We can actually win the flag next year!! Get excited!!

Legendary · Post: # 678085Post **Legendary** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 4:51pm

How much is there to be excited about at the Saints!?!

We've picked up a kid in Farren Ray who will give us great run through the middle and has the experience and ability to be a great performer for us. We have Goose Maguire coming back to peak condition for the first time in a couple of years, and Stevie Baker itching to get out there and show everyone why he is the AFL's best tagger.

We have close to the best footballer in the league as our captain for 2009, and a great group of young kids who can only keep improving.

We have a coach who now has a couple of seasons under his belt and who knows his playing group.

We are coming off a Preliminary Final where we were missing our best midfielder for the year (Ball), and four blokes who are in our best 22 when fit (Goose, Baker, X. Clarke and Dempster).

Construction of our new training/admin base will start next year, and we will see that come together and the Saints rule the south of Melbourne forever.

On Saturday we will add 3-4 talented youngsters to our list, and further continue to stock up for the long term.

We have blokes like Armitage, Steven, McEvoy, Connors, Eddy and Geary who are in their 2nd or 3rd seasons of AFL footy, and will all take more steps next year and give us some great talent coming through.

We will probably add an international rookie from Ireland for the first time in the club's history.

We have a 208cm ruckman developing on our rookie list from NSW ... from all indicators so far, he is going to be a gun!

Our playing group has another year under David Misson to get even fitter - even as we were the fittest team in the AFL in the second half of last year.

We've secured a great appointment as an assistant coach in Leigh Tudor, who will bring an understanding of the Cats and their success.

We are aligned with Sandy and playing at the Trevor Barker Oval next year, giving our kids even more of a sense of history and belonging to the heartland of our supporter base.

We have a great draw in 2009 from a football perspective.

We have one of the youngest lists in the AFL, with only two blokes over the age of 30.

BRING ON 2009!!

Harvey To Hayes · Wed 26 Nov 2008 4:56pm

Great post. I needed that...

bethb7 · Post: # 678092Post **bethb7** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 5:00pm

Nice post, puts things into perspective. We are going to be ok

Legendary · Post: # 678100Post **Legendary** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 5:11pm

We have a great leadership group at the club and hardly any injuries leading into pre-season for the first time in many years!

SainterK · Post: # 678101Post **SainterK** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 5:12pm

I have a good feeling about Luke Ball also...

chook23 · Post: # 678108Post **chook23** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 5:18pm

omg omg omg

prior to BC saga a fair way off

post BC saga a fair way off

Title of thread.......prob a bit off as well

Legendary · Post: # 678110Post **Legendary** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 5:20pm

chook23 wrote:omg omg omg

prior to BC saga a fair way off

post BC saga a fair way off

Title of thread.......prob a bit off as well

Agree regarding the title, has been amended.

Do not agree regarding the sentiment however ... I find there is plenty to be optimistic about.

FortiusQuoFidelius · Wed 26 Nov 2008 5:24pm

Great to read a positive post rather than all the negativity thats been going on around here recently.

evertonfc · Post: # 678113Post **evertonfc** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 5:25pm

Prediction: 6-10.

Too many teams with improving lists set to go ahead of us.

Our injury troubles stay. Our skills remain terrible. Our kids can't keep up. Too few do too much. Too many do too little.

Just my view, and that's how I honestly see it - without pessimism.

chook23 · Post: # 678115Post **chook23** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 5:29pm

FortiusQuoFidelius wrote:Great to read a positive post rather than all the negativity thats been going on around here recently.

because some/many have a different view it is negative??

Maybe just some of it is true.

dont mind a positive thread myself if it is true/factual

don't like OMG OMG wank threads full of one-eyed hype and fluff

Richter · Post: # 678154Post **Richter** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 7:03pm

My heart says that we can challenge... but my head agrees with Ev. Can't fault the logic.

Big unknowns are.....

- improvement in Goddard/Gram moving into the centre

- return of the Goose and X

- further development of Raph

What we do know is......

- we lack pace and quality disposal from the middle of the park (hence the dribbling about BC)

- we lack a medium forward option

Con Gorozidis · Wed 26 Nov 2008 7:44pm

i dont know whether to laugh at cry at this post.

we lack pace. midfield polish. midfield hardness. all round kicking skills and goal kicking ability.

our young players (under 21's) are in the bottom quarter of the league.
we are hanging out for players (steven and mcevoy) who have never played a single AFL game.

Legendary · Post: # 678184Post **Legendary** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 8:06pm

Con Gorozidis wrote:i dont know whether to laugh at cry at this post.

we lack pace. midfield polish. midfield hardness. all round kicking skills and goal kicking ability.

our young players (under 21's) are in the bottom quarter of the league.
we are hanging out for players (steven and mcevoy) who have never played a single AFL game.

Gee, you wouldn't think we'd finished 4th and played finals would you?

When things don't go right, you hold your patience and have faith in the people and systems you have in place. It took Geelong 7 years with the same people and same structures, and many times things didn't go right. They stuck with it and were patient, and it clicked.

