IF YOU had turned on the TV at 2.31pm on Saturday you would have been forgiven for thinking you were watching not the Grand Final replay, but, instead, a replay of last week's Grand Final.
The game started exactly the same way. The only difference was, unfortunately for Saints fans, it didn't get any better.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/y ... 5933622010
You do the math: Paul Roos
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A great article, wasted talent to not coach again.
Look where the good/very good players were located - midfield. Hayes and Goddard versus Jolly /Swan/Pendlebury/Thomas/Shaw/Ball/Wellingham.
The pressure was on Swan and Pendlebury & Wellingham down last week and they responded. Saints pressure was on Jones, Dal, Gram and only Dal responded somewhat.
They batted deeper.
The forward line argument is really ineffectual. Cloke and Dawes battled, Roo and company ditto. Yes we were terribly lame at CHF but the delivery was awful.
I thought our backs held up relatively well. Collingwood got more drive out of defence and spread much better. Gwilt, Fisher did roles and rebounded but it was more timid often. O'Brien kicked goals to provide extra options.
I was amazed at a few other inferences;
1) players often handball 1 metre out of a pack to someone covered...Peake, Dawson and a few others do this time-after-time
2) Our mentality to sprint 10 metres to exert pressure like the Pies was unseen. Wasn't Swan slow a year ago?? They looked to have done a lot of work on quick movements to break the zone.
3) We offered no run the whole day. Often hemmed into the back pockets, if we ever got it out there was never anyone feeding through the middle.
Look where the good/very good players were located - midfield. Hayes and Goddard versus Jolly /Swan/Pendlebury/Thomas/Shaw/Ball/Wellingham.
The pressure was on Swan and Pendlebury & Wellingham down last week and they responded. Saints pressure was on Jones, Dal, Gram and only Dal responded somewhat.
They batted deeper.
The forward line argument is really ineffectual. Cloke and Dawes battled, Roo and company ditto. Yes we were terribly lame at CHF but the delivery was awful.
I thought our backs held up relatively well. Collingwood got more drive out of defence and spread much better. Gwilt, Fisher did roles and rebounded but it was more timid often. O'Brien kicked goals to provide extra options.
I was amazed at a few other inferences;
1) players often handball 1 metre out of a pack to someone covered...Peake, Dawson and a few others do this time-after-time
2) Our mentality to sprint 10 metres to exert pressure like the Pies was unseen. Wasn't Swan slow a year ago?? They looked to have done a lot of work on quick movements to break the zone.
3) We offered no run the whole day. Often hemmed into the back pockets, if we ever got it out there was never anyone feeding through the middle.
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InkerSaint
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Thanks for the link. Very well put from Roos.
He's got it spot on with the team assessment - nine very good to excellent players and the rest made up of role players, and if the intensity of the group drops off it can't carry so many players with poor disposal.
On one hand we've seen this group achieve amazing things and punch well above their weight. On the other hand when the tide is against them they are made to look ordinary very quickly.
I wonder if Ross will be giving Paul a phone call or two for advice this week.
If there's anything to take heart from, it's that this group has reinvented themselves before, surely it's not too much to hope that they can do it again.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/c ... 162pc.html
He's got it spot on with the team assessment - nine very good to excellent players and the rest made up of role players, and if the intensity of the group drops off it can't carry so many players with poor disposal.
On one hand we've seen this group achieve amazing things and punch well above their weight. On the other hand when the tide is against them they are made to look ordinary very quickly.
I wonder if Ross will be giving Paul a phone call or two for advice this week.
If there's anything to take heart from, it's that this group has reinvented themselves before, surely it's not too much to hope that they can do it again.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/c ... 162pc.html
There's some strong models of significant change over summers: Hawthorn from '07 to '08, us from '08 to '09, the Cats from '06 to '07 and the Pies '09 to '10. It can be done, but it takes a determination and a willingness to work hard, and go where the game's going.
"... You want to pose a threat to the opposition in as many ways as you can, both defensively and offensively. We've got a responsibility to explore all those possibilities - and we will."