Omens.
You'll see or even look for a million of them this week.
Don't.
Yes there are many parallels and we can find every single thing predicted by history or references to 1966 or whatever but the facts are if we're going to use omens as a reason to win, we're underrating ourselves. How about this for a reason to win?: we are better.
As the season progressed I kept seeing reasons why we were not good enough and trying to think of a team who has won a flag with form as patchy as ours had been that year and I just couldn't. And that is when it hit me - it didn't matter what had happened. This is not about history or looking back to see if it had been done befiore - this was about NOW and making it happen as it did.
Pre-season I was confident that we would be top four again and hopefully in line to challenge for the flag again. As many times throughout the year things didn't go as smoothly as they hoped, my mind changed. Thoughts like "When do Premiers ever come from third and lsoe a handful of games in the alst month to terrible teams?" would pop into my head - but then I'd realise the season we had, everything we'd dealt with and how all through it we'd had one eye n this week, hoping we'd still be alive at this point.
Collingwood have improved out of sight this year and in them, we have a team full of intelligent players who don't think they have it won. They are aware of the enormity of the task ahead. They are just as aware as St Kilda of what they have to do.
What we have that they don't is last year's disappointment driving us and coursing through most of our players. This gives us a slight edge. Never underestimate how important determination and motivation is in winning a Grand Final. it is a very powerful weapon.
Yes they have Swan and Pendlebury and midfield depth that oozes class but we have Riewoldt and Hayes and Montagna and Goddard. yes they have a high scoring and quick ball movement gameplan that has the potential to destroy us, but we have a resolute defence which has the ability to tighten up the game completely and make it impossible for them to score. We can squeeze the life out of them.
Saturday's match won't be won by the team that employs their gameplan first, or the team which gets first ball usage and does the damage straight away, or even by the team that kicks straightest. Saturday's match will be won by the team that wants it more.
I read today that Collingwood is the shortest priced Grand Finalist since 2007 - interstingly what people don't realise is Port didnt have as much motivation to win as Geelong did. And as much as we do too. Port weren't coming off a heartbreaking, demoralising grand Final defeat the year before and quite frankly, Port went in feeling pretty arrogant for a team with pretty much nothing they needed to prove.
Our boys are more sensible, they are more focussed and they know exactly what they need to do this weekend.
I for one can't wait to see it unfold but we have to stop looking at what happened and comparing everything to different years because 2010 is a different year. It will go into the record books for different reasons.
Let's recreate history this Saturday and write the script the way we wanted it written last year.
One final thing - don't go into this weekend wondering how bad it would be to lose two in a row, wonder how amazing it would be to finally win. this is what we've all wanted, more than most things in the world for up to 44 years now... some less, some much less but we all want it. We all were so tantalisingly close to it last year and had it cruelly ripped away from us - let's not have that happen again.
Once again, ladies and gentlemen, throw away your omens. You don't need them. This is 2010.
This is our year!
Go Sainters!!!
Boys and girls, throw the omens away. This is 2010.
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OneEyedSainter77
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Boys and girls, throw the omens away. This is 2010.
Last edited by OneEyedSainter77 on Wed 22 Sep 2010 11:51pm, edited 1 time in total.
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OneEyedSainter77
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People seem to be bringing the old chestnut of the Grand Final reversal - for me this is not an omen - I don't think we need to win to fulfil a prophecy or anything, we need to win to avenge our loss last year.
I keep thinking to myself "We have to win, this simply has to be our year"
Then another voice in my head says "But we're St Kilda. Can you even imagine what it would be like celebrating a Premiership"
Then the first voice says "But we have to win some time. You have to witness it some time. Why wouldn't it be this time?"
I always thought if we won the flag it would take us by surprise. Not be something we built up to and dominated the season and then won it inevitably like Geelong did in 2007 for example. I always thuoght it would be surreal - last year did not feel surreal.
It didn't even feel real to be honest. I forgot it was a Grand Final until about two mintues before when it looked like we had lost it.
Until then it felt like just anopther meaningless home and away game.
It was absolutely friggen crazy.
This year - if we do win the flag, it will be surreal, it will be unexpected and you know what - it will be bloody sweet!
