Are we tired?

[Oldtimer]

According to Gerard Healey we are. The pressure is on us, maybe some fresh energy should be included. Surely Max, Armo, BigMac, and Goose must be busting for a game? Gerard said he wouldn't be surprised if we got rolled by the Roos this weekend. Dwayne thought we could get knocked out by the Blues. They both thought the Cats would be more than likely undefeated after 13 rounds, not us.

[PJ]

I know i am.

[bigcarl]

a loss wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing in the world for us and could be the jolt that we need to get us back to our best (which we haven't seen for a month).

wouldn't mind seeing some fresh blood in, but how can you justify it when the team just keeps on winning?

[The Fireman]

We do look tired...but as i said on another thread, maybe we are saving ourselves for bigger challenges. A lot of season left , if they coast and still pick up the 4 points....so be it.
Watch them lift against the Cats.

[saintsRrising]

No..not really...

A couple of things at play:

1/ Opposition teams have analysed us and are playing differently against us.

2/ Yes our players are not as intense...but I don't think it "tiredness" as rather the level that they were playing at was elite...and it is hard to be elite every week.

[linz]

According to Gerard Healey we are. The pressure is on us, maybe some fresh energy should be included. Surely Max, Armo, BigMac, and Goose must be busting for a game? Gerard said he wouldn't be surprised if we got rolled by the Roos this weekend. Dwayne thought we could get knocked out by the Blues. They both thought the Cats would be more than likely undefeated after 13 rounds, not us.

Good post oldtimer. What was your highlight in 1966?
After 6 posts since then you must be busting to tell us more.

[Shaggy]

I don't think we are tired.

But teams are now throwing at us what we started beginning of season.

Winning 10 games is exceptional but teams like Freo, Dogs, Saints, Adelaide have all done it before with no result.

Cats have done it apparently 4 times in the past 3 years.

We simply need to be superior (which I we are except the Cats).

[fugazi]

Definitely tired, a couple of fresh faces this week will do wonders for us. McEvoy or Max hopefully as well as Milne.
Goose for his hundreth could rouse the boys too.

[Thinline]

I think a return to the dome will lift spirits and vigour as well.

A trip to Carrara to play Melbourne is kinda dull and dispiriting.

Incumbent upon ALL Melbourne Saints supporters to overwhelm the thirteen or so North Melbourne fans who'll show and turn the place into a St Kilda Colloseum of DOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And get Milney fired up. When he gets all chirpy, everyone lifts.

[StSteven]

Probably true BUT at this time of year ALL sides are tired. That is why there is a mid year break.

What we have to adjust to is being the hunted...even by the Cats who want to roll us. Every weeks is a pressure game as others rise to the challenge of playing the Saints. (Would we want it any other way?)

This will be the test of the stamina of the boys. We will know by September.

[markp]

Perhaps a little... but I think there may be a bit of tapering/management going on heading into the break, so we can set ourselves up to be primed at the business end of the season.... in this regard I have total confidence in Misson.

I also think teams are coming for us like never before, and coaches are really challenging themselves to crack our style of play.

What is fantastic is that we are still able to win when at times we seem to only be running on 5 cylinders and our opponents are throwing the kitchen sink at us.

So far so good.

[aussiejones]

"What is fantastic is that we are still able to win when at times we seem to only be running on 5 cylinders and our opponents are throwing the kitchen sink at us. "

So lets have faith in RL . Yes there is room for improvement ....fine tuning and the return of Max , Gram to improve disposal ,plus general accuracy in front of goal .

Seems some on this forum are waiting for the wheels to fall off and responding to media 'we are tired'.

[Ghost Like]

I'd be disappointed if we were tired, but hey if Gerard and Dwayne say so then all I need is for Matty Campbell to say it and then it will be unanimous, we must be tired.

Professional sportsmen, creating their own history, the best 'training services' group the club's ever had available to them...I would hope it's more a case of their intensity dropping a fraction and the opposition really doing their homework forcing us to become a little more reactive than proactive.

[Saints43]

There's also the 'hunted' factor.

How many times did we watch Saints get beaten easily by fair tio middling teanms and then pull out all stops against a top club? Used to get them round of applause to push a top club all the way... then you'd wonder why they couldn't put in the effort every week.

And I think opposition clubs are actively starting to clog the corridor so we will need to start making decisions about the best/fastest passage to goal.

It's good to have the plan & players tested now.

[matrix]

yup i think we may be a little bit
but saying that, the more we win in a row i think the more teams put in an effort to knock us off and its taking its toll.

i said previously that if we are 13-1 and geelong have spanked us by 50 ill be happy with that and to have been taught a lesson we can learn from.

[saintbrat]

I know i am.

me too - But guess what I get a holiday Monday and effectively a 3 day week next week

I'll recover

[aussiejones]

IMO our front on tacling is missing. Also , ability to make a tackle stick.
Outside receivers more evident, also some dont chase as in earlier games.

All in all the saints played well against the Dees

[BAM! (shhhh)]

I don't think there's any real issue of drop in pressure applied by St Kilda. I think there's much more and better pressure being applied on St Kilda by our opponents though.

Sum result is more skill errors, and more difficulty in confining the opponents to the areas of the ground where we were so successful through weeks 2-6.

