Team vs Hawks

[SteveStevens66]

This team selection is utterly uninspired, baffling, and deeply disturbing. Kent? Lonie? Marsh? We're going nowhere with with those players.

What exactly did Bytel fail to do that led to his being dropped? We very belatedly bring in a kid who's worked damned hard to become fit; he performed well for mine and then, in typical StKilda fashion, we rip his heart out by not giving him a consistent run at it.

By contrast, Lonie is given chance after chance and is a repeated failure. And if he is in because of some crap statistic, as someone is sure to claim, about forward pressure then the coach's priorities are all wrong. I'd take 3 or 4 goals above all these so-called pressure acts any day of the week. He's a forward for God's sake. They are supposed to kick goals and if that is no longer their job then the game is in even worse shape than many of us fear

And why is Roberton not being picked? No one at the pressers or the media even seems to ask Ratten this very simple question. The guy was AA just a couple of seasons ago. And especially since they dropped Carlisle, I'd have thought Robbo would have made an ideal replacement. If he isn't well enough to play, the club should just come out and say it, have him retire and then we move on. But if he is fit enough and well enough to play, I'd like an explanation as to why he isn't being picked.

[Scollop]

Lonie is a bit of an enigma.

His best is pretty darn good. If he gets a sniff early he can hold his pressure all day.

But then he could do four quarters of sweet f*** all and miss half a dozen tackles.

I predict he'll do sfa

Lonie played in a game against the Hawks at the end of 2018/ That game secured his renewal as a Saint and he gained a new 2 year contract

The gut feel throughout 2017 and 2018 was that he should have been cut. He has improved his football but I don't think he is best 22

Getting back to that Hawks game in 2018....Lonie earned some frees which he then went on to convert and those goals made him look good as far as best players for the Saints that day

I think the Hawks players made some stupid mistakes in tackling him or grabbing him high (which isn't hard to do) and he was lucky to have gained those frees imo

In a way, he was first to the footy, but you are not always going to get easy shots at goal from free kicks and I don't think the Hawks will be making the same mistakes today

[Secret Kiel]

Marsh and Lonie were the obvious ins.

Kingy would have had a spell, needs one urgently, Member's finger kept him in.

Did I read a reference back to the 2010 season in this thread? Really weird.

It's really simple, we are short a few qualtiy players AND, it's the Asterisk Cup which means what I hear you ask, well for starters there is no feeder comp and what does that mean, you guessed it, no AFL ready players with suitable match conditioning to safely allow one to enter the field of an elite sporting contest that is full 360 degree contact.

Quality players, midfielders to be specific is all that we need.

And finally what are these forward pockets people speak of and who plays in them, it's not 2010.

[older saint]

I like the changes, like for like, something Ratten has done and good teams generally do.

Membrey may come in for King for WC 4 day break, giving him a decent break before GWS and perhaps more.

Marsh is a poor mans Membrey , Hind doesn't go in the square hence Lonie - other option was Parker . Bytel is a mid not a half forward

[saynta]

Lonie is a bit of an enigma.

His best is pretty darn good. If he gets a sniff early he can hold his pressure all day.

But then he could do four quarters of sweet f*** all and miss half a dozen tackles.

I predict he'll do sfa

Lonie played in a game against the Hawks at the end of 2018/ That game secured his renewal as a Saint and he gained a new 2 year contract

The gut feel throughout 2017 and 2018 was that he should have been cut. He has improved his football but I don't think he is best 22

Getting back to that Hawks game in 2018....Lonie earned some frees which he then went on to convert and those goals made him look good as far as best players for the Saints that day

I think the Hawks players made some stupid mistakes in tackling him or grabbing him high (which isn't hard to do) and he was lucky to have gained those frees imo

In a way, he was first to the footy, but you are not always going to get easy shots at goal from free kicks and I don't think the Hawks will be making the same mistakes today

Whose f****** gut feel? Yours? Not mine or the clubs it would seem.

[bangaulegend]

Jack Lonie again really !!! No Savage or Parker ? I just don't get why they keep picking him for a game doesn't perform gets dropped & gets picked again. IMO don't see why he gets a gig when we have a lot of other options that haven't been explored yet . I hope he proves me wrong but I just don't get it I mean I really don't get it

11 goals in his last three games against Hawthorn is pretty good..

Remind us again what Parker has done? I hope he improves and i like some of his attack on the ball but he's really done nothing to deserve a spot in the side atm..

