NAB Challenge R4 Magpies v Saints GAME THREAD

[saintbrat]

Ok Just got back from the game, so here is my player by player review

Thanks

[saintspremiers]

Went to the game this will be a very, very loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong year!

The Worry Wart thread is somewhere else.

This was a practice match.

Would you like it said slowly???

[saintbrat]

some more photos have been added

http://commercial.aflphotos.com.au/phot ... ection:AFL 2012 NAB Cup Rd 04 - Collingwood v St Kilda&sub_code=all

and small amount of video here
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/more-ne ... 6301824217
although mostly maxwell



they do say we Won the match so your all wrong

[spert]

Lyon's legacy -no forward line

[plugger66]

Went to the game this will be a very, very loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong year!

The Worry Wart thread is somewhere else.

This was a practice match.

Would you like it said slowly???

Would you rather be the pies or us going into round one. Yes they certainly are practice games but it seems our system is poor. That isnt easily fixed. How is a $1.33 looking now in round one?

[plugger66]

Some good news. Lenny has just got a headache. Will be ok for round one. May not get pissed tonight though.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Just got back from the game. Man we stink right now. That game was the longest 15 hours of my life (that's how long it seemed to go for, anyway).

Thankfully there was one big positive and his name is Rhys Stanley and he monstered Jolly in the ruck in the 2nd half (when Mac was off). Jolly was lucky to get his hand anywhere near the ball in that 2nd half, especially when Rhys got to have a jump at it, like for centre bounces. In those instances it was like he was rucking against someone half a foot shorter than him.

As a team, though, we are miles off being the top 4 team that we've been in recent years. We have a huge hole in defence, our ball use is still very average to atrocious at times and the forward pressure that we instigated is pretty much non-existent. While at the other end, the team that copied our forward pressure so well made us look very silly at times, when we tried to get the ball out of their forward line. Then there is our apparent continued refusal to score.

It was just lucky that Collingwood missed so many shots at goal early, or else it most likely would have been 10 goals to none, by about half way through the 2nd quarter. I think Collingwood were 2 or 3 goals 9 behinds, when we kicked our first, in the 2nd quarter.

Lots and lots and lots to do, if we want to contend this year, which I had very high hopes we would.

[saintbrat]

?
relevance of this photo- can only assume that is Lenny's hair in the bottom right corner..
http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/aap/20120316/16 ... 6gw_2Y0Q--

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/afl/news/art ... ice-match/

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/videos/watch/28633511/ ch seven video report with still photos.

[dcstkfc]

Where oh were have our defensive structures gone?


Me thinks they've gone west

[bobmurray]

Just got back from the game. Man we stink right now. That game was the longest 15 hours of my life (that's how long it seemed to go for, anyway).

Thankfully there was one big positive and his name is Rhys Stanley and he monstered Jolly in the ruck in the 2nd half (when Mac was off). Jolly was lucky to get his hand anywhere near the ball in that 2nd half, especially when Rhys got to have a jump at it, like for centre bounces. In those instances it was like he was rucking against someone half a foot shorter than him.

As a team, though, we are miles off being the top 4 team that we've been in recent years. We have a huge hole in defence, our ball use is still very average to atrocious at times and the forward pressure that we instigated is pretty much non-existent. While at the other end, the team that copied our forward pressure so well made us look very silly at times, when we tried to get the ball out of their forward line. Then there is our apparent continued refusal to score.

It was just lucky that Collingwood missed so many shots at goal early, or else it most likely would have been 10 goals to none, by about half way through the 2nd quarter. I think Collingwood were 2 or 3 goals 9 behinds, when we kicked our first, in the 2nd quarter.

Lots and lots and lots to do, if we want to contend this year, which I had very high hopes we would.

Are you saying Ben is not very good....

[St Ick]

WTF, criticising Saad's run up to kick for goal. He kicked it didn't he? Collingwood have kicked a lot of points.

Man, that was embarrassing, I even cringed. He walked back about 45 metres from the man on the mark, stood still for all of 20 seconds, then slowly (and I do mean Slowly walked in about 30 metres then took 5 jogging steps before kicking, it must have taken over a minute for the whole process

I'll wear that embarrassment every day of the week

Noticed that at training, he kicked them straight at training too....

[SaintPav]

Would you rather be the pies or us going into round one. Yes they certainly are practice games but it seems our system is poor. That isnt easily fixed. How is a $1.33 looking now in round one?

I'd rather be the Pies as they have won two flags in the last 23 years.

What's Port paying? They could chop us up.

[bigcarl]

I thought the problem was RL's coaching. Who is at fault now. I had a go at BM before but this crap that we are a game behind is just that, crap. We are looking ordinary. I hope and want to be proved wrong but bottom of the top 8 is about the best we can hope for IMO.

Lyon's gone Plugger, so you're going to have to move on. He'd run his race anyway IMO if that makes you feel any better.

You're right that it doesn't look great so far, but let's at least wait until the real season starts before we start wailing and forecasting doom.

[BigMart]

Positives
Gilbert, Geary, Kosi....whole game

Goddard, Riewoldt, Stanley.....half a game

Dal, Joey, Armitage....got some run in their legs and touched the footy and laid some tackles

Simpkin

Siposs, cripps, ledger..... Continue to show signs here and there

Negatives

Ben had a mare

I thought Sam Fisher was average

Schnieder, did some clever things but floated in and out....Milne was poor.... Their opponents folded off them and did as they pleased.

