Observations today

[plugger66]

Now this is only about today and obviously things worked better last week against geelong but anyway I will give it a go.

Firstly is was clearly our worst performance of the year. We actually had a lot of the ball in the first quarter but when we did go forward the forward line didn't exist. Now this is a hobby horse of mine but I still say it is unfair on Hickey being basically a forward because he just isn't very good at it. Also another hobby horse is Rooy being on the wing. Yep he gets a bit of the ball but I'm unsure it actually helps the side when he plays on the wing especially when Bruce and Hickey don't touch it. Still think it is better for everyone that he plays as a leading forward. Minchington was dis appointing as well. He fumbling a certain goal and then did some short kick to no one when he could have kicked a goal. Ross Strted very well but faded and turned it over a couple of times but he wasn't on his own in that area.

Now the rucks. Holmes has a long was to go which is obvious to nearly anyone but unless he gets the ball around the ground I'm not sure tap work alone means he plays. Yep he did some great taps but not many resulted in clear clearances. Maybe that's the mids fault but also hitouts is the most overated stat in footy. Clearances could be a close second. Goddard whislt beaten looks real good as a defender. Not so good as a forward. Yet. Cant get a read on Murdoch. Lovely kick but probably doesn't get enough of the ball. Bruce is completely out of form or they have worked him out. Something must change in his game though.

We had our usual solid players but errors are killing us. Need to get some help outside for Steven. He cant do it all. Trading him is laughable. You don't trade a maybe 2 time B&F winner. Armo played well but my guess is he is injured. Didn't start in the middle as often as normal. All up today it was poor performace and shows we have along way to go. Recruiters must get the next 2 drafts right.

[Wrote for Luck]

Hickey is not a forward and never has been. He's not even a natural footballer. And Murdoch has never had much of the ball. I don't get his fading in and fading out which we use to see a lot at VFL level too. His brother is the same for the cats and got subbed out on Friday night from memory. Anyway we always look better with Membrey in the team because he knows how to mark, he knows how to kick, and most importantly for a forward he knows how to lead into space. They may not be able to resist putting Holmes against Nic Nat next week but they should probably run Hickey exclusively in the ruck.I would reckon Paddy plays most games next year.

[mr six o'clock]

I think today clearly showed none of the players want to go to perth next week !
Each player probably thought " gee , if i have a poor game this week , maybe Richo will give one of the kids a go next week instead of me and i can hit the piss !"
Maybe Sydney were paying good money for the +70 point result and they boys (through a third party of course )were able to finance the end of season trip !

What ever the reason
How embarassing for jason holmes family to come all the way to Australia for only a few days and watch that crap that was dished up today .

[saint-stu]

It was a dreadful performance. I think we're missing the pack of Jacks, but I don't get why so many players are out of form. I went to open training on Saturday and noticed lots of guys missing shots at goal under no pressure at training.

I still think Holmes is just as good at Longer. Maybe slightly better in the ruck and slightly worse around the ground, but if you're going to pick on Holmes game, the same should apply to billy. Hickey seems much more rounded than both and should probably be no.1.

[uptheboys]

Roberton was decent again and will finish high in the B&F I assume
Key backs looked undersized against a forward line including Franklin, Reid, Tippet, Goodes and Pyke (at times when he was resting forward).
Minch was good last week at converting his opportunities but didn't do a heap else besides the 3 goals, this week he missed his opportunities and your left with quite an average game.
Skills of Billings, Lonie and Sinclair will help when these players return.
Goddard at times looked quite spent, will probably need to develop his tank but still impressed with the way he battles and halves a lot of contests.
Josh has struggled the back half of the season as Plugs said, He made a lot of leads that were not honored today and I could hear his frustration, at one point on the members wing I heard him yell out when ignored.
Missed goals from Armo were dissapointing, one chip kick/attempted pass from 45 odd he should have kicked early and then the one running into goal.
Hickey struggled, Jason was caught way too many times jumping too early, needs to work on the timing of his leap.
Overall we were well beaten today in almost every facet of the game. Can take some solace in the fact it was against a very strong team, late in the year and as our injury list is growing.

[howlinwolf]

It was the worst performance of the year that i have seen live.
We made some critical errors and turnovers
We were like deer in the headlights coming out of the backline. Very few options until we kicked to a contest which we mostly lost.
We had no run as opposed to them. There seemed to be 6 more of them out there today as they were running to make space all day.
Our kicking into the forward line was abysmal. Hardly any method to it.
We would have been beaten easily even if we kicked straight but our accuracy was really concerning.
Armo's sitter from 20m out.
Also Seb Ross' laconic chase of the ball when he was sure it was going through for a point only to see the ball do a u turn through the goals.

Holmes did well in the tap outs although jumped too early a bit. I think he needs to learn to run to space and provide options when we are going forward though. He seems to want to just look for his opponent and check him. It'll come in time. I'm not sure but it looked like the others didn't want to kick it to him when they had the chance

Jack Steven's disposal was disappointing today.

Thought Dempster was our best. Fish did well too. Also Geary.

