Hard not to agree

[saynta]

From afl.com.au

2. It's time to drop Bradley Hill

Firstly, it should be said that the wingman isn’t the only reason St Kilda was demolished by Essendon, but this isn't about one game. It’s about what Hill has produced since he was recruited from Fremantle as a triple-premiership player and a Dockers best and fairest. What’s happened to that player who was recruited on a huge contract and was supposed to deliver the outside class St Kilda so desperately needed? His ball use was abysmal in the round two loss to Melbourne and he had no impact against the Bombers. The club has been patient with Hill. Last year, coach Brett Ratten said his teammates weren't finding Hill enough, and they moved the 27-year-old around the field in the Essendon loss in an attempt to get him involved. Enough is enough. He needs to be left out of the side and be made to earn his spot in the best team. - Dinny Navaratnam

From heraldsun.com.au

"Brad Hill labelled game’s most overpaid player as bruise-free Saints struggle

St Kilda’s big names simply aren’t measuring up in 2021, with struggling runner Brad Hill labelled “overpaid”. The Saints must get physical to turn things around.

St Kilda has demanded a lift in its defensive intensity as several of its big-name recruits come under fire for an underwhelming start to the season.

The Saints’ finals credentials will be on the line over the next three weeks as they take on premiership fancies West Coast, Richmond and Port Adelaide after a surprise 75-point loss to a young Essendon outfit on Saturday night.

Saints’ livewire Dan Butler has not laid a single tackle in the past two games and wingman Brad Hill has been labelled the most overpaid player in the competition by Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes.

Hill, who is believed to be earning more than $800,000 a year at Moorabbin, had one contested possession from his 16 disposals against the Bombers. He finished outside the top-10 of the best and fairest last year.

“His performances have been well below what he should be producing for a player that is earning massive money,” Cornes said on Channel 9.
BRUISE-FREE SAINTS

Tackles against Essendon

Jack Billings 0

Callum Wilkie 0

Brad Hill 0

Dan Butler 0

Jake Carlisle 0

Brett Ratten’s men were highly-regarded for their tackle pressure last year but it dropped away significantly on Saturday night with the Saints racking up only 32 tackles for the game.

Fifteen St Kilda players had one tackle or less against the young Bombers.

Ratten said the team deserved the lashing it would cop this week after an “embarrassing” performance on Saturday night has left the cub 1-2 with a tough run to come.


“When you perform like that you open yourself up to criticism,” Ratten said.

“You can’t have pats on back when you go well and not expect to get a backhander when you go poorly.
Dan Butler hasn’t laid a tackle in the past two games.

“I said ‘be ready for it’, because it’s coming our way. It is early doors, but it does tell you a bit about your group where you go from here and how you respond.

“Maybe tonight we lost a little bit of faith and trust in each other when you do that you become a bit reactive and are second to the ball. This will be the challenge for us.”

But the Saints could be boosted by the return of star ruckman Rowan Marshall (foot) who got through a VFL game at the weekend and will press his case to pay against the Eagles at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

The Saints, who picked Shaun McKernan to play in the ruck ahead of SANFL recruit Paul Hunter on Saturday night, meet the most dominant ruckman in the competition, Nic Naitanui in Round 4.
SAINTS' TOUGH RUN

R4 v West Coast (Marvel Stadium)

R5 v Richmond (Marvel Stadium)

R6 v Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)

R7 v Hawthorn (Marvel Stadium)

The Saints remain unsure when Paddy Ryder will comeback from a personal leave of absence.
Ratten said fixing the Saints’ defensive application was the top priority this week.

“We need to do some work and we need to do it quickly,” he said.

“We just haven’t got our defensive system right at the moment.”

Star midfielder Jade Gresham is out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury while Zak Jones is also in doubt with an ankle problem.

Ratten said the club faced a big call on Marshall.

“It will be a good conversation on where he is at, what at he can do, and can we play him and what are the risks because it is all right to bring them back, but we don’t want them to get re-injured and be out for long periods,” he said.

“If you have to wait one more week and play the rest of the year idea it is the ideal scenario.

