Official TEAM vs Carlton

[saintly]

interesting side.

it's quite possible that at some point tomorrow night, our back six will be:

Dawson: 195cm
Gilbert: 194cm
Hudghton: 191cm
Fisher: 191cm
Goddard: 189cm
Blake: 189cm

average height: 191.5cm

that's a pretty big backline! this is pretty extreme, admittedly, but not many saints are automatic choices for the small back position. bakes, obviously, will probably play back there, but there aren't heaps of other options.

Goddard will play forward and I reckon Fisher may head further into the midfield or up forward too at times

no problem with that so long it doesn't leave us light on for creative run and attack out of a backline that contains max, blake and dawson (a lesser offender).

gilbert and fisher use their creative run fromt he back line. dawson has just begun to(eg last weeks game dawson slipped into the mid field a couple of times with kicks or handballs. quite accurate too) do this and blake does it a little.

[bergholt]

not so...blake and dempster are both 191 cm.........

seriously? i was taking them from http://www.footywire.com/, where blake's 189. but now if i look in the footy record dempster's 192!

Dawson: 195cm
Gilbert: 194cm
Dempster: 192cm
Fisher, S: 192cm
Blake: 191cm
Goddard: 191cm
Hudghton: 191cm
Maguire: 190cm

which leaves tonight's potential back six with an average height of 192.3cm. even taller!

man, i wish there was some consistency in these measurements.

[vacuous space]

I don't want to spoil your fun, but Steven Baker will almost certainly play in the backline.

[bergholt]

I don't want to spoil your fun, but Steven Baker will almost certainly play in the backline.

i don't want to spoil your fun, but i did say "bakes, obviously, will probably play back there".

[vacuous space]

i don't want to spoil your fun, but i did say "bakes, obviously, will probably play back there".

I stand corrected. Carry on.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

not so...blake and dempster are both 191 cm.........

seriously? i was taking them from http://www.footywire.com/, where blake's 189. but now if i look in the footy record dempster's 192!

Dawson: 195cm
Gilbert: 194cm
Dempster: 192cm
Fisher, S: 192cm
Blake: 191cm
Goddard: 191cm
Hudghton: 191cm
Maguire: 190cm

which leaves tonight's potential back six with an average height of 192.3cm. even taller!

man, i wish there was some consistency in these measurements.

Unfortunately, your standard measuring stick can't handle just how versatile Jason Blake is.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

OK..7 it is...and I agree..if he does kick 7 it will be a close game...and if he kicks them all on Max then I will admit that he's had a poor night...but..if he does as I suspect and completely blankets Fev..will you then admit that there might be still a bit of life in the old dog yet???

You are now conceding 7 goals to Fev with Max on him before you declare it a bad night! That's confidence for you. As I have said in my previous post, no opposition player has kicked more than 3 goals against us in any game this year. Fevola's average is 3.5 goals per game and there have been four games when he has kicked one or none, all against teams we have thrashed. And yet you now want 7, up from 4 in your previous post, before Max has a bad game!

If Max plays on Fev and keeps him to 3, I'll be satisfied. But as I have said repeatedly, it's the consequences of Max's one dimensional play that are just as concerning as the number of goals his direct opponent kicks. We saw the spectacle last week of Sam Fisher emulating the "Max Special", a two fisted punch away when he was on his own and could easily have taken the mark. Max "invented" this novel approach a number of years ago and it has clearly influenced the play of others on the backline where Max is supposed to be a leader. I note that this approach from our backs was singularly lacking in the first ten games this year when players trusted their instincts and went for the mark (not always taking it, but they must continue to try). Max is in no position to offer anyone advice on this issue.

Max is 32, and to continue your metphor, you can't teach old dogs new tricks. I hope for the team's sake that he plays a blinder. My guess is, if he starts on Fevola, he won't stay there long.

Wow. If Max gives up 7 to Fev, I'll be stunned as much because you'd think we'd have tried someone else on him before then.

Since the beginning of 2006, the most Fev has kicked against St Kilda was 6 - round 6, 2007. Max wasn't playing (can't remember who took him... Gwilt?). The most in that timeframe (where Max was playing) is 5 (rd 17 2007). What's possibly most interesting - given how Fev rates Max - is that in that timeframe, Max has missed 2 of 4 games, so making assumptions one way or the other is pretty bold.

