Billings in best 4 weeks straight

[Scollop]

I found the coaches votes quite interesting. I'd love to know if it was our coach that gave Jack Billings the low vote, and the opposition coach gave him the high votes or if it was the other way around. Would even go so far as to say that Richo does not see the game as well as other opposition coaches because he sits on the pine at ground level all game( the reasons behind 'why' he does that probably deserve its own thread)

I reckon Bolt's gave Billings 5 and Cripps 3, where as Richo gave Cripps 5 and Billings only 2.

https://aflcoaches.com.au/awards/the-af ... eaderboard

[devil saint]

I found the coaches votes quite interesting. I'd love to know if it was our coach that gave Jack Billings the low vote, and the opposition coach gave him the high votes or if it was the other way around. Would even go so far as to say that Richo does not see the game as well as other opposition coaches because he sits on the pine at ground level all game( the reasons behind 'why' he does that probably deserve its own thread)

I reckon Bolt's gave Billings 5 and Cripps 3, where as Richo gave Cripps 5 and Billings only 2.

https://aflcoaches.com.au/awards/the-af ... eaderboard

Richo said on 360 that he gave Cripps 5 and Steele 4 so yes, he must have only given JB the 2. Interesting.

[takeaway]

Or he gave Billings 3, Bolt gave him 4.

[Moods]

Our team was so good in 09 and 10 because all of our best players were basically 25 and over. That is when the peak years hit for a player. Its a proven formula. Look at the age of all the Tigers best players - A graders.


This comment doesn't explain 04/05. Roo. Lenny. BJ. Ball. Dal. Maguire. Hudghton.

Nor does it explain the Dogs of 2016, the hawks of 08, bombers of 93, even pies of 2010/11.

I'm not saying that the above quote isn't true. To win a flag everything has to align. However we haven't even made finals in the past 7 years. And all you have to do to qualify is be in the top 40% of teams. So if our young guns were actually any good, we would have qualified for finals, then as they reached their peak then we would have a genuine crack at the flag. To not even make finals suggests that the drafting development of these kids is poor and these kids simply aren't as good as other clubs kids. (who are making finals)

We only missed out on the finals last year by the length of a bee's dick.

And we're kidding ourselves if we believe for a second that we were close to being a finals contender. We weren't. We proved that in the back half of the year, when EVERY team we played that were battling for a spot in the 8, SMASHED us. We were the classic flat track bullies last year. fair to say that the Tigers game was very much an anomaly rather than a sign of things to come.

[shanegrambeau]

Can I ask you then, did you believe the Footy shows’ and their hosts like Lloyd etc., when they said they expected St Kilda to slip down the ladder a few places in 2018 at the time? I didn’t know about about any players from the post-Thomas/Lyon era then, but I tended to agree with them that we played above ourselves in ‘16 and for a while in ‘17, before ‘ the dam bust’

[mad saint guy]

In our 4 wins this year Billings averages 27 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal and 2.5 goal assists. Just shows what he can do in a side that isn't getting pummeled

[SaintPav]

In a good team, Billings is like the icing on the cake.

[Moods]

In a good team, Billings is like the icing on the cake.

Which, to be honest, I find disappointing. Pretty sure when we drafted him we were hoping for him to be a bit more than that

[HitTheBoundary]

[rodgerfox]

In our 4 wins this year Billings averages 27 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal and 2.5 goal assists. Just shows what he can do in a side that isn't getting pummeled

Maybe him getting those numbers is why we won those games? Not vice versa?

[parkeysainter]

Couldn't have said it better myself Jimmy B. A bit of understanding from someone that obviously understands Billings, the game itself and his standing in the game right now. Thank you.

[mad saint guy]

In our 4 wins this year Billings averages 27 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal and 2.5 goal assists. Just shows what he can do in a side that isn't getting pummeled

Maybe him getting those numbers is why we won those games? Not vice versa?

Our average winning margin is 23 points. Our average losing margin is 39 points

I don't think an extra 8 disposals, 4 marks and a goal from Billings is the cause of the 10 goal differential between our wins and losses.

[SaintPav]

Priceless bit with the North kid trying to tell his old man to pull his head in.

[Scollop]

In a good team, Billings is like the icing on the cake.

Which, to be honest, I find disappointing. Pretty sure when we drafted him we were hoping for him to be a bit more than that

Sometimes you have to celebrate a players strengths rather than focus on their weaknesses. I've come to the realisation that Billings may just get better and better as he gets older and as the Saints build towards finals. I think there is a guy playing at North Melbourne that just turned 30 this year that he could look to as a role model

....This player is at his second club because his first club lost patience with his inconsistency and his problems with getting his body right...a guy that played in the midfield last year for the whole season for only the first time in his career...won a best and fairest for the first time in his career last year...and is one of the favourites to win the Brownlow this year ( because he is in career best form - better than last year). If Billings turns out to be as good as Shaun Higgins and perhaps might be more durable than Higgins then he will have been worth the Saints taking him at pick 3

[Moods]

In a good team, Billings is like the icing on the cake.