“He might be right, we will wait and see.”
.
EMBARRASSED’: DID WE ALL OVERRATE SAINTS TALENT?

Did everyone, including themselves, overrate St Kilda?

The list demographics at Moorabbin are a giveaway about the internal expectations, but the Saints wouldn’t be the first club guilty of thinking it was closer to a flag than it actually was.

Apart from Essendon, no one will appreciate their humiliating 75-point defeat to the baby Bombers on Saturday night more than North Melbourne, a 128-point loser on Good Friday.

The difference is the Kangaroos have stripped their list back and are embarking on a lengthy rebuild, whereas St Kilda added Brad Crouch to an already experienced squad, as well as Jack Higgins.

However, when push came to shove, the Saints lacked effort, intensity and composure against Essendon – and received a public lashing from coach Brett Ratten post-match.

Ever-reliable skipper and reigning club champion Jack Steele, in his 100th game, was a notable exception.

Ratten’s group laid only three tackles in the second quarter and finished with 32, the club’s lowest count in 15 years, excluding last year’s shortened games. If ever a tackle tally summed up a performance, it was this one.

“I’m the leader of this team and I’m the coach, so it comes back to me,” Ratten said.

“I think everybody was embarrassed and everybody should be. You feel for our supporters to dish up that today, so the players are embarrassed and we know we have a bit of work in front of us.”

The Saints were so bad that Ratten even warned them they can expect major external criticism this week.

“We’ve leaked some goals at times, but just the way we did it and by the end they were just kicking it in and scoring,” Ratten said.

“It was hard to watch and we need to get back to what’s made us a solid team – not a good team or a great team, or anything like that.

“If we’re going to do that each week, we’re going to have to kick 30 goals, which are not the games we want to be involved in.

The Saints were last year’s bolters, rocketing from 14th in 2019 to win a final over the Western Bulldogs before going down to eventual premier Richmond.

That followed an extraordinary trade heist, where they scored Bradley Hill, Dan Butler, Paddy Ryder, Dougal Howard and Zak Jones.

Hill was viewed as the biggest get – and certainly commanded the most dollars – as the quality line-breaking runner St Kilda’s drab line-up sorely lacked.

Instead, the ex-Docker and Hawk was the least impactful of all. It’s three rounds into Hill’s second season at the Saints and so far he’s been a bust.

And how about Butler, the terrier-like small forward who made Richmond look silly last year with an All-Australian-calibre season?

Butler’s breakout season as an AFL footballer was in 2017, then he failed to back it up the next two years in falling out of favour at Tigerland.

A concerning trend might be playing out, with Butler kicking only one goal and compiling a modest 25 touches through the first three rounds. He had one possession at halftime on Saturday.

The biggest problem is there isn’t the same widespread contribution in 2021.

Even with all the recruiting St Kilda’s done, it still lacks the elite players the best sides boast and needs as many players contributing as possible.

The Bombers match was supposed to deliver the Saints a timely ‘tap-in’ victory after an error-riddled, underwhelming performance a week ago against Melbourne.

Where will the Saints finish the 2021 season?
1-4, if they play at their best they can beat anyone
5-8, they'll bounce back to play finals but that's it
9-12, they were made to look better than they are last year
13-18, the Bombers game is a true indication of their talent

Their injury-ravaged opposition fielded their least-experienced team since 2012, when James Hird was in charge.

Instead, it was confirmation St Kilda’s in a worrying place right now.

There is suddenly genuine pressure on them, with sides like Sydney and Melbourne – both non-finalists last season – unbeaten so far.

The Round 1 victory over Greater Western Sydney in a wet slog doesn’t look as good now, given the Giants lost abysmally to Fremantle a week later.

The horror show started in the centre, where St Kilda gave away too many free kicks and was otherwise beaten. The Bombers kicked seven goals from 16 centre clearances. Ouch.

Brett Ratten dropped ruckman Paul Hunter in preference of a makeshift combination of two ex-Bombers, Shaun McKernan and Jake Carlisle, with Rowan Marshall (foot) and Ryder (personal) still unavailable.

