Autopsy Saints roll the Cats.

[tomjoad]

Mitch looked more like his 1st year self as well.

Thought he might be hindered by his shoulder, but he was a F*&king bull in that forward line.
Still can't watch him kicking for goal though

 

[seesalswigs44]

I owe every longtime windhager supporter an apology. Kid can play

 

[Plugger35]

I owe every longtime windhager supporter an apology. Kid can play

Thanks, I'm a longtime Windhager supporter, first time caller, he is in our best 22 every day of the week, he can tag and run off.

 

[NuffNuff]

Watching that live. It was a thing of beauty.

Few outside of the box ones here.

Keeler actually moved really well and looks like he will become a very handy AFL footballer with a bit of size. Once he learns to put defenders off balance, he will be dangerous.

Collards energy looked high, he was zippy and got to some good places. Will be a lovely pair with Higgins for the next 10 years.

Obviously Windy was elite. But some of the contested grabs from mason wood and Mitch Owen’s down forward and on the wing was something.

Darcy Wilson will win a Brownlow.

Caminitis a very athletic fullback. Fits the team profile nicely. Hopefully stays there for a few weeks


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[moirae42]

Pretty sure we had a period mid way through the third where our rotations were stuffed.
Also in the fourth. Many players gassed.
I wish NAS kicked that goal in the third. Hooly dooly.

 

[Gavinmitchell11]

Good to see Collard get a taste of enjoying himself on the big stages. His first couple of games were pretty miserable.
I reckon he’s Charlie Cameron level good when he’s a finished product. Not as powerful a runner as Cameron but better (Freakish even) in the air.
we need Macrae getting as many I50’s as possible, he’s got that distinctive kicking action where he just places it to advantage. We haven’t had a player like that since Dal Santo.

 

[Plugger35]

Good to see Collard get a taste of enjoying himself on the big stages. His first couple of games were pretty miserable.
I reckon he’s Charlie Cameron level good when he’s a finished product. Not as powerful a runner as Cameron but better (Freakish even) in the air.
we need Macrae getting as many I50’s as possible, he’s got that distinctive kicking action where he just places it to advantage. We haven’t had a player like that since Dal Santo.

Collard was pretty good, he looked like a proper AFL small forward tonight, he worked up and back and got on the end of a couple.

You should know all about the small forward craft though Gavin Mitchell, you were no mug yourself, you won a game for us in WA.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

What a f***ing liability Zac Jones is ???
Go you Saints!!!

 

[Big 0]

Steele while well off his best really feels like the glue in that midfield, generally relentless pressure wise and clean. Can’t ask for much more if he keeps putting that kind of thing out, makes it much easier when Macrae is playing like an offensive powerhouse

 

[Sarcoidevo]

Yep everyone wrote us off ... bottom 3 or 4 .... Geelong by 8 goals .... even I said predicted a 6 goal loss (injuries was my reasoning)

But hell there is nothing better than a win against the odds

Most of us don't ask for anything more than bringing effort and heart and it was there in full display tonight

We had 4 players who had played less than 3 senior games each .... the experience yesterday would be priceless

Shows what can happen if you are 100% committed and switched on

Stick that one up yer furry feline clackers Freelong

 

[Sarcoidevo]

Also actually thought our clearance work looked better ... a lot more organised

We lost center clearances by 1 but won the stoppage clearances and overall total clearances

Of course Marshall was huge and he did a great job taking away SDK's run and jump by engaging him early but our attack on the ball and man around the contest and our ability to find a loose man outside when we won it was encouraging

 

[Ilovewindy]

I owe every longtime windhager supporter an apology. Kid can play

Thank you

 

[Ducky Tie]

Assuming Garcia comes into the 22 for Clark. Leaves a role available for someone to come in from Sandringham today, into next week's 22, and one person to come in as the sub. You'd assume Sharman also comes straight back in.

 

[Zzzed]

Great comments.

Windy plays at the level we need him at when used as a tagger . There won’t be a tag every week , but this is a role he absolutely excels in with the oppo’s best player taking him to the ball.

Caminiti I hope we persist with in defence. He is going to have the odd stinker , but better to persist with him than fall back on Cordy.

