The 2007 Grand Final

[tiger in the night]

Call me crazy – it must be this time of year, what with the Christmas good cheer, the booze and the severe footy withdrawal symptoms kicking in – but I think that there just might be a small window of opportunity to sneak into a GF in 2007. The slimmest of chances before the nascent St Kilda / West Coast dynasties are fully formed – just hear me out before you throw the tomatoes.

A lot will have to go right:
- An appearance in the 2006 finals
- Avoidance of significant injuries
- Quantum improvement in players like Schulz, Rodan, Pattison, Meyer, Foley, Thursfield
- Commensurate improvement to 2005 (over both the next two years) in players like Hall, Pettifer, Tuck, Simmonds, Deledio and Tambling
- Maintenance in form of principal players Richardson, Brown, Gaspar, Johnson and Bowden (I would expect the serious decline in form due to age to commence in 2008 for these guys)
- A few surprises eg such as the sudden development of a Limbach, McGuane, Polo or White

But all of these things are possible.

So if the stars align and the Gods are appeased and these things do occur – the next most important ingredient will be our level of experience - how will it stack up? The following speculative team shows players with an approximate possible number of games in brackets after each name come finals time 2007.

FB: Hyde (86) Gaspar (255) Thursfield (46)
HB: Johnson (201) Hall (126) J. Bowden (232)
C: Newman (116) Coughlan (111) Tambling (52)
HF: Brown (207) Simmonds (166) Pettifer (99)
FF: Rodan (100) Richardson (256) Schulz (65)
R: Knobel (111) Deledio (62) Tuck (65)
INT: Pattison (42) Meyer (46) P. Bowden (90) Foley (46)

Average games per player: 117

Compare this team with the last Tiger team that made an impression in the finals – the 2001 side that got beaten by 68 points by Brisbane in the Preliminary Final – bracketed numbers indicate numbers of total games played prior to Prelim Final:

FB: Sziller (150) Gaspar (145) A. Kellaway (80)
HB: Cameron (174) Holland (111) Torney (95)
C: Tivendale(58) Knights (173) Chaffey (80)
HF: Rogers (159) Ottens (78) Bowden (105)
FF: Broderick (188) Richardson (143) Hilton (54)
R: Gale (182) Campbell (191) King (59)
INT: Fiora (20) Hall (17) D. Kellaway (157) Poyas (5)

Average games per player: 110

So, in terms of experience, the future 2007 team will hold up pretty well.

In terms of talent – an overall improvement too for the 2007 squad – there will be no flat out ‘duds’ such as Sziller, King, Poyas and Fiora. And better depth in terms of range of experience – there will be no one in the team with less than 40 games under their belts.

In terms of coaching, preparation and approach we will be miles ahead of the sort of non-existent game plan and match tactics prepared by the potato farmer.

So, in all seriousness, I’m punting on a GF appearance in 2007.

Now, tomatoes raised - fire away.

 

[tigers4life]

im already holding my breath for the 2006 superdraft... add another 1st year deledio like to that team and our chances are improving..

 

[pahoffm]

Yep, certainly a good foundation for believing that we should be in the finals 2007/08.
How far we go.....
That's up to the boys.
We'll be there cheering.

 

[Tigerfan]

im already holding my breath for the 2006 superdraft... add another 1st year deledio like to that team and our chances are improving..

add another Deledio?

Give it up...wait another 10 years

 

[Tigermad2005]

What about our great players from this years draft.

 

[tiger in the night]

im already holding my breath for the 2006 superdraft... add another 1st year deledio like to that team and our chances are improving..

The notion of the Super Draft is a myth IMO. Most of these guys haven’t even played a season of U/18 competition – and a lot can happen with kids between the ages of 15-17. Better to keep an open mind on how these kids develop over the next year – they may go backwards. We shouldn’t be making fixed plans now to cash in on early draft picks when such decisions should be made:
- after the 2006 AFL season – confirming who on our list to trade / delist / retire
- after the U/18 TAC Cup and Australian Championships

 

[tiger in the night]

What about our great players from this years draft.

You’d like to think that at least one of the players recruited this year would be in that team - maybe a JON or Casserley instead of Pat Bowden for instance.

In any event the gist of the thread was that all things being more than equal, if we were in a position to get to the finals next year – would the team have sufficient level of experience to perhaps get to the GF. By my estimates – and the figures shown - it would have.

 

[craig]

07 nighty me thinx more 09 2010, we still need another good draft or maybe even 2 not to mention we still have many duds to cull.
Interesting comment from Jim Main in Inside Footy stating the picture of JON, Casserly and Hughes showcases Richmonds drafting of scrawny small bodied players that is not going to allow the tigers to attain the level of success they aspire to for a number of years which i must say i agree with.
These boys including Meyer and Bling and also White are gonna need a few years to get their bodies up to a level that will allow them to match it with the big boys ala the Bartels, Lings, Coreys, Kellys and Abletts had to down at Geelong.
Patience is required from tiger fans and i couldnt give a stuff if we win the spoon in 06 as long as the kids are brought on.
To the future i says, success is a little ways away yet but hopefully the hard yards if done properly will see the club enjoy finals appearances and hopefully a title shot over the years of 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13 ect.