So 2007 is nearly over, what have we learnt?

[Solar]

It was a fairly disapointing year per say, mainly through the injuries we had, missing the finals, thrashing in the mould we had not seen ina few years, a new coach cutting his teeth and letting certain games slip.

For mine the 5 biggest disapointments were the following:

1. The board spats with our ex coach. I am not going to take sides, both sides used the football club to make personal attacks. I am sure the club and all supporters are glad this is behind us because Stkilda is there to win flags, not as a play thing for those with big ego's.

2. Injuries. It got to the silly stage where we NEARLY played phil raymond (how bad would you feel being the only senior listed plaer not to get a game against the hawks ). The loss of BJ and attard were bad loses, soft tissue injuries hurt and it got to the stage against essendon that gram had to play on lucas!

3. Interstate loses. Huge loses to brisbane and port in the first month and a half were a shocking introduction to the coaching game for ross lyon. I have not seen this type of inability to contest since 2004.

4. losing games by not running them out. Our mental and physical inability to run out games meant that we lost some very winnable games. These include the bulldogs draw, losses to the kanga's, wce and a terrible loss to the pies. In fact if they want something to spur them on put that final quarter against the pies on to show the difference a bit of inner strangth and team ethics can make!

5. The retirement of Thommo. I don't think people remember what a great servant this guy has been during our lowest points (1999 - 2003). It is fantastic that he is on the board.

While on the other hand there were positives from 2007:

1. The breakout season of sam gilbert. Went from a thin HFF in 2006 to a damaging swingman. His great speed and dodging ability came to the fore, while his ability to either shut down a forward (judd) or go forward to score a couple of important goals meant he was the most improved.

2. The improvement of the rookies. This was one of the biggest improvements in our list. Attard was fantastic, being that back pocket we have always cried out for. CJ went on to play some solid games (still huge question mark over his disposal) while geary, eddy and the Van had great seasons for casey (geary pushing for selection in rd 22). Look for these three to put pressure on the senior list in 2008.

3. The board transition. It was a bloodless and thus we have to be thankful to rod for standing down. The employment of new fitness staff seems to be having a great result already with only a couple of players working through injuries over preseason. There is a great vibe around the club and memberships are up.

4. Harvey and gehrig are playing on. It's hard to replace a 100 goal kicker and harvey is, well, harvey.

5. List management. After an awesome trading period that gained us 3 priemership players, most noteably ruckman king and the schneiderman. We have a more compact list, with more depth.

So bring on 2008. We have made the changes that should put us on the road to better results. The players need to work harder, for longer. We need to be the hunter again, hate to say this but the pies are what we want to base our year on. Want it more then anyone else. They have a lot less football ability but they get EVERYTHING out of themselves. I implore our players to make that a benchmark.

Go saints

[cwrcyn]

Positives from 2007:

New fitness team in place with an excellent track record

New football manager replacing Ken Sheldon

Greg Huthcinson being appointed as coach of Casey. We should see a more harmonious relationship this year, which will assist our developing players

The development of Attard and Gilbert

The clearing of dead wood off the playing list. Nine players moved on.



Negatives from 2007


The public spat between Thomas and Butterss. Thomas came out smelling pretty badly in my opinion.


The board upheaval. History will judge Butterss very favourably, but he was ripe for the picking, given the continuing injuries, his public spat with Thomas, and his support of an inept football manager.


The failure of any newly drafted players (national draft) to make an impact

The continuation of the injury curse


The poor quality of football played. Only three games worth a second look in an entire season.


The ruck crisis. We lost some games purely down to opposition ruckman slamming it down the thoats of their midfielders.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

what we got :
GT RB era of bitter fighting looks to be at the end
new sponcership
new players
finally giving up on deadwood on the list
rookie lists that work

what we learnt :

Geelong taught us acountable direct and precise footy with a fair injury run can make the differance from sitting outside the 8 and unveiling a flag.

Sammy Hamil taught us 5 year contracts will bite you on the ass 3 year contracts that get extended at the end of the 2nd year is a wiser move.

