Its hard to go past a Hawks v Dockers Grand Final even this far out. We know what the Hawks are capable of and Freo do enough to get the wins. Sydney are dropping off and the Eagles are not quite at Grand Final level, but they are not that far off. Richmond are pretenders and the Bulldogs are honest but they are not ready either. Cant see anyone else in the 8 who will make the GF. Freo should beat the Eagles this week, a hindered ruck brigade and no McGovern the clincher. Plus Freo are good at finding gaps, very good. Hawthorn will win their last 4 games, they are far too strong. So that’s your top two.
Hawks can win a final interstate if they have too, no problem. But they wont have too. Freo will have a home preliminary final, massive opportunity.
They are the two very best, I cant realistically see anyone else who can dislodge these two sides now.
I think the Dockers are the most ordinary looking 16 wins 2 losses team I have ever seen :blink:
Whether its a loss of concentration or what but St Kilda actually bossed that game in the 2nd half but they couldn’t put any scoreboard pressure on till it was too late.
Maybe Freo are lulling everybody into a false sense of security and will hit everyone with both barrels come finals time.
Playing Mayne in the back pocket in the last quarter pretty much showed what Freo were doing in the second half, in Lyons press conference he intimated that they structured up differently don’t be fooled by what the Saints achieved in the last quarter one team had put the cue in the rack by then.
I dont think so mike…i reckon with the dockers at the minute its what you see is what you get. imo with Johnson and Fyfe coming back, they’re a power forward away from being a genuine premiership threat.
Hawks are the toughest & dirtiest side in the Comp. Suspensions could kill them. They are at present borderline on being culled by the MRP. Black Caviar proved at Royal Ascot big margins dont count. Its WINS that get teams to the Grand Final. NOT suspended players.
How do you gauge any of this? Hawthorn obliterated Fremantle and Sydney, but Hawthorns toughest battle was against the Eagles. I think WCE were leading with 6 minutes to go but ran out of puff. The difference is I think Fremantle can turn it on when they need to, moreso than WCE. And they probably know it. For Freo its just a matter of running that gauntlet in the finals and having it become unstuck. That could happen and if they play a West Coast side in a Preliminery Final with their ruck combo in tact, plus McGovern and LeCras, they could trouble the Dockers on the day. Naitanui and Sandilands are totally different ruckmen and comparing them is actually quite pointless. Sandilands is just so massively big he marks basically everything. Naitanui’s value on the ground and in the middle he is under estimated. He makes a big difference to that side. I would almost say him not being there against Hawthorn was the difference, especially given how tight the result was. I always think of that Prelim Final in the late 90s when Essendon where the hottest of favourites against Carlton, but got it wrong on the day. You just never know I guess. But I do see a dockers win on Sunday. They should get the win the way things are at the moment. And a decent win.
Yes Jardine, as I North supporter I remember that preliminary final in 1999 very well. My eyes lit up, when I saw we were playing Carlton rather that Essendon in the GF!!
Freo going very well indeed. Big strong mature bodies in the midfield ( and talented). To me they are a carbon copy of the Saints. Very well coached and the players believe and play to the very well organised game plan. Similar list in regard to strenghts and weaknesses as the Saints as well. Ross’s plan didnt quite work at the saints in regard to the ultimate goal, question remains if it will at the dockers. Can Pav survive as the only true power marking forward in the finals ( given his age etc), ala Nick Riewoldt for the Saints in those GF years?
Biggest problem for Freo to overcome is Hawthorn at the G. Hawthorn play the wide open spaces better than anyone. Two things I hope for if it’s a 2013 GF replay, firstly we kick 5.1 not 1.5 in the first qtr and by finishing top we get to wear our home strip. It was ridiculous we were made to wear away strip in 2013 even though it didn’t clash one iota with the Hawthorn jumper.
When you look at who is and can be playing late into the finals, the side is almost the same without Clarke, Duffield and Crowley. I think Griffen will hold his place, Duffield won’t get back and Crowley won’t be ready and I’m not sure there is a place for him now anyway. I believe the side is now a better side, seasoned and hard at it. You would hope if they do manage to get to the GF, they kick a lot better than they did last time.
