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What unpopular AFL opinions do you have? (Part 1 - cont in Part 2)
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No they weren't. Not remotely. They happened to get through to the Prelim, and put up a great performance. But they weren't close to being the 2nd best side that year.
One of the bigger myths in football - that they would have rolled Port easily had they got there. Port actually played Collingwood at the MCG during 2007. And won.
I was absolutely at the game. And we all have very short and very selective memories.
Essendon's effort in 1990 was very ordinary. Geelong's in 1995 was pathetic. St.Kilda in the replay in 2010 were not competitive at any point. And that's not including Melbourne in 1988 (then record loss), or Carlton in 1986, or Hawthorn in 1985, or Essendon in 1983 (then record loss), or Collingwood in 1980 (then record loss).
LeverPuller
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Hayden Ballantyne is brilliant and we need more like him.
Hawkas1988
Norm Smith Medallist
Brilliant at?
The worst gf performance from a player in my recent memory
His antics and stuff is entertaining and adds something to the game we don't see much these days but I wonder how many will yap back to him about his embarrassing gf display
El Dubya
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Took a massive dive when Scarlett took a very light swing at him. We don't need players like that in the AFL.
Not saying Scarlett was right to hit him by any means, and he should have been suspended for striking, but Ballantyne took a dive and it was ugly.
And he's the only player to ever dive? Please. Every small forward does has and will continue to do it. Plus, it wouldn't be an issue if Scarlett could control himself.
Leon Davis? Barry Hall? Cam Mooney? Sam Mitchell? Far bigger names who played worse/just as bad.
timtamWB
Resident Biscuit
Port beat Geelong at Skilled Stadium during 2007. What they did and who they beat during the actual season doesn't really matter that much. I'm not saying the Pies would have beat Port, I'm just saying that the fact they beat Collingwood during the year doesn't mean much.
Well said. It's fine for the sniping little parasite to yap while players get sucked in; but once the finals rolled around he had to perform. And he didn't. It wasn't just the Grand Final either; his Qualifying Final was just as bad and he was probably the only Fremantle player who didn't play well.
Until he shows otherwise he's been revealed as being full of talk but can't back it up.
Oh my bad, I should've done better than commenting on the main point of your post. How silly of me.
Good Essendon joke though, hilarious!
A couple of points
1. Geelong may have not had much opposition, but given they also won two other premierships with roughly the same team, it suggests that that was an awesome side. I imagine that if Geelong had more competition, they'd win by less margins, or win less, but they would have still won the premiership. They beat every single other side in the competition that year.
2. Port may have thought that their effort to make the grand final was a decent achievement in itself, or that lucky for making the grand final, or just thought that they had nothing to lose, but they shouldn't have. They had won a grand final 3 year prior, they finished 2nd, and even though they were 10th after round 11, they were one win off 3rd. What's more, other grand finalists have been in a similar position, after round 9 of 2012, Hawthorn were 8th and two games behind 3rd place. In 2005, Sydney were 12th after 6 rounds, in 2000, Melbourne were 8th, 6-7 and had just been beaten by Carlton by 98 points. Now sure, most of these teams lost, but Adelaide started both their premiership seasons badly, in 1997 they were 2-4, in 1998 they were 3-5, having lost to Richmond at home... somehow. In fact both sides of the 1997 grand final started the season badly, St Kilda was 1-4 and lost to Brisbane by 97 points. It seems crazy that a grand final side would lose to a side which barely made the finals by close to 100 points, but it happened. This notion that the grand finalists would be two teams which have dominated the year and would be 18-4 or similar is a really new thing. tl;dr any time a side finishes second they should feel entitled to be in the grand final.
I'm not saying that Port should have been given much of a chance, but I don't think they can claim to achieved something impressive. It's not that uncommon for a side who is seemingly struggling half way through a season to pick up form and make it. I reckon that it was just Williams talking up the opposition to get inside their heads, not because he thought that it was lucky that they made it, but because he knew Geelong were that good that they had no chance. I think most teams from most years would have thought the same. In fact I reckon that the 2007 Geelong side probably would've beaten any subsequent Geelong side.
1. Geelong may have not had much opposition, but given they also won two other premierships with roughly the same team, it suggests that that was an awesome side. I imagine that if Geelong had more competition, they'd win by less margins, or win less, but they would have still won the premiership. They beat every single other side in the competition that year.
