Are injuries the only thing that can stop the saints

[Falchoon]

Keep telling yourself that.

I'm still trying to figure out how Abletts gimme 50 gift goal -to get the cats on the scoreboard- helped us win

 

[Hugh Jars]

You didn't play Collingwood in a Prelim last year.

Read it again - he said we beat collingwood to the preliminary final, i.e. beat them in the semi to get in to the prelim. Comprehend?

On topic - injuries certainly would make things tougher for the Saints, as they do for any side. Would not say they are the only thing that can stop us. As things stand right now, there are certainly a number of sides capable of taking home the cup this year and the Saints are right in the mix with Cats, Dogs, Pies etc.

As to the cats fans claiming they will smash us by 40+ next time, just curious, how many of you said the same thing about the Hawks after you narrowly beat them in rd 17 last year?

How does that Midnight Oil song go again?

Should be a cracker of a finals series...

 

[Midas Touch]

I personally dont give a damn about some of the people still refusing to rate us. Seems like tall poppy syndrome imo. It's probably better for us anyway, since it enables us to go about our business under the radar.

And cats supporters should cut the crap about them being robbed by the umpires, we got heaps of dodgy decisions paid against us as well, along with some that should have been paid that werent.

 

[Tish]

If you lose 3-4 members of that starting 22 you'll be in strife. Your club doesn't have enough depth.

 

[The Fireman]

No... a better side will.

 

[Renuo]

Injuries always play a ROLE come September, but it will be the team that manages their players, has a bit of luck, and guts it out an dplays the best on each Finals game that will win the flag.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

The MCG will stop them

BINGO

 

[Power King]

yes injuries, but perhaps pressure in september is the only other thing that can stop them, and that's probably the biggest factor in finals footy.

 

[QuietB]

I bet saints fans cannot wait until they lose one so they can all go buy the "The Streak II"

If the posting on this board right now is anyting to go by arrogance might stop them before injuries do. And you all thought hawks supporters were bad - at least we waited till we won it!

 

[geelong_crazy26]

saints didnt have anyone out that would of made much of a difference , kings is good in the ruck but cant do anything around the ground, no need for hudston really.

ottens would of beaten gardiner and stoped him from kicking four goals

johnson is our 2nd our 3rd best player and probaly one of the best 10 players in the comp.Not only would he of kicked a few goals himself but he also would of made it hard for gilber to play the attacking role that he did on sunday.He also would of made it hard for st kilda to zone off, which would of made life easier for the other geelong forwards

all up saints won by a kick but keep in mind that ottens and johsnon would of had a large influence on that game and that the game was played at telstra dome , st kilda are much better their than they are on the mcg.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

as a cats supporter I am honestly more concerned about the dogs and the pies than I am about the saints.I dont think their style of play will hold up during the finals at the mcg.

 

[Ceanag]

saints didnt have anyone out that would of made much of a difference , kings is good in the ruck but cant do anything around the ground, no need for hudston really.

ottens would of beaten gardiner and stoped him from kicking four goals

johnson is our 2nd our 3rd best player and probaly one of the best 10 players in the comp.Not only would he of kicked a few goals himself but he also would of made it hard for gilber to play the attacking role that he did on sunday.He also would of made it hard for st kilda to zone off, which would of made life easier for the other geelong forwards

all up saints won by a kick but keep in mind that ottens and johsnon would of had a large influence on that game and that the game was played at telstra dome , st kilda are much better their than they are on the mcg.

Cats depth obviously not as good as they would have us believe .....
How can you know that you will have a full team to pick from in the finals..
If Ottens and Johnson (or Ablett and Scarlett for example) were out for the GF and you lost... all your excuses wouldnt be worth a damn ...

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Cats depth obviously not as good as they would have us believe .....
How can you know that you will have a full team to pick from in the finals..
If Ottens and Johnson (or Ablett and Scarlett for example) were out for the GF and you lost... all your excuses wouldnt be worth a damn ...

i dont know if geelong or the saints will have a full strength side all I know is we had more out than you did.That says nothing about our depth as their are some players you cant replace.

johnson is the best medium size forward in the comp, plus the 2nd or 3rd best geelong player and probably 1 of the top 10 players in the comp, he cant be replaced simple as that.

ottens is a gun ruckman, AA player and the player who most considered to be the player of the 07 final seires, no side has 2 gun ruckman so he cant be replaced.

your right we dont know who will be injuired come september for geelong or the saints, who ever wins the flag wins the flag , however the game on sunday was all about getting and idea of what would happen come september and based on what we saw geelong are still a bit ahead of st kilda

 

[dan0z]

jeez cats and hawks supporters ganging up on the saints..

sounds like a bad case of loser denial....