Stop looking for things written in the stars and start looking at the reasons we will win.
Because we are the better team. Because we have twenty-two blokes that came close last year (well ok, not all of them played) and will stop at nothing to do what they couldn't twelve months ago.
Who knows what this year will be remembered for?
Let's make it memorable for all the right reasons.
I keep thinking to myself "We have to win, this simply has to be our year"
Then another voice in my head says "But we're St Kilda. Can you even imagine what it would be like celebrating a Premiership"
Then the first voice says "But we have to win some time. You have to witness it some time. Why wouldn't it be this time?"
I always thought if we won the flag it would take us by surprise. Not be something we built up to and dominated the season and then won it inevitably like Geelong did in 2007 for example. I always thuoght it would be surreal - last year did not feel surreal.
It didn't even feel real to be honest. I forgot it was a Grand Final until about two mintues before when it looked like we had lost it.
Until then it felt like just anopther meaningless home and away game.
It was absolutely friggen crazy.
This year - if we do win the flag, it will be surreal, it will be unexpected and you know what - it will be bloody sweet!
Stop looking for things written in the stars and start looking at the reasons we will win.
Because we are the better team. Because we have twenty-two blokes that came close last year (well ok, not all of them played) and will stop at nothing to do what they couldn't twelve months ago.
Who knows what this year will be remembered for?
Let's make it memorable for all the right reasons.
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bigcarl
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Yep. Grand finals are won by the best team on the day. Losing last year doesn't guarantee victory, but it sure as hell is strong motivation.OneEyedSainter77 wrote:Stop looking for things written in the stars and start looking at the reasons we will win.
We need to start well on Saturday as no doubt the filth will try to jump us. If it becomes the typical Saints arm-wrestle I really fancy our chances.
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Devilhead
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bigcarl
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Great post one eyed sainter!
I know what you mean about last year not feeling real - I reckon it's because of the 40-year drought. I have a much calmer confidence in the boys' attitudes and determination this year.
I must admit to having a bit of fun with omens, but seriously what you say is true - it's all down to one game, and last year's rehearsal has stood the boys in a fabulous position mentally.
People seem to be feeling differently depending on their generation, don't you think? Kids today are much more used to seeing the team win, so they expect it, whereas older supporters almost feel we have got to this point by some freakish accident or just good luck.
Thanks for your post. My thoughts on reading it were "bring it on! Can't wait!"
I know what you mean about last year not feeling real - I reckon it's because of the 40-year drought. I have a much calmer confidence in the boys' attitudes and determination this year.
I must admit to having a bit of fun with omens, but seriously what you say is true - it's all down to one game, and last year's rehearsal has stood the boys in a fabulous position mentally.
People seem to be feeling differently depending on their generation, don't you think? Kids today are much more used to seeing the team win, so they expect it, whereas older supporters almost feel we have got to this point by some freakish accident or just good luck.
Thanks for your post. My thoughts on reading it were "bring it on! Can't wait!"
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ChicagoSaint
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3rd generation saint
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I must admit, even when things weren't going right, that I've just had this feeling that we we're going to do it.
just something about this year, all the adversity this club has gone through this year, adversity that in the past would have ripped the club apart, seen us miss the finals, sack the coach and replace the board.
But this year, the adversity made us stronger, we won 7 games in a row without the player that every one said was the team.
We had scandal at the end of last year over a recruit, yet our club showed solidarity to the club, not the individual, as would happen in the past.
I have just have this belief that we are going to win, that the team we are playing Saturday, which incidently took our game plan and modified it for themselves, may just be shown that we know how do it better.
But let's also remember one last adversity the club has handled with such dignity and respect over the last week, the death of a great club stalwart in Jack Barker, whose funeral happened yesterday.
Think about it, yesterday, Collingwood we're parading around in front of their fans, while our players we're paying respect to a great man, I can't think of anything that could bond a team and motivate them even more than they already are than that.
I went to the first final, feeling nothing, except that I knew we we're good enough to win and that our best will win, and that's what happened.
I've said for a good part of this year that Collingwood have played at their best, as had Geelong and the Bulldogs, we have not.