2. Port may have thought that their effort to make the grand final was a decent achievement in itself, or that lucky for making the grand final, or just thought that they had nothing to lose, but they shouldn't have. They had won a grand final 3 year prior, they finished 2nd, and even though they were 10th after round 11, they were one win off 3rd. What's more, other grand finalists have been in a similar position, after round 9 of 2012, Hawthorn were 8th and two games behind 3rd place. In 2005, Sydney were 12th after 6 rounds, in 2000, Melbourne were 8th, 6-7 and had just been beaten by Carlton by 98 points. Now sure, most of these teams lost, but Adelaide started both their premiership seasons badly, in 1997 they were 2-4, in 1998 they were 3-5, having lost to Richmond at home... somehow. In fact both sides of the 1997 grand final started the season badly, St Kilda was 1-4 and lost to Brisbane by 97 points. It seems crazy that a grand final side would lose to a side which barely made the finals by close to 100 points, but it happened. This notion that the grand finalists would be two teams which have dominated the year and would be 18-4 or similar is a really new thing. tl;dr any time a side finishes second they should feel entitled to be in the grand final.
I'm not saying that Port should have been given much of a chance, but I don't think they can claim to achieved something impressive. It's not that uncommon for a side who is seemingly struggling half way through a season to pick up form and make it. I reckon that it was just Williams talking up the opposition to get inside their heads, not because he thought that it was lucky that they made it, but because he knew Geelong were that good that they had no chance. I think most teams from most years would have thought the same. In fact I reckon that the 2007 Geelong side probably would've beaten any subsequent Geelong side.
Hans_Moleman
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Carlton/Collingwood/Essendon/Hawthorn should all be made to play at Simonds Stadium irrespective of the crowds they draw against us at the MCG and Etihad.
Dale Thomas is an obscenely overrated footballer.
Dale Thomas is an obscenely overrated footballer.
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+1 on the second point.
El Dubya
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Geelong makes more money off home games at the MCG against those big clubs than they do from a sell out at Simmonds. Plus playing big games on the big stage like that is great preparation for finals.
Could not agree more on the second point, one good season does not make a great player.
Regarding Thomas I would say two seasons - 2010 and 2011. Those seasons he absolutely deserved the praise he got. He was not only doing the flashy things, he was doing the hard things. For whatever reason he hasn't recaptured that form in the last 2 years.
He's still a good player, but nowhere near great and needs a big year.
If you actually looked at my analysis of the situation in 2007, instead of playing the tall poppy card, you may have got credit for actually addressing the main point. Instead you suggested I was trolling.
The Pies had a couple of guys who really thrived on the high rotations and resting that they did in those seasons before they reduced the bench. Thomas always struck me has one of those.
Perhaps it was losing Malthouse or injury, we'll see if he can get back to his best with his move, but I suspect that the interchange changes have hurt him more than most.
Hans_Moleman
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Can't argue with us playing a few home games at the MCG (keeps our supporters/members in Melbourne happy), but very unfair if you ask me that some clubs have not travelled to Geelong since the 1990s whilst others are made to do it every year. Even if it's only every 2-3 years they should all be made to play there. I'd also dispute that we make more money from MCG games now that the capacity at SS has been increased again.
As for Dale Thomas- yeah, needs to recapture his 2010-11 form to justify his high rating. Has a pretty good outside game and does the 'flashy things' well but all too often doesn't back this up with ball-winning ability.
A few facts about Collingwood's 2007 season
0-3 against Port and Geelong
10th highest percentage
11th best attack
8th best defense
Record against top eight teams:
Collingwood 6-6
Port 7-6
Record against top four teams:
Port 5-2
Collingwood 2-4
Just because Collingwood played one good game against Geelong doesn't mean they were the second best team.
Shaneprice97
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They played good footy when they needed too, in finals. The champion teams step up in finals no matter how good the individual talent the oppositions team has. This works for Port against us in 2013, they were a champion team in finals who nearly knocked off Geelong the week after they gave us a reality check.
Hawkas1988
Norm Smith Medallist
I get what you're saying but neither Port 2013 or Collingwood 2007 were champion teams
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