Deplorable skills

[Teflon]

Say what you like about endeavour but the distgraceful foot skills on show tonight indicate we are going nowhere fast unless we improve skills rapidly.

We want to play on, move the ball quick.....but then hand it straight back.

No side can carry at one time:

Jones
Polo
Clarke
Gilbert
Gram
Geary

Who are all notorious for turning the ball over with lousy decision/skills.

The good news is the next crop aka

Sippos
Ledger
Cripps
Crocker

appear to be able to use the ball - now we need to know if they can get it and will their be enough time for the ageing stars to hang round till they can?

[duckduckduckgoose]

i agree but that next crop are 5 years off being genuinely useful.

We have rolled the dice in a big way the last few years topping up, and now we pay the price

[Teflon]

i agree but that next crop are 5 years off being genuinely useful.

We have rolled the dice in a big way the last few years topping up, and now we pay the price

yer....Im slowly coming round to the view, that if we are serious.....its rebuild time...

[bobmurray]

and with a shallow draft.........hello bottom 8.....correction...bottom 10

[meher baba]

You could add Ray to the list tonight too.

[duckduckduckgoose]

You could add Ray to the list tonight too.

you need to actually get a kick before your skills can be assessed, so he's not on the list.

[Teflon]

You could add Ray to the list tonight too.

you need to actually get a kick before your skills can be assessed, so he's not on the list.

yes...man has a point...and has gone missing a bit of late...

[PJ]

Say what you like about endeavour but the distgraceful foot skills on show tonight indicate we are going nowhere fast unless we improve skills rapidly.

We want to play on, move the ball quick.....but then hand it straight back.

No side can carry at one time:

Jones
Polo
Clarke
Gilbert
Gram
Geary

Who are all notorious for turning the ball over with lousy decision/skills.

The good news is the next crop aka

Sippos
Ledger
Cripps
Crocker

appear to be able to use the ball - now we need to know if they can get it and will their be enough time for the ageing stars to hang round till they can?

I think, in terms of the next crop, you could include Steven however his skills belong in your first group - deplorable.

[Enrico_Misso]

It seemed in that first half that every time we won a contested ball and got it to a man in the clear we then kicked it straight to an opponent under NO PRESSURE !!!!

WHY IS OUR FIELD KICKING SO SHYTEHOUSE??????

[True Blue Sainter]

In numerical order, these guys have sub-AFL standard foot skills IMO:

Gram
Steven
Jones
Dawson
Clarke
Geary
Gilbert
Ray
Blake
Peake
Polo

With occasional cameos by Joey & Dempster.

Far, far, FAR too many to carry. We need players who we can rely on to hit the target 95% of the time in the Goddard/Dal mould.

[plugger66]

In numerical order, these guys have sub-AFL standard foot skills IMO:

Gram
Steven
Jones
Dawson
Clarke
Geary
Gilbert
Ray
Blake
Peake
Polo

With occasional cameos by Joey & Dempster.

Far, far, FAR too many to carry. We need players who we can rely on to hit the target 95% of the time in the Goddard/Dal mould.

Is that like BJ who made a huge turnover in the 3rd today and anyway what is your point. We cant get rid of all of them.

[dcstkfc]

Extra month to practice kicking?

[True Blue Sainter]

In numerical order, these guys have sub-AFL standard foot skills IMO:

Gram
Steven
Jones
Dawson
Clarke
Geary
Gilbert
Ray
Blake
Peake
Polo

With occasional cameos by Joey & Dempster.

Far, far, FAR too many to carry. We need players who we can rely on to hit the target 95% of the time in the Goddard/Dal mould.

Is that like BJ who made a huge turnover in the 3rd today and anyway what is your point. We cant get rid of all of them.

I'm not saying to get rid of all of them. Blokes like Blake and Dawson obviously play primarily defensive roles, and don't get too many touches. Jones does a lot of grunt/clearance work and usually shuts down his opponent, so he has his role in the side. The outside runners in Peake, Ray, Gram, Clarke and Gilbert are the ones that really need to make vast improvements in their skills.

