saints second spot

jays · Post: # 937675Post **jays** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 6:59pm

not bad for a side that is meant to be gone

saintDal · Post: # 937681Post **saintDal** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:03pm

Next week is a huge game for us. The difference between winning and losing is massive.

dcstkfc · Post: # 937682Post **dcstkfc** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:03pm

Full on.
We are well-place, hungry and have the best player in the league to come back.
Mark my words, this is our year.

Con Gorozidis · Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:03pm

sets it up nicely for next weeks match of the round.

nice being in 2nd at the half way mark under the circumstances. credit to the players and coaches.

backit · Post: # 937686Post **backit** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:04pm

A 100 point win last night and a big Cats loss tomorrow might have got us top spot

Sainterone · Post: # 937687Post **Sainterone** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:04pm

Well done Saints

go the bullies...

girlong would need to lose by 20 goals plus (roughly) to come back to our percentage (if we had won by 100 pts) - which we didn't.....

Moorabbin Saints · Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:06pm

HUGE game next week.

Win and we're a game clear of Freo going into a very tough period.

SainterK · Post: # 937696Post **SainterK** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:13pm

Now all we need is for Collingwood and Geelong to lose

Seriously though, I am more encouraged about Freo showing signs of tiredness than sitting just above them on the ladder. Think they had to work pretty hard to get back into the match, and the trip will have taken a bit of wind out of their sails.

Milan Faletic · Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:16pm

Freo 32 points 122.5%
St Kilda 32 points 125.19%

Huge result for us.

Now for next week.

battye · Post: # 937702Post **battye** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:18pm

The Collingwood vs WB match is an interesting one. Do we want Collingwood to win so that WB fall a few games behind top 4? Or do we want WB to come back to the pack and put both teams only 1 game behind the top 3?

SainterK · Post: # 937704Post **SainterK** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:20pm

battye wrote:The Collingwood vs WB match is an interesting one. Do we want Collingwood to win so that WB fall a few games behind top 4? Or do we want WB to come back to the pack and put both teams only 1 game behind the top 3?

Draw?

Milan Faletic · Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:21pm

backit wrote:A 100 point win last night and a big Cats loss tomorrow might have got us top spot

A win against Freo and Geel would do it too.

dcstkfc · Post: # 937709Post **dcstkfc** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:22pm

battye wrote:The Collingwood vs WB match is an interesting one. Do we want Collingwood to win so that WB fall a few games behind top 4? Or do we want WB to come back to the pack and put both teams only 1 game behind the top 3?

Ripper question, I say a Bulldogs win, but for an unlikely reason.

I don't want Carlton in the top 4, they are a serious worry if we meet them in the finals.

Ideally a top 8 something along the lines of:

Geelong
St Kilda
Collingwood
Fremantle
Western Bulldogs
Carlton
Sydney
Brisbane Lions

shmic_s · Post: # 937710Post **shmic_s** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:22pm

battye wrote:The Collingwood vs WB match is an interesting one. Do we want Collingwood to win so that WB fall a few games behind top 4? Or do we want WB to come back to the pack and put both teams only 1 game behind the top 3?

Doggies.

No way i could cheer for a collingwood win unless it really really really helped us out.
Nice hard game, doggies to just win.

Q5 · Post: # 937711Post Q5 » Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:23pm

battye wrote:The Collingwood vs WB match is an interesting one. Do we want Collingwood to win so that WB fall a few games behind top 4? Or do we want WB to come back to the pack and put both teams only 1 game behind the top 3?

Reckon we cheer for the doggies - would rather them and Pies be in top 4 with us than freo - don't want to risk the chance of a final in WA!!! (No offence to those posters who live there!)

starsign · Post: # 937754Post **starsign** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:46pm

An 8 pointer!

not a must , but a bloody good one to bank!

SainterK · Post: # 937759Post **SainterK** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 7:54pm

Seriously though, well done to the team and coaching staff.

They were never planning on going away quietly, stronger stuff than that our boys!

Very tempted to bump a certain thread, you know the one that said it was all over and we may as well plan for 2011?

ace · Post: # 937769Post **ace** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 8:11pm

St Kilda only retains second spot at the end of the round if the Doggies eat the Maggotpies by at least 16 points.

With Geelong, Collingwood, Fremantle, St Kilda, Poodles and Carlton fighting it out for top 4 and probably the top 6, it is most important not to finish beneath Fremantle.
Finishing below Fremantle leaves the possibility of having to win a final at Subiaco.
Finishing ahead of Fremantle secures all MCG finals.

Next weeks match is critical to this end as the result creates an eight point difference for St Kilda and Fremantle.
(We get a game clear or they get a game clear).

Milan Faletic · Sat 05 Jun 2010 8:11pm

dcstkfc wrote:I don't want Carlton in the top 4, they are a serious worry if we meet them in the finals.

I seriously think that the so called "schoolgirl" scandal hit us that week. Most people know the players and I remember being surprised when the team was announced and a certain player, who I thought was playing well at the time, was dropped.

I don't think we will see a performance like that against Carlton again.

R. Harvey 3 votes! · Sat 05 Jun 2010 8:30pm

ace wrote:St Kilda only retains second spot at the end of the round if the Doggies eat the Maggotpies by at least 16 points.

