Hottest race for finals spots since 1999!

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This year is shaping to be the most competitive in terms of finals spots since 1999. In that year, 7 teams were still in the finals race coming into the last round and over the past few seasons the top places have been fairly stable come round 22.

However in 1999, into the last round 4th - Glenelg was capable of reaching 2nd - Eagles; this year 2nd is realistically out of reach of the 5 teams below. Not impossible, but it would mean that Central or Port would need to win more than 4 games (due to % gap) than one of the top two clubs to get there.

Although that isn't much of a fuss - 2nd and 3rd of course are double chance spots - all 5 clubs (Central, Port, Glenelg, Norwood and South) are in the race for 3rd.

I won't go into a great detail over the possibilities that can happen - it will bore everyone to death - and Nai has the calculator up on FootySA to fully realise the possibilities.

The matches that will have the greatest bearing on who finishes where will of course be when the 5 teams play each other. This is the list of occurances over the next 7 rounds:

R 17 - Central v South (Eliz.)
Glenelg v Port (Glen.)
R 18 - Norwood v Glenelg (Nor.)
R 19 - Port v Central (Alb.)
South v Norwood (Noarlunga)
R 21 - Central v Glenelg (Eliz.)
R 23 - Glenelg v South (Adel.)

Central - 3
Glenelg - 4
Norwood - 2
Port - 2
South - 3

It is fair to say whoever has a winning % of 100 in those games will make the finals.

But that is still not totally correct - the 5 clubs must also win the games against Sturt and West as well to be totally assured (particularly South and Norwood)

Central - Sturt, West
Glenelg - Sturt
Norwood - West, Sturt
Port - West, Sturt
South - Sturt, West

This does not mean to say that the five clubs cannot beat North and Eagles - at their best they are all capable. Wins against these clubs will also go a long way to determining who makes it or doesn't.

Central - North
Glenelg - North
Norwood - North, Eagles
Port - Eagles, North
South - Eagles, North

All up, it shoud prove fascinating watching how it will unfold over the next 7 weeks.

[Wedgie]

I did a quick calc as to how I reckon it will pan out today:

North and Eagles on 17 wins
Central on 13 wins
Port on 11 wins
Norwood, South and Glenelg all on 10 wins!!

Looks like % is going to be very important and yes, it will be a ripper of a race to the finals.
I'd go as far to say that Norwood, South or Glenelg all deserve a finals spot more than the 5th place teams in 2004 and 2005.

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It is almost certain that 5th and 6th will go down to percentage. But who knows? There may be a few upsets either in favour or against the clubs in question will perhaps spice the race up further or present a gap in the ladder. I guess fellow Eagles and North fans will look on in earnest.

[am Bays]

Bottom line will be that the 6th and 7th teams will have no case to grumble (especially Glenelg from my point of view) because if they can not beat the teams fighting for the final spot(s) and Sturt and West over the next few weeks they do not deserve to be in the finals....

for Glenelg I fear that the points raised by Psuedo et al on SL.org and my intial thought of "Oh No" after the sturt game at the Bay is that, that game may cost us big time when we are trying to make the finals in rd 23....

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Bottom line will be that the 6th and 7th teams will have no case to grumble (especially Glenelg from my point of view) because if they can not beat the teams fighting for the final spot(s) and Sturt and West over the next few weeks they do not deserve to be in the finals....

for Glenelg I fear that the points raised by Psuedo et al on SL.org and my intial thought of "Oh No" after the sturt game at the Bay is that, that game may cost us big time when we are trying to make the finals in rd 23....

Thats what I thought when you lost it.

Although if you beat south for the 3rd time I cant see them being infront of you.

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I did a quick calc as to how I reckon it will pan out today:

North and Eagles on 17 wins
Central on 13 wins
Port on 11 wins
Norwood, South and Glenelg all on 10 wins!!

Looks like % is going to be very important and yes, it will be a ripper of a race to the finals.
I'd go as far to say that Norwood, South or Glenelg all deserve a finals spot more than the 5th place teams in 2004 and 2005.

I believe Sturt of 2005 are better than Norwood, Glenelg and South 2006. Arguably better than Port at the moment who have a stack of injuries.

[am Bays]

I hope there has been no talk of finals at Glenelg this week, despite what the SLSP said in todays paper.

I hope we have just talked about and focussed on doing the committed team things they have done in the last 2 final quarters we have played for four quarters, not just one, over the next six games.

I just want us to concentrate on our game plan, being hard at the footy, pressuring the opposition team's skills to cause turnovers and play disciplined team footy.

For our club compared to our last six years we need to make the things I've mentioned above normative behavious for entire games not just a quarter here and a quarter there if we are going to get back to where we belong playing finals footy year in year out and challenging for the flag.

The finals aren't our goal this year, playing hard tough committed team footy to the coaches instructions for four quarters is our goal, however do those things right and finals footy will take care of itself.....

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I hope there has been no talk of finals at Glenelg this week, despite what the SLSP said in todays paper.

I hope we have just talked about and focussed on doing the committed team things they have done in the last 2 final quarters we have played for four quarters, not just one, over the next six games.

I just want us to concentrate on our game plan, being hard at the footy, pressuring the opposition team's skills to cause turnovers and play disciplined team footy.

For our club compared to our last six years we need to make the things I've mentioned above normative behavious for entire games not just a quarter here and a quarter there if we are going to get back to where we belong playing finals footy year in year out and challenging for the flag.

The finals aren't our goal this year, playing hard tough committed team footy to the coaches instructions for four quarters is our goal, however do those things right and finals footy will take care of itself.....

Back where you belong?

A quick glance at the Macquarie Dictionary says the meaning of belong is as follows

"to have one's rightful place; to bear relation as a member, adherent, inhabitant, etc."

I always think when Glenelg make finals (well less than a 3rd of the years they have taken part in the comp) that they should go back where they belong.

[Stevie_K]

Bays vs South may just be for 5th spot.....could be a cracker.

[CENTURION]

Hey Wedgie, you have got Us down for 13 wins with 6 games to go. Who do you think that we will lose to, considering that We have 8 wins at the moment? Not getting a bit too cocky?