So, it's the Saints, the Magpies, the Giants or the Bulldogs

[skeptic]

Carlton are playing Adelaide and Brisbane
The crows have picked up and Brisbane will be playing for a home final...
Big ask to win both and close 16%

[Beno88]

What we need...

Easy way - St Kilda win at least one of our remaining two games vs WCE & GWS.

Hard way - St Kilda lose both games. Thus we need two of...

Western Bulldogs to lose to one of Hawthorn or Fremantle.
GWS to lose to Melbourne.
Melbourne to either lose to Essendon, or win against both GWS & Essendon by very small margins.
Collingwood to lose to Gold Coast and Port Adelaide.

We also can not afford to be beaten by a large margin in either of our games.

If all favourites win by an average of 15 points, we finish 9th. We need at least one upset.

If St Kilda draw one and lose one, we still need two of Collingwood, Western Bulldogs and GWS to lose at least one game.

[freely]

Dogs losing to Freo would be enough. But I'd be a tad more comfortable if we were able to knock off the weagles.

[The_Dud]

If we can't beat a team that loses to Adelaide then we don't deserve to make Finals.

Simple.

[kosifantutti]

If we can't beat a team that loses to Adelaide then we don't deserve to make Finals.

Simple.

There goes Geelong, Collingwood and Richmond.

[shanegrambeau]

If we can't beat a team that loses to Adelaide then we don't deserve to make Finals.

Simple.

Thoroughly disagree.
It’s game by game for everyone. We gave it our all mid season. Now we are looking spent, but if we limp over the line, fair enough. Congrats to team and coach.

If we miss, it’s 2017 all over again. We wouldn’t be the first team to finish a promising ninth or tenth and then loose its wheels in the following season.

We really need to finish in the eight this year.

[freely]

Of course, if we win both games and Richmond lose to Adelaide in the last round - we could yet make the top 4

[samuraisaint]

If we can't beat a team that loses to Adelaide then we don't deserve to make Finals.

Simple.

Thoroughly disagree.
It’s game by game for everyone. We gave it our all mid season. Now we are looking spent, but if we limp over the line, fair enough. Congrats to team and coach.

If we miss, it’s 2017 all over again. We wouldn’t be the first team to finish a promising ninth or tenth and then loose its wheels in the following season.

We really need to finish in the eight this year.

I can't see the Eagles beating us tomorrow night. They have a lot of injuries in their midfield ranks and have been terrible in Queensland all season.
Last season they only beat us due to some woefully inept umpiring allowing them unfettered access to free kicks at goal all night, and was one of the few times I actually really believed that the umpires were actually actively antagonistic towards the very idea of us winning.

I think GWS and Melbourne losing the past two matches will provide the players with a spring in their step which will give them the self belief to beat the Eagles tomorrow night. A lot of our key players have been rested over the past two weeks and some of them will return to play a team which is in a clear slump.

Even their last couple of games in WA they limped to the line.

They will be dangerous in Perth but as we are not playing them in Perth and so long as Ratten knows that what worked against Hawthorn won't work against the Eagles, we should be 'right.

[Saintmatt]

If we can't beat a team that loses to Adelaide then we don't deserve to make Finals.

Simple.

Thoroughly disagree.
It’s game by game for everyone. We gave it our all mid season. Now we are looking spent, but if we limp over the line, fair enough. Congrats to team and coach.

If we miss, it’s 2017 all over again. We wouldn’t be the first team to finish a promising ninth or tenth and then loose its wheels in the following season.

We really need to finish in the eight this year.

Agree to a large point Shane but, I feel much differently about this team than our 2017 mob. This team is largely very young (have a look at the back 6); The centre sq mids - apart from Seb - are under 24 and the forwards are helmed by a 12 gamer. I feel like we're building and going to get better - both organically and with trade/FA acquisition. I feel like 2017 was really squeezing the last out of the juice from that lemon.

Also - 2020 is entirely even - play every team once; no distortion of results & % through playing GCS twice (or Adelaide) etc.

I'd dearly love us to make finals if for no other reason to frank our growing hope of being a destination club and able to attract players.