The Saints subsequently trailed 8-2 in the centre clearances at quarter-time and never got a foothold in the game.
Darcy Parish and his Bombers teammates dominated the Saints through the middle.

In his first match of the year, Jake Stringer put paid to St Kilda with the first three goals of the second term after an influential opening as well.

There was a symbolic moment late in the first half, with Essendon 50 points up, when Nick Hind – a former Saint who was effectively unwanted – chased down Jack Billings from about 10m behind.

It mattered little that the umpire paid a high free kick against Hind, especially once Billings’ acute shot missed.

Hind’s intent summed up the Bombers as a whole, and highlighted everything St Kilda wasn’t.

From FF Robbo (correct for once)

"2. SOFT SAINTS

Is there a greater insult than being called ‘soft’?

Pathetic, embarrassing — Brett Ratten’s word — insipid and meek carry a level of insult, but soft, in mentality and action, is the collective dagger. And the Saints deserve the moniker. They laid 11 tackles in the first half, seven in the first quarter and four in the second quarter. The pressure factor in that second quarter was a dismal 137, their lowest result since the second quarter against Adelaide in Round 20, 2019. Alarm bells ring mostly everywhere for the Saints. Dan Butler is a passenger, Brad Hill is riding shotgun to him, Ben Long has stalled and now Jade Gresham (achilles) will miss the year. Rowan Marshall might return this week and they desperately need Paddy Ryder back in the fold. An urgent SOS to the big fella needs to be sent, but it remains to be seen if he responds positively. He was allowed time off to spend time with family and elders, which was fair play by the Saints, but equally fair is St Kilda knowing for sure when Ryder plans to return."

[Fugazi1966]

I agree with it...pretty much reflects our collective thoughts in here.
Hopefully it will spark the boys to wake up and give a s***.

Ratten should read it out loud to the players

[SaintDippa]

Disagree. Time for the coaches to earn their money and set up a rapid ball movement game plan with low hard darts into f50 hitting heading forwards. The long bombs - or as Ratts calls them "Deep Entries" has to stop. The other 17 clubs know this is all we do and plan for the spoil and movement away.
Almost cried watching the Dees last night. Always played on, minimal turnovers, and nearly every entry was a dart to a lead or kick to space.
Coaches need to get real and get 2021.

[Joffa Burns]

Regarless of talent and game plan, without effort and intensisty everything else is pointless and we showed next to zero in effort and intensity.

[B.M]

Agree

The long bomb forward to outnumber is a poor method.

[Moods]

Disagree. Time for the coaches to earn their money and set up a rapid ball movement game plan with low hard darts into f50 hitting heading forwards. The long bombs - or as Ratts calls them "Deep Entries" has to stop. The other 17 clubs know this is all we do and plan for the spoil and movement away.
Almost cried watching the Dees last night. Always played on, minimal turnovers, and nearly every entry was a dart to a lead or kick to space.
Coaches need to get real and get 2021.

The game plan last year was drive it deep to King with an army of fast small aggressive fwds at his feet to swoop on crumbs. We were quick and we tackled hard locking the ball in. For whatever reason it's not working this year. The problem with the low darts is you need skill to execute (something we seem bereft of atm) and you need the fwds to lead into the right spots. Seems simple but with highly trained defenders blocking obvious leading lanes quite often you end up in the pockets. Hence you have difficult shots at goal and end up like we did pre 2020, heaps of behinds. We also need clear ball coming out of defence through the centre to hit up targets. That would require hard running by our mids, something we don't seem capable of atm.

We need to fix the basics firstly. Win possession, run hard and execute skills. Ball movement and transition is the last piece of the puzzle.

[SaintDippa]

We lost inside 50s 55-52. Dee was similiar story as was GWS. We do get it, we do move the footy, we do bombs that just get flipped back. It's the f50 that we need to sort out as #1 priority.

