Autopsy Round 6, 2024: St Kilda v Western Bulldogs

[Plugger35]

Ross always says it's never as good and never as bad but tonight was beyond bad, as bad as I've seen us play in my time supporting St Kilda

We can blame the umpiring which was almost as bad as us, the 2 weeks of travel and the 5 day break but that's not enough to excuse it.

I don't think the season is over yet but that loss makes it tough, getting some of our better players back in the next few weeks will help.

We also get an 8 day break before the Port game so no excuses for us looking as tired and lethargic as we did tonight, we need to respond.

Not many positives but I thought Wilson and Garcia showed a lot again and Windhager fought hard all night, he is future captain material.

 

[Nutsngum]

Bulldogs played basically a perfect game, were heavily favoured by some shocking umpiring and we played the worst game we played for three years.

Sometimes it happens where everything goes against you but all you can do is roll with it and not make dumb emotional comments on an internet forum.

Its definitely a challenge to push for finals from here but hardly undoable and acting like its the end of the world on here really isnt that productive.

 

[Atomboy]

Garcia making 20% of our tackles tonight was an interesting stat.

 

[saintbill]

I reckon we win 3 more games this season, Hawks and 2 of North, West Coast, Richmond or Adelaide.

Yeah I reckon we win between 5-8. That should put us in the 14-16th range.

Draft thread is going to kick off real early this year.

 

[puppy_dog7]

Anyone else get Good Friday 2018 vibes from that performance?

Nah reminded me of the 120pt drubbing by the dogs 3 years ago

 

[ScrappyDo]

I'm strangely calm after that. Thought we weren’t likely the whole week and probably within 3 minutes it was clear we'd lose.
We've been riding the knife-edge for a while now. Too many injured and we've reverted to a solely effort based approach reminiscent of old mate Cho, with outcomes being similar.
The short break obviously didnt help, nor did the unashamedly biased umpiring that sucked the life out of us in the 1st quarter. Near all-time record scoring accuracy from the dogs would also win you every game.

So the wheels fell off tonight. I hope Ross uses it and swings a few changes just to freshen it up.

Outs:
Butler
Bonner

Ins:
Collard
Hastie

 

[NoisyMinor]

 

[saintbill]

Garcia making 20% of our tackles tonight was an interesting stat.

11 players with 1 tackle or less. They legit didn't give AF tonight.

 

[Teflon]

He’s a second/third tall/backup ruck.

Rough to be asking him to play as the number 1 forward with THAT midfield display.

It is but it’s not off 1 game
He looks lost to me up forward like he struggles to know where to lead/what to do
His hands have dropped away I’m not sure he’s AFL standard tbh
Not alone but have thought that for a while.

 

[NoisyMinor]

 

[Ads734]

I think the coaches have missed the mark this year. Both selections and use of players has been below what we should expect. All of sincs, Pou, Owens and Sharman have been used sporadically around the ground and it doesn’t take an expert to see that it is effecting their form and development. However they cannot be solely held responsible for tonight.

Garcia needs to be persisted with. Windy was good. Liked the look of stocker in the middle late but not sure how you can continue this without a small lockdown defender. Why name a small forward as sub when going into the game undersized? If Higgins can’t get his set shot right we need to find him a replacement through draft/trade. I think he could excel as a high half forward with a better tank, one of our best i50 kicks.

I would be happy to see Jones, Ross, Hill and Butler all moved on at seasons end.

Whilst I agree regarding some of the roles being asked of players I think a lot of it has been foreced upon us by injuries.
Ie Sharman has had to be moved around to cover certain positions.

Cama, the same.

 

[moirae42]

Absolutely destroyed on the outside. Cut to ribbons. From start to finish.
Bottom line- lack of effort across the board.
Inability or just not wanting to run.
Defensive breakdown across the board.

You could see them, well most of them, lay down about twelve minutes into the first.

Bottom line is... I think they were just physically and mentally cooked. No energy and no effort on the back of that.
It is three games in what 12 days... two of them interstate. Not an excuse, but a reason.

Regardless, what we just put up.... just feels like our worst loss in twenty years.

That was a surrender. Absolutely putrid.

