Carlton V Geelong

[BackFromUSA]

We lost to both of these teams in the last few minutes by less than a goal each. Both losses had HUGE psychological impacts on our players and a goal the other way I somehow feel that would have been flying.

Watching tonights match on TV and these 2 teams are definitely top 4.

Maybe we are not as far off as some think?

Start winning our fare share of centre bounce clearances and we can still give this season a shake. Footy 2011 style is all about centre clearances and playing the game in your half with defensive pressure in forward 50.

We will need 12.5 wins to make the 8. So 11 from 15 which we have done before. A win this week and then 2 of the next 3 and we have renewed hope.

From there one never knows - if we make the finals like the Hawks did, I think we will give everything we have and if we end up in a Preliminary Final, the team will be on a massive roll and anything is possible from there.

I have not given up on 2011 until we are mathematically out of the Final 8.

I AM PART OF "THE SAINTS FAITHFUL" - A TRUE BELIEVER!

[Teflon]

I admire your optimism.....but..

While we have pushed these sides...the real worry for me has been our inconsistency across 4 qtrs...and perhaps just as bad.....the centre square mids work without Hayes.

I reckon come finals time IF we get there and we struck either of these sides...we'd be in strife...

[saintsRrising]

I think what it shows, is that big part of our current problem is "mental".

However that may not mean that we will get over it. Just means that is more than possible.


I do however doubt that Goddard and Roo will keep playing as badly as they have been, but can Gram and Co turn the corner and become good players once again?

We are not as bad as current results, and this what the talk of a complete rebuild by some is nonsense. But it remains to be seen whether many on our list can get back to their best.

I think that for at least some the answer is no. So then the question is how quickly new blood can mature, and secondly how good that new blood will be.

[dcstkfc]

I admire your optimism.....but..

While we have pushed these sides...the real worry for me has been our inconsistency across 4 qtrs...and perhaps just as bad.....the centre square mids work without Hayes.

I reckon come finals time IF we get there and we struck either of these sides...we'd be in strife...

+1

We could beat either side if happened to meet them in finals though, because it'd likely mean we were in some reasonable form!

[The Fireman]

Cheats still don't prosper

[SainterK]

We haven't been far off at all, talked into a 'slump'

Just need someone to talk em out of it.

[bobmurray]

We haven't been far off at all, talked into a 'slump'

Just need someone to talk em out of it.

What the

[saintspremiers]

If we trash the Dees and kick 15+ goals I may re read this thread.

[stevie]

All the recent talk about rucks, etc, and they had no real impact last night, unless you count warnock's miss at the death.

He did nothing around the ground,, as did Ottens and Hawkins, and the clearances were probably shared by the mids.

Carlton have a few passengers, as do the Cats.

[St Igmata]

All the recent talk about rucks, etc, and they had no real impact last night, unless you count warnock's miss at the death.

He did nothing around the ground,, as did Ottens and Hawkins, and the clearances were probably shared by the mids.

Carlton have a few passengers, as do the Cats.

The game was of a standard rarely played .

[Dan Warna]

We have the talent without a doubt.

what we lack is the mental fortitude to go on.

We are a top 4 side on paper, many of the players bagged week in week out are premiership quality players (well maybe not dempster ) but the players can't get their and the coach can't get it out of them.

many argue throw the players out and start again, others argue throw the coach out and get someone who can elicit the best of the players, and many say let the coach and the players work through this and get there themselves.

I honestly don't know the solution.

shuffling deckchairs isn't going to solve anything.

[Cairnsman]

I wonder what will happen if we lose today? It still hasn't sunk in yet.

[ralphsmith]

Much of it is mental and the competition is so even I do believe we could still win the premiership if we got our players mental strength to the required levels.

But that's a big ask at this stage. The resurrection hasn't happened yet.

[BackFromUSA]

One win tucked away and now we have a big 4 weeks ... as I see it:

The final 10 games of the season we can win 8.

So we need 4.5 wins from the first 12 to have a chance to make the 8.

5.5 wins from the first 12 means we are a genuine chance for the 8.

We need 6.5 games from the first 12 and then we are even a chance for top 4!

So the next 4 games - Fremantle, Collingwood, Western Bulldogs and Geelong - will pretty much shape our season.

Zero wins from the 4 = give uop and play the kids as much as possible

1 win from 4 = play more of the kids but in moderation and rotation

2 wins from 4 = still a mathematical chance for finals so status quo

3 wins from 4 = we are back in the race for the final 8 - pick best team

4 wins from 4 = we are actually a chance to snag a top 4 spot!!!

Before you laugh at me - if we won all 4 - our confidence would be sky high and then tackle the last 10 games with a bye to freshen up and if we win 8 of those 10 we would finish at 14.5 wins which would be close to a top 4 finish ...

Even 3 of the 4 would give us enourmous boost and with Gardi a possible in after the bye we could really challenge ...

I AM PART OF "THE SAINTS FAITHFUL" - A TRUE BELIEVER!

[BackFromUSA]

That is ONE of the FOUR tucked away.

Our season is alive.

One of the next 3 games and we CAN make the 8.

Any more wins and even top 4 is a possibility.

We are only 1.5 games out of the 8 and only 3 games out of top 4 ... with 13 games to go.

[InkerSaint]

The season is most definitely alive.

If the higher-placed team wins every game from now to the end of round 24 we will lose to Geelong, Collingwood twice, Sydney, and Carlton, and be in 8th spot a game and percentage clear of Richmond. (In 9th - lulz)

What we can do from there, I'm not sure... get some finals experience into the kids at least.

[Legendary]

I'm sure they will fire up a little bit, but the Bulldogs form suggests that we should win that match ...

So in a perfect world we would want to win ONE out of Geelong and Collingwood.

If we lose both it's not a big deal (can still make finals), but IMO psychologically we need to beat one of those two sides if we are going to play finals and continue the 2nd half of the season with some momentum ...

If we beat the Dogs and win 1/lose 1 from Geelong & the Pies ... that gives us 5.5 wins and 6 losses ... with 10 games to go.

Of the remaining 10 we would need to win 7 to play finals ... but if we have any sort of form, the only games I can see us dropping are against Carlton and Collingwood ... the rest are all very winnable.


In short, we aren't in too bad a position ... if we win 2 of the next 3, we are a very good chance to play finals and an outside chance for top 4.

If we win only 1 of the next 3, we are still a pretty good chance to play finals.

Bring it on!

[saintspremiers]

Results fell our way this weekend with the Tigers going down a big bonus.

8th spot is a real chance suddenly.

I'd be rapt if we play just one final from
Where we are right now.

[BackFromUSA]

... well we now have the 2 wins that lines us up for a spot in the 8

... we now need 8 wins from the last 11 games.

... a win next week and I may even start talk about a possible top 4 finish!

As I said in my opening post:

"Start winning our fare share of centre bounce clearances and we can still give this season a shake."

Well we have started THANKS to Jack Steven and Sam Fisher ... and for those thinking wow Jack gets heaps of clearances - check out the way Sam Fishers sets them up AND then creates space with blocks.

And I cannot wait for Tom Ledger to get some more time in the middle at centre bounces because this kid puts his head over the ball and goes 100% ...

The addition of Armitage, Steven and Ledger to our midfield mix will pay huge dividends in 2012 when Lenny is back.

And in further centre clearance good news ...

BIG SHOW will be back after the Cats match ...

I AM PART OF THE "ST KILDA FAITHFUL" - A TRUE BELIEVER