[Joffa Burns]

From afl.com.au

2. It's time to drop Bradley Hill

Firstly, it should be said that the wingman isn’t the only reason St Kilda was demolished by Essendon, but this isn't about one game. It’s about what Hill has produced since he was recruited from Fremantle as a triple-premiership player and a Dockers best and fairest. What’s happened to that player who was recruited on a huge contract and was supposed to deliver the outside class St Kilda so desperately needed? His ball use was abysmal in the round two loss to Melbourne and he had no impact against the Bombers. The club has been patient with Hill. Last year, coach Brett Ratten said his teammates weren't finding Hill enough, and they moved the 27-year-old around the field in the Essendon loss in an attempt to get him involved. Enough is enough. He needs to be left out of the side and be made to earn his spot in the best team. - Dinny Navaratnam

From heraldsun.com.au

"Brad Hill labelled game’s most overpaid player as bruise-free Saints struggle

St Kilda’s big names simply aren’t measuring up in 2021, with struggling runner Brad Hill labelled “overpaid”. The Saints must get physical to turn things around.

St Kilda has demanded a lift in its defensive intensity as several of its big-name recruits come under fire for an underwhelming start to the season.

The Saints’ finals credentials will be on the line over the next three weeks as they take on premiership fancies West Coast, Richmond and Port Adelaide after a surprise 75-point loss to a young Essendon outfit on Saturday night.

Saints’ livewire Dan Butler has not laid a single tackle in the past two games and wingman Brad Hill has been labelled the most overpaid player in the competition by Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes.

Hill, who is believed to be earning more than $800,000 a year at Moorabbin, had one contested possession from his 16 disposals against the Bombers. He finished outside the top-10 of the best and fairest last year.

“His performances have been well below what he should be producing for a player that is earning massive money,” Cornes said on Channel 9.
BRUISE-FREE SAINTS

Tackles against Essendon

Jack Billings 0

Callum Wilkie 0

Brad Hill 0

Dan Butler 0

Jake Carlisle 0

Brett Ratten’s men were highly-regarded for their tackle pressure last year but it dropped away significantly on Saturday night with the Saints racking up only 32 tackles for the game.

Fifteen St Kilda players had one tackle or less against the young Bombers.

Ratten said the team deserved the lashing it would cop this week after an “embarrassing” performance on Saturday night has left the cub 1-2 with a tough run to come.


“When you perform like that you open yourself up to criticism,” Ratten said.

“You can’t have pats on back when you go well and not expect to get a backhander when you go poorly.
Dan Butler hasn’t laid a tackle in the past two games.

“I said ‘be ready for it’, because it’s coming our way. It is early doors, but it does tell you a bit about your group where you go from here and how you respond.

“Maybe tonight we lost a little bit of faith and trust in each other when you do that you become a bit reactive and are second to the ball. This will be the challenge for us.”

But the Saints could be boosted by the return of star ruckman Rowan Marshall (foot) who got through a VFL game at the weekend and will press his case to pay against the Eagles at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

The Saints, who picked Shaun McKernan to play in the ruck ahead of SANFL recruit Paul Hunter on Saturday night, meet the most dominant ruckman in the competition, Nic Naitanui in Round 4.
SAINTS' TOUGH RUN

R4 v West Coast (Marvel Stadium)

R5 v Richmond (Marvel Stadium)

R6 v Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)

R7 v Hawthorn (Marvel Stadium)

The Saints remain unsure when Paddy Ryder will comeback from a personal leave of absence.
Ratten said fixing the Saints’ defensive application was the top priority this week.

“We need to do some work and we need to do it quickly,” he said.

“We just haven’t got our defensive system right at the moment.”

Star midfielder Jade Gresham is out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury while Zak Jones is also in doubt with an ankle problem.

Ratten said the club faced a big call on Marshall.

“It will be a good conversation on where he is at, what at he can do, and can we play him and what are the risks because it is all right to bring them back, but we don’t want them to get re-injured and be out for long periods,” he said.

“If you have to wait one more week and play the rest of the year idea it is the ideal scenario.

“He might be right, we will wait and see.”
.
EMBARRASSED’: DID WE ALL OVERRATE SAINTS TALENT?

Did everyone, including themselves, overrate St Kilda?

The list demographics at Moorabbin are a giveaway about the internal expectations, but the Saints wouldn’t be the first club guilty of thinking it was closer to a flag than it actually was.

