Pre season cup expections

[Dan Warna]

Do you think we should play our "A" team and go all out and set a spanking start to the season or use it as an opportunity to trial fringe players like gwilt, dempster, charlie G, Rix, armo etc?

also should we use it as a opportunity to rest 'fragile' players like Kosi, Ball, maxetc so they can get more miles into their legs or should we throw them into the fray to see how the hold up?

[midas_touch]

We should just try our fringe players throughout the pre season cup, as well as resting our underdone/fragile players (unless we make the GF). The pre season games, whether they be just practice games or NAB cup games are really only warm up games, and should be only used to ensure we make the right player selections come the start of the season proper.

[Dan Warna]

the arguement for goign hard, is that it attracts members (yes there are those who buy their membership on the strength of early season form)

members = sponsorship dollars + confidence + prizemoney.

the argument against going hard, its not the real season, its not always an indicator of form, etc.

[skeptic]

our best season in recent years followed victory in the NAB...

just for once I'd rather be ready RE round 1 rather than still chopping and changing the team

[Armoooo]

Well hoe many games will we be playing in the pre-season? about 4 right?
Well I would like to see this team:

FB: L.Fisher Maguire Dempster
HB: Gwilt Allen R.Clark
C: Fiora Armitage Birss
HF: Xavier Riewoldt Schneider
FF: Howard Koschitzke Milne
R: King Gilbert Ball
I/C: Van Rheenan Baker Ferguson Blake Geary Khan H?
I would like to see these players playing every week unless they need to be taken out for one of our rested players...
I would like to see these guys rotated and rested, no point risking them...
Gram, Hayes, Hudghton, Montagna, Goddard, S.Fisher, Dal, Harvey

This way we probably shouldn't lose any players to injury and we can also see what some of our new recruits are like...
I'm keen to see Geary and Khan...

[joffaboy]

Try to win it, get a flyer into the season with the first five at the TD. Means money and early wins are in the bank for the enevitable slump later on in the season.

[casey scorp]

Last year (2007) there was a $1 million bonus if a team won the NAB cup and e Premiership.

If it's still on offer, you'd surely put some players into the team you otherwise might rest in an effort to pick up the NAB cup. You can't get the bonus if you don't get the first cup.

$1 million would do wonders for the bottom line.

[Armoooo]

Last year (2007) there was a $1 million bonus if a team won the NAB cup and e Premiership.

If it's still on offer, you'd surely put some players into the team you otherwise might rest in an effort to pick up the NAB cup. You can't get the bonus if you don't get the first cup.

$1 million would do wonders for the bottom line.

Stupid idea, any club that wins the NAB cup and the Premiership shouldn't be needing any handouts.
I think it should be 1 million just for winning the NAB cup, simple as that.

[bigcarl]

i think it is vital that we get off to a flyer this season and sound a warning to the rest of the competition that the saints are coming and the premiership window is wide open.

if it was up to me there wouldn't be a pre-season comp, but since we are in it we should try to win it.

and hit the ground running in round 1 ... none of this "peaking at the right time" bulls***.

try to win every game in which we are involved.

[casey scorp]

Stupid idea, any club that wins the NAB cup and the Premiership shouldn't be needing any handouts.
I think it should be 1 million just for winning the NAB cup, simple as that.

Whether or not having a bonus is a stupid idea, if it's available you would have to give consideration to it. Disregard it for strategic football reasons if appropriate, but only after you have undertaken an assessment of it. Any other approach is irresponsible.

[Armoooo]

Stupid idea, any club that wins the NAB cup and the Premiership shouldn't be needing any handouts.
I think it should be 1 million just for winning the NAB cup, simple as that.

Whether or not having a bonus is a stupid idea, if it's available you would have to give consideration to it. Disregard it for strategic football reasons if appropriate, but only after you have undertaken an assessment of it. Any other approach is irresponsible.

I think we are getting way too ahead of ourselves if we are planning on trying to win the nab cup so that we can get the 1mil bonus when we win the flag...

[saintspremiers]

I just wish we could press the fast forward button and it was 22 March 2008
(or whatever date it is that we play Sydney in Round 1!)

[casey scorp]

I think we are getting way too ahead of ourselves if we are planning on trying to win the nab cup so that we can get the 1mil bonus when we win the flag...

Every successful business plans ahead. Look at your strengths and weaknesses, alternative scenarios, resource demands, set goals.

But planning is the key.

We can't live in hope that the playing group alone will deliver a premiership. That is why we are getting better coaches and support staff.

And better facilities (at Casey Fields I hope).

