Expectations of 08

[ben_fff]

Where do you see us finishing in 08?

IMO I see us as a serious top 4 side, we finished the year as one of the better sides in the league and teams like the Roos, Hawks and Power should level out a bit, I'd be pretty dissapointed if we weren't a serious finals contender and even worse if we were to miss out all together.

[fonz_#15]

premiership. i demand we do not tolerate mediocrity, nor settle for 2nd best anymore, We need to get serious and stop being content with playing in a finals series. lift your game saints.

[ben_fff]

premiership. i demand we do not tolerate mediocrity, nor settle for 2nd best anymore, We need to get serious and stop being content with playing in a finals series. lift your game saints.

So you see us as having a strong enough side to win the cup?

I think we'll be a fair chance providing Gardiner realises some of the talent he is capable of, same with King, he had a decent grand final but we'll need him to play consistently in that vein.

Most of all we need hunger, something our team has been missing since 05

[Oh When the Saints]

We were ranked #3 last year after Round 11, and the only major change to the team is the loss of Gehrig (60 goals).

Schneider will cover 30 of those goals, and Kosi should add another 40 at least.

We also gain King in the ruck, which is an improvement to the team.

We also gain Goddard, which is a massive improvement to the team.

Ball will be fitter, and Hayes will improve.

Add to that some natural improvement from Gilbert and Armitage, and give Maxy a proper pre-season under his belt ...


There are no excuses not to be a top four side in 2008.

[Armoooo]

The premiership!! we HAVE to do it for Harvey.
Winning the flag without him would seem hollow otherwise...
I think this year we are a lot less predictable and we have a lot more midfield options throughout the ground, we've got more quality in the ruck division which means we will no longer have to carry Rix.
It should be a good year with Goddard coming back and the continued improvement of Gram, Montagna, Dal, Gilbert and all of our other 23 and under players...

[Zed]

Geelong still clearly the standout.

I personally still rate the Eagles - although losing Judd and Cousins will move them from the top rung to the 2nd rung. Collingwood probably the other team whose youngsters will continue to mature and join the Eagles on the 2nd rung.

Throw a blanket over a group fo teams for the 3rd rung - Hawthorn, Power, Swans, Saints.

The 4th rung is Bulldogs, Kangaroos, Crows, Freo, Brisbane and maybe Carlton sneaks in on the back of Judd and further maturity of Walker, Gibbs, Murphy etc.

then the final group is Essendon, Melbourne and richmond.

So, I'd be expecting a finish somewhere between 4 - 7, happy if we finished 1 -3, dissappointed in we finished 8th, and outright pi55ed off if we finish outside the 8

[GrumpyOne]

premiership. i demand we do not tolerate mediocrity, nor settle for 2nd best anymore, We need to get serious and stop being content with playing in a finals series. lift your game saints.

Spot on Fonz.

[fonz_#15]

premiership. i demand we do not tolerate mediocrity, nor settle for 2nd best anymore, We need to get serious and stop being content with playing in a finals series. lift your game saints.

So you see us as having a strong enough side to win the cup?

I think we'll be a fair chance providing Gardiner realises some of the talent he is capable of, same with King, he had a decent grand final but we'll need him to play consistently in that vein.

Most of all we need hunger, something our team has been missing since 05

yes i do see us as a strog enough side. There is no reason that a team with the likes of Hayes, Riewoldt, Dal Santo, etc can't win a flag. We don't have any obvious weaknesses (attitude and application a possile exception), and with a year under the new coach, the side have had time to adapt to thr RL model.

it is important we focus on development of our youngsters without throwing them into the deep end at the wrong time. It is important that gilbert doesn't bulk up too much, as his pace is an asset that cannot be lost, also he lays a mean tackle so strength isn't an issue despite being skinny. I would like to see Allen, Geary, Armitage and Howard push hard for a spot this year.

We have plenty of depth, and if maxi can stay injury free, our defence is more than formiddable, with Goose and chips who can play tall also.

Kosi will be good cover for fraser at FF. he takes a great overhead mark and is good on the lead. Schneider boosts our forward stocks as well.

Gram, Fiora, Montagna are three men with pace and driving kicks that break lines, these three men need to take their game to another level in 2008.