GT taught us never sign a contract unless you think it through otherwise you look like a tool claiming something thats not yours any more

RB taught us its better to fall on your own sword then get bludgend to death through the courts

Benny Cousins taught us no matter how much you try one month forced into rehab for a PR excercise will not "cure" anything

West Australian media taught us no matter what stupid acts you do as long as you wear blue and gold you will get a hero's welcome back

Ross Lyon taught us that for us as a team to move forward we need to cut off the dead weight and start playing more accountable footy

what the saints taught us accountable footy can turn into ugly footy when walking wounded

[BAM! (shhhh)]

what we got :
GT RB era of bitter fighting looks to be at the end
new sponcership
new players
finally giving up on deadwood on the list
rookie lists that work

what we learnt :

...

Sammy Hamil taught us 5 year contracts will bite you on the ass 3 year contracts that get extended at the end of the 2nd year is a wiser move.

I still think the Hammill contract was a good idea. With Penny and Hammill we've definately seen the downside of such deals, but given what goes on in other sports, if you can save on salary through making the deal long term - especially if you can front load the contract, while I think we've got to be cognisant of the risk, it would be unwise to throw the idea out altogether.

GT taught us never sign a contract unless you think it through otherwise you look like a tool claiming something thats not yours any more

Why would GT care how he looks now? Whatever his reasons for signing were, and whether he's got a case is not ours to decide, if he gets the money, he's not going to regret it because some people on a forum think he looked bad getting it.

RB taught us its better to fall on your own sword then get bludgend to death through the courts

Benny Cousins taught us no matter how much you try one month forced into rehab for a PR excercise will not "cure" anything

In addition, the Benny Cousins scenario taught me just how many different views there are around on the drug issue - the one defining similarity being that people feel very strongly about the issue, and as a society, it's something we haven't addressed.

West Australian media taught us no matter what stupid acts you do as long as you wear blue and gold you will get a hero's welcome back

Ross Lyon taught us that for us as a team to move forward we need to cut off the dead weight and start playing more accountable footy

Did he? He's had one year, and that one year has been our worst since 2003 (and only marginally better than 2003).

I don't blame him, believe he'll do well, and hope that he will be able to teach us many things. So far, I find it diffucult to give him the professors hat though.

what the saints taught us accountable footy can turn into ugly footy when walking wounded

It certainly did do that.

[rodgerfox]

To find any positives from season 2007, I will need to pick myself up some serious rose coloured glasses.

The most disappointing and lack lustre season I've seen in a long time.

The most 'under-achieving' season from a team I've just about ever seen.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

Sammy Hamil taught us 5 year contracts will bite you on the ass 3 year contracts that get extended at the end of the 2nd year is a wiser move.

I still think the Hammill contract was a good idea. With Penny and Hammill we've definately seen the downside of such deals, but given what goes on in other sports, if you can save on salary through making the deal long term - especially if you can front load the contract, while I think we've got to be cognisant of the risk, it would be unwise to throw the idea out altogether.
the 5 year contract helped the salary cap but i think 3years with an open option is a better way to go

GT taught us never sign a contract unless you think it through otherwise you look like a tool claiming something thats not yours any more

Why would GT care how he looks now? Whatever his reasons for signing were, and whether he's got a case is not ours to decide, if he gets the money, he's not going to regret it because some people on a forum think he looked bad getting it.
im sure GT doesnt give a crap what anyone thinks but i personaly have lost a lot of respect for guy ever since he got the arse .

RB taught us its better to fall on your own sword then get bludgend to death through the courts

Benny Cousins taught us no matter how much you try one month forced into rehab for a PR excercise will not "cure" anything

In addition, the Benny Cousins scenario taught me just how many different views there are around on the drug issue - the one defining similarity being that people feel very strongly about the issue, and as a society, it's something we haven't addressed.
more a comment on how WC tryed to make it look like they were doing everything to get him well when in fact if he hadnt got caught they would of gladly turned a blind eye to it

more o comment on how WC tryed to make it look like they were doing everything to get him well when in fact if he hadnt got caught they would of gladly turned a blind eye to it
West Australian media taught us no matter what stupid acts you do as long as you wear blue and gold you will get a hero's welcome back

Ross Lyon taught us that for us as a team to move forward we need to cut off the dead weight and start playing more accountable footy

Did he? He's had one year, and that one year has been our worst since 2003 (and only marginally better than 2003).