PF, you might want to note this approach which was "missing" from our backline has been used by defenders such as Zac Dawson who put an uncontested spoil through for a rushed behind early against Port (I think it was Port - definately interstate as I was watching on TV). Raph Clarke has thrown up a couple as has Blake. Any time a St Kilda defender is close to goal under any pressure, they're spoiling first, going for the boundary and trusting in the clearance power. What might be misleading is we really don't seem to spend much time down there.

BTW, I take it as evidence of Max Hudghton's awesomeness that he travelled back in time to "invent" the uncontested spoil, which has been a staple of the games of fairly handy defenders of recent times such As Mal Micheal, Stephen Silvagni, Glenn Archer and Mick Martin.

Between Blake's ability to change his height at will, and Hudghton's ablity to travel through time, no wonder the Saints defense is so stingy this year.

[Legendary]

I think the team selection is spot on.

To all those concerned about losing the marking, lead-up and pressuring role of Gwilt from the team, check out a couple of stats:

Average marks:
Milne = 5 per game
Gwilt = 4 per game

Average tackles:
Milne = 2.7
Gwilt = 2.5

Average goals:
Milne = 2.2
Gwilt = 0.4


Milne gives us everything Gwilt does ... PLUS the ability to kick 11 goals and win the match off his own boot.

And the certainty he will kick at least 2 or 3.

We are improving the side dramatically with Milne being present ... he takes as many marks leading up the ground as Gwilt does, and provides more pressure in the forwardline.

[InkerSaint]

Well I'll eat my shorts.

All the people who said Gwilt would be dropped for a fit Milne were right, so I stand corrected.

I will point out though - it's an interesting precedent. The first time this year that any from the R1 starting 22 has been dropped for performance rather than injury or suspension.

What about R Clarke?

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_m ... s?mid=4267

Hayes wasn't ready to go in round 1... seems a long time ago, doesn't it?

Clarke went out with a calf strain if I remember correctly.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

I think the team selection is spot on.
...

Milne gives us everything Gwilt does ... PLUS the ability to kick 11 goals and win the match off his own boot.

And the certainty he will kick at least 2 or 3.

We are improving the side dramatically with Milne being present ... he takes as many marks leading up the ground as Gwilt does, and provides more pressure in the forwardline.

While I agree that the selection is a good one, I wouldn't say Milne brings everything Gwilt does.

Gwilt's role is twofold:
1: Provide a 3rd marking forward option. Milne may take marks on the lead, but cannot provide a marking contest against talls. Gwilt can.
2: Contest and provide pressure at ground level. Given that Reiwoldt and Kosi are expected to command most of the aerial forward opportunities, the primary area he's intended to fill that they don't is groundball and tackling - this aspect Milne does provide.

With Gwilt's dropping, I would not expect the role is gone, or that Milne is expected to be anything other than what he has been - forward crumber kicking goals and laying tackles.

I would expect it signals that while passable, others can be rotated forward (Goddard, Gilbert, perhaps even Blake) to fulfill and even exceed the value Gwilt provided there (Certainly, if Goddard plays the role for any length of time, one would expect him to greatly exceed Gwilt) as needed. It signals we see more need for Milne's crumbing and improving our conversion of inside 50s to scoring shots than for Gwilt.

I agree, though the irony is I thought Gwilt playe one of his best games last week - and really showed that value at times as an extra tall option.

[saintsRrising]

It is not Milne for Gwilt...and Milne will not be playing in the role that Gwilt was.

That will go to BJ or Gilbert or Blake etc. ie one of our mid size players.
I favour BJ myself as he can do all that Gwilt can buta lot better.



We have sorely missed Milne asa FP crumber and that is where he will play ...with yes spells up the ground.

Mini had been filling in for Milne in part and so Milne will displace Mini.

Schneider will play well out from goals...as will Mini. These two laya lot of tackles and are vital for our FP.

Milne will seek to break free at all times...and he will feed off Kosi's crumbs....plus at times providinga marking target.

[The Fireman]

As already mentioned, we are putting in our best side..so it amazes me that so many are worried about tomorrow night.
Let's face it people if we can't beat the cheating rabble tomorrow night then what hope do we have against a real side?
They are only a threat against honest competition not against talent, looking forward to the win....again.

See.....