So your telling me there's a chance (of winning the flag)?

[relapse]

The keys will be the next 2 rounds, win both of these and we are a real shot for top 4 and then who knows.

What I do know is if we finish top 4, teams will be very nervous playing us especially at home.

Our forward line will give many teams headaches.

I agree

Our last 9 games include 1 loss (Geelong at Skilled), 3 50/50 games (Melb, Carl and Port) and the rest (Brisbane, Essendon, West Coast, Freo and Collingwood) we should be favourites for.

The Melbourne, Carlton and Port games will more than likely decide our fate as to whether we're going to finish in the top 4 or not.

 

[JP Sauce]

I agree

Our last 9 games include 1 loss (Geelong at Skilled), 3 50/50 games (Melb, Carl and Port) and the rest (Brisbane, Essendon, West Coast, Freo and Collingwood) we should be favourites for.

The Melbourne, Carlton and Port games will more than likely decide our fate as to whether we're going to finish in the top 4 or not.

In reality all 3 should be 60/40 games at absolute worst. We'll start comfortable favourites in all 3.

 

[threefa9]

As a 21st century crows fan I have developed my cynical and sceptical side, meaning the lid is well and truly on until the fat lady sings and we finally win that flag

 

[moogerfooger]

it's still June . . .

keep a lid on it

 

[Jimmystephenson]

As a 21st century crows fan I have developed my cynical and sceptical side, meaning the lid is well and truly on until the fat lady sings and we finally win that flag

Couldn't have said it better. Crows are easily jinxed, and the next 2 games are the kind of games the Crows of the last 6-8 years would lose.

If we go 2-0 against Dees/Blues (who btw, are quite solid teams now), I'll feel much better about our chances

 

[Mike Smyth]

No, fastidious.

Guess I wasn't very attentive to detail.

Wrong context. Fastidious was one of two of Caligulas chief generals. The other being General Clitorus.

 

[Mike Smyth]

Our forward line is A grade. Our backline is a B+ and building beautifully. If we can remain injury free and given the evenness of the competition, we may cause some real damage in finals. As Kane said "Tex dont lose finals".

As a club we are entering an exciting period which is amazing given what's happened in the last 12 months.

Thanks Phil. Thanks Roo.

 

[Geoffa32]

I feel the next three games are tricky. We should win, but Melbourne and Carlton showed some good form early and at their home grounds. Collingwood are a bit of a joke now, but their season is shot and that can bring unexpected results.

The odds of winning eight in a row scare me a bit.

 

[marty36]

Couldn't have said it better. Crows are easily jinxed, and the next 2 games are the kind of games the Crows of the last 6-8 years would lose.

If we go 2-0 against Dees/Blues (who btw, are quite solid teams now), I'll feel much better about our chances

Depends if you are superstitious or not. Their destiny is in their own hands

The odds at sports bet will determine if we are favourite or not in each game, with the only game we aren't favourite in being the Geelong game.

It's now up to the players to meet the expectation, no one else!

 

[Mike Smyth]

Now we are nearly back in the game do we need to shift our focus from the boring on field stuff to growing the game in Korea?

 

[AmericanCrow]

Yes, there's a chance we can win the flag.

But not in 2016

Only took 4 replies....Scorpus, Scorpus, Scorpus...

 

[Scorpus]

Only took 4 replies....Scorpus, Scorpus, Scorpus...

It seemed like a reasonable prediction back in Round 7 after we just lost to the Bulldogs and Hawthorn

 

[Rotayjay]

We are a chance but probably no more of a chance than 4 other teams. It wiil come down to finishing position, injuries, luck and who wants it the most! We can indeed win it if everyone is on the same page!

I think we want it most.

 

[ok.crows]

Our forward line is A grade. Our backline is a B+ and building beautifully. If we can remain injury free and given the evenness of the competition, we may cause some real damage in finals. As Kane said "Tex dont lose finals".

As a club we are entering an exciting period which is amazing given what's happened in the last 12 months.

Thanks Phil. Thanks Roo.

Seconded ... except that I think we need to throw a "thanks Don" in there as well.

 

[Jack is Back]

This is the "Final" boarding call for the Crows Express.

To the Trolls - GTFO our Board! You have a back-to-back-to-back January Premiership to prepare for.

To the CDSs (cynics, doubters and sceptics) - Just STFU, your sucking the joy of this for the rest of us. Go and have a quiet drink on your own (is that glass half empty or what)?

To the CRLs (Crazy, Raving Lunatics) - Any chance of keeping your thoughts to yourself?

In the pre-season the Crows were ranked 13th most likely to win the flag (30/1), after 7 rounds (refers to my first post) we were 15/1, today we are equal third favourite at $5.50.

