B.M wrote: ↑Mon 28 Oct 2019 5:10pm
2018 aside... which was a shocking year after key retirements and with injury (even 2019 was injury ravaged!)
The side hasn’t been that lowly. Haven’t played finals, but won 11, 11 & 9 in three of the past 4 seasons I think. So far from a hopeless team when Ross and Geary were high in the B&Fs
Seb Ross has had to carry a midfield (with Jack) for years, with little support. Given the amount of wins, to poll 40+ Brownlow votes in 4 seasons suggests not only is he decent at StK but is decent in games of footy, even considering the opposition.
Dunstan is limited, because he’s slow has no tank and is a poor kick.
Seb recorded
The third highest top speed of any player this season.
The furtherest distance covered in a game
To go with his stats which are very good.
Geary
Courage, toughness, endurance, experience and defensive capability
Ffs! Where do you get off being so smug and pious in your defence of the likes of Geary and Ross?
They are footballers that most Saints fans like and appreciate, but they have MAJOR deficiencies in their games, if you can’t see them then you need to look a bit harder..
Both give it their all, but both are prone to sloppy skill errors that cost us - often severely.
Geary locks down well on some small forwards, no doubt but at the same time he’s the guy the opposition like to see with ball in his hand because almost as often as not, he disposes of it to their advantage.
Similarly Seb gets it and moves with it, but then will let himself and the side down, with poor, sometimes unfathomable use of the ball.
These traits can be corrected but until they are, they remain the reason why both players are not seen by many as natural leaders.
Great captains are rarely just dour defenders or guys who can get the ball, they are guys who elevate the team with character, X factor and with acts that inspire - think Spud, think Lenny, think Roo.
We need to find these guys ASAP.
IMO, and from what I’m reading, others tend to agree, Gears’ spot in the team is under threat by guys coming up and vying for the same spot - Coff, Paton, etc, guys who May be able to do some of what he currently does, but are far more reliable, and inspirational with ball in hand.
Seb may yet elevate to this level, he has age on his side, and we’ve all seen players rise from good to great, but right now he’s not quite there.
Unfortunately these guys are currently the best we have, and this is a big part of the reason why we languish at the lower rungs of the ladder.
However, many of us are excited by the feeling that there are younger, more natural leaders, with better skill sets, on their way up - Hunter, Coff, Marshall, Dougal etc - and it’s when one or two of these rise that we’ll rise accordingly...
and despise the Pies, the Blues, and the Injectors.
