Will we really be that bad?

R. Harvey 3 votes! · Thu 12 Jan 2012 5:26pm

It has really amazed me how many people, pretty much everyone other than St. Kilda supporters who think that we will slide badly this year and finish about 11th on the ladder? Do I just have rose coloured glasses and I am missing something or will we be ok again?
I suppose it is great to not have any expectations this season and just go about our business and maybe surprise a few but are we really going to be as that bad as everyone says?

saintspremiers · Thu 12 Jan 2012 5:30pm

Our fixture is excellent and should easily ensure a top 8 finish.

8th if eveything goes wrong.

SMS · Post: # 1187089Post **SMS** » Thu 12 Jan 2012 5:32pm

crazy. people said we were gone that our window was closed in .... 2008!! deadset! do you remember?

Windows are BS!

relax people enjoy 2012 we will be there again. We will win it.

skeptic · Post: # 1187092Post **skeptic** » Thu 12 Jan 2012 5:45pm

We have a good enough core to play finals.

The trick to predicting the Saints is actually very easy but at the same time impossible (paradox if ever I heard from). Where's the improvement going to come from?

If there's no major improvement we'll finish around 8th again give or take depending on the form of our best and injuries.

All it takes is for Armitage to turn into an A-Grade midfielder, Saad to establish himself and have immediate impact and some of fringe players to improve and we'll be top 4 easily.

Obviously we can't realistically predict a big improvement in any one player.

Imagine if one of Ross, Stanley or Wilkes turned out to be a star this season... that alone would make us real contenders.

Hard to see where the improvement will come from though

jays · Post: # 1187095Post **jays** » Thu 12 Jan 2012 5:59pm

im thinking we will finish top 4

Nick Bayside · Thu 12 Jan 2012 6:00pm

The improvement will be from the players not suffering emotional stress from dealing with the media and the public on the street - re KD. Plus they have settled into the LHC and should be reaping the rewards of a state of the art training facility. Sippos, Saad, Kozi, Riewoldt and Hayes all to have a bigger impact.

The Redeemer · Thu 12 Jan 2012 6:49pm

Why is Kosi now being labelled a leader?

How has he changed?

Why has it taken this long?

Love the Kos!

Con Gorozidis · Thu 12 Jan 2012 6:56pm

Its is about time we had a star come out of nowhere and be a big improver. Some people say Jimmy Gwilt was our last one but he was a really a steady progression who gradually got better and grew in confidence.

most other clubs seem to have someone who goes from nothing to a star in a single year. about time we got one!

St Loxton · Post: # 1187106Post **St Loxton** » Thu 12 Jan 2012 7:27pm

No rose colored glasses here, i think we have a good shot this year. Im taking the $17 for us to win the flag.
We have a great draw, we have some awesome talent, havnt lost much but gained some new talent sure to push our more seasoned players for selection.
Our defence will still be one of the hardest to score against in the league, the Lyon shackles are off and i reckon our players will relish the enthusiasm of a new coach and attacking game plan.

Do i make some sense, or am i mental?

Get on the Saints!!!!!!!!!!

VERDUN · Post: # 1187108Post **VERDUN** » Thu 12 Jan 2012 7:36pm

I'm with you St loxton -reckon i might grab some of the $17

avid · Post: # 1187114Post **avid** » Thu 12 Jan 2012 8:10pm

I think we might do pretty well. I'm thinking 3rd to 6th, maybe getting our gameplan finely honed toward the end of the season.

(Mind you, I remember being pretty confident and excited this time each year all through the '70s and even the '80s. I actually started being right again in the '90s.)

Con Gorozidis · Thu 12 Jan 2012 8:29pm

St Loxton wrote:No rose colored glasses here, i think we have a good shot this year. Im taking the $17 for us to win the flag.
We have a great draw, we have some awesome talent, havnt lost much but gained some new talent sure to push our more seasoned players for selection.
Our defence will still be one of the hardest to score against in the league, the Lyon shackles are off and i reckon our players will relish the enthusiasm of a new coach and attacking game plan.

Do i make some sense, or am i mental?

Get on the Saints!!!!!!!!!!

Get on em! The media love to create the drama of teams sliding and teams emerging and yada yada yada. But it never changes as fast as they make out. We will still be good. North and Tigers will still be rubbish!

SainterK · Post: # 1187118Post **SainterK** » Thu 12 Jan 2012 8:32pm

Well given how crappy this season was, everthing that could of gone wrong did, yet they still managed to finish 6th.

If quite a bit goes ok this year....

st_Trav_ofWA · Thu 12 Jan 2012 9:03pm

Our stars are a year older coming off for some their worstseason form wise in years .. It's easy to see how people will write us off but the fact is basically every thing that could go wrong did go wrong last year and while I'm not saying we will win the flag we are in my opinion the 5th strongest side in the comp so with luck we could make top 4 .. Without drama we should make top 8 with things going wrong again we will be bottom 9

Armoooo · Post: # 1187125Post **Armoooo** » Thu 12 Jan 2012 9:18pm

I believe it will be the story of this group, the stars will do enough to make sure we win more games than we lose, but our weaker players will be exposed. Our drafting from 2003 onwards was shocking and has caused us a chance at a dynasty, we had the core, we just needed to recruit some reliable players to put around them.

IMO we will be behind Carlton, Collingwood, Geelong, Hawthorn and we could potentially have some trouble getting ahead of Essendon, Fremantle, North Melbourne, Sydney and West Coast.

I have us finishing about 6th or 7th, but once you're in the finals, anything can happen.

