Preview Round 16, 2018: Port Adelaide v St.Kilda - Adelaide Oval, Saturday 7th July, 4:05PM ACST

[St Kilda Death]

I daresay we would have won our last couple of games with Hickey in the team instead of Longer. Gawn had an absolute picnic yesterday taking marks at will with Longer nowhere to be seen, he kept them in the game, Hickey would have at least kept Gawn honest and given him something to worry about.

You mean same the hickey who kept callum sinclair honest?
Gawn picnics most weeks.

 

[Plugger35]

We wouldn't have beaten Gold Coast if Hickey had played. We won the game directly from an amazing hitout to Gresham, and Hickey isnt a tap ruckman. Billy also had 14 hitouts to advantage, which is a dominate Hickey has never achieved.

Hickey hadn't given any of his other opponents something to worry about, what makes you think we would have started yesterday?

Hickey is capable of taking marks around the ground and linking up in general play, he can also push forward to kick the odd goal or two which is something all the good ruckmen like Gawn and Grundy can do, Longer is very limited in that department. Longer might be a better ruckman in terms of winning taps to advantage but he's mostly a liability around the ground in general play and we were lucky it didn't cost us the game yesterday since Gawn was BOG.

 

[st_trav_ofWA]

The fact we've won more games with Longer in the team is more to do with other players playing better rather than Longer playing better than Hickey.

Longer is slightly better in ruck contests but Hickey is still a much better player in general play which you need from a ruckman these days.

i would say the reason is more because we are playing bottom 4 teams in two of those games and a chickenhearted melbourne in the other ... and saying that we were a chance to lose in all three ....
Longer is woeful ... i would rather Lonie with a pogo stick in the ruck at the moment

 

[Brains Trust66]

When was the last time we played Port twice in a year . Actually, while I think of it when was the last time we played Collingwood twice in a year as well ?


Go Saints

 

[plugger66]

i would say the reason is more because we are playing bottom 4 teams in two of those games and a chickenhearted melbourne in the other ... and saying that we were a chance to lose in all three ....
Longer is woeful ... i would rather Lonie with a pogo stick in the ruck at the moment

Don't mind that idea.

 

[austinnn]

Needed 12 wins to get in last year.

Currently on 3 wins
8 matches left

Even if we win every match we probably wouldn't make it.

Would 11 wins and a draw do?

 

[plugger66]

Would 11 wins and a draw do?

Not a hope this year. Could even be 13 wins.

 

[st_trav_ofWA]

can we please not do the "how many wins to make finals talk" its the over inflated expectations like that where we can never reach that drives our frustrations ...
"all we needed to do was win every game for the rest of the year and we cant even do that ... bloody St Kilda .. Bloody board , need to over throw them all and publicly flog Finnis"

 

[lewdogs]

Hickey has to come in for this game. Longer has been given a crack against a top ruck and failed miserably. Hickey has gone back to the reserves and played extremely well. He deserves a crack at Ryder while Billy needs to go back and try to improve again.

Gawn was basically allowed to play as if he didn't have an opponent on Sunday; probably wasn't even aware of where Longer was for most of the match except at ball ups. He knew that he could leave Longer alone the entire match and he would do nothing. Seriously that is the most one side ruck dual I've ever witnessed.

 

[austinnn]

Hickey has to come in for this game. Longer has been given a crack against a top ruck and failed miserably. Hickey has gone back to the reserves and played extremely well. He deserves a crack at Ryder while Billy needs to go back and try to improve again.

Gawn was basically allowed to play as if he didn't have an opponent on Sunday; probably wasn't even aware of where Longer was for most of the match except at ball ups. He knew that he could leave Longer alone the entire match and he would do nothing. Seriously that is the most one side ruck dual I've ever witnessed.

How do you think Hickey would have gone against Gawn?

 

[lewdogs]

How do you think Hickey would have gone against Gawn?

Would have at least kept him accountable by presenting around the ground and wouldn't have allowed him to mark practically uncontested whenever the ball went near him.

 

[Saintos The ITK]

NEXT BARRAMUNDI!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CALL ME SNAKE]

This Hickey Vs Longer talk.

 

[Sir Skid]

This Hickey Vs Longer talk.

Have you slimmed down?

 

[CALL ME SNAKE]

Im happy for Gawn to Smash Longer in the ruck as long as Billy gets to sing the song.

 

[Jughead77]

This Hickey Vs Longer talk.

Longer v hickey


It's yanny btw.

 

[jonathons11]

When was the last time we played Port twice in a year . Actually, while I think of it when was the last time we played Collingwood twice in a year as well ?


Go Saints

Port was 2010
Collingwood 2011

 

[st_trav_ofWA]

How do you think Hickey would have gone against Gawn?

one things for sure hicky wouldnt have been looking in the oppersite direction to the ball as Gawn marked it uncontested in the square ... Hickey also would have been on the goal line trying to get a hand on the ball not watching it sail over his head from the top of the goal square...
look i like Billy but he is a dumb as two bricks sure he can tap a ball down 60% of the time against a guy not as tall as him provided he doesnt have a good leap on him ... but Hickey has him covered in every aspect of the game .... sure its like comparing a Datsun 120Y and a 1999 Mitsubishi Colt but thats where we are at...

 

[VDS66]

Gawn is a freak. Would have been BOG regardless of who we played.

Both our rucks are average.

Comes down to what the club sees as main priorities. Taps or possessions.

Toms performance on the weekend is like Gawn vs Billy in reverse.

Anyway...

Webster and Gilbert in because we need help with the ruck.

Melbourne scored 3 goals in 4 minutes when Billy was testing BTW...

 

[plugger66]

Gawn is a freak. Would have been BOG regardless of who we played.

Both our rucks are average.

Comes down to what the club sees as main priorities. Taps or possessions.

Toms performance on the weekend is like Gawn vs Billy in reverse.

Anyway...

Webster and Gilbert in because we need help with the ruck.

Melbourne scored 3 goals in 4 minutes when Billy was testing BTW...

When was that?

 

[VDS66]

When was that?

During the game

 

[plugger66]

During the game

Really. Im shocked. Just cant remember it happening and apart from the last quarter both players went off together so whoever it was wasn't rucking against Gawn. Maybe weiderman is better than them all.

 

[Mowman]

one things for sure hicky wouldnt have been looking in the oppersite direction to the ball as Gawn marked it uncontested in the square ... Hickey also would have been on the goal line trying to get a hand on the ball not watching it sail over his head from the top of the goal square...
look i like Billy but he is a dumb as two bricks sure he can tap a ball down 60% of the time against a guy not as tall as him provided he doesnt have a good leap on him ... but Hickey has him covered in every aspect of the game .... sure its like comparing a Datsun 120Y and a 1999 Mitsubishi Colt but thats where we are at...

No Hickey would've been running to the bench with no idea what was happening around him and run straight past the play

 

[SaintOfLondon]

Constant Hickey v Longer debate in every thread just tells me that neither are good enough to be our main ruck

 

[malevu]

The old Longer v Hickey chestnut raises its head again just when we thought it was dead and buried. A year ago I bought into the debate claiming Billy wasn't a ruckman's arseh*le and Hickey was a much better option. A year on and I've changed my tune a little. I now realise Longer is in fact a ruckman's arseh*le and Hickey is at best a poor man's McEvoy.

The reality is that neither are good enough and won't be part of the next good Saints team. A replacement for both should be high on our shopping list. Arguing over which one is better is like swapping deck chairs on the Titanic. I personally still prefer Hickey but frankly couldn't really be bothered with the debate any more.