Where we are at

[Saint2]

Where we are at, is where we are on the ladder at the end of the season

[Saintmike65]

Agree Windhager and Owens must get more time in the middle to improve our pedestrian midfield.
We also desperately need an upgrade to Howard, as he doesn’t cut it one on one!
Marshall needs help so we don’t burn him out.

[Teflon]

So it is the list?

If anybody thinks we have a top 6 list based on talent they are kidding themselves

EVERYBODY knows this but Mart likes to keep telling us all like it’s new news!
Carry on Martin

[Teflon]

The coaching group are very very good in my opinion. The team is not as good. We are a 6-10 placed team. Let’s be realistic. Most of you would have put us in that category before the season started. We are going ok- not great, not poorly. It’s a work in progress. As Sainters we have learnt to be patient- we need to continue

The Swans are predictable in that they are slow and flat early season, lose games easily, then somehow turn into monsters about half-way. Happens every year.
Watched them own the Blues.
They're ferocious. They play as a TEAM and torture opponents.
Our fairies can't handle the heat and turn to jelly.

We'll lose by 14 goals.
It will be like any other game vs Swans in the 80s, 90s, and 2010-2019.

Geeez. I copped criticism for having a crack at players last year but at least that was on the back of sustained form over years and I never resorted to name calling.

One bad loss and off the wagon you jump taking a turn to the derogatory category. Soft as butter as far as a supporter goes. Time to give it rest I think. Maybe have a break and clear your head.

How many times have we seen the team have a bunch of exciting wins early in the season, giving hope to all of us that maybe, they're on the up.
Only to be dashed by a white-flag performance where the team rolls over without a wimper.
When was that Maddies Match, 2017? Where we were 8 goals in front of Richmond at half time.
Where did we finish that year.
2020, covid, in a Noosa hub, great wins against several teams, travel to Adelaide 2x in 2 weeks for 2 wins. Unheard of for a Saints team. Fell victim to Tigers in a second final.
Last yr, lets Essendon dominate us even though they're 16th. Against Swans, Higgo misses too many and costs us the game.

They're always promising that they've changed, they're a new culture, blah blah blah. And once again they decide it's all too hard.

That’s all very true so ask yourself - what is the constant in the let downs????????
It’s the core senior experienced players who simply ain’t up to it
Lyon implored the midfield to stand up in GWS and they did facts are they can’t keep it up
Last press conference he was pointed by saying “midfield just chugging along”
Think that tells you where the problem lies and he knows it
It won’t cha be till we bite the bullet- move on from Richo/Ratts days the beige mids taking us nowhere

[Teflon]

Agree Windhager and Owens must get more time in the middle to improve our pedestrian midfield.
We also desperately need an upgrade to Howard, as he doesn’t cut it one on one!
Marshall needs help so we don’t burn him out.

Shame re Howard
I almost feel like he would be a better attacking CHB at times - he’s just not a lock down 1 out defender…
Dare I say it….do you drop a Battle to try Cordy as your lockdown and move Howard out to CHB??

[lewdogs]

Don’t panic…
Talk of rebuilds….

How about some freeekin’ results for once.
Tired of the pathetic excuses year after year after year.

Hawks side is s*** on paper and if they are back playing finals in a year or two then what does that say?

We’ve had so many years at the bottom to bottom 6 and STILL can’t do anything decent and maintain it for half a season let alone a full season and then multiple seasons on end. It’s actually laughable.

We are fifth on the ladder in a season no one predicted us to finish in the eight, and many had us as a bottom four side.

Results wise we are performing well above expectations, with an entirely new coaching panel.

Not sure it's panic stations yet.

The exact same loss happened last year and it was the end of the road. You could feel it in the crowd and leaving the game. Dead silence and complete disappointment and bewilderment.

95% of teams not only beat, but walk in against the bottom sides, but not us, that’s far too difficult.

Happened in 2017, last year and this year.

It’s not good enough. Could have been 3 games in the 8 after the weekend, and afford to lose to who we should lose to.

As I said, no more excuses.

Some of these players have played 1 final, surely every game they are dog hungry for any opportunity.
Seems not to be the case.

95% of sides walk it in against bottom sides so they? Just like the Cats at home to GWS last week?

