Grant Thomas

[SunnyErnie]

I know he is controversial. You either love him or you hate him. I know its only 1 round but unfortunately it looks like he was spot on. If we finish bottom 4 this year I want him to come in and tear our list apart and start the rebuild again from scratch.

Does anyone else agree or am I jumping the gun?

[Teflon]

Shot your bolt sunny
This guy ain’t the messiah
We need serious football people not cult figures FFS when will this club become professional and learn?
Club ought to go hard for Clarkson
Forget 1980 corporate spin doctors who belong in Geoffrey Eddleston era
Move on

[Waltzing St Kilda]

I concur but probably too outpsoken for many in the AFL (from whom we receive inordinate funding), not to mention a lot in the mecda and a surprising number on this forum.

To me, GT was very flawed but one couldn't question his commitment and player-management skills (notwithstanding the fact that he had Milne earmarled for trade among numerous blunders).

[Scollop]

If we finish bottom 4 this year I want him to come in and tear our list apart and start the rebuild again from scratch.

Do you want Grant to coach or are you saying he should be head recruiter and list manager?

Neither of those things are going to happen. If Grant were to join the Saints in any capacity it would probably be as a board member or as the President

Most of the threads and countless posts I’ve been reading have generally got a short term focus or a narrow focus. At least this thread doesn’t fall into that category

E.g. The changes for next week thread has some some good posts and people putting some thought into the messaging, but then there are other posts that just completely lose sight of the bigger picture

When you try and determine the Ins and Outs you have to look at where the club sees itself in the pecking order against other teams. Does the club want to build for the future or do they think we have a team that is ripe and could be a top 4 contender. You can’t have it both ways. Why would we play Owens and have NWM as sub when Long is sitting in the stands?

Maybe what Jon Ralf said is right. Maybe the hierarchy at St Kilda is telling the members something different publicly to what they’re talking about internally…Or maybe we have a football department that is incompetent (see link at bottom)

I don’t really care about this week or next week…I care about the club building the right culture and having structures in place for developing the youth and employing the right people in each department (who are competent), and having a set of standards and discipline and team rules and having the right leaders who are passionate about St Kilda and are driven individuals who want success.

Unless we get the basics right and the foundations right we won’t be a successful club. If we finish in the bottom 4… I’ll be bumping this thread…And I’m sure there’ll be a few more Saints fans thinking that Grant should come back and be President of the St Kilda FC.

http://saintsational.net/viewtopic.php? ... 4#p1942784

[samoht]

Our culture has been:

1. recruit without a plan

2. blame and sack the coach

But it doesn't take or shouldn't take a GT or a genius to see that.

(If you keep getting the all-important step 1 wrong or pay little attention to it ... it won't make any difference who your coach, football manager and president is).

[The_Dud]

I'm beginning to warm to the idea of keeping King, Steele, Marshall and blowing up the rest of the list.

[Vortex]

This should probably be posted in the thread for R2 predictions: but I predict GT will attempt a board coup after a thumping at the hands of another bottom 4 side.

I'd also like to see him and Butters patch things up and put Butters in charge of representing players who are unfairly suspended for taking recreational drugs.

And I'd like to see the new Danny Frawely Centre gutted and renovated into a Disco and Rod should be the Bar Manager and head of recruiting. These types of ideas will make us a destination club.

[Ghost Like]

Thank god, I thought we might be waiting until April for a Grant Thomas regurgitation. Popcorn please.

Thanks SunnyGrant???

[SaintPav]

Grant hasn’t been at the club for 16 years so this would be going backwards. The club needs to keep evolving and moving forwards.

I’m a Grant Thomas agnostic. He did some good things at the club and he made a few mistakes too.

I’m not saying he wouldn’t have anything to contribute as he’s obviously a successful business person but he could start with keeping his trap shut.

[spert]

GT and RB had a plan to get the club back and earn respect, and their decisions did just that. Sadly it went off the rails. We seem to be floundering as a club, and although there's the usual feel-good talk from the club hierarchy, I don't see a lot of direction, I feel we have once again lost respect, and that seems to be reflected on field.