I don't blame him, believe he'll do well, and hope that he will be able to teach us many things. So far, I find it diffucult to give him the professors hat though.

i didnt call him a professor but RL has said he wanted to get the team to play more acountable footy and he also cut all the deadweight off the team the fact we had a crap year was more to the fact we didnt grasp the new plans as well as we would of liked

what the saints taught us accountable footy can turn into ugly footy when walking wounded

It certainly did do that but the upside is we should of learnt from that and should have a better grip on how to play accountable footy without in needing to be a flood fest .

[SENsei]

Gee Ken Sheldon is copping it in the neck isn't he? 'inept' football manager? Not sure I agree with that summation, but it was odds on that he was only a temporary appointment, and I believe he knew that.

Other than the Steve Baker c**k-up, which I doubt can be fully levelled at his door anyway, where else was he 'inept'.

From my vantage point, he did a serviceable job. Sure he might have traded Milne before Lyon stepped in. Big deal, I would've traded Milne two years ago.

Being a football manager is a tough gig, and I reckon Kenny did a pretty good job in a difficult year. Like Ross Lyon, he had to contend with the spectre of Grant Thomas, board splits, constant media coverage, injuries, etc.

He was only there because the previous board wouldn't spend the cash on a Neil Balme or a Robert Shaw or a Geoff Walsh. Simple really. Doesn't mean he was 'inept'. Very harsh call.

We didn't make the finals. Is therefore Ross Lyon 'inept'?

*jumping down from my Kenny defence post*

[bigcarl]

i learned there's a lot of truth to the adage "if it's not broken don't fix it".

with the resources we have available i expect no less than a top 4 finish this season

[st_Trav_ofWA]

*jumping down from my Kenny defence post*

it would be fairly lonely up there when in here
honestly though i though Ken did an ok job but was a little big out of his depth i dont think he really handled the stress of the situation very well go on him though fro giving it a crack i men no-one else seemd better then him at the time of his apointment

[Zippy]

We learnt what we should have learnt a long time ago - there's no point in having great cattle if they never play. injury management needs to be a priority to get the most out of your list.

[GrumpyOne]

*jumping down from my Kenny defence post*

it would be fairly lonely up there when in here
honestly though i though Ken did an ok job but was a little big out of his depth i dont think he really handled the stress of the situation very well go on him though fro giving it a crack i men no-one else seemd better then him at the time of his apointment

No-one else appears to have been interviewed when Kenny got the job, so it was a choice of one.

[Eastern]

*jumping down from my Kenny defence post*

it would be fairly lonely up there when in here
honestly though i though Ken did an ok job but was a little big out of his depth i dont think he really handled the stress of the situation very well go on him though fro giving it a crack i men no-one else seemd better then him at the time of his apointment

No-one else appears to have been interviewed when Kenny got the job, so it was a choice of one.

I think Kenny was "guilty by association", meaning that his days were numbered as soon as it became apparent that a new Board would be in place. Kenny's previous employer was Nylex where Glen Casey was his boss !!

[RBnW]

*jumping down from my Kenny defence post*

it would be fairly lonely up there when in here
honestly though i though Ken did an ok job but was a little big out of his depth i dont think he really handled the stress of the situation very well go on him though fro giving it a crack i men no-one else seemd better then him at the time of his apointment

No-one else appears to have been interviewed when Kenny got the job, so it was a choice of one.

I think Kenny was "guilty by association", meaning that his days were numbered as soon as it became apparent that a new Board would be in place. Kenny's previous employer was Nylex where Glen Casey was his boss !!

