Autopsy 2024 AFL Season Round 17 vs Sydney Swans

[BigMonty]

Let's face it we have been almost unwatchable this year, after what promised from last year and started with Collingwood....would have to say disappointing since.

This week was the first time in a long while we played realitively instinctive heads up footy.

At times we looked like we had to kick to Max, we have to give the ball to Hill NWM etc, whereas today we just let it roll rake bestvoption and trust our players could do the job.

Best game Pou has played and is hopefully a turning point for him and his career.

We beat a faster more skilled team with rub of the green with the umpires by playing a consistent 4 quarter 18 player commitment to each other and we looked really watchable and the players seemed to enjoy it more as well.

Roll on the draft with Josh gone 2 frdps and a fit Max King

12

Max King

Age

24

Ht

202cm

Wt

100kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

7.3

2star

K

4.7

2star

HB

2.6

2star

M

2.7

3star

T

0.7

3star

G

1.4

5star

D

7.3

2star

K

4.7

2star

HB

2.6

2star

M

2.7

3star

T

0.7

1star

G

1.4

5star

D

8.0

2star

K

5.2

2star

HB

2.8

3star

M

2.8

3star

T

0.6

3star

G

1.4

5star

and maybe Crouch so bring on 2025.

Bit to look forward to AGAIN.

On SM-S916B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[CHBench]

Once again BT ruins the call. Triple M saves it again

 

[D2D3]

Thought Schoenmaker played really well in the second half. For a third gamer he's looking very at home. Will absolutely be a player for us.

There's some green shoots there with the kids. Phillpou showing that he could become an elite mid for us. Henry is still so young, an electric player. Nasiah absolute silk.

We need more, but today shows we're not too far away.

I really loved watching the way these four were delivering the ball in the second half. So much cleaner than we’ve been in a long time.

 

[Diehard Saint]

Gone to ground tonight most of them

Nobody’s gone to ground.

Nobody ever mentioned the word tank.
We haven’t needed to tank anyway, most of our games have been far from great.

But considering we’re not making finals, why wouldn’t you play your youngsters like Hastie, Garcia, Keeler and Arie etc to give them exposure and experience for next year, whilst still being able to pick a very good midfielder near the top of the draft?

What is the point of finishing 9 or 10 yet again when we have a couple of years at most to try improve our midfield before Tassie come in.

Yes, I loved our win today, we all needed it. But I’d still rather finish fourth from the bottom than mid-table.

On another note. I’ve always been a Doug fan, think he’s been very harshly judged. Yes, he used to try and do too much and made a few bad errors, but he is obviously playing now to his strengths and we are a better team with him in it.

 

[Diehard Saint]

Just like the misery guts crew who are keeping a low profile I guess.

I'm happy to put my hand up & say I have no interest in getting on a roll & finishing in no man's land again. Fortunately the teams ahead of us have a break of multiple games so there's little chance of that happening.

I celebrated that win as much as any in the 'win & finish 11th' crew BTW.

100%

 

[MUFKilda]

Well this was unexpected...

I believe the response I’m looking for is “fair dinkum”. I’m still in shock; you just never know with Saints.

 

[bergholt]

Maybe... Just maybe this might be Freo's season? Ertsinly more palatable than another cup for the Bloosers or Injectingdon

Of the current top 8 I'm on Freo and GWS, maybe Brissie if pushed.

 

[bergholt]

I'm happy to put my hand up & say I have no interest in getting on a roll & finishing in no man's land again. Fortunately the teams ahead of us have a break of multiple games so there's little chance of that happening.

If we got on a roll then we'd be fine - as long as we didn't let it affect our list management strategy.

IMO the problem with finishing 6th to 10th isn't that the picks are particularly bad, but that then the club thinks "oh we're close" and starts to top up. The teams that have done the best at continually contending without rebuilding don't do that, they just go to the draft every year, get talent in, and develop them consistently.

Regardless of whether we win a few more games, we still need to draft and not switch into trading mode. Honestly I don't think we should ever be in trading mode.

 

[Saint Watto]

Hopefully the glimpse of what we’re working towards will be the spoonful of concrete the doubters need. That was a very good team we beat tonight, youngsters helped drive the win and the coaching team had a great night. I still fail to see why some insist we’re tanking but if that’s what they want to call it then I’m still all for it.

Your spot on there YW.

Sydney are are a very very good team atm.

We sat there marveling(pun intended) at their ball movement......good clean sharp movement by hand and foot.

