Saints - window officially shut

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Left it way too long to start bringing their kids through and now they have to wait. Atleast they have a decent coach, so the development will come in time.

Last nights game showed nothing but bad signs for the Saints, not so much how they played (which was ok) but who they were relying upon........

mostly the old names. Gram, Riewoldt, Montagna, Goddard amongst the bests. Didnt see a lot for Saints fans to be excited about apart from Armitage and Saad, and of course Gwilt will get better after a serious injury.

Also re ruck.....its inexcusable that they dont have a backup ruckman on their list. Only two years ago they had too many and now they have gone to the other extreme. Adam Pattison for example was drafted when they didnt need him and delisted when he could have been a depth option. Expecting Kozi Blake and the now injured Stanley to be the only options behind McEvoy was always going to bite them on the ass. They should have shopped around for a Broc McCAuley or similar.

 

[LiterallyNobody]

All right.

Let's say our window is shut.

How long will it take to get back up?

Do people think we are going to slide down the ladder or just linger around the middle to lower part of it?

I don't for one second think it is shut and always believe us to be a chance - also not overacting after losing a game to a team it turns out we are on par with.

But yeah always give us a chance.

I guess we have to wait and see.

 

[King Elvis]

Saints fans should be sending flowers and chocolates to the Freo Board for stealing their shithouse coach, allowing them to finally get a decent one.

 

[The Spike]

Missing from that side last night:

Fisher - our best backman
McEnvoy - our specialist ruck
Stanley - Young gun, fast ruck/forward
Geary - best small defender
Schnieder - our most creative/damaging small forward

plus 3 X 6 day breaks games in a row


I'm confident our window is already re-opening

 

[evo]

Saints fans should be sending flowers and chocolates to the Freo Board for stealing their shithouse coach, allowing them to finally get a decent one.

Saints played bloody well last night. It may sound ridiculous given that we beat them, but I reckon they're best side we've played this year. Every side is going to struggle to beat them from here on - particularly at Etihad.

No way they are gone. Guys like Saad and Milera have added a new dangerous spark to their foward line. And Stevens is very good addition to their midfield. Kosi is in career best form.

 

[rustyg70]

Saints fans should be sending flowers and chocolates to the Freo Board for stealing their shithouse coach, allowing them to finally get a decent one.

Geez I would laugh hard if this comment came back and bit you on the arse later today.

 

[King Elvis]

It'd suck if we lost, sure, but Lyon will still be shit

I'm one of the people who think Lyon was an obstacle to a Saints flag.

 

[Coldacre]

It may sound ridiculous given that we beat them, but I reckon they're best side we've played this year. Every side is going to struggle to beat them from here on - particularly at Etihad.

a. yeah that did sound ridiculous
b. Essendon would thump the Saints at Etihad

 

[Punt_Road_Roar]

Missing from that side last night:

Fisher - our best backman
McEnvoy - our specialist ruck
Stanley - Young gun, fast ruck/forward
Geary - best small defender
Schnieder - our most creative/damaging small forward

plus 3 X 6 day breaks games in a row


I'm confident our window is already re-opening

Was thinking the same last night, plenty of upside for the Saints especially if they keep playing with the same intensity because their list is talented enough and the added pace up forward has really made a difference.

I underated them like most people here seem to have.

 

[evo]

a. yeah that did sound ridiculous
b. Essendon would thump the Saints at Etihad

'

Well that's not something you see every day - an over confident Essendon supporter.

 

[Coldacre]

All right.

Let's say our window is shut.

How long will it take to get back up?

Do people think we are going to slide down the ladder or just linger around the middle to lower part of it?

I don't for one second think it is shut and always believe us to be a chance.

yeah this 'window shut' phrase is pretty stupid, I mean how many teams honestly think that theirs is open? anything can happen in September and while the Saints are a chance of the 8, they are a chance of making the grand final. I've never written them off

 

[King Elvis]

Was thinking the same last night, plenty of upside for the Saints especially if they keep playing with the same intensity because their list is talented enough and the added pace up forward has really made a difference.

I underated them like most people here seem to have.

Said in the match day thread - bit of canny drafting/trading, they could have one last roll of the dice.

 

[Coldacre]

'

Well that's not something you see every day - an over confident Essendon supporter.