With Geelong, Collingwood, Fremantle, St Kilda, Poodles and Carlton fighting it out for top 4 and probably the top 6, it is most important not to finish beneath Fremantle.
Finishing below Fremantle leaves the possibility of having to win a final at Subiaco.
Finishing ahead of Fremantle secures all MCG finals.

Next weeks match is critical to this end as the result creates an eight point difference for St Kilda and Fremantle.
(We get a game clear or they get a game clear).

I just did the ladder predictor and Fremantle losing today is like gold for us. I have us finishing, in 4th with fremantle 3rd, collingwood 2nd and geelong 1st. We can therefore finish below fremantle as long as two melb teams are 1 and 2, so if we are 3rd or 4th it won't matter, the matches will be at the MCG and we will get our melbourne finals. I was conservative and had us losing the next two games aswell as the collingwood game and even losing to adelaide in the last round over there which probably won't happen. Obviously if we can roll Freo next week that will be sensational, but today's loss to Freo could be very important in the long run.

ace · Post: # 937791Post **ace** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 9:00pm

ace wrote:With Geelong, Collingwood, Fremantle, St Kilda, Poodles and Carlton fighting it out for top 4 and probably the top 6, it is most important not to finish beneath Fremantle.
Finishing below Fremantle leaves the possibility of having to win a final at Subiaco.
Finishing ahead of Fremantle secures all MCG finals.

CORRECTION
If Fremantle make the top four and win in the first week (at MCG or Subiaco) they get a home preliminary final.
The unlucky Melbourne team winning in week two would have to play Fremantle at Subiaco.
We need Fremantle to finish no higher than fifth.

Bernard Shakey · Sat 05 Jun 2010 9:42pm

Milan Faletic wrote:
dcstkfc wrote:I don't want Carlton in the top 4, they are a serious worry if we meet them in the finals.

I seriously think that the so called "schoolgirl" scandal hit us that week. Most people know the players and I remember being surprised when the team was announced and a certain player, who I thought was playing well at the time, was dropped.

I don't think we will see a performance like that against Carlton again.

We played Carlton in round 7 two months ago, "schoolgirl" was two weeks ago.

ace · Post: # 937838Post **ace** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 11:48pm

Bernard Shakey wrote:
Milan Faletic wrote:
dcstkfc wrote:I don't want Carlton in the top 4, they are a serious worry if we meet them in the finals.

I seriously think that the so called "schoolgirl" scandal hit us that week. Most people know the players and I remember being surprised when the team was announced and a certain player, who I thought was playing well at the time, was dropped.

I don't think we will see a performance like that against Carlton again.
We played Carlton in round 7 two months ago, "schoolgirl" was two weeks ago.

Against Carlton the ball was not moved forward fast enough.
That allowed Carlton to get behind the ball.
When it was moved forward Carlton already had a flood in place.
The ball was inevitably turned over as we tried to penetrate.
Then Carlton started running toward their goal and kicked the ball over our defenders heads.

That game was lost in the coaching box.

Kicking the ball sideways forces the opposition to move their defensive zone across the field, it also forces players out of that zone to prevent the sideways kicks.
These may create an opportunity to penetrate the zone.
However it is far easier to defeat a zone before the opposition has time to set up.
This involves more risk of a turnover due to missing targets or marks not being taken.

There is a happy balance between risk and safety.
That balance was skewed way too much toward safety against Carlton.
The team has gradually improved the balance since then.
But they are still playing too safe and only taking the risk late in the game as happened against Adelaide with a wonderful outcome.

For those of low IQ, I am NOT advocating kicking it long.
Blazing forward without a target is plain stupid.
But I am advocating kicking it forward to players who are unmarked.

And I note that the coaches have been adjusting the balance since the Carlton loss.

ace · Post: # 937841Post **ace** » Sat 05 Jun 2010 11:55pm

There is absolutely nothing gained by being top of the ladder.
Come the finals teams one and two both get an equal chance.
The only difference is you get to play team 4 first if you are top but usually have to play team 3 or team 2 in the preliminary anyhow.

In practice if you want to win the premiership you normally have to beat teams 4, ,3 ,2 from top OR teams 3, 4 ,1 from second.
The requirement is the same.

However as we observed last year if you are on top during the homea and away the rest of the competition comes hunting you every week.
Second is much safer, with less injury risks.

OneEyedSainter77 · Sun 06 Jun 2010 12:09am

ace wrote:However as we observed last year if you are on top during the homea and away the rest of the competition comes hunting you every week.
Second is much safer, with less injury risks.

Wait, what? you're kidding! So you think that when you play a team in second place they won't be taken as seriously! I doubt it!

Look at Collingwood last week, Brisbane realised they had to lift for them and won - Freo this week, Adelaide realised they had to lift for them and won. Similarly, look at the Bulldogs last wek in fourth - Dons realised they had to lift for them and won.

And Richmond this week realised they had to lift for us and played very well IMO.

I think if the team is in the top four or in good form, teams are going to realsie they have to put in more effort in order to beat them.

I do agree with the top of your post though. Top 2 is what we should aim for - if we happen to finish top, whoopde-doo for us.