Soft

[Pilgram]

I love the Saints, but to my mind in 2009 there is an issue with mental hardness amongst the list.
I’m 5’10â€

[spert]

Could be more to do with the style of player we have recruited, rather than the ability to tackle. I reckon we suffer through having to many outside receivers, and not enough in-and-under, hard-ball-get players across all positions. The receivers may be talented, but they are not normally the hard tackling types. I'm sure RL is fully aware of that, but we we need to do some clever recruiting.

[SAINT JUMP]

you ever been to training. tackle bags

[Pilgram]

good thoughts spert i couldnt agree more.
dust off the tacklebags and get these boys toughened-up i say.
no more softness!

[SainterK]

I am thinking that the depth we will have on our list next year, will do an awful lot for motivation. Lets see their hardness at the ball, when there are others pushing for selection. In my opinion that is what has been lacking in the past, I am thinking that you run the risk of being dropped more frequently next season should the hardness not be there...

[rodgerfox]

I love the Goose. One of his biggest fans.

However, watching us play the Hawks in the prelim made me wonder about the infamous 'Barry Hall incident'.

Hodge was spitting blood.

Spitting blood.

He got up, played on, and pushed medicos away at the huddle so his teammates didn't know he was struggling.

I'm not meaning to pot Goose here, cause at the time I thought he had every right to stay down for as long as he did. I'm not saying he's soft, he's as courageous as they come - however I am saying he's not as tough as Hodge. Nowhere near it.

And maybe he, and many others need to be for us to be fiar dinkum.

[Saints Premiers 2008]

I love the Goose. One of his biggest fans.

However, watching us play the Hawks in the prelim made me wonder about the infamous 'Barry Hall incident'.

Hodge was spitting blood.

Spitting blood.

He got up, played on, and pushed medicos away at the huddle so his teammates didn't know he was struggling.

I'm not meaning to pot Goose here, cause at the time I thought he had every right to stay down for as long as he did. I'm not saying he's soft, he's as courageous as they come - however I am saying he's not as tough as Hodge. Nowhere near it.

And maybe he, and many others need to be for us to be fiar dinkum.

mabe with hodge it looked worse than what it was???

[rodgerfox]

I love the Goose. One of his biggest fans.

However, watching us play the Hawks in the prelim made me wonder about the infamous 'Barry Hall incident'.

Hodge was spitting blood.

Spitting blood.

He got up, played on, and pushed medicos away at the huddle so his teammates didn't know he was struggling.

I'm not meaning to pot Goose here, cause at the time I thought he had every right to stay down for as long as he did. I'm not saying he's soft, he's as courageous as they come - however I am saying he's not as tough as Hodge. Nowhere near it.

And maybe he, and many others need to be for us to be fiar dinkum.

mabe with hodge it looked worse than what it was???

Maybe the reason we're still shiit after all these years with this group is that we aren't tough enough.

[ausfatcat]

Goose went on to play he was winded FFS, have you ever been winded? It takes a good 30 secs to a minute to recover which it took Goose to, regardless of how HARD you are or not...


Plus hodge bit his tongue thats where the blood come from.

[Sainter_Dad]

Maybe a jab to the solar plexus caused more discomfort than a little blood. It is possible to bleed profusely without it actually being painful - a gash on the forehead will do that.

Maybe Goose was being tactical

I certainly would not question Goose's hardness - especially not if he was anywhere nearby!

[SainterK]

I love the Goose. One of his biggest fans.

However, watching us play the Hawks in the prelim made me wonder about the infamous 'Barry Hall incident'.

Hodge was spitting blood.

Spitting blood.

He got up, played on, and pushed medicos away at the huddle so his teammates didn't know he was struggling.

I'm not meaning to pot Goose here, cause at the time I thought he had every right to stay down for as long as he did. I'm not saying he's soft, he's as courageous as they come - however I am saying he's not as tough as Hodge. Nowhere near it.

And maybe he, and many others need to be for us to be fiar dinkum.

Hodge was amazingly tough, but we could also draw inspiration from Saints players this year as examples of toughness....

Milne's face copped a terrible bump, insisted on playing the match out with his face swollen beyond recognition. Not only did he play the match out, he was a solid contributor and responsible for the vibe out on the field that day. Not to mention an awful bumpy car ride back to Melbourne so he could play the following week....

Another one that I always like to bring up, don't forget the opponent in the Hodge incident. Kosi landed on his already strapped and injured knee, and obviously was in pain. Sat on the bench for only a short time, and continued to play...

