Retired David Armitage

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Two very bad games in a row for Armo. Only 8 disposals again (4 kicks & 4 handballs) and only 50% DE. He really struggled to make an impact and at one stage to keep his feet when we looked like stringing together a few passes through the centre of the ground. At one stage he picked uptake ball, stayed bent over an rammed his his head into a Collingwood players stomach. That might have got you a free for high contact in 2015 but these days, it's more likely a free against you if you get tackled.

He is either injured (again) or he is no longer up to playing AFL standard footy. In either case he shouldn't be currently playing in the team. If he had bounced back after one bad game OK but in one of our better performances of the year Armo was our second worst player and for the second week in a row, that is only because the player with the worst stats (Nathan Brown) spent a large portion of the game injured on the bench.

At this stage, surely it is only injuries to other players that is keeping him in the side. Disappointing.

Stats: 8 disposals, 1 contested, DE% 50, 5 clangers, 4 marks, 2 tackles, 0 1%ers, 2 I50s, 0 goals, 2 behinds, 67% ToG
 
So Richo has said that Armo has been playing with an injured hamstring tendon of the past month which explains why his past two games have been terrible but doesn't explain why he played so well in the VFL prior to that. Anyway, the bigger question is why haven't we learnt our lesson about playing injured players. It rarely works and having selected Armo for the game against Freo and him have little affect on the game, why would you the pick him again against Collingwood.
 
Best on Ground for Sandy on the weekend with 39 possessions.

His body with the lasting effects of back and groin injuries and now hamstring issues don't allow him to play week in, week out at AFL level and certainly not in our forward line. Perhaps he can play a fill-in role if one of the best 22 mids gets injured.

Stats:
Sandringham 21.10.136 def Werribee 11.7.73 @ Trevor Barker Beach Oval

Armo: 19 kicks, 20 handballs, 8 marks, 10 tackles, 5 i50s, 0 goals, 0 behinds
 
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Sandringham 9.14.68 def by North Melbourne 19.11.125 @ trevor Barker Beach Oval

Second best for Sandy this week for Armo. Stats a bit down (28 disposals) on his other VFL games this year but Sandy were well beaten by the Roos and 28 disposals is a reasonable output.

Stats: 17 kicks, 11 handballs, 2 marks, 8 tackles, 11 i50s, 1 goal, 0 behinds
 
Another great game for Sandy. Obviously his body and current injury don't affect him too much at this level. What he can't do is play in the forward line at AFL level so I think it is Sandy for Armo until someone in the middle at senior level comes out and I do think we need to play a midfield setup for the future which doesn't involve Armo long term.

41 disposals but listed at 4th best for Sandy behind Billings (54), Joyce (20) and Seccul (32),

Stats thanks to grimlock
Stats: 20 kicks, 21 handballs, 5 marks, 6 tackles, 7 i50s, 0 goals, 0 behinds
 
dct66 said:
Another great game for Sandy. Obviously his body and current injury don't affect him too much at this level. What he can't do is play in the forward line at AFL level so I think it is Sandy for Armo until someone in the middle at senior level comes out and I do think we need to play a midfield setup for the future which doesn't involve Armo long term.

41 disposals but listed at 4th best for Sandy behind Billings (54), Joyce (20) and Seccul (32),

Stats thanks to grimlock
Stats: 20 kicks, 21 handballs, 5 marks, 6 tackles, 7 i50s, 0 goals, 0 behinds
Click to expand...

I’ve noticed the stats for players are always different depending on which ones you get . Even the Saints site has different ones on different days.


Go Saints
 
Brains Trust66 said:
I’ve noticed the stats for players are always different depending on which ones you get . Even the Saints site has different ones on different days.


Go Saints
Click to expand...

Yes I noticed that too. Billings was reported as 53 disposals in the early reports I saw and Armo 37. I wait for grimlock to post the stats in the VFL gamed thread and then use those. That way I am using a consistent source. Those stats had JB with 54 and Dave with 41.
 
Gold Coast Suns 11.12.78 def by St Kilda 11.14.80
Metricon Stadium

Very good game by Armo tonight. Mostly played in the centre and it showed. Spent 83% time on the ground and 511 metres gained. Shame he missed to gettable shots.

For me, this game really cements where Armo should play. If there is space for him in the midfield at AFL level then he plays seniors, if not then replays at Sandy. Absolutely no point playing him in the forward line at AFL level, his body is not up to it.

Stats: 25 disposals, 10 contested, DE% 64, 5 clangers, 6 marks, 4 tackles, 6 clearances, 1 1%er, 6 I50s, 0 goals, 2 behinds, 83% ToG
 
Melbourne 18.9.117 def by St Kilda 18.11.119
Melbourne Cricket Ground

OK! Stats don't tell the full story and AFL Fantasy Points is far from a perfect system for measuring an individuals performance during a game or their impact on the result however the top three fantasy points scorers in this weekend's match were Max Gawn (135), Angus Bradshaw (116) and David Armitage (110). I don't think there is much argument the impact of Gawn or indeed Brayshaw on the match but was Armo the best Saints player? Probably not but you have to play pretty well to amass those points, especially as a midfielder.