[Kiedis]

i think it is vital that we get off to a flyer this season and sound a warning to the rest of the competition that the saints are coming and the premiership window is wide open.

if it was up to me there wouldn't be a pre-season comp, but since we are in it we should try to win it.

and hit the ground running in round 1 ... none of this "peaking at the right time" bulls***.

try to win every game in which we are involved.

I agree, I hate this "should be cherry ripe by rnd. 5" plan when you've got all these games lined up so as you can be "cherry ripe" by round 1.

[Solar]

The preseason can be used for a couple of things.

Work players into form, especially the likes of the gardiners x 2, the clarkes x 2 etc.

Rest the older players : max and harvey

Offer up opportunities to young players to make a push for senior selection come round 1.

Try players in certain positions that could give them second strings to their bows.

Develop a momentium and also learn to play as units. I would like to see this happen in the forward line, since our backline seemed to settle down in the seoond half of last year.

So my preseason cup team would be

FB R.Clarke Gwilt dempster
HB Geary Maguire Chips
C Dal santo Fisher Montagna
HF schneider Roo X
FF milne Kosi Allen
R M.Gardiner Hayes Armatage
I gilbert Howard jones gram VR blake birss eddy baker draft picks

Rested: Max, harvey, ball, King, BJ, attard

If we end up taking a highly rated back like Rance then give them a chance to play the whole preseason at FB otherwise develop gwilt in this position. Personally I think allen is too good a forward to waste him down back.

We will hit round 1 with no official tagger with attard injured and baker suspended. So work the preseason in developing fish into that shut down player. Was drafted as a midfielder so all he needs is time to develop this part of his game and this will add another string to his bow. In fact that is what we need to make our call sign for the preseason "adding strings to our bow", making our side more flexible and thus more dangerous.

Look at working gram into a midfield role on a wing and encourage him, birss, joey etc. to kick goals. Work the young players through this running HBF position, we have had really good experiences in developing the likes of Aussie mrk2, gram, peckett, xavier clarke etc through this position. Would love too see the likes of howard, geary, armo etc. being rotated through this position with the incentive that a rd 1 spot up for grabs if they want it enough (see attard rd 1 this year).

We need to settle our forward line as much as possible. The G, roo, guerra and milne had a wonderful understanding during '04 and '05 and this is what we need to develop with our new look forward line. I would be happy to see BJ and Gilbo also given time to work through the leading third forward along with allen during the preseason. Get them learning to lead to certain spots and block for each other. My forward line UNIT for the year will be
Tall forwards: roos, kosi, allen
Medium forwards: allen, BJ, gilbo, C.gardiner
small forwards: sneider, milne, X
(in addition to resting midfielders and mids running through)

Resting ball, max and harvs are needed to get them through the long season, perhaps 1-2 games before rd 1 would be enough for these champs. I think that resting king in the first couple of preseason games will allow VR and Gardiner to get as much time on the ground, which is what they really need. We know what we will get from King and I would assume that he will be the number 1 ruck come rd 1.

Results mean nothing, it's about developing the TEAM and creating enough answers to the questions over our team before getting to rd 1.

[battye]

Definitely play our best team for the NAB Cup.

In 2004, we won 10 in a row after winning 4 in a row in the Wizard Cup. It is best to get off to the best start possible.

[mischa]

Do you think we should play our "A" team and go all out and set a spanking start to the season

Yep. Membership crucial (it might suffer a bit after this year) and sponsorship. Imperative we make a good start-also for confidence. We are not like Geelong and afford to kill time (especially after the season we had).

[Munga]

Couldn't care about the pre-season cup results, as long as the kids get a go and perform.

[Unforgiven]

from a team development perspective I would like to see a lot of the younger guys used(howard,armo,allen+new draftees), a lot of the unproven middle type of players thrown into the thick of it (jones, gardiner,king,gardiner,etc) and then players used in different positions or rolls to see what they can and cant do. So Lyon learns what things he can and cant trust his players to do.

I would like to see us win 2 games maybe, it would be good to win a few for membership sakes and some momentum, but really I couldn't care too much about the result.

[jill]

Don't really care about the pre-season cup but would like to see a blend of recruits/fringe players given a good run and the likes of Gardiner playing every one for match fitness after long lay-off. The fickle supporters will jump on the bandwagon quickly enough once we string the wins together in the real comp.
GO SAINTERS 2008!

[Eastern]

I ALWAYS expect us to win every game we play. I also expect us to put our best available side out on the park for every game we play !!

[Saints Premiers 2008]

kosi to play at full forward