Wood has to finish his career playing as a half forward . Can take a mark and looks dangerous as a roaming 3rd tall forward option.

Hall, Collard, Butler , Higgins. Suddenly we may have a fleet of smalls. Not to mention Said who we haven’t seen yet. Hall & Collard may not have racked up big numbers but both bring some different energy to the forward line. Every good finals team has a good fleet of small forwards. Maybe we have just witnessed the birth of ours.

 

[psychosaints]

The NAS toe on the ball.

I know the stakes weren’t as high but Our version of the ‘toe poke’ maybe?

 

[Sully111]

Also actually thought our clearance work looked better ... a lot more organised

We lost center clearances by 1 but won the stoppage clearances and overall total clearances

Of course Marshall was huge and he did a great job taking away SDK's run and jump by engaging him early but our attack on the ball and man around the contest and our ability to find a loose man outside when we won it was encouraging

It can't be overstated how much that step up in class Macrae brings improves us.

 

[psychosaints]

It ended up being a stressful last quarter, you could tell the umpires were favouring Geelong to try and make it a close finish.

We didn't help ourselves though by missing easy set shots, apart from Sharman I don't trust any of our forwards to kick one.

Agreed. Look at Owens and how he holds the ball and his ball drop. It’s like a kid in his first year at football in the U9’s. If he could just get the set shot part right. Hey, the club made Loewe a reliable set shot and he was our ‘James Manson’ when he started.

 

[Oh When the Saints]

Stocker needs to play in this team when fit. He adds a genuine hardness that we lack sometimes. He really set the tone in the second quarter. Our structure was thrown out when he went off as Byrnes had to play deep back and we had to shuffle a couple of the others.

Swap Keeler with King and we kick away with that game in the last quarter. Keeler might make it but still needs strength and to understand forward craft. He's very young - plenty of time to learn. Cats were isolating him and reading it off him repeatedly in the last.

Marshall is a ruck, not a forward. He can do a 5 min spell up there but he's an elite ruck/follower.

What a win. The offensive game in the first half was outstanding. Go Saints.

 

[Sully111]

Our effort in the last was there. Our composure wasn't. We just couldn't get the ball and control it. I was happy to hear Ross mention it in his presser. I think it will be a focus for the group.

I mentioned Jones punching the ball away in the last instead of marking it. As the ball went towards him, I almost breathed a sigh of relief and was then like wtf... here we go again lol. (luckily we got the ball back in that instance). But that was indicative of the team. Massive effort but we seemed panicked.

And no... I'm not "potting" Jones. I was never one calling for his head... or Clark's... or Windy's. Zac played some unbelievable footy last night. I'd just like to see us with a bit more composure when the other team are throwing the kitchen sink at us.

 

[Rooey18]

Loved Irish’s attack on the ball - I think there was one part in the third quarter where he just went harder than Cameron and we took the spillage

 

[Saintbloke]

Great win with an undermanned team. We attacked hard in the first half, but missed Stocker's strength when he went off, and the ease at which the Cats moved the ball though the middle of the ground in the second half was a like the Crows the week before which is a worry going forward. Keeler is another season off and needs a bit more strength, but could be good, and Collard can probably get another game to help his development. A lot of Saints ran out of gas in the last quarter, but we threw everything at the Cats.

 

[bergholt]

I really hope this gives him the platform to do some special things for us.

I would've liked to see him get mobbed a bit harder, the boys seemed to get around Keeler a lot more when he kicked his first.

Difference was just because Keeler’s was a set shot so they were all nearby, while Collard’s was a fast break. They all got to him eventually.

 

[PoppedCorn]

Did well to hold on
Lost two mid otations in effect with Clark and Stocks going down
Few of the younger guys would've been tirred at the end too

 

[bergholt]

Not sure what happened to Clark but he could barely move when he was in the ground.

RTB said he’d done a groin.

Honestly I think at this point his body just might not give him a clean enough run at it. Still hopeful but signs aren’t good.

 

[Verdun]

FN great win. Love how the narrative is about Geelong injuries not the depth on display from the Saints.

Win for the ages that gives cranky ol bastard supporters like me some hope.