I agree with the fact Parker hasn't set the world on fire & I very much doubt he will make it at AFL level but we won't know unless we give him a go. My point is Lonie hasn't do much for a couple of years either but has been given plenty of chances without really grasping them. Both will struggle to stay on the list IMO

[saynta]

Hind, Ryan Byrnes, Dylan Roberton and Ryan Abbott have been named as emergencies.

So Parker and Savage are a long way away from being selected.

[stkfc1]

My concern is Ratts seems to have an obsession with a multiple small forward set up and although it's worked in some games, lately it hasn't worked at all. Also we have reverted back to old habits of bombing long.
Teams have either worked out his plan or the players aren't doing what they're suppose to. Either way there needs to be a change of plan or personal and with the ins, it doesn't give much confidence we're going to see much of a change of anything.

[skeptic]

So the suggestion is that in order to maintain our structure, we should bring in players into those positions that aren’t capable of meeting the performance standard required... like Marsh for Membrey

And we should keep players that aren’t performing in their specialist roles

Well I think that idiotic logic

I would much rather have brought in a guy like Savage or Roberton, planted them off half back and move a guy like Clark forward pushing up the ground then do something I know is going to fail

[saynta]

My concern is Ratts seems to have an obsession with a multiple small forward set up and although it's worked in some games, lately it hasn't worked at all. Also we have reverted back to old habits of bombing long.
Teams have either worked out his plan or the players aren't doing what they're suppose to. Either way there needs to be a change of plan or personal and with the ins, it doesn't give much confidence we're going to see much of a change of anything.

A forward line that includes, King, Battle and Marshall ain't small.

[stkfc1]

My concern is Ratts seems to have an obsession with a multiple small forward set up and although it's worked in some games, lately it hasn't worked at all. Also we have reverted back to old habits of bombing long.
Teams have either worked out his plan or the players aren't doing what they're suppose to. Either way there needs to be a change of plan or personal and with the ins, it doesn't give much confidence we're going to see much of a change of anything.

A forward line that includes, King, Battle and Marshall ain't small.

Yeah maybe bad wording. I meant playing 3 small forward types at all time. We've had a minimum combination of 3 smalls of Kent, Hind,Lonie and Butler in all our teams this year.
Butler obviously the standout. The other 3 have been hot but mostly cold. The last few games the above havent really fired a shot.
Their either going too high up the ground or being neutralized but either way they've had little effect and as they can't play other positions it severely limits what we can do. I want to see Lonie at Kings feet all day today. He shouldn't leave the F50. I don't want to see him getting cheap kicks on the wings.

[samuraisaint]

My concern is Ratts seems to have an obsession with a multiple small forward set up and although it's worked in some games, lately it hasn't worked at all. Also we have reverted back to old habits of bombing long.
Teams have either worked out his plan or the players aren't doing what they're suppose to. Either way there needs to be a change of plan or personal and with the ins, it doesn't give much confidence we're going to see much of a change of anything.

To be fair though, Brett Ratten was an extremely successful assistant coach at Hawthorn for 6 years, so i think he knows what he is doing.

#Back Ratts!

[Rocket]

Abbott in for King

[SunnyErnest]

I don’t see the Parker X factor other than Tatts

Sorry but I don’t think he’s going to make AFL grade tbh - more than happy to be wrong and I was once...

His ceiling is a lot higher than Lonie's. Lonie has the footy smarts but unfortunately he does not have an AFL body/attributes.

[Wayne42]

Abbott in for King

A late change, be good to see what Abbott's got, Hey Aaaaaaaaaaaabotttttttttttttt

[silverhalo]

Abbott in for King

A late change, be good to see what Abbott's got, Hey Aaaaaaaaaaaabotttttttttttttt

Congratulations Ryan Abbott, hope you play a blinder!

[BadRossco]

Wasn't the cakewalk you expected Ghost Like and your boy's Marsh and Lonie did not exactly tear it up, Kent was barely OK but have to agree with your comments on Parker.

[saynta]

This team selection is utterly uninspired, baffling, and deeply disturbing. Kent? Lonie? Marsh? We're going nowhere with with those players.

What exactly did Bytel fail to do that led to his being dropped? We very belatedly bring in a kid who's worked damned hard to become fit; he performed well for mine and then, in typical StKilda fashion, we

By contrast, Lonie is given chance after chance and is a repeated failure. And if he is in because of some crap statistic, as someone is sure to claim, about forward pressure then the coach's priorities are all wrong

Bahahaha.