All in all a forgetable performance today but understandable at the very end of the year with a young list. At least this year we have seen some potential of what's to come in the future.

[thejiggingsaint]

In the cold light of day, we were shown to be what we are: a club in rebuild mode up,against an awesome Sydney outfit who punished every error and fought for every possession. I'm disappointed with the margin of the loss, but I'm more than ready to be back ( if God spares me) in 2016, ready to again risk heartbreak for the chance of Glory! Keep the faith Sainters, the only way is UP!

[Junction Oval]

I am with you Plugger. After last week's good effort (it felt like a win), today was one of our worst performances for the year.

In the first quarter, we were competitive. Unfortunately, our disposal was again "atrocious." How we can live with our two best ball winners (Armo & Jack), being such poor kicks is a real dilemma. They are both dreadful !

Of the others :
Rooey - I can live with him on the wing at the moment, as others need to learn. For us to win games, he needs to be at CHF.
Membery - should be played, as he is strong, leads well and is a good mark. A good alternative for us.
Goddard - is looking great and will be a 10 year player. Learning by his not so many mistakes at the moment.
Bruce - he seems to lack a lot of self-confidence lately. He can and will improve.
Holmes - has a very long way to go. His run in the seniors is showing just how much.
The others - we were beaten by a better organised, more skillful team. Our inexperience and lack of foot skills was shown up time and time again. No need to mention lots of names.

[thejiggingsaint]

It has to be said that the nature and attitude of last weeks opposition compared to today's redefines the "chalk and cheese" analogy. Geelong were a side ready for a dip, Sydney are a hard-nosed, tough bunch of professionals. I would be reluctant to use today's game as a guide to the season for our club. Quite simply, we were shown no mercy for our errors, and were offered no quarter by a very very good side. The boys will lick their wounds, and come back next season ready for another go at climbing the ladder!

[Con Gorozidis]

More of a question than a comment. But we are ranked number 1 in the comp for 'pressure' and Id guess we are also right up there for Inside 50s as well. But we are 6th bottom overall. I dont think you can knock our effort this year - but we lack finishing. What do people think we need to make the next step up?

[tony74]

It has to be said that the nature and attitude of last weeks opposition compared to today's redefines the "chalk and cheese" analogy. Geelong were a side ready for a dip, Sydney are a hard-nosed, tough bunch of professionals. I would be reluctant to use today's game as a guide to the season for our club. Quite simply, we were shown no mercy for our errors, and were offered no quarter by a very very good side. The boys will lick their wounds, and come back next season ready for another go at climbing the ladder!

Absolutely spot on. Boys are spent both physically and mentally. Remember we were tipped to finish bottom this year and Sydney were favourites at last years GF. Plus they had a top 4 position to play for and we had pride.
The Jiggster has got it spot on.

[Teflon]

More of a question than a comment. But we are ranked number 1 in the comp for 'pressure' and Id guess we are also right up there for Inside 50s as well. But we are 6th bottom overall. I dont think you can knock our effort this year - but we lack finishing. What do people think we need to make the next step up?

Agree we lack finishing which is usually class and we lack that too
Need more top liners till we get them we are bottom dwellars, bunch of battlers who IF we have a good day and a decent side has a bad day we'll catch them off their guard
Against a side who can absorb our best 'blue collar' pressure we will lose easily as they have the class to break through that and score.

[howlinwolf]

More of a question than a comment. But we are ranked number 1 in the comp for 'pressure' and Id guess we are also right up there for Inside 50s as well. But we are 6th bottom overall. I dont think you can knock our effort this year - but we lack finishing. What do people think we need to make the next step up?

Good question Con and good to see mutley back.
This year has shown a vast improvement in inside fifty entries. A good sign as it's an obvious necessity for improvement.We have scored much more heavily this year in general.
Today was more an anomaly compared to most games this year as we entered the fifty haphazardly probably due to pressure.

We are still trying to see where our list is and have had a lot of changes the last few weeks. That doesn't help with a settled game plan.
Once the personel are fairly settled the game plan can be executed more regularly.
We can work on disposal efficiency as a group. Of course that won't hurt.

[HitTheBoundary]

It seems that Holmes has been told to follow the opposition ruckman, presumably so he learns where to run.
I wish they would try resting him at FF instead of on the bench, just to see how he goes when he is attacking the ball.

It's a positive that three of our newest players, Lonie, Sinclair, and Membrey are probably considered best 22 by the end of their first year.

Minch and Murdoch don't get enough of the ball, although I would like to see Minch play on ball if he gets a game next week.

[Jacks Back]

It was the worst performance of the year that i have seen live.
We made some critical errors and turnovers
We were like deer in the headlights coming out of the backline. Very few options until we kicked to a contest which we mostly lost.
We had no run as opposed to them. There seemed to be 6 more of them out there today as they were running to make space all day.
Our kicking into the forward line was abysmal. Hardly any method to it.
We would have been beaten easily even if we kicked straight but our accuracy was really concerning.
Armo's sitter from 20m out.
Also Seb Ross' laconic chase of the ball when he was sure it was going through for a point only to see the ball do a u turn through the goals.