 

[The Fireman]

I bet saints fans cannot wait until they lose one so they can all go buy the "The Streak II"

I have already recorded every game and love replaying them already.

If the posting on this board right now is anyting to go by arrogance might stop them before injuries do. And you all thought hawks supporters were bad - at least we waited till we won it!

I think the only thing that can be taken from this post is that some Hawk supporters have lost the plot.
The majority of Saint supporters are keeping a lid on it..many Cat fans think they have it over us so I can only deduce from your post that you aren't playing with a full deck.
How many more like you at Hawthorn?

 

[Kildonan]

I bet saints fans cannot wait until they lose one so they can all go buy the "The Streak II"

If the posting on this board right now is anything to go by arrogance might stop them before injuries do. And you all thought hawks supporters were bad - at least we waited till we won it!

I moderated Bay 13 last year - try and tell me Hawthorn waited until they won the GF before they began spouting on about how good they were. They eagerly pointed out Geelong's weaknesses along the way.

St Kilda supporters apparently are arrogant because we are happy with the way our club are playing, because we expect to win, (given our record this season - it is not an unreasonable expectation), and because we are proud of our players. We stand up for them when they are derogated by overzealous opposition fans.

A few non-Saint footy fans are beginning to recognise the skill and class of a good many of our players who have been underestimated in the past.

Imagine how insulting it is that someone as ordinary as Mooney is given All Australian status in place of Nick Riewoldt. Also Lenny Hayes is one of the most underrated footballers playing today. While I laud the skill and courage of Jimmy Bartel in the Round 14 match, Lenny was better. He was the engine that drove St Kilda to victory. Bartel did well trying to hold back the tide and he almost did enough to bring his team victory. Lenny did more.

I am proud of the Saints, but you have only seen the tip of the iceberg. The Saints are getting better. Dempster comes into the side this week. He will further strengthen the side. Max Hudghton and Steven King come back next week. We have Matt Maguire and David Armitage waiting in the wings for someone to show any weakness and they will pounce.

The Saints have untapped depth, yet to be tested on the big stage.

Far from the window closing, our era is just beginning.

 

[pickle weasel]

I love it how everyone is saying that our game style won't hold up at the MCG...yet the hawks did. We play a pretty similiar game style as they did last year with the pressure and zoning, and the hawks beat the cats. Its just a way for people to try get a little bit of false hope to think that the ground will dictate how we play...must think the saints will just play like carltank or richmond and lose when we play in a different stadium.

Lots of people in denial in this thread.

P.S. Bet someone will use the 'people in denial' to try make a comeback at me...you just watch.

 

[chookbilly]

Dave Misson is the common theme here.

When at the Swans during our grand final/premiership years, he was with us, and we had very few injuries.

Now Misson is at St.Kilda (a club known for all it's previous soft tissue injuries), and now they're flying, with barely an injury.

Misson is the key!

Although it may also have something to do with the more defensive, Swans style gameplan St.Kilda now uses.

 

[Kildonan]

