What’s with the midfield?

[happy feet]

We’re doing it again

Doing what?

[Teflon]

We’re doing it again

Doing what?

You know…..making random statements addressed to no one but attempting to indicate there is sone additional knowledge if one asks…

[desertsaint]

well done woody.

[Teflon]

Think this needs to be start of the focus
Have said it often ….had the old “how dare you show no respect to st Kilda players…blah blah” brigade attack for it
This side is NOT winning a flag with Ross, Crouch and a sub-par Steele (66%TOG today something clearly ain’t right)
Crouch/Ross have zero class by foot and are crabs on the spread
We have papered over their deficiency with our pressure game…gotten numbers round the ball and sling shot forward….
Sides now know …even it up round the ball and these guys against genuine alpha mids don’t stand up
Ross was deplorable today bombing into 50 with 2 howler turn overs - not alone but he’s meant to be a leader…
I do not give a stuff about finals/limping into 8 blah blah…ffs we have to focus on future NOW
We have kids that must be played in the guts as mids - Windhager/Owens are ready now (not Pou imo yet)
If that means a Ross goes out or is a sub so be it
We also MUST before the eve of this year find out if Bytel will cut it or not…even IF we drop a few games …who cares we aren’t winning a flag with the current set up
Membrey concussion saves him being axed by Lyon this week anyhow
Ins: Windhager, King, Webster, Billing’s, Bytel
Outs:
Membrey, Paton, Sharman, Byrnes, Ross
Ross - sub
It has to be about future if it’s truly explorative year…
While we are there…. we must look to draft/trade in a genuine midfield class option …
I think SOS also needs :
New FB as Dougal can play CHB ….just useless 1 out if big forwards which means they shift Wilkie …sacrificed his game
Another ruck - Marshall needs help
Drink deep at this draft if you’re smart Saints

[Saintmike65]

Steele, Crouch and Ross as a collective is pretty pedestrian..youth needs to be added urgently!
Windhager, Clark, Owens & Bytel need more time in the middle, with Gresham & Sinclair adding a bit of flair.

[Teflon]

Steele, Crouch and Ross as a collective is pretty pedestrian..youth needs to be added urgently!
Windhager, Clark, Owens & Bytel need more time in the middle, with Gresham & Sinclair adding a bit of flair.

Yep agreed Mike
Kill for someone to step up and take a HBF role..

[B.M]

Like Nasiah?

[CQ SAINT]

If your midfield can't get first touch, then you structure the way we have. From defence.

King Caminiti Higgins and Membrey as permanent forwards will improve our scoring but only development of our young midfielders will improve our midfield.

Time to phase out Crouch with Windy
Ross with Owens and hope Hotton can join Clark and get some inside/outside play happening to rotate with Gresham and Hill.

[The Fireman]

If your midfield can't get first touch, then you structure the way we have. From defence.

King Caminiti Higgins and Membrey as permanent forwards will improve our scoring but only development of our young midfielders will improve our midfield.

Time to phase out Crouch with Windy
Ross with Owens and hope Hotton can join Clark and get some inside/outside play happening to rotate with Gresham and Hill.

just need to get the mids into a dark room and hit them with a stick until they pledge to get their hands on the ball first....simples

[Teflon]

Like Nasiah?

Can he double himself to release Sincs FT?

[Teflon]

If your midfield can't get first touch, then you structure the way we have. From defence.

King Caminiti Higgins and Membrey as permanent forwards will improve our scoring but only development of our young midfielders will improve our midfield.

Time to phase out Crouch with Windy
Ross with Owens and hope Hotton can join Clark and get some inside/outside play happening to rotate with Gresham and Hill.

Agree
This is the area I’d like to see Lyon become bold
Who cares we drop a few ganes???
Long term if we emerge with some genuine top end talent then happy days !!

[Zed]

It’s supposed to be a year of exploration but we seem to have been unimaginative in the middle.

I hope they rest Steele this week to give his knee a rest.
Let’s have a look at Bytel and Windy in the middle - although Bytel feels a bit like for like.
Sinclair was AA as a half back leave him there.
Clark gives us a different look in the middle let’s have another look at him there

I’ve been a staunch defender of Seb but his last couple of games have been ordinary.

Imagine if we had pulled off the JDG trade - that is the missing piece. Now we need to find out if we can grow a variation to the same same Steele Ross Crouch midfield that looks to have stagnated

[Scollop]

It’s supposed to be a year of exploration but we seem to have been unimaginative in the middle.

I hope they rest Steele this week to give his knee a rest.
Let’s have a look at Bytel and Windy in the middle - although Bytel feels a bit like for like.
Sinclair was AA as a half back leave him there.
Clark gives us a different look in the middle let’s have another look at him there

I’ve been a staunch defender of Seb but his last couple of games have been ordinary.

Imagine if we had pulled off the JDG trade - that is the missing piece. Now we need to find out if we can grow a variation to the same same Steele Ross Crouch midfield that looks to have stagnated

Speaking of De Goey. I haven't visited the "Trade - Draft 2022" thread for a while.

Are there any stocky, speedy bogan youngsters coming up in this years draft who can kick straight?

[Scollop]

BUMP

Crouch had only 1 score involvement...BUT he had 5 inside 50's against the Brions last night!!

You don't often see that. Has to be the lowest inside 50 to SI ratio for the year for a Saints player

oh...btw only 1 centre clearance for Brad Crouch too...but I expect Ross Lyon and match committee to select him to play as a mid next week

If we are just selecting him for his tackles, I suggest the recruiters look to the NRL for his replacement. You never know, the rugbah player might be a better kick

[Teflon]

BUMP

Crouch had only 1 score involvement...BUT he had 5 inside 50's against the Brions last night!!