[shanegrambeau]

If we can't beat a team that loses to Adelaide then we don't deserve to make Finals.

Simple.

Thoroughly disagree.
It’s game by game for everyone. We gave it our all mid season. Now we are looking spent, but if we limp over the line, fair enough. Congrats to team and coach.

If we miss, it’s 2017 all over again. We wouldn’t be the first team to finish a promising ninth or tenth and then loose its wheels in the following season.

We really need to finish in the eight this year.

Agree to a large point Shane but, I feel much differently about this team than our 2017 mob. This team is largely very young (have a look at the back 6); The centre sq mids - apart from Seb - are under 24 and the forwards are helmed by a 12 gamer. I feel like we're building and going to get better - both organically and with trade/FA acquisition. I feel like 2017 was really squeezing the last out of the juice from that lemon.

Also - 2020 is entirely even - play every team once; no distortion of results & % through playing GCS twice (or Adelaide) etc.

I'd dearly love us to make finals if for no other reason to frank our growing hope of being a destination club and able to attract players.

Yeah, fair enough...About the lemon squeeze...I dunno...apart from Joey and Roo, for the most part, Jack Steven aside, we were largely the same mob but younger. I would say we had a less experienced side?

Then we had Koby Stevens - a massive loss too. The the usual suspects were all there, Membrey, Billings, Sinclair, Gresham, Long, etc..

True the back six now is far stronger but that is balanced by Joey and Roo factor.

We had a kinder fixture perhaps.

Well, we need to finish in the eight. As u say, Frank it!

[bigred]

I tend to agree with the lemon squeezy analogy.

[stevie]

I tend to agree with the lemon squeezy analogy.

The Stones knew, back in 1969...


"Monkey Man"

I'm a fleabit peanut monkey
All my friends are junkies
That's not really true
I'm a cold Italian pizza
I could use a lemon squeezer
Would you do?
But I've been bit and I've been tossed around
By every she-rat in this town
Have you, babe?
Well, I am just a monkey man
I'm glad you are a monkey woman too
I was bitten by a boar
I was gouged and I was gored
But I pulled it on through
Yes, I'm a sack of broken eggs
I always have an unmade bed
Don't you?
Well, I hope we're not too messianic
Or a trifle too satanic
We love to play the blues
Well I am just a monkey man
I'm glad you are a monkey, monkey woman too, babe
I'm a monkey
I'm a monkey
I'm a monkey man
I'm a monkey man
I'm a monkey...
(ad lib)

[Teflon]

If we can't beat a team that loses to Adelaide then we don't deserve to make Finals.

Simple.

Thoroughly disagree.
It’s game by game for everyone. We gave it our all mid season. Now we are looking spent, but if we limp over the line, fair enough. Congrats to team and coach.

If we miss, it’s 2017 all over again. We wouldn’t be the first team to finish a promising ninth or tenth and then loose its wheels in the following season.

We really need to finish in the eight this year.

Agree to a large point Shane but, I feel much differently about this team than our 2017 mob. This team is largely very young (have a look at the back 6); The centre sq mids - apart from Seb - are under 24 and the forwards are helmed by a 12 gamer. I feel like we're building and going to get better - both organically and with trade/FA acquisition. I feel like 2017 was really squeezing the last out of the juice from that lemon.

Also - 2020 is entirely even - play every team once; no distortion of results & % through playing GCS twice (or Adelaide) etc.

I'd dearly love us to make finals if for no other reason to frank our growing hope of being a destination club and able to attract players.

Great post
I too feel it in my waters this side has the nucleus and somehow the balance is better across lines
We do need to become a destination club and bring in some midfield talent but IF Coffield and Clarke becomes genuinely good mids then we are set
Bring in a Caldwell etc and supplement with Steel Ross Bytel and Byrnes as youth coming through and its solid.......is there a match winner there? Probably not but I don’t think that midfield drops too much as rotations change so very even...
Gun ruck , forward in Marshall
Potential monster forward in King
Perhaps 1 more tall capable defender to supplement Douglas? I don’t think Carlisle is long term....I like Battle in other roles tbh
After Ryder need Marshall support ruck but there is a lot to build a very strong side around here