Reload for 2012

[BigMart]

44 games to get it right...


Hayes 32
Riewoldt 29
Kosi 30
Fisher 30

a heap 26-28

and

Blake ---------> Simpkin 21
Baker ---------> Miles 25
Eddy -----------> Lynch 21
Milne -----------> Stanley 22
McQualter ------> Steven 22
Peake ----------> Geary 23

Dawson, Dempster, Gram, Jones......in squad but under pressure from Walsh, Winmar, Heyne, Smith

It will take two years to get 30-40 games into many of them.....unfrotunately I think Armitage is GONE!!! Should have played, no question....and CANNOT be argued...

B: SIMPKIN -- DAWSON -- MILES
HB: FISHER -- GWILT -- GILBERT
C: RAY -- HAYES -- MONTAGNA
HF: SCHNIEDER -- LYNCH -- DAL SANTO
F: STANLEY -- RIEWOLDT -- STEVEN

FOLL: McEVOY -- GODDARD -- JONES

Int: KOSCHITZKE -- GRAM -- GEARY -- WINMAR

Emerg: SMITH -- DEMPSTER -- HEYNE

Hopefully a DP comes good also and one of those can be squeezed out...

we need fresh blood...and legs

[saintsRrising]

..and for 2011 as well....

Footy has changed. Saints took team footy to a new level.....and I am afraid that Pies have take it again higher.

Today however had too many players who were mentally not there. So I am not going to totally panic.

However what this year has shown is that you cannot carry one-dimensional players.

Kosi for mine is aglaring example. Too reliant on having to mark. God teams isolate him so that even his spoils are of no use as they keep him one on one where he is easy meet. Forget making him intoa ruckman...he is terrible at actual ruckwiok..anda few grabs around the ground do not disguise it.

McQualter. Havinga guy in the team for tackles only is not viable. In 2009 he was hitting the scoreboard. In 200 he did not. Eddy may be simlar.
We need guys that can kick goals when opportunities present.

Stevern, A Smith, Miles, Armo, Stanley now all need to be given games.

Note not saying at all that they should have played in this years GF, but going forward we have to ruthless about building team that can have another crack.


Plus...get Gilberta kicking coach. With better kicking he could be elite. Without it he is a liabilty against a better opponent.

[saintsRrising]

We need another in the midfield who can use the ball well and the forward line needs:


* another marking target in place of the cumbersom Kosi
* a medium forward

[saintsRrising]

Constant improvement is required....

This year we need many things well....but it is now about NEXT year, and the years after....

we need to envison what team we need for that...and then encourage and develop the players we need for it.

I beleve that we aleady have most of the players we need...but some players are now not what is needed...and some of kids have the raw talent to be what we need.

[Eastern]

44 games to get it right...


Hayes 32
Riewoldt 29
Kosi 30
Fisher 30

a heap 26-28

and

Blake ---------> Simpkin 21
Baker ---------> Miles 25
Eddy -----------> Lynch 21
Milne -----------> Stanley 22
McQualter ------> Steven 22
Peake ----------> Geary 23

Dawson, Dempster, Gram, Jones......in squad but under pressure from Walsh, Winmar, Heyne, Smith

It will take two years to get 30-40 games into many of them.....unfrotunately I think Armitage is GONE!!! Should have played, no question....and CANNOT be argued...

B: SIMPKIN -- DAWSON -- MILES
HB: FISHER -- GWILT -- GILBERT
C: RAY -- HAYES -- MONTAGNA
HF: SCHNIEDER -- LYNCH -- DAL SANTO
F: STANLEY -- RIEWOLDT -- STEVEN

FOLL: McEVOY -- GODDARD -- JONES

Int: KOSCHITZKE -- GRAM -- GEARY -- WINMAR

Emerg: SMITH -- DEMPSTER -- HEYNE

Hopefully a DP comes good also and one of those can be squeezed out...

we need fresh blood...and legs

Raph Clarke ? !!

[saintsRrising]

We need more players rotating through the midfield. Havinga player like Mini just playing the one role and not being able to rotate through the midfield is a handicap.

[bobmurray]

I hope we don't go round again in 2011 with similar teams to 09 and 10..

