Review Round 21, 2024 - St. Kilda vs. Brisbane Lions

[Nathan Barley]

Seemed to be that's what they're doing with Smith at the moment. He's taken Joe's place as 2nd ruck and rucking while Big O is on the bench or has drifted forward.

He has the last 2 games because Hipwood hasn't been playing forward so we kept Joe down there. Didn't ruck much against Sydney

 

[luthor]

Impressive and dominant 4 quarter performance.

No passengers and no injuries.

Kai, Rayner, Lach, Starc and Big O got my votes and I was embarrassed to have to leave Clug, Joe and HA out.

If Big O is not in AA discussions, he should be.

EDIT: A fitting result to honour Frog's 200th. Well played Lions and well played Frog

 

[Lace Out]

With some luck 4 of the next 5 at the Gabba

 

[alscotoz2]

Well that was enjoyable

 

[Nathan Barley]

We're now 2nd for points against and 3rd for points for

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Who's the guy who doesn't like rayner? And where can I find him now?

Danster? I think he died from frustration.

 

[AFLQLD]

Lohmann is a busy bee who knows how to get involved in games and it is becoming quite important to our pressure. It seems like Charlie is also upping his pressure too.

Morris is a real find! Great drafting. And Shadeau and Bruce - two out of the bargain bin and so glad we gave them.

Rayner just needs to keep doing it. We have his benchmark now.

Ashcroft’s super quick touch is coming back now he is settling back in.

We really looked a class above them.

Well done Frog!

 

[Paul Mac]

Just got home from game. Great whole game performance today. Well done Froggy, loved Kai and Cam's game. But seriously what a putrid performance from the saints today. No dare, did not try and take the game on. Was just putrid from the saints today. One of the few games i have attended with an opposition supporter base with no enthusiasm, noise or anything. The times at the game where it was dead silence during the game was unbelievable.
Even before the game when announcer introducing each player of the saints , it was dead.

 

[buttermuffs]

The busker was having a beer by the time I went past and still singing.

Smith was great as was Morris, especially early. Obviously the usuals were all fantastic but I want to give a shout out to WAshcroft, he stepped up again today, he was changing direction quickly too, good signs.

We suddenly have a bit of depth, great to see. The pressure was amazing but I have to say, St Kilda really played dumb footy, they seemed to just do everything so slowly.

To be fair when we just got up by 60+ angry had only scored one goal it was brought up that we had like 50 of out 70 points scored off turnover. They had been trying to play quick in the first half and it gave them one goal and gave us 50+ points. It wasn’t a viable way to win the game for them and while they looked better with a slower build up it was never going to get them back in it.

I’d assume in an ideal world they would have slowly built up 3-4 goals and kept us to 1 or none and then turned it on quickly again but we never stopped kicking goals and stopping them.

 

[buttermuffs]

Smith is going to be excellent once he gets the first ruck spot. So good at ground level especially and was really nice to see him ruck basically the whole second half because of our lead. Really got to see what he could do as the main man.

 

[Elixuh]

Kai was worthy of a vote. Another great game.

Stiff was Starce and Harris who I thought were also exceptional.

 

[WheildonTheAxe]

Smith is going to be excellent once he gets the first ruck spot. So good at ground level especially and was really nice to see him ruck basically the whole second half because of our lead. Really got to see what he could do as the main man.

He even got a very smart centre clearance

 

[Paul Mac]

To be fair when we just got up by 60+ angry had only scored one goal it was brought up that we had like 50 of out 70 points scored off turnover. They had been trying to play quick in the first half and it gave them one goal and gave us 50+ points. It wasn’t a viable way to win the game for them and while they looked better with a slower build up it was never going to get them back in it.

I’d assume in an ideal world they would have slowly built up 3-4 goals and kept us to 1 or none and then turned it on quickly again but we never stopped kicking goals and stopping them.

Only my opinion but dont agree with the saints trying to play quick in first half, it was just their basic skills were abysmal and really did not want to have too much body contact today. At the game didn't feel like to me they took many risks in the whole game whatsoever.

 

[Tom14]

Only my opinion but dont agree with the saints trying to play quick in first half, it was just their basic skills were abysmal and really did not want to have too much body contact today. At the game didn't feel like to me they took many risks in the whole game whatsoever.

Completely agree. I was beyond bored.

They’d get the ball 65-70 out, see Harris inside D50 and then slow it up and switch it. No dare at all.

 

[questeds]

Geez that was a clinic! Couple of things I felt we still weren't laying tackles - Fletcher in particular just watches the man, even when he's right next to him. A couple of plays the Saints would have walked around 4 or 5 of our guys without being touched. Having said that, they were isolated incidents and pressure was off the chain.

Love the form of Rayner, Lohmann and Neale, Dunkley and Clugga sublime. Joey getting busy and really happy Morris got a couple to go with some good pressure.

Backline, well, what can you even say. Andrews, Starc, just beautiful, Zorks and Motty breaking things open and Brain I thought did a lot better than last week.

Really, really difficult to pick fault in that comprehensive win. I think a big challenge next week against GWS but we looking real good.

