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

[Joffaboy]

What is it about star players making an early return against us?

Of course he is going into the hub, he may well play in the next few weeks.

He may play this week even. So what? We win anyway.

 

[BrutThough]

From where i'm sitting its hard to tell which players are more likely to be prone to it than others.
I guess would could make a list based on previous soft tissue injuries.
Would also help to have some games into the younger players in case we need them later.

Problem:
Very hard to rest Steele , Jones or Gresham.

Even if Ross' calf is OK to go, i'd be inclined to rest him this week, so he can spell one of the others later on.
Alternatively , is this a really good week to rest Steele, with Sydney's weakened midfield?
Its good that Sinclair is in with relatively fresh legs.

But they should start a program.
Butler, Kent, Lonie, Parker , Hind.
King, Battle, Marshall, Marsh.
Battle, Carlisle, Howard. Marsh
Wilke , Roberton, Savage, Coffield, Austen.
Hill, Billings, Phillips , Langlands , Sinclair. ( Hind )?

Inside? Steele , Jones, Gresham, ....Ross? Sinclair?

Players that we can't be sure will do anything much at all in the squad.
Bytel, Byrnes, Parker.

In other years we could have easily said, yeah Ross plays inside and gives Jones a spell, but Ross has been terrible this year.

Gresh is someone we could play forward for an entire game rather than rest him all together. Then if needed, put him in the middle.

 

[Ricochet]

Of course he is going into the hub, he may well play in the next few weeks.

He may play this week even. So what? We win anyway.

I hope he is I love the big Budweiser probably my favourite player. It would be good for Howard to towel up an under done buddy

 

[RBW_007]

 

[SufferingS8INT]

I hope he is I love the big Budweiser probably my favourite player. It would be good for Howard to towel up an under done buddy

Gotta say I’ve never enjoyed watching a defender as much as dougs. I’d love to see him against Buddy.

 

[Grav]

With the short turn arounds in the next few games whether ready or not, it is time to start blooding our young blokes. Also if we need to give our midfielders a rest, we can always use Geary as an inside midfielder, at least he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty going for the hard ball.

 

[Bull3tblitz]

With the short turn arounds in the next few games whether ready or not, it is time to start blooding our young blokes. Also if we need to give our midfielders a rest, we can always use Geary as an inside midfielder, at least he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty going for the hard ball.

Have a feeling its time to unleash Bytel, with Ross being a bit sore.

 

[Squirtles]

Have a feeling its time to unleash Bytel, with Ross being a bit sore.

Nah they would of announced it already it will happen but not this weekend

 

[Premium]

Play our best 22 and put % on.
We need to be in the top 4

I still feel we are not even close to top gear.
Imagine when Hill , Marshall , Billings , Butler , Steele , King , Gresham , Jones all play good on the same day , which they have yet to do.

 

[PostmanBish]

Gotta say I’ve never enjoyed watching a defender as much as dougs. I’d love to see him against Buddy.

He's got a really interesting demeanour ... very accountable to himself, and his team mates ... generally a really good sense of whether to mark or punch, and has a way of crashing into packs that I quite enjoy watching. There was one against Port where he just seemed to float into it - don't think he won the contest, but damn it looked good.

Definitely brings a different dynamic to our back 6, and just sneaking into his prime over the next season or so.

 

[stfan]

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

That article was spot on about Paton, and what a bargain at Pick 46 he has turned out to be.

He has all the tools including an excellent leap speed to play down back. And he may well eventually make it back to midfield too. But right here and now he is a worthy best back 6 lock (ignoring the upcoming compressed season when players will start to be rested).

 

[stfan]

Hahaha he better not!!

View attachment 923179

Swans are evacuating to Qld, so Buddy had to fly out or would be marooned.

He is meant to have a hammy and so will be unlikely to be playing. With game compression coming up hammy's will need careful management

 

[Max the great]

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

This rest talk is getting very tiring.

 

[stfan]

Not getting ahead of myself...but this next two games are critical to setting us up to play finals, or not, this season.

Both are very winnable and we need to win both. No game is a gimme game, just look at the Saints after quarter time against Freo.

