Marshall

[samuraisaint]

Your opinions, your intitlded to them, let's see what the 'real experts' do when Billy comes back and is fully fit!!!!!

Let's see who they agree with?????

He'll come back in when we play Melbourne at the 'G' and school Gawn again, like he's done the last couple of times there. Wonder if his coach will come out the week before and complain about lack of protection again.

[SuperDuper]

i recon Marshall is similar type to Hickey but better.. and i think Hickey is decent

it would have been a waste to have both on the list so good trading really..

[ace]

I am looking forward to Sam Alabakis monstering them all in a few years time.
Needs to learn to play the game I hear.
No need.
What ruckman ever learned to play the game.
They just use their height to advantage.

[wasaintsfan]

I loved the fact that in his presser Richo stated that longer is fit to play this weekend but has to come back by VFL. Marshall's efforts on the weekend were as good as any.

He had more output then Hickey longer or Pearce. Think he have found a real gem there that we need to persevere with even if he has a bad game.

Also loved the fact back up role was spread between players not just Bruce. Left us unpredictable to essendon and need to keep rolling with it.

[To the top]

Imagine if, to get us into the Second Round of the Draft, Longer had any currency and we could have traded him for Pick 41 (from the Premier dude no less)

We would then have Hickey, Marshall and Pierce as the emergency

Hickey and Marshall could play in the same side as they are both footballers, able to compete in the ruck and impact around the ground including as a “get out” tall target who can actually mark the ball and compete at ground level

With Longer, particularly, and Pierce they are exclusively the old style “knock ruckman” from the 1960’s and not very good at that either.

They are either on the ground to compete in ruck contests or on the interchange bench - removing vital flexibility from the team

[Enrico_Misso]

Tom Hickey kicked a clutch goal for WCE today.

Hickey was against poor ruck opposition last night..last week he was belted and got 2 possessions and 1 mark. Ranked 3rd last on ground.

I’m not sure where you got 3rd worst from but he was 4th best last night according to AFL fantasy points.
He took as many marks and kicked more goals in the first half as Billy did in five games last year.

Where is that popcorn eating thingy?

[realdeal]

We should have a ban on talking about Longer until he's fit enough to play..

In regards to Marshall, he was limping a fair bit after the game, hopefully it was just cramp

[stonecold]

We should have a ban on talking about Longer until he's fit enough to play..

In regards to Marshall, he was limping a fair bit after the game, hopefully it was just cramp

You don't get an injection for cramp!!!!!

[realdeal]

We should have a ban on talking about Longer until he's fit enough to play..

In regards to Marshall, he was limping a fair bit after the game, hopefully it was just cramp

You don't get an injection for cramp!!!!!

Wasn't aware he had an injection.

His calf was strapped aswell.

[Scollop]

I am looking forward to Sam Alabakis monstering them all in a few years time.
Needs to learn to play the game I hear.
No need.
What ruckman ever learned to play the game.
They just use their height to advantage.

I heard a rumour that Longer has been playing AFL at a very elite level...on the ps4

[stonecold]

We should have a ban on talking about Longer until he's fit enough to play..

In regards to Marshall, he was limping a fair bit after the game, hopefully it was just cramp

You don't get an injection for cramp!!!!!

Wasn't aware he had an injection.

His calf was strapped aswell.

You should read more!!!!!

He also wears a shin guard, which is why he's calf is strapped!!!!!

[Cairnsman]

Amongst our ruck stocks... including when we had Hickey last year, IMO is the only logical choice that should be almost a certainty to play every week.

A competitive ruck that’s good around that ground and at least competitive enough to play as a resting forward. It’s exactly what we need.

Calling him an inspired choice is a bit miffying to me... clearly should have been a lock since about round 12 last year.

Hopefully this puts the issue to bed.

The challenge for the coaching now is how to build support around him that doesn’t involve Bruce playing in the ruck

An inspired choice most definitely for this week, you do realise you can't pick players that aren't ready for the AFL.

[shrodes]

I am looking forward to Sam Alabakis monstering them all in a few years time.
Needs to learn to play the game I hear.
No need.
What ruckman ever learned to play the game.
They just use their height to advantage.

Saw an ad for Today Tonight or one of those shows about Australia's tallest man looking for a date. Footballers get dates, we should sign him up mid year!

[Moods]

Your opinions, your intitlded to them, let's see what the 'real experts' do when Billy comes back and is fully fit!!!!!

Let's see who they agree with?????

Who are the ‘real experts’?

Gee I wish our club had experts

[skeptic]

Has the bar fallen so low that we’re seriously going to call playing the only other fit ruck on list an inspired choice.

Seriously, what else will ppl do to spread the narrative.

Can you believe that they had the nerve to play Brown after his suspension ended in place of 3-game Joyce who had a rough game vs GC...
Man these guys must be communicating with the dead or something to pull this level of higher thinking.

