Too much made of Geelongs win against Pies

[aussiejones]

For half a game Collingwood put up a fight..... after that they folded and made Geelong look good. Remember a couple of weeks ago Collingwood and Adelaide were red hot ....this same treatment has been given to Geelong this week . They are good and have a few back at the right time ...but they have their weaknesses. In contrast the Saints have arrived at the GF after a tight game which they needed to hone their edge.

As a team I believe the Saints are settled and capable of lifting a cog on the big day.In contrast I believe Geelong just appear to have come together at the right time. The have suspect forward accuracy under pressure and against our backs will be tested.

Our team will combine better as they have all year and hopefully exert the pressure that has got them across the line consistently all year.

More forward support from Schnieder / Milne etc plus Kosi in the goal kicking would be great.

Saints in a close one.....

[saintlee]

I agree that too much has been made of the win over the pies....particularly as before that, people were saying they were lucky to beat the dogs....

[degruch]

I agree that too much has been made of the win over the pies....particularly as before that, people were saying they were lucky to beat the dogs....

Absolutely...they're the biggest one week wonder in the history of footy! Amazing how things can turn in your favour (Geelong). I was laughing at the fact 3 weeks ago they barely rated a mention in the press, now suddenly, they're unbackable favourites...both their neglect and their overblown favouritism were ridiculous. What a fickle world footy can be.

[bergholt]

I agree that too much has been made of the win over the pies....particularly as before that, people were saying they were lucky to beat the dogs....

Absolutely...they're the biggest one week wonder in the history of footy! Amazing how things can turn in your favour (Geelong). I was laughing at the fact 3 weeks ago they barely rated a mention in the press, now suddenly, they're unbackable favourites...both their neglect and their overblown favouritism were ridiculous. What a fickle world footy can be.

Well, they have won most of their games in the last three years, so the football world was just waiting for them to hit some form with their best side on the park. Now that they have, it'd be silly not to rate them.

[degruch]

I agree that too much has been made of the win over the pies....particularly as before that, people were saying they were lucky to beat the dogs....

Absolutely...they're the biggest one week wonder in the history of footy! Amazing how things can turn in your favour (Geelong). I was laughing at the fact 3 weeks ago they barely rated a mention in the press, now suddenly, they're unbackable favourites...both their neglect and their overblown favouritism were ridiculous. What a fickle world footy can be.

Well, they have won most of their games in the last three years, so the football world was just waiting for them to hit some form with their best side on the park. Now that they have, it'd be silly not to rate them.

Doesn't mean they deserve to be favourites...they've been pretty ordinary the past few months, with the exception of their last 2 quarters.

[SainterK]

But I thought Collingwood were premiership favourites?

[bergholt]

Doesn't mean they deserve to be favourites...they've been pretty ordinary the past few months, with the exception of their last 2 quarters.

The last two months we've had:
- a scrappy away win over a side that missed the finals (Sydney)
- a good win over the reigning premiers with a lot of stars out (Hawthorn)
- a loss to the team which looked pretty crappy finishing eighth (Essendon)
- a bad loss to a team which missed the finals (North Melb)
- a scrappy win over the bottom side after being a goal up at half time (Melbourne)
- a scrappy, tough win over the fourth side after trailing early (Collingwood)
- a tough win over the third side in a game all the stats say we should have lost (Footscray)

Nothing hugely amazing in that formline.

[degruch]

But I thought Collingwood were premiership favourites?

Oh yes, absolutely.

That's what makes the Cats so hot, they just beat the best team ever (best happlessly worn out team, minus their 1st ruck, top midfielder, etc...I'm sure there's any number of excuses).

[Garibaldi]

The Dogs where a good chance to take on the Cats if they had got through. We beat the Dogs, we can beat the Cats. Collingwood have a team with lots of promise but they peaked to soon. This was never their year.

[Thinline]

Couldn't be happier that this is the case, nor am I surprised.

Close analysis of the Cats/Pies game shows that Pies were in it when the squeezed the Cats in a St Kilda-like way. But when their semi effort - absolute to-the-deather in 30 degree heat - came home to roost, they rolled over surprisingly meekly, Cats when boom bang wallop and that was that. Cats were put under no pressure in the second half. We all know they are skilful when they have space. So what is new? We will not give them that space you'd reckon.

