don't shine. OK, it was me.

Thanks Dave, this all made me smile! Love the sense of humour.

 

[takethepowerback]

Shame you only have 52 posts. A class above the majority of your fellow supporters. Please post more so the good can out number the bad.

often lurking, rarely posting! haha

 

[ThePhantom777]

One of the best post grand final loss posts from The Scout (of all people) on Extreme Black n white. Thanks Scout.

"Date Posted: 09:32 02/10/18 Tue
Author: ~TheScout~
Author Host/IP: cpe-60-225-178-53.sb01.wa.asp.telstra.net / 60.225.178.53
Subject: We were left with nothing....
In reply to: Geek 's message, "Thanks everyone" on 00:22 02/10/18 Tue

Everyone at the club has struggled the last few days, but importantly, we’ve struggled together. The energy is underwritten by a strong desire to be the best...and barring two minutes, we almost were.

This all comes a year after we were in the absolute doldrums. The finals series catapulted our dreams into a fastracked reality that we could be premiers and we all believed...which is obviously an all or nothing experience. And it ended with ‘nothing’....or did it?

Like all of you, I have really struggled to comprehend the blow.

But was our takeaway ‘nothing’?

I am absolutely firm on the direction we are taking, in terms of the playing list, coaching group and game style we have built and are developing.

We have a coach, who with the world on his back, chose to shine the light on his own development as a person, and has won so many hearts with his visible care for all in the organisation. He reached out to everyone he could as they were on their knees, showing deep care and support. He is getting wide acclaim for both his coaching talents and his character. Is this nothing?

We have a playing group bookended by some of our brightest and best. At one end we have wise experienced heads in Pendles and Steele and at the other end we have young stars in Stephenson and Sier.
In between them we have a list built on emergent talent all in the 20-25 bracket - Grundy, Degoey, Langdon, Phillips, Adams, Moore (yes he has another level), Treloar, Maynard, Aish, Hoskin Elliott...the list goes on.
Importantly, we have a group of players who recognise they’ve still much to give in Mayne (what a favourite he has become...all heart), Greenwood, Dunn and others.
We have remarkable stories that need endings - Varcoe, Cox and JT.
Is that nothing?

Our game style stands up, and yet, is progressive and evolving. I suspect our style shocked a few, and perhaps we arrived a year ahead of where some thought we might...but isn’t that testimony to a combination of coaching, players buy in and belief?
Is that nothing?

Finally, we have all of you. Every supporter who has reached into the depths of their belief in the last few days, yet (hopefully) will see the sun has come up and we are on a ride that had a fast start, perhaps shocking us all, but is a long way from over.

In comparison to just about every club in the league, we have plenty to be excited for. And it’s far from the nothing that we all feel, in this brief moment."

 

[CFC2010]

One of the best post grand final loss posts from The Scout (of all people) on Extreme Black n white. Thanks Scout.

"Date Posted: 09:32 02/10/18 Tue
Author: ~TheScout~
Author Host/IP: cpe-60-225-178-53.sb01.wa.asp.telstra.net / 60.225.178.53
Subject: We were left with nothing....
In reply to: Geek 's message, "Thanks everyone" on 00:22 02/10/18 Tue

Everyone at the club has struggled the last few days, but importantly, we’ve struggled together. The energy is underwritten by a strong desire to be the best...and barring two minutes, we almost were.

This all comes a year after we were in the absolute doldrums. The finals series catapulted our dreams into a fastracked reality that we could be premiers and we all believed...which is obviously an all or nothing experience. And it ended with ‘nothing’....or did it?

Like all of you, I have really struggled to comprehend the blow.

But was our takeaway ‘nothing’?

I am absolutely firm on the direction we are taking, in terms of the playing list, coaching group and game style we have built and are developing.

We have a coach, who with the world on his back, chose to shine the light on his own development as a person, and has won so many hearts with his visible care for all in the organisation. He reached out to everyone he could as they were on their knees, showing deep care and support. He is getting wide acclaim for both his coaching talents and his character. Is this nothing?

We have a playing group bookended by some of our brightest and best. At one end we have wise experienced heads in Pendles and Steele and at the other end we have young stars in Stephenson and Sier.
In between them we have a list built on emergent talent all in the 20-25 bracket - Grundy, Degoey, Langdon, Phillips, Adams, Moore (yes he has another level), Treloar, Maynard, Aish, Hoskin Elliott...the list goes on.
Importantly, we have a group of players who recognise they’ve still much to give in Mayne (what a favourite he has become...all heart), Greenwood, Dunn and others.
We have remarkable stories that need endings - Varcoe, Cox and JT.
Is that nothing?

Our game style stands up, and yet, is progressive and evolving. I suspect our style shocked a few, and perhaps we arrived a year ahead of where some thought we might...but isn’t that testimony to a combination of coaching, players buy in and belief?
Is that nothing?

Finally, we have all of you. Every supporter who has reached into the depths of their belief in the last few days, yet (hopefully) will see the sun has come up and we are on a ride that had a fast start, perhaps shocking us all, but is a long way from over.

In comparison to just about every club in the league, we have plenty to be excited for. And it’s far from the nothing that we all feel, in this brief moment."

Yep I have read that and I also spoke to someone yesterday that was at the players/families dinner function Saturday night and I still feel sick in the stomach about the loss today.

This one will sting for a while with me. I hung up on two Richmond supporting work colleagues yesterday.

P.S I am glad you enjoyed your first GF mate in the standing section...….it is a great atmosphere. Hopefully you get to see a winning one next time.

 

[ThePhantom777]

Yep I have read that and I also spoke to someone yesterday that was at the players/families dinner function Saturday night and I still feel sick in the stomach about the loss today.

This one will sting for a while with me. I hung up on two Richmond supporting work colleagues yesterday.

P.S I am glad you enjoyed your first GF mate in the standing section...….it is a great atmosphere. Hopefully you get to see a winning one next time.

Thanks mate. Hopefully it's in 2019!

I didn't realise I would be this devastated. I think in 2011 it wasn't as bad because at the time we'd won the 2010 grand final. But this one was so close, literally a kick.

 

[swoop42]

This is true. Covering Kennedy and Darling was already a stretch. Resting Vardy and Lycett in their forward line stretched us even more. https://www.sen.com.au/news/2018/10...les-coach-simpson-that-proved-a-masterstroke/

This makes our loss even harder to accept.

How can it be a "masterstroke" when it was an obvious and critical advantage that the Eagles had entering the game.

Hell some of us even mentioned the very real danger of a Vardy resting forward on top of Kennedy and Darling.

 

[HedgeFund]

This makes our loss even harder to accept.

How can it be a "masterstroke" when it was an obvious and critical advantage that the Eagles had entering the game.

Hell some of us even mentioned the very real danger of a Vardy resting forward on top of Kennedy and Darling.

It wasn’t a master stroke, it’s David King stroking his premiership team mate for doing the coaching equivalent of the “bleeding obvious” to - stretching your backline with three talls and three smalls for when the hall hit the deck.