best 22 round 1

[Secret Kiel]

Yep and that is why King surely can't be an automatic selection for round 1. How can he be if the coach's mantra is to pick players based on form and the player in question hasn't debuted. The mind boggles. The messiah complex is alive an well at St Kilda.

[Ghost Like]

Can I suggest that if you draw a line through our rounds 22 & 23 games of 2019, the form of that 22 is below ordinary so 22 places are up for grabs which means training, intensity, skill, injuries, positional needs, intra club form and practice match form will determine our 22 for round 1.

I don't believe Ratten has a preconceived 22 and expressed that to the 1 to 4 year players, all will be judged on their pre season not reputation. This is why King & Bytel are in the mix to debut round 1. As they should be when a club has been bottom 6 as often as we have.

[skeptic]

Common sense suggests that if his pre-season form is decent then he is a chance to play round one.

The fact that he hasn’t debuted yet doesn’t mean that he is automatically ineligible from earning a chance.

Silly stuff

[kosifantutti]

Fringe players to get dropped for longer now

You'll get a certain poster excited with comments like that.

[Secret Kiel]

He's a chance for round 1 selection but he is not an automatic selection. Other players are, but not King. We are expected to make the finals this year and the pressure will be on Ratten from round 1 so King would have to look like the second coming of Roo to get picked over other players who are proven senior performers and who have performed successfully during the pre season.

[Joffa Burns]

He's a chance for round 1 selection but he is not an automatic selection. Other players are, but not King. We are expected to make the finals this year and the pressure will be on Ratten from round 1 so King would have to look like the second coming of Roo to get picked over other players who are proven senior performers and who have performed successfully during the pre season.

You are getting desperate now

Who are those key forward proven performers you refer to?

Second coming of Roo?
Roo was a once in a generation player, if King is half as good I’ll be stoked.

[cwrcyn]

What we can be guaranteed is that it will be a very different line up compared to what we've been used to in the past few years. If you go back to the star of the 2017 season, we had Montagna, Riewoldt, Armitage, Gilbert, Newnes, Bruce, Steven, Acres, Longer, Hickey, Dempster, Minchington, Pierce, Weller, Stevens,and a couple more.

It's been quite a turnover of players. More than the football community realises, so I think we're an unknown quantity. We have players ready to blossom, players ready to return, and new players ready to show us what they have.

This is a fresh start for the club. Much more interesting than the past 3 seasons

[To the top]

And in 2017 we were going OK, until the wheels fell off because Riewoldt and Montagna lost form.

And, minus their leadership plus the loss of Fisher and Dempster we had no experienced player with class so fell in a heap over the concluding stages of 2017 which was a portent of what was to follow in particularly 2018 and in 2019

Hence Geary as Captain!

[PADDLEPOP1001]

Webster Howard Geary/Paton
Wilkie Carlisle Savage
Hill Clarke Billings
Battle Ryder Membrey
Gresham King Butler
Marshall Steele Ross
Hanna’s Jones Dunstan Bytel

Bit stiff Langlands,Coff,Hind & I will be interested
how Parker goes after a 2nd preseason
obviously Robo comes in if he’s up and running
I like what Clarke can do and hope that he plays through the midfield he sounds really keen ,Battle can play either end and has a huge tank so
fits in nice on the HFF accurate kick and good grab ! Long ,Sinclair,Kent,Lonie really need to show something now as we have brought players in who can play in their positions hopefully that inspires them to become consistent players!

[saynta]

Webster Howard Geary/Paton
Wilkie Carlisle Savage
Hill Clarke Billings
Battle Ryder Membrey
Gresham King Butler
Marshall Steele Ross
Hanna’s Jones Dunstan Bytel

Bit stiff Langlands,Coff,Hind & I will be interested
how Parker goes after a 2nd preseason
obviously Robo comes in if he’s up and running
I like what Clarke can do and hope that he plays through the midfield he sounds really keen ,Battle can play either end and has a huge tank so
fits in nice on the HFF accurate kick and good grab ! Long ,Sinclair,Kent,Lonie really need to show something now as we have brought players in who can play in their positions hopefully that inspires them to become consistent players!

Who is this Clarke you are talking about?

https://www.saints.com.au/news/2019-11- ... turnaround

[freely]

I think it's "Clark".