Which, to be honest, I find disappointing. Pretty sure when we drafted him we were hoping for him to be a bit more than that

Sometimes you have to celebrate a players strengths rather than focus on their weaknesses. I've come to the realisation that Billings may just get better and better as he gets older and as the Saints build towards finals. I think there is a guy playing at North Melbourne that just turned 30 this year that he could look to as a role model

....This player is at his second club because his first club lost patience with his inconsistency and his problems with getting his body right...a guy that played in the midfield last year for the whole season for only the first time in his career...won a best and fairest for the first time in his career last year...and is one of the favourites to win the Brownlow this year ( because he is in career best form - better than last year). If Billings turns out to be as good as Shaun Higgins and perhaps might be more durable than Higgins then he will have been worth the Saints taking him at pick 3

A guy whose disposal has never been questioned. His ability to hit the scoreboard when the opportunity arises has never been questioned. He has been riddled with injury so I don't see it as very similar personally.

Consistency has been an issue with both players, but for different reasons

[Scollop]

Fair enough Moods.

[evertonfc]

Would be nice if he smiled - doesn't seem to get too excited these days

Jack gets caught up a bit too much in trying to look cool and trying to look as though nothing bothers him.

[saintsRrising]

Would be nice if he smiled - doesn't seem to get too excited these days

Jack gets caught up a bit too much in trying to look cool and trying to look as though nothing bothers him.

How about the more simple explanation that is naturally just an introvert.

Funny how when Banger for years just went about his business in his quiet way no one had an issue with it.

[saynta]

Roo himself admits that he didn't smile for 17 years.

[Moods]

Roo himself admits that he didn't smile for 17 years.

Except we all know that's not true. Yeah he was a serious guy Roo, but there were plenty of smiles after goals, great wins etc.

Having said that I'm not going to completely tear Jack apart about everything that's going on with him. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't smile because he's concentrating so hard and feels so much pressure. I can understand that.

An irrelevant personal story coming up

My own daughter who plays in goals in netball at a high level. Is battling to hold her starting position in the team. My criticism of her is that she was failing to acknowledge other players in the team when she scored goals, particularly the other goaler who often plays a crucial role in any goals scored in netball - you're a team. She told me that she felt under so much pressure that she wasn't even aware that she wasn't acknowledging her teammates.... She was just so relieved if things were working well and concentrating so hard if they weren't.

I can relate this to Jack. I acknowledge that he would be under enormous pressure to perform, and he would be as aware as anyone that he isn't living up to expectations. So when things do click it's relief for him, rather than just relax, smile and enjoy the moment with your teammates.

[evertonfc]

Would be nice if he smiled - doesn't seem to get too excited these days

Jack gets caught up a bit too much in trying to look cool and trying to look as though nothing bothers him.

How about the more simple explanation that is naturally just an introvert.

Funny how when Banger for years just went about his business in his quiet way no one had an issue with it.

Totally different. Harves was just humble as hell and had no interest in putting himself up in lights.

[saintsRrising]

Totally different. Harves was just humble as hell and had no interest in putting himself up in lights.

I must have missed something. What has Billings ever done that would suggest that he wants to put himself up in lights?

[minneapolis]

Would be nice if he smiled - doesn't seem to get too excited these days

Yeah, I noticed that too. Looked like he had other things on his mind....like he didn't feel that he was playing for the right team.

complete garbage, he loves the club and his team mates. He is a great kid, very respectful.

One of the largest parts of the human brain is devoted to reading and interpreting facial expressions. It is so important in the human condition that newborn babies can do it.

When a guy kicks an important goal, and his teammates give him plenty of praise and joy, it is unusual for a social person not to respond.

The first response from a human brain is to interpret the facial signals.

If he was not injured, then my interpretation was disengagement.

What was your interpretation?

If it was disengagement, then speculation, without any hard information, follows.

That was the meaning of my comment.

There are many parts to watching the footy. One is to see the players respond to their circumstances. The head-dropping, the gee-up, the Lenny-like inspiration, the teeth-gritting, and all things in-between.

It was just an observation from an observer.

[saintbob]

Better re-title this thread to “Billings in best 5 weeks straight”.

[Moods]

Better re-title this thread to “Billings in best 5 weeks straight”.

Why?
He was very average again against a top team. Surely you’re not saying he was in our best?