Could We....

sainter#4 · Sat 23 Jul 2011 12:13pm

End up having a season like the swans did in 05??

seems like were building much the same as them and of course ross would know how to go about pulling something like that off

thoughts?

BigMart · Post: # 1109656Post **BigMart** » Sat 23 Jul 2011 12:27pm

Doubt it......lenny is a massive hole..

Gwilt now hurts...

Not impossible, but unlikely...

2012......we will be up there imo...some stars will align...if we have someluck

joffaboy · Post: # 1109661Post **joffaboy** » Sat 23 Jul 2011 12:33pm

NO.

Too hard to win from the bottom eight.

If we recruit well and have a quiet preseason in the bloody papers ,we may have one last shot before we reboot.

We need luck which we have missed out on, but it could come together in 2012.

mr six o'clock · Sat 23 Jul 2011 12:38pm

Yes !!
go saints

bozza1980 · Post: # 1109692Post **bozza1980** » Sat 23 Jul 2011 1:15pm

Ofcourse we can!!!

Although unlikely, if we were to win our remaining games and results fell our way a top 4 spot is still achievable, and once you are there you can do anything.

PLaying the less optimistic optimist, 6th place looks highly possible, a win in the first week of the finals and you are playing for a spot in a prelim and who knows.

Lets enjoy the ride!!

bozza1980 · Post: # 1109693Post **bozza1980** » Sat 23 Jul 2011 1:15pm

Ofcourse we can!!!

Although unlikely, if we were to win our remaining games and results fell our way a top 4 spot is still achievable, and once you are there you can do anything.

PLaying the less optimistic optimist, 6th place looks highly possible, a win in the first week of the finals and you are playing for a spot in a prelim and who knows.

Lets enjoy the ride!!

Furphy · Post: # 1109697Post **Furphy** » Sat 23 Jul 2011 1:19pm

If we do to the filth in three weeks time what we did to the crows last night, I'll be really confiden

t!

Con Gorozidis · Sat 23 Jul 2011 1:22pm

with a full list i would say a big YES.
but lenny and gwilt are two of our top 8 players. Will catch up with us in a final. Pies seem to be having a dream run with injuries.

Con Gorozidis · Sat 23 Jul 2011 1:31pm

with a full list i would say a big YES.
but lenny and gwilt are two of our top 8 players. Will catch up with us in a final. Pies seem to be having a dream run with injuries.

fingers · Post: # 1109702Post **fingers** » Sat 23 Jul 2011 1:31pm

Interesting question. I am liking how some of the lesser lights are building. Polo is actually getting better each week. Fast hands. Really helps clear the ball. Gamble starting to get there. Wasn't great last night and I still think he needs a couple more weeks to really slot into the game plan.

I liked what Geary did even if only for a short time. I've always liked his attack on the ball. I hope he gets a couple of games to find his tempo.

Stevens and Armitage can form the core of a midfield. They just keep getting better. If we can groom Lynch, Siposs, Ledger - then we have a reasonable top 8 players once our current big names go.

I am feeling much better about the next couple of years.

Marcus1232 · Sat 23 Jul 2011 1:38pm

fingers wrote:. Gamble starting to get there. Wasn't great last night and I still think he needs a couple more weeks to really slot into the game plan.

I thought gamble was very good last night. Although he didnt trouble the scorers his 2nd and 3rd efforts were teriffic and he took some solid grabs.

Also records are meant to be broken a team will one day win it from outside the top 4 maybe it will be us this year

Richter · Post: # 1109708Post **Richter** » Sat 23 Jul 2011 1:55pm

joffaboy wrote:NO.

Too hard to win from the bottom eight.

In fact, impossible to win it from the bottom 8 (9 now)....

I know what you mean - the bottom 4 of the 8!

Usually I would agree with you, but IMO our season this year is a season of two halves - I really believe that the first half lull was a psychological reaction to missing out last year. Losing Lenny made it even more difficult to recover our mojo. However, RL has performed a minor miracle in convincing the players that they are 'building a new team' - listen to the rhetoric of Rooey - that is what they talk about - even though, really, the majority were of course playing in the old team also. Last night, however, I could see how differently the team is actually playing - we can still slow the game, control the ball and stifle opposition attacks, but the new attacking plan of moving the ball on quickly, particularly through hands from the defence, was there for all to see.

Add in that a number of players e.g. Gram, seem to have grow hugely in confidence - his kicking is massively improved the last 3 weeks - and we are building up to a great crack at finals....

Ultimately I agree that we will fall short, not because we're in the bottom of the 8, but because i think the new attacking style still isn't ingrained enough to stand up against the best (Collingwood) and even if it does prove more successful earlier than hoped, in a tight final we'll miss Lenny too much.