[PADDLEPOP1001]

Oops

[saynta]

Oops

[barneyboyz]

seems chf is the position no one can settle on. i've seen membrey, roma, battle, king, and even howard put there.
membrey at least an experienced player, but not suited to the role.
the rest are complete novices. it's a bit of an archilles heal and will be interesting who we go with. on the plus not many teams have a decent chf wc, and gws. the cats, swans, tigers and crows have classic chfs but all are on the wane and they have tried different players there at times. bulldogs now have a decent competitive chf as well.
some say there wouldn't be room for bruce if our players come on, but if roma is rucking (which he definitely should be) he aint going to be rested at chf. if membrey plays we are short an experienced reliable mark and goal kicker in the front. king is yet to play a game, so far to demanding a position. battle could be a good prospect but we lose out on a player looking like developing into a very good backman. ryder, forget it. not a position for an old backup ruck. howard? a good left field suggestion, but a more likely scenario is we've brought in a backman to replace battle in the backline.
i think members then battle the most likely. i'd hope we develop a younger player there after some game time, and not just have a temporary solution whilat relying on trading in b king in a couple of years.

Just read this now.

I think Battle goes there initially. I believe he has shown a real ability to read a footy coming into a backline, so there's no reason why this shouldn't be the same going forward. Is he tall enough? is the question. Ultimately King and whoever he plays most of his footy along side will share the role. Interestingly McCartin was looking like being a reasonable foil in this role until...

[Secret Kiel]

I think Carslisle is the obvious choice to go into the forward line, will it happen, would he want to do it, probably not, but it is the obvious choice based on settling down the backline for the future. Carlisle, Howard, Battle and Wilkie, Robbo and Browny can't all play in the same backline. Someone has to put their hand up to play forward and Battle you would think is now a backman, maybe a swingman.

[B.M]

What exactly is a swingman... and where do they play

Carlisle is terrible forward, never looked like it.

[Secret Kiel]

Don't ask questions you know the answer to. Carlisle may not be on the list in 2021, I think this shapes the thinking for where Battle is needed long term and why he doesn't move forward permanently. Carlisle is not terrible forward, he's as terrible forward as Battle was in the backline this year.

[B.M]

Swingman is a bulls*** term

How many players line up as forwards one week, and defenders the next?

Maybe Hooker from the Bombers (but he’s a better defender), Gunston at Hawthorn (but he’s not a KPP and is a better forward)

Occasionally in a game, but rarely, does a defender swing forward or visa versa and actually make a difference. I can’t remember when that happened at StK in recent year... and I can say with Certainty Carlisle has never gone forward and made any impact.

[Secret Kiel]

Heaps these days and it's a highly desirable quality by AFL coaches. Versatility in many positions on the ground is desirable these days. Maybe watch some replays from late in the season where Carlisle and Battle played in the forward line to great effect.

[freely]

Swingman is a bulls*** term

How many players line up as forwards one week, and defenders the next?

Maybe Hooker from the Bombers (but he’s a better defender), Gunston at Hawthorn (but he’s not a KPP and is a better forward)

Occasionally in a game, but rarely, does a defender swing forward or visa versa and actually make a difference. I can’t remember when that happened at StK in recent year... and I can say with Certainty Carlisle has never gone forward and made any impact.

Harry Taylor? Newnes

[B.M]

Harry Taylor?

He’s kicked 70 goals in 260 games... I think he’d be considered a defender.

He’s gone forward occasionally late in his career, when he hasn’t got a defensive match up, or because Geelong have struggled with a second key forward... with varied levels of success.

Newnes - He’s a wingman/flanker

[Secret Kiel]

You're only thinking defender/forwards, there are other types.

Dustin Martin

Sicily probably games best defender/forward at the moment.

[B.M]

Dustin Martin is a mid who can go forward... mids have been doing that for 100 years.

Martin is just an elite player... he could play almost anywhere, back mid or forward. As could Bont, Cripps, Fyfe, Walters, Danger, Ablett.

Sicily plays down back

Last year he played 22 games and kicked 3 goals.

[Secret Kiel]

yep swingmen, or are they utilities or versatilities.

[B.M]

Just AFL footballers with a fair bit of talent.

It’s not hard to adapt to different positions if you’re good enough. Some players cannot, because they are not good enough.

Jade Gresham is an example of someone who is good enough to play both forward and mid
He’s a better forward at this stage