Here's a newsflash for you, if you support football you'll get losses. Even bad ones.

You'd think our supporters would have a bit more backbone after all these years. I saw people storming out and throwing their scarves on the ground in disgust. Fairly embarrassing behaviour if you ask me.

[saintbob]

With exception of a few new kids our list hasn’t changed and we’ve had our fair share of injuries this season which hasn’t helped, but we are still well short of having a good list let alone a great list.

RTB needs to get a good understanding of what’s on the list and who he needs to trade, delist and bring in at the end of the year and hopefully he doesn’t take the softly, softly approach of the last few coaches!!!

[saynta]

Agree Windhager and Owens must get more time in the middle to improve our pedestrian midfield.
We also desperately need an upgrade to Howard, as he doesn’t cut it one on one!
Marshall needs help so we don’t burn him out.

Shame re Howard
I almost feel like he would be a better attacking CHB at times - he’s just not a lock down 1 out defender…
Dare I say it….do you drop a Battle to try Cordy as your lockdown and move Howard out to CHB??

Ah ,let me think for a minute.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................No.

[Teflon]

Agree Windhager and Owens must get more time in the middle to improve our pedestrian midfield.
We also desperately need an upgrade to Howard, as he doesn’t cut it one on one!
Marshall needs help so we don’t burn him out.

Shame re Howard
I almost feel like he would be a better attacking CHB at times - he’s just not a lock down 1 out defender…
Dare I say it….do you drop a Battle to try Cordy as your lockdown and move Howard out to CHB??

Ah ,let me think for a minute.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................No.

Oh ffs sake
Personal stalker again!!
Geezus like being followed round at a nursing home by the old guy with an A frame screaming nonsense while he’s crapping his dacks
Nigh nigh time….

[B.M]

There is no such thing as a CHB

It’s not 2010

[saynta]

I was talking to a North Melbourne friend of mine and told him that my team is nearly as crap as his. He laughed and said well at least we have a crack

Had a think about it and he’s right

A bum ‘crack’.

They have won 2 games. We have won 7.

Think harder.

it's more about us having a better team than them but they are having more of a crack than us.. the game tally is not the point.

Vortex understands this..he has a PhD

[saynta]

Agree Windhager and Owens must get more time in the middle to improve our pedestrian midfield.
We also desperately need an upgrade to Howard, as he doesn’t cut it one on one!
Marshall needs help so we don’t burn him out.

Shame re Howard
I almost feel like he would be a better attacking CHB at times - he’s just not a lock down 1 out defender…
Dare I say it….do you drop a Battle to try Cordy as your lockdown and move Howard out to CHB??

Ah ,let me think for a minute.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................No.

Oh ffs sake
Personal stalker again!!
Geezus like being followed round at a nursing home by the old guy with an A frame screaming nonsense while he’s crapping his dacks
Nigh nigh time….

Just who is following who?

I can at least reply to a football comment without resorting to stupid, puerile name calling.

[ctqs]

If someone said at the start of the season that we'd be fifth at the bye, I would have taken it. I'm refusing to get caught up in week-to-week results and I'm withholding any judgment till the end of the season, whenever that is.

[Templar]

We are scrappers. As long as the players remember that and scrap hard for four quarters in every game we will win more than lose.

[samuraisaint]

Not even half way through the season yet.
A lot of the teams with younger players, and some in red hot form right now may drop off the pace.
12 matches left. I reckon we win 5-7 of them.
Being 7-4 means we have credits in the bank.
We've won 10 games or more in the last three seasons, so we're not far off it.

[SaintWiki]

RTB may not be concerned because he may see this year wholly as the 'getting to know you' period and perhaps doesn't really see finals until next year and chasing a Premiership in the next few years after that. However, supporters and indeed players need to see constant noticeable advancements all of the time to feel comfortable.

I'm starting to get the same feelings about this year as I did last year, start off with promise and then it looked like players lost the passion. I'm probably wrong but It looks like in the first few games this year the players were given very few instructions and allowed to just 'go for it' and then they were told to play more structured and seemed to have lost their passion and perhaps fitness as well as playing outside their comfort zones.

[CQ SAINT]

Get them physically fit and mentally strong, then cull the weak. That's where we are at. The test is now. 11 games to go, if we win 6 we have been successful, If we don't structure and process will take no prisoners.
We have 33 games 2 drafts and 2 trade periods to shape our list. After that, consistent finals appearances will be expected.

