What's your level of Optimism for 2022?

[Banger9798]

Always depends on injuries, but I reckon we will play finals.
We have a strong deep list

KPD is the obvious deficiency, and Howard is the hardest to replace.

We had a great draft and will be a force next year.

We will finish 5th

[Wayne42]

I'm not sure where we'll finish in 2022, the club doesn't seem to think we need another Big Defender on the list so time will tell if
that strategy is correct or if it will bite us big time.

[st.byron]

6th or 7th

[desertsaint]

Can't see us making the eight. so hoping to be surprised.very surprised. then in ecstatic bewilderment in october.

[bangaulegend]

IMO It will all depend on the injury list if Ryder & Marshall stay injury free & can play a majority of the season that gives us a huge bonus . Billings played injured & Gresham & Hannebery only played a handful of games between them so hard to gauge . I'm hoping for top 8 finish & will need things to go well to be a chance but I'm prepared for whatever happens as I have been for the last 60 years.

[Scollop]

From the moment that Ratts stepped foot at Moorabbin I have been optimistic.

We saw instant improvement when he was interim coach at the end of 2019 and we saw what happened in 2020 with our first finals game and our first finals win in a decade

When Ratts was close to his chargers in the hub situation at Noosa and on our interstate trips they all played for their coach

This is going to be Ratts third year and I have a good feeling about 2022

I think the enthusiasm and energy from emerging stars on our list is what gives me a lot of excitement for 2022

Love the variety of young talent our recruiters have brought in with exciting NGA players coming through and more focus on player development

The whole football department seems to be in a good place for 2023 and beyond

[Beno88]

If 75%+ of the best 25 are available 75%+ of the season, top 6.

[Ghost Like]

High = Top 6

[Vortex]

If Hanners plays every game then we win the flag.

[The_Dud]

Win a final

[freely]

If Hanners plays every game then we win the flag.

Faultless logic! Similarly, if I marry the pope we'll win the flag.

[Vortex]

If Hanners plays every game then we win the flag.

Faultless logic! Similarly, if I marry the pope we'll win the flag.

In that case I insist you set a date soon for the wedding.

[bergsone]

1-6 somewhere in there

[perfectionist]

If Hanners plays every game then we win the flag.

Faultless logic! Similarly, if I marry the pope we'll win the flag.

In that case I insist you set a date soon for the wedding.

How about next week - it will lessen the anxiety.

[cwrcyn]

A few things to consider

1. Get the fitness right. If we do that, we'll be 20% better immediately. Also, Gresham back, Marshall, Clark, Hannebery, and Paton over their injuries

2. Growth in existing players. There are plenty who can get a whole lot better. Coffield, Clark, Higgins, Highmore, King, Battle, Hill, Bytel, Byrnes, Connolly, Sharman

3. Competition for spots. It's been a long time since we've had this. Not many walk up starts (and not because we are crap). With Gresham back, Clark in the picture, Byrnes ready to blossom, and Hannebery in the mix, any midfielder will need to perform or it's off to Sandy. We have plenty of running defenders, too, so Webster, Connolly, Sinclair, McKenzie, Coffield, and Hill will be fighting it out for three or four spots.


There's reason to be optimistic about returning to our 2020 form. I think we are a better unit now that we were then. Back then, King was a baby, Byrnes only played one game, Connolly hadn't emerged and we didn't have Highmore or Sharman. Sinclair was plodding in no man's land, and Mckenzie looked like he was ready for the scrap heap.

[cwrcyn]

On top of all that, we added Crouch and Higgins

[saynta]

Bit better than 60/40.

[shanegrambeau]

I predicted a terrible first half to 2021 and I wasn't wrong. I wasn't convinced y the end of 2019 and we lost our mojo mid-2020 except for a flutter at the finish. So Ill predict a better start to 2022.

Sinclair
HIghmore
Sharman
Maxy
Higgins



Reasons to be optimistic

Steele
Wilkie
Membrey
Hill?
Marshall
Webster
Geary

Reasons to be stoic

Hanners
Paton
Coffield
Butler
Billings
Jones
Ryder

Reasons to say a wish

Ross

I don't know where he is at.


(Of course I don't know where anyone 'is at', but there ya go...my two cents

12 wins

[Sanctorum]

Top 6 or better providing there are few injuries - the list is as good as it's ever been in recent years, so it's now up to Ratten to get the players to unite and develop a culture from round 1 where they play for each other and commit to win every contest.

I really hope the selectors pick players solely on merit, irrespective of reputation - if any of the new recruits show good form then bring them in and trust them to play their role. There are some real excitement machines among the new boys!

Still some months to go, but I'm starting to sense some real enthusiasm about where our club is at and the promise of good times ahead!!

[shanegrambeau]

Are we better than Essendon, Carlton, West Coast?

that is a tough question.

[lewdogs]

Very hard to be optimistic after last year. I just think we are impossible to get a read on.

Honestly could see us anywhere from 1-18.

The start of the season will be crucial. Need to get off to a better start than last year.

[skeptic]

I’m a little more apprehensive

I really like Ratten - think he’s a great leader, well respected and widely liked at the club (and rightly so).

He’s also done a great job in turning the list over, making hard calls and moving on large numbers of players that needed to go… even accepting that there’s been a few misses depending on opinion, all in all the list is in good shape though still lacks a touch of depth but there’s only so many changes to make in a short period

I have only one major concern with him… minus the handicaps of the draw and depth, he has a propensity to be inflexible/rigid with some of his ideas well past the point of it being justifiable at least on outside observable data

A few instances like when Carlisle was dropped in 2020, persevering with Kent, Lonie and Butler in the same team, not giving Hind the same opportunity as Kent, rushing obviously injury hampered players back like Marshall this year when everything screamed bad idea…

There’s pbly more I can’t remember now

2 years in, I can’t figure out if I trust his judgment
Happy to acknowledge that overall he makes more good decisions then bad… but he seems really prone to some ideas that don’t work and really persevering with them

For me… makes it hard to get a good read of him and us

It feels like this team could be top 4… missing the 8 and him being sacked doesn’t seem out of bounds either

[Toy Saint]

Hoping for top 6 or even top 4, and if our good players can get on the park and in good form......I can dream

Port Adelaide and Brisbane are beatable, we can give the dogs a run for their money, and if the stars align we can challenge Melbourne.

[Impatient Sainter]

IF we can have a good run with injuries and keep our best 22 on the field, Im really optimistic about 2022. I feel most of our list have another level to improve and some 2 levels. Plus for the first time in years we will have a quality group of kids developing underneath the senior group. We should never be happy with anything short of a flag, but realistically if things go our way we should give the top 4 a shake.

Hopefully by the seasons end, people are singing Ratts & the clubs praises!

[older saint]

great hypothetical - not sure many Melbourne supporters predicted a flag this time last year.

All you can do is assume every team is 100% fit and available. with that being the case i would think we sit around 5-10.
better list at 100%
- Melb
- WB
- Port
- Bris

Similar
- Rich
- Geel
- Ess
- Syd
- GWS
- Freo
- Carl

Better than
- Coll
- North
- Adel
- GC
- Haw