Pick the team for Thursday night

[Dr Spaceman]

Ross Lyon "Birth certificates are out the window". 

So the window is still open then 

[spert]

Windows are pretty big in the Saints world -according to the media our premiership window keeps closing year after year, now it's throw the birth certificates out the window, and which as others have said, must mean the window is open. Looking at who to pick for the next game..I hope people aren't serious about dropping Gram, he at least had a crack against Essendon, but a lot of his mates didn't do so, and I expect him to take up a bit more midfield work now Lenny is out, and I would hope NDS,Montagna, Milne and Roo pull their fingers out this week and hit the whole game with a bit more enthusiasm.

[#1GILL]

I would hope NDS,Montagna, Milne and Roo pull their fingers out this week and hit the whole game with a bit more enthusiasm.

I've seen a lot of people critisise Dal but I cannot understand it. It's almost like he is being asked to lift almost out of habbit. Can't people see he's played consistently well across all 3 games? He was (imo) our best player against Essendon. In a game where we got belted, Dal stood up.
Not only did he play well but he had to cope with a tag from Heath Hocking, who is criminally underated by the general public. He finished top 3 in the Bombers' B&F last year from memory and is one of the premier stoppers in the league. Dal still got 30 odd touches against the bombers and he was one of our only players to use the ball well most of the time.
Don't throw him in the 'needs to pull his finger out' category just because it's what we're used to. Dal has been great so far and I would bet just about everything I own that after round 3 he'll be leading our B&F.

[Beno88]

I've seen a lot of people critisise Dal but I cannot understand it. It's almost like he is being asked to lift almost out of habbit. Can't people see he's played consistently well across all 3 games? He was (imo) our best player against Essendon. In a game where we got belted, Dal stood up.
Not only did he play well but he had to cope with a tag from Heath Hocking, who is criminally underated by the general public. He finished top 3 in the Bombers' B&F last year from memory and is one of the premier stoppers in the league. Dal still got 30 odd touches against the bombers and he was one of our only players to use the ball well most of the time.
Don't throw him in the 'needs to pull his finger out' category just because it's what we're used to. Dal has been great so far and I would bet just about everything I own that after round 3 he'll be leading our B&F.

Spot On.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

I would hope NDS,Montagna, Milne and Roo pull their fingers out this week and hit the whole game with a bit more enthusiasm.

I've seen a lot of people critisise Dal but I cannot understand it. It's almost like he is being asked to lift almost out of habbit. Can't people see he's played consistently well across all 3 games? He was (imo) our best player against Essendon. In a game where we got belted, Dal stood up.
Not only did he play well but he had to cope with a tag from Heath Hocking, who is criminally underated by the general public. He finished top 3 in the Bombers' B&F last year from memory and is one of the premier stoppers in the league. Dal still got 30 odd touches against the bombers and he was one of our only players to use the ball well most of the time.
Don't throw him in the 'needs to pull his finger out' category just because it's what we're used to. Dal has been great so far and I would bet just about everything I own that after round 3 he'll be leading our B&F.

Could not agree more with the above. I've come to the conclusion that most Saints supporters haven't watched a game Dal plays since 2005.

Routinely wins 25+ while carrying around a tagger on his back, wins plenty of his own, beats his direct opponent (the tagger) and uses the ball well. A little bit more finish would be nice - it may also be what the Saints require of him to cover Lenny Hayes, but it should be recognised that's asking him to put himself among Brownlow medal contenders.

Scarily enough, with the shots he's missed so far, I don't think he's that far off that kind of form - totally agree that right now he'd be leading the Saints B&F.

[spert]

I would hope NDS,Montagna, Milne and Roo pull their fingers out this week and hit the whole game with a bit more enthusiasm.

I've seen a lot of people critisise Dal but I cannot understand it. It's almost like he is being asked to lift almost out of habbit. Can't people see he's played consistently well across all 3 games? He was (imo) our best player against Essendon. In a game where we got belted, Dal stood up.
Not only did he play well but he had to cope with a tag from Heath Hocking, who is criminally underated by the general public. He finished top 3 in the Bombers' B&F last year from memory and is one of the premier stoppers in the league. Dal still got 30 odd touches against the bombers and he was one of our only players to use the ball well most of the time.
Don't throw him in the 'needs to pull his finger out' category just because it's what we're used to. Dal has been great so far and I would bet just about everything I own that after round 3 he'll be leading our B&F.

Could not agree more with the above. I've come to the conclusion that most Saints supporters haven't watched a game Dal plays since 2005.

