Top 12 are pretty obvious at most clubs. It was only a struggle with Geelong really. You realise just how even their list is, and how much quality there is in their best 22. It's no wonder their turn came. I could have put 15 into 12 easily. Surprisingly, it didn't take as long as I thought it would...

If you look at the injury stats for most clubs in 2007, you can see why some finished near the top. The most fortunate was Hawthorn, who had 13 players who played every game, or just missed one game. Another 3 players missed just two games. North Melbourne had 10 players who played every game, and a...

Should I pass the Kleenex around?

Poor Wayne. He's done it hard, the poor dear, what with his long standing self esteem issues and awkward shyness to cope with.


Hang in there Wayne, we're all rooting for you.

Nathan Buckley by a country mile. Simply Mark Browning in a Collingwood jumper, that's all. But that's what you get for playing for Collingwood. To even be compared with the true greats of the game is just laughable. I could name 100 better footballers. Matthew Lloyd. The 'Robbie the Robot' of the A...

You only need three or four speedsters in the team to break the lines. Look at Geelong. Their midield has Bartel, Corey, Ling and co. who have never been seen as super-quick. They are no quicker than the Saints, and they had a super season in 2007 True, you need some speed in your team, but just how...

In a pretty one-paced team, Jones is a valuable asset even though his kicking is third rate. Make no mistake, he is super-quick.


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Riewoldt had some cartilege problems when he started at St Kilda. Could it be that this has flared again? The Herald Sun reported last week that he had knee tendonitis, which as I mentioned in a previous post, is a bugger of a complaint - very painful, and reduces a player's ability to do a lot of r...

Andy's been eating the stupid pills again

My wish list: Armitage to show something, and run out the game. Geary to show why he was elevated to the main list Gardiner and King to get though unscathed and have sufficient game time Howard to play, and use his superior pace to advantage Allen and Steven to play, just so we can get a look at them.

Also, I notice in the Herald Scum that Gram has a hip injury. Is this the same hip injury that troubled him for nearly all of last season?

Another worry, as he's in out top 4 most important players.


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My understanding is that Riewoldt's knee soreness has been brewing since mid January. The positive is that it didn't flare up two weeks from the start of the season proper. We know he had a solid base up until January, so some rest now might see it settle down a little bit without adversely effectin...

Knee tendonitis is a bugger of a complaint - very painful, hard to shake off, and can really restrict the ability to do a lot of running during a game. We may be seeing Riewoldt playing out of the goal square a bit this year with Koschitske pushing up the ground. Riewoldt will have to be managed ver...

I think 6PR are on the money!

A couple of those two weekers might be a wee bit longer, though. Don't be at all surprised.....

When does the game start?

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Don't be surprised if Riewoldt or Hudghton don't play.

I think they're being cautious with those two.


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Ladder Position (after H&A): 7
After Finals: 3
Win/Loss: 13/9
B & F: Sam Fisher
Top 3 Brownlow: Dal Santo, Hayes, Gram
Biggest Saints Headline: Top Geary: Jarryn overtakes the fancies.
Best Win: v Hawthorn
Most Improved: Raphael Clarke
Best Rookie: Geary
Under the Radar: Aaron Fiora

The thing I liked the most was that Greg Hutchison is also 'Senior Development Coach'.

Hallelujah!!!!

No more Saints up-and-comers sitting on the pine for weeks on end. Nice work by Lyon and the board on that one.

Positives from 2007: New fitness team in place with an excellent track record New football manager replacing Ken Sheldon Greg Huthcinson being appointed as coach of Casey. We should see a more harmonious relationship this year, which will assist our developing players The development of Attard and G...

Blake - Achiever. Has made the most of the talent he possesses Baker - High achiever. Other clubs would love to have him Michael Rix - Achiever. Limited talent, yet has played AFL because of his hard work Gram - Achiever. Never got a look in at Brisbane, but has blossomed into one of the most damagi...

A GRADE

Riewoldt
HARVEY
Hayes
Dal Santo
Gram
Ball
Goddard
Hudghton
S.Fisher

A CHANCE TO BECOME A GRADE THIS YEAR

X.Clarke
Montagna

Take Gehrig and Harvey out of the equation and replace them with 18 year olds and the average age would drop down to where Collingwood sits on the list.

If the Kangaroos don't want the deal, then I'd take it. Consider this: Massive AFL support (which we've never had) Huge injection of cash over a long period (which we've never had) Possibility of zoned draft concessions (which we've never had) All this and still playing a huge slice of games in Melb...

I'm on board

No one here knows what the financial gains may be. They could be huge, and if that's the case, the club should go for it. We have only made a profit in recent years due to internal cost cutting, all this occurring during a successul period. The board has every right to investigate the option and cho...

Leigh Fisher was in our top three players up until round 14 this year. He's no speedster, but he's an honest hard worker who you know will give 100% in every single contest. Birss is wishy-washy and would need to improve about 20% to become a regular in our team. Not all players need to be superstar...