Are our coaches really dumb?

[Yorkeys]

I don't think so. Some players perhaps. Melb. are v good and been together for a while, winning. Several of our players could not rise to the challenge.

[SunnyErnie]

Bring back Clint Jones. Terrible game plan by Ratts.

100% agree. Ratts has no plan “B”.

[repta]

Seriously who thought our System was going to out play the reining premiers 'system'

May was always going to give King a bath. They are in a different league (eg master and apprentice). King may well become a star. He is still a long way from it and only gets going if he 'let' off the leash ("let off" definitely not "gets off").
Our midfield was never going to match it with Melbourne's.

Ratts keeps getting caught out as one dimensional. He only has Plan A and that isn't modified much week to week.

[cwrcyn]

They kicked the first goal of the game in 30 seconds
From the 18 minute mark of the first quarter to the 14 minute mark of the second, they scored 8 goals. That's where we lost it.
From the 25 minute mark to the 27 minute mark of the last quarter they kicked 3 goals

Thats 12 goals in 30 minutes of football
For the rest of the game they scored two goals

From the 14 minute mark of the second quarter to the 25 minute mark of the last quarter it was 5 goals to 2 in our favour, so for 3/4 of total game time we broke even or got the better of them. There were patches where we really threatened. The problem was they had two purple patches where they piled it on. When we had the ascendancy, we didn't take full advantage.

We will have learnt a lot from that game, and i still think with the right approach we can beat them. It's not all doom and gloom. They have the enormous advantage of having a dominant 211cm ruckman that no one in the league can nullify, the two best midfielders in the game and the best fullback in the game. Although disappointed with the result, I could see things in that game that gave me some cause for optimism.

We're not top four standard, but we're not crap

[MC Gusto]

my key issue with coaching at the moment is the continued use of Dougal for the kick outs. Clarly not working and surely he is better used as a marking target a touch further up the ground. The long bombs come back faster as the game wears on.

[saynta]

my key issue with coaching at the moment is the continued use of Dougal for the kick outs. Clarly not working and surely he is better used as a marking target a touch further up the ground. The long bombs come back faster as the game wears on.

Very good suggestion.

[saintkev]

May had King the problem was King had Pretty Lever then May infringing

If he was being triple teamed…where were the three extra Saints’ forwards?

[saintkev]

They kicked the first goal of the game in 30 seconds
From the 18 minute mark of the first quarter to the 14 minute mark of the second, they scored 8 goals. That's where we lost it.
From the 25 minute mark to the 27 minute mark of the last quarter they kicked 3 goals

Thats 12 goals in 30 minutes of football
For the rest of the game they scored two goals

From the 14 minute mark of the second quarter to the 25 minute mark of the last quarter it was 5 goals to 2 in our favour, so for 3/4 of total game time we broke even or got the better of them. There were patches where we really threatened. The problem was they had two purple patches where they piled it on. When we had the ascendancy, we didn't take full advantage.

We will have learnt a lot from that game, and i still think with the right approach we can beat them. It's not all doom and gloom. They have the enormous advantage of having a dominant 211cm ruckman that no one in the league can nullify, the two best midfielders in the game and the best fullback in the game. Although disappointed with the result, I could see things in that game that gave me some cause for optimism.

We're not top four standard, but we're not crap

The litmus test will be against a physically stronger Geelong on their dung heap.

[saintkev]

my key issue with coaching at the moment is the continued use of Dougal for the kick outs. Clarly not working and surely he is better used as a marking target a touch further up the ground. The long bombs come back faster as the game wears on.

Bring back Lienert. He delivers the ball with precision and accumulates possessions which are used to great effect. He also doesn’t drop his head, have poor body language and finger point like Howard does when he stuffs up.

[saintkev]

my key issue with coaching at the moment is the continued use of Dougal for the kick outs. Clarly not working and surely he is better used as a marking target a touch further up the ground. The long bombs come back faster as the game wears on.

Bring back Lienert. He delivers the ball with precision and accumulates possessions which are used to great effect. He also doesn’t drop his head, have poor body language and finger point like Howard does when he stuffs up.

[Scollop]

Absolutely bizarre gameplan. Would love Ratts to have to try justify it.

This is a bizarre thread

We were slaughtered by their bulls who line up in the middle. Ed had a good game, but he got his possessions after the horse had bolted. Ed only had a handful of possessions by the time Melbourne were 47 points up in the 2nd quarter ( as per post by cwrcyn )

Ed Langdon didn’t beat St Kilda

They kicked the first goal of the game in 30 seconds
From the 18 minute mark of the first quarter to the 14 minute mark of the second, they scored 8 goals.

That's where we lost it.

