Saints are ripe for the picking - Robert Walls

[SainterK]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/s ... -twix.html

Just though some may enjoy picking apart his article

[Gabba]

Exactly what I thought as I was reading it now..

[Foz]

Puts pressure back on the Dogs....

Saints defence is still ranked 1st and points against is similar as of last year - a great effort. But watching games you see a lot higher level of team defence than before, all players pushing back into back half and say 15 in the back 50. Harder to get goals from this sort of build up than winning it out of the centre.

Tackles are interesting - from 1st to 9th this year. Dogs only sit 7th as well so you'd expect they want a fast flowing game style to get to Hall. I don't think we can afford them any luxuries in this respect.

[meher baba]

According to Walls, Sam Fisher needs to toughen up....

And, apparently, our backline is a bunch of talentless goofs which is only any good because it's coached by an ex-Carlton mate of Wallsy.

Anyway, thank heavens for small mercies: those of us who have to watch tonight's game on the box won't have to endure Walls's commentary.

[doppler effect]

Tackles are interesting - from 1st to 9th this year.

It may sound weird but I believe that we have deliberately tried to lower our tackling prowess for the start of the season.
The tackling done by the saints last year was awesome, by far the best i've ever seen, however it was simply too hard to sustain for a full year of football.
I don't know if we will just flick a switch and be able to instantly tackle like we did last year, but I feel by the final third of the season we will be back to last years intensity... With plenty of gas in the tank for the finals.

[markp]

We are... and it'll make victory all the sweeter if/when we pull it off.

[ralphsmith]

And tonight could be a disaster with Dawson set to play on Barry Hall.

Will be a massive wake up call if Dawson is thrashed again.

GO SAINTS!

[Moccha]

"Fisher reads the play well but can be loose. His kicking lacks penetration and you hope his hunger to win contests is not waning."

I don't agree with this.

I think the term "a week is a long time in footy" was meant for Walls. He changes his theories as much as he changes his underwear.

[saintsRrising]

""Last year the Saints kept the opposition to an average score of just 63 points. It was an amazing defensive result. And the defence came from all areas of the ground. The forwards and midfielders made life so much easier for the back line boys to do their job. In the Saints' best and fairest voting in 2009, the top six, as voted by the coaching staff, were midfielders and forwards. But with the tackling and clearance efforts not setting the pace this season, the back line is being exposed and can be made to look vulnerable."

So lets seee so far in 2010 we have played mainly teams in the 8 apart from PA and North..and so going by Walls one would expect this to be worse.

However if we look at the ladder in 2010 we have had 315 points kicked against us so far which is...drumroll 63 points per game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Somehow 63 points against teams in 2009 including the duds is amazing, but 63 points in 2010 mainly only against good teams is worse?????


Form going into the game:

Dogs have lost to Lions and Pies and there only wins are against the inept Tigers, Crows and Hawks.

Whereas the Saints "terrible form has been wins against 1st, 3rd and 4th...with only one loss to a team placed 10th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes I can see Walls logic processes at work here = not!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Very lazy lazy "journalism" here. Looks like Wallsy had a deadline to meet and just dashed out some garbage without any considered thought.

[thejiggingsaint]

How good was THAT!!!!!! Should send it to the Age!!! (and maybe get a gig as expert comments man!)
Well done a great response to a load of tripe by that reptile Walls!

[bergholt]

So lets seee so far in 2010 we have played only teams in the 8 apart from PA...

and north, where we scored 143 and conceded 39, so that skews the averages a little given the small sample size.

[saintsRrising]

So lets seee so far in 2010 we have played only teams in the 8 apart from PA...

and north, where we scored 143 and conceded 39, so that skews the averages a little given the small sample size.

True about North who are 11th and PA who are 10th.

However as it only points against we are talking about and not %, I don't see why the 39 skews things.

The Pies kicked 41 against us too.

In 2009 we kept teams to 28, 36, 36, 40.

Looks comparable to me.

PS. After Bergholts comment I have edited my post above re North who I had omitted

[gringo]

Sam Fisher hates a contest doesn't he. Came back early from what looked like a significant injury only to have a hard hit front on and still went for the ball not set himself for the hit. he comes back on and plays well. His role is to place himself out in space to get that next line of defense turned into attack, of all the stupid comments the ones about Fisher are the dumbest.

If Zac is exposed tonight it will be because we are struggling to find someone to cover for Gram, not because he isn't capable. Not many defenders are going to win a body contest with Barry Hall. The midfield will need to be good tonight to limit the bulldogs entries into the forward line.

The dogs only won the NAB GF because of the loss of Fisher, our backline really found it hard to regroup.