But now after our two wins in Adelaide is the time to step up and stamp ourselves as a serious team, or to just be a pretender. Now is the time that we need to focus and play hardball.

Win these two and it will build confidence, and also provide a bit of a gap to teams outside of the 8. Lose one and we are then back in the pack.


I still have concerns that we lack a gun in the midfield, and moreso with Hannas out for the season, but I also believe that we can have a real crack at it this year, and in doing so provide a platform to be a good team for some years.

Finish the year in a good way and be labelled a contender and then come trade time we may actually be in the hunt fora player like Kelly or Williams, and moreso if GWS to do not have a late season run up the ladder.

 

[mightymalaka]

Must win the next 3 min out of the 4 if we are to be considered a threat.
All the stats and data indicate that we are right up there with the top. And let's be honest we really be 7-1 not 5-3. Though they may well be the games that are young developing team needed before it finally clicks mentally that they need to develop that ruthless streak. Much like Richmond did and if you look at their history just prior to becoming a powerhouse they had a big reputation for choking on big leads and having narrow losses! It can work both ways though. A team where the penny drops or become like an Adel or Melb where they look broken mentally because of overwhelming failure when their moment came in the big games!

But there is no doubting this soft underbelly reputation we have deservedly had needs to be eroded and that they have to show that we have grown from what were shattering losses!
We should be pumping this mob on Saturday. They deserve it. And we need to experience it.

 

[_Maximus_12]

Port smacking Melbourne gives us a huge chance to put some space between us and the chasing pack.
Let’s see if we’ve learned from the Freo & North games.
Either way, very grateful I’m not a Dees fan.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

I'm going for.....
Hawks
Brisbane
West Coast
GWS
Fremantle

as well as the obvious.

 

[Red White Black]

Dane Rampe listed as 'Test' on the injury list.... not sure how his hand looks cooked

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Dane Rampe listed as 'Test' on the injury list.... not sure how his hand looks cooked

View attachment 923618

"Hey Dane, Hi Five "
"Owwwwww"
"OK , you fail the test "

 

[gringo2011]

Port smacking Melbourne gives us a huge chance to put some space between us and the chasing pack.
Let’s see if we’ve learned from the Freo & North games.
Either way, very grateful I’m not a Dees fan.

It's a really even season, 2 losses and you drop back down near the bottom again.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

It's a really even season, 2 losses and you drop back down near the bottom again.

Imagine if we'd not choked against North and Freo

 

[Winmar2Lockett]

I notice a few are calling for Lonie's return already. Why? After his last very selfish game, and having being in poor form for a while, I would be bringing in Byrnes, Bytel, and maybe Philips, before him.

Do we really think that Lonie was dropped for

1) taking a free kick that the umpire incorrectly paid to him.
2) shanking a shot at goal from a range that he's kicked before

or

Simply being out of form.

 

[mightymalaka]

Do we really think that Lonie was dropped for

1) taking a free kick that the umpire incorrectly paid to him.
2) shanking a shot at goal from a range that he's kicked before

or

Simply being out of form.

Possibly all three. He hasn't been terrible and neither had Marsh. So it's good to see the standards have lifted considerably and that every player now needs to be accountable! If your not contributing strongly or adhering to team instructions back you go until you learn. This applies for everyone in the side. Except for golden boy Seb who continues to live a Charmed Life! Suppose injuries to some mids have saved him for now. But surely whatever credits in the bank that Satan was referring to must have now gone into debit!

 

[cooperrules]

Possibly all three. He hasn't been terrible and neither had Marsh. So it's good to see the standards have lifted considerably and that every player now needs to be accountable! If your not contributing strongly or adhering to team instructions back you go until you learn. This applies for everyone in the side. Except for golden boy Seb who continues to live a Charmed Life! Suppose injuries to some mids have saved him for now. But surely whatever credits in the bank that Satan was referring to must have now gone into debit!

Satan the same dickhead who got hanners to the club.

 

[jwikked]

Satan the same dickhead who got hanners to the club.

Lethlean is the best thing to happen to St Kilda in 20 years.