Unofficial Preview Round 1: St Kilda vs Melbourne - Etihad Stadium; March 22/7:40pm

[Barrels]

pick a team that you think can get the job done that should be the priority. the importance of winning this game is going to shape our progression on and off the field.

FB: Roberton - Delaney - Dempster
HB: Wright - Bruce - Fisher
RK: Hickey - Armitage - Curren
CR: Savage - Geary - Newnes
HF: Saunders - Riewoldt - Lee
FF: TDL - Maister - Stanley
Int: Webster - Ray - Dunstan
Sub: Billings
Em: Siposs - Longer - Gwilt - Ross

Dempster - Watts: to wear him everywhere and destroy his fragile mind. If he plays onball or the wing, then Wright goes back.
Delaney/Bruce - KPF: if they have one.
Roberton - Howe: has the athleticism to do so and the height to counter his leap.
Jones - Trengove/Toumpas/Tyson: takes on the triple T's. Nullify what class they do have.
Geary - Cross: both rugged. Head to head.
Armitage - Jones: head to head. Not much hair in that battle currently.
Dunstan - Viney etc: head to head. Straight into the battle at the coalface
Saunders - Blease: plays a defensive-lite role. Has the pace to go with Blease and the ability to hurt him the other way.

Riewoldt/Lee/Maister/Stanley - McDonald/Garland/Frawley/Pedersen: We can stretch their height and their athleticism here; Riewoldt to blow up McDonald - who, granted, has done ok on him in the past - Lee to run Garland away from 3rd man up, Maister to fight at least a draw with Frawley and Stanley to blow Pedersen away with pace (please!?).

Time for my 2014 'boy' Jack Newnes to have a breakout.

EDITED: to include Savage and in line with Jones possibly being an 'out'. Curren into the tagging role, Ray stays because I think Seb Ross needs to go to Sandy and learn to pull his finger out. Billings to sub.

 

[VDS66]

Interesting to see who gets the small fwd role to start the year.

 

[cooperrules]

FB: Roberton - Delaney - Dempster
HB: Webster - Bruce - Fisher
RK: Hickey - Armitage - Jones
CR: Wright - Geary - Newnes
HF: Saunders - Riewoldt - Lee
FF: TDL - Maister - Stanley
Int: Ross - Ray - Dunstan
Sub: Curren
Em: Siposs - Longer - Gwilt - Billings

Dempster - Watts: to wear him everywhere and destroy his fragile mind. If he plays onball or the wing, then Wright goes back.
Delaney - KPF: if they have one.
Roberton - Howe: has the athleticism to do so and the height to counter his leap.
Jones - Trengove/Toumpas/Tyson: takes on the triple T's. Nullify what class they do have.
Geary - Cross: both rugged. Head to head.
Armitage - Jones: head to head. Not much hair in that battle currently.
Dunstan - Viney etc: head to head. Straight into the battle at the coalface
Saunders - Blease: plays a defensive-lite role. Has the pace to go with Blease and the ability to hurt him the other way.

Riewoldt/Lee/Maister/Stanley - McDonald/Garland/Frawley/Pedersen: We can stretch their height and their athleticism here; Riewoldt to blow up McDonald - who, granted, has done ok on him in the past - Lee to run Garland away from 3rd man up, Maister to fight at least a draw with Frawley and Stanley to blow Pedersen away with pace (please!?).

Time for my 2014 'boy' Jack Newnes to have a breakout.

im pretty sure i read recently garland is out.

 

[Bull3tblitz]

im pretty sure i read recently garland is out.

And Jones might be out too

 

[Persevering Saint]

Yikes at this rate, both teams will only have 21 each!

