At long last no change next week

[plugger66]

I think we will finally have a game with no change unless Joey can come back which would be very doubtful. Simpkin did enough and so did Ledger.

[Sainternist]

Agreed.

One thing though, Gram is still sorely out of form.

[degruch]

As much as I'd love to bounce Gram (possibly give way for Monty), I tend to agree...I can't think of any position we don't match up on with respect to the Cats.

But no spot for Siposs?

[saint66au]

Apart from a 10min burst ini the 3rd quarter I didnt think Gamble offered us anything really

A bag by Siposs tomorrow may well see a recall?

[plugger66]

Apart from a 10min burst ini the 3rd quarter I didnt think Gamble offered us anything really

A bag by Siposs tomorrow may well see a recall?

Dont go tomorrow.

[Banger724]

I still think we need a second tall forward for structure, but not sure who the answer is at this stage (don't see Sipposs as a 2nd tall option, moreso third).

[mad saint guy]

Disagree. We can't keep going in with one ruckman and one key forward. Hopefully Kosi or Archer kicks a bag tomorrow because we need a tall target and half-competent relief for Ben.

Gram's effort was shocking and shouldn't hold his spot ahead of someone willing to put their body on the line. Gamble just fumbled his way through the game and loses too many contests.

Simpkin's effort is great but at the moment he's getting outclassed by AFL players. Dawson played a very solid game, so Simpkin's saving grace may simply be that he frees up Fisher and Gwilt. But I'd have him going back to the VFL for now to keep working on his game. His decision making in particular was ordinary.

If I had my way
Out: Gram, Gamble, Simpkin
In: Smith (sub), Siposs, Kosi/Archer

[plugger66]

Disagree. We can't keep going in with one ruckman and one key forward. Hopefully Kosi or Archer kicks a bag tomorrow because we need a tall target and half-competent relief for Ben.

Gram's effort was shocking and shouldn't hold his spot ahead of someone willing to put their body on the line. Gamble just fumbled his way through the game and loses too many contests.

Simpkin's effort is great but at the moment he's getting outclassed by AFL players. Dawson played a very solid game, so Simpkin's saving grace may simply be that he frees up Fisher and Gwilt. But I'd have him going back to the VFL for now to keep working on his game. His decision making in particular was ordinary.

If I had my way
Out: Gram, Gamble, Simpkin
In: Smith (sub), Siposs, Kosi/Archer

Can you explain how Jones beat Simpkin? I would be interested. And i would love to know how those guys played on Sunday.

[SaintPav]

I think we will finally have a game with no change unless Joey can come back which would be very doubtful. Simpkin did enough and so did Ledger.

I can think of one player who should not play next week.

[dcstkfc]

plugger could you give some notice as to when you are being serious? it is difficult to tell on the odd occasion.

[plugger66]

plugger could you give some notice as to when you are being serious? it is difficult to tell on the odd occasion.

I am serious. Unless Kosi shows something or Joey is back we need to back the guys who got us over the line even though the game was ordinary at best.

[dcstkfc]

plugger could you give some notice as to when you are being serious? it is difficult to tell on the odd occasion.

I am serious. Unless Kosi shows something or Joey is back we need to back the guys who got us over the line even though the game was ordinary at best.

Yeah I'll agree with that. I was least please with games of Raph and Gamble's first half.

Blakey could even be back a lot earlier than excpeted, and if so he'd be a direct swap for Simpkin.

Ledger has essentially replaced Cripps as a sub. Only concern is whether you'd like to see him playing some full games for match fitness.

If Lynchy tears it up he could come under consideration as well.

But these are all big ifs, and i'd have no complaints with no change after 91 tackles.

[Sainternist]

Apart from a 10min burst ini the 3rd quarter I didnt think Gamble offered us anything really

A bag by Siposs tomorrow may well see a recall?

yeah, i'm in two minds about gamble. shows promise one minute and looks like a deer in the headlights the next.

[dcstkfc]

Apart from a 10min burst ini the 3rd quarter I didnt think Gamble offered us anything really

A bag by Siposs tomorrow may well see a recall?

yeah, i'm in two minds about gamble. shows promise one minute and looks like a deer in the headlights the next.

I couldn't believe when I looked at the stats sheet and he'd had 7 tackles!

[MCG-Unit]

Gamble - 15 poss, 8 cont, 1 clearance, 7 tackles, 30 'pressure acts' (most for the match), 1 goal, 7 score inv.

Gram - 22 poss, 7 cont, 4 clearances, 4 tackles, 16 'pressure acts' - in 78% game time

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Apart from a 10min burst ini the 3rd quarter I didnt think Gamble offered us anything really

A bag by Siposs tomorrow may well see a recall?

yeah, i'm in two minds about gamble. shows promise one minute and looks like a deer in the headlights the next.

I couldn't believe when I looked at the stats sheet and he'd had 7 tackles!

