Mid season report card & predictions

[MW]

GEELONG: Exceeded expectations, can they sustain this form? Maybe.
WEST COAST: Doing enough to stay second without breaking a sweat...watch out September.
HAWTHORN: See Geelong....will slide a bit I think. Should retain top eight spot though.
ADELAIDE: This position flatters them I think, but considering the injuries to key players, a very good result so far. Will be glad to see them stay put in the four.
COLLINGWOOD: Not sure what to think of the Magpies....could go either way in my mind.
ESSENDON: Like Geelong and Hawthorn, never expected them to be as high as they are. Will be tough for them to hold on to a position in the eight by years end.
WESTERN BULLDOGS: About where I expected them...always in a game with their leg speed but still lack key position players. Will be middle of the pack again.
PORT ADELAIDE: Best is top four, worst is bottom four....will probably finish middle of the table.
KANGAROOS: Havent seen much of them but you'd suggest they'd hang around here for the remainder of the year.
SYDNEY: Won three of their last four...typical slow start but you'd expect them to go up a notch again and make top four by years end.
FREMANTLE: A dissapointing start to the year for a squad that promises so much. Still expect them to finish top eight for some reason.
BRISBANE: About where they should be with their developing list
ST KILDA: LOL What a rabble...
CARLTON: Interesting to watch this year...can score freely but conciede just as many, usually more. Won't move from here I would think.
MELBOURNE: Can see them moving up the ladder a couple of spots with some key players returning to fitness.
RICHMOND: If they can get their ruckmen and N.Brown back on the park, could climb of the bottom.

Predicted minor round ladder:
WEST COAST
GEELONG
ADELAIDE
SYDNEY
HAWTHORN
COLLINGWOOD
WESTERN BULLDOGS
FREMANTLE
ESSENDON
PORT ADELAIDE
KANGAROOS
BRISBANE
MELBOURNE
ST KILDA
CARLTON
RICHMOND

[Booney]

West Coast
Geelong
Adelaide
Sydney
Bulldogs
Collingwood
Hawthorn
Port
------
Essendon
Kangaroos
Fremantle
Carlton
Brisbane
Melbourne
St.Kilda
Richmond

Sydney--West Coast--Adelaide--Geelong to be the four in the prelim's.Any ones from there.

[sydney-dog]

good article by Gary Lyon in today's herald sun

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/ ... 22,00.html

My top 8
Eagles
Geelong
Adelaide
Sydney
Hawthorn
Bulldogs
Fremantle
Port Adel

Collingwood
Essendon
Kanga's
Melbourne
St Kilda
Brisbane
Carlton
Richmond

[Hondo]

There's an obvious comparison of Geelong in 2008 in round 12 to Adelaide at the same stage last year. This time last year Adelaide looked unbeatable but slowly opposition teams worked out a method to slow the Crows down. The Crows held them to 9 goals and, altho still lost, showed the Cats can be held. I still think Geelong will make top 2 as Crows did last year. But, like Adelaide last year, Thompson will need to come up with something else in the finals after potentially peaking in the 1st half of the season and giving opposition coaches a lot of time to analyse their strengths (of which there are many!).

My top 8:

West Coast
Geelong
Hawthorn
Sydney (Adelaide or Sydney for 4th)
Adelaide
Collingwood
Bulldogs
Fremantle .... just

Freo at 5-7 must play above themselves to get 8th spot ahead of Port, Kangaroos and Essendon all of who are on 7-5.

[Hondo]

.. double post ..

[Dutchy]

Warning - If the Kanga's make it I will bump the Apology thread!!!

[the wonder elephant]

do you think they will make it dutchy ?

[blink]

Warning - If the Kanga's make it I will bump the Apology thread!!!

My mate put $5 on the Kanga's to win the premiership at the start of the year at 200/1.

I laughed at him and said you should have bought a pint instead. It is looking damn side better for him now than it was three months ago, but I still think the Kangas will only just scrape into the 8.

I think the top four will be:
West Coast
Geelong
Sydney
Adelaide

The next four to come from any one of:
Collingwood
Hawthorn
Port Adelaide
Essendon
Kangaroos
Western Bulldogs
Fremantle

[Booney]

Freo play:

Sydney (away)
Adelaide (away)
Port (away)
Sts (away)

and have West Coast,Kangaroos and Geelong before seasons end.they will not make the 8.

