Club psychologist needed

[saintspremiers]

WTF is the go interstate with these guys??

[8856brother]

I think we all need one for following St Kilda. It sends me mental most of the time.

[BigMart]

I am pretty sure there would be one...

[whiskers3614]

Wants to start at the top.
Can't concede the first 10 scores of the match if they are properly coached,
As for Riewoldt's turnovers and performances in front of goal...

one psychologist may not be enough!

[felix]

Freud would say a 40 point loss interstate is a big improvement from past experiences.

[saintspremiers]

I think we all need one for following St Kilda. It sends me mental most of the time.

Family were about to kill me. By the last half the they had made their distance!

[Con Gorozidis]

Freud would say a 40 point loss interstate is a big improvement from past experiences.

Against a side who hasnt won in 12 weeks?

[saintspremiers]

Freud would say a 40 point loss interstate is a big improvement from past experiences.

Against a side who hasnt won in 12 weeks?

They only lost 9 in a row Con. It's not that bad lol

[felix]

Freud would say a 40 point loss interstate is a big improvement from past experiences.

Against a side who hasnt won in 12 weeks?

Freud has no idea

[8856brother]

Freud would say a 40 point loss interstate is a big improvement from past experiences.

Against a side who hasnt won in 12 weeks?

Freud has no idea

I Hear Motion.

[Bluthy]

If richo hasn't got a good defensive system, then he needs 100% defensive pressure at all times from all players or it can go to s***. That to me is what looks like is happening. We should be able to play at 80-90% pressure and our set up should still be able to hold ok. You can't ask the players to play grand final intense footy every week like last week. Its exhausting and can't be sustained. Do we have clever enough zoning? GC worked their way through our zones really easily today. Plus they have guys who can use the footy. We need to be able to let the footy do a lot of the work instead of the insane pressure we bring every third week. That is an easier way to get through the season.

[spert]

Don't need a shrink, just need a good coach

[whiskers3614]

Don't need a shrink, just need a good coach

Richo shagged your Girlfriend?
You seem to be real dirty on him!

[Impatient Sainter]

Please send the psych to Richos office - he needs help getting his players motivated to play with any steel.

[George27]

Perhaps this has already been done, but I wonder if it might be worthwhile getting someone from the Melbourne Storm to talk to the players and staff about how to approach interstate matches. They travel every second week, and seem to thrive on it , and have done so for years. As I understand it, they are happy to assist AFL clubs. Just a thought. As there are no more interstate matches this season, they could leave it till the lead up to next year. If they want to strike while the iron is hot, the Storm have a bye this week, so apart from Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk away in origin camp, the rest of them should be around.

[saynta]

Freud would say a 40 point loss interstate is a big improvement from past experiences.

Against a side who hasnt won in 12 weeks?

They only lost 9 in a row Con. It's not that bad lol

10 wasn't it?

[WellardSaint]

Club employs a Sports Psychologist on staff.
He is Mark Spargo.

[jonesy]

No psychiatrist needed ... Just reality for the fans. When we are opened up we are found out as a group of very average/below average with developing youngsters that in combination don't make a great footy side. When we are able to shut a game down we look ok,our manic pressure can bring sides down,but when we are opened up we have very very little class to counter act it and get blown away.

Until we find 2-3 classy mids on top of 2-3 years into the kids we have nothing will change. Our midfield is horrendous , any talk of Hurley, key position players etc, is highly offensive to the supporter base. When we have too many gun mids, go and recruit three more.

[Con Gorozidis]

No psychiatrist needed ... Just reality for the fans. When we are opened up we are found out as a group of very average/below average with developing youngsters that in combination don't make a great footy side. When we are able to shut a game down we look ok,our manic pressure can bring sides down,but when we are opened up we have very very little class to counter act it and get blown away.

Until we find 2-3 classy mids on top of 2-3 years into the kids we have nothing will change. Our midfield is horrendous , any talk of Hurley, key position players etc, is highly offensive to the supporter base. When we have too many gun mids, go and recruit three more.

Some fans are frothing at the mouth about Hurley and Rockliff indulging themselves that we are a one or two players short of storming to a flag in 2018.

This is short-sighted and delusional. Mostly because:

a) both players are contracted for 2017
b) we are need at least another 5 good players to come on in the next few years.

[asiu]

Freud has no idea

agreed

[Linton Lodger]

Don't need a shrink, just need a good coach

Ridiculous statement!

[Linton Lodger]

No psychiatrist needed ... Just reality for the fans. When we are opened up we are found out as a group of very average/below average with developing youngsters that in combination don't make a great footy side. When we are able to shut a game down we look ok,our manic pressure can bring sides down,but when we are opened up we have very very little class to counter act it and get blown away.

Until we find 2-3 classy mids on top of 2-3 years into the kids we have nothing will change. Our midfield is horrendous , any talk of Hurley, key position players etc, is highly offensive to the supporter base. When we have too many gun mids, go and recruit three more.

We didn't beat Geelong by shutting the game down. We killed them at stoppages and hurt them badly with our offensive game, rattling what is considered one of the better back 6s in the competition. Honest hard working teams with limited ability don't beat Geelong the way we beat them last week.

[WellardSaint]

Mark Spargo is a qualified Sports Psychologist.
Commenced at the Saints in Dec 2014.
Currently sharing time between Saints and Australian Men's Water Polo Team;
previously at Institutes of Sport in WA and Vic (separate gigs)
Australian Institute of Sport, and various corporations, in a long career.

[To the top]

No.

I am one who is of the opinion that you learn more from your losses than from your wins.

So what we need to do is look at the sides and the structure of the sides we have chosen v the opposition (and where and why did they "get" us including any injuries impacting on performance and which can be telling) and look for any common threads (such as the opposition always having outside players as "free" options in the release and/or switch) including any specific sector where we have been exposed (and to me that is particularly in the pace and rebound from our mid/smaller defensive players who may "shut down" but do not give run and carry including length, precision delivery both going forward to options or in the spread, adding speed because space is created

If there is a consistency in such analysis, then players will rightly be under pressure.

It only takes one weak link for pressure to be applied - because the spread from that weak link exposes others forcing them to run at the ball carrier leaving their opponent to become the next "free" link in the chain.

As I put last week, Geelong got back into the game when they kept the ball in the air because they out-marked us in contested, man on man marking situations far too often.

That also is an issue and where some further recruiting may be required

In terms of pace, Jack needs some support and some further recruiting may be required

We have Carlisle and Freeman - but we may need more.

The conclusion therefore is that some players currently AFL regulars will find it very hard to get regular AFL games (if any) given further recruiting to cover these deficiencies.

And the analysis of our losses will identify them.

So let's learn and seek long term solutions (including, currently, by rotating current players on the List to see if they can fill the voids)

After a loss, positions in the side are in jeopardy.

[Bernard Shakey]

Freud would say a 40 point loss interstate is a big improvement from past experiences.

Against a side who hasnt won in 12 weeks?

Freud has no idea

I Hear Motion.

Plop!