Autopsy Round 7, 2024: Port Adelaide v St.Kilda

[Diehard Saint]

The funny thing is they let Greene off for a dangerous tackle the week we played them but now they suddenly care enough to give Higgins 3.

3 weeks is a joke.

Just not a funny one

 

[Big 0]

Really hope the Steele injury doesn’t linger, he was just starting to look like his old self again

 

[saint66au]

Have to say I’m starting to think we have to be bold to seriously go forward
It’s a fine line though…sell too much end up in Nth land
But….sell 1 or 2 and eke out another top 10 pick….bring in 2 gun mids ….things turn…
I agree before Tassie get in…
But who??? Who would you put up to get serious interest….youre in Marshall territory there….cause Ross ain’t gonna get that done…. there ain’t much else…
I’m not sure we have anything tbh

We do that.....then draft Clark and Coffield v2.0

Then what?

 

[Dr Spaceman]

I would like to hear how Higgins was supposed to tackle Aliir, he is half his size, he had to use some force to bring him to ground.

It's not his fault that Aliir fell awkwardly to ground and got concussed, he was probably caught off guard that Higgins laid a tackle.

It just got worse

 

[SG34]

I don’t believe North and St Kilda, and perhaps even Melbourne in leaner times can profit from tanking and sinking, but Hunter Clark

11

Hunter Clark

Age

25

Ht

186cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.5

4star

K

9.5

4star

HB

8.0

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.3

3star

D

16.0

4star

K

9.6

4star

HB

6.4

4star

M

3.1

3star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.9

4star

D

13.2

4star

K

6.6

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

2.2

3star

T

2.0

4star

CL

0.0

1star

was looking a likely North candidate a couple of seasons ago (maybe even one season? ago) and what would we have got for him? I do wonder. Still think our best bet, until Tasmania settles , is to be a poacher like team. Aka Sydney before academy really helped them. Let Hawthorn, West Coast, Tassie, North get em first, then watch carefully and scoop up the damage.

 

[70s sainter]

Three!? We are the AFL’s punching bag.

Kosi v giansiacusa
Baker attempted striking
King
Windhager
Higgins
We set precedence for a living

 

[tomjoad]

Big names ay. Steele, Marshall, Wilkie, Sinclair?
Who goes??

That's the problem isn't it? We lose any of them and the senior core crumbles...no one is going to take a banged up Jones, Crouch, or Butler (who I wouldn't get rid of anyway, personally speaking...same with Crouch...depending on how bad his knee is) Membrey, Paton, and Howard could potentially make way...but for what, hopes of a second rounder, but more likely a third and fourth by the time North, GWS, and GC pillage everything, and every other team takes their father/son talents? Then there's JWeb, Wood, and Hill, all of whom are too near the end, and are still too vital for to us to lose anyway.
We got nothin in the 25+ age group to move on
The only card we hold is Battle, and I would be loathe to lose him.
The high draft kids however have currency...we just have too few to spare.
Collard and Pou anyone??
Anyone??
No...but, but, that's our playing hand.

Edit: Pou has re signed for two years apparently.

 

[tomjoad]

I would have gone to the dogs game but I had covid. Couldn't get to the pies game as I had my kids.

I was going to take my girlfriend this coming weekend but the thought of watching us against north doesn't exactly fill me with excitement.

I honestly hate watching us mate... even on tv.

We are an ugly, ugly team to watch.

100% I have only watched us play the full game against Collingwood this year. Didn't make it past quarter time against the dogs.
Turned off the game the moment the flog umpires gave Dixon the goal in the 4th.
It has been a poor year

 

[Tyrian Lonestar]

Kosi v giansiacusa
Baker attempted striking
King
Windhager
Higgins
We set precedence for a living

Gherig - tummy tap that wouldn't have hurt a fly
Ben Long - potential to cause injury but no injury occurred

 

[Kennedy84]

Kosi v giansiacusa
Baker attempted striking
King
Windhager
Higgins
We set precedence for a living

Long too. Except the precedent never stands in other cases.

