Worst possible start to the season we were all fearing...

[SAINT-LEE]

It was a poorly played game by both teams, very few Saints could walk off feeling they gave their best...but it was a decent effort by most, just not their best.

But thats how it goes.
Cats are almost unbeatable at home. No one needs debate what are facts.

Tight, tough contests, so both teams really struggled to score freely. Loads of easy goals missed on both sides.

I doubt we win against Pies but then we have some very winnable games.

[NickyDal]

I disagree that our season is over or that it is time to start panicking.

We are unlikely to win against the pies but we will not get flogged.
It will be a 3 to 4 goal loss so all the Ross Acolytes can say but we have injuries, we played the best team in the comp and we would have beaten them at Marvel.
Lot's of room for the excuses.

The reason there is no point panicking is because this is exactly where the club and the list is at.
I personally believe we are not a good team, we are a middle of the road 7 - 14 team.
I think we are weaker than last year, I think we drafted OK but that is for the future, however I think we have recruited poorly in the off season.
Henry looks quick but his disposal is appalling, just what we needed another ball butcher.
Paddy Dow is not fit and is well known for his poor disposal.
Bonner is a lovely kick but is also a defender who can't defend or read the game.
Drafting looks OK but seems more interest in Athletes than footballers.

We have a coach that is more interested in effort than skill.
He wants athletes so we can be manic when the opposition have the ball and wants to play risk adverse football when we have it.
He doesn't care that we have players that couldn't hit the side of a barn as he would rather see the ball go to a pack where we can bottle up the play to stifle the opposition's ability to move the ball.
The perfect game for Ross would be us managing to scramble through 10 goals while keeping the opposition to 7.

We are the hardest team to watch in the league as we show absolutely no adventure with the ball.
Most neutrals will not watch our games because we play anti-football and try to suck all of the enjoyment out of the game as a spectacle.

We have a coach who understands it is easier to drag teams into a slogfest than it is to elevate your own game to something entertaining and effective.

I'll give you some credit here
It has to be difficult to even imagine this sort of tripe let alone have the guts to publish it. Kudos

Please feel free to explain which pieces you disagree with.

Do you feel we are better than a 7-14 side? If so please explain why?
Do you think that Henry's 52% disposal efficiency and 5 clangers shows a player that has wonderful disposal skills?
Do you think that Bonner's exemplary defensive skills were on display for all to see on Saturday night?
Do you think that Ross is not more interested in effort than actual skills? He said himself that he was excited because the one thing he knew we could do was run. That sounds like a focus on athletes over footballers. Our FRDP Wilson, who I think will be a good player, has one elite trait and that is his running ability.
Do you believe that Ross has us playing like the great entertainers?
Are you maybe arguing that Ross is not a defense focused coach?
Are you saying that our approach of always going as wide as possible is actually a clever style to maximize our ability to score rather the risk adverse approach to minimize the opposition's ability to hit us on the rebound?

I said I don't believe we should be panicking because we are playing exactly as I expected us to.
We are a mid table team, no better than that, that also means that our season should be live until quite a way into it as we fight for the last couple of spots in the eight.
I will not prostrate myself at the altar of Ross as so many others seem to be doing.
Reading on here you would honestly have to think this was a coach with four or five premierships to his name and not a coach who has taken over A-grade lists and failed to win one with the talent available to him.
Here he needs to build a list which is something he has shown no propensity for in his career so far.
I am saying he can't make us better? No, but I am yet to see anything that makes me think he is the messiah that so many others seem to see.

I think you meant Risk Averse. Not Risk Adverse...

The tendency to avoid risk
What Is Risk Averse? Risk aversion is the tendency to avoid risk. The term risk-averse describes the investor who chooses the preservation of capital over the potential for a higher-than-average return. In investing, risk equals price volatility.

[SaintWiki]

The loss of 4 points is not good no matter how you put it but maniac negativity washes right over my head - We all saw what happened. I haven't been fearing a loss at the start of the year at all and I have enough confidence in the club to expect better results soon.

[NickyDal]

The loss of 4 points is not good no matter how you put it but maniac negativity washes right over my head - We all saw what happened. I haven't been fearing a loss at the start of the year at all and I have enough confidence in the club to expect better results soon.

Quite frankly, after barracking for the Saints for over 50 years, that does not wash with me anymore. I have zero confidence and expectation in them. And I can't see that changing anytime soon.

[SinCitySainter]

That’s great so you will admit you are wrong but will still extensively rubbish the Saints at the first sign of a loss going forward?

I didn't extensively rubbish the saints.
I have opinions on where we are at as a club and opinions on the limitations of certain players and I stated them
I simply said that I don't believe that we are going in the right direction and that I believe that Ross is not a particularly good coach.
I also stated that Ross coaches a boring over defensive style, which is not exactly a controversial opinion.

I am a long term St Kilda supporter, if you think that losing is something I have a problem with or that I am throwing the hissy fit about a performance you are completely in the wrong ballpark.
However, I am also not going to put on the rose (or should that be Ross in your case) coloured glasses and pretend that I think we look good.
Do I think RTB is going to deliver us that elusive second premiership? No.
Do I think we will improve under Ross? No.
Will I stop paying my membership and stop going to games? Also No.

[The Fireman]

[asiu]

thats a different nsw supporter mr fireman

get your s*** together

[SaintWiki]

The loss of 4 points is not good no matter how you put it but maniac negativity washes right over my head - We all saw what happened. I haven't been fearing a loss at the start of the year at all and I have enough confidence in the club to expect better results soon.

Quite frankly, after barracking for the Saints for over 50 years, that does not wash with me anymore. I have zero confidence and expectation in them. And I can't see that changing anytime soon.