 

[Sproj]

Just got home from game. Great whole game performance today. Well done Froggy, loved Kai and Cam's game. But seriously what a putrid performance from the saints today. No dare, did not try and take the game on. Was just putrid from the saints today. One of the few games i have attended with an opposition supporter base with no enthusiasm, noise or anything. The times at the game where it was dead silence during the game was unbelievable.
Even before the game when announcer introducing each player of the saints , it was dead.

It felt like us Lions' fans were way noisier but yeah, there wasn't much atmosphere there for the most part.

 

[Section 5]

We played 4 solid quarters to the Saints nil.
Quarter by quarter scores Lions: 4.0, 5.3, 4.3, 6.4.
The Saints were never in the game, but it was good to see our boys never went into defensive mode during the game.

No stress for us fans today and it also looks like no injuries as Charlie looks okay.
A good overall team effort.
Contested possession Lions: +43
Clearance Lions: +21

The Saints were poor, but the Lions were also very good.
Next week v Giants will be a better test.
2nd spot on the ladder up for grabs and in the Lions case maybe even top spot.
Will settle for a win and still sitting 2nd.

 

[braddsey]

Just got home from game. Great whole game performance today. Well done Froggy, loved Kai and Cam's game. But seriously what a putrid performance from the saints today. No dare, did not try and take the game on. Was just putrid from the saints today. One of the few games i have attended with an opposition supporter base with no enthusiasm, noise or anything. The times at the game where it was dead silence during the game was unbelievable.
Even before the game when announcer introducing each player of the saints , it was dead.

Yeah, that was pretty awful. All the big intros of their players, absolute silence. Really bizarre. Luckily our fans turned up!

Awesome game, could have played the mercy rule at 3/4 time and got home early.
The Saints were awful and the pressure must have been way down. That said, we were tough, clinical, and very few errors. Kicking our goals in the first qtr made such a difference to the team.

Rayner has been getting consistently 20+ touches. Whatever they changed, it worked.

Congrats Froggy.

 

[beardancer]

Smith is promising but I reckon Darcy Fort

32

Darcy Fort

Age

31

Ht

204cm

Wt

98kg

Pos.

F/R

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.6

2star

K

5.8

2star

HB

2.9

3star

M

1.9

2star

T

1.8

4star

G

0.8

4star

D

9.2

2star

K

6.0

2star

HB

3.2

2star

M

1.8

2star

T

1.8

3star

G

0.2

3star

D

7.6

2star

K

5.4

2star

HB

2.2

2star

M

2.0

3star

T

1.2

3star

G

1.2

4star

is way ahead as a ruck ....and as a forward.

 

[dlanod]

I have to admit I want hugely worried about this game.

The Saints are not a great disposal team. Those teams just don't do well in today's footy because turnovers kill you going back the other way against any decent team.

Their only hope is to keep it close and fall over the line, but our forward line is talented enough to make the most of an occasional chance and has done so a number of times.

 

[Elixuh]

I have to admit I want hugely worried about this game.

The Saints are not a great disposal team. Those teams just don't do well in today's footy because turnovers kill you going back the other way against any decent team.

Their only hope is to keep it close and fall over the line, but our forward line is talented enough to make the most of an occasional chance and has done so a number of times.

I think with teams like the Saints who play a system that can win games despite a lack of talent, their variable form is the cause for concern. Never quite sure which Saints will turn up to deploy that system so its hard to gauge the level we need to be at.

 

[Section 5]

The ladder position after this round last year compared to 2024.
Images taken from https://finalsiren.com/AFLLadder.asp?AFLLadderTypeID=2&SeasonID=2024&Round=21-1

After completion of round 11 this year (before the bye rounds) we were in 13th position.
After the completion of round 14 this year (after the byes) we moved into 10th position.
A great effort to get to 2nd position on the ladder. Hopefully the boys can keep up the good form.

 

[rye]

really good win

with the caveat that you can only beat what is in front of you, saints got smashed in the coaches box today. our defence likes to press up so we can get out forward half game going which leaves us slightly exposed if a forward gets out the back.... saints forwards continually pressed higher than our defence to clog up our forward half and had no chance of scoring even when we turned it over.

it was genuinely embarrassing watching higgins and the other saints small forwards today.

 

[martinson]

Our smalls were really linking up exceptionally well in the 3rd and 4th quarters and it could've been a bigger bloodbath than it was tbh . I thought today we put our best balanced team out there but with them having next to zero firepower up forward and starved of opportunity we probably need another tall down there against better opposition. Felt like a practice match.

I'd like to think we're that good . We're playing with an intensity across 4 quarters that I haven't really seen as consistently during the Fagan years. With guys like Bailey and Rayner who've promised so much starting to get to the level we need them to be at.

If I look at the other contenders our bottom 6 players are better. The likes of Fletcher, AhChee , Lohman ,Morris , Froggy, for a start are not just footsoldiers, they're all capable of doing match winning things. Today we had Smith ,Brain ,Prior and Bruce whom you would categorise as our bottom 4 with no disrespect , but they'd walk into just about every other team.

Still taking it one week at a time and hoping we can get 2 home finals and no more injuries.

 

[Denno]

Smith is promising but I reckon Darcy Fort is way ahead as a ruck ....and as a forward.

Not sure I agree (and not sure we lose much anyway).

Smith deserved a go based on not only his 2's performances, but Fort's effort against GWS. He got absolutely monstered.

Fort hasn't been the same player up forward either, since his first season with us.