[JK]

Freo play:

Sydney (away)
Adelaide (away)
Port (away)
Sts (away)

and have West Coast,Kangaroos and Geelong before seasons end.they will not make the 8.

They certainly face an uphill battle and don't appear to be the same model as last season, however if they were to run into some decent form (and they have enough talent for that to happen) I could see them splitting those Away games at least and winning nearly all of their home games.

Whilst they aren't playing well enough to achieve any of that at the moment and it's hard to count on "what could be" when you're behind the 8-ball, they have gone close in a few of their Away games recently and have an unpredictable Jeff Farmer still to resume.

I wouldn't write them off just yet.

[Hondo]

Percentage will be crucial to all this because I can see Hawthorn-Sydney-Adelaide-Collingwood-Bulldogs-Essendon-Freo-Port-Kangaroos all finishing very close on points

So that favours Hawthorn, Sydney & Adelaide

And plays against Kangaroos, Freo and Port

Based on % as they stand

[Benchwarmer]

I'm just thrilled that the Bluebaggers are playing positive footy this year. Maybe Pagan is the right man for the side after all and we had to "grow into" his ideal game plan.

I would rather see Carlton score 20 goals almost each week and go 6-16 rather than the way we played in 2005 and 2006. Going over east on holidays and seeing our effort against Port was great (just like a whole new feel to the side).

With an attack that is in the top 2-3, it's a bit frustrating that we still have the worst defence. If we could tighten that up then we will consistently be out of the bottom 3, like we have on and off this season.

At least the spoon will go to a more deserving side at the moment!


WEST COAST
GEELONG
ADELAIDE
SYDNEY
COLLINGWOOD
HAWTHORN
WESTERN BULLDOGS
KANGAROOS

ESSENDON
PORT ADELAIDE
FREMANTLE
BRISBANE
ST KILDA
CARLTON
MELBOURNE
RICHMOND

For a touch of deja vu, it will be a West Coast v Geelong Grand Final with the Eagles triumphant.

[Booney]

Freo play:

Sydney (away)
Adelaide (away)
Port (away)
Sts (away)

and have West Coast,Kangaroos and Geelong before seasons end.they will not make the 8.

They certainly face an uphill battle and don't appear to be the same model as last season, however if they were to run into some decent form (and they have enough talent for that to happen) I could see them splitting those Away games at least and winning nearly all of their home games.

Whilst they aren't playing well enough to achieve any of that at the moment and it's hard to count on "what could be" when you're behind the 8-ball, they have gone close in a few of their Away games recently and have an unpredictable Jeff Farmer still to resume.

I wouldn't write them off just yet.

A pint at the Hendon says they dont make the 8 CP...?

[JK]

lol ... Done deal bud .. Now what else can we bet on?

[Rik E Boy]

Prediction: Time for an update! Reality..sadly another Eagle flag.

regards,

REB

[Hondo]

My top 8:

West Coast
Geelong
Hawthorn
Sydney (Adelaide or Sydney for 4th)
Adelaide
Collingwood
Bulldogs
Fremantle .... just

I have put the remaining 10 rounds in to a final ladder prediction and it looks like Collingwood could finish in the top 4, Sydney will struggle for top 4 and Essendon might replace Freo in the 8

Collingwood play their last 10 games in Melbourne .... 8 at the G We could have 3 Melbourne-based teams in the top 4

Port, Freo and Kangaroos all very close to the 8 and all still a chance

[Wedgie]

[am Bays]

Only twice in the last 13 years has the team leading the table at teh halfway mark of teh season gone on to win the flag, West Coast 1994 and Essendon 2000.....

Geelong will have to break history to win it this year....

[Rik E Boy]

That's more like it!

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Only twice in the last 13 years has the team leading the table at teh halfway mark of teh season gone on to win the flag, West Coast 1994 and Essendon 2000.....

Geelong will have to break history to win it this year....

Every team that wins the premiership 'breaks' history Tassie.

regards,

REB