Starting 22 2018 what we'll see/ what you'd like to see.

[Scollop]

We're not saying it's the team for the entire year, but a team for Round 1, maybe even the first few rounds...

We kick the season off playing the 2 teams widely tipped to finish around the bottom of the ladder, they'll both be playing against us with a load of kids, so what's to worry about?

You manage them through the year but you come out at the start of the season and show your intent for 2018 and beyond.

It's not like you're sending em out there alone, they're surrounded by senior players, so let them (and us supporters) have their/our moment in the sun.

...let them rise to the occasion!

Last year we picked a conservative nothing team for Round 1 and it bit us on the arse, lets not make the same mistake twice.

You notch a couple of wins in the first couple of rounds and then you assess how everyone is holding up for Adelaide and Geelong, if you need to bring in more experienced, harder bodies, you do it then - by that stage the likes of Newnes, Stevens, Gilbert, Brown etc will be jumping out of their skins to get back in the team.

If we win a few games with a team like the one we're suggesting (and I'm confident we would) you'll have memberships flying outta the joint!

If Richardson and his selection committee have any balls at all, or any kind of clear vision for the future, and if they're motivated by anything other than saving their skins, this is the kind of team they should turn up with at the start of the season.

Make it happen Saints!

+1. Fully agree. Coaches need to have balls and a clear vision. No short-term-skin-saving-mentality please. Best post I've read in quite a while. We may as well go for broke with the guys that have elite attributes and be ruthless with those who have had their opportunity.

[Saintly66]

Don't think he will make Rd 1 but word received is that Bailey Rice has been impressive this summer.

Can confirm, is highly rated all we need is Richo to wake up to it lol.

[Drake Huggins]

Don't think he will make Rd 1 but word received is that Bailey Rice has been impressive this summer.

Can confirm, is highly rated all we need is Richo to wake up to it lol.

Rip Van Richo is still asleep in 2014.

[samoht]

Let them (the youngsters) start the seaon off 5 games each and drop regular seniors who arent quite right to make way for them like Weller and Newnes. Will be good for all four.

I would also experiment with Marshall on the bench and half forward and give Gilbert a run for a while at Sandringham.
Play Marshall with Longer and Bruce and rotate them all off bench with Gresh, Billings and Steven rotating through the forward line and roving position with high TOG %"s.

Now this I agree with. Rest any of the established players whenever they have a niggle (even a small niggle) or are NQR - and use this as an opportunity to get games into our likely looking youngsters. - Coffield, Clark, etc... I mean Gresham has managed to establish himself as a regular player already - by getting games early.

[groupie1]

I'm liking some of the dare of these teams.
Here's what I'd like to see... spirit of getting talent and speed on the park and anything else off:

Backs: Geary Austin White
HB: Roberton Carlisle Steele
Centre: Acres Ross Sinclair
HF: Billings Bruce Membrey
FF Armitage McCartin Gresham
Followers Marshall Steven Dunstan
Inter: Stevens, Battle, Hunter Clarke, Coffield
Em: Rice, Newnes, Longer, Webster

More mobile ruck (albeit shorter), and it seems many agree it might be time to look beyond Brown, Gilbert, Weller & co.
I think a thinking ruckman, with Bruce to pinch hit, just a better way forward if we don't boast an M Gardiner on the list.

I know this is quite an inexperienced team, but I think there are enough big bodies in there.

Apologies to Newnes & Webster. But I think others are moving in front of them.

I differ from most here in that I'm not entirely sure about Savage, still.
I don't think he gets the best out of his obvious skill set.

[groupie1]

We're not saying it's the team for the entire year, but a team for Round 1, maybe even the first few rounds...

We kick the season off playing the 2 teams widely tipped to finish around the bottom of the ladder, they'll both be playing against us with a load of kids, so what's to worry about?

You manage them through the year but you come out at the start of the season and show your intent for 2018 and beyond.

It's not like you're sending em out there alone, they're surrounded by senior players, so let them (and us supporters) have their/our moment in the sun.

...let them rise to the occasion!

Last year we picked a conservative nothing team for Round 1 and it bit us on the arse, lets not make the same mistake twice.

