Beating the Benchmark When It Matters

[ace]

Our benchmark in the AFL for next year will again be Geelong.

There was only one game of importance in 2009 and St Kilda lost that by 2 goals.

Some players will be a year older and a year slower.
They may not play in the 2010 grand final.
Other players will be a year older and a year better.


The other change is the players in the comparative 22s that run out on the last Saturday in September.
Some players may be replaced for the 2010 grand final.
Players who don't take the field are not relevant on that day.

How will the teams change.

GEELONG
OUT
1 Harley
2 ?????

IN
1 Drum?
2 ?????


ST KILDA
OUT
1 ?????
2 ?????
3 ?????

IN
1 Lovett
2 Peake?
3 ?????

What are your changes and are we 2 goals better.

[chook23]

Who can foresee injuries or form

that is why THIS YEAR BLOODY HURTS SO MUCH

2 goals better than what.........................

no guarantees in 2010

Hindsight yes........if you make it as we did in 2009 (then only one game really counts)

Prelim most draining game.............a huge effort to get to the GF

it will be a strain again next time we make a prelim.......
to get that chance again

[Milan Faletic]

The thing that teams stopped us from doing in the finals, was kicking goals on the run from 50.

Hopefully our recruiting will help to address that issue because we need a better spread of goalkickers.

We will need to be 10-15% better next year to win the flag. I think Zac will be bigger and fitter next year and more confident given that he is now the leader of the backline.

Roo will be fitter and BJ won't have a broken nose and collarbone which was a huge factor in the last quarter. Our spread of midfielders will have a new injection of youth with Armo, Steven, Geary and Eddy.

Having said that, I don't reckon we will be a 20-2 team and we may choose to rotate players earlier in the season next year, rather than Round 19.

[spert]

The thing that teams stopped us from doing in the finals, was kicking goals on the run from 50.

Hopefully our recruiting will help to address that issue because we need a better spread of goalkickers.

We will need to be 10-15% better next year to win the flag. I think Zac will be bigger and fitter next year and more confident given that he is now the leader of the backline.

Roo will be fitter and BJ won't have a broken nose and collarbone which was a huge factor in the last quarter. Our spread of midfielders will have a new injection of youth with Armo, Steven, Geary and Eddy.

Having said that, I don't reckon we will be a 20-2 team and we may choose to rotate players earlier in the season next year, rather than Round 19.

I agree with most of that. We really only lost by a goal I reckon

The increasing reliance on Roo to kick most of our score in latter part of the season was a big issue that ultimately cost us in the end. I look forward to 2010, and I think Geelong will miss Harley, and Scarlett is another year older and will be a little slower, whereas we can improve in many areas quite a bit.

[aussiejones]

Reliance on Roo is a must to fix.
The obvious go to man so why wouldnt you ?
Our HF and Forward lines are the achilles.
Our Forward Coach has a task...... I dont know the answer. When it works its great but .......

[samoht]

We dominated the inside 50's - but the problem is players like Milburn sent our inside 50's straight back with 20% interest.

Our forward efficiency is woeful - that's our achilles heel - I agree aussie jones.

Too many smalls(get monstered in crunch games) and talls (get double tagged) - we don't have any permanent medium sized forwards, especially goal kickers.

We still need to recruit one or 2.

Lovett will provide 1 midfield goal on average, which is welcome - but he won't be a permanent medium forward, his value is the midfield and the open spaces.

[ace]

We dominated the inside 50's - but the problem is players like Milburn sent our inside 50's straight back with 20% interest.

Our forward efficiency is woeful.

Too many smalls and talls - we don't have any permanent medium sized forwards, especially goal kickers.

We still need to recruit one or 2.

Lovett will provide 1 midfield goal on average - but he won't be a permnanent medium forward, his value is the midfield and the open spaces.

Our smalls are dependent on forward pressure to create turnovers and crumbing at the feet of the two big guys.
Our smalls are too small to take their own marks against Geelong's 189cm mobile defenders.
It means that Geelong know where the ball is going when it comes inside 50. - to the big guys.

But we don't have effective mid-size forwards who can also apply the forward pressure and are unlikely to develop any during the time our premiership window is open.

