Will Centrals go undefeated in 2009?

[atlantahawks]

The Dogs have improved since last season, and their nearest competitors from 08 appear to have dropped back a touch

[MightyEagles]

You could have said the same with the Sturt u17 side last year, looked like they would go undefeated for the year, but were defeated at Unley by Port late in the season (this was the only loss the side had for the year). Central should lose a couple before the finals.

[smac]

And we only beat Norwood by 1 point, Sturt are on the improve as are a few others. Not a snowballs chance in hell that we'll go undefeated.

[Big Phil]

No way will it happen, they are bound to lose one eventually and while the thought for Doggies fans would be nice, we have to be realists...

I think they may stuggle against Sturt in 3 weeks at Unley especially considering their recent injury concerns. Plus don't forget what the Eagles did to Centrals at Woodville last year (80 odd point thumping if my memory serves me correct) and guess who the Dogs play next week after the State bye, Eagles at Woodville.

There are still plenty of more games to go where I think the Dogs will be vulnerable and would expect to them to at least lose 3 or 4 games for the year.

[Thiele]

No they wont

[Dogwatcher]

Nope and I don't want them to anyway.

[StrayDog]

The Dogs have improved since last season, and their nearest competitors from 08 appear to have dropped back a touch

Glenelg maybe, but I reckon Sturt have picked up a notch (sitting on over 60%) despite having lost two games. Sturt have conceded just 65 points per game, the next best (Centrals) almost 80. Depth-wise, Sturt are looking very healthy as their Bs are outscoring opponents over 2 to 1 on average despite having lost a game.

On average to date, Centrals and Sturt are doing 38 and 33 points (respectively) better than their opponents per week, daylight to the next best in North (5) and Glenelg (4).

I've figured for a few weeks now that if the 'dogs were going to lose one any time soon then the Unley game would be the most likely. The league's stand-out defence vs the league's best attack (118 points per game).

If the Blues can close Centrals in early and maintain the body pressure then Centrals will find things incredibly tough on the smaller, tighter, odd-shaped Unley Oval.

[whufc]

Nope and I don't want them to anyway.

hear, hear

[Dog_ger]

No, they will lose 3...

[Dutchy]

peaked to early

[dedja]

peaked too early

[Sojourner]

For no real reason I suppose I do think that North owe them one and will probably collect on it this year.

[Grahaml]

Going undefeated in footy (and pretty much any other sport for that matter!) is just about the hardest thing to achieve. To be up each and every week, not catch a good opponent on a good day and not get into a bit of trouble with injury concerns over a long season means the stars jsut about have to align to get it to happen. Geelong in 07 and Essendon in 2000 were just about the most dominant footy sides we've seen yet couldn't manage it. Better question is which club will emerge as the most serious challengers, because there seems to be a chasing pack at the moment.

[bayman]

they'll lose 1 or 2 along the way perhaps when the 'harder training sessions' kick in, or has that started already ?


perhaps the question should be who will central beat in the 2009 grand final

[am Bays]

I think Centrals are suspect, I mean they are yet to beat anyone above them on the ladder....

[doggies4eva]

I think Centrals are suspect, I mean they are yet to beat anyone above them on the ladder....

That's because the draw has us only playing clubs below us so far!! No wonder we are top - just an easy draw.

On a serious note, I hope we don't go undefeated. The occasional loss is good for grounding players and stop them getting big heads. Getting to the finals without losing a minor round game is just one more pressure to deal with. I just want to win the flag this year.

[beenreal]

Nope, Centrals have the Magpies at Alberton on Sat, August 1st. And Port Adelaide will win!

[Hazydog]

History shows it is extremely rare for a Team to go undefeated. However I wonder if it is a challenge that Roy can set the group to keep the drive going? (It would be a nice feather in the cap to look back on when the Dynasty ends.)
However we generally struggle a bit July/August when the players are flogged on the track in a bid to get enough miles into the legs for September which really does make the task even more unlikely.

[beenreal]

However we generally struggle a bit July/August when the players are flogged on the track in a bid to get enough miles into the legs for September which really does make the task even more unlikely.

Hmmm, now where have I heard that before. Oh that's right, Fos, Jack, Stephen Williams.... Anything else you want to pinch from Port Adelaide? Our 36 Premierships perhaps?

[doggies4eva]

However we generally struggle a bit July/August when the players are flogged on the track in a bid to get enough miles into the legs for September which really does make the task even more unlikely.

Hmmm, now where have I heard that before. Oh that's right, Fos, Jack, Stephen Williams.... Anything else you want to pinch from Port Adelaide? Our 36 Premierships perhaps?

The doggies have always been upfront that they pinched ideas from PA when they reinvented themselves. History shows that they have now gone on past the PAMs. Feel free to pinch any of our ideas to improve your competitiveness.