2009 Senior List in age order:

   Name              Games Age Birth Date Height Weight Origin          Position  
  Hudghton, Max (V+)    227 32 02 Sep 1976 191cm  92kg Northern Knights    Defence 
  King, Steven          215 30 11 Nov 1978 202cm 105kg Shepparton HS       Ruck
  Gardiner, Michael     138 29 05 Jul 1979 199cm  99kg Claremont           Ruck 
  Hayes, Lenny          192 28 14 Jan 1980 186cm  85kg Pennant Hills       Midfield  
  Milne, Stephen        165 28 08 Mar 1980 176cm  80kg Dandenong Stingrays Forward  
  Baker, Steven         154 28 22 May 1980 179cm  83kg Geelong Falcons     Midfield  
  Blake, Jason          136 27 15 Mar 1981 189cm  87kg Beaumaris           Utility  
  Fisher, Sam            96 26 10 Jul 1982 192cm  88kg West Adelaide       Defender  
  Koschitzke, Justin    119 26 20 Sep 1982 197cm  96kg Murray Bushrangers  Ruck KPP  
  Riewoldt, Nick        158 26 17 Oct 1982 193cm  92kg Southport           Forward    
  Montagna, Leigh        98 25 11 Feb 1983 178cm  76kg Northern Knights    Midfield  
  Clarke, Xavier        105 25 28 Sep 1983 181cm  80kg St Marys            Forward  
  Dempster, Sean         73 24 20 Jan 1984 191cm  87kg Gippsland U18       Defence
  Jones, Clinton         26 24 02 Feb 1984 183cm  83kg South Fremantle     Midfield
  Dal Santo, Nick       144 24 22 Feb 1984 185cm  83kg Bendigo Pioneers    Midfield  
  Fisher, Leigh          56 24 19 Apr 1984 184cm  86kg Mentone Grammar     Midfield  
  Gram, Jason            77 24 27 Apr 1984 186cm  84kg Gippsland Power     Defence  
  Schneider, Adam       117 24 12 May 1984 179cm  79kg Osbourne            Forward
  Ball, Luke            122 24 25 May 1984 183cm  84kg Sandringham Dragons Midfield  
  Maguire, Matthew       99 24 30 May 1984 190cm  96kg Geelong Falcons     Defence  
  Goddard, Brendon      113 23 20 May 1985 191cm  96kg Traralgon           Utility 
  Clarke, Raphael        41 23 24 Sep 1985 188cm  82kg St Mary's           Defence  
  Dawson, Zac (R)        14 22 22 Feb 1986 195cm  95kg Doutta Stars        Defence
  Ray, Farren            75 22 29 Mar 1986 187cm  84kg Peel Thunder        Midfield 
  McQualter, Andrew      35 22 09 Jun 1986 179cm  79kg Gippsland Power     Midfield  
  Gwilt, James           26 22 11 Aug 1986 188cm  88kg Noble Park          Utility  
  Gilbert, Sam           39 22 19 Aug 1986 194cm  82kg Southport           Defence

The Saints have untapped depth, yet to be tested on the big stage.

2009 Largely Untapped Talent in age order:

   Name              Games Age Birth Date Height Weight Origin          Position  
  Begley, Colm           29 22 31 Aug 1986 188.0cm  83.0kg Ireland/Bris Lions  Defender 
  Miles, Luke (R)         0 22 30 Oct 1986 185.8cm 78.8kg Swan Districts     Defence
  Howard, Brad (R)        2 20 21 Dec 1987 182.0cm 80.0kg Redlands           Midfield    
  Eddy, Robert           13 20 07 Jan 1988 181.7cm 85.0kg Gippsland Power    Midfield
  Allen, Jarryd           4 20 14 Jan 1988 193.2cm 88.0kg Calder Cannons     Forward
  Armitage, David        16 20 16 Jun 1988 183.5cm 80.0kg Morningside        Midfield
  Geary, Jarryn          10 20 23 Jun 1988 182.1cm 77.0kg Bendigo Pioneers   Midfield
  McEvoy, Ben             1 19 11 Jul 1989 200.2cm 94.6kg Murray Bushrangers Ruck
  Haretuku, Khan (R)      0 19 19 Oct 1989 198.0cm 98.0kg NSW Scholarship  
  Connors, Eljay          0 18 01 Jan 1990 181.0cm 65.0kg Bendigo Pioneers   Midfield
  Gaertner, Steven (R)    0 18 02 Jan 1990 199.0cm 87.0kg Dandenong Stingrays Defence
  Steven, Jack            0 18 28 Mar 1990 180.0cm 76.4kg Geelong Falcons    Midfield  
  McGarry,  Sam (R)       0 18 21 Apr 1990 186.0cm 77.0kg Sandringham Dragons Midfield
  McGrath, Blake (R)      0 18 24 Apr 1990 208.0cm 85.0kg Pennant Hill       Ruck
  Tungatulum, Ross (R)    0 18 05 Jun 1990 ???.?cm ??.?kg St Mary’s          Forward
  Heyne, Nicholas         0 18 22 Jul 1990 188.2cm 79.1kg Orbost             Forward
  Simpkin, Tom (R)        0 18 07 Aug 1990 191.0cm 83.0kg Geelong Falcons    Defence
  Smith, Alistair         0 18 08 Aug 1990 183.5cm 79.0kg Perth              Midfield
  Cahill, Paul            0 18 18 Aug 1990 193.1cm 80.7kg Sturt              Forward
  Lynch, Tom              0 18 15 Sep 1990 191.7cm 85.2kg Sandringham        Forward
  Stanley, Rhys           0 18 01 Dec 1990 200.4cm 88.5kg West Adelaide      Ruck

 

[Midas Touch]

however the game on sunday was all about getting and idea of what would happen come september and based on what we saw geelong are still a bit ahead of st kilda

Wouldn't say that you guys are ahead of us now. What I took from the game is that theres nothing separating the two teams. You can speculate all you like if stevie j/ottens played, but we had a couple of key players out as well. Actually, I'll add my own speculation which i believe is hard to deny: there is a snowballs chance in hell that milburn would have bobbed up for a couple if johnson was in the side.