Sure it might fizzle out and I still believe there are eight genuine premiership chances but strap yourself in, sit back and prepare yourself for the best ride in the last 18 years.

 

[little graham]

Jack is right. Enjoy this. Everything about this. The good the bad and ugly. All those who saw this coming in round 2 and 3 you enjoy it more. you guys and girls are astute insightful supporters of this great club.

 

[Jack is Back]

Probably not helpful for my credibility to quote from dumb and dumber but for the first time in 10 years YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! there's a chance. Now I'm not one of those loonies who said we would be 8 and 0 and I was also blasted by many in 2012 when I declared at the mid-year break that our game plan was not going to win us a flag. So why am I now so optimistic?

1) We are currently 8th and have lost three of our 4 away games.
2) We are currently paying $15 to win the flag with 7 teams ranked in front of us.
3) We have a dysfunctional midfield, a disorganized defence and a captain on one leg.
4) The AFL umpires association have backed us to finish in the bottom four.

So how can any rational footy follower believe we are a chance for the flag?
1) The best measure of form is your performance against other contenders and you could argue that there are now 8 contenders for the flag. The performance against each other is as follows;
North - 2 wins, 0 losses
Sydney - 2 wins, 1 loss
Hawks - 3 wins, 2 losses
GWS - 2 wins, 1 loss
Geelong -2 wins 1 loss
Bulldogs - 1 win, 2 losses
Adelaide - 1 win 3 losses
Eagles - 0 wins, 3 losses.

Not that flattering to us unless you put the stats for playing a contender, interstate (or in the case of the Bulldogs anywhere providing it has a roof).
North - Not yet tested
Sydney - 1 loss
Hawks - 1 loss
GWS - Not yet tested (but an away loss to Melbourne)
Geelong - 1 loss
Bulldogs - Not yet tested
Adelaide - 3 losses
Eagles 3 losses.
So not one top 8 team has beaten a contender interstate (but at least the VFL have given us and the Eagles 3 chances in the first 7 matches).

2) We are 7 games into our new "team defence" game plan. Some of our defenders (e.g. DT and LB) have found it hard to go from a tight one-on-one defender to a zone defender. Our outside midfielders are still trying to get the right balance between defence and attack and our inside midfielders are adjusting to the loss of the greatest inside midfielder in the history of the AFL. It took the Eagles a year to adjust, we have remained very competitive whilst developing the new game plan.

3) We have a group of players with 20 games or less experience (Lever, Milera, McGovern, Atkins, Knight) who I expect to improve significantly between now and the end of the season. We only have one player over 30 (Thommo) so we shouldn't see at lot of players dropping off the pace.

4) We have a group of players with a bit of X factor, once they are fit (Menzel, Hampton and Shaw).

So does anyone else think there's a chance?

I posted this thread a few days after we were thumped by Geelong at home. At that stage we were 4 wins and 4 losses. We have since won 12 of our next 14 games but one shocking performance in Round 23 and half the Board (by volume of posts ) is declaring our season over.

Did anyone ever think we had the best group of players in the AFL this year? Did anyone expect us to walk all over Sydney, Geelong, Hawthorn and the Giants? At least we have the Eagles covered this season .

At the start of the season the betting agencies ranked 12 teams a better chance of winning the flag.

We are far from Premiership favourites but I'm telling you We're a Chance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pugsley]

 

[PCORF]

We are far from Premiership favourites but I'm telling you We're a Chance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We might have been a decent chance if we finished in the top 4. Now from 5th, it is a much harder road. Not impossible but very hard. Need to play with belief all the time like the Bulldogs last night. Let's just try to win this weekend and then get ready for the week after.

 

[VSTone]

say it ain't so!

 

[AmericanCrow]

We are winning it...no worries.

 

[Rotayjay]

30% - GWS
30% - Geelong
25% - Sydney
9% - Adelaide
5% - Hawthorn
1% - Western Bulldogs

 

[AmericanCrow]

30% - GWS
30% - Geelong
25% - Sydney
9% - Adelaide
5% - Hawthorn
1% - Western Bulldogs

Fantastic--after we whallop Sydney we will be at 34%.

Told you, no worries

#math

 

[GreyCrow]

30% - GWS
30% - Geelong
25% - Sydney
9% - Adelaide
5% - Hawthorn
1% - Western Bulldogs

Should be 25% Geelong/GWS
12.5% the rest

 

[GROTTO]

30% - GWS
30% - Geelong
25% - Sydney
9% - Adelaide
5% - Hawthorn
1% - Western Bulldogs

The winner of the flag this year will definitely come from one of those 6 teams. 100% certainty