Assessment in The Australian 2/4/18

[Sanctorum]

Greg Denham, Senior Sports Writer for The Australian, has written a very frank appraisal of St Kilda's performance against North Melbourne on Good Friday, and the likely serious consequences. I have no doubt that this article will serve as a massive wake-up call to everyone at the club, the Board, Management, Coaches and players, and for that we as supporters should be immensely grateful. Denham has exposed the parlous situation our club is in right now, and it will be interesting to see how Richo responds on AFL 360 tonight.

"St Kilda’s humiliating 52-point loss to one of the wooden-spoon favourites could cost the club millions of dollars.

The Saints were so bad against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Good Friday that the AFL should withdraw them from consideration for any stand-alone game next year to avoid further embarrassment to the code.

But that’s not where St Kilda will hurt the most. Normally a round-two loss after scraping home to win the opening round is not a massive deal, but it is when you talk the talk and can’t walk the walk.

St Kilda’s outdated kick-and- hope style translated to just five goals, none of them from any of their three key forwards.
The scar left by such an insipid performance will not just affect players who have a tough three weeks to come, but the financial long-term future of the club is at stake with St Kilda’s rank-and-file support as well as potential sponsors and benefactors at risk.

Expect memberships to all-but dry up from start of business tomorrow, expect home crowds to fall short of forecasts and expect a big hit to the fast-growing industry of philanthropy.

Why would anyone bother to give to the struggling club after what players dished up against North, who did their best in the first half to keep the Saints in the game?

Philanthropy is gaining momentum as a business within the business of Australian football and would be attractive to a struggling club like the Saints who are more than $10 million in debt. Tax-¬deductible donations to clubs are providing growing alternative revenue streams, particularly where gaming revenue is decreasing or even non-existent.

Geelong are now debt-free, which includes their financial obligation to GMHBA Stadium, thanks to the raising of $16 million through philanthropy over a 20-month period. Donations come easier to a club that can deliver on its word more times than not.

St Kilda chief executive Matt Finnis recently declared a plan to halve their massive debt within three years, which included getting a fairer stadium deal at the league-owned Etihad Stadium. Having a better stadium deal is all well and good, but to achieve it, people must first come through the turnstiles.

The “if you build it, they will come” theory has not worked for the Saints for 18 years. Winning games or at least having a crack is what works for them.

The Saints returned to their traditional base at Moorabbin with a new administration and training headquarters last month which gave Finnis the opportunity to reiterate the timetable to sustained success as outlined in their latest strategic plan.

Despite not playing finals since 2011, the blueprint calls for a second premiership by 2020 and a top-four finish this year. “We plan to be a contender at the end of the season and that means that we plan to play finals,” Finnis said. “We’re really confident with the summer we’ve had, the work that our players have put in — they’ve trained harder, but they’ve trained smarter. “We think we have a group that are now starting to play with enough time together, get enough games under their belt.”

P-p-p … premierships? P-p-p … please!

Saints captain Jarryn Geary also talked up his club. “Certainly we feel like we’ve been building for a number of years now, but no doubt the time has come for us to take the next step in our progression. We’re expecting big things from ourselves.”

After teasing with 23 wins over the past two seasons and two top-10 national draft picks last year, St Kilda have gone backwards with a haphazard brand of footy that is almost unwatchable. Their shoddy play was evident in the JLT practice match series.

Another downside to an underperforming St Kilda is a concern about attracting very good players, as is their plan. Last month new Saints footy manager Simon Lethlean claimed they were better placed than any other club to manage their salary cap and that they would take an “aggressive” approach to recruiting elite talent.

“We are now a strong, stable Victorian club with a state-of-the-art facility, stable coaching group and a good young list,” he said. “We are a destination club people want to come to.”

Is that right? Just imagine the free-agent pool out there watching a club with almost no injuries kick five goals at their home venue against a team rebuilding and no chance of playing finals this year.

Destination club? Maybe not. If West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern had any interest before Easter in moving to the Saints for big money and long-term security, then either the Indian Ocean or at least another progressive club would now hold a far greater attraction.

Not even North’s erratic kicking for goal early — no goals from their first seven set shots — prevented the St Kilda rot. The Saints, who trailed North by 31 in the contested-possession count and by 25 for inside 50s, allowed the Kangaroos to kick the final seven goals of the game.

