Poll: Who is our third best player?

[Con Gorozidis]

I think we all agree that our two best players are Roo and Steven. Basically universally accepted.
But after that it drops off a cliff.It was in Armo in 2015 but that is two years ago now.

The Swans top 3 seems obvious - Buddy, Kennedy, Parker.
GWS have more like a top 6 of Conglio, Greene, Cameron, Shiel, Kelly, Williams .
Dogs have a top 8 probably.

But who is our third best player? Seems horribly unclear. Not because we are overwhelmed with candidates but because we are underwhelmed. Noone is even putting their hand up at all for being up there.
It is quite worrying.

[Saints43]

But who is our third best player? Seems horribly unclear. Not because we are overwhelmed with candidates but because we are underwhelmed. Noone is even putting their hand up at all for being up there.
It is quite worrying.

It's a great question. It really asks if our depth is just an evenness of good ordinary players or a list poised to develop into something special. The first round really put a dampner on the latter feeling...

[saintsRrising]

But who is our third best player? Seems horribly unclear. Not because we are overwhelmed with candidates but because we are underwhelmed. Noone is even putting their hand up at all for being up there.
It is quite worrying.

It's a great question. It really asks if our depth is just an evenness of good ordinary players or a list poised to develop into something special. The first round really put a dampner on the latter feeling...

We have depth now, but little cream. And we have way too many players with the label of "potential" for myself to feel other than very, very nervous. (ie Billings, Paddy, Membrey, Gresham, Acres)

One would have to go back a very long time to think when our say third to fifth best players had been in such a parlous state.

Our list managers have in recent years been very good at "value" pick ups, and not so good at acquisitions where one had to pay the market rate. That plus a lot of faith has been invested in landing a big fish, or two, by FA. A big fish FA now looks unlikely. A restricted FA a maybe meaning that we are going to have to trade. And to land a true big fish by trade will probably cost two first rounders (given where our first round picks are likely to be this year and next).


PS: The answer to our third best is Joey. So two of our best three are old in the tooth and our best player was drafted way back in 2007! That is not a healthy state.

[BigMart]

On performance
Jarryn Geary

On ability
Jack Billings or Jack Steele or if he gets going Jake Carlisle

[whiskers3614]

A week is a long time on SS.
A week ago Hickey would have been a strong contender
one bad game and he's not even in the nominations!

[Bluthy]

Holy s*** - its a tough question. I fell back on Monty as he's still one of our most penetrating, classy players in my mind even if he is probably in a bit of slow decline. I think we missed his good kicking from the back badly last week. I would have gone with Brucey if he didn't fall back a bit last year and start this year a bit poor.

The problem is what most of us know - that next-gen that should have come through after the Roo's & Joey's and Lenny's and Dals and Demps, just weren't there for the most part except for Steven and then ARmo had that one great year then seems to be battling injury bad. We've sort of patched it together with the Newnes and Ross' and Wellers and Bruce's and SAvages but, apart from Bruce's huge year, they aren't consistently dominating players yet that starts putting them at the top of the AFL tree.

This is where we are waiting for the next next-gen to ripen such as Paddy, Billings, Carlisle, Gresham, Acres, Steele etc to really get those guys to stand out as quality, consistent AFL players that coaches love as they are money in the bank for them while they tinker around the edges.

You could even say our evenness we seem so rapt about is because few have really lifted to a consistently quality height yet.

[whiskers3614]

On performance
Jarryn Geary

On ability
Jack Billings or Jack Steele or if he gets going Jake Carlisle

How many other sides would Geary get a game at?

[Con Gorozidis]

A week is a long time on SS.
A week ago Hickey would have been a strong contender
one bad game and he's not even in the nominations!

Yes he was good last year and was a top 10. He finished 8th in the best and fairest. But is he our third best? If so vote for him. The poll is asking who is third best.

[whiskers3614]

A week is a long time on SS.
A week ago Hickey would have been a strong contender
one bad game and he's not even in the nominations!

I've added him to keep you happy but he has never ever been a contender for top 3. Yes he was good last year and was a top 10 player. But top 3? Come on.

Personally wouldn't have him that high, but way in front of Ross and Geary in my opinion!

[Con Gorozidis]

Well I gave my extremely tentative vote to Seb Ross.
Fine player but if he is our third best then we have some problems.
If Roo, Joey and Steven are still our best three then we have serious problems.
The ones I see who can possibly get up there are Acres and Billings.

[whiskers3614]

Well I gave my extremely tentative vote to Seb Ross.
Fine player but if he is our third best then we have some problems.
If Roo, Joey and Steven are still our best three then we have serious problems.
The ones I see who can possibly get up there are Acres and Billings.

One needs to get a game, the other needs some self belief!

[stonecold]

Jake or Devo!!!!!

[freely]

Dempster.

[White Winmar]

If Geary s our third best player then we are completely rooted.

[saintsRrising]

If Geary s our third best player then we are completely rooted.

[WellardSaint]

On performance
Jarryn Geary

On ability
Jack Billings or Jack Steele or if he gets going Jake Carlisle

How many other sides would Geary get a game at?

If the Saints offer up Geary as trade bait, nobody, nobody would take it seriously.
It's like trying to sell a crappy car on gumtree.
No takers.

[Con Gorozidis]

Dempster.

That means our top three are 34, 26 and 33.
Dempster finished 10th in the 2016 B and F.

[Con Gorozidis]

I think I have proven my point.
The lack of a compelling candidate shows we don't actually have three genuinely good consistent players.

[spert]

Gresham is a cut above everyone on our list in terms of class- even at this early stage of his career. So probably Roo, Steven and Gresham

[Proph3t of egan]

Jack newnes. Constant and does his job every week, even added goal kicking to his game last year

[Saint wagga]

Hopefully by the end of this year, this question is easier to answer - I'm hoping it's one of Billings, Gresham, Bruce or Membrey (if either of these two goal kickers can kick 40+ again)...Even Steele could really elevate himself to become A grade, but may take another year or two.

[The Fireman]

Gilbo

[desertsaint]

still have to be joey or dempster. and not many i see as potentially being better or even equal to thos etwo in their prime.

[saintspremiers]

On performance
Jarryn Geary

On ability
Jack Billings or Jack Steele or if he gets going Jake Carlisle

Feels dirty agreeing with everything you say

[saintspremiers]

Gilbo

But half the forum want him delisted and not play a single game for the rest of the season