Essendon's flood was very effective.

Brisbane's pressure and tackling is their biggest strength.

Melbourne's defensive approach was a great launchpad.

In two of those 3 games, accuracy kicking for goal was also affected.

I agree with Lyon's assessment, I don't think we've actually seen the best St Kilda has to offer at this stage, and I don't think fatigue has been the preventing factor.

[plugger66]

Depends how late it is.

[saintly_safes]

Very demanding game plan & we have had to play it every week. Most sides dont play with that same intensity every week for such long periods but when they play us they automatically know that if they dont then they will be overrun. As alot of posters have said teams are priming themselves when they play the saints because we are the bench mark & to beat us they have to exploit every weakness & exert extream pressure for the entire game so after 10 games I would say we are a bit tired but what a fantastic effort to get where they are, top of the afl ladder after round 10 & who would have thought that at the start of the season

[Leo.J]

We may appear tired but are we really?

Look at our last 3 weeks compared to the Cats.

We played the Bombers off a 6 day break, the Bombers had 9 days off, and we won by 19 points

Then we played the Lions, we had a weeks break but they had 8 days off, yet we ran over the top of them winning by 16. The Lions are now a game clear in 4th after 10 rounds.

Then we travelled to the Gold Coast after 6 days off and held Melbourne (who also had 6 days off) Goalless for the last half, winning by 37 points.

Some may scoff at that win, yet over the past month the Dees have beaten WC at subi in the last quarter, beaten the WB in the last quarter, and in round 9 they beat the Hawks in the last half. The Dees are equal third in last quarters won, and despite being last aren’t as bad as they look.

In round 8 the Cats smashed North at SS, which atm is the best home ground advantage in the comp, this is because the Cats are awesome but also because they pack that rotten little cigar shaped ground to the rafters with around 95% Cats fans. The breeze down there is unlike anywhere else, and the ground is the skinniest in the league and longer than most.

Then they almost lost to the Dogs when both sides came off a 6 day break, the Cats did incur injuries during that game which does make you vulnerable to be run over the top of.

Then they comfortably beat the (more undermanned than when they played us) Bombers who had a day less than Geelong’s 9 day break.

When you look at it and take into consideration the breaks and where sides are at, IMO we are travelling nicely.

[stinger]

I'd be disappointed if we were tired, but hey if Gerard and Dwayne say so then all I need is for Matty Campbell to say it and then it will be unanimous, we must be tired.

Professional sportsmen, creating their own history, the best 'training services' group the club's ever had available to them...I would hope it's more a case of their intensity dropping a fraction and the opposition really doing their homework forcing us to become a little more reactive than proactive.

don't know if any of those guys were at the gold coast last weekend....but i was....didn't look tired to me....there was a lot of moisture around..besides..the dees aren't that bad a side...still had ten players in the side from the one that beat us in the 2006 finals.....

[PJ]

I think there's much more and better pressure being applied on St Kilda by our opponents though.

This was evident in the Melbourne game, they scrapped like hell and it frustrated the saints. You could see the frustration in their faces, It's probably what led to Gardiner having his brain fade.

When Ross told them to stop pissing around for the second half you saw a return to the status quo. You knew the demons couldn't keep it up.

They've got to learn to stay focused when they are having everything, including the kitchen sink, thrown at them.

Not tired just a little disheveled and frustrated under pressure.

[HarveysDeciple]

We may appear tired but are we really?

Look at our last 3 weeks compared to the Cats.

We played the Bombers off a 6 day break, the Bombers had 9 days off, and we won by 19 points

Then we played the Lions, we had a weeks break but they had 8 days off, yet we ran over the top of them winning by 16. The Lions are now a game clear in 4th after 10 rounds.

Then we travelled to the Gold Coast after 6 days off and held Melbourne (who also had 6 days off) Goalless for the last half, winning by 37 points.

Some may scoff at that win, yet over the past month the Dees have beaten WC at subi in the last quarter, beaten the WB in the last quarter, and in round 9 they beat the Hawks in the last half. The Dees are equal third in last quarters won, and despite being last aren’t as bad as they look.

In round 8 the Cats smashed North at SS, which atm is the best home ground advantage in the comp, this is because the Cats are awesome but also because they pack that rotten little cigar shaped ground to the rafters with around 95% Cats fans. The breeze down there is unlike anywhere else, and the ground is the skinniest in the league and longer than most.

Then they almost lost to the Dogs when both sides came off a 6 day break, the Cats did incur injuries during that game which does make you vulnerable to be run over the top of.

Then they comfortably beat the (more undermanned than when they played us) Bombers who had a day less than Geelong’s 9 day break.

When you look at it and take into consideration the breaks and where sides are at, IMO we are travelling nicely.

top post.

[vacuous space]

Fatigue tends to affect younger sides more. If anything, I think our upcoming opponents would be struggling with it. Jack Ziebell certainly looks ready for a break.

If we had successive games at Subi coming up, we'd be hearing about how we're more likely to drop a game because of the travel factor. They might as well just say we're more likely to drop a game because they're Geelong and we're not. I reckon that'd be fair enough too. Geelong has won 51 of their last 54. You don't bet against them.

Three games at Docklands against very beatable sides. I'd say there's a decent chance we go into round 14 undefeated.