[Teflon]

GT and RB had a plan to get the club back and earn respect, and their decisions did just that. Sadly it went off the rails. We seem to be floundering as a club, and although there's the usual feel-good talk from the club hierarchy, I don't see a lot of direction, I feel we have once again lost respect, and that seems to be reflected on field.

I think that’s right but concur with others - constantly going back to the same well isn’t the answer
We need a Melbourne overhaul - and they didn’t do that by bringing back all old Melb favourites
It starts by recognising that to be the best in football we need quality footy people - I’m talking about Clarkson level
I’m also looking at who Pies brought into their club as assistant coaches with envy ….we spent 10 years on Hamill ffs
We just drink our own cool aid and don’t demand the best and will end up in Tassie at this rate
Have to get serious
Lethlean needs to know his career/reputation revolves around making tough calls and that includes on nice guys if they can’t get the job done
We also be FFS MUST prioritise midfield recruiting- we’ve neglected it for years, traded in other club rejects and have eff all A grade coming through and it’s a midfield game…

[shanegrambeau]

..
We need serious football people not cult figures FFS when will this club become professional and learn?
..

For my generation, GTs era was the first time St KIlda took itself seriously - or professionally.

I think Collingwood would have been very tough to predict and coach against. New players, new coach, no expectations, Round One...perfect for them. They'll get their due later. And now, I am starting to realise, in the cool dull light of Tuesday, that Ratts and co. probably had no choice. They picked Kent, because they didn't want to risk Long. Kent is more reliable (reliable if useless) ... Whilst Owens was clearly a mistake, they hit gold with picking Hayes. They deserve credit for that. We give them none. Could have easily left him out.

I don't get the Battle thing, but say no more..what do I know.

If Sharman and Jones are in the dog house, well, we have a culture problem and it needs to be straightened out. Matter of fact, I dunno whether that might be our biggest problem and whether any coach or group is to blame.

[Scollop]

They picked Kent, because they didn't want to risk Long.

That is crap. Seriously…talk about making stuff up! Jake Batchelor has rated Long in the reserves practice game. He laments the fact that his team mates don’t get the ball to Long often enough.

Long is a naturally gifted player, but he’s more than that. Long is one of the best uses of the ball by foot. He is hardly ever selfish and when he takes the game on, he can turn momentum for us. It is the reason he was chosen as a back flanker in the only year that St Kilda has made finals in the last 11 years.

Now perhaps Longy is not liked by his team mates or perhaps he’s fallen out of favour with certain leaders in the team or with one of the selectors or a coach… I think he also may have found it difficult to get used to the fact that Sinclair and Hill took his spot and also with the form of Jimmy Webster, he’s had to fill holes and predominantly play as a forward since his 2020 break out year

Did you actually watch the intra club game a few weeks back? He had to play the full game because we needed numbers to fill both teams. He clearly outperformed several of his team mates who are picked as the starting 22

[spert]

..
We need serious football people not cult figures FFS when will this club become professional and learn?
..

For my generation, GTs era was the first time St KIlda took itself seriously - or professionally.

I think Collingwood would have been very tough to predict and coach against. New players, new coach, no expectations, Round One...perfect for them. They'll get their due later. And now, I am starting to realise, in the cool dull light of Tuesday, that Ratts and co. probably had no choice. They picked Kent, because they didn't want to risk Long. Kent is more reliable (reliable if useless) ... Whilst Owens was clearly a mistake, they hit gold with picking Hayes. They deserve credit for that. We give them none. Could have easily left him out.

I don't get the Battle thing, but say no more..what do I know.

If Sharman and Jones are in the dog house, well, we have a culture problem and it needs to be straightened out. Matter of fact, I dunno whether that might be our biggest problem and whether any coach or group is to blame.

Strange how Sharman was playing in SA, then was put into senior AFL games as a forward and did much better than expected. Now he is in the VFL running around the backline apparently needed to improve his contested marking???. What's the go, does the club want us to take it seriously, as right now I think it is a headless chook again.

