Saintsational Fan Forum - A passionate community of St Kilda Football Club fans discussing news, history, players, trade rumours, results, AFL stats and more.
The best bit is this, if we lose we can fight again another day, if we win (and I honestly believe if we bring our A-Grade game we CAN!) it'll send massive shock waves through the comp!
Just do this one thing for your supporters Saints! Just try your guts out! It's all anyone expects from you! I'm so proud to see what we've done so far this season and do what needed to be done today! Create some history! Immortalise yourselves!
When they created LENNY HAYES (in the shadow of Harvs) they forgot to break the mold (again)- hence the Supremely Incredible Jack Steven!!
Just a couple of years back, the Geelong coach was peeved at the perceptions of St Kilda's list and talked up a "rivalry".
Thru that period in time, we would beat Geelong by 10 goals which was the measure of the difference at that time.
Both teams have changed a little in terms of personnel - and some players have improved from that time.
Whereas St Kilda endured a debilitating run with injury, Geelong remained relatively free by comparison.
And the balance of power shifted - albeit that we usually push Geelong pretty hard - including at their unique home ground.
We have had a couple of bad losses, including one game when Geelong employed a "flood" of massive proportions against an undermanned St Kilda at Docklands.
This year we started "OK" but could not maintain, at Docklands.
One thing I can tell you is that Geelong still rate St Kilda and St Kilda's list.
It is time to re-inforce exactly why the frustrated Geelong Coach talked up a "rivalry" between St Kilda and Geelong, stated in agitated form that Geelong's List was as good as St Kilda's despite media perceptions and complained that Geelong was as good as St Kilda despite regular 10 goal margins.
No doubt Geelong are worried, very worried because they were and are paranoid about their "great rival" St Kilda.
To the top wrote:No doubt Geelong are worried, very worried because they were and are paranoid about their "great rival" St Kilda. This is the worst outcome for them.
agree. i'm sure a few of their key players will remember some of the hidings we dished out to them in the not to distant past.
the beauty of sunday is that we have absolutely nothing to lose and they have everything to lose. they are the champions; we are the challenger.
it would set the established order on its head if we could conjure an upset victory.
I believe that Scarlett and Harley are the keys for Geelong: they are the ones who straighten the attack out of defence. Harley is also critical in reducing the opportunity for opposing teams from being able to get the ball past the half-forward lines.
We need to keep them as far back as possible and stop them contributing anything to the Cats attack.
It's all about our keeping the ball in the forward half of the ground as much as possible IMO. The last thing we want to do is to flood back and let Geelong build up momentum coming forward. Players like Ablett, Mooney and Johnson are big-time floodbreakers and we can't let them into the game.
Some rather unexpected players are going to be critical IMO. Jones needs to be played well forward and to focus on tackling players on the half-back flank (IMO he is too slow to deal with the Abletts of this world).
C Gardiner is also crucial. He needs to help keep Scarlett and Harley busy. As do Kosi, Raph and Gwilt when they go forward: as I have already said, it's all about pushing Geelong back as far as we can and defending inside our forward half. That's what the Pies managed to do when they beat them and, as we saw, at a certain point the Cats's structure fell to pieces.
The other player who showed yesterday what he can do when he brings his A game with him is Joey. When we played the Cats in the Who Cares Cup, he and Dal tore them up in the midfield.
Gee I hope Riewoldt, BJ and Dal are all going to be fit enough to make a proper contribution.
If we can get the right structure out there and take some of our early chances, it could be a terrific game. This is still more or less the same Geelong that we crushed as recently as August 2006. They are just heaps more confident and their teamwork has lifted. So we need to attack them at their weak point: which is their structure.\
To paraphase the late, great Yul Brynner: Ross, whatever you do, just don't flood!!
"It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into."
- Jonathan Swift
This has got to be the first Monday morning I've woken up this year and a sentiment like the OP has still seemed reasonable.
While my expectation is an anticlimax after a wonderful 2nd half to the year, I think it's a great opportunity for our guys to really test themselves - much like the '04 qualifying final where sure, we got killed, but the next 2 games were played at a very high level (Collingwood's victory against Sydney in rd 21 was the biggest loss they've experienced since they played us in fanials in '04).
I'll say this though - the reasons I've got some confidence aren't the "usual suspects" Reiwoldt, Hayes et al... it's the guys who have stepped up in recent weeks: Brendon Goddard (I've always been big wraps for Goddard) has been a revelation since Ball went down. Jason Gram is proving a major headache for opposition teams. Raph Clarke and Gwilt swinging back and forward and essentially being used as big midfielders (there was one point yesterday where BJ, Raph and Jimmy were running down the wing together after breaking a couple of tackles out of defense, and you wondered how Essendon were possibly going to stop them). Yesterday Dal Santo played a vintage game as well (25 high efficiency touches with 6 clearances).
The biggest thing has been a 2-fold combination: our bottom 6 week in week out is the best I can recall since early '04, and our top 6 has been absolutely stellar. Reiwoldt, Goddard, Fisher, Gram, Hayes, Milne... and they have generally been ahving a couple of others step up and join them any given week.
Both those things need to continue, and we've got a chance. I'd be more comfortable if we excecuted on our chances better, but like I say, I'm not really expecting to win, I'm just thinking we've got as good a chance against Geelong as anyone.
"Everything comes to he who hustles while he waits"
- Henry Ford
You can look at geelong and say they are the best side most of us have seen and that's absolutely right, but no-one has ever been unbeatable. It's 22 vs 22 and if the attitude is right and we have the confidence to back our skills then we are a chance.
tackle and be ferocious, you have 4 weeks to write a fairytale saints. And it is Harvey's last chance......do it!
