Finals Formula

[The Coon Dog]

It's getting towards the pointy end of the season so people are going to want to know how the finals work out.

Here you go:

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/5825/finalsgv9.jpg

[whythelongface]

This is stating the obvious but how important will it be to win the first week of the finals.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

This is stating the obvious but how important will it be to win the first week of the finals.

Very.

In a sense, it's almost a mini Grand Final - the winner avoids playing Geelong before the big one and ends up facing off against either the 4th, 5th or 8th best side and considering the top 3 are a fair way ahead of the rest, The Dogs/Hawks would have to be very confident of winning the PF.

The loser, however, will find it very difficult.

[The Pie Man]

Very.

In a sense, it's almost a mini Grand Final - the winner avoids playing Geelong before the big one and ends up facing off against either the 4th, 5th or 8th best side and considering the top 3 are a fair way ahead of the rest, The Dogs/Hawks would have to be very confident of winning the PF.

The loser, however, will find it very difficult.

How spewin would you be to beat the Dawks, only for Geelong to get done (just picture it somehow) and they end up playing the Dogs in the prelim.....

[The Coon Dog]

How spewin would you be to beat the Dawks, only for Geelong to get done (just picture it somehow) and they end up playing the Dogs in the prelim.....

I thought the same thing too, be just our luck.

If Geelong played their final first & lost, then there might just be an argument for tanking!

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I thought the same thing too, be just our luck.

If Geelong played their final first & lost, then there might just be an argument for tanking!

How about a protest to ensure they play on the Friday night? That way, if they lose, we can pretend to play rubbish football and lose to Hawthorn. ;)

In all seriousness, it really would be just our luck.

[The Pie Man]

I thought the same thing too, be just our luck.

If Geelong played their final first & lost, then there might just be an argument for tanking!

Yeah I know - Imagine Sydney limping to fourth, then Goodes & Hall tear it apart and win one out of the box against the Cats - they host a prelim up there. Would you rather Geelong in Melbourne or Sydney @ ANZ?

I'd take the Swans, short of Geelong losing half their squad in freak accidents

[Mantis]

How about a protest to ensure they play on the Friday night? That way, if they lose, we can pretend to play rubbish football and lose to Hawthorn. ;)

In all seriousness, it really would be just our luck.

It is something that is out of our control so if it happens we just have to deal with it.

[Happy Days]

I've got a slight theory on the matter

We are more of a chance than people give us credit for. Barring an absolute disaster for the Hawkers, we will play them in week one. We've proven ourselves against Hawthorn, and if we beat them, we will go straight through to the prelim. final (obviously). Now, on the other side, it will most likely be Geelong V Sydney, a win to the Catters, one would presume.

So, that puts us and Geelong in the prelims, Sydney and Hawthorn in the semis.

It is fair to assume that both Sydney and Hawthorn will win placing them against us and Geelong respectively. Seeing as we've accounted nicely for Sydney twice, it is realistic for myself to expect we do it again and go through to the GF (touchwood).

Now, I think it's fair to say that Geelong are the odds-on favourite to take it out this year, and fair enough, they deserve that mantle. But since Collingwood gave them an almighty slap across the face and awoke the sleeping giant, who has been the one team to challange them? That's right, the Hawks. After our effort a few weeks ago, I can't see us beating Geelong, but I can see Hawthorn doing it.

That'll set up a Dogs V Hawks GF, and, as previously stated, I think we have the wood over them :D

There's alot of ifs and but in there, but a tantalising prospect none the less.

[Sockeye Salmon]

OK. What about this one.

Sydney fall over and North finish 4th.

North typically play their finals on Friday nights. Let's say they roll Geelong.

The winner of the Dogs-Haw match would be rewarded with a prelim v Geelong.

Could we have teams tanking in the finals?

[1eyedog]

When push comes to shove Geelong will smash Hawthorn, they couldn't even beat them with Ling, Ablett, Wocjinski and Milburn out, but neither could we. I reckon we are a good a shot at Geelong at the G as anyone ever has been in a Grand Final. If we get there we'll just have to give it everything we've got and pressure, pressure, pressure, tackle, tackle, tackle and when we have it move the ball forward quickly into our forward line. Geelong are not unbeatable.

[1eyedog]

OK. What about this one.

Sydney fall over and North finish 4th.

North typically play their finals on Friday nights. Let's say they roll Geelong.