 

[The Fireman]

2009 Senior List in age order:

   Name              Games Age Birth Date Height Weight Origin          Position  
  Hudghton, Max (V+)    227 32 02 Sep 1976 191cm  92kg Northern Knights    Defence 
  King, Steven          215 30 11 Nov 1978 202cm 105kg Shepparton HS       Ruck
  Gardiner, Michael     138 29 05 Jul 1979 199cm  99kg Claremont           Ruck 
  Hayes, Lenny          192 28 14 Jan 1980 186cm  85kg Pennant Hills       Midfield  
  Milne, Stephen        165 28 08 Mar 1980 176cm  80kg Dandenong Stingrays Forward  
  Baker, Steven         154 28 22 May 1980 179cm  83kg Geelong Falcons     Midfield  
  Blake, Jason          136 27 15 Mar 1981 189cm  87kg Beaumaris           Utility  
  Fisher, Sam            96 26 10 Jul 1982 192cm  88kg West Adelaide       Defender  
  Koschitzke, Justin    119 26 20 Sep 1982 197cm  96kg Murray Bushrangers  Ruck KPP  
  Riewoldt, Nick        158 26 17 Oct 1982 193cm  92kg Southport           Forward    
  Montagna, Leigh        98 25 11 Feb 1983 178cm  76kg Northern Knights    Midfield  
  Clarke, Xavier        105 25 28 Sep 1983 181cm  80kg St Marys            Forward  
  Dempster, Sean         73 24 20 Jan 1984 191cm  87kg Gippsland U18       Defence
  Jones, Clinton         26 24 02 Feb 1984 183cm  83kg South Fremantle     Midfield
  Dal Santo, Nick       144 24 22 Feb 1984 185cm  83kg Bendigo Pioneers    Midfield  
  Fisher, Leigh          56 24 19 Apr 1984 184cm  86kg Mentone Grammar     Midfield  
  Gram, Jason            77 24 27 Apr 1984 186cm  84kg Gippsland Power     Defence  
  Schneider, Adam       117 24 12 May 1984 179cm  79kg Osbourne            Forward
  Ball, Luke            122 24 25 May 1984 183cm  84kg Sandringham Dragons Midfield  
  Maguire, Matthew       99 24 30 May 1984 190cm  96kg Geelong Falcons     Defence  
  Goddard, Brendon      113 23 20 May 1985 191cm  96kg Traralgon           Utility 
  Clarke, Raphael        41 23 24 Sep 1985 188cm  82kg St Mary's           Defence  
  Dawson, Zac (R)        14 22 22 Feb 1986 195cm  95kg Doutta Stars        Defence
  Ray, Farren            75 22 29 Mar 1986 187cm  84kg Peel Thunder        Midfield 
  McQualter, Andrew      35 22 09 Jun 1986 179cm  79kg Gippsland Power     Midfield  
  Gwilt, James           26 22 11 Aug 1986 188cm  88kg Noble Park          Utility  
  Gilbert, Sam           39 22 19 Aug 1986 194cm  82kg Southport           Defence

