AFL 2008 Thread

[Kan Huang]

Very capable and I've seen them do some great things this season but they're by no means a Jonathan Brown or Daniel Bradshaw. I'd actually like to see Brennan provide some more consistency in his game because he's an absolute enigma at the moment and very easily bust a game open for the Lions but can also help bust a game open against them. [icon_lol1.

 

[Clintos]

Does anyone else think it's funny seeing Kouta running around in tights for the Gladiators? God that show is shite

 

[Kan Huang]

Another ripper of a match between the Swans and Eagles! _woohoo_ _woohoo_

 

[Bucking Beads]

If the Lions beat the Bulldogs this weekend they are a show this year.. PLaying well at the moment, hopefully the lose of Bradshaw doesn't affect the team too much.

 

[Bannermania]

Anyone still discounting the Hawks? Anyone?

 

[Bucking Beads]

Anyone still discounting the Hawks? Anyone?

CHOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kan Huang]

Anyone still discounting the Hawks? Anyone?

No chance. Seen it plenty of times in the past by teams who finish near the top and seem certain Premiers:
Crows in 2006/7
Eagles in 2005
Lions in 2004
Port in 2002/3

 

[Bannermania]

With a forward line of Franklin, Roughead and Williams?

The Hawks midfield is just so clean and brutal, it reminds me of Geelong two or three years ago before they really hit their stride.

I can't see them dropping much further than 4th. Solid team, and you're pretty much going to have to have to best Defence in the league to beat that forward line. The real test will be against Geelong.

 

[Kan Huang]

Well Brisbane's time of dominance had a forward structure of Lynch, Pike, Brown, Bradshaw, Akermanis and Power yet they were somehow man-handled by the Power in 2004.

As was Sydney's forward line in 2006 consisting of Hall, O'Loughlin, O'Keefe, Schneider, Davis and Buchanan.

Defence often wins games and I'm still not too sure that the Hawks backline is doing well enough to consistently win the big matches.

 

[Bannermania]

I disagree. I think 13 out of 15 teams will tell you they are unbeatable at the moment. Everything about them is fluent and fast and tight.

Watch a Hawks game, I dare you. The midfield is like a well oiled machine.

 

[Kan Huang]

Let's chop that in half. 7 out of the 15 teams at the moment seem like genuine contenders.

The Dogs showed their midfield is far superior in their ability to break open games as is the Geelong midfield. The Swans midfield are the most dominant in clearances despite their lack of pace but if you're up against sides who have defences that can spill the ball and bring it to the ground you're going to have a lot more difficulty in kicking a winning score. Hence, the stingiest defences in the competition have won the premiership on the last 3 occasions in the Cats, Eagles and Swans.

 

[Bannermania]

Let's chop that in half. 7 out of the 15 teams at the moment seem like genuine contenders.

The Dogs showed their midfield is far superior in their ability to break open games as is the Geelong midfield. The Swans midfield are the most dominant in clearances despite their lack of pace but if you're up against sides who have defences that can spill the ball and bring it to the ground you're going to have a lot more difficulty in kicking a winning score. Hence, the stingiest defences in the competition have won the premiership on the last 3 occasions in the Cats, Eagles and Swans.

You can't have a defence without a solid midfield or Forward line. The Cats, The Eagles and The Swans prove that. Sure the defence is great, but their overall team rates a lot stronger than the defence alone.

Surely even you should know that.

 

[Kan Huang]

I'm not even sure what your first line means Lachy. [icon_lol1.

The Cats still had a deficient forward line as did the Eagles in their Premiership years yet were still able to win the competition. Sydney being an exception with one of the best forward lines in the competition still won it based on some great defence in the final quarter in 2005. You've definitely gotta be very even across the board for the team but to have a stingy defence is often the greatest asset a team can have as the contributions in goals can come across the midfield and forward line in tandem.

That's why when I look at the Hawks team, they're still relatively inexperienced and have proven that they have difficulty in stopping potent forward lines much like the Dogs who don't even bother playing tall at all besides Minson who sits up in the goal square. Their key target is Johnson and he absolutely carves! The best defence can play on both talls and smalls and I just think that the Hawks have issues when trying to reduce the amount of inside 50's and the efficiency of powerful forward lines. Their midfield is classy as well but I think still has question marks over their potential in playing pressure games - they still have plenty of hoodoo's to break against the top teams in the league. icon_thumbs_u

 

[Bannermania]

Yeah you're right. But surely you can't be anything but impressed from a bottom of the ladder side 4 years ago, to top after 12 games with one loss.

 

[The Brizz]

They showed plenty of ticker tonight Lachy! incredible resolve to keep coming back at the Crows even after some horrible decisions going against them (poor 50m to the Crows and an ungiven free 20m in front for holding). Also the fact they got a result without relying on Buddy's goals (sure he was good in other areas) Bock was marking him out of it so he was used brilliantly up the ground and was able to still be a big influence late on.

 

[Bannermania]

They played a very valiant game today. It was great to watch. A lot of the Crows season was riding on how well they played this game. They showed they could still be in it.

Great game to watch, my heart was in my throat at the end.

 

[Kan Huang]

Yeah you're right. But surely you can't be anything but impressed from a bottom of the ladder side 4 years ago, to top after 12 games with one loss.

I actually don't like the idea of playing for picks though the Hawks have done it to a lesser extent than the Blues. However, surely by developing your own young guns from your system and dominating is far more satisfying than topping up your list with draft picks. Even so, the theory of clubs getting high picks for a number of years and then becoming a powerhouse is still a myth!

Loved how the Hawks played keepings off against a Crows outfit that is great at it. They've allowed the Swans to overtake them in fourth place and I think will struggle to get back into the top 4 with a tough draw ahead of them.

 

[Coxy]

Hot tip: Melbourne is AFL mad! You know it's bad when you see thousands of people rocking up to a Melbourne-Brisbane Lions game decked out in Collingwood, North Melbourne, West Coast, even Sydney Swans gear!