What's with our slow starts?

[spert]

Brisbane, Hawks now Carlton...all slow starts and give the opposition a match-winning advantage. Worried about the midfield work and lack of defensive game around the ball ups- sure we look a lot better as the game goes on, but it's a worry. I struggled last night to see much required intensity in the first quarter apart from Jones and Longer and just maybe a couple of others. Unless AR addresses this, we will be regularly losing by 5 goals min.

[dragit]

Unless AR addresses this, we will be regularly losing by 5 goals min.

We will be regularly losing by a 5 goal minimum whatever AR does. Get used to it.

13 players under 50 games, most of them under 20.

[Saint wagga]

Younger players will continue to struggle to adapt and think things through during a quarter, especially the first quarter if things are not going the right way in a hurry...its something that hopefully will come with more games across the board, that ability to adjust, and step up when needed to find that extra ie: to counter a fast start...scoreboard pressue always helps and you look at last night and think...if SHenton had drilled his shot early in the 1st, it steadies quickly and everyone gets a lift...missing chances against the run of play especially early is something we can't afford as a really young team where confidence and scoreboard pressue just influence that bit more than a team full of experienced players IMO

[SainterK]

The start would of been much worse if Carlton had kicked straight.

Agree it's been consistent this year.

Disagree the kids are an excuse, I think getting them up and about early in a game does fall on the coach.

Tiring late is easier to excuse IMO.

[dragit]

The start would of been much worse if Carlton had kicked straight.

Agree it's been consistent this year.

Disagree the kids are an excuse, I think getting them up and about early in a game does fall on the coach.

Tiring late is easier to excuse IMO.

Well when you have Luke Dunstan (7 games) going head to head with Kade SImpson (200+ games) you are going to see the difference in experience pretty quickly… hence the first 2 goals last night.

It's not all about intensity, experience and knowledge of the game are pretty important too.

[SainterK]

Fair call.

So you think that's why after half time, they come out with renewed intensity? They realise energy and experience has been expended a little, and they have more of a chance to match it?

Still think they've been a bit flat, overall.

[skeptic]

i reckon it's a sign that the list is getting tired...

guys like Dunstan aren't meant to play 22 games this year and should be being rested regularly but we don't have that luxury it seems

this is compounded by injuries too

[dragit]

i reckon it's a sign that the list is getting tired...

guys like Dunstan aren't meant to play 22 games this year and should be being rested regularly but we don't have that luxury it seems

this is compounded by injuries too

Dunstan didn't play last week, but I agree they should be managed conservatively.

[saintspremiers]

i reckon it's a sign that the list is getting tired...

guys like Dunstan aren't meant to play 22 games this year and should be being rested regularly but we don't have that luxury it seems

this is compounded by injuries too

Dunstan didn't play last week, but I agree they should be managed conservatively.

Agree. Amd that's why filler players like Meister need to come back for a few weeks.

[Junction Oval]

I think that it could be an experience thing.

Other more experienced teams with bigger bodies, seem intent on steam-rolling us right at the start and our boys take time to adjust/react.

The experienced teams play with poise and intent. We seem only to "react."

[skeptic]

i reckon it's a sign that the list is getting tired...

guys like Dunstan aren't meant to play 22 games this year and should be being rested regularly but we don't have that luxury it seems

this is compounded by injuries too

Dunstan didn't play last week, but I agree they should be managed conservatively.

Agree. Amd that's why filler players like Meister need to come back for a few weeks.

Agree. That's why average filler plays like Jones and Gwilt should be regularly rotated with other youngsters like Ross, Weller, Dunnell and Simpkin

[Beno88]

From a statistical point of view, our starts are alarming at the least.

This year we've won just one of eight first quarters. Our only first quarter win was against GWS, 5.0 to 4.2.

If you go back even further, we've won just two of our last 15 first quarters. And one of those was against Fremantle's reserves team in R23 last year.

This year our percentage in first quarters is just 55%.
In 2nd Qtrs it's 65%
In 3rd Qtrs it's 82%
In 4th Qtrs it's 70%

As far as our scoring goes, in four of our eight games we've scored just one goal in the first quarter. And only once have we've scored more than two.

Only once this season have we scored a goal inside the first 8 minutes of the game (vs GWS) and we have never kicked the opening goal.

The score directly before our first goal in each game has been as follows....

R1 - 3 vs 14 - 24 minute mark
R2 - 0 vs 6 - 5 min mark
R3 - 2 vs 8 - 9 min mark
R4 - 0 vs 13 - 8 min mark
R5 - 2 vs 18 - 15 min mark
R6 - 1 vs 19 - 24 min mark
R7 - 1 vs 32 - 21 min mark
R8 - 1 vs 17 - 15 min mark

Pretty damning numbers.

[bergholt]

Great stats, Beno. I like Richo but I agree with K that the responsibility for motivating players at the start of the game has to rest on his shoulders. He seems a low-key sort of guy, maybe he just doesn't have the intensity for fire and brimstone speeches in the rooms.

[spert]

Great stats, Beno. I like Richo but I agree with K that the responsibility for motivating players at the start of the game has to rest on his shoulders. He seems a low-key sort of guy, maybe he just doesn't have the intensity for fire and brimstone speeches in the rooms.

It totally rests on AR's shoulders- the team needs to be up and about at the first bounce. Brisbane's young players seemed to have no intensity issues when they helped set up the win the first quarter in NZ while some of our more experienced players refused to put pressure on...that's motivational stuff.

[kosifantutti]

Brisbane, Hawks now Carlton...all slow starts and give the opposition a match-winning advantage. Worried about the midfield work and lack of defensive game around the ball ups- sure we look a lot better as the game goes on, but it's a worry. I struggled last night to see much required intensity in the first quarter apart from Jones and Longer and just maybe a couple of others. Unless AR addresses this, we will be regularly losing by 5 goals min.

The first quarter against Hawthorn was our best!

[Sainternist]

8 games in and we're still yet to kick an opening goal for a match, let alone most of our first goals come very late in the first quarter.

What do you narrow it down to? Too many nerves for players at the start? Not fired up before a game enough? Poor fitness?

[mr six o'clock]

So if we can kick 4 v GC on sunday in the first , then we're a chance !
Go saints !

[bigbadxav]

Unless AR addresses this, we will be regularly losing by 5 goals min.

We will be regularly losing by a 5 goal minimum whatever AR does. Get used to it.

13 players under 50 games, most of them under 20.

That's loser talk. If we start to accept losses and beltings then we will inevitably inherent a bad club culture.

Winning is everything!!!

[bigbadxav]

i reckon it's a sign that the list is getting tired...

guys like Dunstan aren't meant to play 22 games this year and should be being rested regularly but we don't have that luxury it seems

this is compounded by injuries too

Dunstan didn't play last week, but I agree they should be managed conservatively.

Agree. Amd that's why filler players like Meister need to come back for a few weeks.

Meister back for a week? Are you kidding me?
When he learns how to mark and show some consistency then yes, but in the meantime, give me a call up. I'm happy to go up forward and take the opposition on.