[Yorkeys]

On recent form: worst performing sides; Geelong, premiership hangover Selwood gone;
Carlton, poorly coached, Cripps slow, McKay can't kick, mids not firing like last year,
Eagles, decimated by injury
North, poor list but improved performances,
Us, no discernible reason players just lost form and competitive fire?

[saynta]

Get them physically fit and mentally strong, then cull the weak. That's where we are at. The test is now. 11 games to go, if we win 6 we have been successful, If we don't structure and process will take no prisoners.
We have 33 games 2 drafts and 2 trade periods to shape our list. After that, consistent finals appearances will be expected.

12. There is an extra game this year. Called the gather round or some such stupid f****** name.

[Vortex]

If someone said at the start of the season that we'd be fifth at the bye, I would have taken it. I'm refusing to get caught up in week-to-week results and I'm withholding any judgment till the end of the season, whenever that is.

As I'm always telling my students; sample size is very important when making assessments about where a list is at, I also stress to my students using the right reference point as your measuring scale is also important when measuring where a list is at.

I also recommend to my students to learn the game of chess if they want a deeper understanding of the game of Australian Rules.

[CQ SAINT]

The first 6 weeks were about us. They included the non-negotiables,- workload, effort, fitness, defence first.

The next 5 weeks were about our opposition and how we would respond. We can posture and measure up, but we can't possibly sustain the defensive route at this stage and we really struggle to score, because we are prepared to give up ground to focus on our defensive running system and good forward lines can hurt us.
We switched off the system against Port to hold ground and seemed to be relying on the personnel, as system slipped away. We got a full taste of our below par disposal efficiency and discovered the wrong blokes want to kick the ball clear, too often.

Steele Crouch Gresham and Ross have a big gap to make up on the disposal efficiency of the top 8 clubs. Clark was a tough loss again. Hopefully Makenzie has healed and Sinclair stays back with Wilkie and he Hill and NWM can attack from the wings. Mason Wood, Byrnes, Owens, Caminiti and Membrey need to provide linking targets coming out of defence and King need to kick 50 goals this year.

Easier said than done. I reckon if we want to play finals, we could, if we want to produce finals winning football, we need more substantial growth in the young and fringe players output.

Michito can't play forward and go into a clearance and kick to himself. Windhager needs to be more than a stopper and he will.
Membrey needs to find form and he will.
Battle could end up forward again. Cordy could end up in defence again.
Keeler may pass Heath.

[Otiman]

Keeler may pass Heath.

There's room for both in the side, just not with Marshall as well.

In the modern age, Keeler might work as a midfielder.

[Teflon]

The first 6 weeks were about us. They included the non-negotiables,- workload, effort, fitness, defence first.

The next 5 weeks were about our opposition and how we would respond. We can posture and measure up, but we can't possibly sustain the defensive route at this stage and we really struggle to score, because we are prepared to give up ground to focus on our defensive running system and good forward lines can hurt us.
We switched off the system against Port to hold ground and seemed to be relying on the personnel, as system slipped away. We got a full taste of our below par disposal efficiency and discovered the wrong blokes want to kick the ball clear, too often.

Steele Crouch Gresham and Ross have a big gap to make up on the disposal efficiency of the top 8 clubs. Clark was a tough loss again. Hopefully Makenzie has healed and Sinclair stays back with Wilkie and he Hill and NWM can attack from the wings. Mason Wood, Byrnes, Owens, Caminiti and Membrey need to provide linking targets coming out of defence and King need to kick 50 goals this year.

Easier said than done. I reckon if we want to play finals, we could, if we want to produce finals winning football, we need more substantial growth in the young and fringe players output.

Michito can't play forward and go into a clearance and kick to himself. Windhager needs to be more than a stopper and he will.
Membrey needs to find form and he will.
Battle could end up forward again. Cordy could end up in defence again.
Keeler may pass Heath.

Really good post

[B.M]

Because it is what you spruke?!

[Teflon]

Because it is what you spruke?!

Hello pet stalker
No it’s a good post cause it’s not cliched riddled drivel with dumb stuff like
“Pick best players to play”
Kinda nonsense