What do you want out of season 24?

[Nunez]

I think (a) they would be a very tough finals opponent, wherever the game is, and (b) yes those matches may be tough for Freo, but we also have some tough fixtures of our own coming up.

Certainly wouldn't be counting any chickens just yet.

Absolutely not, but equally we are in a very good position to make top four. No easy games left, but all winnable. Our Midfield is humming, Rayner is in career best form, Bailey is finding form, Andrews will be back next week and we have something massive to play for. If we can beat the Suns at home with no key defenders, we can beat anyone.

Can change on a dime, but think we absolutely have it in us to run through the opposition all the way to that final Saturday in September.

 

[M Malice]

We are a more resilient team in 2024, some luck re no more vital player injuries and we are GF bound.

 

[PattyKwasagun]

I think (a) they would be a very tough finals opponent, wherever the game is, and (b) yes those matches may be tough for Freo, but we also have some tough fixtures of our own coming up.

Certainly wouldn't be counting any chickens just yet.

Not sure I agree on your first point just yet. In the current top 8 (with the Dogs in there on the live ladder) Port and Freo are the two teams I’d feel most confident playing.

They’ve had a really impressive year, but I think there are some key pieces still missing that will stop them being a serious threat just yet.

 

[M Malice]

Not sure I agree on your first point just yet. In the current top 8 (with the Dogs in there on the live ladder) Port and Freo are the two teams I’d feel most confident playing.

They’ve had a really impressive year, but I think there are some key pieces still missing that will stop them being a serious threat just yet.

More a vibe thing but IMO >

Feared finals opponents- Bulldogs, Hawks, Dockers.

Preferred finals opponents- Port, Blues, Cats.

Enigma- Swans.

I'm assuming Bombers don't make it.

 

[martinson]

More a vibe thing but IMO >

Feared finals opponents- Bulldogs, Hawks, Dockers.

Preferred finals opponents- Port, Blues, Cats.

Enigma- Swans.

I'm assuming Bombers don't make it.

Fwiiw I don't fear or look forward to playing anyone. It's a topsy turvy year, any team in the 8 is capable of beating us if we're not right on our game.

The thing we have going for us is that we're building a confidence I haven't really seen before . The flakey performances as team and as individuals are rare. So that's a big start on previous finals campaigns where we sometimes just didn't have that killer confidence you need to go all the way.

 

[Tom14]

Not sure I agree on your first point just yet. In the current top 8 (with the Dogs in there on the live ladder) Port and Freo are the two teams I’d feel most confident playing.

They’ve had a really impressive year, but I think there are some key pieces still missing that will stop them being a serious threat just yet.

Freo is having a ridiculous clearance year - on track for the best clearance differential since 2015.

Big danger for us given how much we rely on clearance dominance and territory to help our defence, equally an opportunity the other way to expose them.

 

[Sproj]

With how bad Sydney are going, if we had won Carlton and Adelaide's draw...we'd be first dependent on percentage.

 

[lionshine]

Rayner is becoming one of our best players. You could see at one stage yesterday, think it might have been the second quarter, Rayner & Neale were just a class above and were linking with one another consistently tearing the Suns to shreds. It was a joy to watch.

In addition to this, McCluggage is hitting some of the most damaging form we’ve seen from him to date and Dunkley is in the best form he’s shown since joining the club.

Compounding this further, big O and Berry have been huge since the bye and are also showing some of the best form we’ve arguably ever seen from them and all this is in the midst of Bailey slowly finding touch and Ashcroft returning from an ACL.

Our midfield is absolutely humming at the moment with stars all over the place who can also go forward and be dangerous(Particularly Clug & Rayner).

This gives me the greatest level of confidence I’ve had in this team since the Fagan era began. That’s not even mentioning the career best form Andrews and Wilmot are in down back alongside the steadying influence of Lester and Zorko plus the x-factor Logan Morris & Kai Lohmann have added to the forward half alongside Daniher, Hipwood & Charlie.

I want a premiership out of 2024.

