Darragh Joyce should replace Howard this week IMO.

[Impatient Sainter]

Darragh Joyce 22 disposals 10 marks VFL Game write up.

Darragh, from my perspective, was our most influential player. He was sick throughout the week so his preparation wasn’t great, but you wouldn’t have known that by how he performed. He pulled down eight intercept marks and a lot of them were uncontested which means his positioning was good. There were a couple of early contests that he lost, but then he got out of his head and thought ‘I’m just going to worry about the ball and not about my man’, and the results showed. I’m really proud of him to get up and fight when he wasn’t feeling overly well.

[magnifisaint]

Howard is a complete Spud. Well he played like one. He should never kick out!

[Scollop]

We got smashed all over the ground. Our mids were the worse

Most of the team was crap apart from about 7-8 players

Howard wasn't the worst on ground.

Gresh and Sincs who worked their butts off and probably our 2 best on the day, but they had clangers too and they stuffed up and turned it over several times. I laughed that Billings received the fifth best on ground in the Eastern Memorial votes thread

[shanegrambeau]

It’s crossed my mind

How about

Wilkie Howard Highmore
Sincs Joyce Battle
Hill Ross DMac
Higgins Sharman Membrey
Gresh King Marshall

Paddy Steele Crouch

I/C JB, Long, Jones, Webster

[Vortex]

You'd have to think Joyce had his papers stamped a while ago and is a break glass in emergency type player.

I don't think we are at the emergency stage yet, maybe if we lose the next 2, 3 or even 4 games then I think the rubber stamp comes out.

The end of July will be tanking time if the wheels fall off from here.

[Sainternist]

I would prefer Highmore in the team!

[spert]

I would prefer a midfield and forward line to come in, but yes Joyce looked good.

[B.M]

Howard is our most overrated player imo

He’s ok, but exposed easily - loves sagging off under the guise of ‘aggressive positioning’

Battle and Wilkie excellent

Webster very good, Sinclair elite

Paton has been very average

Hill, generally very good, occasionally terrible

[skeptic]

Question 1. Is this a joke?

Question 2. No really, is this a joke?

This guy can’t even punch from behind and the games he has played has seen him heavily protected by all the other defenders who frequently zone him off from the contest so that literally any other player other than Darragh goes up because... the guy cannot spoil well.

His opponents easily beat him on the lead, easily out body him and frankly, the only thing about Ratten that I would give full marks for so far, is the fact that he’s identified this, steers clear of Joyce where possible... and when absolutely forced to play him, the onus is put on all other players to hide his deficiencies.

Next to Dean Kent, Joyce might actually be the single worst player on an AFL list.

If he plays, it’s clearly a sign that we’ve completely lost the plot

[St Lenny]

Please no, I never want to see him play in the seniors ever again. Nothing wrong with Howard, others way worse than him.

[Vortex]

Question 1. Is this a joke?

Question 2. No really, is this a joke?

This guy can’t even punch from behind and the games he has played has seen him heavily protected by all the other defenders who frequently zone him off from the contest so that literally any other player other than Darragh goes up because... the guy cannot spoil well.

His opponents easily beat him on the lead, easily out body him and frankly, the only thing about Ratten that I would give full marks for so far, is the fact that he’s identified this, steers clear of Joyce where possible... and when absolutely forced to play him, the onus is put on all other players to hide his deficiencies.

Next to Dean Kent, Joyce might actually be the single worst player on an AFL list.

If he plays, it’s clearly a sign that we’ve completely lost the plot

I feel you're holding something back skeppers!

[Impatient Sainter]

Skeptic have you watched Howard's last few games? He is terribly out of form and having absolutely no impact on his opponents or games. I dont expect Joyce to be a long term prospect, but Howard being a supposed leader of the club has been absolutely woeful. Ratten needs to create some selection standards and Joyce should be rewarded, when Howard is so out of form.

Howard is not the only player who should be in the gun, Hill should have been dropped last week and there are others. If Ratten wants to keep his job he needs to stand up and make some tough selection calls and send a message!

[CQ SAINT]

Of course, its hard for defenders to attack when the ball just keeps coming back at them from half way.

We have delivered f*** all forward entries and given up f****** heaps. We have also almost stopped scoring from.stoppages.

Let's blame the defenders.

