The Good, The Bad, The future

[older saint]

2021 was cooked when we lost to Adelaide, and while there was a smoulder it was done . 3 games left starts the postmortems and hindsight experts, of which i will be one:

Good:
- We found a couple players - Highmore, Byrnes, Connolly, Bytel have all shown enough that should they continuance to work hard and develop they could become at least solid AFL footballers adding to either our best 22 or at least best 28.
- Crouch has played a lot of footy. Had a lot of Injury issues last few years so to get continuity into his body has been good
- Higgins is a lot better than i thought he was watching him at Richmond.
- Sinclair has become what we often see at other clubs but not at ours for a while - a guy go from the fringe to an automatic best 22 player after more than a couple years in the system.
- King will be a star.
- Dunstan has increased his trade/free agent value significantly
- Jack Steele is a top 15 player in the league

Bad:
- Tougher draw was a reality check. On top we also play Sydney twice who no one saw as any good.
- We were not fit enough. I don't care what they protest - they tried to manage the shorter break and potentially some players took advantage of this and it has cost games.
- Injuries - Paton, Carlisle, Geary - key players we need barely , is at all hit the park . Hannebery is like Haley's Comet you only see him once every 75 games so I don't count him.
- We have accumulated a lot of the same type players. Ross/Dunstan/Crouch/ Bytel all not quick inside mids.
- Coffield, Butler, and Clarke suffered under opposition teams putting more time into them , and see item 1 seem to be 2 who may have cruised through pre season expecting it to happen ( no proof just a gut feel)
- Allison seems a long way off , I hope that was expected??
- Recruitment of veteran depth players seemed like a good idea until it was those players who got injured. Frawley and McKernan have been unavailable more than available . Hunter copped a lot but he was a 4th choice ruck and has tried hard . Some people just don't have the talent.

The Future:
- Will have a top 10 pick ( Father sons will see it around 10) . Needs are outside speed and good ball user. If it is a no to this then do not pick.
- Skills Skills Skills. I don't care how long you have been in the system you can improve your skills with practice. We butcher the ball Time and time again.
- Fitness - We need to be the fittest team at the start of the season , get early wins and if run out of puff around round 15 *( ala Melbourne this year ) then re assess and re build base for finals. Also stop playing unfit players - i am sure Billings is playing hurt, Marshall snapped foot and missed week.
- Change things which need changing - Frawley, Mckernan, Kent, Lonie, will not be in our next final side. Carlisle seems cooked (medical advice needed here ) , Geary thanks for your service got everything an then some from your body. Hunter, Alabakis,
- Trade for need. Dunstan gone IMO , may get 2nd round pick if trade or 3rd compensation depending on offer. Hopefully more than one suitor then trade more likely. Long to me just isn't in best 28 but Ratten loves him. Shop him and would even consider trades which are a win win- eg Narkle for say Battle and pick. They need 3rd forward we need skills and Narkle cant get a game. Not specifically that but example of give to get .

Sure plenty other ideas out there and many will think i have a lot of this wrong.

[Yorkeys]

The bad, which over shadows all those twinkling lights of good, for me, is that the Board, Coaches, and the several Football Department Managers have no clue why we have gone so badly this year - notwithstanding injuries. You know those games I am referencing - absolute shockers - that defined the season. Recruiting seems ok - discount Hill and Hannebery because they were imposed by Lethlean, who would by now have had a major reality check about his omnipotence as a football guru. Possibly.

Have I missed the explanation, not individual game by games discussion of plays but of why there has been a catastrophic fall that shows no sign of levelling? I don't think the decision makers have a clue and are waiting for time to pass and hope the ship rights itself.

It seems we are run by men, other than Ratts, with poor judgement ranging from game day selection, injury management/prevention and tactics that are confident they are right despite evidence to the contrary. That's not good for the future if the Board remains passive and ticks off self serving reports.

Where's the circuit breaker? Or are the players just taking the mickey and will mature shortly.