St Kilda’s fraudulent midfield made former Hawthorn battler Billy Hartung, in his second game for North, look like Chris Judd at his peak. He had 24 possessions, took nine marks and booted an excellent goal with his non--preferred left foot.

Whether the Saints are just making up the numbers again will be largely determined by what they can do over the next three weeks against three of last year’s top-four clubs: Adelaide, where the Saints are on a losing streak of seven; Geelong in Geelong; and Greater Western Sydney.

And by the way, well done North. No myths, no promises that can’t be delivered on, no frills. Just the four points.

[mightysainters]

Damning but unmistakably Accurate

[GSG]

Greg Denham, Senior Sports Writer for The Australian, has written a very frank appraisal of St Kilda's performance against North Melbourne on Good Friday, and the likely serious consequences. I have no doubt that this article will serve as a massive wake-up call to everyone at the club, the Board, Management, Coaches and players, and for that we as supporters should be immensely grateful. Denham has exposed the parlous situation our club is in right now, and it will be interesting to see how Richo responds on AFL 360 tonight.

"St Kilda’s humiliating 52-point loss to one of the wooden-spoon favourites could cost the club millions of dollars.

The Saints were so bad against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Good Friday that the AFL should withdraw them from consideration for any stand-alone game next year to avoid further embarrassment to the code.

But that’s not where St Kilda will hurt the most. Normally a round-two loss after scraping home to win the opening round is not a massive deal, but it is when you talk the talk and can’t walk the walk.

St Kilda’s outdated kick-and- hope style translated to just five goals, none of them from any of their three key forwards.
The scar left by such an insipid performance will not just affect players who have a tough three weeks to come, but the financial long-term future of the club is at stake with St Kilda’s rank-and-file support as well as potential sponsors and benefactors at risk.

Expect memberships to all-but dry up from start of business tomorrow, expect home crowds to fall short of forecasts and expect a big hit to the fast-growing industry of philanthropy.

Why would anyone bother to give to the struggling club after what players dished up against North, who did their best in the first half to keep the Saints in the game?

Philanthropy is gaining momentum as a business within the business of Australian football and would be attractive to a struggling club like the Saints who are more than $10 million in debt. Tax-¬deductible donations to clubs are providing growing alternative revenue streams, particularly where gaming revenue is decreasing or even non-existent.

Geelong are now debt-free, which includes their financial obligation to GMHBA Stadium, thanks to the raising of $16 million through philanthropy over a 20-month period. Donations come easier to a club that can deliver on its word more times than not.

St Kilda chief executive Matt Finnis recently declared a plan to halve their massive debt within three years, which included getting a fairer stadium deal at the league-owned Etihad Stadium. Having a better stadium deal is all well and good, but to achieve it, people must first come through the turnstiles.

The “if you build it, they will come” theory has not worked for the Saints for 18 years. Winning games or at least having a crack is what works for them.

The Saints returned to their traditional base at Moorabbin with a new administration and training headquarters last month which gave Finnis the opportunity to reiterate the timetable to sustained success as outlined in their latest strategic plan.

Despite not playing finals since 2011, the blueprint calls for a second premiership by 2020 and a top-four finish this year. “We plan to be a contender at the end of the season and that means that we plan to play finals,” Finnis said. “We’re really confident with the summer we’ve had, the work that our players have put in — they’ve trained harder, but they’ve trained smarter. “We think we have a group that are now starting to play with enough time together, get enough games under their belt.”

P-p-p … premierships? P-p-p … please!

Saints captain Jarryn Geary also talked up his club. “Certainly we feel like we’ve been building for a number of years now, but no doubt the time has come for us to take the next step in our progression. We’re expecting big things from ourselves.”

After teasing with 23 wins over the past two seasons and two top-10 national draft picks last year, St Kilda have gone backwards with a haphazard brand of footy that is almost unwatchable. Their shoddy play was evident in the JLT practice match series.

Another downside to an underperforming St Kilda is a concern about attracting very good players, as is their plan. Last month new Saints footy manager Simon Lethlean claimed they were better placed than any other club to manage their salary cap and that they would take an “aggressive” approach to recruiting elite talent.

“We are now a strong, stable Victorian club with a state-of-the-art facility, stable coaching group and a good young list,” he said. “We are a destination club people want to come to.”

Is that right? Just imagine the free-agent pool out there watching a club with almost no injuries kick five goals at their home venue against a team rebuilding and no chance of playing finals this year.

