We Fielded Cripples Again

[saintkid]

"Koschitzke's manager, Liam Pickering, would not comment on the injury yesterday, while St Kilda football manager Greg Hutchison was unavailable for comment."

The story is speculative and probably based on a rumour someone told someone about someone else who worked at the radiologist. Kosi nor anyone else relevant is quoted. No one is offering excuses other than the bloke writing the story. And even he's not really. He's just trying to fill space.

It is not an excuse to blame injury for GF. It's a valid reason. One broken arm - Eddy, one AC joint - Gram, one hamstring - Fisher. Try running out a GF replay with your rotations f***ed up against a team with no similar problems and you'll get whacked 99/100 times. The same thing happened in the eliminator against Melbourne in 06.

Similarly, goalkicking is a valid reason. Scoreboard pressure may have given us some hope. We couldn't do what we needed to when we needed to.

And re Kosi, while you're kicking him, do you acknowledge that his 50 goals last year was insufficient? Should have been what? 80? 100?

I too have been exasperated by the Koz this year as I waited for him to find some of last year's spark. To find out he was hurt offers me an explanation I didn't have before.

For me the bigger issue is why our second stringers didn't out their hand up and say 'for f***'s sake, I'll show the club that pays me that I've got something to offer when I'm needed'.

Stanley, on reflection, played about 30 seconds of AFL standard footy all year. Heyne and Lynch hardly registered at all. These are the guys we are looking to. These guys simply have to be better.

Thankfully, with rockets up arses over summer, and hopefully a better alignment with Sandringham (ie it couldn't possibly be any worse), I suspect we'll see significant improvement from blokes who should by now be up to stealing a spot from a bloke playing on one leg.

Fair post Thinline but my point and others here is this: "What can we use as an excuse or part reason for his form prior to Round 14-15?"

[Schillaci]

The real problem is the Saints had to play injured players because their replacements - the young kids with 2 or more years on the list - were not even able to challenge injured players in the best 22 for a place.

Meanwhile Collingwod players including their young kids were climbing over each other to get a game.

Exactly right.

[3rd generation saint]

Collingwood played with injured players too, so far the only one we know of was Didak who had torn his pectoral muscle from his shoulder and played with painkillers.
This happens every year to both sides in the GF.
Kosi didn't appear too hampered by it in the first GF.

[saintsRrising]

I love Stanley and believe he has a big future.....BUT in 2010 he lacked muscle and concentration.

The games he played in 2010 he offered enough for a future, but also lacked 4 quarter intensity.


Steven has a future too...but evidently had OP too late in the year.

Miles played a pretty good last 2 last 2 games...but they were his only two games.


Dal was injured...but was probablya better option over any other player that may have come in.

The only one I would really question about having played both GF's is Gram who was well below his best in both games.


Howeer after another pre-season I am hopeful that more of younger players can push up into the first 22.

[Dr Spaceman]

Collingwood played with injured players too, so far the only one we know of was Didak who had torn his pectoral muscle from his shoulder and played with painkillers.
This happens every year to both sides in the GF.
Kosi didn't appear too hampered by it in the first GF.

And people must remember that Eddy DIDN'T go into the game with a broken arm and Fisher DIDN'T go into the game with a torn hamstring!

[Stillwaiting]

Another pathetic excuse for an overpaid
Waste of space so called
Footballer

you are a cockhead

[saintly]

i 'd question why Eddy played in the 2 grand finals with a broken jaw? surely there was another player that could have taken his place?

[SainterK]

I love Stanley and believe he has a big future.....BUT in 2010 he lacked muscle and concentration.

The games he played in 2010 he offered enough for a future, but also lacked 4 quarter intensity.


Steven has a future too...but evidently had OP too late in the year.

Miles played a pretty good last 2 last 2 games...but they were his only two games.


Dal was injured...but was probablya better option over any other player that may have come in.

The only one I would really question about having played both GF's is Gram who was well below his best in both games.


Howeer after another pre-season I am hopeful that more of younger players can push up into the first 22.

This.

Not sure I see many alternatives offered by people criticising the selection/s?

Gram may of improved GF2, we'll never know because he got another significant injury during the game.

[saint66au]

Every single year stories emerge after the Grand Final of players who either went into the game with a significamt injury, or incurred one during the match but played on

This year was no exception but its not something unique to St Kilda

[Con Gorozidis]

As I said to a mate who is a Pies supporter before the GF- if Lyon plays injured players in a Grand Final, it will bite us on the bum and they wont last the distance. With Gram and NDS unable to stretch and kick properly due to injuries we were always going to get exposed. Nuff said, and I hope RL learnt his lesson.

learnt his lesson? mmm hasnt it been mantra afl circles for years that u dont play injured players in finals? it ALWAYS bites u in the bum.

the bloke is so stubborn. im a massive fan of grammy - but an injured groin is an injured groin. there is nothing u can do about it. so he should have showed faith in Miles who had not put a foot wrong in the last few rounds. If he played Miles in GF 1 and we got a draw - Gram might have been healed by GF 2.

[Thinline]

As I said to a mate who is a Pies supporter before the GF- if Lyon plays injured players in a Grand Final, it will bite us on the bum and they wont last the distance. With Gram and NDS unable to stretch and kick properly due to injuries we were always going to get exposed. Nuff said, and I hope RL learnt his lesson.

learnt his lesson? mmm hasnt it been mantra afl circles for years that u dont play injured players in finals? it ALWAYS bites u in the bum.

the bloke is so stubborn. im a massive fan of grammy - but an injured groin is an injured groin. there is nothing u can do about it. so he should have showed faith in Miles who had not put a foot wrong in the last few rounds. If he played Miles in GF 1 and we got a draw - Gram might have been healed by GF 2.

I agree he's a stubborn and ruthless bugger, but its seems the simple fact of the matter is that a choice was made between injured cattle on the one hand and blokes who were well short of a gallop and/or considered not worthy and/or considered not as good fit as others were injured.

At a pinch I'd have given Miles a run, but geez, were two performances where he showed the occasional glimpse enough to keep say Baker out?

Geary - assuming he was fit, which there seems some debate over - would probably in hindsight have been a wise selection, but the kid hadn't played in five weeks. Similarly Armo.

Stanley simply had no form to speak of. Hadn't played in a month and when he was running around at Sandy he was hardly screaming 'pick me'.

I'm not sure Lyon had many options available to be honest.

[saint75]

I'm not sure Lyon had many options available to be honest.

This. 100% agree. Played the best he had on the day, injured or not injured.