I think we'll get a top 4 pick in the draft.

[plugger66]

Dees beat Carlton as expected, and Essendon with their new coach beat the Suns, and pick 4 could be back in the picture.

I hope we beat Geelong, but still believe they are a comfortably 5 goal better side than us, even at Etihad.

So you still think Essendon can win 2 games? I think we have a chance against Geelong so that will be 3 games. If that happens I would be amazed.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

Brisbane, Essendon, Calrton and us will struggle to win again this year in my opinion.. gold coast will get one more win .. Melbourne will win at least one game and would fancy themselves a chance in round 23 if GWS are not in finals contention ...
percentage will play a part and it will come down to how much Hawthorn smash Brissy and Carlton to see who gets the spoon but I see it going
18th - Carlton
17th - Brisbane
16th - Essendon
15th - Gold Coast
14th - St Kilda
13th - Melbourne

[Rosco]

Pick 5, uncompromised.

[saynta]

I will be livid if the Dees roll-over against the Blues this week. Livid I tell ya!

Be fun to watch with both teams rolling over. Not.

Carlton rolled over last week.

[samuraisaint]

Dees beat Carlton as expected, and Essendon with their new coach beat the Suns, and pick 4 could be back in the picture.

I hope we beat Geelong, but still believe they are a comfortably 5 goal better side than us, even at Etihad.

So you still think Essendon can win 2 games? I think we have a chance against Geelong so that will be 3 games. If that happens I would be amazed.

Yes, I think the Essendon coach leaving this week is no coincidence - they play an immensely beatable Suns side this week. For Fletcher's retirement game in the final round they play Collingwood, who are also beatable. Not as beatable as the Suns though.

I think Melbourne have two must win games in the last three games.

Are we bringing back Sean Charles this week against Geelong or something? You have been saying for ages you think we're a chance this week.

[saynta]

I was hoping for w win, but I think Richo has gone into experimental role. Longer and a couple of others will be rested this week. Dempster will miss Savage and Dunstan should return though.

[samuraisaint]

I hope we win Saturday night, but I just don't see how. The sides we have beaten so far are all sort of around our level or below, including the Bulldogs. Geelong's skills by hand and foot are a lot surer than ours at the moment and I just can't see how we will manage to kick fifteen or sixteen goals against them.

[Con Gorozidis]

Geelong have beaten us by 100 points on the last two occasions (both at SS though) so I am not optimistic.
Since then, we are a bit better and they are a bit worse. So on our dung-heap I expect us to get within 30 points.

[Long Term Injury]

Pick 5, uncompromised.

Does anyone have any mail on what would happen if Yarran walks to another club, is he a FA meaning Carlton get picks 1 & 2? Add to that the academy picks heading north and our draft position starts to tumble

[chook23]

Yarran contracted for 2016.....(not a FA end of 2015)

In the mix (hopefully) at our pick.......Francis/Parish/Balic

[Indigo Wolf]

It's quite possible. Although I think it's a good thing, it's about time for a rebuild and look for some new talent from the draft. I'd probably want to lose more games at this point than actually win one, they would get a better draft position that way.

[kosifantutti]

I hope we win Saturday night, but I just don't see how. The sides we have beaten so far are all sort of around our level or below, including the Bulldogs. Geelong's skills by hand and foot are a lot surer than ours at the moment and I just can't see how we will manage to kick fifteen or sixteen goals against them.

While I don't think we're favorites for Saturday night, I don't understand how the Bulldogs are around our level but Geelong who are three games behind the Dogs are not.

[samuraisaint]

last time I checked, we were feairly evenly matched against the Bulldogs. Last few games against Geelong have been walkovers. Geelong have played every finals series since 2007, Bulldogs have been down near the bottom since 2011.
How's that for a couple of reasons?

[plugger66]

last time I checked, we were feairly evenly matched against the Bulldogs. Last few games against Geelong have been walkovers. Geelong have played every finals series since 2007, Bulldogs have been down near the bottom since 2011.
How's that for a couple of reasons?

So Carlton are better than us? And by a fair way.

[kosifantutti]

last time I checked, we were feairly evenly matched against the Bulldogs. Last few games against Geelong have been walkovers. Geelong have played every finals series since 2007, Bulldogs have been down near the bottom since 2011.
How's that for a couple of reasons?

What happened in 2011 is irrelevant. There's no way you could say we are around the level of the Bulldogs this year.

[samuraisaint]

Yes I can - we beat them!!! And then they luckily beat us by 1 kick the second time!

[samuraisaint]

last time I checked, we were feairly evenly matched against the Bulldogs. Last few games against Geelong have been walkovers. Geelong have played every finals series since 2007, Bulldogs have been down near the bottom since 2011.
How's that for a couple of reasons?

