The Talking Up

[StSteven]

It makes me nervous the way some journos are talking us up. We will become "the hunted" instead of Geelong. It seems the Captains do not agree that we are in with a chance compared to Geelong.....what would they know anyway.!!!!

At least Tom Harley picks us......
(Roo must have picked Cats also!)

http://afl.com.au/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsid=56154

The results are in from our 16 thinking caps


North Melbourne skipper Adam Simpson deep in thought - the club captains have tipped Gary Ablett for the Brownlow and Jonathan Brown as the Coleman Medallist


THE AFL's traditional survey of the 16 AFL club captains has found Geelong to be once again the overwhelming favourite for the premiership.

Fourteen of the 15 opposing captains nominated the Cats as the team most likely to come up against them in the Grand Final, while six of the skippers picked Geelong's Gary Ablett to take out the Brownlow Medal.

Surprisingly, only one opposition captain picked North Melbourne to reach the finals after they played off in the preliminary last year.

Collingwood has also been widely tipped to fall away this season after reaching the penultimate week in 2007 - only six opposition captains picked the Magpies for the finals.

Geelong’s Tom Harley and one other captain picked St Kilda to be the team to come up against them on the final day in September.

[aussiejones]

Hard to slip under the radar .....

[bigcarl]

Geelong’s Tom Harley and one other captain picked St Kilda to be the team to come up against them on the final day in September.

trying to put the mozz on us no doubt.

it must burn in the guts of our players that geelong has a premiership and they don't and RL should be using that fact as big time motivation.

this is the year for our blokes to grab a flag.

wait until 2010 and it will be too late because by then it looks like we'll have to beat 17 other teams rather than 15.

[Armoooo]

wait until 2010 and it will be too late because by then it looks like we'll have to beat 17 other teams rather than 15.

Good point, our chances of winning a flag in a flag are going to go down by an eigth in two or so years and that's without taking into account retirements and an aging list...

[Saintschampions08]

wait until 2010 and it will be too late because by then it looks like we'll have to beat 17 other teams rather than 15.

Good point, our chances of winning a flag in a flag are going to go down by an eigth in two or so years and that's without taking into account retirements and an aging list...

Effectively it doesn't really matter. If you're truly the best team, you'll beat anyone.

[bigcarl]

If you're truly the best team, you'll beat anyone.

that's true, but statistically it is going to be harder to truly be the best team.

once upon a time (everything else being equal) st kilda statistcally would go into every season with a one in twelve chance of winning the flag.

then it became a one in fourteen chance; then one in sixteen. in 2010 it will be a one in eighteen chance. i might buy a lotto ticket instead.

[plugger66]

Effectively it doesn't really matter. If you're truly the best team, you'll beat anyone.

that's true, but statistically it is going to be harder to truly be the best team.

once upon a time (everything else being equal) st kilda statistcally would go into every season with a one in twelve chance of winning the flag.

then it became a one in fourteen chance; then one in sixteen. in 2010 it will be a one in eighteen chance. i might buy a lotto ticket instead.

That may statically be correct but it doesnt matter about the numbers. The best side wins and the worst side comes last. If it was statically every side would win every 16 years. When there was 12 sides we would have won one every 12 years. Did we no because we werent the best side.

[bigcarl]

the way it is going there will be 24 clubs and two divisions with a promotion/relegation system. my sincere hope is that carlton and essendon end up in division two and are unable to win promotion.

[The_Dud]

the way it is going there will be 24 clubs and two divisions with a promotion/relegation system. my sincere hope is that carlton and essendon end up in division two and are unable to win promotion.

i would give up footy if that ever happened.....

[linz]

Effectively it doesn't really matter. If you're truly the best team, you'll beat anyone.

that's true, but statistically it is going to be harder to truly be the best team.

once upon a time (everything else being equal) st kilda statistcally would go into every season with a one in twelve chance of winning the flag.

then it became a one in fourteen chance; then one in sixteen. in 2010 it will be a one in eighteen chance. i might buy a lotto ticket instead.

That may statically be correct but it doesnt matter about the numbers. The best side wins and the worst side comes last. If it was statically every side would win every 16 years. When there was 12 sides we would have won one every 12 years. Did we no because we werent the best side.

IMHO to win a flag (NOWADAYS) you need:
-HUNGER/DESIRE (This is the Number 1 incentive)
-MONEY SPENT IN R&D & SPORTS MEDICINE BUDGETS INCREASED
-TO EXPERIENCE PAIN BY NOT WINNING THE FLAG IN PRIOR YEARS
-LUCK WITH INJURIES
-MONEY FOR (other things)

in past years you only needed money. Just look at carlton.

[saintsRrising]

On the OP....yes a lot of the media are jumping on the Saints...

However not so much as the GF Winner...but rather as the team to play the Cats in the GF..

[Huzzad]

the way it is going there will be 24 clubs and two divisions with a promotion/relegation system. my sincere hope is that carlton and essendon end up in division two and are unable to win promotion.

Where did you read that?

[bigcarl]

the way it is going there will be 24 clubs and two divisions with a promotion/relegation system. my sincere hope is that carlton and essendon end up in division two and are unable to win promotion.

Where did you read that?

i just made it up, but it wouldn't surprise me.

the league and the clubs seem willing to add more teams without worrying too much about what the fans think.

so be it.

actually there would be something to be said for a twenty team competition containing two divisions.

would solve some of the problems with the current unfair draw as the 10 teams would play each other twice in a 20-game home and away round.

and if you were to win one of the divisions it would be silverware of a sort.

there'd be a play-off between the winners of the divisions to decide the ultimate premier.

looks like that is the direction in which we're heading.

my only real objection to more teams is that it means less chance of a st kilda premiership

[brown-coat]

You'd get most of the vic clubs in the bottom 10 division.

Consequentially, that division would be more popular. More people would attend then it would diverge into it's own competition, the VFL..


Circular.

[bigcarl]

You'd get most of the vic clubs in the bottom 10 division.

hopefully we can be good enough for long enough to stay in division one.

once you were in division two it would be pretty hard to get back up under a promotion/relegation system. sponsorship and membership would dry up pretty quickly as people are much more likely to get on a winner.

actually wouldn't wish division two on my worst enemy but i'd make an exception for carlton, collingwood and essendon.