Routinely wins 25+ while carrying around a tagger on his back, wins plenty of his own, beats his direct opponent (the tagger) and uses the ball well. A little bit more finish would be nice - it may also be what the Saints require of him to cover Lenny Hayes, but it should be recognised that's asking him to put himself among Brownlow medal contenders.

Scarily enough, with the shots he's missed so far, I don't think he's that far off that kind of form - totally agree that right now he'd be leading the Saints B&F.

Picked up a reasonable amount of possessions and did a couple of good things, but saw him watching in a lot of contests where he could have put in harder and got hands on ball, where direct opponent put head over ball and got clearance. Can't have a midfield of outside receivers now Lenny has gone. Armo is coming along well, but need more from others more experienced.

[spert]

I would hope NDS,Montagna, Milne and Roo pull their fingers out this week and hit the whole game with a bit more enthusiasm.

I've seen a lot of people critisise Dal but I cannot understand it. It's almost like he is being asked to lift almost out of habbit. Can't people see he's played consistently well across all 3 games? He was (imo) our best player against Essendon. In a game where we got belted, Dal stood up.
Not only did he play well but he had to cope with a tag from Heath Hocking, who is criminally underated by the general public. He finished top 3 in the Bombers' B&F last year from memory and is one of the premier stoppers in the league. Dal still got 30 odd touches against the bombers and he was one of our only players to use the ball well most of the time.
Don't throw him in the 'needs to pull his finger out' category just because it's what we're used to. Dal has been great so far and I would bet just about everything I own that after round 3 he'll be leading our B&F.

Could not agree more with the above. I've come to the conclusion that most Saints supporters haven't watched a game Dal plays since 2005.

Routinely wins 25+ while carrying around a tagger on his back, wins plenty of his own, beats his direct opponent (the tagger) and uses the ball well. A little bit more finish would be nice - it may also be what the Saints require of him to cover Lenny Hayes, but it should be recognised that's asking him to put himself among Brownlow medal contenders.

Scarily enough, with the shots he's missed so far, I don't think he's that far off that kind of form - totally agree that right now he'd be leading the Saints B&F.

Picked up a reasonable amount of possessions and did a couple of good things, but saw him watching in a lot of contests where he could have put in harder and got hands on ball, where direct opponent put head over ball and got clearance. Can't have a midfield of outside receivers now Lenny has gone. Armo is coming along well, but need more from others more experienced.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

I would hope NDS,Montagna, Milne and Roo pull their fingers out this week and hit the whole game with a bit more enthusiasm.

I've seen a lot of people critisise Dal but I cannot understand it. It's almost like he is being asked to lift almost out of habbit. Can't people see he's played consistently well across all 3 games? He was (imo) our best player against Essendon. In a game where we got belted, Dal stood up.
Not only did he play well but he had to cope with a tag from Heath Hocking, who is criminally underated by the general public. He finished top 3 in the Bombers' B&F last year from memory and is one of the premier stoppers in the league. Dal still got 30 odd touches against the bombers and he was one of our only players to use the ball well most of the time.
Don't throw him in the 'needs to pull his finger out' category just because it's what we're used to. Dal has been great so far and I would bet just about everything I own that after round 3 he'll be leading our B&F.

Could not agree more with the above. I've come to the conclusion that most Saints supporters haven't watched a game Dal plays since 2005.

Routinely wins 25+ while carrying around a tagger on his back, wins plenty of his own, beats his direct opponent (the tagger) and uses the ball well. A little bit more finish would be nice - it may also be what the Saints require of him to cover Lenny Hayes, but it should be recognised that's asking him to put himself among Brownlow medal contenders.

Scarily enough, with the shots he's missed so far, I don't think he's that far off that kind of form - totally agree that right now he'd be leading the Saints B&F.

Picked up a reasonable amount of possessions and did a couple of good things, but saw him watching in a lot of contests where he could have put in harder and got hands on ball, where direct opponent put head over ball and got clearance. Can't have a midfield of outside receivers now Lenny has gone. Armo is coming along well, but need more from others more experienced.

Perfect example of what I mean.

[desertsaint]

if we're playing those that have a crack - surely blake will get a run?
sets a good example with his attitude that better players would do well to emulate and younger players do well to aspire to.

[Sobraz]

"The philosophy will be to play players who will have a real crack. So birth certificates are out the window, we're about an effort and growth mindset, so we're going to pick players that are going to have a crack and represent our members in a manner that's expected.''

Does this go against what Ross was saying the week before, when he was questioning the constant selection of guys that 'have a crack', but are not getting the results??... The Blakes, Mini's, Bakers and obviosuly He Who Will Not Be Dropped??...

