So how good are we?

[skeptic]

That’s the million dollar question.

The club has certainly exceeded my expectations that’s for sure.

The 1 point win over GC I thought rd1 is always unpredictable and was happy to get the points
Rd2 vs the Bombers I thought they were REALLY terrible and thought we should have won by more
The loss to Freo was IMO no big deal as we could have easily won and same with the win vs the Hawks but vice versa

Today vs Melbourne I thought at 1/2: Melbourne are producing garbage why aren’t we way further ahead (though I posted at halftime that it was in the bag) and was delighted to see them blow the demons apart in the 3/4. Even if they took the foot off the tempo in the last... the damage was done.

Good teams bury the stragglers and the mediocre and we did that today... first time this season... first time for a long time we made another team look completely second rate.

5 games in, 4 wins, top of the ladder at least for tonight. Can’t believe it. Credit to everyone involved including Richo who has been seriously under the torch by many... not least of all me, and persevered to look as though he’s turning it around. But how good do ppl think we are?

The nagging concern or doubt I have is that we haven’t yet knocked off a team that’s playing really well. Our biggest scalp was the bombers who have gone on to produce their best footy post us. Are we making teams look bad, is that it? Do ppl think that 5 rounds in as the ladder takes shape that finals is a minimal expectation now?

Are ppl expecting even higher than that? Seriously, how good can this team be in 2019?

[starsign]

A bloody lot better than last year in many respects but taking it a week at a time hopefully!

[The_Dud]

Could very easily win 3 of our next 5.

[tedtheodorelogan2018]

We are currently on top and on form a top 4 side. It's a long season though of course but I have a feeling that we are now a big chance in every game no matter the opposition and location.

[Jacks Back]

After how many rounds do they normally say there isn't much change in the top 8? Round 6? Halfway?

[desertsaint]

I think after rnd 6 there’s on average two changes to the eight, but an average is pretty meaningless when applied to one instance.
All I know is we’re playing good pressure football and playing with confidence - that’ll keep us competitive with anyone. A bad loss will come like it does to everyone - the difference is how you rebound from it. Enjoying our footy at the moment without looking ahead.

[freely]

I think it suits us having no runners. Has forced our young leaders to lead. Helped too by hannerbury stepping down from the leadership group which made way for billings. He's playing now like the champion we all hoped he'd be.

Ain't it grand

[portosaint]

It's hard tell isn't it??

As it stands we look very hard to play against. Our defensive system looks super solid. It's a good start.

[Scollop]

I don't think you need to put a number on how many wins you think we will have in 2019. There is no benefit in trying to predict the future. As a player and as a club they need to focus on the now. Train well, prepare well, give your best effort on game day and them recover well and repeat. As they say, you shouldn't be putting a ceiling on where you could end up.

No doubt that the new assistant coaches have made a huge difference. Every interview I have heard with one of our senior leaders or one of our better players, they have made mention of the influence of Brett Ratten.

The leadership within the football department and the strategy to target mature age players has also put the blowtorch fairly and squarely back on the players and perhaps some of them are playing to save their careers going forward.

Not sure who it was but there was a post on this forum late last year after the National draft and the poster stated that we were looking to transition in 2019 and become competitive. I wasn't quite sure what he meant and I didn't really belive that you could plan to climb the ladder incrementally, but it looks like it is working

The strategy is brilliant because what we have on the playing list is 34 players all trying to fit into the 22. The ready made mature age players have put pressure on everyone and I think that all players are aware that there is someone in the VFL that could possibly fill the void if a player is not showing the effort and intensity that is required.

The attitude and the competitiveness was built up during the pre-season. Even though we've had some bad luck with injuries and with potential career ending incidences with Paddy and Robbo, I still think that morale and work ethic over summer has built up momentum and helped gell the team in 2019. How long can it last? Who knows?

