This is year 1

[hungry for a premiership]

IMHO, it is only now that we can truly say that the pain infecting the team from the pain of the GF losses has been overcome (but not forgotten), that the past has been put in its place and the future has now arrived. In a collective, mixed-metaphorical sense, the team has just picked itself off the canvas and is ready to start the long climb back up the mountain.

Just thought i'd put that out there...

[thejiggingsaint]

MAN! I am So glad you've "put it out there" HFAP! Your blood's worth bottling! GO SAINTS! (to hell with the rest!)

[saint6709]

Agree - I recon we might climb a boit higher than many expect this year - We really have no weight of expectation and will hopefully play with some flair.

[thejiggingsaint]

D'you know what Folks? I am SO looking forward to simply "Going to the footy" in 2014! Let's make a pledge to ourselves NOW! That we're not going to give a "Blight's toss bag" about how the media, the AFL, other club's supporters, their auntie Fanny and uncle Dick see/talk about us! WE ARE SAINTS! (to hell with the rest!)

[R. Harvey 3 votes!]

IMHO, it is only now that we can truly say that the pain infecting the team from the pain of the GF losses has been overcome (but not forgotten), that the past has been put in its place and the future has now arrived. In a collective, mixed-metaphorical sense, the team has just picked itself off the canvas and is ready to start the long climb back up the mountain.

Just thought i'd put that out there...

Is it really year 1?

The thing is when Reiwoldt retires in a couple of years will that be year one or I suppose if we hopefully have players ready to step up and replace the great man,
I guess this could be regarded as year one? Dunno I'm just rambling and thinking out aloud!

[saintspremiers]

D'you know what Folks? I am SO looking forward to simply "Going to the footy" in 2014! Let's make a pledge to ourselves NOW! That we're not going to give a "Blight's toss bag" about how the media, the AFL, other club's supporters, their auntie Fanny and uncle Dick see/talk about us! WE ARE SAINTS! (to hell with the rest!)

I love your sentiment but the media, last year's performance and to some extent off field dramas could decimate our membership base.

[thejiggingsaint]

SO ! Get on board NOW! and (more importantly!) encourage others to do the same! in other words be a PRO-ACTIVE Sainter!

[hungry for a premiership]

Is it really year 1?

The thing is when Reiwoldt retires in a couple of years will that be year one or I suppose if we hopefully have players ready to step up and replace the great man,
I guess this could be regarded as year one? Dunno I'm just rambling and thinking out aloud!

Of course its a subjective thing and any year can be arbitrarily regarded as "year 1," but it just feels to me as though that side that got us so close in '09 and '10 and which then carried the pain of those losses and was effectively 'living in the past,' has only, just now, finally been pronounced "dead", and the team has evolved to the point where we can say, "we have a new, different team to the 09' and '10 teams, and the pain of the GF losses that tainted the spirit of that side is finally all gone now. This is year 1 of The Next Great St.Kilda side.

For eg, you might call 1987 'year 1' of the side that broke our finals drought in '91 and '92 comprising Lockett, Loewe, Winmar, Frawley, Harvey, Burke etc. You might call 1994/5 'year 1' of Stan Alves' saints who won the minor premiership only to lose the GF to frigging Adelaide, comprising aussie, Bazza, heatley, browny, smithy, matthew young, harvey, loewe, burke etc. And finally you might call 2002 year 1 of the last great St.kilda side, comprising, once again, Robert Harvey (ret. end of 2008), Roo, Koz, BJ, Nicky Dal, etc etc....

Hopefully there's a premiership waiting for the next great saints side. There is absolutely no shadow of a doubt in my mind that we have been exceedingly unlucky not to win even 1 single flag in the last 23 years. We just need to keep buttering up and eventually the dam MUST break

[saintspremiers]

SO ! Get on board NOW! and (more importantly!) encourage others to do the same! in other words be a PRO-ACTIVE Sainter!

Jigster there are 4 paid up memberships in my household. Eldest daughter has too much Hawks exposure at her school but is still a Sainter!

[thejiggingsaint]

GOOD!

[Life Long Saint]

Year One, huh?

New membership merchandise required!

[matrix]

as soon as bj turned traitor turncoat moneyhungry knob jockey peanuthead....it was year one for me

ps
i remember the one ilost more than the 5 i won

you NEVER forget and it ALWAYS burns

[The Fireman]

Year 1? I wish.

[ghostofross]

agree - excellent op

[The Fireman]

year 1 is a luxury that history will deny us.

[arpstk]

I too am full of enthusiasm for 2014. Just reading the Farren Ray article...I had forgotten he was a pick 4 in the 2003 draft is 27 and although he's had his rough patches (not 2013though!) he is poised to cut loose as an experienced 200 game hardbodied professional.

Then I thought I wonder how many of our blokes are sitting at this point and let me tell you there's more than you think and we have a pretty good list no matter what anyone says have a look if you doubt me. The youngsters are all wildcards but say 2 of them step up and 2 of the new recruits step up then we will have a good year in 2014 which might be a bit of a shame because apparently next years draft is a good one. lol

[Zed]

I think the point of the OP is that it's the first year everyone is on the same page since 2011. Everyone now agrees we are in rebuilding mode - and the senior players have now accepted that their role is to groom the next generation for their shot at the flag in 4 or 5 years. I think even 12 months ago there were factions on field and off- field who still thought we could possibly be in a position to challenge this year or next. That dream has been replaced with a realisation of where we are at and that it's time to build from the bottom up again.

[starsign]

The Oricle Ross Whatshisname said it when he jumped ship ...End of an era
Just took time for it to sink in
PS. I'll never forget Whatshisname !!

[Heidelberg_Saint]

We have one more year to go backwards, 2015 is onwards (slightly), then upwards.

[sainter#4]

i see it more like this....

1999 = 2012
2000 = 2013...... and so on. The rebuild started the moment we fell from the 8, and more and more kids got games whilst the elder statesman lost there ability too dominate and turn games on there heads.

[felix]

Baby Jesus smurf has died for our sins so yeah it's year 1

[Cairnsman]

I wonder if we still have one more coach and a few senior players to leave before we hit year 1...bottom out so to speak...maybe even a new head of football will be required...time will tell.

I hope that our plan hasn't changed since last year...blood as many players as possible, get as many games into the young blokes, finish on the bottom of the ladder and gain as many high draft picks as possible, we will go backwards in 2014 if we rise of the bottom of the ladder, sounds crazy but that is how poor clubs rebuild.