[bangaulegend]

Doug's IMO is a much better player than Darragh. Even if he is out of form he still a better option. How about we concentrate on clearance centre & stoppage & cut our back line some slack . We have been owned in the last 2 games hence 2 poor losses . Pretty hard to defend when the ball comes in that clean & quick IMO anyway

[skeptic]

Skeptic have you watched Howard's last few games? He is terribly out of form and having absolutely no impact on his opponents or games. I dont expect Joyce to be a long term prospect, but Howard being a supposed leader of the club has been absolutely woeful. Ratten needs to create some selection standards and Joyce should be rewarded, when Howard is so out of form.

Howard is not the only player who should be in the gun, Hill should have been dropped last week and there are others. If Ratten wants to keep his job he needs to stand up and make some tough selection calls and send a message!

I don’t disagree on most points, but I simply can’t advocate for a solution that I know will be an abject failure.

You put Joyce on the team as a direct full back, accountable to go one on one against the oppositions best forward, it’s like that time Pagan played Fevola on Gehrig. Buddy will kick 17 goals on the W/E.

[SaintPav]

Skeptic have you watched Howard's last few games? He is terribly out of form and having absolutely no impact on his opponents or games. I dont expect Joyce to be a long term prospect, but Howard being a supposed leader of the club has been absolutely woeful. Ratten needs to create some selection standards and Joyce should be rewarded, when Howard is so out of form.

Howard is not the only player who should be in the gun, Hill should have been dropped last week and there are others. If Ratten wants to keep his job he needs to stand up and make some tough selection calls and send a message!

I don’t disagree on most points, but I simply can’t advocate for a solution that I know will be an abject failure.

You put Joyce on the team as a direct full back, accountable to go one on one against the oppositions best forward, it’s like that time Pagan played Fevola on Gehrig. Buddy will kick 17 goals on the W/E.

But Saintsaitional will go into overdrive meltdown.

The shi.t show on here will be so much fun.

[SaintPav]

Skeptic have you watched Howard's last few games? He is terribly out of form and having absolutely no impact on his opponents or games. I dont expect Joyce to be a long term prospect, but Howard being a supposed leader of the club has been absolutely woeful. Ratten needs to create some selection standards and Joyce should be rewarded, when Howard is so out of form.

Howard is not the only player who should be in the gun, Hill should have been dropped last week and there are others. If Ratten wants to keep his job he needs to stand up and make some tough selection calls and send a message!

Howard is playing like he doesn’t give a sh.it.

Joyce has improved out of sight where I now consider him to be a reasonable back up full back.

[1971]

I hope Darragh Joyce doesn't read SS.

[skeptic]

He’d be a fool if he did

[B.M]

There is NO question Howard is a better player than Joyce

But Howard isn’t David Dench either.

[Devilhead]

But Max King is Borat

[Impatient Sainter]

Skeptic have you watched Howard's last few games? He is terribly out of form and having absolutely no impact on his opponents or games. I dont expect Joyce to be a long term prospect, but Howard being a supposed leader of the club has been absolutely woeful. Ratten needs to create some selection standards and Joyce should be rewarded, when Howard is so out of form.

Howard is not the only player who should be in the gun, Hill should have been dropped last week and there are others. If Ratten wants to keep his job he needs to stand up and make some tough selection calls and send a message!

I don’t disagree on most points, but I simply can’t advocate for a solution that I know will be an abject failure.

You put Joyce on the team as a direct full back, accountable to go one on one against the oppositions best forward, it’s like that time Pagan played Fevola on Gehrig. Buddy will kick 17 goals on the W/E.

Wilkie or Battle will get Buddy, Howard has never been used on him. He would get McDonald or Reid and the way Howard is playing Joyce would do a better job ATM. At least until Howard can rediscover some form in the VFL. We simply cant keep playing and rewarding OOF players and not rewarding others, it creates resentment amongst the list. Imagine if you are are one of the fringe players having a red hot go, and a senior player keeps getting the position when he isnt. After a while you stop caring yourself....

At the end of the day its probably a mute point, because Ratten & co are very poor at making the tough decisions.

[The_Dud]

Howard just needs to pull his finger out.

Get Wilkie or Maxy Hudghton to run him through a few drills on how to play as a defender and actually beat your opponent one-on-one.

Has all the physicals attributes to be great, but seems his best skill at the moment is finger pointing.

[spert]

Howard just needs to pull his finger out.

Get Wilkie or Maxy Hudghton to run him through a few drills on how to play as a defender and actually beat your opponent one-on-one.

Has all the physicals attributes to be great, but seems his best skill at the moment is finger pointing.

Howard seems to be getting done a bit in one-on-one contests and just needs to be grabbing more contested ball.. then again, so does half the team

[Yorkeys]

What if sides have realised Wilkie is the key to our backline. Keep him busy and Howard is a bit vulnerable?