Autopsy Round 16, 2023: West Coast v St.Kilda *WILKIE 100TH*

[Sully111]

We beat Geelong middle of last year, they then went on to win the Flag, not losing another game. s**t happens.

We've been playing poorly for a while. It's not just this week.

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Ross presser very good

"Midfield is spluttering"

Schools some dumb bitch who doesn't know who Mitch Owen's is.

Oh he warmed to the task didn’t he?!! So, 1. Not listening to coaches. 2. Midfield sucks c***. 3. Someone hasn’t heard of Chito.

 

[St Neil]

It would but we are absolute s**t at the moment. Not sure we deserve to be anywhere near top 8. I wouldn't be surprised if we finish bottom 3 next year. We look so far away and just don't have heaps in reserve to lift us forward. North have masses of kids in development and will slingshot at some point. GC look a couple of years off charging into contention etc.

I just can't see where we get enough talent in. We'll lose players as fast as we replace them.

Football is a momentum game. Premiers time their momentum perfectly.

Our first 6 matches were fantastic. We were fanatical, moved the ball quickly, played and covered for each other, and suffocated the opposition.

Since the Essendon game in round 6 we have gradually gone off the boil. We look awful and a very poor side.

However one match is all it takes. Next week is huge. Melbourne are up and down and will be hot favourites to beat us. If ever there was a week for us to flick a switch and cause an upset it’s next week. It could re-energise our season.

As Brad Crouch said Post-Match, we’ve stopped playing and caring for each other. We need to get that back.

I’m pessimistic like you, but it can all change. Quickly. We can turn it on. We’ve shown that. Somehow the coach needs to find out how. If it happens suddenly we look rosy again.

 

[Saint Shags]

But it’s not about ladder position we are building something

And the world is * ed it’s a shithole

I want a flag and I want it NOW god dam it

It would be our luck to get hit by a goddamn extinction level event just as we are about to win our second!

Tonight I'll settle for the Aussies getting rid of Stokes and cleaning the tail up before midnight! (**** I hope! This has Headingly all over it!)

 

[NoisyMinor]

Think we are being a bit harsh on King. Thought he was quite important today getting up the ground and clunking some big marks. Still would like him to be on the bike a bit more inside 50 instead of just asking for it to be dumped on his head.

Finding the negative Lyon commentary pretty baffling tbh. I'm as disappointed as anyone with the last few weeks, but I think the players have backslid a bit back into old ways, which isn't totally surprising. On field leadership has been really poor and we saw it again in the 2nd qtr today when we collapsed back completely and looked all at sea. But not for the first time RTB got a hold of them at half time and was able to turn the tide again. Reserving any judgement on him until the end of next year.

Careful, some self-important hero will toss out the old 'tin-foil' response.

 

[Tommy Wigs]

It's not so much that Lyon isn't performing, but that the tell-tale signs of the usual rot have been creeping in since the North game.

Don't know what exactly the issue is, but it's the older players and that stinks of jealousy, in-fighting or a general rift caused by leadership / playing style. They're clearly not playing as a unit beyond 'the system'.

Precisely!

Highlights of today were Owens, Windy, Nas sand experienced blokes reacting to what they should have done earlier. What on earth is up with these older bed wetters???

 

[Mowman]

Football is a momentum game. Premiers time their momentum perfectly.

Our first 6 matches were fantastic. We were fanatical, moved the ball quickly, played and covered for each other, and suffocated the opposition.

Since the Essendon game in round 6 we have gradually gone off the boil. We look awful and a very poor side.

However one match is all it takes. Next week is huge. Melbourne are up and down and will be hot favourites to beat us. If ever there was a week for us to flick a switch and cause an upset it’s next week. It could re-energise our season.

As Brad Crouch said Post-Match, we’ve stopped playing and caring for each other. We need to get that back.

