50 years of membership

[BackFromUSA]

Today the club held a function and tour for people who have been members of the club for 50+ years to mark the creation of an honour board located at the entrance to Linen House. There would have been around 100 (plus guests) of the 50+ year members in attendance. Westaway (a 56 year member) spoke (right) as did Scott Watters who then took up to a dozen or more different questions and answered each one with intelligence, respect and charm.

I shall post the answers that I think are of interest here:

Dal - contracted. required player. needs the experienced / quality players to stick around and support the development of the next generation

Kosi - leans towards getting him to 200 but only if Kosi can justify his position as it will be at a sacrifice to getting games into a younger player.

Siposs - a real talent that he believes can be a regular senior wingman once he learns to have more run and run both ways - sweep back and kick goals forward.

Tom Lee - wants to play him more but Lee cant get continuity in his body - first shoulder and now a foot problem on and off for 6 weeks. Probably won't play this week for Sandringham. Has gained 2.5kgs. They are trying to build his core and legs. Is really about getting him ready for 2014.

Side note: I spoke with Tom Lee in depth (I am his player sponsor) and he is really frustrated with (a) his goal accuracy and (b) this foot injury

Umpires - acknowledged we have had rough end of pineapple. Spoke to umpires department last week. Things that players can do better and need the strength to do. Did let slip that he thought the last game umpiring was "very poor" but said that they have a hard job and had bad day.

VFL side - all due respect to Sandringham but he would prefer own VFL team if money wasn't an issue (have feeling this is a big desire for him)

Top 4 when? - 2017/8 when this group of 19/20/21/22 year olds develop. Excited (every week) watching the evolution of the next core group to add to Armitage / McEvoy / Geary generation. Older players guiding the transition. Acknowledged that recruiting tall back and midfielders will possibly accelerate the timeframe but talked about "real class" and skills (in reply to another question) saying add Cotchin type to this team and it automatically improves ... and the Saints have not had a heap of top 10 picks in a long long time and certainly not top 5 where the "class" sits.

Building best practice - when he arrived there was a part time development coach ... now 4 full time and 3 part time and a academy head and actual program - is designed to improve skill levels and understanding of game plans ... club about to launch fundraising for even better facilities

SOME INFORMATION I HEARD ON THE SIDELINES ... latest innovation will be large screen game simulator to be located in the indoor court area.

Other questions were re the "away strip", pre game huddles etc etc ...

Well done to the club for hosting these loyal Saints and well done for Scott Watters for the Q&A.

And before anyone rolls their eyes at how old I am ... I wasn't the 50+ year member. That was my father. He has notched up 63 years. I am a couple of decades behind him.

[Dr Spaceman]

Terrific report. Thanks heaps

[Griggsy]

How much was a membership 50years ago?

[SainterK]

Thanks for that

[Sainternist]

Great stuff. Thanks for sharing, Backy.

How much was a membership 50years ago?

No idea. I think I got my first membership from about the age of 9 or 10. It was around $15-20 then.

Would hate to think how much it will cost when/if I ever make to having a membership for 50 years.

[PADDLEPOP1001]

1971 A junior membership was 1.50 and got you into every game ,had to line up for finals tickets though!

[busso mick]

Thanks for a very informative report BackFromUSA, your DNA has a lot of red, black & white.

[perfectionist]

My Junior membership in 1963 was 5/- (50 cents), and got me into 18 games plus the finals (alas only one in 1963).

That year was the most even in AFL/VFL history. Here is the top five at the end of the season:
1. Hawthorn 13 wins 4 losses 1 draw 130.6%
2. Geelong 13 wins 4 losses 1 draw 128.2%
3. Melbourne 13 wins 5 losses 147.9%
4. St Kilda 13 wins 5 losses 140.1%
------------------------------------------------
5. Essendon 13 wins 5 losses 137.5%

The last H&A round decided who made the finals and in what spots. The only team certain of making the finals was Hawthorn. If they had beaten Geelong in the last round, the eventual premier would not have made the finals. We played North at the Junction Oval. We needed to win, and win big. Going into the last round we were 5th. North were a middle of the rung team then, with Alan Killigrew as coach. Alan was a former Saints player (club champion 1940) and coach (1956-58), who was credited with building the team that took us into the 60s. He left because of an internal fight that was common for the Saints in those days. At half time, there was doubt that we would win the match at all. We were still in 5th. At three quarter time, we looked like winning the match, but still way behind Essendon's percentage. In the last quarter, we kicked 9 goals to nil and made the finals. There was a rumour that Killa had told North to "lie down" for us in the last quarter.

Of the five games that we lost that year, two were by 4 points at the Junction Oval. In both, a Saints player ran into an open goal in the last seconds and missed. Not that I remember these things. A win in either would have seen us in top spot with the double chance.

[saintbrat]

Thank you for the report, great experience

[Cairnsman]

Yep! Thanks for the report. A great read.

[howlinwolf]

I really appreciate the report. Thanks
It was always going to painful coming down from 2009/2010 but it's good to know we have a plan in place to build back up the right way. Even if it does take time. i like the fact we are striving to improve the coaching dept and facilities rather than sitting still.
Your father has been an incredibly loyal member as you have.
I wonder if 63 years is the most currently ? It would have to be up there.

[stinger]

Terrific report. Thanks heaps

yep...thanx.....knew we were on the ball re the maggots too....

[stinger]

1971 A junior membership was 1.50 and got you into every game ,had to line up for finals tickets though!

10 bob back in the sixties i think....

[cwrcyn]

I know someone who attended as a 50 year member, and he said it was outstanding. Ivy Moyle was there, too. Watters answered questions freely and the two things that were relayed to me that I remember are that Watters thinks it's best practice to have a stand alone reserves team, and that he's wary of burning out the younger players and wants to play them in 4 t0 5 game bursts, rest them for two or three weeks and then repeat the process.

[BackFromUSA]

There was a member there who had membership for over 80 years!

[saintbrat]

when I get to 50 years I'll have to hire the golf buggy to get me around the rooms.

very late starter.

[bobmurray]

Great post BFA...

There aren't many on here so they really stand out and are much appreciated...

[gringo]

Hope I'm still a member after 50 years. Hope i'm still alive after 50 years watching the Sainters. Great responses from Scotty and great to hear it straight. I'm still bullish about Lee so glad to hear it's just niggles not allowing his talent to show.

[Skildir]

Thanks for the post. Love hearing the positivity out of the club when we're down the bottom.