Preview Round 9, 2020: St.Kilda v Sydney - Gabba, Saturday 1st August, 5:10PM AEST *PRIDE GAME*

[pebblesofsand]

Yeah to me it looks the one area that looks rock solid so far. Mids and forwards area bit suspect at times but the defence is only going to get even better playing as a unit as well.

Its interesting that they look rock solid and a pretty easy selection task and the mids and forwards look like they need more work but we are the second highest scoring team in the league (71.1 points for per game) and are about 8 or 9th worst in defence (60.75 points against per game).

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Why it's finals or failure for these Saints

'An overall improvement is enough, right? Wrong!'

wwos.nine.com.au

Inflammatory bullshit.
So Shaney wouldn't have picked us to make finals, but because we'd done better than he thought , we now should "demand " finals, or we are accepting mediocrity :/

And if we don't?
We should.......

1. Throw a temper tantrum?
2. Sack the Coach ?
3. Sack Jones, Steele, and Gresham, and Marshall our midfield?
4. Sack King, Membrey and Butler. Our forward line?
5. Sulk a lot ?

 

[Joffaboy]

Inflammatory bullshit.
So Shaney wouldn't have picked us to make finals, but because we'd done better than he thought , we now should "demand " finals, or we are accepting mediocrity :/

And if we don't?
We should.......

1. Throw a temper tantrum?
2. Sack the Coach ?
3. Sack Jones, Steele, and Gresham, and Marshall our midfield?
4. Sack King, Membrey and Butler. Our forward line?
5. Sulk a lot ?

Who the **** is Shane McInnes? Sounds like someone who would want Coffield, Paton and Parker dropped.

 

[sammm]

He's been really good. Has played pretty much exclusively as an inside mid which he's thrived in. His intensity at the contest has been terrific. Has been a really good clearance player for us. Shrugs the tackle, gets a short burst in and gets a deep entry inside 50 regularly.

I've found his disposal to be pretty solid. Playing as an inside mid really suits him I think. When he played at half back or a wing for the Swans, I think his bad kicks stood out more whereas now he's often getting a kick out of a stoppage or under pressure where it's less important to hit a clean target.

We're yet to have any bad brain fades in terms of free kicks or anything like that I think.

someone mentioned about Billings going up to Zac Jones last week as Zac was nearly gong to have brain implosion and moved him hot of the way. the person on hear thought that Billings did a great job.

 

[Dr Spaceman]

So we took just 12 intercept marks for the game the other night and Paton took 4 of those by himself.

Which was a game-high.

He took as many as the rest of our backline in Carlisle, Howard, Wilkie, Coffield, Geary and Clark combined!

He also as noted had an equal-game and team-high eight intercept possessions, and got the fifth highest supercoach score of anyone on the ground.

Something tells me he ain't getting dropped!

 

[Winmar2Lockett]

Inflammatory bullshit.
So Shaney wouldn't have picked us to make finals, but because we'd done better than he thought , we now should "demand " finals, or we are accepting mediocrity :/

And if we don't?
We should.......

1. Throw a temper tantrum?
2. Sack the Coach ?
3. Sack Jones, Steele, and Gresham, and Marshall our midfield?
4. Sack King, Membrey and Butler. Our forward line?
5. Sulk a lot ?

I didn’t read it that way at all.

More that the players & coaching staff should re-adjust their goals & demand they keep winning games.

It was actually an ok article.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sammm]

I don't know where the Paton calls same from to be honest. I thought he was good all year. I assumed it was because he was a late pick that nobody expected anything of him. Coffield had some really average early form but turned it around. He's just your good solid citizen that hits the ground running. He and Wilkie both look like they have been playing AFL for years.

AFL draft 2017: Career-changing switch to defence keeps Ben Paton’s AFL career alive

Dream season: Mad Tigers fan’s perfect draft rise

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[BrutThough]

I didn’t read it that way at all.

More that the players & coaching staff should re-adjust their goals & demand they keep winning games.

It was actually an ok article.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree with the article.
If we dont make finals from this position with the style of football we have been playing, then we have massively failed the back half of our season.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

I didn’t read it that way at all.

More that the players & coaching staff should re-adjust their goals & demand they keep winning games.

