I see your point, and to an extent it is true.fonz_#15 wrote:and another of footballs myths rodger, is how st.kilda can be dudded by everything (injury, draw, tribunal etc), before some of there blind supporters will accept that the team is not good enough.
However it cannot be denied that we have had worse injuries than anyone over a 4 year period.
What also cannot be denied, is that the last 7 or 8 Grand Finalists have been healthy. No one has succeeded whilst missing several important players.
We had a good draw this year - well, as good as you could hope for for a Melbourne club (except Collingwood).
If you don't think that Geelong, Adelaide, Port, Sydney, West Coast, Freo and Brisbane have a massive advantage by playing real home games, against real away teams, you are delusional.
When we play 'home' games, it's more often than not against teams that play at the ground just as much as we do.
That is a massive advantage.
Even when the clubs mentioned above have been battlers, they've been hard to beat at home.
Melbourne clubs don't get that.
When you consider we missed the finals by 1 game to Adelaide, it is almost the difference. Consider that in 06 Sydney pipped us by % for a top 4 spot, then consider they played 11 games at the SCG, compared to our 'home' games, a couple of which are actually against teams who are tenants of that same ground.
One thing that is for sure, is that it aint going to change. That's the way the AFL is. Like or lump it.
However using the old fashioned theory of 'if you're good enough it doesn't matter' is naive.
In the AFL these days, being good enough takes a backseat to a good draw, and to luck (or good management) with injuries.
