Are we gone?

merc_2 · Post by **merc_2** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 6:13 pm

Another really poor effort. Despite the third quarter, we really didnt look like we were ever going to win that game. Appalling first half. We played 3 minutes of footy for the entire half. Poor disposal, indecisive decision making, turnover football...all the horrors of last year.
After watching that we are officially gone this year. We will struggle to beat Adelaide, Hawthorn, Freo in Perth and WCE in Perth. Perhaps we may be able to scrap a win against our boggy side Carlton and surely we can beat Richmond. The odds are well and truly against us. WE ARE GONE!

Post by **Jazz_84** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 6:16 pm

yeah we are gone... with out Hird and Davey, the next couple of weeks are going to be near impossible to win unfortunatly..

lloyd seems to be in 2 minds about staying down forward and moving up the ground trying to enforce his captaincy upon the ground

BenDoolan · Post by **BenDoolan** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 6:21 pm

Season will end at R22. We only play really good footy in patches. We'll get better in the next couple of years. We have done well this season considering where they were at last year....

jimmyc1985 · Post by **jimmyc1985** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 6:57 pm

We are still a chance, but must beat Adelaide next week. Lose to Adelaide next week and we go from still having a real chance to only having that oft-invoked catch phrase of every Richmond fan for the last 20 years - a 'mathematical chance'.

nudder12 · Post by **nudder12** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 7:14 pm

We are gone. We were gone before the season started. What I'm saying is that it makes no difference if we make the finals or not, we aren't going anywhere far even if we sneak into the 8.
This year isn't about where we finish on the ladder, it's about improving for a tilt at a flag in the next couple of years.

And I'm still not sure whether we've really improved all that much. Take away a couple of games we "pinched" and our result doesn't look so good after all. Or, if you prefer, if we'd pinched a few of those close losses from last year, this year's result wouldn't be very different.

And if we took away Hird and Fletch and a couple of other "old timers" we'd be a basket case. Which makes me wonder how we'll perform when they are gone. Some of the young ones are doing OK, but not what I'd call outstanding prospects or matchwinners, just good ordinary players.

Then again, some of the time in some of our matches, we have played really good footy, so if we can be more consistent with that then who knows.

Essendon4eva · Post by **Essendon4eva** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 7:59 pm

Good call. A far as top 8 goes, its not gone. I think one game in the finals will still do alot for our devlopment.

Mrs Mercuri · Post by **Mrs Mercuri** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 8:08 pm

BenDoolan wrote:Season will end at R22. We only play really good footy in patches. We'll get better in the next couple of years. We have done well this season considering where they were at last year....

i agree, the season isn't over until round 22. With the Doggies and Crows losing it still gives us a bit of hope of being inside the eight at the end. I really beleive we can beat the crows next sunday (i will be there yay!!) and there are certainly some good signs that the future will be bright for this club if not this year then certainly next year. I agree that we are certainly missing Licha and Davey's run at the moment. Hopefully Lich will be back for the match against the crows.

bombers_rock · Post by **bombers_rock** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 11:10 pm

In answer to the topic question - hell no!!

Adelaide got done today.
Hawthorn got done comfortably tonight (still don't quite believe it)
Sydney got done.

We're still in touch. No reason to lose hope just yet.

I think next week is more important than this week. One of those "8-point games" people talk about. A win puts us 1 game ahead of the Crows, a loss puts us 1 game behind. We're 14% down on them, so we need a win, and a percentage booster. None of this 1 or 2 point win or even 1 or 2 goals stuff now, we must win and comfortably.

Results have gone our way this week, we have a lot to be thankful for. We're still in it.

AFL.com.au wrote:ESSENDON coach Kevin Sheedy concedes his team faces an "uphill battle" to play off in this year's finals series

Just Sheeds being Sheeds, of course he's going to play it down. At least he hasn't said we're a "mathematical chance".

Essendon4eva wrote:I think one game in the finals will still do alot for our devlopment.

Spot on. We continually talk about finals being a completely different ball game and that it all comes down to finals experience.

Just go back a few years - we beat Freo in an Elimination final in Perth - a feat which no-one really expected us to do. The difference was arguably finals experience - we had it, Freo didn't.

paddyl90 · Post by **paddyl90** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 11:14 pm

JUST HANGING ON. NEXT WEEK IS THE LAST CHANCE.

topdon · Post by **topdon** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:49 am

Last chance saloon next weekend. We're a chance against Adelaide as they've been playing a crap as we have.

We have no hope against the Hawks though. Their midfielders are far superior to ours.

Ramanama · Post by **Ramanama** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 10:11 am

Cant see us making it, still to slow, really missing Winders, Davey and Hird. I reckon we will finish 10th.

tonysoprano · Post by **tonysoprano** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 10:36 am

Gone and will finish 12th.

Lloyd is King · Post by **Lloyd is King** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:48 pm

Beat Adelaide, still a chance.

Lose to Adelaide, gone.

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 3:03 pm

I dare say we are gone, though other results are still keeping us in it. We still look shit through the middle, and I can not believe that this is still a problem. Its been a problem for 4 years now.

We do miss Davey and Winderlich, but we have really got to start putting some of these other kids through the middle as well and give them a shot.

We looked slow yesterday and we didnt even have JJ and Campo. I would really like to see Houli, Jetta (sparingly for now), Nash go into the midfield more, just to give us some run. Rama's return has helped, but we need some more youthful players with quickness through it. Our main priority in this draft is to get more midfielders. I believe we have t bite the bullet and trade for another 1st round pick. We will probably get pick 7 or 8, another in the top 10 would be most worthwhile.

Madden · Post by **Madden** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 5:39 pm

I think they're gone, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

paddyl90 · Post by **paddyl90** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:50 pm

Just saw a replay of the third quarter and boy it makes me want to play finals so bad you saw how the team and the crowd lift when we were on the way back boy I want to play finals bad.

bpdons · Post by **bpdons** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:43 am

Please for the love of god, I just hope Essendon don't finish 9th.

robrulz5 · Post by **robrulz5** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:53 am

Still a small chance but the odds are stacked up against us. I can't believe Collingwood's midfield made us look slow, how hard is it to man up?

It all comes down to this week against Adelaide who we have never lost to in Melbourne.

F111 · Post by **F111** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 5:38 pm

Lloyd is King wrote:Beat Adelaide, still a chance.

Lose to Adelaide, gone.

Staggy wrote:I think they're gone, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

Adelaide are missing Rutten and Basset...good for us, but it still remains a challenge for us.

Carlton and Freo with new coaches...hopefully they don't get the extra 10% effort that often happens. You watch, it'll be against us.

swoodley · Post by **swoodley** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:45 pm

F111 wrote:
Lloyd is King wrote:Beat Adelaide, still a chance.

Lose to Adelaide, gone.

Staggy wrote:I think they're gone, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.
Adelaide are missing Rutten and Basset...good for us, but it still remains a challenge for us.

Carlton and Freo with new coaches...hopefully they don't get the extra 10% effort that often happens. You watch, it'll be against us.

Carlton's big week should be this week (typical improvement first up after a coach goes). By the time they play us, they should be back to their mediocre best [-o<