[shanegrambeau]

..

…

….Sharman….as a forward .did much better than expected. Now….VFL …backline
…to improve his contested marking???. What's the (?)

Urchin!!! I concur!

My hunch is they are training him to be Centre half back cause they don’t believe Battle is a long term solution…(says at risk of antagonizing Battle fans)

But go figure…another head shaker if that is true.

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Right now the Saints seem flush with blokes who get an endorphin rush when they make an off-centre decision.

The thrilling prospect of getting lauded as a genius if some gamble pays off.

[Banger9798]

..

…

….Sharman….as a forward .did much better than expected. Now….VFL …backline
…to improve his contested marking???. What's the (?)

Urchin!!! I concur!

My hunch is they are training him to be Centre half back cause they don’t believe Battle is a long term solution…(says at risk of antagonizing Battle fans)

But go figure…another head shaker if that is true.

How many of us said, wait til we coach the natural instincts out of Sharman....looks like we are well advanced on that plan.
Stupid football club.

[freely]

The optimist in me says maybe they want him to learn more about his forward craft by practising in the back line.

[SunnyErnie]

Say what you like about GT but when he was at the Saints he built a professional footy team. He is too old to come back as coach but I would love for him to take over as president.

[The Recruit]

Keep

Marshall
Steele
Gresham
Sinclair
Howard
King
Highmore
Clark
Coff
Membry
Milera
Winhanger
Paton
Wilkie
Hayes
Sharman
Heath

The rest are expendable

[SunnyErnie]

Keep

Marshall
Steele
Gresham
Sinclair
Howard
King
Highmore
Clark
Coff
Membry
Milera
Winhanger
Paton
Wilkie
Hayes
Sharman
Heath

The rest are expendable

If you were going to strip it back like the above, I would look at trading Membrey but only if we could get an early second round pick for him. He is a very good player but turns 28 next month. If no one was prepared to give an early second then I would keep him.

[Teflon]

Say what you like about GT but when he was at the Saints he built a professional footy team. He is too old to come back as coach but I would love for him to take over as president.

No thanks been down megalomaniac street before
Highly credentialed MODERN football people please
Not idiots that just want fight AFL HQ to stroke their own corporate ego

[Teflon]

..

…

….Sharman….as a forward .did much better than expected. Now….VFL …backline
…to improve his contested marking???. What's the (?)

Urchin!!! I concur!

My hunch is they are training him to be Centre half back cause they don’t believe Battle is a long term solution…(says at risk of antagonizing Battle fans)

But go figure…another head shaker if that is true.

How many of us said, wait til we coach the natural instincts out of Sharman....looks like we are well advanced on that plan.
Stupid football club.

I’m seriously concerned about our development approach if true
FFS the kid looked a natural footballer
You watch us turn Hayes into a petrified Gumby

[Moods]

They picked Kent, because they didn't want to risk Long.

That is crap. Seriously…talk about making stuff up! Jake Batchelor has rated Long in the reserves practice game. He laments the fact that his team mates don’t get the ball to Long often enough.

Long is a naturally gifted player, but he’s more than that. Long is one of the best uses of the ball by foot. He is hardly ever selfish and when he takes the game on, he can turn momentum for us. It is the reason he was chosen as a back flanker in the only year that St Kilda has made finals in the last

This is Ben long we’re talking about yeah? Not Michael long?

Sorry but Ben is a great trier and really applies good pressure but a great user of the ball? You must be watching a different game to everyone else. He shanks the ball and makes terrible decisions with it.

When he played backline he was undisciplined giving away needless free kicks. I like him better in the forward line, applied good forward pressure which created a few goals

[Vortex]

Benny Long seems like the only obvious choice for selection this week for no other reason than he's played a bit at AFL level.

Interesting times ahead.

Now would be a good time for someone on our list to stand up and show, --what I think is the softest and most comfortable list of players the club has assembled in my time following the club -- some bloody improvement.

There just doesn't seem to be one player who wants to, or is capable of becoming an elite player in the top 5 or 10 if the comp.