Win Last 2 vs Lose Last 2

[burner1]

I don't understand how one can not see the importance of winning these last two games and winning well.

Two junk wins will have no bearing on where we are in 2008.

The fasttracked development of youngsters will and so will one of thorp, hansen, gumby, or gibbs.

 

[CyberKev]

Mate

There has to be at least TWO changes to Saturday nights team.

1) JB into Rd 22 - the farewell game I think he richly deserves

2) Mat Little. We need to see how he goes at the elite level. This year Murphy and Gilham have come up and suprised, well certainly me, that they can play at the elite level. Now is still the time to decide on Little.

To me, Little needs at least 2 weeks to see what hes got.


I say we continue the program of blooding the newbies and seeing if there going to help from the nuclues of a side into the next few years.

If we win, great, if we dont, no biggie.

Why change a winning side?

Little has been stiff, but he's been doing enough to stay on the list, and can wait until 2007 for a run.

Stuff giving Barker a send-off game.

He's been poor on the few occasions he's made it on to the paddock and we need to be setting the foundations for a "winning form is good form" approach to selection.

 

[CyberKev]

I don't understand how one can not see the importance of winning these last two games and winning well.

Absolutely, Schreuders!

We finish off the year with four strong wins, set a winning tone and head to the preseason with confidence.

This club has to become one that enjoys and expects victory.

There's a lot of quality on offer in the draft and we'll get something good no matter where we finish.

 

[cs61]

Agree. I think we have become slightly obsessed with draft picks and posters think that we need more and more and more. When does it end? Next year if we are out of the finals race do people think it'd be good to lose again?

How do you attract key players in trade period unless you are showing signs of improvement. If we win our last 4 games, and win in the style that we have played in the first half, players will view us as a club on the rise and may tempt them to come to our club. We lose the last two a club like Richmond might seem more desirable as they had a better finish and showing a lot of promise.

These are all factors, and winning is a good thing, the only thing at the moment IMO. I'll worry about the draft pick after these two games, and then we can spend the next three months analysing who we'll get, but for now I'm looking forward to going to Launceston and seeing a win.

 

[hyperswivel]

When did football becomes an exact science?
It goes against everything a player/coach/supporter believes in to go out and lose a match on purpose. It's the very essence of the game... any game... to win.
AC wants wins to keep his job. Players want to perform to keep their place in the side. The board wants wins to entice members. There is no way that an entire side is colluding to lose matches. No way.

 

[GNCLongJack]

Little after another great effort for BH is a cert. to debut this week and continue Rnd. 22. Pivotal week for Boyle considering his 5 majors. I'd suggest Little for Kano although Kano's T.O.G. brought more productivity than Lewis'. Anyone's thoughts on Marguccio for a rookie spot next season, he's a good conjuror of a goal .

 

[illnino]

With the kangaroos resting grant, simpson and prob wells dont think we would have to put much of a team on the park to have a chance to win. (and its arguable that for most of the season against top teams our team on the park realistically couldnt win so why not develop players so next season we may have a realistic chance?)

Realistically, any team can beat a top side. It helps having good players....

With the season over and two games to go with us still in rebuilding mode I thought this would be perfect time of year and year to get games into youngsters.
With a better list and more developed players Im hoping we'll be trying to win upwards of 8-9 wins games next year and dont want us to be throwing away games for the sake of development as we should be better progressed. If there's a time to develop players then its over these last two meaningless games while we're still in heavy rebuilding mode rather than in 2007/08 when the focus should be more on getting wins and building momentum/confidence.

Meaningless? Go out and tell that to the Hawks before their match this weekend! Are you crazy......No AFL match is 'meaningless'. It's just as important now as it was at the start of the year to perform well and achieve wins.
Surley you cannot expect ellis, dowler, dawson, tuck etc. to all hold a top 22 position next year - what about this year's team........they need as much game time as possibe (Franklin, Roughie and about half the hawks list) if they are going to get any better for next year.

More saying that winning a game against a half strength opposition in a meaningless game while spending most of the game on the bench is not going to do any more to our young players confidence than getting a lot of game time and responsibility and us maybe winning/losing.

Again, I don't believe these matches are meaningless. Again, tell that to the guys at Full-Time, just after they have busted they're asses off to get the 4 pts.

 

[illnino]

Thank God 70% percent of you know what your talking about....

