The run home - Can we make top 4 | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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The run home - Can we make top 4

Feb 25, 2007
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Comparing to other years we do look a tad off the pace. Not only cause of injures but the way we are actually playing. I am soo optimistic at the best of times but even I think we are going to be up against it to make the top 4.
I hope I am proven wrong, but it will be extremely hard. With 9 games left, we need to win at least 8 of 9 to have a realistic chance to make the top 4.

Going back the last 10 years (ex 2020), the 4th team has won min 15/16 games (60/64 points), only 2017 GWS who won 14 games but also had 2 draws so still finished on 60 pts (same as winning 15 games).


Round 15SaintsMCG
Round 16SunsMetricon Stadium
Round 17MagpiesMCG
Round 18LionsMCG
Round 19CatsMCG
Round 20DockersOptus Stadium
Round 21KangaroosMCG
Round 22GiantsGIANTS Stadium
Round 23HawksMCG
 
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Smoking Aces

Batten Down The Hatches
Sep 21, 2007
20,616
18,113
No chance we make top 4.

We are just not playing the footy we are used to.

Without stating the obvious for us to win it we need all our A Grade players on the park. We can’t afford to lose a Prestia. We just don’t have the quality of depth to cover them.
 
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Ridley

Tiger Legend
Jul 21, 2003
17,755
15,433
I don’t think we can. I don’t think even 9 straight wins will be enough. Brisbane are 4th with a game in hand. They play North next week and will smash them. That will make them 2 games and over 20% ahead of us. Plus Port play the Suns next week and we all know how much they love beating up on *smile* teams. They will also be 2 games and 15% ahead of us.

So we need to win every game and hope that both Brisbane and Port drop at least 2 and also drop percentage. Not impossible but unlikely. Plus we have the Giants in Sydney and we always struggle in that game, usually throw it away with bad kicking.

I think the best we can hope for is 5th or 6th and hope to fluke finals at the G if we get through the EF. But I think the biggest hurdle is our form; we’re just not playing well enough.
 
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zippadeee

Tiger Legend
Oct 8, 2004
39,639
15,415
Comparing to other years we do look a tad off the pace. Not only cause of injures but the way we are actually playing. I am soo optimistic at the best of times but even I think we are going to be up against it to make the top 4.
I hope I am proven wrong, but it will be extremely hard. With 9 games left, we need to win at least 8 of 9 to have a realistic chance to make the top 4.

Going back the last 10 years (ex 2020), the 4th team has won min 15/16 games (60/64 points), only 2017 GWS who won 14 games but also had 2 draws so still finished on 60 pts (same as winning 15 games).


Round 15SaintsMCG
Round 16SunsMetricon Stadium
Round 17MagpiesMCG
Round 18LionsMCG
Round 19CatsMCG
Round 20DockersOptus Stadium
Round 21KangaroosMCG
Round 22GiantsGIANTS Stadium
Round 23HawksMCG
1 really hard game Geelong
3 tricky games, Brisbane, GWS and Dockers away.
5 wins.
I reckon 7 wins we finish on 56pts
 

craig

Tiger Legend
Aug 19, 2004
45,627
29,174
Melbourne
No we can't IMO.

Not now.

Our percentage is no good.

I'd love to be wrong but I don't see it now, I'm pretty disheartened by that *smile* tonight.
 
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Ridley

Tiger Legend
Jul 21, 2003
17,755
15,433
1 really hard game Geelong
3 tricky games, Brisbane, GWS and Dockers away.
5 wins.
I reckon 7 wins we finish on 56pts
Reckon that leaves us 7th or 8th with an away EF against WCE or Port.

Ugly.
 
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Feb 25, 2007
12,531
6,126
No chance we make top 4.

We are just not playing the footy we are used to.

Without stating the obvious for us to win it we need all our A Grade players on the park. We can’t afford to lose a Prestia. We just don’t have the quality of depth to cover them.

There's always a chance based on still enough games but the flame is slowly diminishing.

In the last 9 games, we play only 2 top 8 teams in the cats and lions. I got us winning at least 7, that's why tonight I am bloody filthy we lost as we were the better team and simply blew it.

The optimism in me, says if we can win one of the lions or cats at the G then sure it's possible, but we need all our guns playing.
 
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Feb 25, 2007
12,531
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1 really hard game Geelong
3 tricky games, Brisbane, GWS and Dockers away.
5 wins.
I reckon 7 wins we finish on 56pts

Gws in the 2nd last round if they are no chance for top 8, they will be jockeying for draft positions. To much on the line for us and we'll beat them Same as Freo, well freo ain't that good so I expect to beat them.
If we are fair dinkum we should be beating all teams outside the 8 in the run home with the lions and cats the big tests at the G
 

craig

Tiger Legend
Aug 19, 2004
45,627
29,174
Melbourne
There's always a chance based on still enough games but the flame is slowly diminishing.

In the last 9 games, we play only 2 top 8 teams in the cats and lions. I got us winning at least 7, that's why tonight I am bloody filthy we lost as we were the better team and simply blew it.