 

[Sproj]

Right now, with our percentage, we are effectively two games inside the 8 with 4 games to go. Almost locked in but amazing now that even the minor premiership is within reach, albeit unlikely of course.

 

[Cockliff38]

We are now equal premiership favourites with Sportsbet ($4)

 

[dlanod]

We are now equal premiership favourites with Sportsbet ($4)

Sportsbet is $4 to win the premiership? That's good odds, the house always wins!

 

[ice444]

Win the next 4 games, win 2 finals at home and then win the grand final - 2 months ago I said our year was over, now it's anyone's guess.

 

[alscotoz2]

Personally, I think we will become a serious threat when we beat Sydney in Round 19.
Taking our winning streak to 7 in a row.

Been going back through this thread. Nice one, Nostra

 

[irel]

Sportsbet is $4 to win the premiership? That's good odds, the house always wins!

So, I gather you're betting the house on a Lions Premiership win?

 

[DevRoboGun]

This team below (available in September) can still win the flag IMO:

Lester Andrews Starcevich
Wilmot Payne Zorko
Berry Dunkley McCluggage
Bailey Hipwood Rayner
Charlie Daniher Lohmann
Oscar Neale Ashcroft

Fletcher McKenna Ah Chee Dev

Tunstill

Not quite the exact team but pretty proud of this call i made early in the season

 

[dlanod]

So, I gather you're betting the house on a Lions Premiership win?

Nah I'll bet on Sportsbet coming out ahead!

 

[braddsey]

Fwiiw I don't fear or look forward to playing anyone. It's a topsy turvy year, any team in the 8 is capable of beating us if we're not right on our game.

The thing we have going for us is that we're building a confidence I haven't really seen before . The flakey performances as team and as individuals are rare. So that's a big start on previous finals campaigns where we sometimes just didn't have that killer confidence you need to go all the way.

I'm with you, and the first line is a reminder that should we drop a game it's not the end of our season, we shouldn't sack the coach or delist half the team.
The resilience and depth we've shown this season seems different to last season. There haven't been stunning victories, but the ability for the team to roll on when a player(s) go out, and the replacement player to come in and play the role required has been a hallmark since the bye.

 

[Fluke]

Listening to that again today, well the criticism that fagan has pets, sticks with the same group, doesn't drop players and bring in more energetic players seem to have been proven.

Because fagan has moved away from that model, through injury mostly, and has blooded new players and dropped players (albeit those new players) because of form and it has rejuvenated the team.

Older players are now playing with more energy, young players are pushing hard to hold their positions.

We still think some players are out of form, but we also don't know the full story. Like Morris the other night. Didn't look great until you realise he stopped ballard from his intercept game. So there will always be a few players we want dropped but don't get.

We'll never know I guess how it would have turned out without all the injuries.

I agree that it confirms the criticisms in the sense that he's only made the changes when he's been forced to. I don't think it proves that the changes definitely made us better than we would have been though... I don't think we can say that Fages' way has been proven wrong...

What I mean by that is, on paper we know we were playing much better than our results were showing.

Would we still be playing Gardner forward? Maybe, but he had already kicked two before he went down, so who's to say that wasn't coming good?

Would we be playing the likes of Kai and Logan? Kai had already been playing for multiples games. Easy to think of him as stepping in for Linc, but he'd played two games in the same team as Linc before the GC game. Logan, who knows, but see the Gardner question.

Would we have pushed Zorks back? Probably not, but would Kiddy have been fine? And who's to say Zorks wouldn't have helped us be better up forward?

Would we have turned around the form anyway? Who knows?

-
All of that said, I definitely think we are in a much better position for future seasons than we would have been. Fages has talked about how much we've learned about our list through the adversity, and it's hard to not hear that and think that we wouldn't know that stuff without the adversity.

I feel like we can already start to see the makings of the next generation of Fages' team, and I can't imagine we would be seeing that unless his hand was forced.

But again, who knows? Maybe we would've made the transition without any teething, or maybe it won't go as smoothly as I'm hoping it will now.

It will be interesting to see if Fages adjusts his approach to things after all this though.

 

[Fluke]

So, I gather you're betting the house on a Lions Premiership win?