Also there is a guy called Goddard coming back who can play a bit, however expectations need to be low in the first 8-11 rounds as it is a long road back from such a severe injury lay off.

we have a good mix of class, depth and a little bit of youth coming through, and this competition is all about having a good even mix. If the team can stay fit and decrease injuries, we should make top 4 and go on to play in a prelim at the very least.. anything else is a fail for mine.

[fonz_#15]

i should add the importance of keeping 1 or both of king and M.Gardiner fit to free up kosi as a FF.

[stinger]

the flag is ours...the cup's being engraved already....

[Otiman]

The mindset of the coaching staff, players, and everyone involved will be for a premiership. This is definitely doable from our current situation.

It will come down to a few things, such as our gamble with topping up, and some young players coming through - hopefully one of Geary, Armitage or Allen can be in our best 22. Other players such as Raph Clarke, Clint Jones, and Matt Ferguson's level of success will impact greatly on our team.

It's all about "raising the bar" from every selection from #1 to #22 on the field.

[yipper]

I am expecting a pretty exciting season in 08. We will actually be fit going into the new season - and guided by what could only be described as state of the art training / fitness team. We have bolstered the team without giving up much. The loss of Gehrig will hurt - but can be covered by a fit, confident Kossi at FF.

Several palyers would be on make or break seasons and others are expected to step up. Reckon memberships will soar on the back of another good draw and rejuvenated club administration. So- look out, I reckon we will kick some butt big time in 08.

[Gilbert The Great]

Injury free i would disappointed if we cant go top 4.
The competition is not all that strong if you take out Geelong.
A few teams played above themselves this year. eg. Port

[midas_touch]

We will make top four provided we stay relatively injury free. With Goddard back, the players getting more accustomed to the game plan, a decent ruck combination for a change, a 100% Ball and Lenny as well as Kosi tearing it up at FF which I'm confident he will, we are capable of returning to our 04/05 form.

[mad saint guy]

If we get our usual run with injuries then I'd expect us to finish between 6th-10th.

With plenty of luck just about any team can finish in the top 2 these days, so it is an extremely difficult task to predict next year's ladder.

If I put money on it, I would go with 7th.

[bigcarl]

The mindset of the coaching staff, players, and everyone involved will be for a premiership.

it had better be. i'll be happy if we finish top 4 and have a serious crack at it again. the rest is down to luck and form

[Ghost Like]

I'm expecting a St Kilda side with a harder edge, one that has Ross Lyon stamped all over it. I expect the players to be all on the same page, inspired by Riewoldt, Hayes and Ball and focused on working together to achieve Lton's plan. I expect them to be more accountable, to run harder and to back each other up.

I expect them to play off in the 2008 Grand Final and I expect them to win it.

[Teflon]

Top 4 - injuries will decide.

IF we get 10 to 15 games out of Gardiner/King we will be super competitive. IMO we need another 2 mids to step in this year (Harvs is the cream - NOT the saviour at 36). Dal, Lenny, Ball, Monty all up and going are class BUT for us to genuinely challenge the next rung need to step in. Gram? X Clarke? ....even a few good showings from Armo would go a long way. Guys like Jones, Sneider occasionally etc etc must inject some depth if we are to go anywhere near it.

[Saints Premiers 2008]

top 4 then god knows

[saintsRrising]

Current Expectations: Well bouyant at present!!!

However we have some very serious player unknowns yet that will be key on how well we can go in 2008....and this will no doubt impact on "My expectations" in say the final lead up to Round 1.

King and Gardiner

Need at least one of them to play most the year. Is Kings body right at last after being treated with cotton wool for most of 2007 withe Ctas just making sure that he would be ready for the finals.

Gardiners feet....stilla huge unknown. Will gardi ever play for the Saints??

Ball

After wanting to have at least one of Kor G...the next biggest player influence is Ball. Will his abuctor release operation restore him back to bea somewhat near his level delivereda few years back???

BJ

I am content for him to slow start and then build up late in the year. Anything more is a bonus.

Overall Injury rate

Hopefully no worse in 2007 than AFL average or thereabouts. The recent swag of new expertise in this area in securing Misson through to the AIS guys gives great hope. By the end of the pre-season competition we should have some inkling of how our injury season may unfold.


Back to now!!!


Right now my expecatations are high because even though we have lost a number of players the only one that had significant positive impact in 2007 was GTrain...and he was also the only likely player of those that have left that would have been likely to have had positive impact in 2008.