Apart from Essendon, no one will appreciate their humiliating 75-point defeat to the baby Bombers on Saturday night more than North Melbourne, a 128-point loser on Good Friday.

The difference is the Kangaroos have stripped their list back and are embarking on a lengthy rebuild, whereas St Kilda added Brad Crouch to an already experienced squad, as well as Jack Higgins.

However, when push came to shove, the Saints lacked effort, intensity and composure against Essendon – and received a public lashing from coach Brett Ratten post-match.

Ever-reliable skipper and reigning club champion Jack Steele, in his 100th game, was a notable exception.

Ratten’s group laid only three tackles in the second quarter and finished with 32, the club’s lowest count in 15 years, excluding last year’s shortened games. If ever a tackle tally summed up a performance, it was this one.

“I’m the leader of this team and I’m the coach, so it comes back to me,” Ratten said.

“I think everybody was embarrassed and everybody should be. You feel for our supporters to dish up that today, so the players are embarrassed and we know we have a bit of work in front of us.”

The Saints were so bad that Ratten even warned them they can expect major external criticism this week.

“We’ve leaked some goals at times, but just the way we did it and by the end they were just kicking it in and scoring,” Ratten said.

“It was hard to watch and we need to get back to what’s made us a solid team – not a good team or a great team, or anything like that.

“If we’re going to do that each week, we’re going to have to kick 30 goals, which are not the games we want to be involved in.

The Saints were last year’s bolters, rocketing from 14th in 2019 to win a final over the Western Bulldogs before going down to eventual premier Richmond.

That followed an extraordinary trade heist, where they scored Bradley Hill, Dan Butler, Paddy Ryder, Dougal Howard and Zak Jones.

Hill was viewed as the biggest get – and certainly commanded the most dollars – as the quality line-breaking runner St Kilda’s drab line-up sorely lacked.

Instead, the ex-Docker and Hawk was the least impactful of all. It’s three rounds into Hill’s second season at the Saints and so far he’s been a bust.

And how about Butler, the terrier-like small forward who made Richmond look silly last year with an All-Australian-calibre season?

Butler’s breakout season as an AFL footballer was in 2017, then he failed to back it up the next two years in falling out of favour at Tigerland.

A concerning trend might be playing out, with Butler kicking only one goal and compiling a modest 25 touches through the first three rounds. He had one possession at halftime on Saturday.

The biggest problem is there isn’t the same widespread contribution in 2021.

Even with all the recruiting St Kilda’s done, it still lacks the elite players the best sides boast and needs as many players contributing as possible.

The Bombers match was supposed to deliver the Saints a timely ‘tap-in’ victory after an error-riddled, underwhelming performance a week ago against Melbourne.

Where will the Saints finish the 2021 season?
1-4, if they play at their best they can beat anyone
5-8, they'll bounce back to play finals but that's it
9-12, they were made to look better than they are last year
13-18, the Bombers game is a true indication of their talent

Their injury-ravaged opposition fielded their least-experienced team since 2012, when James Hird was in charge.

Instead, it was confirmation St Kilda’s in a worrying place right now.

There is suddenly genuine pressure on them, with sides like Sydney and Melbourne – both non-finalists last season – unbeaten so far.

The Round 1 victory over Greater Western Sydney in a wet slog doesn’t look as good now, given the Giants lost abysmally to Fremantle a week later.

The horror show started in the centre, where St Kilda gave away too many free kicks and was otherwise beaten. The Bombers kicked seven goals from 16 centre clearances. Ouch.

Brett Ratten dropped ruckman Paul Hunter in preference of a makeshift combination of two ex-Bombers, Shaun McKernan and Jake Carlisle, with Rowan Marshall (foot) and Ryder (personal) still unavailable.

The Saints subsequently trailed 8-2 in the centre clearances at quarter-time and never got a foothold in the game.
Darcy Parish and his Bombers teammates dominated the Saints through the middle.

In his first match of the year, Jake Stringer put paid to St Kilda with the first three goals of the second term after an influential opening as well.

