3 events that changed our midfield entirely

[SainterK]

Luke Ball leaving
Gardi retiring
Leigh Tudor leaving

Not sure it's recovered from these events, we miss another in and under ball winner.....outside run is hardly going to help if you can't win the ball in the first place. Gardiner was immense and really enjoyed watching the synergy he had with our mids. Leigh was a huge part of the Lyon era, our midfield built an elite reputation...structures were good, scores from stoppages was healthy.

Solutions?

We need at least one more grunt midfielder, Steven is a little hard nut but needs a hand, I think Armo is actually more suited as a rotating mid/forward...I like the games where he rotates between the two.

Ruck. I'm not sure what to do there. Baffles me even, the selection of Hickey, I'm at loss at what we are trying to do there.

We need a gun midfield coach, aim for the best and work down from there.

[St Ick]

Luke Ball leaving
Gardi retiring
Leigh Tudor leaving

Not sure it's recovered from these events, we miss another in and under ball winner.....outside run is hardly going to help if you can't win the ball in the first place. Gardiner was immense and really enjoyed watching the synergy he had with our mids. Leigh was a huge part of the Lyon era, our midfield built an elite reputation...structures were good, scores from stoppages was healthy.

Solutions?

We need at least one more grunt midfielder, Steven is a little hard nut but needs a hand, I think Armo is actually more suited as a rotating mid/forward...I like the games where he rotates between the two.

Ruck. I'm not sure what to do there. Baffles me even, the selection of Hickey, I'm at loss at what we are trying to do there.

We need a gun midfield coach, aim for the best and work down from there.

That midfield with Lenny, Ball and BJ would've helped. The kids will take time. I'd like to target Adams and Parker, somehow...

[saintsRrising]

Leigh a very good assistant, but he was he was our Forward Coach.

Ball's last couple of years with us were ok only ok. He got fitter at the Pies.

No Lenny, or Schneider at present HURTS. CJ is not the useful player he was.

Going forward we need 2 new elite mids, as our youngsters are suited to be the supporting act, rather than the main act.

I am still not sure Ben is good enough. Hopefully he improves as most ruckmen are at their best in their last half of their 20's.

[BigMart]

P66 told me Parker was crap last year. When he had a poor game against us.

[plugger66]

P66 told me Parker was crap last year. When he had a poor game against us.

You are a liar. Prove it or at least get a friend. Neither will happen. What I said is you are the king of hindsight.

[saintsRrising]

A poor midfield is our No 1 problem.

However another factor that has changed is that good footskills is now more important than ever.

The Saints in the naughties consistently drafted players that were not good kicks.

We simply give the ball back to the opposition way too much.

[Teflon]

Leigh a very good assistant, but he was he was our Forward Coach.

Ball's last couple of years with us were ok only ok. He got fitter at the Pies.

No Lenny, or Schneider at present HURTS. CJ is not the useful player he was.

Going forward we need 2 new elite mids, as our youngsters are suited to be the supporting act, rather than the main act.

I am still not sure Ben is good enough. Hopefully he improves as most ruckmen are at their best in their last half of their 20's.

Leigh Tudor looks after Sydneys midfield - they're going ok
Geelong were pissed to lose him - Blame stating it "was a surprise" (suspect a good old fashioned Ross Lyon blindside helped..)
Tudor has now coached in multiple AFL Grand Final campaigns - winning and losing
Has coached 2 VFL Grand Final teams in his own right - winning one.

IMHO we never looked better than when he was assisting Lyon - he has a remarkably strrong reputation as a defensive strategist and is EXACTLY the type of assistant that an inexperienced match day coach in Watters needs.

They must be turned over at seasons end - nothing personal againts Dean Laidley but everything he has touched turns to shyte.......not a great legacy of success and if the suggested rumours are right he's not exactly the best communicator which as a coach is imperative.

[SainterK]

Maybe I was wrong, I was so sure he was looking after stoppages and midfield....sorry if that wasn't the case.

I'd be targetting Adam Simpson, highly rated...and the Hawks stoppage work is very good....let him try his hand with our midfield as the next part of his development.

[gringo]

P66 told me Parker was crap last year. When he had a poor game against us.

You are a liar. Prove it or at least get a friend. Neither will happen. What I said is you are the king of hindsight.

I thought it was you who laid into him too.



good call on Parker now he's become an excellent player. we should be targeting Sydney, Geelong, Richmond and any other teams with deep midfields.

[WellardSaint]

P66 told me Parker was crap last year. When he had a poor game against us.

You are a liar. Prove it or at least get a friend. Neither will happen. What I said is you are the king of hindsight.

p66, a lot of people on this forum like BigMart and despise you, so get your facts right.
Your friends, p66, run around like little ballet dancers, carrying a whistle and pretend to understand a game that most of them have never played (except Leigh Fisher & Jordan Bannister)

[saintsRrising]

Leigh a very good assistant, but he was he was our Forward Coach.

Ball's last couple of years with us were ok only ok. He got fitter at the Pies.

No Lenny, or Schneider at present HURTS. CJ is not the useful player he was.

Going forward we need 2 new elite mids, as our youngsters are suited to be the supporting act, rather than the main act.

I am still not sure Ben is good enough. Hopefully he improves as most ruckmen are at their best in their last half of their 20's.

Leigh Tudor looks after Sydneys midfield - they're going ok
Geelong were pissed to lose him - Blame stating it "was a surprise" (suspect a good old fashioned Ross Lyon blindside helped..)
Tudor has now coached in multiple AFL Grand Final campaigns - winning and losing
Has coached 2 VFL Grand Final teams in his own right - winning one.

IMHO we never looked better than when he was assisting Lyon - he has a remarkably strrong reputation as a defensive strategist and is EXACTLY the type of assistant that an inexperienced match day coach in Watters needs.