However outweighing this I would view that GTrain has been more than offset by gaining Schneider and King.....and also remember that the GTrain had been playing injured for several seasons. Kosi also presents a good ready made option fora replacement power forward.


Heading into 2008 yes BJ will most likely havea slow start......but again more than offsetting this is that Hayes, Kosi and Goose will all be 100% and firing. we saw late in the year that hayes got back to his best...anda full year from Hayes in 2008 will be very good for the Saints.



Kosi is fit....and perhaps in many ways in 2008 he will feel more at home because he will have his position. Since his first season Kosi has been basically used as a filler...playing where we had a hole.

In 2008 I think he will know from the outset that he will be given the role of being one of our two key forwards along with Roo....and so he will be able to settle into it.....to build on HIS position.


Stucture


With our recruits.....in my mind our team balance and structure just looks and feels a lot better.


King asa ruckman (Gardi would be a bonus)

Schneider to play with Milne as one of TWO small/medium forwards should help to free up Milne and create more opportunities.


One negative is that with Attard out for the year and Baker for the first 25% makes us light on for taggers.....though we have L Fisher, Dempster & Birss as good options.

The midfield is still a concern....but hopefully Ball will effectively be a new recruit. We need one of Armo, Geary or Eddie to stand up and play some good support games to help ease the load........PLUS the X-man to find a bit better polish to finish the ball off better. Harvey needs to only be playing a support role in 2008....and to not have try and carry the midfield like he did in 2007. I am expecting Joey and Fiora to continue on with their 2007 form.

raph I am just ignoring...if he can play some good consitent football then that will just bea bonus. In 2007 hedid not havea pre-season or a first hal-season....so in many ways you can not judge him on 2007 form. 2008 he will be fully fit.....so it will be up to him to deliver.

[riccardo]

I think 6th.

Be realistic, we are rebuilding slightly and will probably struggle to adapt to life without Fraser, who has tended to kick the bulk of our score.

We will improve on '07 effort but if anything honestly believes we are a shot at the Flag they are too one eyed for thier own good.

[spiral2]

I think 6th.

Be realistic, we are rebuilding slightly and will probably struggle to adapt to life without Fraser, who has tended to kick the bulk of our score.

We will improve on '07 effort but if anything honestly believes we are a shot at the Flag they are too one eyed for thier own good.

you never know your luck in a big city, especially with the league being pretty even these days

however I tend to agree, Fraser, though maligned on here at times, will be a big loss, he kicks key goals, and has kept us alive in many games.

Kosi hasn't put together a four quarter game in the forward line, from memory. although 2-3 good quarters from a full forward is probably enough. his kicking at goal seemed to improve this year, and he'll need to keep that up if we are to rely on him at FF. extra pressure, extra misses?

with the right attitude in the playing group and an ok run with injuries we could go anywhere, just look at Geelong. it's really down to the playing group to play total team footy. we have the key talent, just need an even effort for a whole season (injuries a big factor in that).

my tip 6-7th but with some luck 3-5th

[BAM! (shhhh)]

Expectations for the Saints remain tough for me to guage. It centres around the same thing it has for the last few years.

Injuries.

While some regard this as an excuse, it will dictate the Saints final position on the ladder. Given a totally healthy list, I believe the Saints remain top 4 talent, though there are other things that could prevent them getting there - i.e. while Lyon get's benefit of the doubt in year 1, were he to have a healthy list in year 2, the pressure will be on to deliver. Should individual players dissapoint with no offsetting increase from others (like, say, age catching up with Harvey after all these years) then again the Saints are vulnerable.

Overall, with a healthy list, there's enough players to expect improvement from (Hayes - just about definate. Ball - hopefully. Maguire - just about definate. The Clarke's - hopeful. Schneider - new. King/Gardiner - new. Goddard - definate, though probably not his best) on '07 to think '08 will be a much better season. A couple of extras like an Armitage or new draftee and we're sitting pretty.

However, if there's one major strike against the Saints, it's injury prone. Kosi, King, Gardiner, the entire defense bar Fisher, Ball, and the Clarkes, that it's optomistic to say we'll finally be healthy. Then there's the general run of the mill freak injuries. The question is who, for how long, and when. And on that, the Saints will probably finish between 5th and 8th.

And from there, the question will be who's healthy for finals.

[villasaint]

premiers.

[plugger66]

6th to 8th at best. Hope I am wrong but we have lost our leading goalkicker and havent replaced him. Also lost a bit of depth.