Potential Quartet for 2017 finals and beyond

[Vazelos]

Petracca, Dunstan, Billings and Stevens supported by Armitage, Curran, Saunders and co.
That's a handy mid field that has grunt, class and pace.
What are your thoughts?

[Kernal75]

We'd want more depth than that. Curran and Saunders would need to improve out of sight for them to be starting midfielders. Draft some more midfielders next year and it's starting to take shape!

[bergholt]

Petracca, Dunstan, Billings and Stevens supported by Armitage, Curran, Saunders and co.
That's a handy mid field that has grunt, class and pace.
What are your thoughts?

Needs more quality. Here's a good midfield:

Boak, Ebert, Gray, Hartlett, Wines, Cornes + Polec, Wingard, O'Shea, Broadbent, Pittard, etc

To seriously compete I reckon you need at least two or three absolute stars supported by another three or four serious A-graders and five or six solid B-graders.

Looking forward we might have, if they all develop to their absolute max:

stars: Billings?
A-graders: Dunstan, Newnes, Steven, maybe Acres
B-graders: Armitage, Ross, Savage, Webster, Weller
C-graders: Curren, Saunders

I guess we could add Petracca as a star. Still leaves us pretty short of top-end quality. We'll need at least one more good draft to even look like this is possible.

[gringo]

Petracca, Dunstan, Billings and Stevens supported by Armitage, Curran, Saunders and co.
That's a handy mid field that has grunt, class and pace.
What are your thoughts?

Needs more quality. Here's a good midfield:

Boak, Ebert, Gray, Hartlett, Wines, Cornes + Polec, Wingard, O'Shea, Broadbent, Pittard, etc

To seriously compete I reckon you need at least two or three absolute stars supported by another three or four serious A-graders and five or six solid B-graders.

Looking forward we might have, if they all develop to their absolute max:

stars: Billings?
A-graders: Dunstan, Newnes, Steven, maybe Acres
B-graders: Armitage, Ross, Savage, Webster, Weller
C-graders: Curren, Saunders

I guess we could add Petracca as a star. Still leaves us pretty short of top-end quality. We'll need at least one more good draft to even look like this is possible.

I still think it's hard to tell who will be a A,B or C at this stage. Acres could be the best player in the AFL or he could be the next Xman. Saunders might end up the next Lenny Hayes. Wright might be the next Judd and Petracca might be another Armo.

The only known quantities we have are Armo, Steven, Weller and Savage and you could argue there is still improvement in some of them. All I do know is that for the first time in ages I'm actually pretty excited about most of the mids we are developing and there aren't too many that look like they aren't worthy of further development. I like the idea of Petracca and possibly someone like Cockatoo. I would love two picks at the end of the first round. Plenty of bargains will come around there this year.

[stinger]

Petracca, Dunstan, Billings and Stevens supported by Armitage, Curran, Saunders and co.
That's a handy mid field that has grunt, class and pace.
What are your thoughts?

you missed ross......has the potential to be a real star.....another lenny even...

[matrix]

ffs
going on about quality ?
how many games have they all played?
how many pre seasons have they done?

it takes 3 to 4 to get to premium fitness and they have to be unbroken and injury free

we'll have the best midfield in the comp in 4 years imo

[plugger66]

ffs
going on about quality ?
how many games have they all played?
how many pre seasons have they done?

it takes 3 to 4 to get to premium fitness and they have to be unbroken and injury free

we'll have the best midfield in the comp in 4 years imo

Not with the players we have at the moment.

[matrix]

your opinion
not mine

dunstan billings petracca
weller
saunders i reckon can make it

plus a good pick next year

[Dave McNamara]

ffs
going on about quality ?
how many games have they all played?
how many pre seasons have they done?

it takes 3 to 4 to get to premium fitness and they have to be unbroken and injury free

we'll have the best midfield in the comp in 4 years imo

Not with the players we have at the moment.

Hi Pluggs, you've skim-read again and missed a key point in someone's post. Easy to do, and you seem to do it easily.

[plugger66]

ffs
going on about quality ?
how many games have they all played?
how many pre seasons have they done?

it takes 3 to 4 to get to premium fitness and they have to be unbroken and injury free

we'll have the best midfield in the comp in 4 years imo

Not with the players we have at the moment.

Hi Pluggs, you've skim-read again and missed a key point in someone's post. Easy to do, and you seem to do it easily.

What do I miss Dave? Do tell because I didn't miss a thing.

[gringo]

ffs
going on about quality ?
how many games have they all played?
how many pre seasons have they done?

it takes 3 to 4 to get to premium fitness and they have to be unbroken and injury free

we'll have the best midfield in the comp in 4 years imo

Not with the players we have at the moment.