Not quite the house, but they were in March and May

 

[Gadzorks]

We'll never know I guess how it would have turned out without all the injuries.

I agree that it confirms the criticisms in the sense that he's only made the changes when he's been forced to. I don't think it proves that the changes definitely made us better than we would have been though... I don't think we can say that Fages' way has been proven wrong...

What I mean by that is, on paper we know we were playing much better than our results were showing.

Would we still be playing Gardner forward? Maybe, but he had already kicked two before he went down, so who's to say that wasn't coming good?

Would we be playing the likes of Kai and Logan? Kai had already been playing for multiples games. Easy to think of him as stepping in for Linc, but he'd played two games in the same team as Linc before the GC game. Logan, who knows, but see the Gardner question.

Would we have pushed Zorks back? Probably not, but would Kiddy have been fine? And who's to say Zorks wouldn't have helped us be better up forward?

Would we have turned around the form anyway? Who knows?

-
All of that said, I definitely think we are in a much better position for future seasons than we would have been. Fages has talked about how much we've learned about our list through the adversity, and it's hard to not hear that and think that we wouldn't know that stuff without the adversity.

I feel like we can already start to see the makings of the next generation of Fages' team, and I can't imagine we would be seeing that unless his hand was forced.

But again, who knows? Maybe we would've made the transition without any teething, or maybe it won't go as smoothly as I'm hoping it will now.

It will be interesting to see if Fages adjusts his approach to things after all this though.

One of the things that kills good teams is sticking to the legends once they are struggling with motivation to put their body on the line each week. Bloody hard to stay at the top of your game for a single year, let alone a decade plus.

It's hard, but maybe teams at the top need to keep rotating in new players. Good for the youth and re-energizing for the older plates as the tag and help them. Fans older players would hate it, but it could be better for the club.

Would also likely increase retention, though that's not a problem for us atm.

 

[McIvor]

 

[M Malice]

A no Victorian team Grand Final would be sumptuous, Lions v Swans or Dockers.

 

[SizeMatters]

I posted a while ago that this team needed to show grit. That’s what I wanted out of this season. I’m very glad they’ve shown grit and more. This team is a different beast to 2023. Might not be as dominant but I don’t feel as worried about game losing lapses and I feel the game style we have adopted now will stand up in finals better than anything we’ve used previously. Injuries have been unfortunate but have been a silver lining in many ways.

 

[M Malice]

To come >

Swans(56)- Magpies/Bombers/Crows.
Lions(54)- Giants/Magpies/Bombers.
Port(52)- Demons/Crows/Dockers.
Giants(52)- Lions/Dockers/Bulldogs.
Cats(52)- Dockers/Saints/Eagles.
Dockers(50)- Cats/Giants/Port.
Bulldogs(48)- Crows/Roos/Giants.
Blues(48)- Hawks/Eagles/Saints.

Bombers46)- Suns/Swans/lions.
Hawks(44)- Blues/Tigers/Roos.
Magpies(44)- Swans/Lions/Demons.

My ladder predictor has a final 8 of >

Lions
Swans
Port
Giants

Cats
Dockers
Bulldogs
Blues

If we lose 1 game I still have us finishing 2nd and a home QF.

 

[Squizz89]

To come >

Swans(56)- Magpies/Bombers/Crows.
Lions(54)- Giants/Magpies/Bombers.
Port(52)- Demons/Crows/Dockers.
Giants(52)- Lions/Dockers/Bulldogs.
Cats(52)- Dockers/Saints/Eagles.
Dockers(50)- Cats/Giants/Port.
Bulldogs(48)- Crows/Roos/Giants.
Blues(48)- Hawks/Eagles/Saints.

Bombers46)- Suns/Swans/lions.
Hawks(44)- Blues/Tigers/Roos.
Magpies(44)- Swans/Lions/Demons.

My ladder predictor has a final 8 of >

Lions
Swans
Port
Giants

Cats
Dockers
Bulldogs
Blues

If we lose 1 game I still have us finishing 2nd and a home QF.

Bombers really did us a favour today.