Seriously...
An inspired choice would have been dumping a forward last year and playing Marshall in the team with one of Hickey or Longer or actually finding some other way to fit two rucks into the team

(Though in fairness given that everybody but our coaches see the need for two talls that don’t include Bruce... it’s teally not that inspired)

[Scollop]

Longer was a big investment for St Kilda. At the time we made the decision to trade McEvoy because we wanted a better tap ruckman. We knew we had a servicable ruckmen in Hickey and with Longer still young and developing, Tom was used as our first option in both 2015 and 2016. Hickey was outstnading as a midfield contributor and was never embarrassed as a ruckmen in 2016 when we started showing some good signs as a team.

Hickey stayed as first ruck in 2016 due to his very good form and due to the Saints strategy of usually having a third man up around the ground at stoppages. There weren't too many teams that played 2 rucks at that time and it was virtually impossible for Longer to break into the team.

Enter 2017 with no-third-man allowed at ruck contests and the new nomination rule. The rule change accordng to Richo had exposed Hickey's weakness. Instead of the coach trying to work with someone's strengths he chose to highlight his weaknesses. Richo wanted someone that gave us first use and Billy was about to grab his chance to replace Tom as our number 1 ruckman.
Richo was also stubbornly ignoring Billy's weaknesses while continually emphasising Tom's. Very strange, but I suppose he had his reasons.

We have seen how valuable Longer can be when he is fit and when the mids are doing their job and when our tall forwards are leading and marking well. Richo's Eutopia is a Saints team that does not give the opposition a chance to get their hands on the ball and that all needs to start with a dominant tap ruckman. It's the perfect scenario where you have a guy like Dean Cox tapping it to Chris Judd or Ben Cousins or Daniel Kerr who kick it to the advantage of a tall forward like Q Lynch. The Brisbane Lions would have also scored many goals back when a guy like Clarke Keating was fit and fireing and the fab four would shoot a pass to Bradshaw, Jonno Brown or A Lynch

The million dollar question is can we emulate the game plans and the quality of those teams...and can Billy ever be our Clarke Keating or Dean Cox. No matter waht happens with Billy, I don't want to see Rowan dropped from the team unless he is injured

[saynta]

We traded Big boy McEvoy to the Hawks because bloody pelican s*** wanted to give his first love a couple of flags. IMHO of course.

We were scammed.

[Jacks Back]

It looked like Marshall injured his ankle during the game and got thru it with a jab. I hope he comes up this week.

[saynta]

i recon Marshall is similar type to Hickey but better.. and i think Hickey is decent

it would have been a waste to have both on the list so good trading really..

Hickey went alright on the weekend. Robbo had this to say in tomorrow's herald sun/

"7 TOM HICKEY

Who needs Nic Nat when Hickey plays the kind of football he did on Saturday night?

Coming off a “mare” in Round 1 — he had two disposals against Brisbane — Hickey responded with 18 disposals and 135 SuperCoach points. What he did, and which Nic Nat doesn’t enough, is command the air around the ground. West Coast won the contested-mark count 20-8 and Hickey took five of them. Saints fans may well ask where that form was for five years."

[Scollop]

Hickey was going fine early on at the Saints. Rated highly in 2016

Until 2017...when Cho did not think he was worthy of playing in the seniors

[Shaggy]

Hickey was going fine early on at the Saints. Rated highly in 2016

Until 2017...when Cho did not think he was worthy of playing in the seniors

Longer proved himself better in the one to ones at training. Playing both did not work.

[stonecold]

Hickey was going fine early on at the Saints. Rated highly in 2016

Until 2017...when Cho did not think he was worthy of playing in the seniors

[stonecold]

Hickey was going fine early on at the Saints. Rated highly in 2016

Until 2017...when Cho did not think he was worthy of playing in the seniors

Longer proved himself better in the one to ones at training. Playing both did not work.

[Scollop]

How often were both played in the seniors? Hardly ever iirc. It didn't suit Richo to have both in the team because it didn't suit the narrative. If both were in the team, Longer's inneffectiveness to play any other position would have stuck out like dog's balls

I can understand why Richo wanted to give Longer opportunities. What I can't understand is why a coach would publicly and repeatedly highlight a weaknesses in a player who performed his role at such a high level for a full season in 2016

I reckon Armo might beat some of the younsters in the team in one on one contests at training...does that mean the coach should bag our youngsters and play Armo each week in the seniors?

[skeptic]

The other part of the Longer narrative that is so often overlooked is that yes I have every confidence that at first opportunity Richo will go back to Longer as his preferred choice.

And whilst a few ppl will high five themselves and boast about how they understand the game better than others here...
Well based on record, Richo hasn’t exactly earned the benefit of the doubt