We all saw how his body let him down at times. He couldn't bend down to pick up an errant handball and he struggled to tackle some of the Melbourne players when they had a gotten up a head of steam through the centre but he never stopped competing and generally was successful more times than not. I think his determination to get to the ball first and draw a free kick was a good example for the younger players and his is always prepared to take a hit to dish out the ball to someone in a better position.

No doubt he can only play in the centre these days. He can't cover enough ground to be an effective forward especially if he is expected to apply any forward pressure. I think he makes us a better team when he plays in the midfield.

Stats: 26 disposals, 10 contested, DE% 80.8, 5 clangers, 6 marks, 7 tackles, 2 clearances, 0 1%ers, 7 I50s, 1 goal, 0 behinds, 75% ToG
 
Port Adelaide 12.14.86 def St Kilda 7.8.50
Adelaide Oval

I was only able to watch the first quarter of this match like so often in the past couple of years we have looked OK and good at times but can't cap it off with a goal. I can't comment much of Armo's performance too much but many posters in the autopsy thread have identified him as playing a good some nominating him as BOG for StK. This is a major turnaround from the first few rounds of the season where the copped hiding from BF and the disastrous two games where he played forward and barely touched the ball.

I note he was able to kick 3 straight this week which is a good effort from a pure mid or did he spent time in the forward half?

Anyway here's the stats for this week's game.

Stats: 30 disposals, 15 contested, DE% 73.3, 5 clangers, 4 marks, 2 tackles, 5 clearances, 1 1%er, 2 I50s, 3 goals, 0 behinds, 74% ToG
 
St Kilda 16.20.116 def Carlton 7.10.52
Etihad Stadium

Another very solid game from Armo against Carlton. Since he has come back into the team his AFL Fantasy points have been 96, 110, 105 and another 110 this week. Good consistent football. Although this DE was down (66.7%) his tackling was up (6) and he delivered the ball inside 50 seven times. I don't reckon he'd be able to bend over to pick a $100 note off the ground but otherwise he is looking good.

Stats: 27 disposals, 12 contested, DE% 66.7, 3 clangers, 5 marks, 6 tackles, 2 clearances, 1 1%er, 7 I50s, 0 goals, 2 behinds, 82% ToG
 

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St Kilda 8.9.57 def by Richmond 16.15.111
Etihad Stadium

Completely outplayed is all aspects of the game especially in the first half when the real pressure was on. Armo wasn't our worst but I don't think that is saying much when the team was mostly uncompetitive.

Stats: 20 disposals, 9 contested, DE% 75, 2 clangers, 2 marks, 1 tackle, 3 clearances, 1 1%er, 2 I50s, 1 goal, 0 behinds, 65% ToG
 
Very surprised Armo has been dropped for the Giants game . He wasn’t great against Richmond but he had a lot of mates and he was playing well before that . The selectors continue to confuse me .


Go Saints
 
R20 - St Kilda 9.14.68 def by Western Bulldogs 15.13.103
Etihad Stadium

Armo, not the worst. Always tries and always puts his body on the line (5 1%ers). We'd be a much better team if more players played like Armo.

Congrats to Freeza on making his debut and seemingly making it through the game.

Stats: 19 disposals, 5 contested, DE% 94.7, 1 clanger, 4 marks, 1 tackle, 1 clearance, 1 1%er, 5 I50s, 0 goals, 0 behinds, 90% ToG
 
R21 - Essendon 18.14.122 def 11.13.79
Etihad Stadium

Again Armo was far from our worst player in a very disappointing team performance. Stats look respectable but I'm not sure he had a huge impact on the game despite scoring 100 AFL Fantasy Points, 4th best for the Saints.

Stats: 25 disposals, 3 contested, DE% 72, 2 clangers, 8 marks, 3 tackles, 0 clearances, 1 1%er, 1 I50, 0 goals, 1 behind, 84% ToG
 
WITH A period of rest and a full pre-season behind him, St Kilda veteran David Armitage believes he'll still have plenty to offer the Saints in 2019 despite enduring another injury-affected year.

Armitage, 30, has played 13 games this season, having been omitted to the VFL on three occasions.

But, having battled hamstring tendinitis throughout the year, which has no real cure other than complete rest, he says he's got the coach's backing to recapture his best in the final year of his contract – if he can get his body right.

"I've certainly had conversations with 'Richo' (Alan Richardson) about hitting a full pre-season again and my body at my best is certainly still capable, whether that's in the midfield or potentially half-back," Armitage told AFL.com.au this week.

"It's about attacking the pre-season and hopefully I don't have any of those niggles so I can play at 100 per cent - but no one rarely is - so that's the conversation we've had going forward.

"I suppose if he didn't [have confidence] I wouldn't have come back into the team the three times I've been dropped.

"At my best, he certainly thinks I'm still important to the group and in the plans going forward so that's all I can do at the moment."

Armitage signed his last contract – a three-year extension – back in August, 2015.



