I think Ratts is cooked…

[Teflon]

Ok just listened he at least acknowledged ball movement abs into forward 50 needs to change indicated getting some key players would help that but can’t rely solely on that (we will miss players again next year nothing surer)
Ball use he mentioned deplorable - STOP playing Kent FFS
We would’ve been better with Clavarino and Coffield in last night - lose Hunter (who just can’t even stop giving basic frees away and Kent)
Gotta move these plodders on
What REALLY worries me is I feel we have done genuine talent a core that could seriously challenge in Steele , Marshall, King even Howard but we are either going to fail them through poor coaching choices (eg we don’t get the best in charge at the top to support them) OR we continue to recruit poor users of the ball who can’t take the game on and make us better so too much is left to too few.....
We are at a very important point we can either accept this list and persist with plodders or meticulously target skill and natural footballers (not **** project players like Allison) to make us better
President can’t be idle here.....demand excellence and if Ratten coaches next DO NOT re-sign till we can assess if we will play finals in meaningful way (and I don’t mean limp into 8th spot off a good draw).

[Teflon]

Give Ratten a fit team and then see what he can do with it. We have been the hardest hit team in the competition for injuries and we've had the hardest draw. Look at the top four clubs. Hardly any injuries. Then look at Richmond the super team with the super coach. Lots of injuries and they've won the same number of games we have. Never underestimate the impact of injuries to key players, especially if it's constant and involves your better players

Yeah it’s hard to justify moving him on but gee we’d want to fix glaring deficiencies like forward 50 efficiencies and ball movement into it
We’d also want to forget the 3 midget forward line experiment
It’s not all injuries
The risk next year is we don’t fix these things, get a good draw but when the whips crack against the best well coached sides cone finals we are still found left wanting
I truly can’t see us challenging until we address some startling obvious weaknesses in personnel
1. Must get another KPD can’t keep asking Wilkie etc to play on giants
2. King needs help or we risk being 1 dimensional (kick it to plugger again ....the old Saints story)
3. Midfield needs an injection of elite class who can run from a stoppage AND use it well
4. Game plan problems above must be ironed out
It’s why I think we have to be really bold with list choices - do we take a step backwards to set ourselves up for a sustained 3/4 year run at top 4 to really give ourselves a chance ???????

[The_Dud]

Give Ratten a fit team and then see what he can do with it. We have been the hardest hit team in the competition for injuries and we've had the hardest draw. Look at the top four clubs. Hardly any injuries. Then look at Richmond the super team with the super coach. Lots of injuries and they've won the same number of games we have. Never underestimate the impact of injuries to key players, especially if it's constant and involves your better players

There are numerous games we’ve dropped this year that we should have won regardless of injuries, including last night.

For god sake Carlton played a man down in the second quarter, no ruckman, and they embarrassed us!

[Wayne42]

There are a number of clubs with big injury lists, it's a contributing factor BUT it's not the main reason the Saints are shite in 2021.

[cwrcyn]

Injuries still have an impact. Melbourne and Sydney have had by far the fewest injuries this year and have rocketed up the ladder. It's not a coincidence. Richmond cop a lot (like us) and take a big slide.

Yes, last night we stank and everything Carlton did worked. We have some players on our list that have a big question marks over them.....Kent, Long, Lonie, Joyce, Clavarino....and then there's Carlisle, Frawley, McKernan, and Hunter. None of those players add any value to us, yet we have brought in two very good players in Higgins and Crouch, and we've unearthed some talent in Byrnes, Connolly, Highmore, and maybe Sharman.

All is not lost. We should be better next year with a fitter team. Byrnes and Connolly will get better and we'll get Paton and Gresham back. If Jones, Clark, Ryder, and Marshall can stay on the park for most of the year that will be an enormous help. We were pretty good last year and low injuries helped us.

[cwrcyn]

I'm convinced we got our preseason all wrong and that's been a huge factor. Correcting that will make a massive difference

[Teflon]

I'm convinced we got our preseason all wrong and that's been a huge factor. Correcting that will make a massive difference

That all assumes we get minimal injuries next year it can’t all be about personnel
We made choices before last nights game that became obvious very early we’re just plain horrible
No one in AFL thinks Kent is good yet we persist?
Hunter has failed numerous times now....just call it FFS
Clavarino deserved another game and Coffield is a better player than Kent
There are things we are doing injuries aside that are simply not good enough
We all knew the script - I expected to lose last just like I know (now it’s too late) they’ll come out and have a red hot crack next week
Coach has to get that ‘pick and choose’ when to turn up out of then and I’m not sure Ratten can yet but we’ll see

[B.M]

It’s not number of injuries

It’s who is injured!

Paton has been replaced - Webster has done a great job

Gresham, Ryder, Marshall, Frawley

We have not been able to replace

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Whare's our review?

For weeks massive media pressure has been on Carlton. Their second-year coach has seemed almost certain to be replaced.

Well guess what?

Carlton is now higher on the ladder than the Saints.

How's our review coming along?

[Teflon]

Whare's our review?

For weeks massive media pressure has been on Carlton. Their second-year coach has seemed almost certain to be replaced.

