It’s official Pies have passed us..whose next?

[samuraisaint]

We've won 11 games.

If we win tonight that will change our entire season. Even if we don't I believe we will bounce back and beat Brisbane next week anyway.

As disappointing as some of our losses have been, there have been positives in nearly all of them.

If we make the finals the season starts again anyway. I am not prepared to give a season away yet - after all, it is August and we are still in the Top 8.

I have been really heartened by the improvement in Sinclair and Mackenzie this year, and Hannebery back gives our midfield a whole new skillful dimension.

[samuraisaint]

Just admiring a Pies forward line where even midgets like Elliott lead up
No bombing super efficiencies
Structured transition
Clearly drilled well with a side people were saying last year were in wilderness
Hawks and Bombers next ….

The Hawks going past us is a big call - their best players are McEvoy, Breust, Gunston, and Jaegar O'Meara. Don't know if they'll pass us before those guys retire, and when those guys do retire they won't be easily replaceable, whereas we have uncovered Owens, Windhager, and NWM, then you can add Hunter Clark, and Cooper Sharman over the past couple of years.
We've beaten the Hawks 5 times in a row and 6 times since 2017 - three of those have been by over 11 goals. Two of their last wins against us were by less than a goal, so I am not so sure about that prediction.

[spert]

Until someone fixes that forward half, and recruits more class into the midfield, we're not going much further up the ladder

[SaintPav]

The Pies have won 11 in a row so safe to say that they passed us weeks ago.

According to one headline, the AFL world lost it last night.

Really?

I couldn’t give a rats.

[Yorkeys]

Langdon tempted fate against a side with Moore, Maynard , Elliott,
Degoey, Pendlebury & Sidebottom. Cox played well! Gawn missed sodas. Their kamakazi kicks down the guts in the clutch came off. Kicked a couple of freak goals. In the end Melb big 4 were fighting each other for the ball. The composure that comes with winning was with the Pies who could well beat Sydney next week but I will be surprised if Longmire allows those long kicks from defence to a lone player in the middle. Sure Pies are ahead of us, but we are coming.

[Teflon]

The Pies have won 11 in a row so safe to say that they passed us weeks ago.

According to one headline, the AFL world lost it last night.

Really?

I couldn’t give a rats.

I think till last night they had a question over their head /wins
Not now
Agree couldn’t give a rats
Actually ..I’d gift them a Ratts…

[whiskers3614]

The Pies have won 11 in a row so safe to say that they passed us weeks ago.

According to one headline, the AFL world lost it last night.

Really?

I couldn’t give a rats.

I think till last night they had a question over their head /wins
Not now
Agree couldn’t give a rats
Actually ..I’d gift them a Ratts…

You don't think Harvey has done them enough damage?
Great player, but as a coach....

[chook23]

Colingwood players absolutely loving footy

Is it coaching

Is it just player chemistry

love playing for each other and the coach



We seem to labouring

opposite to above

[sunsaint]

Pies will run out of juice soon enough

And yet they keep winning
Their efficiency inside 50 has been a hallmark all year - so it's no once off fluke
And they have beaten Dees twice
The difference between their tackles and us is chalk n cheese. Ferocious yet clean they rarely give away in the back or high. And opposition don't get a chance to stand and dish off like they do in ours.
You think they will go out in straight sets, they may will do.
But they will finish higher than us & it's the very reason why i don't think we should even make the final 8,
would rather the draft pick thanks

[The_Dud]

So they’ve ‘fluked’ 11 wins in a row, including over the reigning premiers twice?

Yeah ok…

[cwrcyn]

No doubt they're playing very well, and have been for most of the year. There's a freedom about the way they play and its highly attacking. Having Pendlebury down back is a luxury. He's still a great player who hardly ever makes the wrong decision or executes badly. Nick Daicos and Maynard are stars.

They've got some mediocre players in their team, but it doesn't seem to matter. They just go for it. There's no hesitation in anything they do. I think that's one of the keys to their success.

[The Fireman]

ratten should sit the team down and get them to watch that game.

[B.M]

I wouldn’t say the blueprint of winning a game is to have

Less possessions
Less i50s
Less scoring shots

To me that the opposition not taking their chances

Collingwood did well, but more so Melbourne didn’t put them away!

[SaintPav]

They are not the flag favourites but they have to now be genuine premiership chances.

[cwrcyn]

The pies have won 10 of their games by 11 points or less, and 8 of those have been 7 points of less. I can't remember the last time a team did that. Those kind of results are pretty hard to replicate from year to year.

A year before they won the flag, The Bulldogs lost about 7 games by less than 2 goals.

[BadRossco]

The Pies are a long way past us and there is another eight better teams above us and probably four or five with better lists below us so the future looks grim. We are unlikely to attract any free agents and decent draftees will bail out to return home or go to a side with a chance of playing finals.

[Beno88]

The Pies are a long way past us and there is another eight better teams above us and probably four or five with better lists below us so the future looks grim. We are unlikely to attract any free agents and decent draftees will bail out to return home or go to a side with a chance of playing finals.

And yet we've beaten 13 of the 17 other sides in our last 27 matches.

[suss]

Their list is truckloads better than ours.

Consider their father/son players (Moore and Diacos x 2), the players they've brought in, their academy players, and their recruitment. Coaching is a small part of it, but not the reason why they're miles in front us.

[CURLY]

Their list is truckloads better than ours.

Consider their father/son players (Moore and Diacos x 2), the players they've brought in, their academy players, and their recruitment. Coaching is a small part of it, but not the reason why they're miles in front us.

They have 9 players 29 plus in there best 22. They have to be where they are and they have not much under that.

[WellardSaint]

The pies have won 10 of their games by 11 points or less, and 8 of those have been 7 points of less. I can't remember the last time a team did that. Those kind of results are pretty hard to replicate from year to year.

A year before they won the flag, The Bulldogs lost about 7 games by less than 2 goals.

IMHO, a win by under 2 goals shows that a team can hang on and not panic, the players are working together.
A close win shows they can withstand pressure.