A dreadful turning point of the game.

[Sainternist]

Okay, I really don't want to scapegoat anyone, because with the exception of a couple of players, the team played like absolute bums after quarter time.

Jeez Louise, a nice passage of play created by the midfield which opened up an alone and lumbering #23, with an absolute paddick and then and open goal awaiting him, followed by a FAILURE to convert just epitomises how we can't bloody well put teams away anymore. The team isn't ruthless enough.

A goal then would have had a scoreline reading (correct me if I'm wrong) 6-4-40 to 0-1-1 and thus keeping our momentum from the 1st quarter going, making the task at hand seemingly very difficult for the opposition.

Instead, Hawthorn responded in very little time and a white flag was unveiled, hoisted up full mast for a Tim Watson era-style capitulation.

[saintsRrising]

Actually in that incident Kosi got the ball...as Ben got way by himself in the forward pocket.

Instead of the quick kick to Ben who was much closer to goal Kosi chose to run on...Ben got marked up...and Kosi then went for the glory shot and missed.

Apart from lack of effort the story of the last 3 quarters seemed to be to always take the wrong option.

Siposs the 2nd gamer was sadly at odds with virtually all his team-mates.

[Sainternist]

right. i didn't notice the mcevoy lead, maybe because i was at the ponsford end. mcevoy option or not, he really should have nailed that. imo, afl standard players should be able to kick those goals even with their eyes closed. bread and butter goals, am i wrong?

but yeah, you've hit the nail on the head with wrong options. there was very little heads up footy. most of it was just flat oout dumb footy.

seems to be a symptom of when you get a team which consists mainly of individuals.

[saintspremiers]

Don't stress.

I'm sure we could have kicked 2 on the trot and they would have still thumped us!

[Sainternist]

Don't stress.

I'm sure we could have kicked 2 on the trot and they would have still thumped us!

that's not the point. we are not converting from these chances. there is something clinically wrong with a team that doesn't, imo.

[Thinline]

The way Big Mac's been hitting them it's not beyond the pale to suggest that Kosi thought 'I'm as good a chance as any.'

And so it proved.

[SaintWal]

Yep agree, Should not have bounced the ball to start the second quarter.

[saintspremiers]

Don't stress.

I'm sure we could have kicked 2 on the trot and they would have still thumped us!

that's not the point. we are not converting from these chances. there is something clinically wrong with a team that doesn't, imo.

They are mentally shot.

End of story.

[Sainternist]

Don't stress.

I'm sure we could have kicked 2 on the trot and they would have still thumped us!

that's not the point. we are not converting from these chances. there is something clinically wrong with a team that doesn't, imo.

They are mentally shot.

End of story.

perhaps the club should call upon the services of doctor phil to help them out

[saintspremiers]

Don't stress.

I'm sure we could have kicked 2 on the trot and they would have still thumped us!

that's not the point. we are not converting from these chances. there is something clinically wrong with a team that doesn't, imo.

They are mentally shot.

End of story.

perhaps the club should call upon the services of doctor phil to help them out

Would make better Telly than our games ATM!!

[Sainternist]

Yeah, the public would lap it up too. The they seem to love a good old St.Kilda scandal or circus sideshow.

[Devilhead]

Kosi's dropped mark was even worse - coughed it up under no pressure and they goal

Embarrassing and lazy!!

[Sainternist]

Kosi's dropped mark was even worse - coughed it up under no pressure and they goal

Embarrassing and lazy!!

oh, there were far worse errors - obviously, not just kosi - which followed. it just seemed to be all downhill after that miss.

[Thinline]

Even in the first quarter there were costly dropped marks. Milne coughed one up that was a shot on goal, and Roo dropped a couple of crucial ones.

Skill errors everywhere except of Sippo's boot.

[Richter]

Kosi's 2nd quarter today was one of the worst by a supposedly experienced player that I think I have seen in 5 years.

Missed open goal on the run.
Dropped mark.
Smashed in the ruck.
Shocking footy awareness leading to a turnover.
Stupid free given up.

2 maybe 3 goals gone directly from his poor skills and lack of ability in one quarter alone.

I thought that he had recovered from his injury last week and played ok. And then to put up today's poor effort..... We don't really have anyone to take his place, but if we did.... he'd be gone at the end of the year.

[St Ick]

Okay, I really don't want to scapegoat anyone, because with the exception of a couple of players, the team played like absolute bums after quarter time.

Jeez Louise, a nice passage of play created by the midfield which opened up an alone and lumbering #23, with an absolute paddick and then and open goal awaiting him, followed by a FAILURE to convert just epitomises how we can't bloody well put teams away anymore. The team isn't ruthless enough.

A goal then would have had a scoreline reading (correct me if I'm wrong) 6-4-40 to 0-1-1 and thus keeping our momentum from the 1st quarter going, making the task at hand seemingly very difficult for the opposition.

Instead, Hawthorn responded in very little time and a white flag was unveiled, hoisted up full mast for a Tim Watson era-style capitulation.

Agreed, especially considering about 30 seconds later the Hawks slotted their first from a similar position as Kosi had. But yes, option to Ben was on but Kosi chose wrong option, glory shot, that was definitely the turning point.

[jmac101]

Agree. Actually feared it might be a turning point at the time.

Where kosi missed. Savage converted on the very next play for hawthorn in exactly the same circumstances and the hawks suddenly woke up.