I’m pessimistic like you, but it can all change. Quickly. We can turn it on. We’ve shown that. Somehow the coach needs to find out how. If it happens suddenly we look rosy again.

Brad Crouch has been a super star this year pity a few of his mates aren’t interested in helping him

Steele Ross Howard

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Interesting to read all the comments and see most of the anger is being directed at Lyon. If you watch his press conference he is very clear on the current issues being midfield and inconsistency, the same issues we’ve had forever. He seems as perplexed as all of us as to why this group is so mentally weak. He has really given them a chance to prove themselves and I think he now understands where we are at.

I said it at the time, the Hawks game proved that the senior players will never have it. They just don’t have it in them to be consistent top line footballers required for us to be a good team. That game was far more deflating to me than this one. It was obvious as all hell that West Coast were gonna come out like it was a grand final. They were even with Collingwood at 3 quarter time at home a few weeks ago.

In a funny way it would have been better for Lyon if we didn’t have the good start to the year as that got expectations up. I think it is being underestimated how many kids we are playing important roles. Biggest issue for us moving forward is how we can unearth talent for the midfield and King. I always thought we had the better King brother but Ben works so much harder then Max and he has so many bad habits.

Max just drops his bundle so easily.

But completely agree on the blame. Not Lyon. Some of our older heads need to be dropped. Do it this week, we can’t win anyway.

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Think we are being a bit harsh on King. Thought he was quite important today getting up the ground and clunking some big marks. Still would like him to be on the bike a bit more inside 50 instead of just asking for it to be dumped on his head.

Finding the negative Lyon commentary pretty baffling tbh. I'm as disappointed as anyone with the last few weeks, but I think the players have backslid a bit back into old ways, which isn't totally surprising. On field leadership has been really poor and we saw it again in the 2nd qtr today when we collapsed back completely and looked all at sea. But not for the first time RTB got a hold of them at half time and was able to turn the tide again. Reserving any judgement on him until the end of next year.

I’m one that does say we need mids mids mids. But I think we need specific styles. At least 1 hard head. Gimme Powell Pepper any day. At least 1 gun kick. Gimme Farrell any day. And 1 leader. No that we can get those players. But they’re not top liners. Have to be targeted.

 

[Sarcoidevo]

Great win!!

Faark you West Coast

 

[MightySaint]

I look at this pretty philosophically. You win some, you lose some in very St Kilda ways. Liked the swans win, hated the eagles win. Whatever has happened this year, with the exception of the crows game they've always been competitive. Sometimes the other team is just better. Regardless, this is the most excited I've been about the saints future for a decade. I see it with Caminiti, King, Owens, Nas, Pou and Windy. There's a core to build around and build on.
Sinclair, Wilkie, Steele (despite being clearly not right), Higgins (despite the occasional goal kicking brain fade), Marshall and Crouch are quality AFL footballers. Stocker is almost there.
We need to draft an A grade mid and hope windy, pou and mitch become A graders that run through the middle. I think there's going to be some ruthless decisions made at the end of the year.

 

[StCicatriz]

I’m one that does say we need mids mids mids. But I think we need specific styles. At least 1 hard head. Gimme Powell Pepper any day. At least 1 gun kick. Gimme Farrell any day. And 1 leader. No that we can get those players. But they’re not top liners. Have to be targeted.

Time to get SPP was last season maybe the one before. When he was in trouble off field and we could have used paddy to entice him over.

Feel that ships sailed unfortunately.

There's no quick win here unfortunately.

 

[StCicatriz]

Gresham trying to boot the poo from the goal square in the third only for the poo to point to the coaches box was a thing of beauty.