 

[saintsmania]

FB: Roberton - Delaney - Dempster
HB: Webster - Bruce - Fisher
RK: Hickey - Armitage - Jones
CR: Wright - Geary - Newnes
HF: Saunders - Riewoldt - Lee
FF: TDL - Maister - Stanley
Int: Ross - Ray - Dunstan
Sub: Curren
Em: Siposs - Longer - Gwilt - Billings

Dempster - Watts: to wear him everywhere and destroy his fragile mind. If he plays onball or the wing, then Wright goes back.
Delaney - KPF: if they have one.
Roberton - Howe: has the athleticism to do so and the height to counter his leap.
Jones - Trengove/Toumpas/Tyson: takes on the triple T's. Nullify what class they do have.
Geary - Cross: both rugged. Head to head.
Armitage - Jones: head to head. Not much hair in that battle currently.
Dunstan - Viney etc: head to head. Straight into the battle at the coalface
Saunders - Blease: plays a defensive-lite role. Has the pace to go with Blease and the ability to hurt him the other way.

Riewoldt/Lee/Maister/Stanley - McDonald/Garland/Frawley/Pedersen: We can stretch their height and their athleticism here; Riewoldt to blow up McDonald - who, granted, has done ok on him in the past - Lee to run Garland away from 3rd man up, Maister to fight at least a draw with Frawley and Stanley to blow Pedersen away with pace (please!?).

Time for my 2014 'boy' Jack Newnes to have a breakout.

U have ommitted Savage...i think he is in our best 22...

 

[Bull3tblitz]

U have ommitted Savage...i think he is in our best 22...

Savage over Ray?

 

[saintsmania]

Primarily for 2 reasons:

Savage kicks goals and can play as a small fwd or midfield

Hits the target more.regularly...i.e. takes better decisions...ray has been guilty of butchering the ball numerous times...

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Tapatalk

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Savage over Ray?

I wouldn't necessarily say over Ray. But over someone.

He's easily best 22. And that's when we actually have Lenny, Joey and Jack available.

IMO.

 

[Barrels]

U have ommitted Savage...i think he is in our best 22...

Whoops... He was in there...

Now, where'd he go...?

 

[cooperrules]

slight oversite on savage. ray at the moment would be in our top ten picked. not sure who would make room for savage. still very interesting even with all the players out at the mo. a lot of players commanding a spot great for depth.

 

[Barrels]

Ross out and Ray stays for me (as above). Rossy needs to learn to impose himself more to get a run - just show him a tape of Dunstan, who's already gone past him - just like Siposs needs to learn how to work hard.

Ray's versatility is simply too valuable in our current state, especially with Gilbo crocked and Dempster playing the defensive Mr Fix-It role...

 

[okeydoke7]

I don't want to have a crack at the team as I always seem to end up off the mark for round 1 teams. Always a few surprises.

It will be interesting to see what we do with the talls. Given Melbourne's lack of tall forwards, we need to be careful not to allow them to dominate possession/spread/run with extra smalls. Particularly given our midfield depletion for round 1.

I would be surprised if all of Delaney, Bruce and Fisher play round 1. Melbourne will have a small forward line. We have some good defenders who can play small (and some who can play further up the ground) including Dempster, Wright, Webster, Geary etc. A couple of powerful marking options will still be needed back there. We need to put enough pressure on through the midfield to force Melbourne into long kicks forward. We need to dominate the air and intercept these kicks, then feed the ball to Wright, Geary, Webster, Newnes etc where possible to drive off half back. Although we will want to dominate aerial contests, we can't have too many big bodies impacting the air and not enough run to guard the smaller Melbourne players. Midfield pressure for 4 quarters will be the key. If the depleted midfield can outperform itself, we will win the match.

I also believe we need to play a relatively tall forward line. 2-3 talls at a time up there. Force Melbourne to use its height defensively, do not allow them to put a tall bail out option up forward that can create contests and give the smalls a chance.

It is an intriguing battle. One that we must not presume we will win, given our midfield.