The winner of the Dogs-Haw match would be rewarded with a prelim v Geelong.

Could we have teams tanking in the finals?

Imagine a Haw vs Footscray qualifying final where neither team has kicked a goal to half time.

[The Pie Man]

I think North look good to take 4th spot, lose to Geelong and then win through to the prelim against the winner of Haw vs Foots.

That potential match up makes Sunday an important matchup, and I feel at the moment they have the wood on us. Harvey always seems to rack them up against us.

[westdog54]

OK. What about this one.

Sydney fall over and North finish 4th.

North typically play their finals on Friday nights. Let's say they roll Geelong.

The winner of the Dogs-Haw match would be rewarded with a prelim v Geelong.

Could we have teams tanking in the finals?

Makes me think of the 1982 Germany-Austria Match in the world Cup:

This from Wiki:

Group 2 saw one of the great World Cup upsets on the first day with the 2-1 victory of Algeria over reigning European Champion West Germany. This memorable game resulted in the controversial match between West Germany and Austria, their third and final match. As Algeria had already played its third match the day before, West Germany and Austria knew that a West German win by 1 or 2 goals would qualify them both, while a larger German victory would qualify Algeria over Austria, and a draw or an Austrian win would eliminate the Germans. The fourth team in the group, Chile, was eliminated regardless of the outcome. After 10 minutes of furious attack, West Germany succeeded in scoring through a goal by Horst Hrubesch. After the goal was scored, the two German-speaking teams went into an unspoken agreement and just kicked the ball around aimlessly for the rest of the match. Chants of "Fuera, fuera" ("Out, out") were screamed by the appalled Spanish crowd, while angry Algerian supporters waved banknotes at the players. This sham performance was widely deplored, even by the German and Austrian fans who had hoped for a hot rematch of the 1978 FIFA World Cup match in which Austria had beaten West Germany. One German fan was so upset by his team's display that he burnt his German flag in disgust.[1] As a result of the outcome, FIFA introduced a revised qualification system at subsequent World Cups in which the final two games in each group were played simultaneously.

[bornadog]

I think North look good to take 4th spot, lose to Geelong and then win through to the prelim against the winner of Haw vs Foots.

That potential match up makes Sunday an important matchup, and I feel at the moment they have the wood on us. Harvey always seems to rack them up against us.

I think the Saints might sneak 4th, if Sydney fall over. I just can't see North getting there, they have won 5 games by less than two goals, so luck will run out soon.

[Pembleton]

OK. What about this one.

Sydney fall over and North finish 4th.

North typically play their finals on Friday nights. Let's say they roll Geelong.

The winner of the Dogs-Haw match would be rewarded with a prelim v Geelong.

Could we have teams tanking in the finals?

Gee that would be rough. The reward of a likely GF spot is a fair bit more than what club's do actually tank for. I guess if North beat Geelong in a final, you'd seriously re-evaluate how you rate each team, so perhaps it wouldn't look so bad to us then.

Oddly, this scenario would make us less likely to make a GF, but more likely to win the flag, because the Cats would be looking a lot more vulnerable.

[The Pie Man]

Gee that would be rough. The reward of a likely GF spot is a fair bit more than what club's do actually tank for. I guess if North beat Geelong in a final, you'd seriously re-evaluate how you rate each team, so perhaps it wouldn't look so bad to us then.

Oddly, this scenario would make us less likely to make a GF, but more likely to win the flag, because the Cats would be looking a lot more vulnerable.

I'd like to think that too, but I think we all know should this actually (and it won't) happen, Geelong would rebound, and hard.

[ledge]

That potential match up makes Sunday an important match up, and I feel at the moment they have the wood on us. Harvey always seems to rack them up against us



We will find out this Sunday.

[The Pie Man]

That potential match up makes Sunday an important match up, and I feel at the moment they have the wood on us. Harvey always seems to rack them up against us



We will find out this Sunday.

So we shall. Would love to beat them Ledge, I can feel a real nail-biter like last time coming up.

[ledge]

My worry is as much as a few other Bulldog supporters, that we maybe arent fully focused on this game and could get blown away.

[The Pie Man]

My worry is as much as a few other Bulldog supporters, that we maybe arent fully focused on this game and could get blown away.

If we do, we lose all credibility. Should be a good finals type atmosphere tomorrow (actually all four games will be) and if we lose badly, I can see the headlines.

Brogan missing a sitter in the 3rd, teehee