I'm just going by current form and past form against the Saints. I'll always back us against Saints & Bulldogs and never against Hawks & Collingwood.... make of that what you will.

 

[Natho]

Peake surely will never play for the saints again.

 

[Bay Pie]

What an absolute waste of no.1 draft picks and other very early picks.

Window cooked. Will be a very long time before they contend again. Their best players best, is behind them all.

Not sure what Goddards go is. Was a gun 2 years ago. On his way out the door I'd say.

 

[bombermick]

The Saints are well-drilled and drafted/traded well, but how do they compete when their experienced tier are no longer the same players? They'll play finals, but there are teams with better young talent who have usurped them.

 

[Murraj1966]

I don't even care, I knew coming into this season we weren't going to win it and that's ringing true, it's fine because it's not our time, but those saying we have nothing but bad signs and no youth are kidding themselves.

Simpkin: Toweled up last night but has been very good all year
Steven: Going to be a fantastic player and is already pushing that title at the moment
Armo: See above
Saad: X-Factor that we needed so badly in 2010
Milera: See above
Geary: Finding his feet at AFL level after finally having an encouraging coach
Stanley/Mcevoy: Will be our one and two rucks if both can keep fit.
Siposs: With a bit of bulk will be a man mountain up forward

That's ignoring a ton of other youth who haven't been tested yet due to competition for spots.

Not to mention there's a strong draft coming up and we might lose a player to free agency or GWS as we haven't lost one yet which'd result in a nice few draft picks, so there's no reason to say the future isn't bright for us.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

I seem to have lost my intense dislike for them after last night, it must be because Lyon has left with his disgusting brand of football that he coaches.

 

[Murraj1966]

Don't worry Herne, it's happening all over the AFL world, St Kilda are morphing back into that loveable 2003-2006 team that made football enjoyable for players and fans. Don't feel bad I completely understand why you'd have hated us when I now look at Freo.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Missing from that side last night:

Fisher - our best backman
McEnvoy - our specialist ruck
Stanley - Young gun, fast ruck/forward
Geary - best small defender
Schnieder - our most creative/damaging small forward

plus 3 X 6 day breaks games in a row


I'm confident our window is already re-opening

Smallest injury list in the AFL.

 

[Murraj1966]

Yet it's one of the worst in terms of player importance. No rucks and down to one tall defender. It doesn't make for easy reading.

But at least we have no ACL's or anything.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Yet it's one of the worst in terms of player importance. No rucks and down to one tall defender. It doesn't make for easy reading.

But at least we have no ACL's or anything.

As I said earlier, you only have one specialist ruckman on your list. As soon as McEvoy went down you were prone to being exposed.

You didnt exactly start the season with a deep list of tall defenders either.

Schneider has been easily replaced whilst Geary has only just made his way back into the 22. And I reckon youre double counting Stanley as both a kpp and ruck

 

[Roby]

As I said earlier, you only have one specialist ruckman on your list. As soon as McEvoy went down you were prone to being exposed.

You didnt exactly start the season with a deep list of tall defenders either.

Schneider has been easily replaced whilst Geary has only just made his way back into the 22. And I reckon youre double counting Stanley as both a kpp and ruck

Don't make comments about things that you don't know.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Don't make comments about things that you don't know.

Respond to my comments with an actual argument and I'll happily discuss.

They went in to the season deficient in ruck and key defence options. They were never going to win the falg anyway so its not the end of the world, but they certainly have no cover for Fisher and more importantly McEvoy.

 

[underthestars]

Pardon the hyperbole (warranted tho it is), but after the hardest four game schedule in the history of victorian clubs the saints put in the bravest of efforts.
The stars had perfectly aligned for Richmond - full of confidence and momentum such as we haven't seen for many years. Against a team out on it's feet after 4 games in 18 days. Saints didn't have the energy to press effectively and shut down, nor the energy to stick tackles - hence the high scoring game. No ruckmen, our best defender out, our most reliable defender played ruck (bar in the third where he blanketed jack.r), one tall forward out, our only ruck out.
But the outs, though significant, we're not the reason for the loss - it simply came down to exhaustion.
Yet still we came back twice from the dead. Only when we had absolutely nothing in the tank at all did Richmond finally kill us off.

Great game by both teams. Great effort saints - on any other day you would've won that convincingly.
Now you get a rest of sorts (two interstate games in a row - the second off yet another 6 day break?).