You don't often see that. Has to be the lowest inside 50 to SI ratio for the year for a Saints player

oh...btw only 1 centre clearance for Brad Crouch too...but I expect Ross Lyon and match committee to select him to play as a mid next week

If we are just selecting him for his tackles, I suggest the recruiters look to the NRL for his replacement. You never know, the rugbah player might be a better kick

So Crouch out too
Ross out
Steele poor
Whose in?

[Ghost Like]

What was glaring last night was the system and spread by both midfields. Brisbane were very well drilled, spread quickly and received great support from their flankers entering the centre square. Their wings stayed out.

We were a rabble, players clapping their hands to be given the ball just so they could get a rushed kick or a fumbled handball.

Speaking of players wanting the ball, too often we have players making leads wide or behind the ball, screaming for it but ultimately have no next move. Too often last night we were stagnant, no running in waves, no creating doubt for the opposition. It's not an accident that when we ran in waves we put doubt in the Brisbane wings and defence. Just as it wasn't an accident that when we moved the ball slowly we turned it over, leaving us out of position or in one on ones.

[Scollop]

You already know the answer Teflon
You've written as much in other posts
The starting bounce was nearly perfect
Marshall, Gresh, Windy and Sincs
Michito Owens should probably replace one of these guys and play the Dustin Martin role (i.e drif forward after centre clearance)
Steele is class and shouldn't have come back 3 weeks after the broken collarbone.
It added to the pressure of performance and perhaps he did too much to compensate for his lack of tackle power (strength and conditioning has been rubbish for a few of our players recovering from injury)

I don't want Crouch and Sebby out of the team entirely, but it's ridiculous where they went through a patch of endless games when Windy and Bytel were in hot form while they were getting 10 effective touches each in games

I still think Crouch and Seb should play as mids, but ffs why hasn't Bytel been given more opportunities?

If the workload is spread perhaps they'd be playing at a higher level when fresh and we may have got over the line in some of our losses

[shanegrambeau]

..... when Windy and Bytel were in hot form .....

When were Windy and Bytel in hot form?

I've never seen it.

[saintbob]

They’re all inside mids and one paced, except Sincs who’s injected a bit of pace in there.

Owens, Phillpou and Gresham, if he could ever get out of 1st gear , should be rotating through there if not starting.

And FFS Ross, bring in a 2nd ruck before you f*** up Owens’ career!

[8bloggs]

What was glaring last night was the system and spread by both midfields. Brisbane were very well drilled, spread quickly and received great support from their flankers entering the centre square. Their wings stayed out.

We were a rabble, players clapping their hands to be given the ball just so they could get a rushed kick or a fumbled handball.

Speaking of players wanting the ball, too often we have players making leads wide or behind the ball, screaming for it but ultimately have no next move. Too often last night we were stagnant, no running in waves, no creating doubt for the opposition. It's not an accident that when we ran in waves we put doubt in the Brisbane wings and defence. Just as it wasn't an accident that when we moved the ball slowly we turned it over, leaving us out of position or in one on ones.

Spot on, Ghost Like

[CQ SAINT]

..... when Windy and Bytel were in hot form .....

When were Windy and Bytel in hot form?

I've never seen it.

He is talking about Bytel's run of form in the VFL in-between inactivity as the sub, concussion lay offs and other injury.
He is ignoring the break in preparation and focusing on the VFL form.
He has played about 70 mins of AFL as the sub, in the first 9 rounds in 4 games and got
20d 1cl 4tk.

Windy is playing and isn't setting the world on fire but is solid and will build.

[Teflon]

What was glaring last night was the system and spread by both midfields. Brisbane were very well drilled, spread quickly and received great support from their flankers entering the centre square. Their wings stayed out.

We were a rabble, players clapping their hands to be given the ball just so they could get a rushed kick or a fumbled handball.

Speaking of players wanting the ball, too often we have players making leads wide or behind the ball, screaming for it but ultimately have no next move. Too often last night we were stagnant, no running in waves, no creating doubt for the opposition. It's not an accident that when we ran in waves we put doubt in the Brisbane wings and defence. Just as it wasn't an accident that when we moved the ball slowly we turned it over, leaving us out of position or in one on ones.

Midfield spread was noted by Lyon too
He actually said we lack a fast power mid …
We have turtles…that’s why Sincs looks so good or rarely even Gresham ..
no power mid to charge through like Horne Francis

[shanegrambeau]

..... when Windy and Bytel were in hot form .....

When were Windy and Bytel in hot form?

I've never seen it.

He is talking about Bytel's run of form in the VFL in-between inactivity as the sub, concussion lay offs and other injury.
He is ignoring the break in preparation and focusing on the VFL form.
He has played about 70 mins of AFL as the sub, in the first 9 rounds in 4 games and got
20d 1cl 4tk.

Windy is playing and isn't setting the world on fire but is solid and will build.

Yes, I realised that soon after posting.
It is Bytek's form for Sandy

Here's an idea
Do you suppose that Bytel's training standards are not up to scratch?
Maybe there is something there, because Bytel only came online post-rehab, during the very end of the Richo-Ratts era, and it seems to me that there was a real fall-off in effort in the team towards the end of Ratts's tenure. Maybe Bytel has not seen a first-class training regime? Maybe he showed attitude? No idea,
There was a comment from the club that thye hoped he would bring his great form to the training track at the beginning of the season.