Positives

[D.B.Cooper]

To be honest I think the 45 point margin is a true reflection of the gap between us and Geelong.

Had a good crack in the first half and couldn’t maintain the rage.

Unfortunately threw the towel in but they just aren’t good enough to match Geelong at the top of their game.

[spert]

To be honest I think the 45 point margin is a true reflection of the gap between us and Geelong.

Had a good crack in the first half and couldn’t maintain the rage.

Unfortunately threw the towel in but they just aren’t good enough to match Geelong at the top of their game.

Sadly this seems to be the case every time we play at Geelong. We have a weak mental game.

[flack]

If this is the standard we've achieved under Ratts I'm positive he's not going to get us a flag. There's no team first mentality, there's no plan, they don't learn from past mistakes and after half time there was no urgency or effort in the team which is suggesting they just want money and have no respect for the fans. Ratts just sat in the box indifferent to what was happening so I don't think he's invested in St Kilda as much as they have invested in him.

[saintsRrising]

Kids

How can that be a positive? We have f### all young talent.


Look at the Cats today. They have mainly been recruiting older players, but they still have more good young talent than us.

[cwrcyn]

We moved up a couple of places in the national draft.

We got confirmation of where we're at (again)

We don't have to stress about whether or not we'll make finals

We didn't have to travel down to Geelong and watch the game in amongst those whining morons and then drive back home

Soon it will be over

[older saint]

Pre season I had us not in the 8 with the draw we had Coffield went down ( who I thought was important for our growth)

At 8-3 we were a little fools gold based on our draw however enough was shown of what was possible wins over Geelong, Rich and Freo
Since then injuries and reality have hit and we are probably about where i thought we would be.

Positives :
- Owens, Windy and NWM finally recruited some kids with raw talent and skill. now to develop that
- Wood was good last night and has found a roll in this side which is selfless
- Battle at CHB will/should be top 5 B & F
- King has almost 50 goal season - put that in some perspective for the impatient he has only played 58 games!
- Wilkie has continued to get better
- Crouch and Sinclair . Sinclair close to AA Crouch best season since AA in Adelaide

[Scollop]

Pre season I had us not in the 8 with the draw we had Coffield went down ( who I thought was important for our growth)

At 8-3 we were a little fools gold based on our draw however enough was shown of what was possible wins over Geelong, Rich and Freo
Since then injuries and reality have hit and we are probably about where i thought we would be.

Positives :
- Owens, Windy and NWM finally recruited some kids with raw talent and skill. now to develop that
- Wood was good last night and has found a roll in this side which is selfless
- Battle at CHB will/should be top 5 B & F
- King has almost 50 goal season - put that in some perspective for the impatient he has only played 58 games!
- Wilkie has continued to get better
- Crouch and Sinclair . Sinclair close to AA Crouch best season since AA in Adelaide

Bzzzzzzzz. Wrong!

Brad never achieved AA while playing for the Crows. It was his brother Matt in 2017

[older saint]

Pre season I had us not in the 8 with the draw we had Coffield went down ( who I thought was important for our growth)

At 8-3 we were a little fools gold based on our draw however enough was shown of what was possible wins over Geelong, Rich and Freo
Since then injuries and reality have hit and we are probably about where i thought we would be.

Positives :
- Owens, Windy and NWM finally recruited some kids with raw talent and skill. now to develop that
- Wood was good last night and has found a roll in this side which is selfless
- Battle at CHB will/should be top 5 B & F
- King has almost 50 goal season - put that in some perspective for the impatient he has only played 58 games!
- Wilkie has continued to get better
- Crouch and Sinclair . Sinclair close to AA Crouch best season since AA in Adelaide

Bzzzzzzzz. Wrong!

Brad never achieved AA while playing for the Crows. It was his brother Matt in 2017

Fair enough. Probably still best season or equal of in the AFL

[SAINT-LEE]

Obviously the young lads did great tagging....

Crouch & Hill were quite good, Still felt Hill was out of position but he did a decent job.

Crouch had 11 tackles and his disposal effectiveness was high.

Still need to see Max move in a way that empowers him to mark the ball. Bit hard being double teamed. Membrey lifted over his slumping AVG of past two months ( bar his 150th).

And....we are ONE GAME CLOSER to Ratts contract expiring!!!! C'mon!!!

57.1% is high is it?

Or...were you being facetious?

I think Crouch played a very solid game, his 12 contested possessions were decent especially since he was off field almost 20 mins total...given his rate of contested possessions that 20 mins may well have yielded 3 more and 15 is pretty decent along with 11 tackles ( team high)...like many Saints his kicking disposal isn't great at present... there's something afoot ( pun intended).

[B.M]

I though Crouch had a massive crack

Playing his style of game - kicking efficiency is never going to be above 60

[Devilhead]

Crouch had a crack but looked very fumbly below his knees .... he ain't quick either

[nobhead]

Crouch had a crack but looked very fumbly below his knees .... he ain't quick either

Our set up around stoppages was bad last night too.no one on the outside of the stoppage so even when we did win it . it went straight to a geelong player .