Instead of selecting guys that will have a crack, why not select guys that have greater football ability??... And can improve if given a shot at the top level... Actual skill based selection as opposed to 'having a crack'... Improve on output that the above mentioned players cannot reach...

Looks like a get out clause for his comments the week earlier to me...

In: Baker, Blake, Mini, Kosi..

Out: Stanley, Peake, Gamble, Clarke

[older saint]

reading between the lines with Sandy selection or lack of:

Out: Clarke, Peake, Gamble,

In: Kosi, Winmar, McQualter,

Stanley deserves more than 1 game as does steven and smith

[plugger66]

reading between the lines with Sandy selection or lack of:

Out: Clarke, Peake, Gamble,

In: Kosi, Winmar, McQualter,

Stanley deserves more than 1 game as does steven and smith

Stanley may deserve another game but the team balance is all out if he plays. We would have Stanley, Kosi and Rooy all in the forward line. If they say there is little pressure last week it will be even worse this week if we have those 3 talls in the forward line. Not saying he wont play but it doesnt fill me with confidence if he does.

[#1GILL]

reading between the lines with Sandy selection or lack of:

Out: Clarke, Peake, Gamble,

In: Kosi, Winmar, McQualter,

Stanley deserves more than 1 game as does steven and smith

Stanley may deserve another game but the team balance is all out if he plays. We would have Stanley, Kosi and Rooy all in the forward line. If they say there is little pressure last week it will be even worse this week if we have those 3 talls in the forward line. Not saying he wont play but it doesnt fill me with confidence if he does.

Different circumstances I know but West Coast used Lynch, Kennedy and Darling all to great effect on the weekend against Hawthorn. The Hakws really didn't have an answer for them all and at different times each of them bobbed up.
Darling - 24 touches, 7 marks, 1 goal
Kennedy- 12 touches, 9 marks, 4.2 goals
Lynch- 14 touches, 10 marks, 0.1

Perhaps with the way the full ground presses are being employed this year 3 tall (190cm +) targets is a good mix.

Now Kosi, Roo and Stanley are all taller than the 3 WCE players but two of them are more mobile. Stanley and Roo both have genuine leg speed aswell which could prevent our forward line from becoming top heavy if we play all 3. I think it's definetly something Ross should look at doing, there's nothing to lose.

But I think if we opt for this type of forward line then the smalls will have to be quick aswell as having good defensive skills. Milne picks himself as a key goal kicker. Steven deserves gametime and is quick enough to hold down a spot in the forward line before he becomes a midfielder. I think Schneider will be pushed up the ground a bit, which leaves Mini to come in. He's not the quickest but what can you do?

[gringo]

Stanley wasn't terrible but most of the good stuff was in junk time. Will Johnson is probably a better fit because he can run on to the loose ball or play tall, he is that Couta size runner that is hard to out mark if your short and hard to tackle if your small. I hope Will gets a go and smashes it. He could develop into that Hamill style mid tall forward if pressed to tackle and take the game on. We should have a crash course in Hamill 101 for him. He at least was running until he was gasping Harvey style in the NAB. That's at least the attitude you want from a player at the moment.

[SainterK]

reading between the lines with Sandy selection or lack of:

Out: Clarke, Peake, Gamble,

In: Kosi, Winmar, McQualter,

Stanley deserves more than 1 game as does steven and smith

Stanley may deserve another game but the team balance is all out if he plays. We would have Stanley, Kosi and Rooy all in the forward line. If they say there is little pressure last week it will be even worse this week if we have those 3 talls in the forward line. Not saying he wont play but it doesnt fill me with confidence if he does.

What if Kosi played more in the ruck, and Stanley played more of the Gilbert forward kind of role?

[plugger66]

reading between the lines with Sandy selection or lack of:

Out: Clarke, Peake, Gamble,

In: Kosi, Winmar, McQualter,

Stanley deserves more than 1 game as does steven and smith

Stanley may deserve another game but the team balance is all out if he plays. We would have Stanley, Kosi and Rooy all in the forward line. If they say there is little pressure last week it will be even worse this week if we have those 3 talls in the forward line. Not saying he wont play but it doesnt fill me with confidence if he does.

What if Kosi played more in the ruck, and Stanley played more of the Gilbert forward kind of role?

Where does Ben play? the Gilbert forward role, so he is playing as a running half back.

[Dr Spaceman]

reading between the lines with Sandy selection or lack of:

Out: Clarke, Peake, Gamble,

In: Kosi, Winmar, McQualter,

Stanley deserves more than 1 game as does steven and smith

Stanley may deserve another game but the team balance is all out if he plays. We would have Stanley, Kosi and Rooy all in the forward line. If they say there is little pressure last week it will be even worse this week if we have those 3 talls in the forward line. Not saying he wont play but it doesnt fill me with confidence if he does.

