Sorry? Not sure I get you. For a team like us that had a horrendous start to the year, finishing 7th to 10th means everything.
It's meaningless in terms of who you play in the Wildcard round, it will be one of three other Melbourne based teams with similar capability, which remains the most likely scenario unless the Lions and Crows fall off the perch finishing 7th causing an away game to be interstate!
Our game and the Norp Handbagger games are the most interesting of the round.
Agree, English and Bont are big out but beware the wounded dog.
Yep, the replacements will be more motivated than playing a sore superstar in a meaningless game.
The way the Wildcard has panned out this season, finishing anywhere from 7th to 10th means nothing. It won't always be that case if they retain this system, but this year that is the way it is. Some may hate his antics, but Bevo is no dullard!
Winning from 7th to 10th is like climbing Everest carrying your own kit, no Sherpas allowed!
I think a 15 test season requires player management, but I'd suggest what has been offered isn't the solution.
No matter what you do, you must strive to retain a winning culture.
If Boland was NBG, then we should not have played Starc and Hazelwood either, we should have played some young blokes for whom an Aussie Test spot really means something more than just another chore. That kid bowling for Bangladesh showed what it meant to him!
The NSW biased commentary is sickening, with a barren onefa they are hailing Hazelwood the saviour, with the Bangladesh score at 2/180 odd! Bangladesh could just as easily turn the remainder of the rest into 3 days of T20 and stay in a position of strength!
However, Acres' gathering of the ball at speed, running away from opponents and hitting up Byrner for the last goal of the game was very impressive, particularly when just forcing a stoppage would have been an honourable result. And I can't recall the last time Acres had an OOBOTF 🤞
The way we currently play, toe stubbing it into the corridor actually benefits us.
Wouldn't it be hilarious if the largest crowd in the finals series happens a week before the 'real finals' begins.......
It would be a nightmare for some, because it contradicts what they keep telling us about "who we like to watch" and which teams deserve prime time coverage.
The moment that The Aints looked unlikely and we looked more likely, a huge chunk of the AFL Media started calling the Wildcard system bogus.
Just a week or two earlier, many of the same commentators had called the Wildcard system an unbridled success, now they are complaining about Rnd 24 being a dead rubber. I suggest you refer to them as Flipper from now on!
I suspect a lot of this commentary is disingenuous, the first chunk disgruntled Aints fans perhaps including the former AFL CEO, looking for an outlet for buyer's remorse. The other significant portion of it will be disgruntled punters bemoaning diminished multis, they have been cleaning up for a year or two on our last quarter fadeouts which were regular as clockwork, and now they are addicted to that bet unable to let it go, and every win we have just cranks another turn on the punters lament thumb screw.
Battling for 10th spot is not playing finals, the Wildcard gig didn't exist 9 months ago.
In that regard it can't be a "false dawn" because technically we haven't really improved ladder position from 2025, unless you think going from 11th to 10th is an improvement. Despite appearing better on form at this moment, we haven't improved just yet, the ladder has degraded!
If we were 6th or 7th, that might be a false dawn.
A little discussed aspect of our current list / selection is the better balance between natural left and right footers, with a couple of players more than capable on either side.
Did anybody else notice Cerra briefly clutch the hammy in the last quarter, he played on so maybe it was just cramp?
One change in recent weeks we can definitely attribute to the post-Voss era, Cerra moving to the HBF has made a huge difference to his game and the impact he has on our transitions from D50 to F50. I realise he done this once or twice before, but he looks settled in now as a genuine replacement for the injured Newman.
Personally, I sort of understand why Carlton people avoid BT, he's basically glossed over Carlton in the call for years, but I'd turn this around. If he approaches Carlton people after the game I'd instruct them to start with a comment like "BT, you look a bit flat did you enjoy the game?"
When BT interrupted the Podcast recording Cottrell and Hayward tried it on a bit, but BT ignored the question. Then he basically complained about Carlton people doing the same thing to him!
Pitto shows the way to go, he turns the trivialisation back on the interviewers.
Did anyone hear BT say after Nas’ injury a snide remark about how the players weren’t able to warm up on the ground before the game - inferring the AFLW game gad somehow contributed to Nas’ injury 🙄 ffs so sick of these dinosaurs getting airtime.
NRL comes out for an early warm up, then completes most of it inside before arriving back on the ground moments before the start of play. They have more repeat / explosive running than AFL.
NWM, Ross the Boss exposed the truth post game, he had a hip pointer during the week which is why he didn't train, almost certainly bleeding or inflammation in the upper leg has cause his hammy problem.
btw., BT was in a sour mood, not happy commentating Carlton and not happy working Sunday night. He should have been stoic and kept himself up for the Spud game instead of dragging it down, but he can't help himself when he commentates our games, He'll talk about the clouds, seagulls, grass or even the garbage before he mentions the footy!