You notch a couple of wins in the first couple of rounds and then you assess how everyone is holding up for Adelaide and Geelong, if you need to bring in more experienced, harder bodies, you do it then - by that stage the likes of Newnes, Stevens, Gilbert, Brown etc will be jumping out of their skins to get back in the team.

If we win a few games with a team like the one we're suggesting (and I'm confident we would) you'll have memberships flying outta the joint!

If Richardson and his selection committee have any balls at all, or any kind of clear vision for the future, and if they're motivated by anything other than saving their skins, this is the kind of team they should turn up with at the start of the season.

Make it happen Saints!

+1. Fully agree. Coaches need to have balls and a clear vision. No short-term-skin-saving-mentality please. Best post I've read in quite a while. We may as well go for broke with the guys that have elite attributes and be ruthless with those who have had their opportunity.

great post

[Joffa Burns]

Sorry, but I seem to want to keep posting alternate team line ups.

- Out with the lumbering Brown and slowish Webster for run and carry and good footskills (Sinclair) from defence and ease Coffield into the senior team.
- Out with Longer (although I like him) outside of stoppages he's ineffective, particularly if he has to defend when his opponent runs forward.
- Pure midfielders at half forward rotating with the onballers
- Billings transitioning between back and forward on the wing
- Best set shot in the club forward (Arcres, almost plays tall) rotating through half forward and mid
- Mobile forward line

B - Geary - Carslile - Savage
HB- Sinclair - Roberton - Coffield
C - Billings - Ross - Newness
HF- Armitage - McCartin - Dunstan
F - Gresham - Membrey - Acres
R- Bruce - Steele - Steven
INT- Clark - Gilbert - Stevens - Lonie

[desertsaint]

B: Geary, Brown, Roberton
HB: Newnes, Carlisle, Savage
C: Sinclair, Armitage, Acres
HF: Billings, Bruce, Clark
F: Gresham, McCartin, Membrey
R: Longer, Ross, Steven
I: Coffield, Lonie, Dunstan, Steele

[Saintmatt]

B: Coffield Roberton Clavarino

HB: Freeman Carlisle White

C: Clark Steele Acres

HF: Billings Battle Membrey

F: Gresham Mc Cartin Armitage

R: Hickey Ross Steven

Int: Newnes, Dunstan, Sinclair, Conellan

Love that side. A stack of pace.
If we played say Richmond with only Jack R as a tall in the fwd line - we culd go even quicker and bring in Paton for Clavarino.
You coujld even sneak Long in for Armo.

I still love this side. A lot. Only change I'd make would be Savage for Freeman (Sav has clearly gone up a notch since his axing mid last year and his display and Carlsum last week continued that theme).

Knowing our match committee thought - they'll pick Gilbert and Webster and find a way for Weller to make an appearance too.

[Saintmatt]

We're not saying it's the team for the entire year, but a team for Round 1, maybe even the first few rounds...

We kick the season off playing the 2 teams widely tipped to finish around the bottom of the ladder, they'll both be playing against us with a load of kids, so what's to worry about?

You manage them through the year but you come out at the start of the season and show your intent for 2018 and beyond.

It's not like you're sending em out there alone, they're surrounded by senior players, so let them (and us supporters) have their/our moment in the sun.

...let them rise to the occasion!

Last year we picked a conservative nothing team for Round 1 and it bit us on the arse, lets not make the same mistake twice.

You notch a couple of wins in the first couple of rounds and then you assess how everyone is holding up for Adelaide and Geelong, if you need to bring in more experienced, harder bodies, you do it then - by that stage the likes of Newnes, Stevens, Gilbert, Brown etc will be jumping out of their skins to get back in the team.

If we win a few games with a team like the one we're suggesting (and I'm confident we would) you'll have memberships flying outta the joint!

If Richardson and his selection committee have any balls at all, or any kind of clear vision for the future, and if they're motivated by anything other than saving their skins, this is the kind of team they should turn up with at the start of the season.

Make it happen Saints!