So Carlton are better than us? And by a fair way.

Yep - they beat us by 7 goals this year - and by 15 goals late last year.

[kosifantutti]

Yes I can - we beat them!!! And then they luckily beat us by 1 kick the second time!

Have you read Catch 22?

Maybe you wrote it.

"We only beat teams around or below our level so we can't beat Geelong"

"But the Bulldogs are well above our level and we beat them"

"Well if we beat them, they must be at or below our level"

I bet you were shocked when we lost to Freo.

[Con Gorozidis]

Hopefully we get pick 5.
We are long long long way behind Collingwood, Port and GWS. We are going to need more than one or two draft picks to bridge the gap.

[Long Term Injury]

Yarran contracted for 2016.....(not a FA end of 2015)

In the mix (hopefully) at our pick.......Francis/Parish/Balic

Thanks chook

[samuraisaint]

Yes I can - we beat them!!! And then they luckily beat us by 1 kick the second time!

Have you read Catch 22?

Maybe you wrote it.

"We only beat teams around or below our level so we can't beat Geelong"

"But the Bulldogs are well above our level and we beat them"

"Well if we beat them, they must be at or below our level"

I bet you were shocked when we lost to Freo.

Geelong have a lot of premiership players in their side - and have played finals regularly for a decade - the Bulldogs have been down for half a decade - and we have slipped too. There's a difference. The Bulldogs have had a good year, yes, but you can't compare that with a side who have had a decade of brilliance. I certainly don't think we will beat them tonight, although I will be rapt if we do, especially with the 7 changes we have made to the side this week, and without Armitage.

I didn't think we would beat Freo this year, no. Freo, along with the Eagles, is one side whom we haven't improved our performances against this year. Of all the other sides we have played we have actually done better against them this year, than in the corresponding fixture last year.

[samuraisaint]

Hopefully we get pick 5.
We are long long long way behind Collingwood, Port and GWS. We are going to need more than one or two draft picks to bridge the gap.

This.

If ever this wasn't clear, then last night has cemented this fact to all of us who follow the Saints. Port beating the Hawks twice in one year shows that they, and GWS and Collingwood are solid mid table sides, while we are still in the bottom 4-6. If we get pick 4, that could be our most important pick for years to come, and our second round pick will also be of critical importance to our long term success. Out of the other bottom 5, the only side who I think has had us covered this year has been Carlton, although I believe (hope) next year we will beat them easily whenever we play them. They beat us this year because they had more mature bodies in their side, next year some of our younger players should be able to match them in physicality.

It is all about player and game plan development from now, that is why I support AR's decision to rotate players through the team for the remainder of the season. Some definitely won't make it, but we need to know the players who will make up our core moving forward.

[plugger66]

Hopefully we get pick 5.
We are long long long way behind Collingwood, Port and GWS. We are going to need more than one or two draft picks to bridge the gap.

This.

If ever this wasn't clear, then last night has cemented this fact to all of us who follow the Saints. Port beating the Hawks twice in one year shows that they, and GWS and Collingwood are solid mid table sides, while we are still in the bottom 4-6. If we get pick 4, that could be our most important pick for years to come, and our second round pick will also be of critical importance to our long term success. Out of the other bottom 5, the only side who I think has had us covered this year has been Carlton, although I believe (hope) next year we will beat them easily whenever we play them. They beat us this year because they had more mature bodies in their side, next year some of our younger players should be able to match them in physicality.

It is all about player and game plan development from now, that is why I support AR's decision to rotate players through the team for the remainder of the season. Some definitely won't make it, but we need to know the players who will make up our core moving forward.

Carlton beat us this year because they played well and we played badly. Nothing to do with mature bodies otherwise Carlton would have also beaten other sides. We have them covered but just had a bad day. A very bad day. And I know pick 5 or 6 will be important but if we don't get some of the others right its going to a very slow process. We need a draft like last year.

[samuraisaint]

Don't know if we do have them covered this season. And last year they beat us by 14 goals+. I agree that next year we'll beat them, but I think if we played them tonight, with the side we have in tonight, they could probably get over us.

[ace]

That draw probably wont hurt our draft position.
We still need Melbourne to win one more game, they were very unlikely to improve their percentage enough to get above us on the ladder.
Simple we lose 2 games out of 2, they win 1 and lose 2 out of 3.

Carltank
Bristank
Gold Tank
and Essentank
All have no hope of finishing above us.
That makes our pick either 5 or 6 assuming no first round compensation picks for free agents for Carltank, Bristank, Essentank or Melbtank.
Gold Tank players are too young for free agency.

Notice how Eddie has had his team tank to get pick 7