Why Freo won't win the GF

[the_messiah]

Freo is in many fans eyes, now, certainly one of the main favourites for the flag this year after 8 straight wins including thumping the West Coast Eagles by 57 points today and the Saints by 50points last week. This is all well and good, but are they really as good as everyone would have us believe?

Since losing to Geelong and Sydney in Rounds 12 & 13 Respectively, Fremantle has beaten:
Essendon, Collingwood, Melbourne, Carlton, Hawthorn, Adelaide, St Kilda, West Coast.
Though there last 3 wins have been impressive, they've been overdone. Fremantle Beat Adelaide, who just today lost to port making it 4 losses out of their 5 games. All of a sudden makes it less impressive.
They beat St Kilda who just this round won only there 4th game of the year against a top 8 team and have struggled all year with 2 of those 4 wins against the Dogs.

Finals experience, though, is the major factor. Very few teams do well at finals without experience, In Fremantle, VERY Few players have experience. But maybe even more importantly, the coach has 1 finals game of experience, and as we all know, finals are a complete difference to the home & away season.

So come this September we'll know whether Fremantle are the real deal or just pretenders making up the numbers.

 

[Dan26]

Finals experience is a myth. You don't need finals experience to win flags.

Sure, many flags are won by teams who have played in finals previously but that is beause they have good teams - not because of experience from the previous year.

Make no mistake, a player with 200 games experience and NO finals is better equipped to handle a final than a player with 50 games experience and 5 finals. The only experience that matters is overall games experience.

Melbourne was a good example in 1987. They hadn't made the finals in 23 years. They won their first final by 118 points against a Kangaroos team that had played in the finals in '85, 83, '82, '80. They then beat a Swans team by 80 who made the finals the year before and they then lost to Hawthorn only after the siren.

Adelaide in '97 had made one finals appearance in '93. They did nothing from 1994-96. Then in '97 with virtually no finals experience, they won 4 straight finals.

Collingwood in 2002 another example. They hadn't made the finals since 1994, yet won their first two finals and then lost the GF in an epic game that was 50-50. They had as much chance on the day of being premiers as Brisbane did.

You can even go back to Richmond in 1967. They hadn't made the finals at all since 1943, yet they finished top of the ladder and then won both finals, and won the premiership.

All you need to win the premiership is a combination of talent, luck, timing and momentum.

Some experienced players is also a necessity, but whether these experience players have played finals is irrelevant. Robert Flower didn't need finals experience to excel in his first finals match after 270 games. Nathan Buckley (or Collingwood) didn't need it to excel in 2002.

 

[sabre_ac]

Dan
Dont see ya around as much as the old days, pity really as your memory is top rate.

 

[Dan26]

I still lurk around - don't post as much as I used to.

I "try" to only post these days when I have something meaningful to say, rather than just typing endless crap.

Having said that, I don't know how to justify my thread about Richmond possibly making the finals.

 

[weagles_fan]

It is not a myth. Teams don't know what to prepare for if they have not played in the finals. It becomes 1 on 1 all over the ground with each player from every side putting in their top effort with no easy possessions.

 

[Powerstufff]

Oh for God's sake. From a Saints fan of all people. Freo is the outstanding team of the comp, at just the right time. And while they have to navigate the finals yet at least have the grace to acknowledge what they have achieved.

 

[Dan26]

It is not a myth. Teams don't know what to prepare for if they have not played in the finals. It becomes 1 on 1 all over the ground with each player from every side putting in their top effort with no easy possessions.

Plenty of teams who have not played in the finals, play well at their first attempt. Plenty don't.

There are also plenty of teams with heaps of finals experience who get smashed first up. Look at Carlton's two finals in 1996, even though they were the reigning premiers at the time.

Your club had heaps of disappointing finals matches between 1995-1999 even though your club had been in the finals for 5 years up until 1995.

And yet some clubs with no finals experience at all, play well. The West Coast Eagles first ever finals appearance, away from home, in 1988 (against a team who made the finals the year before) is an example that you don't need finals experience to play well.

 

[ImperialPurple]

Freo is in many fans eyes, now, certainly one of the main favourites for the flag this year after 8 straight wins including thumping the West Coast Eagles by 57 points today and the Saints by 50points last week. .

It was 58 actually.

 

[PAFC2004]

The Power had no grand final experience, and beat a team with who was playing in their 4th in 4 years.

 

[sammyg77]

Thats the thing......Freo have plenty of finals experience though when you look at their team. Players such as Bell, Carr, Headland are all premiership winning players so I dont think the occassion will frighten them too much. A lot of them have played finals and they are a very mature team age and body size wise so they wont be that easy to beat.

The only thing they should be worried about is if their gameplan of flooding back and continually having two or three spare players in defense will hold up in finals one on one pressure. Connolly might just be playing all his cards a little too early IMO.........Other than that they are looking good with red hot form, no travel duress running into the finals and are very healthy list from an injury perspective.

 

[rgauci]

Reasons they are a chance to win the GF:

1) they have a dominant ruckman, who is in form and getting better by the minute.
2) Very composed and reliable backline, with a good mixture of rebound and solid stoppers.
3) One Power key forward with other multiple tall and small options
4) MINIMAL INJURIES

The last being the most important. We are missing Haddrill, Murphy and Hasleby looks very underdone (even whilst playing). Murphy should be back next week. So apart from Murphy (who should be back soon) we are picking from a full list. Kudos to Haines but he hasn't been a part of the best 22 for years. Same with Haddrill to be honest.

Things against us, injuries are bound to happen sometime over the next 5 weeks and may go a long way to denting our chances.

 

[kidstyler]

meh we could lose next week and be out of the top for or win and cement a place in the finals!

all im thinking about is port!

 

[johnnyhoward]

The Power had no grand final experience, and beat a team with who was playing in their 4th in 4 years.

It was about time they didn't choke

 

[Powerstufff]

It was about time they didn't choke

Again I say 'from a Saints fan?!?'.

 

[tomthetiger]

Oh for God's sake. From a Saints fan of all people. Freo is the outstanding team of the comp, at just the right time. And while they have to navigate the finals yet at least have the grace to acknowledge what they have achieved.

Not exactly at the right time. A loss this week might just do Freo some good.

 

[Geoff]

The only people getting ahead of themselves here are the nonfreo ones. Listen and Listen good, we approach every game one at a time, we are entering unchartered waters and are taking a slowly slowly approach. The Port game is as crucial as the SK ADL WC games, no difference in any of them.

 

[utility]

Finals experience is valuable but is not a requirement of winning a flag as previously documented. I'd rather have 2-3 years of finals experience than none as it is a MAJOR advantage in most cases.

 

[RogerRabbit69]

Freo have performed well in pressure situations over the past few months. The Derby's a prime example.

Their biggest test will be in week one of the finals (most likely against Adelaide, it seems). If they get past that one, they're a huge chance of making the GF.

 

[relapse]

Not exactly at the right time. A loss this week might just do Freo some good.

WTF ?

If Freo loose this week they will lose a top four spot, why would losing this week do them some good ?

If they finish 3rd they have no excuses why they cant play in a prelim at Subi, 3rd for them is the perfect spot for them. Why you ask ?

Well they play Adelaide who are in bad form, if they win that they will host a prelim at Subi. If they happen to lose, they play a final the next week at home and if they win that they will play West Coast in the prelim at Subi.

A win will set Freo up to have a double chance of playing a prelim final at Subi. Couldnt get any better opportunity to sneak into a grand final than this year. If I was the Eagles I would be barracking like hell for Port to win on the weekend as if they play a home prelim against Freo they will lose their home ground advantage.