Opinion Year 2024: Dead Cat Bounce?

[random260]

Does anyone else reckon this year we will dead cat bounce maybe not 2011 style but something close. But I think what's different is next year we will bounce straight to hell

I mean on paper-
Prime Mid Yeo
Prime Mid Kelly
Aggressive Reid
All Australian Gov + TB

Then Waterman playing like Jk and Darling building.

How high can we bounce in 2024?

 

[KBLT]

Can a premiership legally be called a dead cat bounce?

 

[3agles87]

FMD, why start this minutes after a great win.

 

[stallon]

If we can continue playing well until Flynn and Oscar are back closer to the bye, finals are possible imo. still unlikely for sure, but we might squeeze in.
We have Suns, Essendon, Pies, Demons, Crows, Saints and North before the bye in r14. Based off tonight thats 5-6 wins form 7, say we win 4, thats 6-7 at the bye, with a pretty good fixture to end the year

We could easily drop off with such a young team, or someone could get injured, but its possible. Tb potentially getting a suspension would also put us under pressure next week

 

[Shifty1]

Nah this feels different to 2009. That was a dead cat bounce year.

 

[Bender_]

Still think we'll be lucky to win 6.

Loving what I'm seeing across the ground nonetheless.

 

[WCErevival]

We wont win that many games. Freo played rubbish and Richmond had a huge injury list. If we can at least finish outside the bottom 4 that would be a start.

 

[ioppolo]

Let's chill here. 2-4. Still had some floggings. I'd be happy with a 9-14/8-15 record. Then finals next season.

 

[Rowan18]

We're 2-4, that is a shit start to the season. Almost impossible to play finals if you lose your first 4. If somehow we can square up wins and losses, then we might have a chance, but let's just enjoy the ride in the meantime.

 

[Keys]

Three weeks ago the question being asked was whether we’d win a game at all and what should our draft concessions be

We then pushed Sydney, beat a depleted Richmond at home and then whatever you wish to call that over Freo

Just enjoy the wins if and when they arrive and the green shoots they unearth.

No point looking further than next week

 

[squashface]

These types of threads are lame.

Next week if we get flogged by 10 goals to Fold Coast then another pointless thread of "will we ever win again?" gets posted.

Just enjoy the wins and melt the losses one week at a time.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Difference for me is the football is future facing.

Even in the Dogs loss (70 odd?) I felt we played some genuinely good football and simply didn’t have the skill or synergy to actually chain it together without throwing in a back breaking turnover. Wasn’t the whole game, Q2 the Dogs eviscerated us, but either side of that was perfectly reasonable football that will turn into scoring footy as we add talent and skill.

We could well get thoroughly smacked next week, or the week after, and so on. But we’re looking like a team that is doing what we want to do, playing how we want to play, and if (when) it doesn’t come off it’ll hurt us badly. But we’re going to keep trying, because that’s the identity we want to build up to, and soon it’ll come off.

We’ve now got some pretty hilarious proof points for what this can look like when it does stick together for quarters at a time.

 

[Euro Star]

There is an uneven balance to the list which Simmo keeps mentioning - we’re either really young or really old so the question is if we’re ready for a series of retirements. Or we could drop off if certain players get injured which becomes more likely as they age.

McGovern and Yeo are the two that will leave the biggest holes, followed by Cripps. The others (Gaff, Sheed, Darling) are already being phased out or playing lesser roles. TK is 30 this year too but I could see his body holding up longer than normal given his late start to AFL.

The one advantage for this is it potentially lends itself to free agents as they’re typically in that 26-27 age range and I’d expect some cap space to open up as the old guys retire.

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

There is an uneven balance to the list which Simmo keeps mentioning - we’re either really young or really old so the question is if we’re ready for a series of retirements. Or we could drop off if certain players get injured which becomes more likely as they age.

McGovern and Yeo are the two that will leave the biggest holes, followed by Cripps. The others (Gaff, Sheed, Darling) are already being phased out or playing lesser roles. TK is 30 this year too but I could see his body holding up longer than normal given his late start to AFL.

The one advantage for this is it potentially lends itself to free agents as they’re typically in that 26-27 age range and I’d expect some cap space to open up as the old guys retire.

We’ve been trying to fill the gap in our age profile for 4 years with cheap money ball trades. Langdon, Witherden, SPS without much luck.

Baker would help smooth out our age profile.

Taylor as a FA next year would solve a lot of issues we will have finding replacements for Gov and then Barrass, but that feels like a minuscule chance of happening. The continual interest in TB shows just how hard it is to identify and recruit established KPD’s. Melbourne absolutely hit the jackpot recruiting two top level KPD’s.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. We need to continue hitting the draft with our top picks to bring in elite talent, while also addressing the huge gap in our age profile.

Watching the WAFL yesterday I think we do have some good talent showing positive signs, Johnson, Burgiel, Dewar, Hall but they’re still 2 years away from really being able to impact at AFL level, and other than Hall are more flanker types.

We will still have a top 4 pick this year, even with our uptick in form.

So we have two trade and draft periods to recruit and develop next gen players before Gov, Yeo, Kelly retire.

 

[FKASC]

Year 2024 was an anomaly

 

[Euro Star]

We’ve been trying to fill the gap in our age profile for 4 years with cheap money ball trades. Langdon, Witherden, SPS without much luck.

Baker would help smooth out our age profile.

Taylor as a FA next year would solve a lot of issues we will have finding replacements for Gov and then Barrass, but that feels like a minuscule chance of happening. The continual interest in TB shows just how hard it is to identify and recruit established KPD’s. Melbourne absolutely hit the jackpot recruiting two top level KPD’s.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. We need to continue hitting the draft with our top picks to bring in elite talent, while also addressing the huge gap in our age profile.

Watching the WAFL yesterday I think we do have some good talent showing positive signs, Johnson, Burgiel, Dewar, Hall but they’re still 2 years away from really being able to impact at AFL level, and other than Hall are more flanker types.

We will still have a top 4 pick this year, even with our uptick in form.

So we have two trade and draft periods to recruit and develop next gen players before Gov, Yeo, Kelly retire.

Which is probably why we were very keen on Curtin last year! Fortunately we got some time wit Barrass.

 

[Cuzz09]

2022: 2 wins
2023: 3 wins
2024: 4 wins

improving...

Hopefully in 2025 we can lessen the gaps in losses.

I reckon 6-8 wins would be a good 2025

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[Cuzz09]

Continue not getting belted and no 7-10 game losing streaks

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[BeornJ]

I'm optimistic.

This off season should be the first year in a while that our retirements and delistings won't be best 22 players that we will struggle to replace.

Hopefully it is just cutting deadwood and retiring players that no longer contribute.

We may lose Barrass but that will at least net us good draft picks.

Any players we trade for or get us UFA should improve our list as well.

Add in another pre season into our promising youngsters and a new coach to change things up... I'm optimistic.