Just an Observation Re. Our Intensity & the Contest.

[BaysideSaint]

Blokes have not been going in hard and I'm happy about it.
However,
We just need to get through this week (we really do) without any injury.
Then,
Week One of the Finals we work, work and work for a week off.

Any Thoughts?

[BringBackMadDog]

My only question is once you have switched off the intensity, how difficult is it to switch back on, to me it becomes a habit and it is dangerous to start deciding when you go hard and when you don't

[saintlee]

[quote="BaysideSaint"]Blokes have not been going in hard and I'm happy about it.[quote]

I'm not....I definitely want to see the guys hard at the contest this week!

Of course I don't want to see injuries...but the last thing I want to see in the lead up to finals is another insipid display like last week!

[BaysideSaint]

thats fair enough saintlee but we have been in winning positions.
maddog, i reckon you can turn 'it' on whenever you like if you firstly have, 'IT'.
the belief is that they are very hungry and aware that they are in the entertainment business.

[Thinline]

I'm of the view you are more likely to get hurt if you DON'T commit to the contest...

[jonesy]

Interesting to listen to the King last night on Footy Classified. They asked him the question about the saints tactics,and said firmly "you never flirt with form"....

Two weeks ago I was all for giving blokes a rest. Now I'm having second thoughts. I'm worried about us trying to switch the flick back on,as we couldn't when the game was up for grabs sunday. Time will tell...

[BaysideSaint]

I'm of the view you are more likely to get hurt if you DON'T commit to the contest...

yeah there is that line of thought but if you look closely at some of the contested situations the lads haven't been throwing themselves into a contest, which is fine .. it means that you dont put your body 'on the line'. if you dont put your body on the line it means that you are not putting your body on the line. there is no added pre-disposition to being injured if you're not pre-disposing yourself to being injured. it is what it is.

IMO we have been doing enough to win without putting bodies on the line, which is fine.
If we were to be able to do enough to win against melbourne this weekend without putting bodies on the line and came away with a loss and no injuries one would feel happy one feels.

'you never flirt with form' i reckon is just another uneducated cliche from wayne carey.

[jonesy]

'you never flirt with form' i reckon is just another uneducated cliche from wayne carey.

He did captain two premierships

[BaysideSaint]

'you never flirt with form' i reckon is just another uneducated cliche from wayne carey.

He did captain two premierships

he Captained more than two premierships.
here he is talking about taking offers if they are on the table...
...."if it all fits i will look closely at it" or words to that effect.
guy still has an ego the size of lyon himself.
would be very fortunate to be able to live and work in melbourne ever again.

[SaintWodonga]

My only question is once you have switched off the intensity, how difficult is it to switch back on, to me it becomes a habit and it is dangerous to start deciding when you go hard and when you don't

Well the dogs were down a few weeks ago, they have it back on, no reason we can't do the same.

[jonesy]

'you never flirt with form' i reckon is just another uneducated cliche from wayne carey.

He did captain two premierships

he Captained more than two premierships.

96 and 99

[BaysideSaint]

'you never flirt with form' i reckon is just another uneducated cliche from wayne carey.

He did captain two premierships

he Captained more than two premierships.

96 and 99

a captain is always a captain is all i will say.
had a chronic addiction to cocaine so i'm told.
if you want to believe him when he says that you never flirt with form that's your business.
i subscribe more to the ross lyon institute publication myself.

[spert]

Interesting to listen to the King last night on Footy Classified. They asked him the question about the saints tactics,and said firmly "you never flirt with form"....

Two weeks ago I was all for giving blokes a rest. Now I'm having second thoughts. I'm worried about us trying to switch the flick back on,as we couldn't when the game was up for grabs sunday. Time will tell...

The "big rest" a couple of weeks ago is backfiring I think. It reminds me of when we were on fire in '04 and GT took the players to the movies or something similar during a week mid season for a break, then we lost some of that intensity..it should be all or nothing.

[jonesy]

'you never flirt with form' i reckon is just another uneducated cliche from wayne carey.

He did captain two premierships

he Captained more than two premierships.

96 and 99

a captain is always a captain is all i will say.
had a chronic addiction to cocaine so i'm told.
if you want to believe him when he says that you never flirt with form that's your business.
i subscribe more to the ross lyon institute publication myself.