Yet we saw glimpses of it in the 1st half against Geelong, and in a quarter and half against the Buldogs, remember, from the start of the third quarter to the time we kicked our last goal, last week we scored 10 goals to 1 in that time, every bit as good as Collingwood's 1st half.
I also believe that Collingwood always believed after we beat Geelong that they would play Geelong in the prelim and really prepared themselves for it and built themsleves up for it not really worrying about the following week.
No omens, no stars aligning, but as I said, things just seem to be right, our time has come and the moment we have waited for all of our lives is about to happen.
GO SAINTS!!!!
just something about this year, all the adversity this club has gone through this year, adversity that in the past would have ripped the club apart, seen us miss the finals, sack the coach and replace the board.
But this year, the adversity made us stronger, we won 7 games in a row without the player that every one said was the team.
We had scandal at the end of last year over a recruit, yet our club showed solidarity to the club, not the individual, as would happen in the past.
I have just have this belief that we are going to win, that the team we are playing Saturday, which incidently took our game plan and modified it for themselves, may just be shown that we know how do it better.
But let's also remember one last adversity the club has handled with such dignity and respect over the last week, the death of a great club stalwart in Jack Barker, whose funeral happened yesterday.
Think about it, yesterday, Collingwood we're parading around in front of their fans, while our players we're paying respect to a great man, I can't think of anything that could bond a team and motivate them even more than they already are than that.
I went to the first final, feeling nothing, except that I knew we we're good enough to win and that our best will win, and that's what happened.
I've said for a good part of this year that Collingwood have played at their best, as had Geelong and the Bulldogs, we have not.
Yet we saw glimpses of it in the 1st half against Geelong, and in a quarter and half against the Buldogs, remember, from the start of the third quarter to the time we kicked our last goal, last week we scored 10 goals to 1 in that time, every bit as good as Collingwood's 1st half.
I also believe that Collingwood always believed after we beat Geelong that they would play Geelong in the prelim and really prepared themselves for it and built themsleves up for it not really worrying about the following week.
No omens, no stars aligning, but as I said, things just seem to be right, our time has come and the moment we have waited for all of our lives is about to happen.
GO SAINTS!!!!
Except for the sanity nothing much has been lost.
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OneEyedSainter77
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Well said! Absolutely agree with every single word you wrote.3rd generation saint wrote:I must admit, even when things weren't going right, that I've just had this feeling that we we're going to do it.
just something about this year, all the adversity this club has gone through this year, adversity that in the past would have ripped the club apart, seen us miss the finals, sack the coach and replace the board.
But this year, the adversity made us stronger, we won 7 games in a row without the player that every one said was the team.
We had scandal at the end of last year over a recruit, yet our club showed solidarity to the club, not the individual, as would happen in the past.
I have just have this belief that we are going to win, that the team we are playing Saturday, which incidently took our game plan and modified it for themselves, may just be shown that we know how do it better.
But let's also remember one last adversity the club has handled with such dignity and respect over the last week, the death of a great club stalwart in Jack Barker, whose funeral happened yesterday.
Think about it, yesterday, Collingwood we're parading around in front of their fans, while our players we're paying respect to a great man, I can't think of anything that could bond a team and motivate them even more than they already are than that.
I went to the first final, feeling nothing, except that I knew we we're good enough to win and that our best will win, and that's what happened.
I've said for a good part of this year that Collingwood have played at their best, as had Geelong and the Bulldogs, we have not.
Yet we saw glimpses of it in the 1st half against Geelong, and in a quarter and half against the Buldogs, remember, from the start of the third quarter to the time we kicked our last goal, last week we scored 10 goals to 1 in that time, every bit as good as Collingwood's 1st half.
I also believe that Collingwood always believed after we beat Geelong that they would play Geelong in the prelim and really prepared themselves for it and built themsleves up for it not really worrying about the following week.
No omens, no stars aligning, but as I said, things just seem to be right, our time has come and the moment we have waited for all of our lives is about to happen.
GO SAINTS!!!!
Shivers down the old spine there - our time is almost here. two more days, Sainters!