Destination club? Maybe not. If West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern had any interest before Easter in moving to the Saints for big money and long-term security, then either the Indian Ocean or at least another progressive club would now hold a far greater attraction.

Not even North’s erratic kicking for goal early — no goals from their first seven set shots — prevented the St Kilda rot. The Saints, who trailed North by 31 in the contested-possession count and by 25 for inside 50s, allowed the Kangaroos to kick the final seven goals of the game.

St Kilda’s fraudulent midfield made former Hawthorn battler Billy Hartung, in his second game for North, look like Chris Judd at his peak. He had 24 possessions, took nine marks and booted an excellent goal with his non--preferred left foot.

Whether the Saints are just making up the numbers again will be largely determined by what they can do over the next three weeks against three of last year’s top-four clubs: Adelaide, where the Saints are on a losing streak of seven; Geelong in Geelong; and Greater Western Sydney.

And by the way, well done North. No myths, no promises that can’t be delivered on, no frills. Just the four points.

Wow this certainly touches a raw nerve, but I doubt that anyone here on this forum would disagree. Let’s hope it also hits home with that lot at Linton Street.

[saynta]

Hurtful and very painful reading but also very very true.

[Stephen Theodore]

Sadly spot on.

[Vazelos]

Its exactly what I feared straight after the game, an honest appraisal it was an embarrassment to the code and damaged our club no end.
The football department let us down.

[St Chris]

Correct as of right now, but if we go out and knock off the Crows, then it looks like junk journo hyperbole.

Let’s give things a few weeks to see if the Roos performance was the rule or the exception.

[magnifisaint]

Article is spot on. Someone send it to Richardson. Junk game plan. Kick and hope. Rubbish rubbish rubbish.

[congorozides]

For me the alarms well and truly went off in the games v Essendon and Melbourne late last season.

Finals were up for grabs and the players clearly didn't care less and the coach appeared utterly clueless and appeared to mutter his usual cliches post game and refused to acknowledge the obvious flaws in our game. The bomb it fwd chaos ball wasnt working and the team lacked pace and skill. Instead he just kept repeating the same thing about effort over and over. Complete denial.

What we have seen this year is just confirmation of what I already believed.

[bigred]

Spot on and no hiding from it now.

Pretty average game plan, coaching is really getting exposed.
Players not having a dip...

Membership will suffer.
Sponsors will look the other way.

Another five years of Sunday afternoon twilight games.

I'm telling you, the club will not be in the AFL by 2025 if we continue down this track.

[perfectionist]

The article is rubbish. He either hasn't seen us play or is an idiot. He describes our game as "kick and hope". We had 192 kicks and 180 handballs. North had 222 kicks and 142 handballs. WCE had 245 kicks and 115 handballs. Both North (in the second half) and WCE (all day) kicked long to the forwards. We did it too. Our forwards dropped all the marks. The problem is our skill level - we can't kick and are very bad at handball. But we persist with the "let's have four handballs when two are enough" routine, presumably to make up for our poor skills. We are small, weak and skill free. Ten years of woeful recruiting and list management, and an insipid fitness regime, separate us from WCE.

Last year, Seb Ross got fitter and got better. He is now back to 2015/16 fitness and the result is there to see.

[Con Gorozidis]

The article is rubbish. He either hasn't seen us play or is an idiot. He describes our game as "kick and hope". We had 192 kicks and 180 handballs. North had 222 kicks and 142 handballs. WCE had 245 kicks and 115 handballs. Both North (in the second half) and WCE (all day) kicked long to the forwards. We did it too. Our forwards dropped all the marks. The problem is our skill level - we can't kick and are very bad at handball. But we persist with the "let's have four handballs when two are enough" routine, presumably to make up for our poor skills. We are small, weak and skill free. Ten years of woeful recruiting and list management, and an insipid fitness regime, separate us from WCE.

Last year, Seb Ross got fitter and got better. He is now back to 2015/16 fitness and the result is there to see.

Fair enough. But we all agree on the conclusion.
We are in serious trouble and the coaching regime is not up to it.

[prwilkinson]

The playing/coach group really let down the club on Friday in so many ways. It was such an horrendous loss. Greg ‘Venom’ Denham has pretty much nailed it.

[congorozides]

The playing/coach group really let down the club on Friday in so many ways. It was such an horrendous loss. Greg ‘Venom’ Denham has pretty much nailed it.

Don't forget out our insipid efforts v Essendon and Melbourne last year when a finals spot was up for grabs.