 

[burner1]

Come on Illnino, I'm not advocating putting in the box hill side into the ones just giving our youngsters more game time and maybe a few debuts extended run. Give bailey extended time in the ruck, lewis a full game in the centre, keep roughie as our main target, maybe dawson another shot at fb, give little a run up fwd. Maybe give ellis or tuck a taste in the last game as happened to murphy in the last game last year. Yes its important for some of our current 22 to get more games into their legs - but is two more games really going to help joel smith etc?
As you say most of our (young) team need as much game time as possible so why not give it to them and to a couple of promising youngsters who could be expected to play next season?

Maybe meaningless was the wrong word but looking at the big picture, wins against the roos and the cats whose seasons are over (and with the roos openly resting players) dont seem defining moments for our club IMO. I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this point, but wins when your season is on the line are different to wins when your and the teams your playing against seasons are over. Its not like we're playing for finals. We may win 4 points but really our season is over.

No im not saying winning doesnt mean anything to the players, I'm sure they'll bust their gut as we expect. You could say NAB cup games are meaningless but players still bust their guts for a win.

 

[hyperswivel]

No matter the strength of the side, I think we can afford to give Barker the send off he deserves.

 

[illnino]

No matter the strength of the side, I think we can afford to give Barker the send off he deserves.

That I agree with...

And Burner1, I guess it's more about pride.......I just hate seeing the hawks end up at the bottom 2 or 3 of the ladder every year. Some form of a respectable percentage would be nice at the end of this year

 

[hyperswivel]

Kennett keeps saying the card is being graded on wins. As long as this is the case, the "plan" will take a back seat to self preservation.

 

[tomthetiger]

Terry Wallace is happy to finnish ninth if he knows there on the way up even if it means bad draft picks.
I am happy to finnish 3rd last because I KNOW we are on the way up and we get a good draft pick too.

But the confidence of finishing off the season with say 5 straight wins or whatever it'll be is invaluable (see the Bullies last year). If you can win the last game, making it 5 straight, the players will be craving more wins, more out of themselves individually and this hunger will carry all the way through the pre season. Getting a sniff of what its like to win games will have the players working harder at training and in the gyms, and trust me, it'll all pay off. Besides, becoming a good side purely off high draft picks isn't what it's all about.

 

[hyperswivel]

Are there financial rewards for finishing higher on the ladder?

 

[illnino]

But the confidence of finishing off the season with say 5 straight wins or whatever it'll be is invaluable (see the Bullies last year). If you can win the last game, making it 5 straight, the players will be craving more wins, more out of themselves individually and this hunger will carry all the way through the pre season. Getting a sniff of what its like to win games will have the players working harder at training and in the gyms, and trust me, it'll all pay off. Besides, becoming a good side purely off high draft picks isn't what it's all about.

 

[illnino]

Are there financial rewards for finishing higher on the ladder?

That's just a bit silly. What are you saying - that because we don't get anything, possession wise, there's no use trying? What about just playing footy?

 

[hyperswivel]

That's just a bit silly. What are you saying - that because we don't get anything, possession wise, there's no use trying? What about just playing footy?

Sorry illnino, that wasn't a rhetorical question, it was in fact, an actual question that I don't know the answer to.

 

[tomthetiger]

Lmao bit of a misunderstanding lads ^^

 

[illnino]

Sorry illnino, that wasn't a rhetorical question, it was in fact, an actual question that I don't know the answer to.

Fair enough......Carry on then Lol...

 

[hyperswivel]

Does anyone have any evidence of any team clearly tanking, ever?
Has there been an instance where there have been so many "mistakes" that it's clear a team is colluding, or is the suggestion simply that teams don't play their best players in order to lose matches.
How embarrasing if you played your dud team... and won!

 

[Fastback]

Definitely your second example. Players don't tank and clubs don't look to players to tank. Instead clubs which aren't mathematical chances of playing finals will rest or fast track surgery in preparation for the following season. Has been happening for a while now.

 

[Pessimistic]

narrow loss to the roos.

smash the cats.

If they play rocca and tommo again can we possibly contain them ?

 

[amos]

I wonder how many non-Hawks voted for the tank here to gather ammunition for the main board. Can't believe this was given a great post, Gary.

 

[Fastback]

just check the voters names, weed out the snipers and expose them, if you have to.

 

[amos]

weed out the snipers

, lol. Nice, mate.