Sheldon was a Casey, Kellet and RB appointment, as soon as they went so did he...
what is interesting is that none of the departures of the past few years have turned up at any other AFL club....does that say something about how well they did thier jobs....other than Waldron at the Storm.....although I hear that things are not great at the Storm for him

So maybe what we have learned is we should have got rid of a few of them earlier......One thing for sure is that Lyon,Misson,Drain,Wallace, SoS, Rock, Elshaug, Barker, Mulkerns, Barbour, Hutchinson would all get jobs if they were on the market......and that is a big change from what we have had....learning hire good people and let them do the jobs....

bring on the footy in 2008 as fast as possible....this team of on and off field people is as good if not better than most going around....2008 is going to be great....

[mad saint guy]

To find any positives from season 2007, I will need to pick myself up some serious rose coloured glasses.

The most disappointing and lack lustre season I've seen in a long time.

I've got to agree. Gilbert's emergence was a positive, but we should have kids like him emerging every year.

We didn't exceed any area of expectation this year. Many of the positives given by fans are things that are simply compulsary for an AFL team.

[joffaboy]

2007 is gone

Move on.

[Eastern]

Hey RBnW !!

I think you will find that;

Jason Mifsud went to the Bulldogs as a development coach. He has since left and joined the AFL.

Matt Rendell is now National Recruiting Manager for Adelaide

I thought that I read somewhere that Georgie Fidge was headhunted by some PR Company.

Terry Daniher went to Carlton. I don't know if is with them in 2008

Mick Maguane went to Balwyn as coach and Sport 927 as brekky announcer. Both have since let him go

!!

[saintm]

Jason Cripps was also an assistant at Port Adelaide in the 2007 season. Don't know whether he is there for 2008 or not.

[Huzzad]

2. The improvement of the rookies. This was one of the biggest improvements in our list. Attard was fantastic, being that back pocket we have always cried out for. CJ went on to play some solid games (still huge question mark over his disposal) while geary, eddy and the Van had great seasons for casey (geary pushing for selection in rd 22). Look for these three to put pressure on the senior list in 2008.

A great article mate. Enjoyed everything you wrote. This particularly I'd like to highlight, as alot of people don't realise just how valuable Attard was to our 07 campaign. He played some great games and is just the type of defender we need. His injury is a tragedy and hope he can get back out on the park soon. CJ is also very promising. Disposals are a ?, mark but I think there is alot of potential there that alot of people have missed and should see this guy firing in 08 with more accuracy and games. His injury really stunted his development and skill in the latter half of the year. As for Geary, Eddy and big Van, have not seen these guys play but alot of people on this forum seem to rate them, so hopefully we can see them in action in the seniors at some point.

[evertonfc]

Picking positives out of 2007 were restricted to three moments; only one of them on-field, and only one during the regular season:

- Knocking off WCE in Perth.
- Our last day at trade week.
- Change of board.

The rest of the year was horrible. Missing the finals, with our list, was a terrible result.

[GrumpyOne]

One thing we did learn was the true natures of both RB and GT.

[spert]

As Roy Orbison sang ..."its over.." 2007 that is.

2007 showed how much work it will take to turn around a team with over-rated potential, and a few years of poor fitness management and mediocre recruitment, to a team to hopefully win a premiership.

We can see RL and the club is putting major effort into fitness and injury issues. King will provide some leadership and should be an effective ruckman while we develop some new blood.

Only 2008 will show though, how much work has been done, or still needs doing.

[rodgerfox]

We can see RL and the club is putting major effort into fitness and injury issues. King will provide some leadership and should be an effective ruckman while we develop some new blood.

Is that sentence a bit of a contradiction?

[Armoooo]

Jason Cripps was also an assistant at Port Adelaide in the 2007 season. Don't know whether he is there for 2008 or not.

I would say he would be, Justin Westhoff said that Cripps was a real big help for him and he didn't believe he would have developed without him...

[Huzzad]

We can see RL and the club is putting major effort into fitness and injury issues. King will provide some leadership and should be an effective ruckman while we develop some new blood.

Is that sentence a bit of a contradiction?

I didn't think so...

[Eastern]

BACK ON TOPIC.........................again !!

At the end of 2007, like every other year we click over to a New Year. Each New Year brings hope & optimism for the year ahead. This is not the exclusive domain of saints fans either. Every footy fan feels that way at this time of year !!