Improvement doesn't come from a messiah.

Improvement doesn't come from abandoning your plans.

Improvement doesn't come from taking extreme risks.

The Saints, despite what you thought of the finish to the year, were in the top 4-5 teams in the AFL in 2008.

We have plenty of improvement within ourselves.

It might be boring, but generally the path to success is.

Saints94 · Post: # 678186Post **Saints94** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 8:08pm

That cheered me up

mick13 · Post: # 678217Post **mick13** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 8:41pm

Hope I can share your optomism mate, season could go either way...

WayneJudson42 · Wed 26 Nov 2008 9:02pm

Sack Lyon

jays · Post: # 678249Post **jays** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 9:11pm

how can you say sack lyon is just his second year got just as far as the so called saints glory years under thomas, what we need is good luck with injures and bulk up a bit

tweedaletomanning · Wed 26 Nov 2008 9:14pm

Not ONE of those reasons explains how we can possibly bridge the gap.

OMG if we're relying on Eddy, Connors and Geary as kids coming through, imagine how ecstatic Carlton and Richmond must be with their kids.

The reason why SO many of us are disappointed in not seeing Ben in a saints uniform, is because we realise it's a tough business...ANY advantage could make the difference...

If we finish higher than 4th next year......I will write an apology to the Board for ever doubting them, and take out a full adult membership for my dog.

tweedaletomanning · Wed 26 Nov 2008 9:16pm

jays wrote:how can you say sack lyon is just his second year got just as far as the so called saints glory years under thomas, what we need is good luck with injures and bulk up a bit

Don't listen to him Jays, he's just trying to be funny

Unfortunately not everyone can be witty

Con Gorozidis · Wed 26 Nov 2008 9:17pm

tweedaletomanning wrote:Not ONE of those reasons explains how we can possibly bridge the gap.

OMG if we're relying on Eddy, Connors and Geary as kids coming through, imagine how ecstatic Carlton and Richmond must be with their kids.

The reason why SO many of us are disappointed in not seeing Ben in a saints uniform, is because we realise it's a tough business...ANY advantage could make the difference...

If we finish higher than 4th next year......I will write an apology to the Board for ever doubting them, and take out a full adult membership for my dog.

ok deal. ill do the same!

joffaboy · Post: # 678265Post **joffaboy** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 9:22pm

Our mids are one paced, we lost Harvey, and we replaced him with

Ray.

We are so far behind Geelong it is not funny.

Our backs are one injury away from disaster - but we have Nathan Carroll coming on board so we will become a premiership threat.

Nothing to see here - move along.

tweedaletomanning · Wed 26 Nov 2008 9:23pm

Con Gorozidis wrote:
tweedaletomanning wrote:Not ONE of those reasons explains how we can possibly bridge the gap.

OMG if we're relying on Eddy, Connors and Geary as kids coming through, imagine how ecstatic Carlton and Richmond must be with their kids.

The reason why SO many of us are disappointed in not seeing Ben in a saints uniform, is because we realise it's a tough business...ANY advantage could make the difference...

If we finish higher than 4th next year......I will write an apology to the Board for ever doubting them, and take out a full adult membership for my dog.
ok deal. ill do the same!

Cheers Con

Lets see how many more of us we can get in on this..

WayneJudson42 · Wed 26 Nov 2008 9:26pm

tweedaletomanning wrote:
jays wrote:how can you say sack lyon is just his second year got just as far as the so called saints glory years under thomas, what we need is good luck with injures and bulk up a bit
Don't listen to him Jays, he's just trying to be funny
Unfortunately not everyone can be witty

Correctamundo! Just like shooting fish in a barrel.

Well we might as well sack him because we've blamed everyone else for last night other than our own hyping up of the prospect of BC becoming a Saint.

Lighten up children. Ole papa Wayne reckons it's a storm in a teacup, and we'll do fine next year.

saintly_safes · Wed 26 Nov 2008 10:45pm

We as saints supporters have a very thick skin & what ever gets handed our way we take it on the chin & move on. I know the character & resilience of the true believers & we will succeed in the long run , keep the faith boys & girls we just might have to wait a bit longer but when it happens man there is gunna be one hell a celebration "go sainters"

bigcarl · Post: # 678312Post **bigcarl** » Wed 26 Nov 2008 10:50pm

we have the cattle or close to it, but we need major philosphical and structural changes to be a threat imo.

we need a 70-plus leading/marking full forward (BJ, I think) to complement riewoldt.

we also need to rethink the "numbers behind the ball" thing, which we take to ridiculous extremes at times.

to beat the hawks and cats you have to be able to outscore them and i can't see that happening with our current set up and lack of risk-taking.

my line-up

B: Baker (if fit), Hudghton, X. Clarke
HB: Gram, Maguire (if fit), S. Fisher
C: Blake, Hayes, Gilbert
HF: Milne, Riewoldt, Dal Santo
F: Koschitzke*, Goddard, Schneider

Foll: King, R. Clarke, Ball
Inter: Montagna, C. Jones, Armitage, Ray.

*second ruck