Autopsy Round 2, 2022: Fremantle v St.Kilda

[ScrappyDo]

Howard, Joyce, Battle?

Wilkie, Highmore, Paton?

Next week for me.

Wilkie, Joyce, Paton
Battle, Howard, Highmore

Hill, Steele, Dmac

NWM, Hayes, Gresh
Members, King, Higgins

Crouch, Marshall, Sinclair

Webster, Sharman, Long, Ross

 

[bird_man]

How about Jones going back to the HBF and Sincs on ball? I think we need inside ball winners and Jones is more Stuv than Olly Wines. Maybe rotate them off HB.

Jones is a better mid than half back I think.

There is no reason we can't rotate him through the wing and on ball though to give Sinclair more time in the middle

 

[gringo2011]

Yes but instead of looking at ways to improve the umpiring performance, the AFL introduces harsher penalties for any of the players that call it out.

Russia, China and 3 others like this

Yesterday the most frustrating calls were holding the ball. They have apparently "cleaned up" the rules....only it makes it even more of a lottery. The game is worse every time they meddle with the rules. It's like they overcook the simple.

 

[MordySaint]

Well done Saints.

The surge in the 3rd quarter was something to behold.

Change in strategy, coaching at half time and it worked wonders.

Locked them down in the final quarter, even though it was played in their half we looked in control.

Great games by:

Battle
Sinclair
Higgins - Especially proud of him as I had written him off
DMac
King

Special mention to NWM as his first game, showed he had it.

Makes the next week against Richmond all the more exciting.

So HAPPY to get the first win on the board.

 

[sunny3193]

I wonder if that kid realised that he would grow up to be a meme.

 

[Premium]

Why drop him? His forward defence and pressure is the best we have at the club.

Who do we replace Butler with , he usually is the best defense forward on the park -, he is also the fastest small forward we have and combines well with the setup we have.
He might not be currently getting bags of goals but on his day can be damaging as any of the best small forwards running around.
We are only just getting our forward structure settled in and with the combination of Butler , Higgins perfectly offset each other and with Billings likely spending time on a flank and Gresham rotating down forward it is the setup we have not had for years.
2 years ago he showed if we get our system right he is a star small forward almost winning All Australian status and because he is not kicking bags of goals they want him dropped.
If he showed signs of no endeavor or effort for sure drop him but at the moment he not our worst player by far.
We have the players in our forward setup to dominate and showed on the weekend we can change the outcome of a game in the blink of and eye.
People were calling to drop Higgins last week and when a player is getting the ball as much as he does even if he kicking is off he is still massively dangerous.
King is only just starting to get his young career started and has shown he only needs 5 minutes to change a game and the week before we had Hayes turn it on and get back into the game.
I was listening to a broadcast in the west after the game and some idiot mentioned we have problems because we only have King and Higgins as goal kickers - just shows some of the commentators are total morons , knowing Membery has kicked bags in the past and we have guys like Butler , Gresham , Hayes and Billings who can kick goals when its there day.- and don't forget Sharman who would be playing if Hayes wasn't in the setup.

We have huge upside and once our mids get there act together we are only going to get better.
Steele was basically tagged the whole game , Crouch did a fair job and Gresham and Sinclair are only getting there s/it together - so once we get better than half the midfield dominance we will improve out of sight - Marshall didn't really have one of his best games but if he does we will be firing on all cylinders.

In saying this I know our midfield is not the best in the AFL compared to the Demons and Dogs but we only need to break even to match them and the players we have can do it on there day.

 

[Premium]

Well done Saints.

The surge in the 3rd quarter was something to behold.

Change is strategy, coaching at half time and it worked wonders.

Locked them down in the final quarter, even though it was played in their half we looked in control.

Great games by:

Battle
Sinclair
Higgins - Especially proud of him as I had written him off
DMac
King

Special mention to NWM as his first game, showed he had it.

Makes the next week against Richmond all the more exciting.

So HAPPY to get the first win on the board.

good post Mordy

 

[gringo2011]

What about it?

We complained when Ben Long copped a suspension for that bullshit excuse, why would we advocate for others to be rubbed out too? It’s a terrible precedent and ultimately it doesn’t make the sport any safer. It was fully accidental in a legal action.

Not every head knock can be legislated out of the game. Not without fundamentally changing the game as we know it - and I don’t want the game to change to the point where it’s fully unrecognizable.

It was a definite free kick but the AFL would only suspend a Ben Long type that they want to stamp the deliberate stuff out of his game. It didn't look malicious but they are claiming that it's a duty of care thing now. Doubt he gets suspended but they will pull a few out to scare others from going in recklessly.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Funny that when you use high picks on mids you get good mids. Cerra, Brayshaw and Serong all high production. For some reason our trick of buying half backs to convert hasn't had the same success rate.

