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| Can we get there - yes / no? | | Print | |
| Written by Greg | |
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I?m actually at a loss of what to make of where we?re currently at and how we?re actually traveling. This time last year we were, as we all know, in a similar predicament. The team obviously got together over the break and did and said what needed doing and saying. This obviously caused them to snap into gear mentally and physically which was proven by how we flew home over the remaining ten games and into a preliminary final. The problem I see this year is that, albeit confusingly, we?re playing better now than we were at the same stage last year and I believe that is to our detriment as far as a winning streak in the run home goes. I would imagine getting such a rebound and reversal in form you would need to be somewhat in the depths of despair to actually be shaken up enough. We hit the depths in the Geelong game leading into the break last year which caused somewhat of a crisis meeting and a shake up. Hence the snapping and the post break winning streak. It?s only a perception and an assumption based purely on watching the game on TV, but the boys didn?t seem to be all that devastated or concerned after the final siren went against the Bulldogs in Darwin. Whether this was the actual case or not I would imagine, if it was, then it would be a direct result of a having played somewhat a reasonable game without winning. For mine, other than goal kicking and efficiency we don?t need to improve much. We?re getting more or as much of the ball and inside fifties and we?re going down poorly, albeit by small margins. We?re actually playing fairly good footy but just not winning. The problems we?ve had being injuries to Peak and the long list of interruptions by bogus reports and absolute disgraceful suspensions on and off the field are partly to blame for where we?re currently at. We?re pinning our hopes on Schammer as if he is the saviour because he hasn?t been in the team and he can run fast! If we remember back all of 12 months he was being ridiculed for his terrible disposal. If his disposal has improved he?ll still take several weeks to find his feet and even if he did immediately, while he will no doubt be an asset, he?s not the difference. What I fear is the enormous pressure, rightly or wrongly, that will be placed on the Wiz?s shoulders. If he doesn?t perform then we?re cactus, if in fact we?re not already. The fact is the Wiz may have been the difference in two or three games he was absent in but we need probably eight more wins to make it a certainty. The Wiz, directly or indirectly, will win you three or four games a year over the 22 games. We're asking him to win us three or four in the remaining ten. It's a big ask. The interview with Rick Hart on the footy show immediately filled me with further worry. What we need right now is for everyone to be aiming at the same thing and that is Carlton. Everyone handles things differently and given what the club has done on, but more so off the field over the past five years, it?s difficult to knock them. However, with that been said, for mine having your employer tell the general public of the ultimatum you may or may not have already been handed cant be good for daily business. That is the type of business that should remain behind closed doors and handled at the appropriate time, which if the ?make the finals or else? ultimatum is true, is at the completion of the season. I want to believe we can push on and make the finals and I?ll be barracking like nobodies business, especially to save Connolly?s skin. But in reality it?s a much bigger hurdle than what it appears and I get the impression a much bigger hurdle than what many are believing it is. Our wins so far have come over a hapless Melbourne and a Richmond side, who in fact nearly knocked us off at home. Don?t worry what they?re doing now. When we played them they were Gornski. We got over the Hawks at Subi and it?s safe to say they weren?t the side which they now are at this current point in time and we fell over the line against Adelaide by a point again at home. Our run home sees us go to Adelaide twice and Sydney once and we all know our record in Sydney at the SCG. We have to combat the top two sides, being Geelong and West Coast at home and a St Kilda side who knocked off the Eagles at Subiaco yesterday. Maybe in two or three weeks time we may then be able to pick up the fixtures and pen in the remaining wins but right now there?s barely a game you can pencil in with enormous confidence. Have a look at these odds for Fremantle to make the eight. TABozbet - $3.00 Centrebet - $2.50 Betfair - $2.52 Global - $2.75 Sports Acumen - $3.00 Portland Bet - $3.00 The most worrying sign there is that TABozbet is the equal best priced book. Usually in a market such as the above TABozbet is weak and they rarely take a chance. They always have their market under most others. Wanting to lay Fremantle at the $3.00 can?t entirely be for book leveling purposes so it suggests they believe we?re in a bad way. Now with all that been said, can we make it? C?noath we can! It?s not going to be easy but seven wins should get us there and eight will assure us. The clubs like Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Collingwood and to a lesser extent Essendon should start to slow up in a few games as history suggests teams with a number of youngsters do hit somewhat of a brick wall towards the end of the season. Sydney looked very ordinary on the weekend but you can?t write them off and the Saints are obviously the danger of the sides level or behind us but with our 10% percentage gap we should have them covered. To a degree I personally believe it doesn?t matter how well or not the other clubs are going. We?re good enough to match it and beat any side in the competition right now but it will come down to how desperate the boys want it. As mentioned perceptions and television can be very misleading but post match Saturday night didn?t exactly fill me with confidence. Surely if they don?t want it for themselves then they should be doing it to save the coaches neck, the same neck the coach has stuck out and put on the line many times for them. |