If you REALLY have been following the Saints for 50 years, you've found a strange time to lose the plot, we have only lost at the cattery by a few points and haven't beaten them down there for Yonks. You must have been hanging upside down from the rafters making strange noises through the really frustrating times.

[NickyDal]

The loss of 4 points is not good no matter how you put it but maniac negativity washes right over my head - We all saw what happened. I haven't been fearing a loss at the start of the year at all and I have enough confidence in the club to expect better results soon.

Quite frankly, after barracking for the Saints for over 50 years, that does not wash with me anymore. I have zero confidence and expectation in them. And I can't see that changing anytime soon.

If you REALLY have been following the Saints for 50 years, you've found a strange time to lose the plot, we have only lost at the cattery by a few points and haven't beaten them down there for Yonks. You must have been hanging upside down from the rafters making strange noises through the really frustrating times.

I have just had enough of all the false dawns...

[The Fireman]

At least you’re getting a Dawn

[Big Max]

Unfortunately the St Kilda midfield I saw on Saturday night makes me very nervous ..

Jack Steele is an AFL standard midfielder, not exactly the best in class, but within the top 20. Good teams need 3-4 quality mids, and I fear we are well short of the required standard.

We must now hope for the 'magic band-aid' to fix our problem, perhaps Dow will be up for the task, maybe Mitch Owens can become an A grade mid .. hopefully Crouch will be better for the run ..

[Otiman]

Unfortunately the St Kilda midfield I saw on Saturday night makes me very nervous ..

There were plenty missing, including 3/4 of a Brad Crouch.

IMO midfield and stoppages aren't where games are won and lost and we shouldn't get too hung up on it.

[The Fireman]

No, I will follow St Kilda and if we finish higher than 7th I will admit I was wrong.
If we don't will you?

I apologise….got you mixed up with Sydney saint. I really need to pay more attention.

[Scollop]

Jack Steele is an AFL standard midfielder, not exactly the best in class, but within the top 20.

Not sure if AFL standard sums him up. I believe he focusses too much on defending instead of winning the footy. I believe it's demanded of him from his current coach and I think he is a lot more talented than that.

He has a reputation for being elite at tackling. Reminds me of another New South Welshman...Lenny ...but seems to me that people forget Steele from 2019-2021.

When he shifted from being Richo's prime tagger to being Ratts prime ball hunter, he was an all round elite midfielder. All round, because his goal assists, his metres gained, his DE, his score involvements, his inside 50s were elite. Check out his stats in footywire.

Compare Jack Steele at age 24 to Lenny Hayes season when he was the same age.

https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_ ... 019&type=A

Compare Lenny Hayes in 2009 (yes the year we made the GF and Lenny made the All Australian team) with Jack Steele in 2021 when he dominated under Ratts.

https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_ ... 021&type=A

[SinCitySainter]

No, I will follow St Kilda and if we finish higher than 7th I will admit I was wrong.
If we don't will you?

I apologise….got you mixed up with Sydney saint. I really need to pay more attention.

No problems no offense taken.
I am an ex-Sydneyite haven't lived there for many years.
Back in Melbourne now.

[The Fireman]

No, I will follow St Kilda and if we finish higher than 7th I will admit I was wrong.
If we don't will you?

I apologise….got you mixed up with Sydney saint. I really need to pay more attention.

No problems no offense taken.
I am an ex-Sydneyite haven't lived there for many years.
Back in Melbourne now.

melb is just as crazy as Syd atm.

[Bruce G McAbee]

The reality is we lost that game in the 1st half of the 2nd quarter where our intensity dropped and we let them in for 3 relatively easy goals.
Plus, we should have kicked at least 2 more goals in 1st quarter where we missed 2 relatively easy set shots.
We can beat Collingwood on Thursday night, their defence is very much weakened without Brown and probably Howe as he will probably be thrown forward because they can't score.

[The Fireman]

worst possible thread to start the season

[Otiman]

worst possible thread to start the season

If it saves a dog from being kicked, then it's probably worth it.

[The Fireman]

worst possible thread to start the season

If it saves a dog from being kicked, then it's probably worth it.

[Life Long Saint]

Quite frankly, after barracking for the Saints for over 50 years, that does not wash with me anymore. I have zero confidence and expectation in them. And I can't see that changing anytime soon.

If you REALLY have been following the Saints for 50 years, you've found a strange time to lose the plot, we have only lost at the cattery by a few points and haven't beaten them down there for Yonks. You must have been hanging upside down from the rafters making strange noises through the really frustrating times.

I have just had enough of all the false dawns...

Really?
You seem to relish in pessimism.
I know of no other poster that takes as much delight in negative posting as you.
And I don't believe for a nanosecond that you've been supporting this club for over 50 years. You display none of the wisdom that someone of that vintage should have. I seriously have my doubts as to whether you'd even be eligible to drive to the footy.

[SydneySainter]

Come on. Surely I’m the most negative on this forum.

All fun and games aside, while we had injuries, the Cats (despite painted opinions) are nothing more than an okay side. They will not play finals this year and at full strength, were a 6 to 7 goal better team.

To blow a golden opportunity to final dispel this Cattery fortress myth and start the season with a statement was an agonising disappointment.

If our comfort is being content in the myth that Geelong are a good team, then our top 4 opponents are already 8 to 9 goals better than us.

We’ve been rebuilding for 13 years now…

[SaintPav]

You sound like a pathetic sook.

Go bitch somewhere else.

[Yorkeys]

SydneySainter impersonates Statler and Waldorf to bait the forum.

Cranky old man posing as a supporter. Just a troll. If a Muppet can be a troll.

[SydneySainter]

You can disagree with me and I hope to be proven wrong.