Too many players getting a game with us that, just shouldn't. Zac Jones should play his contract out at Sandringham. Just take the L.

Our midfield is just terrible. That forward line is diabolical.

I think it is absolutely understandable for people to want blood after sitting through that. Personally, after the length of time I've been invested, it just blends into all the other wasted years and dollars that I donate every year.

Sitting through that shyte however, on the back of only middling expectation for the year, is completely unacceptable.

Anyway... move on.

 

[SG34]

I think Butler is done. I thought he was done mid-last year, after his third ankle injury..and he is one of my favorites. I think Ross is like Ivan Lendyl. He is a pro that does all the right things with his talent and power and keeps showing up at the tournaments, fully knowing he’ll be lucky to make the fourth round of a grand slam. He has done pretty well in ‘23 and ‘24 from a low expectation base. Membrey may have kicked some late goals, but he has not been a force for three years. He has kicked a bag late in games, or late in a dead season, but I don’t think he is on the pointy end of the charge. He has the nous, but not the capability. Caminiti is the pointy end, but he has no focus and no nous. It’s all relative of course. The main thing we saw tonight was that we let the western bulldogs announce, or rather, re-announce, their talent pool.

 

[El HOSS]

Caminiti is t up to it
There’s a reason he wasn’t drafted
Think we need to be honest

There's been some bad calls tonight....this might be A1!

You've gotta be kidding?! Out of everything that happened tonight, you've landed on Caminiti not being up to it? A kid whose had 1 AFL preseason and is playing the KPF in a team with a bottom 4 midfield that gets done by 60 odd points..... FMD. Give me a spell son!

 

[saintbill]

Let's have a look at Schoenmaker, Hastie, Collard.

Maybe bring Hayes and Howard in also.

Jones can go, as can Cordy. Can't remember the exact contest, but there was one play that came from a centre clearance where Cordy was just standing 20m off his man and simply watched him kick a goal.

Didn't react at all. Was just bizarre. Genuinely didn't care in the slightest.

Drop Steele, Ross, whoever. Stuff this old blokes cruising around applying zero pressure. Butler was on the ground for 3 minutes and had more tackles than 14 players

 

[NoisyMinor]

 

[MightySaint]

Hopefully they put the Lyon presser up at some point, would be good to see the reaction.

 

[Saintos The ITK]

**** it if we’re gonna be absolute shit like we are I’d rather just finish bottom two for the draft pick and afl assistance package like North get and west coast are asking for. We’ve earnt it.

 

[NoisyMinor]

Hopefully they put the Lyon presser up at some point, would be good to see the reaction.

It was a mealy-mouthed word salad fest.

 

[EddieMurphy]

We should be relegated for making Bore Naughton look like Plugger.

 

[Plugger35]

11 players with 1 tackle or less. They legit didn't give AF tonight.

It's always a sign that we aren't on when we aren't sticking tackles, when we beat Collingwood we were tackling hard and in numbers.

We put no pressure on the Dogs at all, just let them run around doing as they pleased most of the night, it was embarrassing to watch.

You can cop losing if the team at least tries hard and gives 100% effort but not enough of our players did, too much left to too few again.

It was a weak effort in general, we need to respond with a much stronger effort next week like the Bulldogs did tonight.

 

[phantom13]

It is but it’s not off 1 game
He looks lost to me up forward like he struggles to know where to lead/what to do
His hands have dropped away I’m not sure he’s AFL standard tbh
Not alone but have thought that for a while.

Probably fair. I think in a decent team that has a need for his type he’d be pretty handy TBH. Proper 3rd tall chop out ruckman who gives 100%.

I like him but he’s definitely limited. Wouldn’t cry over him getting punted at seasons end.

 

[Cairnsman]

Bassett said in his letter

The right way....not the easy way.

If I was a player I'd be confused about what that means.

Doesn't sound like there's going to be much winning from the Prez point of view.

And that was before tonight's disaster.

 

[MightySaint]

It was a mealy-mouthed word salad fest.

Got a link?

 

[Otiman]

The calls to bring in more 0 game players isn't going to win us any more matches.

Also not seeing any credit for us playing the 4th youngest list in the league right now.