The optimism in me, says if we can win one of the lions or cats at the G then sure it's possible, but we need all our guns playing.
We were the better team at the AO when we threw that 4 points down the drain agauist the Kochies too that wouldve had us playing poorly yet still 9-4
 
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Ridley

Tiger Legend
Jul 21, 2003
17,755
15,433
There's always a chance based on still enough games but the flame is slowly diminishing.

In the last 9 games, we play only 2 top 8 teams in the cats and lions. I got us winning at least 7, that's why tonight I am bloody filthy we lost as we were the better team and simply blew it.

The optimism in me, says if we can win one of the lions or cats at the G then sure it's possible, but we need all our guns playing.
I really think we can’t drop a game to make top 4. Per my post above the 4th and 5th teams will have a very handy gap on us this time next week. And I can’t see us winning every game giving our ordinary form. Cats and Lions would both start favourites right now and our recent record against Giants in Sydney is poor.

Even if we do win every game I’m not convinced it’ll be enough. I think 6th is our ceiling. We’ve dropped too many games including at least 2 we should have won. Plus we haven’t put teams to the sword in games we’ve won and we’ve been smashed a few times so our percentage is *smile*.

Let’s just get there and hope we don’t have to play Port or Eagles away. 6th spot may give us a chance.
 
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Feb 25, 2007
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We were the better team at the AO when we threw that 4 points down the drain agauist the Kochies too that wouldve had us playing poorly yet still 9-4

V Port I thought it was more the umpires that killed us and cost us the game, we played our hearts out, great game. Port got at least 4 goals from the umps and had 10 more frees.
Tonight even though umps also killed us, the eagles got 2 goals from umps but 5 from our errors/turnovers, that's inexcusable.

4 goals up halfway through the last you shouldn't lose but our turnovers and bad decision making resulted in easy goals to the eagles which in the end cost us the game.
 
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Feb 25, 2007
12,531
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I really think we can’t drop a game to make top 4. Per my post above the 4th and 5th teams will have a very handy gap on us this time next week. And I can’t see us winning every game giving our ordinary form. Cats and Lions would both start favourites right now and our recent record against Giants in Sydney is poor.

Even if we do win every game I’m not convinced it’ll be enough. I think 6th is our ceiling. We’ve dropped too many games including at least 2 we should have won. Plus we haven’t put teams to the sword in games we’ve won and we’ve been smashed a few times so our percentage is *smile*.

Let’s just get there and hope we don’t have to play Port or Eagles away. 6th spot may give us a chance.

I guess you're right but this game tonight has killed me. I am still ropeable that we threw it away.
We would've been level on 32 pts with port, swans and lions, even with the bye and say 1 game off top 4 you know you could still make it. But now we are up against it, with no margin for error.
 
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zippadeee

Tiger Legend
Oct 8, 2004
39,639
15,415
V Port I thought it was more the umpires that killed us and cost us the game, we played our hearts out, great game. Port got at least 4 goals from the umps and had 10 more frees.
Tonight even though umps also killed us, the eagles got 2 goals from umps but 5 from our errors/turnovers, that's inexcusable.

4 goals up halfway through the last you shouldn't lose but our turnovers and bad decision making resulted in easy goals to the eagles which in the end cost us the game.
Let's cut out the *smile*
Vaulstin's kick, Baker's deliberate, Shorts Brain fade and Martin's cool head lost us the game tonight.
They might've had Shuey McGovern and Kelly missing.
But we had Flappers, Pickett, Chol, Caddy, Cotchin and Balta all choosing to play their worse games of the year.
The mistakes we made tonight brought back memories of the final against Carlton
 
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zippadeee

Tiger Legend
Oct 8, 2004
39,639
15,415
Its now time for Stack, Dow and Ralphsmith all to play.
Especially Stack..if he isn't fit enough 3 months back in the system then it's time to farewell him.
We lose any of the next 3, we need to rest Nakas, Edwards and Cotchin all ready for next year.
And make moves to find another midfielder
 

Ridley

Tiger Legend
Jul 21, 2003
17,755
15,433
I guess you're right but this game tonight has killed me. I am still ropeable that we threw it away.
We would've been level on 32 pts with port, swans and lions, even with the bye and say 1 game off top 4 you know you could still make it. But now we are up against it, with no margin for error.
Yeah tonight was the classic 8 point game. We *smile* it. I’m spewing.
 
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Smoking Aces

Batten Down The Hatches
Sep 21, 2007
20,616
18,113
If we can’t get our best team on the park we will battling to keep in the 8.

The loss of depth players is now starting to hurt us.
 
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zippadeee

Tiger Legend
Oct 8, 2004
39,639
15,415
If we can’t get our best team on the park we will battling to keep in the 8.

The loss of depth players is now starting to hurt us.
But our depth players were on show tonight.
Not sure Markov, Bulter, Elliis and Higgins would've made any difference.
Maybe Higgins would've kicked 0.5 and got us over the line.
 
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zippadeee

Tiger Legend
Oct 8, 2004
39,639
15,415
If we can’t get our best team on the park we will battling to keep in the 8.

The loss of depth players is now starting to hurt us.
Our depth is good
Ralphsmith, Dow, Cj, Mansel, are all capable to have long AFL careers.
Im more worried some of our elite stars are fading.
Cotchin, Edwards, Houli and Jack.
Thats the difference in the game tonight not our depth
 
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