We screwed the pooch!

[Linton Lodger]

When we pulled back a 53 point deficit against this mob last year, particularly after that half time melee, I knew our list had theirs covered. They had no answers to us that evening in that second half and they were left clueless again last night.

Despite the hype about Bontempelli, Libratore, Wallis, McCrae etc our midfield will be better and that's without factoring in Freeman or who we may recruit with all that room in our cap. Our Ruck stocks are surperior and Paddy will be better than Boyd and probably Stringer for that matter.

Of course good ol' Peter Gordon has buggered it up before they started, the Boyd deal may be remembered as the biggest idiotic knee jerk reaction in the history of the game!

Trouble is they can't get rid of him unless he agrees to a monumental pay cut and a reduced length of contract. Why would Boyd ever agree to that?

So they can get excited as they like about Bontempelli, Libba. Wallis, Stringer etc etc, but they are doomed to lose one or some of them, because when it comes time they will not be able to pay all of them anywhere near what their worth. Ironically Boyd appears to be their best ruckman, so what they may have is the most expensive goodish ruckman in the history of the game.

I've never understood some of the Bulldogs envy expressed on this Forum? Sexiest football team, meh! Give me a Premiership team, don't care about sexy.

One final point about the respective midfields, ours is tougher and meaner by a mile.

[White Winmar]

Just as a side point, why all the love in the media, verging on hysteria for the doggies, while we rate barely a mention? The Dee's are also supposedly better than us and are allegedly coached by a genius. It seems our experts are unaware of the fact they can't actually beat us. But back to the dullbogs (thanks Jiggster). I know they have some exciting young players, but we beat them last year, we've beaten them this year, we play every bit as, if not more, exciting football and we are most definitely on the rise, yet no one in the media has adopted us as their pet. I know we have been down, but we keep hearing of the genius of Bolton, Beveridge and Roos, while AR rarely rates a mention for anything other than being a "good bloke and teacher". Am I being too sensitive?

[Linton Lodger]

Just as a side point, why all the love in the media, verging on hysteria for the doggies, while we rate barely a mention? The Dee's are also supposedly better than us and are allegedly coached by a genius. It seems our experts are unaware of the fact they can't actually beat us. But back to the dullbogs (thanks Jiggster). I know they have some exciting young players, but we beat them last year, we've beaten them this year, we play every bit as, if not more, exciting football and we are most definitely on the rise, yet no one in the media has adopted us as their pet. I know we have been down, but we keep hearing of the genius of Bolton, Beveridge and Roos, while AR rarely rates a mention for anything other than being a "good bloke and teacher". Am I being too sensitive?

Nope. I suppose we can be happy to fly under the radar.

[prwilkinson]

Just as a side point, why all the love in the media, verging on hysteria for the doggies, while we rate barely a mention? The Dee's are also supposedly better than us and are allegedly coached by a genius. It seems our experts are unaware of the fact they can't actually beat us. But back to the dullbogs (thanks Jiggster). I know they have some exciting young players, but we beat them last year, we've beaten them this year, we play every bit as, if not more, exciting football and we are most definitely on the rise, yet no one in the media has adopted us as their pet. I know we have been down, but we keep hearing of the genius of Bolton, Beveridge and Roos, while AR rarely rates a mention for anything other than being a "good bloke and teacher". Am I being too sensitive?

Nope. I suppose we can be happy to fly under the radar.

More than happy to fly under the radar frankly. The narrative around the win against Melbourne in round 6 was quite funny... "Saints upset the Dees" and I'm thinking... Reallyyyyyyy!!?? A club that hasn't beaten St.Kilda in over a decade and were comfortably beaten by 6 goals is an upset...!? Comeeeee onnnn Mannnn.....

Stephen J Peake and Finey Sunday morning on SEN had a fair bit to say about the level of disrespect shown to the Saints over this season.

[prwilkinson]

Just as a side point, why all the love in the media, verging on hysteria for the doggies, while we rate barely a mention? The Dee's are also supposedly better than us and are allegedly coached by a genius. It seems our experts are unaware of the fact they can't actually beat us. But back to the dullbogs (thanks Jiggster). I know they have some exciting young players, but we beat them last year, we've beaten them this year, we play every bit as, if not more, exciting football and we are most definitely on the rise, yet no one in the media has adopted us as their pet. I know we have been down, but we keep hearing of the genius of Bolton, Beveridge and Roos, while AR rarely rates a mention for anything other than being a "good bloke and teacher". Am I being too sensitive?

Nope. I suppose we can be happy to fly under the radar.

More than happy to fly under the radar frankly. The narrative around the win against Melbourne in round 6 was quite funny... "Saints upset the Dees" and I'm thinking... Reallyyyyyyy!!?? A club that hasn't beaten St.Kilda in over a decade and were comfortably beaten by 6 goals is an upset...!? Comeeeee onnnn Mannnn.....

Stephen J Peake and Finey Sunday morning on SEN had a fair bit to say about the level of disrespect shown to the Saints over this season.

[SaintPav]

Just as a side point, why all the love in the media, verging on hysteria for the doggies, while we rate barely a mention? The Dee's are also supposedly better than us and are allegedly coached by a genius. It seems our experts are unaware of the fact they can't actually beat us. But back to the dullbogs (thanks Jiggster). I know they have some exciting young players, but we beat them last year, we've beaten them this year, we play every bit as, if not more, exciting football and we are most definitely on the rise, yet no one in the media has adopted us as their pet. I know we have been down, but we keep hearing of the genius of Bolton, Beveridge and Roos, while AR rarely rates a mention for anything other than being a "good bloke and teacher". Am I being too sensitive?