I was hoping people would suggest their changes for both the Geelong and St Kilda grand final teams and then compare whether St Kilda had improved versus Geelong.
Note only the 22 players who play next September count.
Dreaming of fantastic project players performing 5 years from now doesn't count.

[samoht]

I concede fat chance of recruiting a capable medium forward at this stage.

.. but I'd be disappointed if St kilda didn't at least die trying to target one - as that still remains our obvious need.

So our forward inefficiency remains.

We have improved compared to the Cats - although we need to consider that Steve Johnson will probably be fitter next time around and they carried him in the grand final.

[SainterK]

The thing that teams stopped us from doing in the finals, was kicking goals on the run from 50.

Hopefully our recruiting will help to address that issue because we need a better spread of goalkickers.

This, our midfielders scoring was well down on last year....

[Mr Magic]

.

We have improved compared to the Cats - although we need to consider that Steve Johnson will probably be fitter next time around and they carried him in the grand final.

But we likely wouldn't get similar weather conditions as this year which impacted so devastatingly on our 2 big forwards' ability to take marks.

[Milan Faletic]

I believe McEvoy will be the big improver next year. He will become a goal scoring ruckman.

[bigcarl]

I concede fat chance of recruiting a capable medium forward at this stage. .. but I'd be disappointed if St kilda didn't at least die trying to target one - as that still remains our obvious need.

surely the addition of lovett and maybe peake will allow us to release a player who can kick goals to the half forward line.

there are various possibilities. goddard, gilbert, fisher, ray or raph.

or lovett himself. or lynch. or tommy walsh if he can learn the oval ball quickly enough (he looks like a gun).

[Milan Faletic]

I concede fat chance of recruiting a capable medium forward at this stage. .. but I'd be disappointed if St kilda didn't at least die trying to target one - as that still remains our obvious need.

surely the addition of lovett and maybe peake will allow us to release a player who can kick goals to the half forward line.

there are various possibilities. goddard, gilbert, fisher, ray or raph.

or lovett himself. or lynch. or tommy walsh if he can learn the oval ball quickly enough (he looks like a gun).

agree big carl. thought that was a strange post too. don't forget gram. he did a defensive job on gf day but he can move forward. also goose might be an option too.

[asiu]

I believe McEvoy will be the big improver next year.

agreed...risk takers would have played him this year ... outa the way kingy

[SainterK]

Stating the obvious a little here, but I hope everyone on the list has more to give...

[Milan Faletic]

I believe McEvoy will be the big improver next year.

agreed...risk takers would have played him this year ... outa the way kingy

mcevoy was definitely the hindsight selection. RL had to go with King just as AC went with Dew in 2008. Some pay off some are seen to be not as good in hindsight. For the gazillonth time, we kick straight we win. Hindsight sucks

[HarveysDeciple]

St.Kilda went past Geelong in 2009, and spent the whole season as a better side then them.

We just handed them a second flag through missed chances and that's why it hurts.

[Milan Faletic]

St.Kilda went past Geelong in 2009, and spent the whole season as a better side then them.

We just handed them a second flag through missed chances and that's why it hurts.

Spot on HD. Your namesake would have been rolling in his proverbial football grave. Unlike 97, where the GF crept up on the team that was 1-4 after 5 rounds, I firmly believe that this group is different both in coaching and player mentality. I really believe that they are waiting to explode next year and they will approach 2010 differently. They will be more mature and smarter.

[SainterK]

St.Kilda went past Geelong in 2009, and spent the whole season as a better side then them.

We just handed them a second flag through missed chances and that's why it hurts.

Spot on HD. Your namesake would have been rolling in his proverbial football grave. Unlike 97, where the GF crept up on the team that was 1-4 after 5 rounds, I firmly believe that this group is different both in coaching and player mentality. I really believe that they are waiting to explode next year and they will approach 2010 differently. They will be more mature and smarter.

Agree!

I am not worried about other teams "gaining" on us, I am certainly not worried that our window is closing, I am not even worried that we are one or two key injuries away from being in trouble next year...

Step back and appreciate this list, their passion, and their ability to execute a game plan. Just try to tell me that they will let their dream quietly slip away....

Bring on 2010!

[n1ck]

St.Kilda went past Geelong in 2009, and spent the whole season as a better side then them.

We just handed them a second flag through missed chances and that's why it hurts.

Couldnt have said it better myself.