2017 Grand Final

[resaintlee]

Looking to our positive future, who from our current listed players will be named when we contest the 2017 Grand Final?
There will obviously be retirements before then but otherwise, how do you see our list's future development? i.e. Newnes - Captain?

[8856brother]

Norm Smith = pick 3

[Bluto]

The more salient question right now resaintlee is who will be the St Kilda coach for that Grand Final?

[Bluthy]

Jack Stephens - captain
Armo - his in and under and strong body holds him in good stead

Apart from those 2 I honestly couldn't lock in anyone else. I think there is still a hell of a lot of wheat to be sorted from the chaff. That's both the exciting and scary part of where we are at. With a lot more retirees over the next few years almost all spots in the 22 are open for those with the talent, work ethic and desperation to make it. Will also depend on what style of footy the new coach brings. Eg If its Williams he traditionally has liked defenders able to keep possession and launch quick counter attacks with piercing passing. Might rule a few out.

[gringo]

Jack Stephens - captain
Armo - his in and under and strong body holds him in good stead

Apart from those 2 I honestly couldn't lock in anyone else. I think there is still a hell of a lot of wheat to be sorted from the chaff. That's both the exciting and scary part of where we are at. With a lot more retirees over the next few years almost all spots in the 22 are open for those with the talent, work ethic and desperation to make it. Will also depend on what style of footy the new coach brings. Eg If its Williams he traditionally has liked defenders able to keep possession and launch quick counter attacks with piercing passing. Might rule a few out.

I would say Roberton is a lock. Been close to A grade this year and still only young.

Curren, Ross, Newnes, Wright and Saunders are my guesses based what they have shown so far. Hickey very likely, Longer probably. Lee is probably going to at least be the third tall forward. Stanley could be anything and still look at him as having a huge upside. Webster is very talented by all reports. White, Murdoch etc all look like they could make it but are still maybes.

Jack, Armo, Gilbert, Geary should still be there.

[PremiershipSaint]

Jack Stephens - captain

Well at least you didn't say Stevens...

[resaintlee]

For those positive supporters here is my red hat thinking.

Backs- Webster, Delaney, Roberton
H.Backs- Wright, Bruce, Newnes
Centres- Stanley, No3, Armitage
H.Forwards- Savage, Hickey, Ross
Forwards- Saunders, White, Lee

Followers- Longer, Steven, Curren

Bench- Murdoch, No18, Markworth, Gilbert (Gilbert being the only '80's born fit enogh to play)

Emergencies- Dunnell, Simpkin, Michington (No 19 doesn't make the grade )

Coach- R Harvey (Choco handed over to Harvey at the end of the 2016 season)
Assist Coach- L Hayes ( Riewoldt living in Texas)

I like No3 winning the Norm Smith but I was only going as far as makng the GF.

[mick13]

It's interesting. In 2017 our 2013 draftees will be 22. And our 2015 draftees will be 20. The same age as Steele Sidebottom and Dayne Beams when they tore some of our mid 20's midfielders a new one in a Grand Final.

You can wager by the time 2017 comes around at least another 8-10 changes will have occurred to our best 22. Kinda scary to think. And I would hope that at least 2-4 of them haven't even been drafted yet.

[70s sainter]

I can see us upgrading a lot of our picks and combining them to go up in the draft. We ll need quality without delisting a lot of players over the next 3 years. The turnover will def get less once Lenny roo and fish are gone.

[resaintlee]

It's interesting. In 2017 our 2013 draftees will be 22. And our 2015 draftees will be 20. The same age as Steele Sidebottom and Dayne Beams when they tore some of our mid 20's midfielders a new one in a Grand Final.

You can wager by the time 2017 comes around at least another 8-10 changes will have occurred to our best 22. Kinda scary to think. And I would hope that at least 2-4 of them haven't even been drafted yet.

Food for thought. I suppose the team should have 5-7? spaces for future recruits. Thought about including pick No 6? from the 2014 draft. We are supposed to have all our key positions covered, but not sure this will last 4 years.

[Zed]

For those positive supporters here is my red hat thinking.

Backs- Webster, Delaney, Roberton
H.Backs- Wright, Bruce, Newnes
Centres- Stanley, No3, Armitage
H.Forwards- Savage, Hickey, Ross
Forwards- Saunders, White, Lee

Followers- Longer, Steven, Curren

Bench- Murdoch, No18, Markworth, Gilbert (Gilbert being the only '80's born fit enogh to play)

Emergencies- Dunnell, Simpkin, Michington (No 19 doesn't make the grade )

Coach- R Harvey (Choco handed over to Harvey at the end of the 2016 season)
Assist Coach- L Hayes ( Riewoldt living in Texas)

I like No3 winning the Norm Smith but I was only going as far as makng the GF.

Id be surprised if more than half those players were in our best team in 2017

[dragit]

I reckon Longer, Steven, Wright, Lee, Newnes & Roberton are looking likely to be still on the list in 4 years time.

Too early to know about the rest - hopefully we get a few from Ross, Saunders, Curren, Savage, Hickey, Bruce, Webster, White, Markworth etc

Plenty more talent will need to arrive if we are to be making grand finals again.

[resaintlee]

Id be surprised if more than half those players were in our best team in 2017[/quote]

I'd agree.
Checking the '93 list there were only 10 left on the list in 1997
and, on the 2005 list there were only 16 still there in 2009.

Either we aim to play in the GF before 2017 (as the Club has suggested), or our list building is only just beginning.

[saintdooley]

For those positive supporters here is my red hat thinking.

Backs- Webster, Delaney, Roberton
H.Backs- Wright, Bruce, Newnes
Centres- Stanley, No3, Armitage
H.Forwards- Savage, Hickey, Ross
Forwards- Saunders, White, Lee

Followers- Longer, Steven, Curren

Bench- Murdoch, No18, Markworth, Gilbert (Gilbert being the only '80's born fit enogh to play)

Emergencies- Dunnell, Simpkin, Michington (No 19 doesn't make the grade )

Coach- R Harvey (Choco handed over to Harvey at the end of the 2016 season)
Assist Coach- L Hayes ( Riewoldt living in Texas)

I like No3 winning the Norm Smith but I was only going as far as makng the GF.

So the next 3 years of drafting means nothing? If your not in the 2014 team you don't get a chance???

[resaintlee]

'So the next 3 years of drafting means nothing? If your not in the 2014 team you don't get a chance???'

Well going on the 4 years leading up to the '97 and '09 GF's then it would seem the odds are between 25% and 50% chance of still being there should we make the 2017 GF.

The planning must be looking to far ahead. How about aiming for 2015?

[Andreous]

You have forgotten to include the No1 picks for 2014 and 2015!

[resaintlee]

Sick of the doom and gloom, trying for a positive thread. Pick 6 in '14, pick 9 in '15, then in the teens for the next ten years

[Andreous]

My last comment was largely said in jest.

As someone who has followed the saints since 1979, you just have to roll with the punches. If you start stressing too much about the next year then you wouldn't last very long. As the big Net said to the press there are many things moving in the right direction.

I really feel for Watters. Loosing your job is never easy lt alone in such a public forum. That said if the problems were there then Saints 2014 would have looked a lot like Melbourne 2013. I still think our year has been better than Melbourne's and Essendon's. I would be far more concerned if I was a homer supporter.

Once again the saints need to get up off the mat. We will and there are many positive things in the pipeline. The Saints in 2013 reminds me a lot of Saints in 2001 (not like saints in 1983).