Saints94 · Post: # 1187126Post **Saints94** » Thu 12 Jan 2012 9:32pm

Armoooo wrote:I believe it will be the story of this group, the stars will do enough to make sure we win more games than we lose, but our weaker players will be exposed. Our drafting from 2003 onwards was shocking and has caused us a chance at a dynasty, we had the core, we just needed to recruit some reliable players to put around them.

IMO we will be behind Carlton, Collingwood, Geelong, Hawthorn and we could potentially have some trouble getting ahead of Essendon, Fremantle, North Melbourne, Sydney and West Coast.

I have us finishing about 6th or 7th, but once you're in the finals, anything can happen.

Are you serious bro?

saintsRrising · Thu 12 Jan 2012 10:08pm

st_Trav_ofWA wrote:
the fact is basically every thing that could go wrong did go wrong last year

That is my view too.

So if we can steady the boat...and get some of our younger talent to bloom I see an improvement. We just need to get Lenny to hit is straps by the second half of the season. Lenny is truly elite...and if "back in town" will make a huge difference. Not just by his own playing ability, but because he is that rare type of player that lifts his team-mates so that they play better.

Over the course of last year Ben became a good player...and I am expecting more from him this year.

Steven also looked better last year, and would be expected to step up as well.

Armo will hopefully improve...but if not we also have some young'uns like Ledger.

Saad is capable of adding value in his first year.

You can only play 22 players in any one team at once.......and I see enough newish players that will be pushing in to lift the overall quality of our 22.

We have lost Zac...but he was a reasonably steady role player rather than a good players. So Wilkes or Simpkin would be a reasonable bet to replace him.

Have just one true No 1 ruck in Ben makes me nervous. But Kosi and/or Stanley should be ok as No2s. just hope that either do not have to play as No1s.

I believe that Watters has a lot to work with. So the challenge is now his to find ways to make us score better....and injectinga bit of pace and better kicking is likely to be part of this.

Which old blood will make way for which new blood. well that will be fascinating to watch.

Sick Nal Danto · Thu 12 Jan 2012 10:31pm

Armoooo wrote:
I have us finishing about 6th or 7th, but once you're in the finals, anything can happen.

I hate that line, people say that every year, but it is quite obvious that the finals are designed for the 1 of the top 3 to win

So anything but a top 4 finish will make it very hard to win the premiership

Teflon · Post: # 1187132Post **Teflon** » Thu 12 Jan 2012 10:55pm

For mine for us to win it - aside from a youth bolter really improving us - we absolutely must have Riewoldt/Hayes back to their ELITE best and injury free.........a lot to ask.

Watershed yr for Roo IMHO he either shrugs off the hammy/knee concerns and hits top form or I fear we've started the decline from elite down to very good player "occasionally"....

Eagles/Swans will be good - Pies, Cats, Hawks, Blues top 4 - Freo/Bombers outside chance

If we are up to it we can dislodge Blues/Hawks.....games against sides like Essendon next year are must wins. Just cant keep forfeiting these matches as we do annually...

We are the unkown next year for sure

clarky449 · Thu 12 Jan 2012 10:56pm

Lucky to make the finals. Im thinking about 7-12.

Bernard Shakey · Thu 12 Jan 2012 11:48pm

We will be top four!

matrix · Post: # 1187143Post **matrix** » Thu 12 Jan 2012 11:59pm

yeah

we're f***ed

hungry for a premiership · Fri 13 Jan 2012 5:10am

I am supremely confident that we will finish top four, and there is no chance in hell we will finish below 6th on the ladder come the end of the home and away season. If we finish lower than sixth, I will streak naked onto the MCG at the end of our last game of the season against Carlton. Guaranteed.

I think you will all find the following youtube clip interesting. It is a 2012 ladder predictor which goes into great detail in order to predict the final ladder of this 2012 season. Every team is given a difficulty ranking from 1-17 based on last years final ladder, (i.e. geelong is 17 and Port is 1), and other factors such as short breaks, interstate travel, venue difficulty rating and more are brought into the equation. It explains it all at the start. I think most would pretty much agree with where the predictor has us finishing:

skeptic · Post: # 1187162Post **skeptic** » Fri 13 Jan 2012 7:22am

Really really hope we get 10-15 games into Rhys Stanley... if we do, he'll improve. How much I'm not sure but I reckon he could establish himself as our 2nd best ruck or a real up and coming KKP

I reckon our season to a degree will depend on improvement of
Stanley
Cripps
Ledger
Simpkin
Wilkes
Saad
Milera

If 3 or more of those players have big impacts... IMO we're looking good

skeptic · Post: # 1187163Post **skeptic** » Fri 13 Jan 2012 7:32am

hungry for a premiership wrote: I think you will all find the following youtube clip interesting. It is a 2012 ladder predictor which goes into great detail in order to predict the final ladder of this 2012 season. Every team is given a difficulty ranking from 1-17 based on last years final ladder, (i.e. geelong is 17 and Port is 1), and other factors such as short breaks, interstate travel, venue difficulty rating and more are brought into the equation. It explains it all at the start. I think most would pretty much agree with where the predictor has us finishing:

Hmmm interesting 1

Without a break down, it's hard to comment.

He has the top 6 of Coll, Wce, Haw, Geel, Carl and St.Kilda - which seems reasonable but the top 6 clearly dominates the season and breaks out way in front... Syd at 7 keeps in touch (3 games behind) but there's a major gap between the Saints and Essendon at 8th (4 games).

My feeling is this guy has under estimated the medium strength teams ability to upset a more fancied opponent. As good as Collingwood look... 21W 1L seems way too dominant