There was a symbolic moment late in the first half, with Essendon 50 points up, when Nick Hind – a former Saint who was effectively unwanted – chased down Jack Billings from about 10m behind.

It mattered little that the umpire paid a high free kick against Hind, especially once Billings’ acute shot missed.

Hind’s intent summed up the Bombers as a whole, and highlighted everything St Kilda wasn’t.

From FF Robbo (correct for once)

"2. SOFT SAINTS

Is there a greater insult than being called ‘soft’?

Pathetic, embarrassing — Brett Ratten’s word — insipid and meek carry a level of insult, but soft, in mentality and action, is the collective dagger. And the Saints deserve the moniker. They laid 11 tackles in the first half, seven in the first quarter and four in the second quarter. The pressure factor in that second quarter was a dismal 137, their lowest result since the second quarter against Adelaide in Round 20, 2019. Alarm bells ring mostly everywhere for the Saints. Dan Butler is a passenger, Brad Hill is riding shotgun to him, Ben Long has stalled and now Jade Gresham (achilles) will miss the year. Rowan Marshall might return this week and they desperately need Paddy Ryder back in the fold. An urgent SOS to the big fella needs to be sent, but it remains to be seen if he responds positively. He was allowed time off to spend time with family and elders, which was fair play by the Saints, but equally fair is St Kilda knowing for sure when Ryder plans to return."

Thanks for collating all these articles saynta

[Laurie]

Spot on in every aspect.

Ratts needs to make a statement.
We currently have a bunch of Marshmellows in our team.

[The_Dud]

Some of us were pointing all this Hill stuff out last season, only to be told “it’s not his job to put his head over the ball / contest one-on-one” and “just wait til the quarters are 4 minutes longer, he’s gonna dominate”

[shanegrambeau]

How about this?

Hill to a forward role ...

Short entries are a bust
Long bombs to a pack with a Max King sandwich...ditto

Last year, we killed it with an up over the top approach. We kicked over the pack and our forwards swooped.

Then they zoned, slowed down the tempo and shut us down.

But that was then. This is now.

The new rules have changed things. Zones are out. Rapid scoring and big scoring is back...for the time being.

Let's resurrect the 'long-oiver-the-top approach" and allow Hill and Butler to swoop.

Play Higgins up a bit. Have Lonie hang of King like a 'pilot fish', he can crum and curl those long and low lefties into the square.


Now, it might not last as the competition evolves but it might help us snatch a few unlikely wins up to the bye.

Please ITKs , don't forget to tell Ratts about my brilliant little plan. But serious;y folks, what do you think?

[saynta]

Disagree. Time for the coaches to earn their money and set up a rapid ball movement game plan with low hard darts into f50 hitting heading forwards. The long bombs - or as Ratts calls them "Deep Entries" has to stop. The other 17 clubs know this is all we do and plan for the spoil and movement away.
Almost cried watching the Dees last night. Always played on, minimal turnovers, and nearly every entry was a dart to a lead or kick to space.
Coaches need to get real and get 2021.

You're game. switched the tellie off after our debacle. lost all interest in AFL.

[Devilhead]

Am going to go with the revese psychology route

We are going to get absolutely slaughtered by West Coast

[spert]

I'm trying to imagine Alan Jeans coaching Hill- basically it would have been "you have to earn the right to have the ball kicked to you- in the meantime I'm dropping you to the twos"

[Toy Saint]

Ratten and the selectors must take some responsibility.

They chose to go into the game without a ruckman. Admittedly Hunter lacks experience and was given a lesson by Max Gawn last week, but going into a game without a ruckman is a mix of arrogance and stupidity.

Brad Hill refuses to put his body on the line yet is supported by the coach, whereas Luke Dunstan is always tough in the contest, yet is out of favor with the coach.

[saintkev]

Watch the hawks and cats today to witness courage, gut-running, endeavour and attacking play. Compare this to our insipid, limp-wristed efforts. Awesome to witness. We need an injection of hardness, belief and self-sacrifice.

[bangaulegend]

Watch the hawks and cats today to witness courage, gut-running, endeavour and attacking play. Compare this to our insipid, limp-wristed efforts. Awesome to witness. We need an injection of hardness, belief and self-sacrifice.