They must be turned over at seasons end - nothing personal againts Dean Laidley but everything he has touched turns to shyte.......not a great legacy of success and if the suggested rumours are right he's not exactly the best communicator which as a coach is imperative.

Did you miss the bit where I said that Tudor was a very good assistant??????

[Teflon]

Leigh a very good assistant, but he was he was our Forward Coach.

Ball's last couple of years with us were ok only ok. He got fitter at the Pies.

No Lenny, or Schneider at present HURTS. CJ is not the useful player he was.

Going forward we need 2 new elite mids, as our youngsters are suited to be the supporting act, rather than the main act.

I am still not sure Ben is good enough. Hopefully he improves as most ruckmen are at their best in their last half of their 20's.

Leigh Tudor looks after Sydneys midfield - they're going ok
Geelong were pissed to lose him - Blame stating it "was a surprise" (suspect a good old fashioned Ross Lyon blindside helped..)
Tudor has now coached in multiple AFL Grand Final campaigns - winning and losing
Has coached 2 VFL Grand Final teams in his own right - winning one.

IMHO we never looked better than when he was assisting Lyon - he has a remarkably strrong reputation as a defensive strategist and is EXACTLY the type of assistant that an inexperienced match day coach in Watters needs.

They must be turned over at seasons end - nothing personal againts Dean Laidley but everything he has touched turns to shyte.......not a great legacy of success and if the suggested rumours are right he's not exactly the best communicator which as a coach is imperative.

Did you miss the bit where I said that Tudor was a very good assistant??????

Thought I was backing up what u said?
Can you show me where I was having a go?

touch paranoid?

[bobmurray]

[Bernard Shakey]

Ruck. I'm not sure what to do there. Baffles me even, the selection of Hickey, I'm at loss at what we are trying to do there.

Hickey will be a gun. He's only 22. Big blokes take longer to develop.

[BigMart]

Who's the liar.... Haha

[SainterK]

Ruck. I'm not sure what to do there. Baffles me even, the selection of Hickey, I'm at loss at what we are trying to do there.

Hickey will be a gun. He's only 22. Big blokes take longer to develop.

It's not that I don't think he'll be anything, just what is the thought process and where does it leave Ben if we have two specialist ruckman?

[BigMart]

I learned how to search.....

24/25 May 2012
Thread Title
Luke Parker

[Bernard Shakey]

Ruck. I'm not sure what to do there. Baffles me even, the selection of Hickey, I'm at loss at what we are trying to do there.

Hickey will be a gun. He's only 22. Big blokes take longer to develop.

It's not that I don't think he'll be anything, just what is the thought process and where does it leave Ben if we have two specialist ruckman?

We don't have two specialist ruckmen, because neither could be called that.
Ben is a possible future captain of this club, and Tom will be a very good playerin the not to distant future.

The game is going back to where it was thirty or forty years ago. Every club will be playing two and even three ruckmen, but they will also have to be able to play forward or back. Before interchange this was the norm. Look up John Schultz, Gary Dempsey, Peter Moore, Barry Round, Graham Teasdale, Graham Moss, Len Thompson and even our own Brian Gleeson, all Brownlow Medalists and all ruckmen who played forward and back as well.

[ShanghaiSaint]

Luke Ball leaving
Gardi retiring
Leigh Tudor leaving

Not sure it's recovered from these events, we miss another in and under ball winner.....outside run is hardly going to help if you can't win the ball in the first place. Gardiner was immense and really enjoyed watching the synergy he had with our mids. Leigh was a huge part of the Lyon era, our midfield built an elite reputation...structures were good, scores from stoppages was healthy.

Solutions?

We need at least one more grunt midfielder, Steven is a little hard nut but needs a hand, I think Armo is actually more suited as a rotating mid/forward...I like the games where he rotates between the two.

Ruck. I'm not sure what to do there. Baffles me even, the selection of Hickey, I'm at loss at what we are trying to do there.

We need a gun midfield coach, aim for the best and work down from there.

good thread K man... the mid field is the biggest issue for me this year. we have been smacked in this area all year bar parts of the scum game.

[vacuous space]

Our midfield is a mess. We've still got most of our team that made the finals in 2011 and went 12-10 last year. We shouldn't be getting routinely stomped in the middle of the ground the way we are. We'd have to be the 18th best performing midfield over the last month or so. I'm not buying that it's personnel either. Plenty of teams running more ordinary players than we are and getting better results. At least one of our coaches won't be back next year. Does Tudor want to coach us now?

[Teflon]

Our midfield is a mess. We've still got most of our team that made the finals in 2011 and went 12-10 last year. We shouldn't be getting routinely stomped in the middle of the ground the way we are. We'd have to be the 18th best performing midfield over the last month or so. I'm not buying that it's personnel either. Plenty of teams running more ordinary players than we are and getting better results. At least one of our coaches won't be back next year. Does Tudor want to coach us now?

I hear u.

Said this the other day and was trounced .........Laidley isnt and hasnt been up to any job anywhere without Malthouse.

This midfield is better than what its dishing up.......saw things at Carlton game (3 in there twice and confusion was obvious) that seemed odd.

Not all just "we are playing kids"......

I think Watters style is ok in a developing side - he needs some matc day savvy round him he doesnt have.

[hungry for a premiership]

Luke Ball leaving
Gardi retiring
Leigh Tudor leaving

Recruiting Andrew Lovett did some damage as well....

[PADDLEPOP1001]

Our midfield is getting no help whatsoever from our ruck men ,Hivkey and Mcevoy look lost in the centre square and that's where the damage is getting done.1st quarter against the kangas our rucks were killed ,we actually looked better when Stanley went in the ruck for a while!