Look, Adelaide and Pies were meant to be the real deal weren't they... Everyone was on 'em. The whole time people have snubbed the Saints as just one week away from falling over. Every time we've been underestimated we've turned it on - against the Crows twice, against the Dogs three times, against the Cats, against the Pies twice, against the Blues...

Sad, but our history creates perceptions.

Fact is we are a hardened team of warriors who will not give in EVER.

[degruch]

Doesn't mean they deserve to be favourites...they've been pretty ordinary the past few months, with the exception of their last 2 quarters.

The last two months we've had:
- a scrappy away win over a side that missed the finals (Sydney)
- a good win over the reigning premiers with a lot of stars out (Hawthorn)
- a loss to the team which looked pretty crappy finishing eighth (Essendon)
- a bad loss to a team which missed the finals (North Melb)
- a scrappy win over the bottom side after being a goal up at half time (Melbourne)
- a scrappy, tough win over the fourth side after trailing early (Collingwood)
- a tough win over the third side in a game all the stats say we should have lost (Footscray)

Nothing hugely amazing in that formline.

The last two months we've had:
- a scrappy away win over a side that missed the finals (Sydney) - Geelong too
- a good win over the reigning premiers with a lot of stars out (Hawthorn) - You mean we had a lot of stars out, yes.
- a loss to the team which looked pretty crappy finishing eighth (Essendon) - by a missed kick, and didn't we look like we were busting a gut for that one.- a bad loss to a team which missed the finals (North Melb) - ditto above
- a scrappy win over the bottom side after being a goal up at half time (Melbourne) - by 47 points, wasn't it?
- a scrappy, tough win over the fourth side after trailing early (Collingwood) - premiership favourites at the time.
- a tough win over the third side in a game all the stats say we should have lost (Footscray) - Geelong too

So, remind me again what makes Geelong such hot favourites? I can't remember them producing anything stunning recently.

Other than that, you're probably right, we're the shittest minor premier ever to win 22 games. (EDIT: or 30 of our last 36 games)

[Thinline]

Doesn't mean they deserve to be favourites...they've been pretty ordinary the past few months, with the exception of their last 2 quarters.

The last two months we've had:
- a scrappy away win over a side that missed the finals (Sydney)
- a good win over the reigning premiers with a lot of stars out (Hawthorn)
- a loss to the team which looked pretty crappy finishing eighth (Essendon)
- a bad loss to a team which missed the finals (North Melb)
- a scrappy win over the bottom side after being a goal up at half time (Melbourne)
- a scrappy, tough win over the fourth side after trailing early (Collingwood)
- a tough win over the third side in a game all the stats say we should have lost (Footscray)

Nothing hugely amazing in that formline.

The last two months we've had:
- a scrappy away win over a side that missed the finals (Sydney) - Geelong too
- a good win over the reigning premiers with a lot of stars out (Hawthorn) - You mean we had a lot of stars out, yes.
- a loss to the team which looked pretty crappy finishing eighth (Essendon) - by a missed kick, and didn't we look like we were busting a gut for that one.- a bad loss to a team which missed the finals (North Melb) - ditto above
- a scrappy win over the bottom side after being a goal up at half time (Melbourne) - by 47 points, wasn't it?
- a scrappy, tough win over the fourth side after trailing early (Collingwood) - premiership favourites at the time.
- a tough win over the third side in a game all the stats say we should have lost (Footscray) - Geelong too

So, remind me again what makes Geelong such hot favourites? I can't remember them producing anything stunning recently.

Other than that, you're probably right, we're the shittest minor premier ever to win 22 games. (EDIT: or 30 of our last 36 games)

A pretty reasonable argument I reckon...

[spert]

The Dogs threw the works at us, and we still ground away and won, as we will tomorrow. Coming into a Grand Final, I have never seen such a cocky, over-confident mob as Geelong at the moment..not a good approach from a team for such an important game

[saintsRrising]

If I take my St Kilda glasses off for a minute I think the unbiased view should be that this game is too close to call.

Result will be determined by which team is "up" better on the day. I empahsise team for while acknowledging that some players will no doubt star, I am of a mind that the team that delivers the best teamplay over the 4 quarters will be the one that triumphs on the day.



Dedicaation to team play got across the line against the Dogs and in many other games this year.