However, whilst the symbolism is nice..at the end of the day the hawks were always going to come out stronger in the second quarter. The players would have known it yet they seemed to meekly capitulate. Not having any real clearance players against a top clearance team made it look even worse.

All in all, the saints we love didn't respond to the challenge. That's the most disappointing part.

[Dr Spaceman]

Agree. Actually feared it might be a turning point at the time.

Where kosi missed. Savage converted on the very next play for hawthorn in exactly the same circumstances and the hawks suddenly woke up.

However, whilst the symbolism is nice..at the end of the day the hawks were always going to come out stronger in the second quarter. The players would have known it yet they seemed to meekly capitulate. Not having any real clearance players against a top clearance team made it look even worse.

All in all, the saints we love didn't respond to the challenge. That's the most disappointing part.

The Kosi miss was bad but we were still up 5 goals to 1.

If we were good enough we would have simply responded with the next goal, rather than fail to score one for the entire quarter!

[St Ick]

Agree. Actually feared it might be a turning point at the time.

Where kosi missed. Savage converted on the very next play for hawthorn in exactly the same circumstances and the hawks suddenly woke up.

However, whilst the symbolism is nice..at the end of the day the hawks were always going to come out stronger in the second quarter. The players would have known it yet they seemed to meekly capitulate. Not having any real clearance players against a top clearance team made it look even worse.

All in all, the saints we love didn't respond to the challenge. That's the most disappointing part.

The Kosi miss was bad but we were still up 5 goals to 1.

If we were good enough we would have simply responded with the next goal, rather than fail to score one for the entire quarter!

But you have to accept that 6 goals up could have crushed Hawks, 4 goals up gives them a sniff and changes momentum.

In the last couple of years, we may not have played great footy at times, but we just refused to be beaten and got across the line on a number of occasions when we played poorly. This year, we simply have forgotten our win at all costs attitude, IMO has a lot to do with no Hayes influence on the field as he was more often than not the man carrying the burden of the team on his shoulders out there lifting the team.

[Superboot]

Momentum can swing as a result of one simple error and this was a classic case.

Had it hit the post it might not have been too bad, but there was something symbolic about the fact that he almost didn't score at all. It was so laughably hopeless. I had the same feeling as when we missed those sitters in the 2009 GF. Gave them a chance to rally and they took it. I like to think that if we had managed to get, say, 7 goals in front there would have been no coming back for Hawthorn.

It says something about the current squad that when a total liability like Kos is out injured we still imagine that we miss him.

[Thinline]

Momentum can swing as a result of one simple error and this was a classic case.

Had it hit the post it might not have been too bad, but there was something symbolic about the fact that he almost didn't score at all. It was so laughably hopeless. I had the same feeling as when we missed those sitters in the 2009 GF. Gave them a chance to rally and they took it. I like to think that if we had managed to get, say, 7 goals in front there would have been no coming back for Hawthorn.

It says something about the current squad that when a total liability like Kos is out injured we still imagine that we miss him.

Personally I reckon midfielders absolutely pummelling in at the opening bounce in the second quarter would have been more inspiring than any shot on goal.

[Junction Oval]

I watched Kosi in the warm-up and was right behind him as he had two practice shots from the same position as in the game - the first went left, the second, right.

As he ran in for the shot in the game, I thought "he is 60/40 to miss" and we all know what happened.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Actually in that incident Kosi got the ball...as Ben got way by himself in the forward pocket.

Instead of the quick kick to Ben who was much closer to goal Kosi chose to run on...Ben got marked up...and Kosi then went for the glory shot and missed.

Apart from lack of effort the story of the last 3 quarters seemed to be to always take the wrong option.

Siposs the 2nd gamer was sadly at odds with virtually all his team-mates.

I was pretty much right above Kosi (lower top deck of the Southern Stand) for that play and McEvoy certainly was by himself, over the back, when Kosi got the ball. Then, by the time Kosi kicked the ball, someone was also all alone directly in front of goal, about 40m out.
So he had two almost certainly better options and didn't take either and then f***ed up the shot for goal.
It certainly was the beginning of the end.
Our lack of purpose and hard work in that quarter is the thing that cost us the most, though. It was PITIFUL, for a side that were 5 goals up and a strong chance to get their season up and running.
It was extraordinarily disappointing.

[Superboot]

Momentum can swing as a result of one simple error and this was a classic case.

Had it hit the post it might not have been too bad, but there was something symbolic about the fact that he almost didn't score at all. It was so laughably hopeless. I had the same feeling as when we missed those sitters in the 2009 GF. Gave them a chance to rally and they took it. I like to think that if we had managed to get, say, 7 goals in front there would have been no coming back for Hawthorn.

It says something about the current squad that when a total liability like Kos is out injured we still imagine that we miss him.

Personally I reckon midfielders absolutely pummelling in at the opening bounce in the second quarter would have been more inspiring than any shot on goal.

I agree. We might have expected Hawthorn to be a bit more fired up, and should have been ready for it. But heads seem to drop, stayed dropped, and that was the end of it.

Also agree with your comment on Sippos. His passes to Roo in the first quarter were high quality. Of all the kids who are being tried, he's easily our best bet.

[SainterK]

Fiddle Faddle.

One incident does not excuse an entire midfield shutting up shop for three quarters.