That's impossible to say we won't though as it's an opinion based entirely on prediction. Pretty hard to see GCS and GWS not having the best 2 for a long time unless the southern raiders get them though. I think with a couple more drafts we will be stockpiling a lot of good players. If we get something like Hawthorn have I will be happy, not too many weaknesses.

[plugger66]

ffs
going on about quality ?
how many games have they all played?
how many pre seasons have they done?

it takes 3 to 4 to get to premium fitness and they have to be unbroken and injury free

we'll have the best midfield in the comp in 4 years imo

Not with the players we have at the moment.

That's impossible to say we won't though as it's an opinion based entirely on prediction. Pretty hard to see GCS and GWS not having the best 2 for a long time unless the southern raiders get them though. I think with a couple more drafts we will be stockpiling a lot of good players. If we get something like Hawthorn have I will be happy, not too many weaknesses.

Which comment is impossible to say?

[saintspremiers]

Billings reminds me of a young raw Gary Ablett junior. Just saying

[Bunk_Moreland]

Billings reminds me of a young raw Gary Ablett junior. Just saying

But no pressure

[Sobraz]

Billings reminds me of a young raw Gary Ablett junior. Just saying

But no pressure

Lucky those trade rumors didn't eventuate.

[Middo]

Petracca, Dunstan, Billings and Stevens supported by Armitage, Curran, Saunders and co.
That's a handy mid field that has grunt, class and pace.
What are your thoughts?

Acres will be better or equal to any of these...IMO

[saintspremiers]

Billings reminds me of a young raw Gary Ablett junior. Just saying

But no pressure

None at all.

Let's face it, it's not like we are struggling and need a gun midfielder!

[Bunk_Moreland]

Petracca, Dunstan, Billings and Stevens supported by Armitage, Curran, Saunders and co.
That's a handy mid field that has grunt, class and pace.
What are your thoughts?

Acres will be better or equal to any of these...IMO

Petracca will be better than both

[plugger66]

Petracca, Dunstan, Billings and Stevens supported by Armitage, Curran, Saunders and co.
That's a handy mid field that has grunt, class and pace.
What are your thoughts?

Acres will be better or equal to any of these...IMO

Petracca will be better than both

Smith will have all 3 covered.

[thejiggingsaint]

I'm looking no further ahead than 2015 (if I make it! take NOTHING for granted folks!) For the time being I see no reason to not be excited at the POTENTIAL we have at the club, watching them develop (yes, even when they cop a pasting or two) is going to make 2015 SUCH a good year! Go Saints! (to hell with the rest!) And vazelos, I LIKE the way you think mate!

[whiskers3614]

Petracca, Dunstan, Billings and Stevens supported by Armitage, Curran, Saunders and co.
That's a handy mid field that has grunt, class and pace.
What are your thoughts?

Acres will be better or equal to any of these...IMO

Petracca will be better than both

Who is this Stevens of whom you speak?
Next year's draft?

[Dave McNamara]

ffs
going on about quality ?
how many games have they all played?
how many pre seasons have they done?

it takes 3 to 4 to get to premium fitness and they have to be unbroken and injury free

we'll have the best midfield in the comp in 4 years imo

Not with the players we have at the moment.

Hi Pluggs, you've skim-read again and missed a key point in someone's post. Easy to do, and you seem to do it easily.

What do I miss Dave?

Sunday sessions at The Boundary with Marto.














Matt expressed his (IMHO entirely reasonable) opinion that we'd have the best mid field in the comp' in four years time.

You made a comment about our current mid-field.

Matt was clearly not talking about our current mid field, but our future one... no doubt based on the potential of those we currently have, plus drafting Petracca and hopefully a couple of others, and if needed using our freed-up cap space to utilise FA and the PSD... when the time is right.

But you knew that...

[kalsaint]

ffs
going on about quality ?
how many games have they all played?
how many pre seasons have they done?

it takes 3 to 4 to get to premium fitness and they have to be unbroken and injury free

we'll have the best midfield in the comp in 4 years imo

Not with the players we have at the moment.

+1

[bergsone]

Bit to go .But its getting there

[Bernard Shakey]

Petracca, Dunstan, Billings and Stevens supported by Armitage, Curran, Saunders and co.
That's a handy mid field that has grunt, class and pace.
What are your thoughts?

Acres will be better or equal to any of these...IMO

Petracca will be better than both

Who is this Stevens of whom you speak?
Next year's draft?

Must be Phil, ex Geelong player who played 50 odd games for us from 1976 to 1979.