We could easily see why they were top of the ladder and had only lost 2 games prior to today.....with last week a 1 point loss.

They continually had 1 or 2 players out the back....every time.

And to make matters worse ....they kicked at least 4 goals out of their arse......incredible snaps or incredible bounces thru the goals.

Very good side tend to do that.

 

[NarklesHelmet]

Fantastic 2nd half.

Decision-making and skill exection first class.

Shows what a difference an improvement in method makes.

Hopefully puts an end to all the list doomsdayers.

We've underachieved massively this year.

We can mix it with anyone if we make better decisions and execute our skills.

Massive onus on our coaches now to make sure what we saw in the 2nd half against the top tramnkn the cokpnisny just an aberration.

 

[snails13]

Seriously what supporter here can say they would've rather we lose this game for a better draft pick??

None,but get the list managers to start ringing around for a gun while where on a roll.Spend that money.

 

[Joffaboy]

Keeping that back 6 together seems like a high priority to me. Wins are great ways to bond and it should hopefully make Battle's decision harder.

Sydney finished half a game behind us last year and apart from Grundy it's just been natural progression that pushed them well ahead.

Phillipou is a kid who is confident but early in the year looked uncertain. That win will have recharged his batteries, he seems like the type that could soar once he has a few of those types of games.

Henry the other that looked absolute top shelf. He ability to sneak out of traffic with ball in hand and create opportunity from nothing looked like something special.

It's a bit of a bitter sweet match. You would love to have had that effort for the full season. It's a soft year with no absolutely dominant side as good as Sydney are, I reckon a real spud side could pinch one this year. I'll spew if it's Essendon.

I am sorry but fancy losing Battle and Howard from the only line in our team that is elite.
We have to keep Battle and Howard. How settling is it for Shoenmaker to have those two and Wilkie shoeing him the ropes.

This will sound hindsight, but watching Phillipou later in the season last year, he looked like he had lost confidence and wasn't at AFL level.
Looked the same this season. But not today looked every bit a top ten draft pick, he has found game awareness and found the space he needed to execute his game. There was something totally different about his game. Don't take this wrong but it was Bont type in his play.

As for a disappointing year. It has misfired terribly. I think we got zero favoures from the AFL with the hideous draw. 7 venues in 9 games. No home game until round six, two interstate games followed by a 5 day break, against AFL rules BTW. We never really got going and spluttered.

Have to say we look better without King. We need to learn to play as we did today with King in the team, or utilise him better. I think it is important we keep King but it is obvious we look better up forward structurally with Sharman, Membrey and Roh there.

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[topbillings]

King needs another trick because he's been found out at AFL level.

In the last 18 months he's had two shoulder reconstructions and injured his knee three times, the latter of which being a torn PCL.

People have short memories and are determined to write him off entirely. Even though, in 2022 he kicked 52 goals for the year. And that's while having issues with his accuracy and kicking 41 behinds for the year - an issue he's since fixed.

He's shown he can play at this level, but clearly not while under duress. If he gets his body right, a lot of people are going to have to eat their words.

 

[Hubnester]

King will be on the sidelines wondering where that kind of ball movement has been all year haha

But if that's what we have to look forward to next year with a fit King in the forwardline, look out

 

[Minga]

There will be people disappointed re draft picks. FMD, this is culture building. Stick your lower draft pick where the sun don’t shine. It’s not everything.

Eh… if I may rant a little (I’m watching the Green Mile and this ****er is 3 hours long), I used to agree but people are so tense & binary about this sorta thing, why can’t we want the win and the lower draft pick, it’s possible to desire both and be happy with either outcome as it plays out imo. Especially this late into the season.

Absolutely zero guarantees this is a culture building win, we have wins like this most seasons. Equally, absolutely zero guarantees that losing this game (and hypothetically Battle) for picks 4+5 will give us two gun midfielders to build with. And vice versa until the cows come home.

We all just want success, and there are multiple avenues to that. Today was a great win, but it doesn’t offset all the near losses we have already stomached this season, and ultimately we all know we need to keep nailing the draft to even have the opportunity at achieving sustainable success.

With 7 rounds remaining I imagine this discussion point is going to get as tedious as this rant real quick - I wouldn’t trade this win in for a loss, but I’m advocating for being able to cheer for the myriad of ways we can find light at the end of the tunnel.

In the end, ideally we can have our cake and eat it too, for today let’s enjoy having the cake, but my eye is on the proverbial cake spoon of tomorrow… too far? Man this movie is weird.