I could, his tackling tonight was terrific. Some of his tackles were almost Gilbert-esque, where he would just charge down low into someone and bury them into the ground. I think he has very long arms, like Gilbert, which helps, as he's able to wrap them around someone and they have little chance of getting out. Was super-impressed with that side of his game tonight, went in really hard.
I expect he'll at least get another run next week on that effort, especially since he'll be especially keen to do well against Geelong.
He'll need to start getting more goals, though, unless he tackles like that every week.

[Sainternist]

To come to think about it, one of the stronger parts of our game was the tackling.

One tackle of Gamble's comes to mind in from the last quarter and it actually saved what seemed to be a certain Footscray goal

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

As for the rest, like last week, Simpkin just looked out of his depth, especially when he had the ball, or had the opportunity to get the ball. Some of it was almost cringeworthy, especially in the first half. I've had high hopes for him, but man he made some costly blunders in both games, often under little pressure (relatively). I hope it's just a case of bad nerves, because I love his competitiveness and he has strong hands (marking), but
with the regular clumsiness of Zac and Clarke (and to a lesser extent Gilbert) down back, I doubt we can afford to have another one who makes a regular mess of things down there. Pretty much every time they make a serious blunder it costs us a goal and we don't kick enough ourselves to be able to afford that.

On what I've seen of Simpkin so far in the seniors, I'd prefer to see Tom Lynch down there, who has a similar sort of body shape/size (although we could also do with him in the forward line), but looks to have better decision making and ball use. Simpkin certainly has some positive attributes, but they've been outweighed by the negatives so far for St Kilda.

Gram and Raph are a shadow of their former selves. Again I think I would rather see Lynch tried down back than Raph at the moment and I hope Gram gets his mojo back ASAP. I'd move Raph out of the backline and onto the wing, where his mistakes won't cost us as much and he can relax a bit and have a run around (so to speak), or send him back to the two's until he's played about 5 BOG games in a row (and is fully back to his old self and brimming with confidence). I've been to just about every St Kilda game in Melbourne in the past 10 years and have seen him at his best and he's not within cooee of it at the moment.

We badly need Joey back next week and I hope Lynch has another good one tomorrow, as I'd be happy to see him in either the forward line or backline for us.

[savatage]

Yep Gamble - 8 contested possessions, 1 clearance, 7 tackles, 1 goal

Gram - 7 contested possessions, 4 clearances, 4 tackles

2 players that know they're being scrutinised like hell to keep their spots.

Show me their averages in these departments - I'm guessing 1's & 2's.

It's simply not good enough to put in an effort simply because you're back from the VFL that week. You need to make that your trademark effort.

[savatage]

I'd move Raph out of the backline and onto the wing, where his mistakes won't cost us as much and he can relax a bit and have a run around (so to speak), or send him back to the two's until he's played about 5 BOG games in a row (and is fully back to his old self and brimming with confidence). I've been to just about every St Kilda game in Melbourne in the past 10 years and have seen him at his best and he's not within cooee of it at the moment.

He's had about 3 BOG's in a row hasn't he for Sandringham?

The step up from VFL to AFL is just too great for some players...R Clarke is one of them.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

He's had about 3 BOG's in a row hasn't he for Sandringham?

The step up from VFL to AFL is just too great for some players...R Clarke is one of them.

Two I think, but he needs about 3 more, I reckon, just to get the costly fumbles and clumsy tackles and so on out of his game. We know he can do well at this level, as he's done so before, but he just seems to have lost the confidence to do so on a consistent basis.

[savatage]

He's had about 3 BOG's in a row hasn't he for Sandringham?

The step up from VFL to AFL is just too great for some players...R Clarke is one of them.

Two I think, but he needs about 3 more, I reckon, just to get the costly fumbles and clumsy tackles and so on out of his game. We know he can do well at this level, as he's done so before, but he just seems to have lost the confidence to do so on a consistent basis.

I'm not being a smartarse - but I've never seen Raph Clarke NOT fumble & be clumsy on an AFL field for more than 1 or 2 games in a row.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Maybe we just notice it more now because he's doing much less of the good stuff he used to do that made us excuse those things (like the intercepting marks and weaving runs out of defence, etc).

[savatage]

Maybe we just notice it more now because he's doing much less of the good stuff he used to do that made us excuse those things (like the intercepting marks and weaving runs out of defence, etc).

I don't know mate, I'm going to agree to disagree here & say that I believe we've persisted more than enough with R. Clarke. I just don't see these positive attributes that everyone else talks about. I think our club has given him a lot more chances than any other club would have. He'd be gone a long time ago anywhere else...it's like we're waiting for some magical switch to be engaged with this bloke but never give or gave other blokes that same luxury. It's all because of where he was originally taken in the draft.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

I agree that he's been given more opportunities than he probably earned or "deserved", as a result of what he did years ago and in a final or two. And I don't think it's done him any favours.
I think they've finally woken up to the fact that he's not delivering those sort of performances on a regular basis anymore and that's why he's been in and out of the side this year.
If they persist with him I hope they give him a run on the wing, which might free him up a bit and get some of that run back into his game. It's not like we're short of options to replace him in the backline.