What if Kosi played more in the ruck, and Stanley played more of the Gilbert forward kind of role?

Where does Ben play? the Gilbert forward role, so he is playing as a running half back.

Cool

[bergholt]

Instead of selecting guys that will have a crack, why not select guys that have greater football ability??... And can improve if given a shot at the top level... Actual skill based selection as opposed to 'having a crack'... Improve on output that the above mentioned players cannot reach...

i dunno about you, but i still remember aaron fiora. and caydn beetham. and daniel wulf. and a million others who had loads of footy ability but never made it because of lack of effort.

[Sobraz]

Instead of selecting guys that will have a crack, why not select guys that have greater football ability??... And can improve if given a shot at the top level... Actual skill based selection as opposed to 'having a crack'... Improve on output that the above mentioned players cannot reach...

i dunno about you, but i still remember aaron fiora. and caydn beetham. and daniel wulf. and a million others who had loads of footy ability but never made it because of lack of effort.

It's about balance, with skill being of equal importance, if not a higher priority than tenacity... Ross has definetly seen it the other way around... It seems those days are gone...

Footskills, pace, balance, ball winning ability, clean/quick hands, are more important than ever...

Eddy, Blake, Baker, Mini, Dempster just lack too much in ability to make up for in effort going forward...

[sainter27]

Sobraz changes I reckon will be correct. Just don't think Lyon has the confidence in Winmar to play a greater role than Mcqwalter at the moment. And Stanley he thinks has ability but he distrusts him-Assistant pressure and circumstance has made Ross select him but essentially Ross will make him play VFL until he REALLY deserves a game. Kosi back, Stanley in the VFL.

[SaintSimmo]

What i would LIKE to see:

Ins: Kosi, Cripps, Johson, Blake, Winmar, Mini
Outs: Gram, Clarke, Stanley, Gamble, Peake, Jones

I know 6 changes...unlikely.

But my reasoning for the Outs:
Clarke: Been average, turns it over too often
Stanley: Needs to get some form in the VFL first
Gamble: Slack, lazy, soft, could go on..
Peake: Hasn't had an impact this season
Jones: Rest and give mini a game

And for the Ins:
Kosi: Fit
Cripps: has the something special and has some pace!!
Johnson: tearing it up in the vfl, finds the ball in the fwd line and knows how to kick a goal.
Blake: Didn't play vfl so he must be playing this week
Winmar: Been emergency the past few weeks, might finally get a go
Mini: Been pushing hard for a spot in the vfl, can replace jones if he was dropped or rested + he can go forward to add forward line pressure.

[SaintSimmo]

What i would LIKE to see:

Ins: Kosi, Cripps, Johson, Blake, Winmar, Mini
Outs: Gram, Clarke, Stanley, Gamble, Peake, Jones

I know 6 changes...unlikely.

But my reasoning for the Outs:
Clarke: Been average, turns it over too often
Stanley: Needs to get some form in the VFL first
Gamble: Slack, lazy, soft, could go on..
Peake: Hasn't had an impact this season
Jones: Rest and give mini a game

And for the Ins:
Kosi: Fit
Cripps: has the something special and has some pace!!
Johnson: tearing it up in the vfl, finds the ball in the fwd line and knows how to kick a goal.
Blake: Didn't play vfl so he must be playing this week
Winmar: Been emergency the past few weeks, might finally get a go
Mini: Been pushing hard for a spot in the vfl, can replace jones if he was dropped or rested + he can go forward to add forward line pressure.

[SainterK]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/w ... 1dng0.html

Doesn't seem Johnson is in the travelling squad, at least going by this article?

Winmar, Kosi, Blake, Baker, Mini.

I'm still thinking ins of Kosi, Mini and Winmar.

[bergholt]

Doesn't seem Johnson is in the travelling squad, at least going by this article?

yeah, good get k. but it seems a bit silly to have broken his formline by pulling him out of the vfl, just to leave him languishing in melbourne. may as well take him up to brissie surely? how much can another seat on the plane possibly cost?

[SainterK]

Doesn't seem Johnson is in the travelling squad, at least going by this article?

yeah, good get k. but it seems a bit silly to have broken his formline by pulling him out of the vfl, just to leave him languishing in melbourne. may as well take him up to brissie surely? how much can another seat on the plane possibly cost?

Hmm, not sure bergholt.

It's a bit confusing, because if the extended squad includes Winmar, Kosi, Blake, Baker and Mini....aren't we one short given the three omissions already?

Maybe he is still coming, but they didn't report it?