It was actually an ok article.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think you need to re-adjust your idea about what the goals of the players and coaches goals already are.

 

[Pardon me]

I think you need to re-adjust your idea about what the goals of the players and coaches goals already are.

I think the internal goals prior to the season have either been met or readjusted due to covid.
Finals should be on the agenda - the club has done amazingly this season.
Only 1 game at home (which admittedly we dropped the ball).
Every other game has either been in front of no crowd or a hostile one played away.
With all these wins on the board internally if the club doesnt believe finals are on the cards then I would be disappointed. I didn't find anything wrong with the article to be honest.
Just an opinion in a forum full of them though.

 

[pebblesofsand]

Interesting to see that Kent is not named on the injured list even as a "test". Battle now fit, short turnaround (Thursday) till the next game makes tonight's selection processes very intriguing.

Will they give a couple of players a rest for this game (Kent, Hill Coff King?) and bring them back next week or stick with the same team? Wouldn't be surprised to see something like Kent and maybe King given a break with Battle and Lonie coming in.

 

[gringo2011]

Yep, agree. I think this 6 can develop into the tightest unit in the AFL. I think they are already right up there in the top 3 or 4 defensive units. The only time they really look flustered is when the opposition midfield gets hold of us a la vs Pies. That will happen sometimes because unfortunately our midfield is far more mid table.

I think our forward structure is taking shape. We are 15th for inside 50 and second for goals kicked. That to me is pretty clear indication that our mids are underperformed but our forwards are compensating for it.

I have read a few article about our structures and they have all blended into each other. It looks like our midfield is playing to curtail opposition midfields rather than winning ball ourselves. I'm not a huge fan of stats, they can tell what ever you like but some are better than others. Under Richo we had lots of inside 50s that turned over and we then randomly tried to stop coming back out but with quick entry and a full field press we never got the structure back to regularly hold it in.

This year we use the ball a lot less frenetically and tend to not burn the last kick like we did, we also tend to have enough forwards in our 50 to hold the ball in. Making or receiving the ball in better spots means we et really high conversion rats too. The worry is that sides work out what we do and set up to guard the corridor directly in front of goal.

Ratts has really built some proper structure into our side this year. If you remember Richo had every player on the ground peeling back to help defend. Often Lonie was our only permanent forward. Players like Bruce would be in our defensive 50 and running back gassed.

So we took just 12 intercept marks for the game the other night and Paton took 4 of those by himself.

Which was a game-high.

He took as many as the rest of our backline in Carlisle, Howard, Wilkie, Coffield, Geary and Clark combined!

He also as noted had an equal-game and team-high eight intercept possessions, and got the fifth highest supercoach score of anyone on the ground.

Something tells me he ain't getting dropped!

Yeah but apart from all that what’s he done? Hasn’t even won a Brownlow yet. Delist.

 

[StickyMick]

Who the **** is Shane McInnes? Sounds like someone who would want Coffield, Paton and Parker dropped.

I think he has been the one blindly putting Seb Ross in the 'Saints' best' week after week. Don't think he watches the games, just looks at the box scores. I'd be disappointed if we missed from here though.

 

[One 2 Roo]

I think we go hard and try and win the next 3, and reassess for the Essendon game. Full strength each game.

Swans very gettable. .
Suns off a 4 day break.
Cats will be their 3rd game in 11 days, with a flight from Perth thrown in.
We then have a 7 day break before facing the Bombers.

 

[gringo2011]

Its interesting that they look rock solid and a pretty easy selection task and the mids and forwards look like they need more work but we are the second highest scoring team in the league (71.1 points for per game) and are about 8 or 9th worst in defence (60.75 points against per game).

Does our forward line look cohesive? Are the 6 that played the obvious ideal set up to you? Our mids look like they are playing to minimise others because they have a few deficiencies. We can’t work out what’s preferable number of rucks, most think Seb should be expelled from the AFL and that Hill is phoning it in. I’d say that’s issues. Our backline isn’t the area that I worry about.

 

[CaptainRisky]

Interesting to see that Kent is not named on the injured list even as a "test". Battle now fit, short turnaround (Thursday) till the next game makes tonight's selection processes very intriguing.