They have been proven inept at the final hurdle twice, no amount of pre season resolve can fix that.....Only new blood can provide the answer, as long as we don't free fall down the ladder....

[onlooker]

Reloading for 2012 means creating some new opportunities. IMO its now time to create some development space and some of our currehnt players dont stand up under finals pressure. Peake is OK running in space but in the crush makes poor decisions and his delivery is just average. I still haven't seen why we chased him through the draft. McQualter - the days of just playing as a defensive forward without contributing to the score are gone. He doesn't and hasn't done enough. I was going to go on with other 'top up' types who I think their time is now up (by the way S Milne isn't one of them) but I am too shattered.
My brother who is a filth supporter tells me something like 6 of today's C'wood team actually come from the development of their Rookie list. Its time to stop looking atpicking up bottom end players that might get you through round to round but go missing at finals time and start seriously looking at recruiting players who will eventually perform under finals pressure. We need some big change to happen.

[dragit]

I agree…
We now have to get more games into Geary, Steven, Miles, Stanley, Armitage (?), Lynch, Walsh & Heyne. Not all at the same time, but we have to see which of these are worth keeping.
I love all the saints players but there's a few that aren't getting the job done when it matters McQualter, Eddy, Ray, Peake, and it breaks my heart but Milney and Kosi too…
I know it's easy from your armchair to cast judgment, I'm just worried about not getting a flag and having no second tier with experience.
2 grand final sprints can't be wrong, either of those 2 would be better than Peake

[St. Luke]

Clearly the Pies have set the standard! Get the footy forward.... which ever way you can! Let the chance-gods sort our the rest.... (because heaven-forbid the closer you are to your own goal the further you are from your opponents!!)...have one of your forwards snare it, get it to another who is competent with it, and f'n score!!! Simple game (for apes!), simple but effective tactic!!!

[Tom_Aus]

I know that the general feeling is we may have blown our chance in terms of winning a GF with this lot of players. But i think we just need to tinker with the side slightly and we will be up and around the mark again.
A quick midfielder (maybe Tambling), an experience ruckman (similar to what pies got with Jolly), and an inside midfielder to help Lenny, as i think we lacked in these areas today.
What are some thoughts? Hope today wasn't last chance for guys like Lenny, Roo, Dal and Milney

[saint75]

I know that the general feeling is we may have blown our chance in terms of winning a GF with this lot of players. But i think we just need to tinker with the side slightly and we will be up and around the mark again.
A quick midfielder (maybe Tambling), an experience ruckman (similar to what pies got with Jolly), and an inside midfielder to help Lenny, as i think we lacked in these areas today.
What are some thoughts? Hope today wasn't last chance for guys like Lenny, Roo, Dal and Milney

Excellent post. People are being way too hasty.

Our kicking today was pitiful. Had we converted those missed shots, we would have been in that game early up to our eyeballs.

I believe that we will be back again next year. No one else really up and about. Who else do you see in the other teams taking a crack at the top 4? Geelong would appear to be the only likely candidate with Freo as a VERY outside chance.

Way too hasty a call. Pencil in 2011. Ross 2009 Gameplan MkII will be one to be reckoned with. Look what Malthouse did with Ross's 2009 Gameplan MK I?

[saintsRrising]

I know that the general feeling is we may have blown our chance in terms of winning a GF with this lot of players. But i think we just need to tinker with the side slightly and we will be up and around the mark again.
A quick midfielder (maybe Tambling), an experience ruckman (similar to what pies got with Jolly), and an inside midfielder to help Lenny, as i think we lacked in these areas today.
What are some thoughts? Hope today wasn't last chance for guys like Lenny, Roo, Dal and Milney

I think if you re-read agin you will see that most are saying that the bulk of the team is ok...but that yes we need some new blood either your our younger players pushing up, or players coming in from outside, but most likely mainly the former with 1 or 2 outsiders.

[Winmarvellous]

Chance = shot. Sorry to say but it seems Big Nick can't stand up in the big one. Goddard can only do so much. Dal, Joey etc always go missing, and Lenny ain't got many years left. Just admit to the fact we blew it. Que sera sera.