[saintlee]

Gotta love how the media all jump off the Saints after a single 10 point loss...away to our bogy-team!

After we win tonight, watch them all jump back on again!

[Saintsfan]

Robert Walls is pretty much spot on with his assessment of where we are at. However it doesn't take a genius to figure out that some of our back six are not too flash individually and that our clearance work is not as it was last year. Perhaps no Luke Ball is the reason our clearances are not as good or efficient as last season?

[jonesy]

The media have become so reactive when it comes to AFL it's laughable. One week they're all over a side singing there praises,a week later they're the doom and gloom prophets. About the only side they cut some slack after a loss is Geelong,and they had to win virtually every game for 3 years to earn this.

Collingwood are a perfect example....one week they are written about as premiers,the next week they lose and they are gone...the next week they win again and the media say they are the one's to beat again!!

Are there any good journo's out there that realise that sides are allowed to have a few down weeks here and there and still be a very good side? Look at the great Brisbane sides of 2001-2005.....they never dominated home and away seasons,yet they go down in history as one of the greats

KB...fair dinkum if I wasn't half asleep I would of rang in before. Last monday on KB's take,he praised the Stkilda side saying they are the ultimate team side.
Fast forward one week after a narrow loss interstate in the wet,and he's almost hysterically threatening a mini crisis if we lose tonight....FFS

All this Kosi talk is sh!tting me also..."tonights the night" they say...how many friggen times have we heard this......we've been waiting 9 years...it's not going to happen..the media need to look elsewhere. It's not as simple as Kosi crashing a pack and taking 2-3 marks to being Rewoildts instant replacement.

As for the Walls article...love that stat saintsrising of the 63 points conceded this year also...classic


Having said all this we could find a win tonight a tough thing . However lets look at the facts! 3 games in 12 days...coming off a narrow loss interstate in the wet....missing our two most important players,and the most important player in the league...and we are playing a very very good side who many have tipped as the premiers.
So if they look at the facts a loss tonight is on the cards,hardly a reason to cry alarm at Stkilda possibly imploding.

Geez I hope we win...I'll be first in line monday morning on SEN to give the alarmists a bake.

[spert]

Walls comments are reasonable, but it serves to point to how well we have done well as a TEAM, not so much as individuals. Tonight we will see Hall who is in the top rung of contested marks this season, go up against Zac who is not. I would like to see Kosi down in the backline for that reason to nullify that advantage for the Dogs. The midfield need to really attack tonight and get in the goal kicking.

[rodgerfox]

I think this year we've definitely had to sacrifice our attacking game to help out our back line.
What's happened because of this is that our defence has held up statistically (almost), but our attack from defence and offensive game is not where it was last year.

Mainly because we are having to help the backline out too much.

ie. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.


See Freo game. We scored well, but so did they. We need our defenders to win one on one contests allowing our mids and half backs to be more attacking.
This year, our key defenders are getting beaten.


We are a long way off where we were last year, let's be honest. We've kicked nearly 100 points less than last year and leaked more points to the opposition as well.

We are vulnerable, and clearly aren't the 'super side' people became accustomed to last year.

Either teams have worked us out, or we've gone off the boil, or we played above ourselves, or certain players are now being found out, or we're simply timing our run a bit better than last year.

But sorry Saints fans, at this stage we're just another team this year so don't get too precious.

[bigcarl]

Justin Koschitzke failed in this first game back after a three-week suspension. That the Saints could muster just the three marks inside their forward 50 was a real concern.

my concern, too. if kosi remains out of sorts i'd seriously consider a zac/bj forward combination and throw kosi in the ruck.

[Stillwaiting]

And watch him jump back on when we belt the dogs tonight and bitchslap carlton next week

[saint vince]

I think this year we've definitely had to sacrifice our attacking game to help out our back line.
What's happened because of this is that our defence has held up statistically (almost), but our attack from defence and offensive game is not where it was last year.

Mainly because we are having to help the backline out too much.

ie. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.


See Freo game. We scored well, but so did they. We need our defenders to win one on one contests allowing our mids and half backs to be more attacking.
This year, our key defenders are getting beaten.


We are a long way off where we were last year, let's be honest. We've kicked nearly 100 points less than last year and leaked more points to the opposition as well.

We are vulnerable, and clearly aren't the 'super side' people became accustomed to last year.

Either teams have worked us out, or we've gone off the boil, or we played above ourselves, or certain players are now being found out, or we're simply timing our run a bit better than last year.

But sorry Saints fans, at this stage we're just another team this year so don't get too precious.