Will they give a couple of players a rest for this game (Kent, Hill Coff King?) and bring them back next week or stick with the same team? Wouldn't be surprised to see something like Kent and maybe King given a break with Battle and Lonie coming in.

Not sure we are in the position to go resting blokes unless they are banged up ,

 

[sammm]

I think the internal goals prior to the season have either been met or readjusted due to covid.
Finals should be on the agenda - the club has done amazingly this season.
Only 1 game at home (which admittedly we dropped the ball).
Every other game has either been in front of no crowd or a hostile one played away.
With all these wins on the board internally if the club doesnt believe finals are on the cards then I would be disappointed. I didn't find anything wrong with the article to be honest.
Just an opinion in a forum full of them though.

the one good thing out of only playing only 1 game at home, is its a sure thing that the club, players etc will understand how to play interstate next year etc.

 

[Premium]

Not sure we are in the position to go resting blokes unless they are banged up ,

Correct , the team has played 8 games - once we start playing games 4 days apart - yeah for sure , but even then it should only be players that are banged up.

We have also rotated a few players through the team / 30 players have played this year with Dunstan and Hanerbery most probably out for the season and
Lonie , Byrne , Battle , Marsh , Long , Roberton with game time already this year.

We also have Savage , Abbott , Austin , Clavarino , Bytel , Joyce , Philips , McKenzie , Langlands all ready to play so we are better off than most teams.

 

[Ducky Tie]

the one good thing out of only playing only 1 game at home, is its a sure thing that the club, players etc will understand how to play interstate next year etc.

For sure. There are so many positives for us out of this strange season. If you're a team that was already in contention, it must be pretty frustrating, but for a developing team like us, we can get heaps out of it.

- Learning to play away from Marvel.
- Pumping games into King, Clark, Coffield, Paton, Long etc.
- The vast majority that will play together for the next five plus years get time to gel on and off the field. This is great for the new recruits too.

 

[pebblesofsand]

Not sure we are in the position to go resting blokes unless they are banged up ,

Why not - we will do it next Thursday for sure anyway so why not do it Saturday and then bring them back for the Thursday game.

Rest Kent and bring in Battle - rest Hill if he has a niggle or two and bring in Byrnes or Phillips - then bring them back fully fit for Thursdays game against GCS.

 

[CaptainRisky]

Why not - we will do it next Thursday for sure anyway so why not do it Saturday and then bring them back for the Thursday game.

Rest Kent and bring in Battle - rest Hill if he has a niggle or two and bring in Byrnes or Phillips - then bring them back fully fit for Thursdays game against GCS.

How do you know we will do it ? I just think unless someone is banged up you keep playing , anyway we have a different opinion

 

[Diehard Saint]

[

How do you know we will do it ? I just think unless someone is banged up you keep playing , anyway we have a different opinion

I agree. Rest the “oldies” if they need it, but for the rest keep up the momentum and keep playing.

 

[pebblesofsand]

How do you know we will do it ? I just think unless someone is banged up you keep playing , anyway we have a different opinion

4 games in 16 days - I'll be very surprised if we don't "manage" people at some point. May be the first game may be the middle ones maybe the last one but it will happen.

The reason I raised Kent as an example is that he was the one who looked the most doubtful injury wise after Saturdays game and if he's even slightly underdone why bother - bring in Battle and Kent comes back on Thursday and plays 3 games in 10 days.

 

[BrutThough]

4 games in 16 days - I'll be very surprised if we don't "manage" people at some point. May be the first game may be the middle ones maybe the last one but it will happen.

The reason I raised Kent as an example is that he was the one who looked the most doubtful injury wise after Saturdays game and if he's even slightly underdone why bother - bring in Battle and Kent comes back on Thursday and plays 3 games in 10 days.
View attachment 922945

I'd go full strength in three of them - Sydney, Gold Coast and Essendon then just rest on mass in the Geelong game.

 

[Winmar2Lockett]

I think you need to re-adjust your idea about what the goals of the players and coaches goals already are.

I think you need to re-read the article & take it as it was intended. Not everything is a crack at the club.

At the start of the season finals for supporters was a hope but many thought it would be very line ball. Now we'll all be very disappointed if we fall short.

The players would have no doubt been aiming for finals but now that should not only happen but they should be aiming to get a top 4-6 spot. Hence, goals are re-adjusted.