 

[Jade Buddha]

West Coast just played their grand final. Completely expected. Our 2nd quarter was abysmal and it was the usual suspects. Some of our players just make some incredibly dumb decisions.
2nd half looked more like us but still some really big lapses in concentration.
Just can’t understand why we continue to blast it into forward line with Higgins up against 3 opponents and no sign of a key tall. Butler was pretty ordinary today but he’s got some credits in the bank.
Yes Max is a bit sooky but our kicks into the forward 50 are so bad no forward has a chance.
Byrnes and Howard need to be told to give it to someone else for the forward entry.
Thought Mase Wood started to find better form in the last half.
I’d love to start moving Owens into midfield but not until Hayes returns.
Below par today
King
Butler
Higgins
Gresham
Ross
Howard
Byrnes
Sincs
Steele (played in patches)

 

[StCicatriz]

Simpson looked a bit off standing on the ground after the final siren

 

[tomjoad]

You wonder how anyone that follows St Kilda can sound so smug.

Pebbles & his/her "I'm ever so optimistic, and you should be too...everything is peachy, nothing to see here." trolling,

 

[Diehard Saint]

It's more about allowing a side that haven't been this bad since 1955 take a 31 point lead against you before half a game of footy has been played.

We just needed to play at a basic AFL level to claw back the deficit, it wasn't anything special.

Bashed from pillar to post for a week, up against a parochial home crowd and Leigh Fisher, whilst playing out their skins to protect their coach.
This would have been a banana skin game for 16 other teams right now, barring the Pies and Port.

And we slipped, but managed to stay upright, just, in the end.
( I know my metaphors are not as good as gringo2011, but there you go.)

 

[George]

Bashed from pillar to post for a week, up against a parochial home crowd and Leigh Fisher, whilst playing out their skins to protect their coach.
This would have been a banana skin game for 16 other teams right now, barring the Pies and Port.

And we slipped, but managed to stay upright, just, in the end.
( I know my metaphors are not as good as gringo2011, but there you go.)

Eh, you're too nice on them. The gap in skill between the two sides should've had us winning comfortably even with their added desire. It just highlights how out of form we are really.

 

[Diehard Saint]

But we're 5th and the world is awesome Mowman!

Such an ingenuous and patronising post.
Absolutely nobody is saying everything is all sunshine and roses.

But you’d prefer to be sitting 15th, would you?

 

[Diehard Saint]

Eh, you're too nice on them. The gap in skill between the two sides should've had us winning comfortably even with their added desire. It just highlights how out of form we are really.

Well that’s obvious, but I’d still rather win out of form than lose out of form.
Move on to next week, and hope like hell we find some form again.

 

[Minga]

Love how composed Nasiah is with a loose ball in front of him. Those little tap ons are so silky.

Will continue to only get better too. Ceiling is best field kick in the competition, box office.

 

[Saints43]

But you’d prefer to be sitting 15th, would you?

Read the game day thread. We have 'supporters' who revel in the team going badly, some openly hoping we'd lose.
What they get out of it I do not know.

 

[Barrels]

Forgot it was school holidays. Way past your bedtime, surprised mummy lets you stay up this late little man

I didn‘t think you were allowed to use a computer without correctional officer oversight?

Hit the showers, inmate.

 

[Saint Shags]

Such an ingenuous and patronising post.
Absolutely nobody is saying everything is all sunshine and roses.

But you’d prefer to be sitting 15th, would you?

Um the post I referred to was indeed being patronising towards those who can see that there are definite issues at the present. Not all of us has rose-coloured glasses on.
So by all means take offence if required. But I'm not sitting back happy to have beaten a WAFL team. We have some seriously out of form senior players.

Had it not been for Owens. A second year player, we wouldn't have won.
That in itself is an indictment on the playing group.

 

[Saint Shags]

Read the game day thread. We have 'supporters' who revel in the team going badly, some openly hoping we'd lose.
What they get out of it I do not know.

Yep so pleased to have gotten over a WAFL side. Our last two months haven't been good. Even the coach admits there are concerns. But I'm not allowed to voice similar?

I like winning. In fact I hate losing.

But hey how about you tell me I can't cope with daily life again. Loved that little dig during the Gameday thread.