It's working well and it will have sustained benefits for the team because it teaches the guys how to win and what it takes to win. The opposite was true with teams like Carlton and Melbourne who basically created a culture of losing. The 22 games over the h&a season are a marathon and not a sprint. The fact that we had a tough and gruelling preseason should hopefully have a positive affect as this season unfolds.

I was getting a bit nervous in the first 15 minutes in the last quarter when I saw some of our players tiring. Jack Billings started turning it over because he was pretty exhausted. Fortunately he found a bit extra and so did some of our other boys and we steadied the ship and finished over the top of them. Hopefully if/when we have a few slip ups during the year we remain consistently competitive and we finish strongly

We have Logan, Jake, Dan H, Dan McK, and a few others coming back from injury. The other good situation we have is that there are some very talented young guys on the playing list and as long as they recover fully, then we can expect Oscar, Jack Bytel, and Max King to improve into 2020 and put more pressure on the seniors to keep performing.

[saintsRrising]

Seriously, how good can this team be in 2019?

We are clearly better this season.

How much better? We after we have played GWS, WCE and Pies we will know.

[Enrico_Misso]

The nagging concern or doubt I have is that we haven’t yet knocked off a team that’s playing really well. Our biggest scalp was the bombers who have gone on to produce their best footy post us. Are we making teams look bad, is that it?

But we'll take it!

The next 4 weeks will clear up those nagging concerns.

[WellardSaint]

The nagging concern or doubt I have is that we haven’t yet knocked off a team that’s playing really well. Our biggest scalp was the bombers who have gone on to produce their best footy post us. Are we making teams look bad, is that it?

But we'll take it!

The next 4 weeks will clear up those nagging concerns.

We'll beat the Crows, because they're disinterested and unhappy.
The real test comes vs Sydney, who have Longmire, Blakey etc who are smart coaches and will try to work out how to stifle us.
Clarko couldn't outcoach us, but by the time we meet Shitney, there's a lot more video they can go through to see our style.

[ace]

Seriously, how good can this team be in 2019?

We are clearly better this season.

How much better? We after we have played GWS, WCE and Pies we will know.

Adelaide, GWS, West Coast and Collingwood
They will tell us if we are top 4 or bottom 4.
Win 3 out of 4 and we a premiership contenders.
Lose all 4 and we are pretenders.
I fear our wings may melt in the sun.

[fugazi]

We always seem to have an option out the back and have cleared it thru traffic incredibly well....all the time!

[The Craw]

The backline at the moment is very Sydney like ...one thing I have noticed is that when the ball comes into the opposition forward line, the saints will have 1 up for the spoil more often than not with 2 out back and one front and centre. The ball hits the ground, one of the three takes possession, then either gets fed to the back or is won out back and the spread happens. Very effective and it is what Sydney have done for years.

[mightysainters]

The nagging concern or doubt I have is that we haven’t yet knocked off a team that’s playing really well. Our biggest scalp was the bombers who have gone on to produce their best footy post us. Are we making teams look bad, is that it?

But we'll take it!

The next 4 weeks will clear up those nagging concerns.

We'll beat the Crows, because they're disinterested and unhappy.
The real test comes vs Sydney, who have Longmire, Blakey etc who are smart coaches and will try to work out how to stifle us.
Clarko couldn't outcoach us, but by the time we meet Shitney, there's a lot more video they can go through to see our style.

Longmire? Sydney? They’re bottom 4 and he’s a terrible coach still rolling out the same game plan.. they’re rubbish

[saintspremiers]

Jesus Christ did you see how tight the boys are when they sand the song post match yesterday? It was like it was their first win in ages - a celebration Carlton typically has in Round 11. These boys can win through spirit alone at the moment.

Just hope the external noise from our massive bandwagon supporter base - you know the type that are Saints fans that only appear when we are winning - do their mandatory backslapping and talking us up too much, doesn’t get into their heads.

All of us SS posters can do as we please, as we are real fans and are afforded the right to get a bit c**k-a-hoop at the moment.