[Sainter_Dad]

Maybe the reason we're still shiit after all these years with this group is that we aren't tough enough.

Maybe our supporters are not steadfast enough either Rodger!

Shiit - well I know of 12 other teams more shiit than us lat year - and only 3 less shiite. Not saying I am accepting of fourth - I cancelled my holiday to New Zealand in the hope that we got in the Grand Final, but we are far from shiite!

Believe or f@rking burn!

[Pilgram]

NO SOFTNESS!
If you aren't tough and hard you aren't in the team.

[borderbarry]

I'd like to see Pilgram try to run through Gardiner or King.

[Pilgram]

I'd like to see Pilgram try to run through Gardiner or King.

give me twenty yards and i would flatten them both like eggs on toast. seriously!

[FortiusQuoFidelius]

Not sure I totally agree with Pilgram, but we have lost some toughness in the last few years... eg Hamill, Guerra, Peckett, Powell, Thompson, Jones et al

[Richter]

Hodge was spitting blood.

Spitting blood......

You're easily conned RF. Anyone with a split lip, or simple nosebleed will "spit blood" - done it many times myself. And as anybody who has ever played sport with me could testify I ain't a tough guy.

I'm not doubting that Hodge is a tough cookie - he is..... but that is not a good example of it. Milney's episode this year is a much better one.

[rodgerfox]

Not sure I totally agree with Pilgram, but we have lost some toughness in the last few years... eg Hamill, Guerra, Peckett, Powell, Thompson, Jones et al

Peckett and Jones???

[Pilgram]

Not sure I totally agree with Pilgram, but we have lost some toughness in the last few years... eg Hamill, Guerra, Peckett, Powell, Thompson, Jones et al

HARDNESS wins premierships.
HARDNESS is a willingness to hate and an act of aggression.
HARDNESS is the difference between a Grand Final and a Flag.

[rodgerfox]

Hodge was spitting blood.

Spitting blood......

You're easily conned RF. Anyone with a split lip, or simple nosebleed will "spit blood" - done it many times myself. And as anybody who has ever played sport with me could testify I ain't a tough guy.

I'm not doubting that Hodge is a tough cookie - he is..... but that is not a good example of it. Milney's episode this year is a much better one.

Hodge made me think about it.

Nigel Lappin playing a GF with a broken rib. Dipper playing on with a punctured lung. Aker with his groin torn off are legitimate examples.

1 thing in common - Premiership heroes.


Goose staying down for as long as he did after a whack in the guts, may have been warranted. But so would have Dipper going to hospital immediately and not playing on. So would Lappin not even playing in the GF. So would Aker sitting on the bench with his groin on ice for the second half of the 01 GF.

The difference is that they didn't.

[FortiusQuoFidelius]

Not sure I totally agree with Pilgram, but we have lost some toughness in the last few years... eg Hamill, Guerra, Peckett, Powell, Thompson, Jones et al

Peckett and Jones???

You dont believe Peckett and Jones were tough ?? Tougher than any of our current crop of players!!

[FortiusQuoFidelius]

Not sure I totally agree with Pilgram, but we have lost some toughness in the last few years... eg Hamill, Guerra, Peckett, Powell, Thompson, Jones et al

HARDNESS wins premierships.
HARDNESS is a willingness to hate and an act of aggression.
HARDNESS is the difference between a Grand Final and a Flag.

Talent has soemthing to do with it too...

[SainterK]

Not sure I totally agree with Pilgram, but we have lost some toughness in the last few years... eg Hamill, Guerra, Peckett, Powell, Thompson, Jones et al

Peckett and Jones???

You dont believe Peckett and Jones were tough ?? Tougher than any of our current crop of players!!

Still to much generalising here, you can't lump the whole playing group into one catergory...

[Pilgram]

Not sure I totally agree with Pilgram, but we have lost some toughness in the last few years... eg Hamill, Guerra, Peckett, Powell, Thompson, Jones et al

HARDNESS wins premierships.
HARDNESS is a willingness to hate and an act of aggression.
HARDNESS is the difference between a Grand Final and a Flag.

Talent has soemthing to do with it too...

TALENT...




































....AND HARDNESS!!!

[Pilgram]

Not sure I totally agree with Pilgram, but we have lost some toughness in the last few years... eg Hamill, Guerra, Peckett, Powell, Thompson, Jones et al

Peckett and Jones???

You dont believe Peckett and Jones were tough ?? Tougher than any of our current crop of players!!

Still to much generalising here, you can't lump the whole playing group into one catergory...

the group chain is only ever as strong as the weakest link.
you find the weakest link and you have beaten the team.