Every Flag Fancy Has a Fatal Flaw – Even the Pies

Every year some clown tells you a team’s ‘the perfect side, no weaknesses, lock it in.’ Mate, there’s no such thing. Every single flag contender has got a crack in the armour, and if you squint hard enough in September, that crack turns into a canyon.

So let’s go around the competition and call it as I see it. Carn the Pies, but first, the ugly truths.

Collingwood – Yes, Even Us

Righto, I’ll cop it on the chin first. We all know what we are. A team that wins the close ones, the arm wrestles, the four-point thrillers that give half of Victoria a heart attack.

But what happens when we come up against a side that just kicks away in the third quarter? What happens when the poise under pressure isn’t enough because the other mob has already banked six goals?

Our forward line depth worries me. Injuries up forward and we’re relying on blokes who haven’t kicked a bag all year. Its a genuine concern, not just Daz being paranoid. Well, maybe a bit paranoid too.

The Lions – Finals Bottle Job History

Brisbane’s got the midfield brigade to match anyone. Neale, Cripps money can’t buy that kind of class through the guts.

But can they get it done when it matters? We’ve seen this movie before. Preliminary final heartbreak, home ground grand final letdowns. At what point does history stop being history and start being a pattern?

They’ll tell you this year’s different. They always do. The proof’s in September, not in July form.

Sydney – The Age Question

Loved watching this Swans side rip in all season, no doubt. But how many of their senior brigade are we going to see running out of legs in the last month of the year?

Finals footy is a different beast. It’s not run-and-gun footy, it’s contested ball, it’s bodies on the line every single stoppage. You can’t tell me a list with that many senior players isn’t going to feel it eventually.

Their kids have been terrific, but do you trust a teenager in a prelim final with 90,000 screaming at him? That’s the question the Swans need answered before they lift the cup.

Port Adelaide – Away From Home Wobbles

Port fans will cop this one on the chin because deep down they know it too. That Adelaide Oval fortress is unreal, no arguments. But take them out of South Australia and things get shaky.

Finals aren’t guaranteed at home. If they draw an interstate final or, heaven forbid, have to travel for a prelim, does the whole system fall over? I reckon that’s the one thing keeping Port fans up at night, even if they won’t admit it on talkback.

Western Bulldogs – Can They Defend?

The Dogs can score with the best of them when the ball’s bouncing their way. Absolute exhilarating footy when it clicks.

But defensively? I’ve watched games this year where they’ve leaked goals like our defence does against Geelong in September (don’t get me started on that history, we’ll be here all day).

You don’t win flags leaking three or four unanswered in a quarter. The Bulldogs need to tighten up down back or a scoreboard shootout against a genuine contender will expose them cruelly.

GWS – Do They Really Believe It?

Talent-wise, few sides can match the Giants. Genuine star power right through the side. But there’s always been a question mark over the mentality of this club in the big moments.

Its not a personal shot at any player, it’s just a pattern we’ve all watched for years. Big home and away form, then the wheels wobble when finals footy gets tight and physical.

Until they prove otherwise, that questions not going away. Fair or not, that’s finals footy for you – you’re judged on what you’ve done, not what you might do.

Carlton – Ruck Reliance

The Blues have built a genuinely scary midfield mix. But how much does the whole engine room rely on getting first use from the ruck?

If their number one ruckman goes down injured or gets tagged out of a contest by a smart opposition coach, does the whole midfield rhythm fall apart? We saw glimpses of that last year, and finals opponents will have done their homework on it.

One injury in September and suddenly that midfield dominance isn’t looking half as scary.

So Who Actually Wins It?

Look, every flag contender’s got a hole. That’s footy. The question isn’t who’s perfect, because nobody is. The question is who can hide their flaw the longest, or who gets lucky enough that their opponent’s flaw gets exposed first.

Do I reckon the Pies can paper over our forward line dramas come finals time? Definately think we’ve got the systems and the depth of character to do it. We’ve done it before under Craig McRae, we can do it again.

But I’m not sitting here pretending we’re bulletproof. No side is. That’s why finals footy is the best thing in sport – because eventually, someone’s crack gets found, and someone’s flaw gets exposed at the worst possible time.

Who’s flaw gets found out first this September? That, my friends, is the only question that matters from here until the granny.

Carn the Pies.