Hardly had an addiction, and if 'dabbling' was an indicator to dismiss a player then our side is farked.....then again,so are the 15 sides.
I'll subscribe to the Ross Lyon publication once we've won one,until then,I'm open minded

[The darkness]

How can you flirt with form when you cant put the same blokes on the field because of injurie concerns or guys down on form...if changes needed to be made they have been made. If guys needed to be rested they have been rested...Why flog 22 blokes week in week out for 22 weeks and get to the finals and be tired and carrying niggles ?
I would rather have a full fit squad going into Septyember with hunger in their bellies than be concerned that we have upset those outside the club with our so called flirting with form.
Wayne Carey= flog

[Saints43]

I'm of the view you are more likely to get hurt if you DON'T commit to the contest...

That's a ruse made up by footy coaches. Nathan Eagleton has barely missed a game due to injury.

[borderbarry]

As a person, Carey not great.
As a player, I cant recall a better one. I wish he had of being a Saint. We would have had more than the one premiership flag flying.

[Geezer]

we almost pinched 2 games playing half hearted football . .
no way we were going at 100 % those games
yet we flicked the swich half way thru the 3rd against the bombers and almost pinched it (granted they had injury problems)
and we played bout 30mins of football against the roos and almost won the game. (petrie's gardiner esque mark)

quite confident that we are right where we need to be.
guaranteed top spot. no injuries (touch wood)
and focused heading into the finals.

win 2 games and we are in the big dance.
as much as eveyone is saying. . .last i looked the sky was still overhead and we are still on top.

id be worried if i was the opposition coaches seing st.kilda play no where near their best and yet still almost win.

we have lost 2 games by a combined 7points !
the pressure is off and we refocus and win the flag

[widereceiver]

quite confident that we are right where we need to be.
guaranteed top spot. no injuries (touch wood)
and focused heading into the finals.

win 2 games and we are in the big dance.

the pressure is off and we refocus and win the flag

I agree, ask yourself if our performance in the last two games resembles the team which I have loved destroying every other for 19 weeks.

Unless they've all got polio or swine flu, they are reloading for a crack in September. Respect your foes and then beat the bejeezus out of 'em.

[SainterK]

Just curious, who says that you can't turn intensity on and off, does this rule just apply to footballers?

IMO motivation has much to do with intensity, and if we were to be honest, since securing top spot....

[roxanne]

It's not our intensity that's the problem. It's our conversion. Has been for about the past 6 weeks.
And I don't know if that can be fixed - I have no doubt we'll win our share of the ball in the finals. What we'll do with it is still an issue.

[snoopygirl]

we almost pinched 2 games playing half hearted football . .
no way we were going at 100 % those games
yet we flicked the swich half way thru the 3rd against the bombers and almost pinched it (granted they had injury problems)
and we played bout 30mins of football against the roos and almost won the game. (petrie's gardiner esque mark)

quite confident that we are right where we need to be.
guaranteed top spot. no injuries (touch wood)
and focused heading into the finals.

win 2 games and we are in the big dance.
as much as eveyone is saying. . .last i looked the sky was still overhead and we are still on top.

id be worried if i was the opposition coaches seing st.kilda play no where near their best and yet still almost win.

we have lost 2 games by a combined 7points !
the pressure is off and we refocus and win the flag

Thank you. Saved me from typing anything.

[BaysideSaint]

It's not our intensity that's the problem. It's our conversion. Has been for about the past 6 weeks.
And I don't know if that can be fixed - I have no doubt we'll win our share of the ball in the finals. What we'll do with it is still an issue.

agree on that aswell.
19 scoring shots to 15 v NMFC i believe.

[bigcarl]

It's not our intensity that's the problem. It's our conversion. Has been for about the past 6 weeks.
And I don't know if that can be fixed - I have no doubt we'll win our share of the ball in the finals. What we'll do with it is still an issue.

agree on that aswell.
19 scoring shots to 15 v NMFC i believe.

intensity was more of a factor in the essendon game. against the kangaroos it was our inability to convert, but we did miss what a couple of hard in-and-under ball winners such as lenny or bally would have brought to the side.