+1. Fully agree. Coaches need to have balls and a clear vision. No short-term-skin-saving-mentality please. Best post I've read in quite a while. We may as well go for broke with the guys that have elite attributes and be ruthless with those who have had their opportunity.

great post

+1. Well posited. I like the thinking

[Gershwin]

Geary, Brown, White
Roberton, Carlisle, Webster
Sinclair, Ross, Savage
Billings, Bruce, Membrey
Gresham, McCartin, Long

Longer, Armitage, Steven

Newnes, Steele, Acres, Dunstan

[groupie1]

Sorry, but I seem to want to keep posting alternate team line ups.

- Out with the lumbering Brown and slowish Webster for run and carry and good footskills (Sinclair) from defence and ease Coffield into the senior team.
- Out with Longer (although I like him) outside of stoppages he's ineffective, particularly if he has to defend when his opponent runs forward.
- Pure midfielders at half forward rotating with the onballers
- Billings transitioning between back and forward on the wing
- Best set shot in the club forward (Arcres, almost plays tall) rotating through half forward and mid
- Mobile forward line

B - Geary - Carslile - Savage
HB- Sinclair - Roberton - Coffield
C - Billings - Ross - Newness
HF- Armitage - McCartin - Dunstan
F - Gresham - Membrey - Acres
R- Bruce - Steele - Steven
INT- Clark - Gilbert - Stevens - Lonie

I like this a lot, but would change Gilbert out for Marshall. And Lonie out for Webster, provisionally. Looks a little short in def. too. No room for White/Austin?

[Joffa Burns]

Sorry, but I seem to want to keep posting alternate team line ups.

- Out with the lumbering Brown and slowish Webster for run and carry and good footskills (Sinclair) from defence and ease Coffield into the senior team.
- Out with Longer (although I like him) outside of stoppages he's ineffective, particularly if he has to defend when his opponent runs forward.
- Pure midfielders at half forward rotating with the onballers
- Billings transitioning between back and forward on the wing
- Best set shot in the club forward (Arcres, almost plays tall) rotating through half forward and mid
- Mobile forward line

B - Geary - Carslile - Savage
HB- Sinclair - Roberton - Coffield
C - Billings - Ross - Newness
HF- Armitage - McCartin - Dunstan
F - Gresham - Membrey - Acres
R- Bruce - Steele - Steven
INT- Clark - Gilbert - Stevens - Lonie

I like this a lot, but would change Gilbert out for Marshall. And Lonie out for Webster, provisionally. Looks a little short in def. too. No room for White/Austin?

Cheers!

- Haven't seen Logan play a single match so couldn't put him in.
- I like White but hear there are still some issues around training performance and attitude, the fact he didn't get a run in the first JLT doesn't do anything to squash this assumption.
- Marshall as back up KPP and ruck - yep
- With Marshall on bench Bruce can go back if too short in defence.
- No Brown and no Webster, too lumbering for this team.

I am going with rebounders with good footskills off half back with Robbo, Sinclair and Coffield.

B - Geary - Carslile - Savage
HB- Sinclair - Roberton - Coffield
C - Billings - Ross - Newness
HF- Armitage - McCartin - Dunstan
F - Gresham - Membrey - Acres

R- Bruce - Steele - Steven
INT- Clark - Marshall - Stevens - Lonie

EMRG: Gilbert, White, Long

[barneyboyz]

You don't need to refer to me in that way (deluded) - have I disrespected you?
We're just expressing opinions - and mine is that while he's not the equal of Billings, Ross, Steven etc...he may not be a matchwinner, but he's still a good contributor in his own way, and worthy of being picked each week.
That's all I'm saying.

He's not a midfielder, per se - there are other better players in the guts - he plays on the flanks (half back or wing).

By the same token, I don't think Steven, Ross or Billings would necessarily do a better job in the positions or roles he plays.

If someone proves themselves better in these roles - then sure, I agree with you - he should make way for a better player.

We don't have to agree ... but we can still respect each other.

I think Newnes is a far better deliverer of the ball than most people think, it's just that his work isn't flashy. Ross on the other hand butchers it a lot more than he. In fact, if Ross could deliver as good as Newnes, he would become elite.

If we win a flag in the next 5 years, I suspect that Newnes will have been a significant part player in that

[Saint wagga]

Geary Brown Webster
White Carlisle Savage
Sinclair Dunstan Newnes
Membrey Bruce Billings
Gresham McCartin Steele
Fol: Hickey Ross Steven
Int: Acres Armo Lonie Gilbert