However, if Rooey really hits his straps in the next 2 months, as he is quite capable of doing, then you never know. The last 2 weeks have demonstrated that we are no longer one dimensional going forward and can score efficiently due to much improved ball movement going inside 50 aligned with more accurate kicking for goal.

One thing's for sure, we're all looking forward to September a lot more than we were two months ago!

Bring it on!

desertsaint · Sat 23 Jul 2011 4:53pm

any team can string four wins together. to win the flag you don't need to be top four - you need to be the best team over the last four weeks. one day that team will be a late starter and miss top four but go on with it.
but this year we would need the pies to fall on a hole.
any one else we can beat.

gringo · Post: # 1109778Post **gringo** » Sat 23 Jul 2011 5:07pm

We can beat anyone with that style of play. Anomalous year with s*** teams in the bottom of the 8 and weird draw. The rewrite could be this year with a bit of luck. No one from the pies down to freo would be glad to meet us.

desertsaint · Sat 23 Jul 2011 5:16pm

any team can string four wins together....
weird double post?

Animal Enclosure · Sat 23 Jul 2011 6:21pm

I have a vision of a highly unlikely Prelim win & then a last minute change on GF day....Lenny in as the sub.

Into the game at 3/4 time & just tears the opposition apart for 30 minutes. Glory at last!

sainter#4 · Post: # 1109807Post **sainter#4** » Sat 23 Jul 2011 6:29pm

Animal Enclosure wrote:I have a vision of a highly unlikely Prelim win & then a last minute change on GF day....Lenny in as the sub.

Into the game at 3/4 time & just tears the opposition apart for 30 minutes. Glory at last!

i have day dreamed about the exact same thing!!

georgie girl · Sat 23 Jul 2011 6:43pm

Marcus1232 wrote:
fingers wrote:. Gamble starting to get there. Wasn't great last night and I still think he needs a couple more weeks to really slot into the game plan.

I thought gamble was very good last night. Although he didnt trouble the scorers his 2nd and 3rd efforts were teriffic and he took some solid grabs.

Also records are meant to be broken a team will one day win it from outside the top 4 maybe it will be us this year

+1 Also think he is getting physically stronger each week. Certainly harder and tougher at the ball than earlier on.

3rd generation saint · Sat 23 Jul 2011 7:06pm

All we have to do is not lose for the rest of the season.

It would be the greatest season recovery ever if it was too happen.

bigcarl · Post: # 1109836Post **bigcarl** » Sat 23 Jul 2011 7:18pm

3rd generation saint wrote:All we have to do is not lose for the rest of the season.

well it wasn't all that long ago that we won 19 straight ...

snowdelisaint · Sat 23 Jul 2011 7:20pm

Absolutely we can. I wouldn't want to finish 7th or 8th and have to play interstate first up. But the top 4 should be all vic teams, then finishing 6th (or higher) and winning 4 finals in vic is well within the realms of possibility.

Teflon · Post: # 1109931Post **Teflon** » Sat 23 Jul 2011 11:06pm

BigMart wrote: 2012......we will be up there imo...some stars will align...if we have someluck

I agree whatever happens tfhis year is a bonus.

2012 we will be back. - get some luck.........and we are serious challengers AGAIN.

dragit · Post: # 1109965Post **dragit** » Sun 24 Jul 2011 12:20am

I don't buy into 2012 is the year, we just can't afford to hope that 2012 everything goes perfectly, there will most likely be more injuries to top line players then too.
Last year we didn't look great for most of the year, the Pies were favourites all year, then we were able to draw with them on GF day, so funny things can happen.
Another win or 2 like last night and we will have the 2nd lowest points scored against tally - it was recently pointed out on here that nearly every single year the 2 sides with the lowest against score play off in the grand finalâ€¦ so hopefully that continues and so do weâ€¦
We have more finals experience now than anyone, maybe equal only to the Cats, I'm pretty confident that most of the top 8 sides would prefer any other side to make the 8 than usâ€¦
It would of course take everything going right for us to go deep into the finals including Riewoldt/Kosi hitting some rare touch, but we are playing better every week, lets just enjoy the ride and don't hang all our hopes on next year when an aging list will be another year olderâ€¦

SainterK · Post: # 1110135Post **SainterK** » Sun 24 Jul 2011 3:41pm

This year will be a little different though, no high ladder finish, no pressure, no expectation.

This might just sit well with the boys.

hungry for a premiership · Sun 24 Jul 2011 6:10pm

I think the underdog status will suit us well. If we maintain our current improvement in form I have no doubt we will beat every team come finals time. Except Collingfilth. I have my doubts about beating them.