I actually think our lack of attack is due to thre things.
1. Clerances are down. So the ball is going the wrong way and all our attacks have to come from getting the ball back off the opposition.
2. Decision making and disposal. It has been poor all year from every single palyer. It needs to improve if we are a chance at the flag. I think it will later in the year.
3. Tackle count. The opposiotions are up and our are the same or lower (not sure of the exact figures). The count difference between us and them is a lot closer than it was last year. We just need to work a little harder when we don't have it.


Having said all that I think it is easy to turn around. Get in and get the thing and win the clerances and I rekon everything else will follow.


Go saints.

[rodgerfox]

I think this year we've definitely had to sacrifice our attacking game to help out our back line.
What's happened because of this is that our defence has held up statistically (almost), but our attack from defence and offensive game is not where it was last year.

Mainly because we are having to help the backline out too much.

ie. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.


See Freo game. We scored well, but so did they. We need our defenders to win one on one contests allowing our mids and half backs to be more attacking.
This year, our key defenders are getting beaten.


We are a long way off where we were last year, let's be honest. We've kicked nearly 100 points less than last year and leaked more points to the opposition as well.

We are vulnerable, and clearly aren't the 'super side' people became accustomed to last year.

Either teams have worked us out, or we've gone off the boil, or we played above ourselves, or certain players are now being found out, or we're simply timing our run a bit better than last year.

But sorry Saints fans, at this stage we're just another team this year so don't get too precious.

I actually think our lack of attack is due to thre things.
1. Clerances are down. So the ball is going the wrong way and all our attacks have to come from getting the ball back off the opposition.
2. Decision making and disposal. It has been poor all year from every single palyer. It needs to improve if we are a chance at the flag. I think it will later in the year.
3. Tackle count. The opposiotions are up and our are the same or lower (not sure of the exact figures). The count difference between us and them is a lot closer than it was last year. We just need to work a little harder when we don't have it.


Having said all that I think it is easy to turn around. Get in and get the thing and win the clerances and I rekon everything else will follow.


Go saints.

Good points.

I wonder if a more defensive mindset from the mids results in less attack on the ball and less clearances?

Or maybe we just miss Luke Ball.

[saint vince]

I think this year we've definitely had to sacrifice our attacking game to help out our back line.
What's happened because of this is that our defence has held up statistically (almost), but our attack from defence and offensive game is not where it was last year.

Mainly because we are having to help the backline out too much.

ie. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.


See Freo game. We scored well, but so did they. We need our defenders to win one on one contests allowing our mids and half backs to be more attacking.
This year, our key defenders are getting beaten.


We are a long way off where we were last year, let's be honest. We've kicked nearly 100 points less than last year and leaked more points to the opposition as well.

We are vulnerable, and clearly aren't the 'super side' people became accustomed to last year.

Either teams have worked us out, or we've gone off the boil, or we played above ourselves, or certain players are now being found out, or we're simply timing our run a bit better than last year.

But sorry Saints fans, at this stage we're just another team this year so don't get too precious.

I actually think our lack of attack is due to thre things.
1. Clerances are down. So the ball is going the wrong way and all our attacks have to come from getting the ball back off the opposition.
2. Decision making and disposal. It has been poor all year from every single palyer. It needs to improve if we are a chance at the flag. I think it will later in the year.
3. Tackle count. The opposiotions are up and our are the same or lower (not sure of the exact figures). The count difference between us and them is a lot closer than it was last year. We just need to work a little harder when we don't have it.


Having said all that I think it is easy to turn around. Get in and get the thing and win the clerances and I rekon everything else will follow.


Go saints.

Good points.

I wonder if a more defensive mindset from the mids results in less attack on the ball and less clearances?

Or maybe we just miss Luke Ball.

I don't think it is a more defensive mind set I just think they are not doing it well enough. Roden killed us in clerances last week and we still weren't strong enough around the contest to stop him. I think it will turn around tonight.

[nobhead]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/s ... -twix.html

Just though some may enjoy picking apart his article

funny how all of a sudden after 1 loss i quote there are some worying signs . give me a break we played absolutely terrible last week and got beaten by 10 points.stats can say whatever you want them to say but everyones knows the only thing that matters is the 4 points.and that we finish top 4 .get roo back ,and have a full healthy list going into the finals.
lets see how we go tonight against one of the premeirship favorits first before we start whippin ourselves up in a frenzy ,like i have read in this forum by so many people this last week .

[westy]

"Fisher reads the play well but can be loose. His kicking lacks penetration and you hope his hunger to win contests is not waning."

I don't agree with this.

I think the term "a week is a long time in footy" was meant for Walls. He changes his theories as much as he changes his underwear.

Does he change his underwear though?