It's not like this recent game was a one off. It was the norm.

[SydneySainter]

A somewhat biased but brutally accurate assessment of the Saints all the same.

The closer this so-called "rebuild" gets to becoming a write-off, the more the Saints future is in real jeopardy, especially being close to $10 million in the red already.

Free agents and star players will continue to snub us and it may only be a matter of time before what small amount of exciting young talent we already have (Billings, Gresham, Acres, Membrey) may start requesting trades. If that happens, membership and match-day attendances will continue to dwindle and the club's debt only gets bigger and we may not get another five years to try and rebuild again.

[bigred]

We should expect and at the same time deserve to get the boots stuck into us deluxe on the back of that performance.

I just cannot see where the improvement is going to come from.

[prwilkinson]

The playing/coach group really let down the club on Friday in so many ways. It was such an horrendous loss. Greg ‘Venom’ Denham has pretty much nailed it.

Don't forget out our insipid efforts v Essendon and Melbourne last year when a finals spot was up for grabs.

It's not like this recent game was a one off. It was the norm.

Yeah, that’s true. Fair point. Really sad that it’s the ‘norm’ now. I’ll be amazed if we get to play on Good Friday again after serving up that bowel movement of a performance.
I’ve been avoiding thinking about it all weekend but f**k it’s made me furious. What an utterly weak as p**s effort it truly was.
We’ll probably lose by 95 pts this week.

[saintsRrising]

The kick and hope probably refers to how we kicked into the forward line and is most accurate.



But yes too often up the field you can see that the team is drilled to handball quckly and too often it just goes to a nearby teammate under even more pressure than the first. So the stats build up with lots of handballs. But they are junk as they achieve little.

Handballs need to be players in the clear as much as possible and unfortuntely our execution achieves that rately.

[samuraisaint]

Correct as of right now, but if we go out and knock off the Crows, then it looks like junk journo hyperbole.

Let’s give things a few weeks to see if the Roos performance was the rule or the exception.

That is the whole point of the article. St. Kilda players and coach need to respond through it's actions, not words. If the players fail to respond onfield Saturday night it won't only be the whipping boys copping it - it will be the entire club next week. You can rely on that. Pressure is on.

However, having said all of that, the President still needed to go public this week to us, the membership and supporter base, to explain as to why the team were so flat in such an important game to the club financially and how this will be rectified. An absolute marketing disaster for membership sales. Without us there would be no St. Kilda. Very disappointing.

The game plan is either non-existent or unsatisfactory, and my fear is that it may become even more unwatchable if the reaction is to go ultra defensive like Melbourne and Carlton have done in the past few seasons (please No!) It was hard enough to sit through that every week when we were actually winning two thirds of our games under Lyon.

[evertonfc]

Excruciating to read.

Excruciating because it is so, so accurate.

I don't know why, but I feel better after reading that article. I'm glad someone out there has called us on our BS as a football club.

[spert]

Sad but true. I hope President Sumner and the board have a good read of this. The people who as a struggling club, happily blew $500k to get rid of the last coach in order to get a politically correct coach who wouldn't question anything that the club or players wanted.

[SaintPav]

Truth hurts.

Over to you, Richo

[degruch]

I'm sure Greg Denham saw Gill's face when they interviewed him at half time too...he was absolutely filthy, not just as a Sainter, but as a business administrator. He threw an underperforming franchise a bone, and it rewarded him by embarrassing the business in plain view of the entire nation. What was he offering, $1,000 per goal scored to charity? We kicked 5 goals. Disgraceful. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if there was a searing Trump-to-Turnbull style phonecall from AFL house to the club the next day. As the game wore on all I could think of was the dire business consequences of such a loss and concede we're not only in for a long year, but possibly a long decade.

[Drake Huggins]

We can always console ourselves with the fact our yearly marquee game is The Blue Oyster Club cup. A blockbuster that lost us money. i think a production of Betty Blockbuster reprising the role Reg Livermore made famous would've drawn a bigger crowd. Would've been more entertaining as well.

[Life Long Saint]

No footy journo writes articles without a motive...
He might be accurate, but he should be writing the same stuff about his beloved Bulldogs!
They stunk last season and have been non-competitive in their two this season.

Rumours of in fighting and a lingering cultural issue.
They won 2 more games than us in 2016...An unbelievable September saw them win a flag.
We won the same number of games in 2017.
Where are the articles condemning them?