2009 Largely Untapped Talent in age order:

   Name              Games Age Birth Date Height Weight Origin          Position  
  Begley, Colm           29 22 31 Aug 1986 188.0cm  83.0kg Ireland/Bris Lions  Defender 
  Miles, Luke (R)         0 22 30 Oct 1986 185.8cm 78.8kg Swan Districts     Defence
  Howard, Brad (R)        2 20 21 Dec 1987 182.0cm 80.0kg Redlands           Midfield    
  Eddy, Robert           13 20 07 Jan 1988 181.7cm 85.0kg Gippsland Power    Midfield
  Allen, Jarryd           4 20 14 Jan 1988 193.2cm 88.0kg Calder Cannons     Forward
  Armitage, David        16 20 16 Jun 1988 183.5cm 80.0kg Morningside        Midfield
  Geary, Jarryn          10 20 23 Jun 1988 182.1cm 77.0kg Bendigo Pioneers   Midfield
  McEvoy, Ben             1 19 11 Jul 1989 200.2cm 94.6kg Murray Bushrangers Ruck
  Haretuku, Khan (R)      0 19 19 Oct 1989 198.0cm 98.0kg NSW Scholarship  
  Connors, Eljay          0 18 01 Jan 1990 181.0cm 65.0kg Bendigo Pioneers   Midfield
  Gaertner, Steven (R)    0 18 02 Jan 1990 199.0cm 87.0kg Dandenong Stingrays Defence
  Steven, Jack            0 18 28 Mar 1990 180.0cm 76.4kg Geelong Falcons    Midfield  
  McGarry,  Sam (R)       0 18 21 Apr 1990 186.0cm 77.0kg Sandringham Dragons Midfield
  McGrath, Blake (R)      0 18 24 Apr 1990 208.0cm 85.0kg Pennant Hill       Ruck
  Tungatulum, Ross (R)    0 18 05 Jun 1990 ???.?cm ??.?kg St Mary’s          Forward
  Heyne, Nicholas         0 18 22 Jul 1990 188.2cm 79.1kg Orbost             Forward
  Simpkin, Tom (R)        0 18 07 Aug 1990 191.0cm 83.0kg Geelong Falcons    Defence
  Smith, Alistair         0 18 08 Aug 1990 183.5cm 79.0kg Perth              Midfield
  Cahill, Paul            0 18 18 Aug 1990 193.1cm 80.7kg Sturt              Forward
  Lynch, Tom              0 18 15 Sep 1990 191.7cm 85.2kg Sandringham        Forward
  Stanley, Rhys           0 18 01 Dec 1990 200.4cm 88.5kg West Adelaide      Ruck

great post Kildonan...even if it's only because the slidey bits work

 

[geelong_crazy26]

I love it how everyone is saying that our game style won't hold up at the MCG...yet the hawks did. We play a pretty similiar game style as they did last year with the pressure and zoning, and the hawks beat the cats. Its just a way for people to try get a little bit of false hope to think that the ground will dictate how we play...must think the saints will just play like carltank or richmond and lose when we play in a different stadium.

Lots of people in denial in this thread.

P.S. Bet someone will use the 'people in denial' to try make a comeback at me...you just watch.

you dont have the same game style as the hawks, you zone off in your defence alot more than they did, you also apply alot more frontal forward pressure where as they used to hold their ground.

hawthorn also had a much faster side than you do.

the saints lack of pace and the way they zone off could be a real problem on the mcg.I have also noticed that when the saints are at their best they are running the ball really well out of their defence , sides just never move the ball as quickly out of their defence at the mcg as they do at the dome .

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Wouldn't say that you guys are ahead of us now. What I took from the game is that theres nothing separating the two teams. You can speculate all you like if stevie j/ottens played, but we had a couple of key players out as well. Actually, I'll add my own speculation which i believe is hard to deny: there is a snowballs chance in hell that milburn would have bobbed up for a couple if johnson was in the side.

yeah you know were milburn would of been ? blocking riewoldt and kosis space which is something that will happen next time.

yeah i am speculating but at the end of the day the 4 points mean nothing, sunday was all about getting a preview for what will happen come september.

it was aa 50/50 game you won , well done but given what you had going for you i think its fair to say we are ahead .

who are these players who would have an impact ? I mean johnson is the best medium forward in the comp and one of the top 10 players in the comp.Brad ottens is a big time player who was our best player in the 07 final seires .

tell me one area other than tall forwards were st kilda are ahead of geelong ?

dont forget port beat us at skilled stadium in 07 in a game very similar to last sunday, they lead the whole game but we lifted a gear at the end to kick a few quick goals, than they kicked a late one to win the game.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Far from the window closing, our era is just beginning.

this isnt stkildas last year were they can win the flag, however you have a very good run with injuries that you may never get again.

to say your era is just bebinning, you have the 4th oldest list in the comp.riewoldt ball ,kosi and co are in their prime, but that will change in another 2 years.

saints have another 2 years after this.

 

[Copernicus]

Ah yes, here's Kildonan here to tell us that the Saints are unstoppable. Predictable yet still amusing.

I guess we'll see how things look in September and re-evaluate. There's still time for Kosi to have some catastrophic misfortune. Whether we get Ottens back or not could play a big role in how September pans out. If he succumbs to whatever complications are plagueing his knee for the rest of the year, then Geelong is definitely at a disadvantage. If we get him back, though - I see any Saints-Cats rematch having a reversal of fortunes.

Would love to play them again, it would be a belter.