[cwrcyn]

If your fitness base is inadequate, then it's easy to see why some games the team would be really flat. Interestingly both us and West Coast were very flat and sluggish on the weekend. Was it a taxing game the week before? I know three are plenty on here who poo poo the whole fitness issue, seeing it as a weak excuse, but when you read about Melbourne's fortunes over that last three seasons, with a new fitness guy in 2020 assessing that they weren't fit enough. He fixed the fitness issue and now they are playing great football.

[Sanctorum]

If your fitness base is inadequate, then it's easy to see why some games the team would be really flat. Interestingly both us and West Coast were very flat and sluggish on the weekend. Was it a taxing game the week before? I know three are plenty on here who poo poo the whole fitness issue, seeing it as a weak excuse, but when you read about Melbourne's fortunes over that last three seasons, with a new fitness guy in 2020 assessing that they weren't fit enough. He fixed the fitness issue and now they are playing great football.

I have heard this argument before about the players not being prepared adequately for the 2021 season and if that is correct we should expect a major shakeup of this section in the Saints football department. It does however stagger me that the coaches allowed this to occur, or would have stood by idly, because you'd think that fitness would have been top of the list with skills in the pre-season.

No wonder the team has slipped down the ladder this year!

[Vortex]

If your fitness base is inadequate, then it's easy to see why some games the team would be really flat. Interestingly both us and West Coast were very flat and sluggish on the weekend. Was it a taxing game the week before? I know three are plenty on here who poo poo the whole fitness issue, seeing it as a weak excuse, but when you read about Melbourne's fortunes over that last three seasons, with a new fitness guy in 2020 assessing that they weren't fit enough. He fixed the fitness issue and now they are playing great football.

I have heard this argument before about the players not being prepared adequately for the 2021 season and if that is correct we should expect a major shakeup of this section in the Saints football department. It does however stagger me that the coaches allowed this to occur, or would have stood by idly, because you'd think that fitness would have been top of the list with skills in the pre-season.

No wonder the team has slipped down the ladder this year!

From what I understand the coaches didn't have much control over certain aspects of the pre season program.

The pre season was certainly not normal programming beginning with the fact our pre season did not only start at the normal time due to the incredibly late finish of the season, but also the players had been given some concessions because of the late finish and also some compensation for agreeing to certain arrangements during the season to get the season completed, mostly around hub life.

From what I have heard via the rumour mill a lot of things that happened in 2020 carried over into this season, specifically with regards to players trading in-season entitlements for concessions in the off season.

From the rumblings coming out of most clubs it sounds like most players are COVID fatigued and can we really blame them. I think we the supporters don't cut the players much slack because tbe AFL controlled media sanitise and filter the game to give it the illusion that things are normal in club land, however they are anything but. Protecting the brand is the priority for the AFL and that is the biggest and nastiest clause in a standard AFL contract but from the sounds if it there are a lot of players who are completely over it.

You won't get that vibe though sitting in your lounge room recliner.

[Sanctorum]

All very true Vortex, but it doesn't explain why St Kilda's squad were unfit when most other teams that have had to endure the same issues as St Kilda that you itemised managed to get their players in good nick to be competitive this year...Footscray, Geelong, Melbourne to name a few.

[Beno88]

Agree with all of the original post, good stuff older saint, although Yorkeys hits the nail on the head, the capitulations will forever be what 2021 is remembered for in my mind.

The Essendon, Richmond & Bulldogs games will rank among the all time worst from this club. We've had bigger losses, but when you consider the talent on the park, it's hard to comprehend. The lack of effort needed to be seen to be believed.

The Melbourne, Port and Carlton games weren't far behind those mentioned above, while the Adelaide game is up there with the 1999 Hawthorn debacle. And the Collingwood game almost trumped them both.

The difference between our best and worst is extraordinary. Reminds me of the Saints of 1995 and 2003, so I suppose there's a future silver lining in that.

[spert]

Good: Some games where we played as a team, and won
Bad: The mental game..it is lacking badly. We threw away games with a lack of nouse above the shoulders. The Carlton game was a terrible effort considering we were playing for a possible finals berth. I don't rate Ratts as a coach- nice bloke though.
Future: King, Byrnes, Connolly, Bytel, Sharman, but need a quality midfield to seriously challenge for a premiership, we haven't had that quality for years, and still don't.