 

[tomjoad]

I think the biggest moment of incompetence from the umpires last night was asking for a score review, in a behind (so not if it was touched) to see if this ball crossed the line.

View attachment 1972245

Bearing in mind the commentators noted the afl had said they were aiming to reduce score reviews at the start of the game.

Mate, balls in the middle of the ******* cheer squad

Probably trying to see if they could squeeze and manipulate another Port goal out of it, or at least make it a free kick because Battle was looking at the Port guy **** eyed.
Unfortunately for Port, in this passage of play...they lost

(Why has this post been edited with the word C-O-C-K being replaced by utensil?? What is happening to this site!?)

 

[MOLTEN GANGLANDS]

I’ve said this before - I think Higgins has a massive heart and is a real goer - but if you can’t kick and therefore can’t kick set shots you are not a premiership (or close) small forward
So I’m ok if he misses a few weeks and someone else gets a chance
BUT the suspension I think is total b#llsh1t

If you look at the final moments when Allir hits the ground Higgins is hardly touching him

He does initially have him and is trying to rotate him to the ground but Allir jumps free trying to kick the ball and the momentum of that predominantly is what results in his hitting the floor - Higgins attempt at tackle was almost a precursor and arguably an inititiating factor but at the end of the day it was Allirs own momentum from an awkward starting point that was the issue

he's our leading goal kicker 2 years running? there are 5 other spots in the forward line for you to experiment with

 

[Diehard Saint]

Kosi v giansiacusa
Baker attempted striking
King
Windhager
Higgins
We set precedence for a living

Ben Long for potential to cause damage ( that was a first)

And then the non-calls…
Hall vs Mc Guire
The Crows player who rearranged Hunter Clark’s face
And probably plenty of others I can’t recall…

 

[Diehard Saint]

he's our leading goal kicker 2 years running? there are 5 other spots in the forward line for you to experiment with

Already having trouble kicking goals, we’re really going to miss him when
(because it will not get rescinded) he’s out.

 

[Ads734]

Just btw

Acres and serong were awesome today
Serong 17 clearances…

 

[SG34]

The media are just as much to blame, they push for certain players to get the maximum penalties like Webster and Higgins.

Then they go easy on the star players like Pendlebury who got away with a gut punch on Neale, 'not much in that, just a fine".

The umpiring, the fixturing and the MRO/Tribunal is corrupt and biased as all hell and we always seem to be on the wrong end.

.

This is real.
Absolutely agree.
But we can't do diddly about it.


We, as in footy fans in general, are complicit in this.
The media know it is a kind of 'hot spot' or a kind of 'fault line' that people are bottling up inside, and are unable to express for various reasons we just can't control.

So the editors know it makes good copy.

St Kilda...they burn dwarfes etc. School girl. etc etc...but they also know that St Kilda receive more subsidies from the AFL than any other Melbourne club, just to stay alive.

The Journos all know it.

The editors too.

It is a nice and convenient button to push.

Is it as hot as an Essendon drug scandal, a Clarko Hawthorn thingo..nope...but it is still a good reliable standby

 

[phantom13]

We’ve gotta challenge the Higgins suspension. He won’t get off and we’re pissing money away but that’s a ****ing disgrace.

Aliir did far more to contribute to the injury than Higgins did.

Give him a week you probably cop it cause thems the breaks in footy but 3? **** that

 

[BrutThough]

We’ve gotta challenge the Higgins suspension. He won’t get off and we’re pissing money away but that’s a ******* disgrace.

Aliir did far more to contribute to the injury than Higgins did.

Give him a week you probably cop it cause thems the breaks in footy but 3? * that

The AFL are too scared to acknowledge that a player can contribute to and cause their own concussion.

Frankly, a lot of concussions would be avoided if players showed more personal responsibility to their own health. Take Windy's suspension as an example - his alternative to 'bumping' was colliding with the opposition player head on and risking his own concussion. As soft as the suspension was, I so glad he put his bum there instead of his head. Some other players would rather go for the head high free than protect themselves.