All players are different. Some pure mids wash out, some become defenders.
Jono O'Rourk, Blaine Boekhorst. Callum Mills.
Maybe the best mids come from buying forwards to convert.

 

[gringo2011]

Official AFL player ratings for the game:

View attachment 1356727

Gresham only slightly above Coops...... he had a Docker shocker.

 

[sammm]

Awful game. 2 bad sides playing bad footy. A win is a win i guess.

Saints played much better than last week. Last week was terrible. This week, quick, and they we on. you could see it in the first quarter. they mightve kicked points instead of goals in the first quarter, but they persisted and won.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

I wonder if that kid realised that he would grow up to be a meme.

Sadly he will probably outgrow the meme.
He'll become a fat middle aged ordinary guy, looking back on his moment of glory, the pinnacle of his life.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Who do we replace Butler with , he usually is the best defense forward on the park -, he is also the fastest small forward we have and combines well with the setup we have.
He might not be currently getting bags of goals but on his day can be damaging as any of the best small forwards running around.
We are only just getting our forward structure settled in and with the combination of Butler , Higgins perfectly offset each other and with Billings likely spending time on a flank and Gresham rotating down forward it is the setup we have not had for years.
2 years ago he showed if we get our system right he is a star small forward almost winning All Australian status and because he is not kicking bags of goals they want him dropped.
If he showed signs of no endeavor or effort for sure drop him but at the moment he not our worst player by far.
We have the players in our forward setup to dominate and showed on the weekend we can change the outcome of a game in the blink of and eye.
People were calling to drop Higgins last week and when a player is getting the ball as much as he does even if he kicking is off he is still massively dangerous.
King is only just starting to get his young career started and has shown he only needs 5 minutes to change a game and the week before we had Hayes turn it on and get back into the game.
I was listening to a broadcast in the west after the game and some idiot mentioned we have problems because we only have King and Higgins as goal kickers - just shows some of the commentators are total morons , knowing Membery has kicked bags in the past and we have guys like Butler , Gresham , Hayes and Billings who can kick goals when its there day.- and don't forget Sharman who would be playing if Hayes wasn't in the setup.

We have huge upside and once our mids get there act together we are only going to get better.
Steele was basically tagged the whole game , Crouch did a fair job and Gresham and Sinclair are only getting there s/it together - so once we get better than half the midfield dominance we will improve out of sight - Marshall didn't really have one of his best games but if he does we will be firing on all cylinders.

In saying this I know our midfield is not the best in the AFL compared to the Demons and Dogs but we only need to break even to match them and the players we have can do it on there day.

Obvious answer....

People won't like it.

Geary.

 

[Minga]

Wilkie, Joyce, Paton
Battle, Howard, Highmore

Hill, Steele, Dmac

NWM, Hayes, Gresh
Members, King, Higgins

Crouch, Marshall, Ross

Webster, Sharman, Long, Buttler/Byrnes

I like it. But you’ve missed Sinclair. He goes in for Joyce I’d say.

Ryder in for potential Hayes, Long or Sharman.

 

[BrutThough]

Obvious answer....

People won't like it.

Geary.

Isnt the answer he doesnt need replaced?

Another 6 tackles, 3 inside 50, and 55 pressure points which was 2nd to Steele.

If he continues to do that every week, he isn't going anywhere.

 

[ScrappyDo]

I like it. But you’ve missed Sinclair. He goes in for Joyce I’d say.

No matter how many times you check your 22 there's always an obvious one missing.
Sincs replaces Butts/Byrnes outright.

 

[Minga]

Gresham only slightly above Coops...... he had a Docker shocker.

That can’t be right. He had 25 and two shots on goal. I know his efficiency wasn’t great but that’s not atypical of the role he plays.

According to AFL app and it’s fantasy points, he was our 7th best player and better then King. That’s up to interpretation obviously but no way was he only marginally better then our sub who didn’t play

 

[Minga]

Also just quietly, everyone’s been talking about Battle and rightly so. Only 23 years old, can improve heaps now that he’s hopefully settled.

If he can prove that this is the standard of his game now by repeating it game in, game out, then we have solved our CHB problem.

 

[The Punter]

The stuff during the week and in the 2nd quarter that was doing the rounds about Higgins was ridiculous. Gresham was in a worse spot running onto his non-preferred.

And you know what? We've been so paralysed for so long by blokes not wanting to take the responsibility of having a shot and being the one to kick the goal that kickstarts us... Higgins is the opposite of that. He wants the responsibility the same way Milne did. I liked that he played on in the 2nd quarter. I'd rather mistakes were made through attempting something quickly rather than slowly and timidly. It's why Luke Dunstan

27

Luke Dunstan

Age

29

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.7

5star

K

10.1

4star

HB

10.6

5star

M

3.3

3star

T

4.8

5star

CL

4.4

5star

D

21.0

5star

K

13.0

5star

HB

8.0

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

9.0

5star

CL

2.0

4star

D

18.2

5star

K

6.0

3star

HB

12.2

5star

M

2.4

3star

T

6.2

5star

CL

4.2

5star

runs around at Casey now.