You must of read my mind I was actually going to start a new post to highlight exactly what you just said but you beat me to it . At present our skill level & work rate is so far behind the 2 teams that played today it is laughable

[The Billings Method]

I'm trying to imagine Alan Jeans coaching Hill- basically it would have been "you have to earn the right to have the ball kicked to you- in the meantime I'm dropping you to the twos"

"Laddie".

[stevie]

Stopped after kane cornes was referred to as a port great lol

[Scollop]

Some of us were pointing all this Hill stuff out last season, only to be told “it’s not his job to put his head over the ball / contest one-on-one” and “just wait til the quarters are 4 minutes longer, he’s gonna dominate”

Threads where some of the fans where getting all woody over Brad sprinting

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=100654&hilit=hill+c ... 0#p1849652

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=100670&p=1849981&hi ... d#p1849981\

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=100654&p=1849509&hi ... d#p1849509

[asiu]

... lost all interest in AFL.

haha
did that myself

the telly on sunday had womens soccer on
... it was much easier that way

being emotionally involved with st kilda
is a dark ‘n draining experience

[The_Dud]

Some of us were pointing all this Hill stuff out last season, only to be told “it’s not his job to put his head over the ball / contest one-on-one” and “just wait til the quarters are 4 minutes longer, he’s gonna dominate”

Threads where some of the fans where getting all woody over Brad sprinting

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=100654&hilit=hill+c ... 0#p1849652

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=100670&p=1849981&hi ... d#p1849981\

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=100654&p=1849509&hi ... d#p1849509

Oh my...

[asiu]

is there a greater insult than being called ‘soft’?

butterboys ?

[Dis Believer]

... lost all interest in AFL.

the telly on sunday had womens soccer on

Are you sure - that may have been the Saints v Essendon game you were watching.........

[Sanctorum]

How about this?

Hill to a forward role ...

Short entries are a bust
Long bombs to a pack with a Max King sandwich...ditto

Last year, we killed it with an up over the top approach. We kicked over the pack and our forwards swooped.

Then they zoned, slowed down the tempo and shut us down.

But that was then. This is now.

The new rules have changed things. Zones are out. Rapid scoring and big scoring is back...for the time being.

Let's resurrect the 'long-oiver-the-top approach" and allow Hill and Butler to swoop.

Play Higgins up a bit. Have Lonie hang of King like a 'pilot fish', he can crum and curl those long and low lefties into the square.

Now, it might not last as the competition evolves but it might help us snatch a few unlikely wins up to the bye.

Please ITKs , don't forget to tell Ratts about my brilliant little plan. But serious;y folks, what do you think?

Good to see someone come up with some positive solutions shanegrambeau, especially the idea of playing Hill on a forward flank to get him back into form.

Hill looks to me to have no awareness of his role, he's all over the place and ineffective, so by giving him a designated spot to focus on kicking goals it may well be the trigger he needs to get back into the form he has displayed at Hawthorn and Fremantle, because his potential is phenomenal.

Perhaps Max King should be given a run in the ruck or on the wing for short periods because right now he is a shadow of his twin brother, yet is capable of being even better than Ben. By getting into the game he will become more confident to lead, mark and kick goals from FF. Some supporters want to keep Max wrapped up in cotton wool as KPF, but I would rather see him be injected into the game and to hell with the risk!

Butler is another one that needs a change of role to regain form, so maybe throw him into the mix in the midfield and stoppages where his pace could have a strong impact to win the ball and send it up the ground.

Jake Carlisle needs to cement his place in defence where in the last 2 games St Kilda was clearly undersized, with Coffield totally wasted against taller opponents and denied the opportunity to do what does best, run the ball out of defence...

I can't see any sense in massive changes this week because as someone pointed out on FoxFooty, there are a dozen or more players who deserve to be dropped for the pathetic effort last Saturday.

So my changes are:

Bytel in for Gresham
Marshall (if passed fit) for McKernan
Long for McKenzie
Wood or Dunstan the medical sub