Where will we finish in 2025?

[Nathan Barley]

I think we saw this year that it takes something really special to win the premiership and I think we also saw a year that took a massive toll physically and mentally on the players and coaches

So I'm predicting that we'll continue the trend and slip out of the 8.

Too pessimistic?

 

[Grasshopper17]

I think we saw this year that it takes something really special to win the premiership and I think we also saw a year that took a massive toll physically and mentally on the players and coaches

So I'm predicting that we'll continue the trend and slip out of the 8.

Too pessimistic?

Funnily enough I tipped this fate for us in 2002. I just thought "yeah that team got on a massive roll, but prior to that they were wildly inconsistent, they're just as likely to spend the summer drinking their own bath water".

I don't think "drinking your own bath water" was a phrase back then, but you get the idea!

 

[Grasshopper17]

I think we saw this year that it takes something really special to win the premiership and I think we also saw a year that took a massive toll physically and mentally on the players and coaches

So I'm predicting that we'll continue the trend and slip out of the 8.

Too pessimistic?

As always, health and injuries will probably play a crucial role. Keep an eye on how many soft tissue injuries we have early in the season... This may be a sign that we've enjoyed our off season a little more than other clubs.

Provided we nail the above, for me it's going to depend on how we're able to tailor our ball movement for however many tall forwards we have roaming around at any point in time.

In 2023 we showed we could play well enough with just 2, but it was a bit clunky at times and it was possible to shut us down. The 2nd half of the prelim showed that we now have more wherewithal to play that way, however it's also possible that we'd get figured out if forced to play that way multiple weeks on end, let alone a whole season.

Then again, Richmond won a flag in 2017 with essentially just the one key forward, and even he wasn't super tall.

 

[Nathan Barley]

Funnily enough I tipped this fate for us in 2002. I just thought "yeah that team got on a massive roll, but prior to that they were wildly inconsistent, they're just as likely to spend the summer drinking their own bath water".

I don't think "drinking your own bath water" was a phrase back then, but you get the idea!

I don’t think it comes down to the bathwater, I think it requires giving 125% eg. Can Neale play well enough again to win a B&F with a broken foot?

Do we want it enough to put in that sort of effort?

 

[Grasshopper17]

Sorry, to answer the question, no idea, I suck at this sort of big picture stuff. I think I'll just wait for the fixture to come out and all the Squiggle models to work their magic on it.

I think we'll still have the talent to beat just about anybody, it'll come down to health, hunger and whether we are able to build a game plan to suit the personnel we have.

Looking forward to getting along to the intra-club matches to see if my amateur eye is able to spot anything we change

 

[rye]

lose a prelim