[shanegrambeau]

I think many of us thought we might finish just outside the 8 with about 12 wins, albeit conceding that predicting the Saints this year would be hard.

So we are about where we imagined.

Frustrating and disappointing as it is, I wonder, so what did we do right in that purple patch? Beat Freo, Geelong etc.

[The G Train Legacy]

2nd quarter was our best quarter of footy since the bye

Benny Long

[saynta]

To be honest I think the 45 point margin is a true reflection of the gap between us and Geelong.

Had a good crack in the first half and couldn’t maintain the rage.

Unfortunately threw the towel in but they just aren’t good enough to match Geelong at the top of their game.

Missing; Coffield. Paddy, Greash, McKenzie, Billings and Hayes. Six of our better players.

[St Stav]

The positives this year have been winning twice in Perth hitting the jackpot in the draft with windhager Owens naz and jack hayes although a disappointing season overall one more good draft and we are back in business

[DJ Higgins]

Why all the negativity. We lost to a team that is a favourite to win the flag. They have much better structure than our guys and are better coached. Always seemed to have plain the correct spots both in attack and defence.

Positives are more games in younger players, the hanners nightmare is over and the season is almost over as well and we will have a better draft pick than expected earlier in the year.

Also many of our players are healing nicely and should be right for next year.

[older saint]

Why all the negativity. We lost to a team that is a favourite to win the flag. They have much better structure than our guys and are better coached. Always seemed to have plain the correct spots both in attack and defence.

Positives are more games in younger players, the hanners nightmare is over and the season is almost over as well and we will have a better draft pick than expected earlier in the year.

Also many of our players are healing nicely and should be right for next year.

Bets team at the moment and also appears do not have the same salary cap as everyone else - reading they are after hopper now.

[cwrcyn]

The whining from some would suggest that we are wooden spooners in the making.

I really can't fathom the level of hand wringing and the spittle laden vitriol.

It seems the sky is always falling. Perhaps we should set up a sub-forum and call it The Chicken Little Hen House, so all the Cassandras can vent in their own private steam bath of loathing.

[cwrcyn]

So for those of you can see the positives and not just the negatives, I salute you, and as Scotty Palmer used to say....."keep punching"

[DJ Higgins]

So for those of you can see the positives and not just the negatives, I salute you, and as Scotty Palmer used to say....."keep punching"

Thread is called positives hence only mentioning the positives. There are many more negatives than positives at present but they have been done to death in other threads

[Templar]

When we were 8/3 I was quite cheerful. I also got washed in the winning uphoria. And why not! I am a fan, a supporter, winning feels good, and may as well make hay when the sun shines, isn't that what being a footy fan is about? Vicariously riding the ups and downs? Jumping up and down?

Yet at the same time I told everyone that it was surprising being in the eight because the way we were playing, skill wise and game plan wise, compared to other clubs we looked like a team that realistically should be in 10th or 11th position. I may have posted this here also.

So losing big to Geelong at Kardinia Park in rd21 was the expectation.

But watching the way we lost was still devastating. Despite being expected, the 2nd half collapse just didn't rub. And I think that's because watching it unfold, I thought that with some small game plan changes and a couple of shots of "Saints Footy" it could have been a good game, even a win. (rather than a basket case like event that it became)

So right there that is actually a positive: "this can be fixed and its not that hard to do"

Yet one has to speculate if there is an awareness in the coaching squad and playing group as to what those fixes are, because that death spiral of a 2nd half is a repeat of what we have seen in far too many shocking quarters of football this year.

And to this boofhead fan, who admitedly knows jack shyet about what goes on behind the scenes, it looks fixable.

So frustration and annoyance enters in.

I wouldnt get too carried away with putting people into the naysayer basket or the eternal optimist basket. Supporters can have one foot each way, or like me neither. I just want to know if adjustments are being made to address what appear to be obvious game day flaws. And if they aren't then I want to advocate so that they are addressed! lol as if anyone is going to listen to me ha hah ha

Carn sainters

[SaintPav]

Only 11 days left before the pain is over, for an other season at least.

[WellardSaint]

Crouch had a crack but looked very fumbly below his knees .... he ain't quick either

Our set up around stoppages was bad last night too.no one on the outside of the stoppage so even when we did win it . it went straight to a geelong player .

Was McGlynn the Mids coach?
If the new mids coach has any brains...he will spend the pre-season working out how to use Crouch properly.
Find a way to minimise his weaknesses (poor disposal efficiency, lack of speed) while maximising his good points- ability to get the ball.
He's far from Petracca or Oliver, or Dangerfield.
And he's never gonna be anywhere near them.
But he's one of the best we have (in certain respects) and until we get someone elite, we're gonna have to find a way to improve his impact by having team-mates ride on his coat-tails.

E.g. when he's near the contest, have someone in a pre-planned spot ready for the receive- so he knows where to feed it.

All the best sides do it.
They have routines and set-ups like a bunch of co-ordinated dancers, everyone has a role.

[cwrcyn]

We've looked disorganised at the stoppages for a long time now. There seems to be alomost zero understanding between our midfielders