[degruch]

The last two months we've had:
- a scrappy away win over a side that missed the finals (Sydney) - Geelong too
- a good win over the reigning premiers with a lot of stars out (Hawthorn) - You mean we had a lot of stars out, yes.
- a loss to the team which looked pretty crappy finishing eighth (Essendon) - by a missed kick, and didn't we look like we were busting a gut for that one.- a bad loss to a team which missed the finals (North Melb) - ditto above
- a scrappy win over the bottom side after being a goal up at half time (Melbourne) - by 47 points, wasn't it?
- a scrappy, tough win over the fourth side after trailing early (Collingwood) - premiership favourites at the time.
- a tough win over the third side in a game all the stats say we should have lost (Footscray) - Geelong too

So, remind me again what makes Geelong such hot favourites? I can't remember them producing anything stunning recently.

Other than that, you're probably right, we're the shittest minor premier ever to win 22 games. (EDIT: or 30 of our last 36 games)

A pretty reasonable argument I reckon... [/quote]

You could say I'm getting used to presenting our defense your honour. I'm just dumbfounded at how unbackable Geelong have become, out of the blue. It must be mentioned also, that they were smashed to pieces by us physically after R14, suffered injuries and went on to lose another game.

In the same period we lost 2 games, so did they, plus just scrape in at home to a couple teams, including Richmond! They go into this game with some guys carrying injuries (as with us) and little recent game time. Given the nature of these injuries (soft tissue), wet weather may show these up. Plus, our style of fotty is much more suitable to wet weather (if it occurs).

I'm not saying we're gonna cream them, and I can concede that we can lose, but after being told I should soak it up on Saturday because it'll be another 43 years before we get another crack at it (obviously these historians aren't counting our losses in '71 and '97 since), I'm completely gobsmacked as to who decided Geelong are unbeatable???

[degruch]

The Dogs threw the works at us, and we still ground away and won, as we will tomorrow. Coming into a Grand Final, I have never seen such a cocky, over-confident mob as Geelong at the moment..not a good approach from a team for such an important game

...and not for the first time in recent months...we have dispatched highly rated Adelaide, Collingwood, Bulldogs and Hawthorn teams.

[Thomas]

Which ever way it goes, Geelong will find out that this time they are not playing against 22 witches hats after half time like they did last week.

[StSteven]

I can understand why they are favourites. We both played Pie and Dogs and they beat them more comfortably than we did.

They have a better side on the park than when we just beat them in R14.

This is their third GF in succession compared to our first.

BUT REMEMBER. They were favourites last year.

[aussiejones]

The fact that they lost a GF last year means little ....if they need that to get going this year then Ppppf.

Their recent form is a guide (possibly) but I discount the Collingwood game as they were stuffed.

Geelong are good , but would they have got over the Dogs like we did ?

We look at their name players with awe as any can break open a game , BUT we to have similar players , so just understand we can ,if we play as a team get across the line. Lets not leave it to Riewalt and Hayes etc.

[StSteven]

Hey. Have you forgotten they DID get over the Dogs.

I don't understand why us beating them makes us better than Cats who beat them the first week when the Bullies were fresher.

[SainterK]

Hey. Have you forgotten they DID get over the Dogs.

I don't understand why us beating them makes us better than Cats who beat them the first week when the Bullies were fresher.

I'm not sure anyone is arguing that, it's more that fact that much has been made of one half of Geelong's football against the pies...

[degruch]

Hey. Have you forgotten they DID get over the Dogs.

I don't understand why us beating them makes us better than Cats who beat them the first week when the Bullies were fresher.

The Bulldogs went down to the Cats with a second chance in their pockets, we beat a far more desperate team. The difference on the ground, huge. The difference on the scoreboard, 7 points to Geelong.

You're a happy chappy...stop reading the newspapers.

[saintlee]

Hey. Have you forgotten they DID get over the Dogs.

I don't understand why us beating them makes us better than Cats who beat them the first week when the Bullies were fresher.

The dogs threw everything at us all game....against the cats they only showed up in the 2nd quarter....the slow start killed them...they were 2 very different games

[SainterK]

To be honest, I don't really care how one team goes against another, and how that compares with how we played against them.

I only care about tomorrow, and how St Kilda plays Geelong.