Finals bound

[germaneagle]

The reality is we have had an awesome year beating all the heavyweights at Brookie only the second half against the Raiders, the Souths game, the Rooster's first half a month ago, and now the Tigers game at the Voodoo pit where anything can happen. I have my fingers crossed and feel grateful for a solid year.

 

[Peter C]

So who reckons this Manly side is good enough to break the "Bottom four Hoodoo" never in the history of the NRL has a bottom 4 of the 8 team won a Grand Final. Playing in finals is as good as it gets from now on, I can't see a Trophy in this side.

For us to win, we would have to play four outstanding games in a row to put us in the GF, so that means five outstanding games all up, something this side has never done and not likely to do.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

And 2025
A real crack at the top 4 if DCE and turbo stay fit
If we want to win one we are going to have win it soon because once DCE hangs up the boot we could be in for a long few seasons
And I am coming around to your argument about yes we have improved this year but still I feel a wasted season with a few of those close defeats we win them we are right in the fight for a top 4 finish

Very much 2006 like , do you remember that , frustrating as all buggery at the time , some great wins , some near losses knocked out first game in the finals ( from memory , I think we just made the 8).

In 2007 we made the GF, and in 2008….🏆

 

[Supreme Leader]

Are we final bound after this week? Worst game we played in a long time against a team mooted as wooden spoon recipients. We play Bulldogs and the Cowboys. Does anyone really think we will win both or any? Both teams are playing more consistent football, and both sit above us on the ladder. Problem we have is St George who will most likely win 2 of their last 3 games (the games against Parra & Canberra) If we drop our 2 games we are gone after week 1 of the finals being in 8th.

Hope I'm wrong.... really do because we deserve to be in the finals. We do alright against the great teams but so complacent against the teams we would expect to win.

Guess it is up to the players.

 

[mickqld]

Looking at the possibilities on the ladder predictor I don't think it matters now whether we win or lose last 2 games. Most probabilities have us playing the dogs away with it either 6v7 or 5v8. Otherwise,we play Cows away. Whatever happens now it's been a massive fukup losing to the Tigers.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Whatever happens now it's been a massive fukup losing to the Tigers.

Yes and no. It's been valuable in tempering our expectations, which had been beginning to surge into the realms of romantic fantasy.

 

[mickqld]

Yes and no. It's been valuable in tempering our expectations, which had been beginning to surge into the realms of romantic fantasy.

Watching our plodder forwards at various times this year has never instilled any premiership fantasy.

 

[danny-boy]

Never thought this place would be so miserable after making the finals but that loss has really taken it out of everyone. Instead of dreaming big and pushing for Top 4/premiership we’re thinking 7th/8th and a first week exit.

 

[Eagle 1]

Yep we win our next 2 we play a home final. It’s that simple.

That's why we don't rest our players, a home semi is a huge advantage for us.

 

[Ranga]

I’m backing us to bounce back. After we played horribly to lose to saints earlier in the year, we played extraordinarily well to beat Penrith the following week.

We are still immature as a team, and as disheartening as the the loss to the tigers was, sometimes a team needs to be smacked in the mouth to learn and grow.

 

[Peter C]

Looking at the possibilities on the ladder predictor I don't think it matters now whether we win or lose last 2 games. Most probabilities have us playing the dogs away with it either 6v7 or 5v8. Otherwise,we play Cows away. Whatever happens now it's been a massive fukup losing to the Tigers.

Maaaaaasive, let's not forget The Raiders, Warriors, Parra, Dolphins, but the farking Tigers, every other team banked two points off them, except us.
Sort of reminds me of the 1988 season, all we had to do was beat Wests, who were probably running last, as usual, and we would have cemented a top 3 spot, but we lost and then went out losing to the Tigers.in the first semi.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Looking at the possibilities on the ladder predictor I don't think it matters now whether we win or lose last 2 games. Most probabilities have us playing the dogs away with it either 6v7 or 5v8. Otherwise,we play Cows away. Whatever happens now it's been a massive fukup losing to the Tigers.

MASSIVE , lost the one advantage we would have had , home ground.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Never thought this place would be so miserable after making the finals but that loss has really taken it out of everyone. Instead of dreaming big and pushing for Top 4/premiership we’re thinking 7th/8th and a first week exit.

Yep very much the most likely scenario.

As I said earlier , just like 2006 , great year , not yet really consistent, finished better than we thought , but gone first week.

 

[HK_Eagle]

It’s ridiculous how over the last few weeks we were looking at a very possible top 4 and were considering 5th or 6th a given as worst case scenario with a home game final as the sweetener. Now, we have somehow managed to create an even worse case scenario after that deflating cluster farkkk on Thursday.

 

[mickqld]

Maaaaaasive, let's not forget The Raiders, Warriors, Parra, Dolphins, but the farking Tigers, every other team banked two points off them, except us.
Sort of reminds me of the 1988 season, all we had to do was beat Wests, who were probably running last, as usual, and we would have cemented a top 3 spot, but we lost and then went out losing to the Tigers.in the first semi.

Yep I remember I was at that disappointment after being 87 premiers to go out 1st week to Tigers.

 

[Fibro Eagle]

Finals bound is what everyone wanted for this Manly team
Some disappointing losses throughout the season has cost Manly a spot in the top 4 and top 6
All in all still happy to see Manly playing finals
Finals the competition starts again for Manly knowing a loss will put them out it might be the best possible outcome now knowing there’s no next week
The team is capable of beating the teams above them if they run 8th there is no team under them
Looking forward to see Manly play finals

 

[bob dylan]

Watching our plodder forwards at various times this year has never instilled any premiership fantasy.

I can see Paseka, Aloia and Haumole busting their humps any time soon. We are stuck with all 3 for years to come.

 

[Scorpio]

So who reckons this Manly side is good enough to break the "Bottom four Hoodoo" never in the history of the NRL has a bottom 4 of the 8 team won a Grand Final. Playing in finals is as good as it gets from now on, I can't see a Trophy in this side.

At the start of this year some people were asserting "This team is not going to be playing finals this year".

Now we've secured a finals spot with 2 rounds remaining and some people are now asserting "This team will only be playing finals at best".

I like to think that anything is possible if we keep improving.

It would be interesting to trawl through some posts on this forum circa 2006 to see how many predicted we'd win 2 premierships in the next 5 years, or how many predicted that we'd never win a premiership in the foreseeable future.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

I can see Paseka, Aloia and Haumole busting their humps any time soon. We are stuck with all 3 for years to come.

Lumps in Series.

You can probably throw Tif Sopley into that mix.

 

[bob dylan]

Hopefully SHarks wrap up top 4 next week and rest players in last round.

The big games as far as we are concerned the games are.

Round 26
Manly vs Dogs
Cowboys vs Storm

Round 27
Manly vs Sharks
Dogs vs Cowboys

We will finish 6th or 7th.