Perhaps Battle's best game for the club, and evidence that strategically, the coaching staff saw something and made a change. Wilkie and Battle swapped roles, with Wilkie going lockdown and freeing Battle up. Battle is a better overhead mark and probably a more attacking, penetrating kick that Wilkie, and I love me some Callum Wilkie

44

Callum Wilkie

Age

28

Ht

191cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.2

4star

K

9.8

4star

HB

4.4

3star

M

4.5

4star

T

1.8

4star

MG

221.3

3star

D

12.6

3star

K

9.0

4star

HB

3.6

2star

M

2.6

3star

T

1.4

2star

MG

223.1

3star

D

14.0

4star

K

8.4

4star

HB

5.6

4star

M

4.6

5star

T

2.2

4star

MG

170.0

3star

. This swap could do wonders for the team.

Also, we need to appreciate how hard Brad Hill works and how never stops trying to get us going with his run. It's frustrating that he isn't as clean as we would like, but he just gets back on the horse.

Not much needs to be said about Max King

12

Max King

Age

24

Ht

202cm

Wt

100kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

7.3

2star

K

4.7

2star

HB

2.6

2star

M

2.7

3star

T

0.7

3star

G

1.4

5star

D

7.3

2star

K

4.7

2star

HB

2.6

2star

M

2.7

3star

T

0.7

1star

G

1.4

5star

D

8.0

2star

K

5.2

2star

HB

2.8

3star

M

2.8

3star

T

0.6

3star

G

1.4

5star

, but I love how he got stuck into Pearce after the third goal. That edge could help him take the next step. Like Higgins he loves the club.

McKenzie again very good, I love it when Crouch starts hunting tackles, both Webster and Paton were much better than the week before, and saw enough from NWM to think he has plenty of tools to work with. Didn't seem at all worried to go back with the flight, looked more confident as the game went on, and you can see he wants to really use the ball well.

 

[joop]

Saints played much better than last week. Last week was terrible. This week, quick, and they we on. you could see it in the first quarter. they mightve kicked points instead of goals in the first quarter, but they persisted and won.

I think it was about par with last week. Disposal efficiency was down, 3 more inside 50s but less shots at goal. Pretty much every stat is about the same as the week before.
Watching the game we didn’t look good, just lucky we ran into a worse side.

 

[MordySaint]

Also just quietly, everyone’s been talking about Battle and rightly so. Only 23 years old, can improve heaps now that he’s hopefully settled.

If he can prove that this is the standard of his game now by repeating it game in, game out, then we have solved our CHB problem.

Always been a huge fan of Battle. One of the hardest workers in the club.

Makes it all the more better that he's owning the spot that McCartin is at the Swans.

All's well that ends well.

 

[AirWinmar]

Rapt we got the 4 points. We ground out a win.
We also had some really good individual performances.
Battle and Dmack probably played their best games for the club. Awesome game from Higgins.
Midfield was heaps better and that's without Steele carrying it.
NWM had a good debut, he wanted the ball.
Defense structures up well in the 2nd half, but we were helped by Darcy going off injured - I thought we looked vulnerable there in the 1st half.

Our transition and forward thrusts were again not working well in the 1st half, but we got some good play going in the 3rd. I think we had something like 15-4 I50 in the 2nd for 2 goals each.

 

[George]

How about Jones going back to the HBF and Sincs on ball? I think we need inside ball winners and Jones is more Stuv than Olly Wines. Maybe rotate them off HB.

Interesting but I'm not sure about that. I loved Sinclair on ball though. Need to find a way to get him in there more.

 

[staffonly]

might sound blasphemous but I am a little concerned about Jack Steele. Seems a little off the pace or mentally shot. 13 tackles but other than that he wasn't very noticeable. His body language and face said it all. I hope this win gives him some relief and he can refind his swagger

Probably had a gut full of laying tackle after tackle and not getting rewarded. Then watching half arsed tackles get free kicks against us.

 

[bird_man]

With the wingers and mids pushing back there's running options any time after the ball has been in the D50 for 5 seconds or more.
If you've got guys that can intercept then hit a target 40m up the ground it's far better for offensive drive and also forces the oppo to run the ball forward slowing their scoring.
Each philosophy has it's positives and negatives, l just think simple effective defense is a foundation. Get that right and the rest falls in to place much easier.

I think we'd be the only side running with 5 talls down back and there's probably a good reason for that.

Also, Bolton, Costanza, Edwards and Baker all started forward forntye tigers on the weekend. Not sure about those match ups, we may struggle when the ball hits the deck.