Holmes did well in the tap outs although jumped too early a bit. I think he needs to learn to run to space and provide options when we are going forward though. He seems to want to just look for his opponent and check him. It'll come in time. I'm not sure but it looked like the others didn't want to kick it to him when they had the chance

Jack Steven's disposal was disappointing today.

Thought Dempster was our best. Fish did well too. Also Geary.

All in all a forgetable performance today but understandable at the very end of the year with a young list. At least this year we have seen some potential of what's to come in the future.

We had one first year player (Goddard), one second year player (Dunstan) and one zero year player (Holmes), the rest were 3 season or more players so not too young at all.

[SainterK]

It was a swans outfit tuning up for the finals

[gringo]

Jeeeesus the sky is falling again.

[maverick]

Agree with the OP mostly.
Only rider I would say is the disposal into the forward line gave all forwards no hope.
We had very little clear ball which meant we rushed entries and hit no targets.
Without a membrey type there was no one to hit up, we had no outlet leads along the wing for example.

Holmes was ordinary, but he has only played two games.
After the end of the game Hickey could barely walk.
They look cooked to me.

I like Goddard, he needs strength, but he already gets more more of the ball than many better credentialed defenders…..

We could do with another good user of the ball, maybe Suckling???

[Dis Believer]

Interesting how people see things differently. I Noticed Murdoch in one chase where he showed a burst of speed I didn't know he had, and said to my brother "the kid can play, if he can stay on the paddock and get some games in him he has a future".

Overall we have a relatively "unseasoned" group (for those that want to state how many seasons each has played) who are clearly looking for the line. It won't get any prettier next week either......

I'll just be happy to not pick up any injuries that will effect someone's pre-season.....

[saintspremiers]

It has to be said that the nature and attitude of last weeks opposition compared to today's redefines the "chalk and cheese" analogy. Geelong were a side ready for a dip, Sydney are a hard-nosed, tough bunch of professionals. I would be reluctant to use today's game as a guide to the season for our club. Quite simply, we were shown no mercy for our errors, and were offered no quarter by a very very good side. The boys will lick their wounds, and come back next season ready for another go at climbing the ladder!

Absolutely spot on. Boys are spent both physically and mentally. Remember we were tipped to finish bottom this year and Sydney were favourites at last years GF. Plus they had a top 4 position to play for and we had pride.
The Jiggster has got it spot on.

Sydney are plain scum.

They are not a real team. They are love child's of the AFL so it's a null and void game playing them. Bit like playing drug cheats when they are in a cheating phase.

[Long Term Injury]

It is a bit difficult to come up with any positives. I think Goddard will be better for the run, still get caught under the ball a bit too often, needs to learn when (not) to take that attacking position. Took a couple of intercept marks so clearly reads the game well, just a little tweaking. Ross i thought had a good first half, and wasnt terrible in the second, aside from a couple of errant kicks. Does look like he has that split second of extra time that helps in tight, and playing on Kennedy he would have learnt a lot. Webster again had a good game i thought, again the odd kick not to the right spot, but is rarely beaten when given a job. I agree with posters above that i think we look better with Roo and membrey as the lead up forwards, the links in the chain, then have the big boys with the mosquito fleet at their knees.

[plugger66]

Jeeeesus the sky is falling again.

I read the whole thread and I don't see where your comment is relevant to even one post. Maybe I missed something.

[scallopsroe]

I've had a chance to sleep on yesterday's effort. We were playing for a fifth or sixth draft pick, the Swans were playing for a position in the top four. I know what I would rather be fighting for. I hope our coaches are showing the players just how hard Sydney worked with and without the footy. Their hard work showed our team up as lacking in work ethic and footy nous. Maybe we just threw the towel in midway through the first quarter.
I will comment on Richos public statement about not pursuing a mid range experienced player. Don't agree with this strategy after witnessing the side cave in several times this year (Carlton, Sydney and Collingwood) three very poor efforts. We need some strong, quick bodies around the contest, a decent defender, a forward that can create space plus hand and foot skills. We are all hoping that our recent recruits will step up, but they are along way off in their development at this stage. Sydney have these assets and picked us apart beautifully yesterday much to my disgust. Our club simply can't afford these sort of losses.

[mullet]

Don't think Armo was right, was surprised he was picked saw him limping around southland last sunday and thought he would not play again this season.
Geelong played just as crappy, perhaps the game took its toll. Or perhaps we are just 2 crappy teams.
I don't believe we are crappy, just young.
Rooey throwing himself at the ball time after time and running his heart out just makes me smile.
Gosh we will miss him.

[Bunk_Moreland]

My observation is short.

We are cooked for the season, but on a positive note, we were cooked 6-7 weeks before the end of last season.

We got some good wins, some surprising wins, some close losses, and some games we should have won.

Overall we have performed better than most, including I, expected.

Yesterday we very poor, however it is only in isolation.

Season hasn't quite finished, would like to see them finish off competitively against the Eagles next week.

We need to go into the preseason with some hope and on a good note.