 

[StJHD]

The AFL are too scared to acknowledge that a player can contribute to and cause their own concussion.

Frankly, a lot of concussions would be avoided if players showed more personal responsibility to their own health. Take Windy's suspension as an example - his alternative to 'bumping' was colliding with the opposition player head on and risking his own concussion. As soft as the suspension was, I so glad he put his bum there instead of his head. Some other players would rather go for the head high free than protect themselves.

Yep...and umps calling htb in a timely manner. Saw Naughton get turned 720 degrees today and was allowed to then dispose of it. After that no other umpire was willing to pay htb for the rest of the game.

 

[littlecreatures]

A special message for Michael Christian.......

What a joke. Allir contributed to the consequences. What was Higgins meant to do instead?

Lay down a quilt and tuck Aliir into bed?

 

[malevu]

The AFL are too scared to acknowledge that a player can contribute to and cause their own concussion.

Frankly, a lot of concussions would be avoided if players showed more personal responsibility to their own health. Take Windy's suspension as an example - his alternative to 'bumping' was colliding with the opposition player head on and risking his own concussion. As soft as the suspension was, I so glad he put his bum there instead of his head. Some other players would rather go for the head high free than protect themselves.

Not long ago the deciding factor was whether the player's arms were pinned when brought to ground. Aliir had one arm free and the dork contributed to the outcome by not trying to take some sort of preventative action.

 

[Mindtraveller]

The AFL are too scared to acknowledge that a player can contribute to and cause their own concussion.

Frankly, a lot of concussions would be avoided if players showed more personal responsibility to their own health. Take Windy's suspension as an example - his alternative to 'bumping' was colliding with the opposition player head on and risking his own concussion. As soft as the suspension was, I so glad he put his bum there instead of his head. Some other players would rather go for the head high free than protect themselves.

They've never significantly penalised someone for ducking or leading head first. Other players should know just to get out of the way. Why start now?

 

[malevu]

Ben Long for potential to cause damage ( that was a first)

And then the non-calls…
Hall vs Mc Guire
The Crows player who rearranged Hunter Clark’s face
And probably plenty of others I can’t recall…

One of the worst was when Kosi got done for tripping. It was one of those flavor of the month issues that the AFL like to trot out during the season, then a few weeks later forget all about it. Like umpire dissent last year.

In Kosi's case he copped a week for tripping, then a few weeks later tripping incidents became just a small fine. The trouble was that the next time Kosi went up on a minor striking charge, it would've normally been a fine but he couldn't claim the 'good record discount' because of the tripping suspension. So he got a week for the striking instead.

As others have said, the AFL use us as their whipping boys at the tribunal and always have.

 

[Plugger35]

Players are admitting they deliberately let their heads hit the ground now rather than protecting themselves to try and get a free.

I'm not saying that Aliir did that but he could've protected himself better than he did but because he didn't Higgins cops 3 weeks.

It's a nonsense.

 

[jwint43]

I know why people keep suggesting we do this but it has never worked for us. Hell of all the players we traded out in the early 2010s, Goddard, McEvoy, Dal, Stanley, I can’t think of one that was even a net neutral or us let alone a net positive. If we finish low on the ladder so be it we get a top 10 pick and a good second round pick just from that happening. Just use the **** things properly, no excuses. No need to trade the good players it took us years to find in the first place.

You need older, established players both for consistency and culture. No premiership team has ever been 22 guys in their absolute prime at age 26, but that's what everyone expects. I believe Steele, Sincs, Marshall etc can all still be playing good footy by the time we are ready for a proper push.

Our biggest problem was trying to improve on the fringes with moneyball picks like Savage, Stevens & Membrey because we can't attract FA talent without overpaying until we have a sustained success period (theoretically). Our heavy investment in the draft the last couple of years will hopefully give us the core we never quite got with Billings, Mcartin, Acres, Gresh etc who were all at times good but none of them ever became great.