Let’s smash those f****** Crows and send their coach and club into utter turmoil.

[SuperDuper]

I am not getting carried away...


Would not swap our list for Melbourne's though.... strange how many "experts" rated their list so highly and ours as totally shite, just 5 weeks ago.

But the fact is we beat them, and we also have a range of players drafted from 2016, 2017, 2018 who are developing.
By contrast, Melbourne largely traded out of these drafts... their last first rounder was 2015... Clearly they got a gun in Oliver...
But players taken in 2015 or earlier already impacting and have less upside...

The last three drafts their earliest picks of draft age players

Melbourne's first non mature age pick ups in each year:
2016 pick 64 Dione Johnstone
2017 pick 29 Charlie Spargo
2018 pick 33 James Jordon

I am sure they got some other promising late picks.. but compare to our last three years worth of developing youngsters:

St Kilda:
2016 Ben Long (25), Josh Battle (39), Ed Phillips
2017 Hunter Clark (7), Nick Coffield (8), Oscar Clavarino, Ben Paton, Doulton Langlands
2018 Max King (4), Jack Bytel

I recon our list has more upside than theirs... they invested heavily into this bunch of players with their draft strategy and they may not deliver
They also over-rated Tom McDonald... Jesse Hogan is a big loss for them

[saint-stu]

This is the first time since 2009 (not 2010, in 2010 it dropped off) that I have seen the saints apply that extreme level of tackling pressure. I remember in 2009, the Crows were on a 7 game winning streak... until they hit the saints and got absolutely smacked.

I think we're making these teams look bad.

[Joffa Burns]

That’s the million dollar question.


The nagging concern or doubt I have is that we haven’t yet knocked off a team that’s playing really well. Our biggest scalp was the bombers who have gone on to produce their best footy post us. Are we making teams look bad, is that it? Do ppl think that 5 rounds in as the ladder takes shape that finals is a minimal expectation now?

Are they out of form or playing as well as we are allowing them to?

It’s a great question you raise.
The next four or five weeks will answer it.

Personally I thought we’d be 4/1 at this point in the season, that is 4 losses to one win

Unbelievable turnaround to date.

Can it continue?

[BarryGrogan]

I think we're currently a 4-10th team.

In two months, we'll be a 10-14th team.



Those getting themselves worked up are in for a rude shock.

We're Ok, but won't be a contender until next year or the year after.

[Linton Lodger]

The next four weeks will tell us:

Adelaide (Home)
GWS (Canberra)
West Coast (Home)
Collingwood (MCG)

[Crossy66]

i think we have beaten teams that we will likely compete with for a top 8 spot, so that great.
The next 4 weeks we are playing teams all fancied to finish top 4 at start of the year, so I wont be shattered if we dont win. I will be disappointed if we dont turn up with the same effort though. I reckon 5-4 after 9 , and a real chance at the 8 by seasons end.

[Shaggy]

IMO we are delivering on 2018 expectations - one year behind - a promising side to make the finals.

We are grounded this year, our players have a point to prove and the club has filled itself full of winners for support, albeit many have flaws. It is great IMO including Dan. Its a packaged workout.

But supporters need to manage own expectations. Some on here really lost the plot last year.

We will not win the flag in 2019.

[thejiggingsaint]

That round one victory was just about as close as it could get and like many others I was less than overconfident about our prospects for 2019. BUT..... what I did find heartening was the manner in which our guys scrapped and fought for the win! THAT attitude has been there in every game so far this season. I may be way out of line here, and will defer to those who've been watching AFL longer than I, but (IMHO) the brand of footy being played by our boys is perfectly suited for the pressure and intensity required in finals. Watching our defenders bringing the ball out via handball with quick hands and nimble brains is one of THE biggest improvements overall. I was most impressed yesterday. Yes, we're not ready to be seen (yet) as legitimate "Top 4" material..... but if this level of football can be maintained on a consistent basis, then WHY NOT????