Well guess what?

Carlton is now higher on the ladder than the Saints.

How's our review coming along?

Lol yeah I got to wonder
Watch Blues get spanked next week

[asiu]

Carlton is now higher on the ladder than the Saints.

pick 8 higher

pick 6 for us
and an easy end of the fixture for 22


if we try hardest
'n the Suns get a winning run on

we could turn our 6 into a 5


Ratts has concealed the tank like a true champion

keep going mate !!

[B.M]

History suggests pick number in the top 10 hasn’t always been important

[Viscount Jeremiah]

I think Ratts is our next premiership coach.

This season doesn't exactly surprise me given we had the hardest draw in the AFL and the worst injuries.

Our list is pretty decent but it's not that great yet so the result shouldn't be a major shock to everyone.

Next year we will bounce back.

[chook23]

His presser and coaches message

Very
very ordinary

[Toy Saint]

Robert Harvey had a good day at the office today

[Teflon]

Robert Harvey had a good day at the office today

Please no

[The_Dud]

Injuries aren’t the reason Higgins kicked 1.6

Injuries aren’t the reason we kicked 5.17 vs Geelong

Injuries aren’t the reason we gave up a 36-0 lead to bottom 4 Adelaide

Injuries aren’t the reason we folded against Port and Carlton in the last few weeks.

That’s 5 more wins we should have despite all our injuries. That’s the problem.

[ROLS-LEE]

1. We have a same/slow paced midfield. = Get some fast PURE MIDS
2. Rely heavily on Ryder and Marshall playing. He have no other big man that can take contested possessions. When 1 goes down our forward movement stops. = Find a proper second ruck. Silvani did more than Hunter.
3. King only wants to take contested possessions. No leading patterns at all. He never leads. = Put him at CHF or higher up the ground for bursts.
4. No plan B, C, D, etc. We cant stop momentum. = How about move Butler into the middle. Maybe put Membrey in there for bursts. Do something different.
5. Our prized picks are down on form/over rated. Billings. (Kick a goal FFS), Crouch (down hill skier), Hill (Same as crouch), Butler ( worked out. Try something different. Dont do the impossible all the time), Hunter (Should never of played.) Hannas. ( Breaks down more than french cars or Jags)

[Scollop]

I think we should start recruiting like pros and stop picking suspect/smelly fish that John West would reject

[Sanctorum]

I'm quite sure that the Board will demand a serious review of all facets of the football department at the end of this season, let's hope that they adopt as their mantra Albert Einstein's philosophy:

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

[SaintDippa]

Another loss, more excuses from Ratts.
All week we knew their ruck weakness so why didn't coaches fine tune clearance. We won hitouts something like 70-6 but +3 on clearance.
All week we knew they were defensively frail, so why didn't coaches fine tune a move the footy forward at all costs approach? Minimal play on around the statue, slow ball movement, backwards kicks that held up play allowing blues to flood back.
All week we knew if the fwd line was open Max will have a field day. Q1 was great. After that slow ball movement meant it was long bombs to Max vs. 3.
I could go on. Sure there were turnovers but take a look and a lot were due to slow ball movement. Move it quick and the turnover risk is reduced as sides can't structure back.
Ratts is kidding himself. Coaching is the problem here.

[samoht]

Our recruiting has been sh1t since about 2009.

We need to recruit pure midfielders with skill and pace who can run and spread ... and who can combine effectively ... as we don't have any.

Our very inside and one-dimensional midfielders keep handballing to each other with opponents breathing down their necks - because they don't/can't run to provide separation. They are like statues.
As a result, they don't/can't combine effectively ... they just put each other under pressure and cause turnovers.

It's not Richo's or Ratten's fault ... our recruiters should have been given the marching orders years ago.

[st.byron]

I'm quite sure that the Board will demand a serious review of all facets of the football department at the end of this season, let's hope that they adopt as their mantra Albert Einstein's philosophy:

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

Zero faith in reviews carried out by the current admin. We had a 'full and frank' review under Richo but Richo's performance was excluded. We've had another review this year under Ratten and it's changed sfa. Still the same game plan, same mystifying selection decisions and the same excuses and deflection.

[samoht]

Nothing to do with who's coach - but everything to do with our recruiting of similar midfield types.
We need dynamic, pure-midfielders with pace and skill (especially the youngsters) - but we keep recruiting statues instead (Bytel, Crouch and Dunstan - and even Steele - are all inside types).

We need to be all over the next Bailey Smith, Petracca or Walsh - we probably need 2 or 3 dynamic midfielders right now to make up for all the ones we overlooked over the years.

[SaintDippa]

On the discussion of a one paced midfield. Dogs have MacRae, Bont, Libba, Hunter and Dunkley. Cats have The Ducker, Guthrie and Dangerfield. Dees have Oliver, Viney, Petracca and Brayshaw.
None of the above would be a favorite in a Stawell gift.
All of the above have an astute coach and a slick ball movement game plan. Leg speed or skilled mids is not our problem. Friday night and all year it has been the Coach and his game plan to move it quick into F50.