To indulge and live in the past, in 2009 we could have had a midfield of:
Mcevoy,
Dal Santo,
Goddard,
Hayes,
Montagna,
Steven,
Ball

With all of them unavailable for round 1 (well 3 of them, the rest at other clubs), we have a weak midfield. And I agree with the decisions that were taken. But just for perspective, our starting midfield of Hickey, Armitage, Jones and Ray is weak. Our young players are exciting but not 4 quarter performers yet.

Luckily, Melbourne's midfield is hardly first class and their lack of tall forwards gives us a good chance.

If our midfield stands up and wins the contested ball and gets it I50 as much as Melbourne, I am confident we will win the game. We are still heavily reliant on Roo.

Footy's back.

 

[L_W_P]

For midfield matchups I would send Dunstan head to head with Tyson in the centre square. I think it would be a great mental edge to watch our pick 18 beat the tar out of a kid they traded pick #2 for.

*I'm aware they also got pick #9 back in that deal but if we are going to cop it for our 'poor' trades then Melbourne can too!

 

[okeydoke7]

As an aside, I placed $30 on Dunstan for rising star when he was at $34 odds on TAB.

If he performs as well as I think he can, I could be in for a good season of viewing. In manchild I trust.

 

[Bull3tblitz]

$1 on Templeton at $251 ....free money

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

 

[VDS66]

This is going to be an interesting game for sure.

Ross is a genius in getting the best out his players and there will be a new level of optimism and confidence int he Dees. Whether or not they can match ability with ambition remains to be seen.

List wise, we have fallen back experience wise and this has been exacerbated with injuries and suspensions. Let's be honest, we are fielding a B grade midfield... and this is where the game is likely to be won or lost IMO. It will be their youth Vs our mix of old and new. It's up to the kids to really step up for us.

Our FWD line looks superior on paper but as with Roos, I am expecting another lock-down game with lots of stoppages. So regardless of our FWD line, clean entry inside 50 will be a key factor.

I don't expect Melb to have had any major improvement below the shoulders over the off season. However, Roos will want them playing a certain style and my bet is that his focus (like us) will be contested ball and defensive aspects of the game.

To that end, I am expecting a Roos/Lyon special for round one with low scores.

I think we can more than match them in that type of game. The difference remains to be seen if Richo rolls the dice with the kids and pulls a few rabbits with selection... Perhaps Dunstand, but likely guys who have 10 or so games under their belt.

The big advantage is that our top 5 will / should be better than theirs. Don't be surprised if guys like Trengove get back to their earlier form... guys like Frawley etc will most likely have a new lease of life now that Roos is in charge.

Tough one to pick, but no excuses for a loss.

 

[Rors]

This is going to be an interesting game for sure.

Ross is a genius in getting the best out his players and there will be a new level of optimism and confidence int he Dees. Whether or not they can match ability with ambition remains to be seen.

List wise, we have fallen back experience wise and this has been exacerbated with injuries and suspensions. Let's be honest, we are fielding a B grade midfield... and this is where the game is likely to be won or lost IMO. It will be their youth Vs our mix of old and new. It's up to the kids to really step up for us.

Our FWD line looks superior on paper but as with Roos, I am expecting another lock-down game with lots of stoppages. So regardless of our FWD line, clean entry inside 50 will be a key factor.

I don't expect Melb to have had any major improvement below the shoulders over the off season. However, Roos will want them playing a certain style and my bet is that his focus (like us) will be contested ball and defensive aspects of the game.

To that end, I am expecting a Roos/Lyon special for round one with low scores.

I think we can more than match them in that type of game. The difference remains to be seen if Richo rolls the dice with the kids and pulls a few rabbits with selection... Perhaps Dunstand, but likely guys who have 10 or so games under their belt.

The big advantage is that our top 5 will / should be better than theirs. Don't be surprised if guys like Trengove get back to their earlier form... guys like Frawley etc will most likely have a new lease of life now that Roos is in charge.

Tough one to pick, but no excuses for a loss.