[samoht]

We will have learnt a lot from that game, and i still think with the right approach we can beat them. It's not all doom and gloom. They have the enormous advantage of having a dominant 211cm ruckman that no one in the league can nullify, the two best midfielders in the game and the best fullback in the game. Although disappointed with the result, I could see things in that game that gave me some cause for optimism.

Yes, they have the two best midfielders in the game - but, despite this and their much touted ruckman, we still won the clearances and the hitouts.
So, I can't see how their 211cm ruckman was dominant (not in the ruck contests, anyway - and he only had 11 possessions around the ground).

[Teflon]

These are the questions that should be directed at him during his pressers

Spot on
Gee footy media are uneducated bunch of morons
“So Ratts what did you take from that” kinda rubbish

[Saintmatt]

Absolutely bizarre gameplan. Would love Ratts to have to try justify it.

This is a bizarre thread

We were slaughtered by their bulls who line up in the middle. Ed had a good game, but he got his possessions after the horse had bolted. Ed only had a handful of possessions by the time Melbourne were 47 points up in the 2nd quarter ( as per post by cwrcyn )

Ed Langdon didn’t beat St Kilda

They kicked the first goal of the game in 30 seconds
From the 18 minute mark of the first quarter to the 14 minute mark of the second, they scored 8 goals.

That's where we lost it.

Apologies for starting the “bizarre thread”. All I was asking is why - as a game strategy - did we decide to do something 180 degrees from what Hawthorn showed us how to do 8 days before?

Surely you agree we didn’t exactly follow that blueprint. What’s your take?

[SunnyErnie]

Absolutely bizarre gameplan. Would love Ratts to have to try justify it.

This is a bizarre thread

We were slaughtered by their bulls who line up in the middle. Ed had a good game, but he got his possessions after the horse had bolted. Ed only had a handful of possessions by the time Melbourne were 47 points up in the 2nd quarter ( as per post by cwrcyn )

Ed Langdon didn’t beat St Kilda

They kicked the first goal of the game in 30 seconds
From the 18 minute mark of the first quarter to the 14 minute mark of the second, they scored 8 goals.

That's where we lost it.

Apologies for starting the “bizarre thread”. All I was asking is why - as a game strategy - did we decide to do something 180 degrees from what Hawthorn showed us how to do 8 days before?

Surely you agree we didn’t exactly follow that blueprint. What’s your take?

My take is that Ratten does not have the tactical nous of the modern AFL coach. For this team to go forward I would dearly love either Clarko or Bucks to take the reigns for next year

[Sainternist]

These are the questions that should be directed at him during his pressers

Yep, but the standards of journalism have gone down the gutter. Robert Shaw mentioned this in the latest episode of the Footyology podcast.

[Scollop]

Absolutely bizarre gameplan. Would love Ratts to have to try justify it.

This is a bizarre thread

We were slaughtered by their bulls who line up in the middle. Ed had a good game, but he got his possessions after the horse had bolted. Ed only had a handful of possessions by the time Melbourne were 47 points up in the 2nd quarter ( as per post by cwrcyn )

Ed Langdon didn’t beat St Kilda

They kicked the first goal of the game in 30 seconds
From the 18 minute mark of the first quarter to the 14 minute mark of the second, they scored 8 goals.

That's where we lost it.

Apologies for starting the “bizarre thread”. All I was asking is why - as a game strategy - did we decide to do something 180 degrees from what Hawthorn showed us how to do 8 days before?

Surely you agree we didn’t exactly follow that blueprint. What’s your take?

We lost at centre bounce. We got taught a lesson in contest and we butchered the footy when we had clearance while they got clean possessions and hit their targets

Once again...Ed Langdon didn't beat St Kilda. Even if as you say, that Hawthorn did a great job of holding him down...big deal!! They lost as well didn't they

[Scollop]

Absolutely bizarre gameplan. Would love Ratts to have to try justify it.

This is a bizarre thread

We were slaughtered by their bulls who line up in the middle. Ed had a good game, but he got his possessions after the horse had bolted. Ed only had a handful of possessions by the time Melbourne were 47 points up in the 2nd quarter ( as per post by cwrcyn )

Ed Langdon didn’t beat St Kilda

They kicked the first goal of the game in 30 seconds
From the 18 minute mark of the first quarter to the 14 minute mark of the second, they scored 8 goals.

That's where we lost it.

Apologies for starting the “bizarre thread”. All I was asking is why - as a game strategy - did we decide to do something 180 degrees from what Hawthorn showed us how to do 8 days before?

Surely you agree we didn’t exactly follow that blueprint. What’s your take?

My take is that Ratten does not have the tactical nous of the modern AFL coach. For this team to go forward I would dearly love either Clarko or Bucks to take the reigns for next year

Brett Ratten doesn't kick the footy for Crouch or Gresham or Ross or Zac Jones.

[Scollop]

Buckley and Clarko won't be out on the field kicking the footy for them either