While it appears there are no guarantees on whether he'll see out the last year of it, or on what role he'll play if he does, he believes he brings invaluable leadership to the rebuilding list.

"A lot of people don't see this side of people; if you're not on the park you're not doing anything," he said.

"I've gone back [to the VFL] and tried to lead just as I would if I hadn't been [dropped], I've tried to play the right way and lead by example.

"It's something I've grown into; a role where I've played a bit of a leadership role to some of the boys more week to week on the training track and helping them out in that regard and also on game day where I try and have an influence."

When he has been in the side, he's been used in a variety of roles including one down back in the last few weeks.

But, he's accepted that challenge as simply part of getting older.

"You see a lot of midfielders, Jordan Lewis, Bernie Vince, Matty Boyd in his career late, Joey Montagna as well, certainly play different roles," he said.

"It's just something you've got to embrace and do your best in that role."

Off the field, it's been an exciting time for Armitage. He proposed to partner Jessie in December last year, with the couple planning their wedding for late 2019.

But on-field, it's been tough. Last year was ruined by a groin injury that kept him to just two games, and this season has seen his output limited by the hamstring tendinitis.

He's had to deal with post-game soreness and restrictions on his pace, which has contributed to his multiple omissions.

"Certainly, that's what they see when you're out there and once it's in someone's head that that's what you've got, then that's what they look for," he said.

"That's what's been portrayed to me, that a little bit at times it can certainly come out in the way that I try and chase someone at top speed."



He feels as though he's turning a corner as the season wears on. The soreness is less frequent, which has given him the confidence he'll be physically ready for the start of pre-season.

Having been at the club since the 2006 NAB AFL Draft, Armitage has been through several periods of transition under three different coaches – Ross Lyon, Scott Watters and Alan Richardson.

He started his career at Moorabbin in the year the Saints finished ninth, was part of the move to Seaford, was there when they played in back-to-back Grand Finals, and has been there for the past six seasons where they've missed the finals.

It's this rollercoaster ride that has him keen to be part of the next phase back at Moorabbin, with wholesale changes expected internally across the next few months.

"We were touted as a potential finals team at the start of the year, and when you don't live up to expectation there's got to be change," he said.

"Trade and draft is coming up and I daresay there'll be a bit of movement in that space and some of the coaches have already been told.

"We haven't played finals for a while now and we've been down the bottom, I've certainly witnessed that.

"It's always good to try and build a culture and group that plays finals so that's what we're aiming to do and hopefully I'm a part of it."




Go Saints
 
R22 - St Kilda 11.10.76 def by Hawthorn 12.8.80
Etihad Stadium

Some people will never see the value in Armo playing in the seniors this year. At the start of the season he was keeping Dunstan out of the team and causing Steele to be played out of position. Now perhaps he's there, at the expense of Coffield or Phillips or Clark or even Freeman. Dunstan has had he chances and hopefully will have a lot more. Steele has found his niche matching it against the best opposition players. (We knew this last year so why he played anywhere else is anyones guess). The others are young and will get chances in the years to come. (hopefully Freeza has shown enough in two games to get a new contract). But you can't just throw a group of promising youngsters together and expect them to beat hardened experienced AFL sides. It's just not going to happen.

We need experience on our side as well. We need voices on the field urging people on and organising their positioning around the ground. We need people who step up when it is their turn. Armo does all these things. His body may not let him get to all the contests he would like anymore but there is no question he impacts the contest when he does get there and leads by example.

I would describe his game yesterday as serviceable. 15 possessions, 5 marks, 5 tackles and no clangers. 1.1 instead of 0.2 potentially wins us the game but in a game decided by less than a goal there are many passages of play that could have changed the result.

I think Armo will play on next year given the quotes from the article posted by Brains Trust66 above. Interestingly he uses the word confidence. So much of this year would have been about regaining the confidence in his body to play at the highest level. Hopefully a full unhindered pre-season will see him even better next year.

Stats: 15 disposals, 4 contested, DE% 73.3, 0 clangers, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 0 clearances, 1 1%er, 2 I50, 0 goals, 2 behinds, 78% ToG
 
R23 St Kilda 14.10.94 def by North Melbourne 17.15.117
Etihad Stadium

I'd say Armo's game on Sunday was below par. Only 11 disposals and to the naked eye he had very little impact on the match. I did seen a nice tap where he was under a lot of pressure and rather than take possession of the ball he tapped it to a teammate, Richmond-style, although everyone is doing it now.

I think from recent comments to the media Armo wants to play on next year and I think he should too. Gilbo will probably go. The way the boys got around him when he kicked our first goal on the weekend was a bit more than just Sammy kicking a goal. I think they knew it was his last game. We can't lose Dave and Sam at the same time. We need Armo to stay on for his experience and leadership. Unfortunately from a team point of view, Armo is still best 22 and we really need one or two to pass him over summer or in the first half of next year.

Stats: 11 disposals, 4 contested, DE% 81.8, 2 clangers, 5 marks, 2 tackles, 1 clearance, 2 1%ers, 0 I50, 0 goals, 0 behinds, 87% ToG
 
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