Our team in 2015

[Sainternist]

Gotta be down the bottom some time, we've had a good run (will hopefully be nearly a decade of finals) and the harder you fall the better chance you have of picking up some really good players for the future…

chillax, it's 2011

Does this mean Collingwood and Geelong will be doing a little cellar dwelling around then as well?

[Sainternist]

we get a new coach everyone that matters is excited and positive but theres still some dick heads out there that just love to whinge and find the negatives in everything

Woah! Time to tone down on avatar size, ol' son.

[Dr Spaceman]

we get a new coach everyone that matters is excited and positive but theres still some dick heads out there that just love to whinge and find the negatives in everything

Woah! Time to tone down on avatar size, ol' son.

Not wrong!

It's the size of Eddie's head

[skfc17]

didnt check my avatar post after i submitted it, guess im a big big fan

[clarky449]

Whats wrong with being a realist, we are going down. It will be hard and tough few years. The same people who think we will be challenging for the next 5 years are probs the ones who thought we were good enough to win the flag this year.

[skfc17]

why dont you go down and support the purple jetty lickers at freo then

[dragit]

Gotta be down the bottom some time, we've had a good run (will hopefully be nearly a decade of finals) and the harder you fall the better chance you have of picking up some really good players for the future…

chillax, it's 2011

Does this mean Collingwood and Geelong will be doing a little cellar dwelling around then as well?

Most likely, I don't remember any side being up the top for more than a ten year stretch?

The Cats will head south first as they are older,

The 2 new clubs are looking very ominous to me, being on the bottom while they rule might be a good time until their concessions run low

[sainterinsydney]

Have faith in Scotty 2 Hotty!

[Dr Spaceman]

We've just completed our first Trade Week under Pelchen & Bains.

The key will be how they use the draft picks they have accumulated.

No need to get too pessimistic about the future at this stage.

[Sainternist]

didnt check my avatar post after i submitted it, guess im a big big fan

all good.

always enough room for big, big fans on here.

welcome to the saint asylum, mate.

[Jaz]

Realistically who is gone for the 2015 season.

Definately
Kosi - Body probably wont hold up if form does
Hayes - would be 35
Blake - would be 34
milne - would be 35

maybe
Fisher - would be turing 33
Gram
and other fringe players

I would think star players like roo, dal, montagna and bj would still be going around.

Given that we competed this year without Hayes, and kosi and gram did very little it's not that much to replace.

So we have 4 years to develop a key forward (to replace kosi), 2 key backs(blake and fisher) and a small forward(milne). I think that's entirely possible.

[mad saint guy]

The current players we should still have in 4 years time (meaning for kids; seem likely to make it):

Montagna (32)
Dempster (31)
Dal Santo (31)
Goddard (30)
Dawson (29)
Ray (29)
Gwilt (29)
Gilbert (29)
Armitage (27)
McEvoy (26)
Steven (25)
Ledger (23)
Cripps (23)
Siposs (22)

Very concerning since it leaves us with basically no KPP other than Dawson adn the general lack of players in their prime. The club needs to do incredibly well in the next couple of drafts if we don't want to spend four or more years at the bottom of the ladder. The shocking recruiting between 2003-2009 is going to cost us big time.

[Con Gorozidis]

Realistically who is gone for the 2015 season.

Definately
Kosi - Body probably wont hold up if form does
Hayes - would be 35
Blake - would be 34
milne - would be 35

maybe
Fisher - would be turing 33
Gram
and other fringe players

I would think star players like roo, dal, montagna and bj would still be going around.

Given that we competed this year without Hayes, and kosi and gram did very little it's not that much to replace.

So we have 4 years to develop a key forward (to replace kosi), 2 key backs(blake and fisher) and a small forward(milne). I think that's entirely possible.

thats optimism at its best! maybe if we keep those players in some kind of oxygen/cotton chamber. roo is already past his peak. kosi is long gone.
len dog close to the end. milney at the end. dal, joey and chips probably 2 years of being guns left.
peak years are 23-29.

[InkerSaint]

Milney at the end after making AA, I think not.

[dcstkfc]

Milney at the end after making AA, I think not.

Dramatic falls can occur past 30

[Middo]

Is going to be awful I fear

Hope this is a sarcastic post or are you just turning into a know it all like some others on here ...?
I think one big step was taken appointing Watters and we have 3/4 young guys who show promise and draft picks to come and you have already written us off for 2015 ...?
Sound like the usual suspects on here bagging everything ..
Reading your posts your normally upbeat ...oh well

[Spinner]

Cripps, Ledger, Siposs, Ferguson, Johnson, Winmar, Crocker....

Hope they all prove you wrong

(plus the picks this year)

I do too K

And I admire your optimism

But the odds are monumentally stacked against us, such is the system and

the way we've recruited/developed young talent in the past 5 years.

Everyone sees hope in kids and draft picks whatever round they are.

Fact: only decent forward we hbe developed since 2000 is Roo. And he was a number one pick.

Howard, Cahill, Heyne, Sweeney and co all say hello too.

We are on a path of struggle town. Eve the good kids take effectively 6 years to become consistent afl footballers.

[Verdun66]

P.S. What I find most funny about this thread is that OP has an avatar which would suggest a fan seeing a bright future for the club.

Yeah, that is a strange one!

[saintspremiers]

Maybe for tw first draft in about four we won't pick up recycled players as was Lyin's want recently.

That automatically means a lot more kids = a lot more chances some will come good quickly like poopaloo Menzel Blair etc.

[plugger66]

Of course we will be ordinary in 2015 but lets worry about 2012 because IMO that is our last shot at it. After that we may lose Lenny and Milney. Rooy, Dal and Joey will be a couple of years older and as good we hope a few youngsters are i cant see any of them reaching the heights of our true stars. Lets give it everything next year. A good start is a must though. We must be up and running in round one.

[Legendary]

Actually it is interesting that the Saints have had a dominant key forward (and I mean top 2-3 in the AFL dominant) since mid 1980's ...

We've gone Lockett-Loewe-Heatley-Hall-Gehrig-Riewoldt ... a ridiculously good record of development and recruiting.

Crucial to find Riewoldt's successor in the next 2-3 years.

[St Ick]

Interesting really, considering a number of the players taking up the bulk of our salary cap wont be playing in 5 years time or will be veterans and GWS and GC can't keep all of their talent and heaps of the said talent hail from Victoria......

We'll be in a position to bring in a few superstars in a few years time if the players we draft don't come through. There will be options, plenty of options.

[dcstkfc]

Is going to be awful I fear

Hope this is a sarcastic post or are you just turning into a know it all like some others on here ...?
I think one big step was taken appointing Watters and we have 3/4 young guys who show promise and draft picks to come and you have already written us off for 2015 ...?
Sound like the usual suspects on here bagging everything ..
Reading your posts your normally upbeat ...oh well

If I'm not always upbeat I'm a know it all?