Another important point that should be made is that the AFL will be desperate for Roos to prove a success at transforming Melbourne's fortunes, thus I predict some absolutely disgracefully biased umpiring for Melbourne games this year. Especially if the games are close & against relatively weak teams, and what better way to start the season by f***ing over StKilda in typical umpiring fashion

What do you think Plugger35 ?

 

[VDS66]

I don't want to have a crack at the team as I always seem to end up off the mark for round 1 teams. Always a few surprises.

It will be interesting to see what we do with the falls. Given Melbourne's lack of tall forwards, we need to be careful not to allow them to dominate possession/spread/run with extra smalls. Particularly given our midfield depletion for round 1.

I would be surprised if all of Delaney, Bruce and Fisher play round 1. Melbourne will have a small forward line. We have some good defenders who can play small (and some who can play further up the ground) including Dempster, Wright, Webster, Geary etc. A couple of powerful marking options will still be needed back there. We need to put enough pressure on through the midfield to force Melbourne into long kicks forward. We need to dominate the air and intercept these kicks, then feed the ball to Wright, Geary, Webster, Newnes etc where possible to drive off half back. Although we will want to dominate aerial contests, we can't have too many big bodies impacting the air and not enough run to guard the smaller Melbourne players. Midfield pressure for 4 quarters will be the key. If the depleted midfield can outperform itself, we will win the match.

I also believe we need to play a relatively tall forward line. 2-3 talls at a time up there. Force Melbourne to use its height defensively, do not allow them to put a tall bail out option up forward that can create contests and give the smalls a chance.

It is an intriguing battle. One that we must not presume we will win, given our midfield.

To indulge and live in the past, in 2009 we could have had a midfield of:
Mcevoy,
Dal Santo,
Goddard,
Hayes,
Montagna,
Steven,
Ball

With all of them unavailable for round 1 (well 3 of them, the rest at other clubs), we have a weak midfield. And I agree with the decisions that were taken. But just for perspective, our starting midfield of Hickey, Armitage, Jones and Ray is weak. Our young players are exciting but not 4 quarter performers yet.

Luckily, Melbourne's midfield is hardly first class and their lack of tall forwards gives us a good chance.

If our midfield stands up and wins the contested ball and gets it I50 as much as Melbourne, I am confident we will win the game. We are still heavily reliant on Roo.

Footy's back.

Good points.

Not sure that we want Geary as a distributor off half back. I think we will need precise kicks out of defensive 50 as well as some dash and carry otherwise the Dee's will lock us down.

The recent trend has been for developing teams to try and nullify better opponents until they develop... don't see them as being any different.

I wonder what curve balls we can expect at selection? Have been away. Is Gwilt available? If so we need his accuracy in the back half.

 

[Manimal_Dunstan]

The pacy small forward is expected to be elevated from the rookie list on Monday, filling an opening created by young ruckman Lewis Pierce’s relegation to the long-term injury list with a back injury.

Templeton, 18, impressed with two skilful goals and a solid work ethic in the Saints’ opening NAB Challenge match against the Western Bulldogs at Simonds Stadium. He then played in a practice match for Sandringham before having a limited impact last week in St Kilda’s NAB Challenge match in Port Adelaide.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl...rss&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

 

[aussierulesrules]

Go Eli!

Hopefully one or two of the younger ones really put their hands up in Sandy's praccy match on Saturday arvo.

 

[hayes]

Nice work Eli. Soooo this means he plays right? Would be a great choice for sub like Defacto said.

 

[Manimal_Dunstan]

Murdoch to have 25 touches, 12 marks, 9 tackles and kick 2 goals in the VFL this week.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Yes please!

 

[Sheeza69]

Another important point that should be made is that the AFL will be desperate for Roos to prove a success at transforming Melbourne's fortunes, thus I predict some absolutely disgracefully biased umpiring for Melbourne games this year. Especially if the games are close & against relatively weak teams, and what better way to start the season by f***ing over StKilda in typical umpiring fashion

What do you think Plugger35 ?

Haven't you heard... Gillon McLachlan is a Saints supporter..