Yes, I know Goddard made a shocking blue in the 3rd, but you see an error like that from him 2-3 times a year. The players i've listed you see it closer to 2-3 times a game.

[jonesy]

It took 25 weeks for people to realize this? Probably the bottom 4 foot skills in the league all year.....and some of you still held out hope at a serious September campaign......

[35...LEGEND]

In numerical order, these guys have sub-AFL standard foot skills IMO:

Gram
Steven
Jones
Dawson
Clarke
Geary
Gilbert
Ray
Blake
Peake
Polo

With occasional cameos by Joey & Dempster.

Far, far, FAR too many to carry. We need players who we can rely on to hit the target 95% of the time in the Goddard/Dal mould.

add Roo

[meher baba]

Is it true that we don't practice kicking skills as a matter of policy?

If so, then perhaps this policy needs to be reconsidered in 2012....

[clisaint]

Our skills are woeful, our list contains too many cloggers with good endeavour. Shows what an effort it was to actually make two grand finals. I'm just grateful that I've seen the Saints second most succesful period in history. Rebuild time. Change required at the top, too- Ross looks shot.

[3rd generation saint]

Mind you, it doesn't help your skills when you win the ball, look up and find no one forward of the ball to kick to, so you have to look around for a sideways or backwards option, by which time you under pressure and cough the ball up.

[Enrico_Misso]

When someone gets a hot ball and has to dispose of it quickly I can understand they simply have to kick and hope.

I can also understand when a player who is in space and has time, but looks up sees no-one clear might then desperately look sideways/back for other options and then be forced into a panic disposal.

But what I can't accept is a player in space with time and with a clear target(s) simply
- missing that target
- or as happened frequently last night, kicking it straight to an opponent all on his own!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is just deplorable and that is why we lost the game.

[ralphsmith]

I agree the footskills of the majority of our starting 18 are below all the other finalists. Match losing skills.

I remember a few years ago it was our lack of speed that really killed us. I think the likes of Peake helped fix that.

But now these kicking skill, gees.

[Junction Oval]

I and many other posters have beenn talking about deplorable Kicking Skills since last year, which indictaes to me :

i - deplorable recruiting. No focus on kicking skills.
ii - little or no special skills training sessions during the off-season.
iii - little interest by problem players in addressing their problems.

Just watch the rest of the finals and expose ourselves to the huge difference between Saints players and the others - light years of difference !!

[matrix]

lets get some guys that have a decent kick
fitness is easily worked on

skill creates possession
possession creates decent chances

[Enrico_Misso]

Instead of looking for athletes and trying to turn them into footballers.
Let's recruit players with skills and then try to work on their athleticism and endurance.

Greg Williams would never get selected these days as his beep tests etc. would be deemed below par.

That is why we winf up with a collection of hacks who can chase and win possession but then just turn it over.

[mullet]

Ross covers skills in his press conference. It is on herald sun website. He admits that our skills were deplorable. He vents his frustration that we kicked the ball to them 4 times at the start of the 4th quarter. He gets very prickly when asked if they practice.

Maybe someone can post the link cos he agrees with everything that you are all writing.

[BigMart]

P66

As a rule, does BJ turn the ball over???

Surely he can miss a target or two??
Is he a serial offender or are you using one example to try and validate a poor argument....like

One thing i can tell you....i would rather he had the ball than
Polo, gilbert, jones, blake, dawson, geary, peake, clarke, gram.....notice they qre all defenders...poor gameplan with a modern press to have our worse kicks backward of the centre, where they are under the pump....

Worked in 2008/2009 with a midfield zone (the defenders had time and space to switch and kick under no pressure, until fisher, goddard, gwilt got the ball)

thats where the critisism of our pre season came into effect.....it was mentioned that we had not altered our game plan to improve qnd counter the presw