Blakey, great man.....but is a real battler now

Lenny was KO'd

Concerns
Dempster/Gilbert/Fisher/blake/simpkin vs Cloke/Dawes/Paine........monstered

Our mids were solid, but were well beaten

Fwd structure was hard to work out, and ineffective

Leaders never put their stamp on the game

Ball movement odd, particularly fwd of the centre

we were second to the ball a lot, meaning a lop-sided free kick count, we were lazy and lacked intensity....with a few exceptions

So whilst there were some individual positive, as a team performance it was disappointing

[luc1966]

y wouldnt we have palyed Wilkes and Simkin full games on the pies have one of the best forward lines in the comp it would of been a good test

[SaintPav]

42 inside 50's a piece now.

So worked into the game.

I think they are just a game behind?

So forward efficiency was a problem?

I thought the problem was RL's coaching. Who is at fault now. I had a go at BM before but this crap that we are a game behind is just that, crap. We are looking ordinary. I hope and want to be proved wrong but bottom of the top 8 is about the best we can hope for IMO.

yeah, friggin great..I need 2012 (AFL) like a hole in the head..

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Would you rather be the pies or us going into round one. Yes they certainly are practice games but it seems our system is poor. That isnt easily fixed. How is a $1.33 looking now in round one?

I'd rather be the Pies as they have won two flags in the last 23 years.

What's Port paying? They could chop us up.

Apparently they kicked 17.10 against Melbourne today and I've heard plenty of positive things about them in the last week or two.
There are very few teams I would be picking us to beat just at the moment. If we were playing Port at home I'd still be picking us, but Port over there is a completely different story.
For one thing we're just not looking like scoring, so it's going to be hard to beat anyone until that turns around. In the past we could get away with not scoring, as our forward pressure and defence were so good, but that is also not the case at the moment.
As I said, we have a LOT to do and I get the feeling we'll need to do it pretty quickly, as I don't think there will be a mid season turnaround like last season, if we get off to another poor start.

[MCG-Unit]

y wouldnt we have played Wilkes and Simpkin full games on the pies have one of the best forward lines in the comp it would of been a good test

Yes I also thought both Simpkin and Wilkes could have played, given Coll's 3 tall forwards...

[The Fireman]

went along....It appears the boys were preparing for a season that promised an easy start, made noticeable by refusing to attack the ball in flight on most occasions and allowing their opponent front pozzy whenever possible, it is obvious they are saving themselves, can't be any other explanation surely.

Defence could have pretended to at least show a bit at times but there were times I think the coach may have been involved in some of the feeble strategies down back , part of the major plan I guess to throw everyone off. Slippery conditions disguised Roos poor kicking nicely but there were no surprises with Clinton in front of goal....can't wait to see players running past him to to take the kick for goal in the real season...don't wanna show that little ploy too early.

Collingwood weren't trying to trick anyone, they wanted the ball.

PS The umpires tricked everyone except the one who must be topping up their wallets...Eddy. The inconsistencies were criminal even for a praccy (frees against in contested marking situations were laughable which were ignored the other way, soft frees for Collingwood , hard earnt for us for the majority.)It's a prac match so I viewed the umps in a neutral manner.

Smells of denial

get your nose checked for sarcasm.

[The Fireman]

In the wash up it was "ONLY" a practice game. Let's worry if they pull this in the home & aways, meanwhile munch on the chill pills

[Dave McNamara]

Looks to me like this preseason has been a case of keeping our powder dry. I'm expecting a far greater effort and intensity once the real thing starts.

As for the (non) scoring issue:

• I'd like to see the mids taking more shots like in the game against the handbaggers. That's right, a license to shoot (and kill).
  
  Less reliance on Roo. If he's clear or in a good posi', then go to him. But if not, honour one of the 10-20 blokes whose men have peeled off to multi-team Roo.
  
  When suspect kicks like CJ get it, they won't need to kick if there's someone streaming past for the handball. That'll also help bust presses, and will minimise the dreaded slow sideways play.

Not long now till we find out...

[SainterK]

Just as well it looks like Butcher and Trengove may miss

[dcstkfc]

Yet again Plugger has shown himself to be one of the most lucid and clear-thinking if not occasionally obnoxious poster on the site.

We look to be in serious strife.

[dcstkfc]

Just as well it looks like Butcher and Trengove may miss

Good signs with your sig SainterK

[skeptic]

2. After halftime we showed a bit more ticker. Joey worked his way into the game and CJ and Gilbo found lots of the footy. Sadly tho we have to make a decision on CJ...as he finds it then butchers it over and over.

so a typical game from CJ then.

Seriously, how people can think having him in our team is somehow a positive move astounds.

Saints kicked 2 goals in a minute, short pass to CJ about 35m in front, 45 degree angle, Saints have the momentum... out on the full. I was embarrassing.

People just don't seem to realise that the reason CJ often gets on the end of passes and loose balls is that his opponents let him... they know he cant hurt u so they dro the extra man into defence.

Ever wonder when Roo is triple teamed where the extra Saints are... one is Jones