 

[Remboy]

Eh… if I may rant a little (I’m watching the Green Mile and this ****er is 3 hours long), I used to agree but people are so tense & binary about this sorta thing, why can’t we want the win and the lower draft pick, it’s possible to desire both and be happy with either outcome as it plays out imo. Especially this late into the season.

Absolutely zero guarantees this is a culture building win, we have wins like this most seasons. Equally, absolutely zero guarantees that losing this game (and hypothetically Battle) for picks 4+5 will give us two gun midfielders to build with. And vice versa until the cows come home.

We all just want success, and there are multiple avenues to that. Today was a great win, but it doesn’t offset all the near losses we have already stomached this season, and ultimately we all know we need to keep nailing the draft to even have the opportunity at achieving sustainable success.

With 7 rounds remaining I imagine this discussion point is going to get as tedious as this rant real quick - I wouldn’t trade this win in for a loss, but I’m advocating for being able to cheer for the myriad of ways we can find light at the end of the tunnel.

In the end, ideally we can have our cake and eat it too, for today let’s enjoy having the cake, but my eye is on the proverbial cake spoon of tomorrow… too far? Man this movie is weird.

Good post. Enjoy the Green Mile. It’s a ripper.

 

[sauce_head]

Was Heeney paid a free in that exchange?

I think he will have to answer for that.

No but he didnt give one away despite hitting Webster in the head and causing him to bleed... The very next play he got a Heeney free kick for mild contact. That was his two in 60 seconds.

So Heeney.

 

[sauce_head]

How good was that !!!!!!

How good was that !!!!!

In case you missed it....how F***ing good was that.

It was totally unexpected HD....that's what makes all the more sweeter.

I can't remember if we were favs against the Pies....but that would be our first upset win for the year.

Not long back in the door and my good ol mate Johhnie Walker Red is calling for me.

No doubt everything would be mentioned in the pages ahead but the atmosphere in that last 3 mins was electric....hope it came thru on the TV

A special shout out to Aisle 32....they were on fire all day.......their Mason Wood chant was very loud and clear.

How good was the Pou(a few games at Sandy did the trick) and Nas.

And big Ros first goal....yowza..!!!!!!

The atmosphere was that tense in the last 3 mins that I was going to start chewing on the guy next to me's hand..........he looked like he was going to start chewing on mine...



A great Sunday arvo crowd too...30K.

When big Ro broke free and was heading for the ball towards our goal in that last couple of minutes....the crowd was in an absolute frenzy....haven't heard it like that for years.

A goal there wpuld have sealed it.

GO SAINTERS.

I was in isle 30 and it was amazing! You are right, isle 32 was going crazy! Loved it!

 

[Saint Watto]

Sharman

Cairnsman.......I read your post.

I blinked a few times at the screen.......it has tho been a big day.

I thought my roof was going to cave in on top of me.

I salute you !!!!!!

 

[sauce_head]

I thought Arie finally showed some signs in the second half running the ball through him. Looked good. I was a vocal critic in the first half but he looked to lift. Hope he goes on with it!

 

[Bill Crouse]

I forgot about it because his 2 goals were early, but 5 goals in 2 weeks for Marshall is great (he had only kicked 2 for the year before that). It should have been one more as well, if not for that ridiculous Milne bounce. I didn't rate him as a forward before last weeks game, but he has proven me wrong. I would like to see Heath come in so Marshall can spend a bit more time forward. Membrey tried hard today, but I don't think Heath would have done any worse than he did.

 

[Diehard Saint]

Even when we were down by 30 points I didn't think we were going that bad. We didn't play great footy for 4 quarters, but I think the effort was there for the whole game. This was the best we have played for a long time.

Won 2 quarters. Drew the first and kept them goalless in the fourth.
Not one person would’ve predicted that.
Hope some brave soul put some $$$ on the Saints and is now enjoying their reward.

 

[Ricmel]

Hopefully puts an end to all the list doomsayers

Don’t be ridiculous. This was a great win. Worth celebrating. Great to see Pou put in a good game and hopefully he can go on with it.

It does not change the fact that we have the worst midfield in the AFL (maybe Richmond could challenge).

You can’t win flags or make top 4 with a poor midfield.

 

[Saint Watto]

Who likened us to north beating the saints in 2009 in the preview thread?

Absolutely top tier.

What a call that was !!!!!!

 

[Saint Watto]

Webster was huge.

Took a couple of fantastic marks.