Nope. I suppose we can be happy to fly under the radar.

It's actually impossible to fly under the radar in the real world. Maybe it is in the media and with the footy masses because people aren't paying attention but with all the experts and specialists employed by clubs not in the Comp. Any part time average footy head can see how well we're really doing.

Would rather be hated and despised than people adopt us as their second favourite team. If you're not hated you're not doing well enough.

How patronising.

That's for losers.

[SaintPav]

Btw. The second favourite/pet team is a tag for clubs that don't actually win a flag.


"They're my second favourite team" which is code for as long as they don't win anything and know their place.

[Bernard Shakey]

Btw. The second favourite/pet team is a tag for clubs that don't actually win a flag.


"They're my second favourite team" which is code for as long as they don't win anything and know their place.

Pretty sure that's us to most people in Melbourne!

[MC Gusto]

The press love us now.

Driving on Sunday all I heard was about how other clubs need to be brave like st kilda and trade and draft aggressively! I know they are late on the scene but it was nice to hear. They also recognised just how good some of our players have been this year - mav, Steven, Ross, hickey etc in addition to the regular best players

[SaintPav]

Btw. The second favourite/pet team is a tag for clubs that don't actually win a flag.


"They're my second favourite team" which is code for as long as they don't win anything and know their place.

Pretty sure that's us to most people in Melbourne!

Thought it was Footscray

[stkfc1]

I think part of why we're not talked about the same is that we're seen as already having had our shot in recent times, we blew it and now we were expected to be holding up the ladder for a few more years yet.

I think the media has the rise of Dees and Dogs in the spotlight because they've been down for so long and they're both obviously on the improve. It makes a better narrative, more romance, for the long time cellar dwellers to be great again. But, like a fighter who was knocked out and thought to be on the scrap heap we've come back fitter, stronger and a hell of a lot meaner. Mainly due to our older players still playing good football but also the quality of our kids coming through.

The advantage we have over the Dogs and Dees is that out older players knows what it takes to get to the top and its filtering through to our younger guys like Mav, Ross, Hickey who are really buying in. This has all been helped by our recruiting which has been nothing short of miraculous in the last few years. Finally we have a gameplan that will stand up in finals football. Tough, hard and unrelenting.

As fans, we know what we are becoming. The rest of the AFL media can't get there heads around it yet. We keep winning though and the spotlight will be firmly back on us. Go Saints!!

[st.byron]

I don't think the coverage has been too unbalanced.

We started out 2-6.
Beat Essendon and Freo which we were expected to do and then had a shocker against Adelaide.

Beat Carlton and then the Cats and perhaps after that people started to notice us a little more.

But then we crashed against Gold Coast and just scraped past Essendon.

So our best was good, but we've been very patchy and inconsistent.

The second Melbourne win was great and last week was awesome.

Fair enough I reckon that people are only now talking about us with some respect. Before now we were too inconsistent and the big losses and losing to GC undermined our credibility.

[White Winmar]

I don't think the coverage has been too unbalanced.

We started out 2-6.
Beat Essendon and Freo which we were expected to do and then had a shocker against Adelaide.

Beat Carlton and then the Cats and perhaps after that people started to notice us a little more.

But then we crashed against Gold Coast and just scraped past Essendon.

So our best was good, but we've been very patchy and inconsistent.

The second Melbourne win was great and last week was awesome.

Fair enough I reckon that people are only now talking about us with some respect. Before now we were too inconsistent and the big losses and losing to GC undermined our credibility.

Your points are well made, SB. I suppose there's also the aspect of the media generally being lazy and very conservative when it comes to making predictions. They usually go for the "safe bet" rather than risk ridicule and criticism by going out on a limb. Then there's the entrenched biases that affect judgement and reinforce accepted stereotypes. Mike Sheahan's propensity to have a dig at St.Kilda's lack of a positive "culture" never cease to annoy and surprise me. Move on, Mike. It just seems the Dee's, in particular have been backed by the media as the next big improvers, when clearly we have gone past them, even if that turns out to be temporary.

At least we have some form of rising and genuinely challenging. We've made the GF three times in 18 seasons, We've finished top in 1997 and 2009, and we've been runners up as recently as 09-10. What have the dogs and Dee's done in that time? No finals at all for the Dee's in a decade. The dogs have never finished a home and away season in top spot and haven't made a GF since 1961. In fact they've only played in 2 in their history. We've played in 8. I just think we deserve a bit of respect and consideration.

[stevie]

I think part of why we're not talked about the same is that we're seen as already having had our shot in recent times, we blew it and now we were expected to be holding up the ladder for a few more years yet.

I think the media has the rise of Dees and Dogs in the spotlight because they've been down for so long and they're both obviously on the improve. It makes a better narrative, more romance, for the long time cellar dwellers to be great again. But, like a fighter who was knocked out and thought to be on the scrap heap we've come back fitter, stronger and a hell of a lot meaner. Mainly due to our older players still playing good football but also the quality of our kids coming through.

The advantage we have over the Dogs and Dees is that out older players knows what it takes to get to the top and its filtering through to our younger guys like Mav, Ross, Hickey who are really buying in. This has all been helped by our recruiting which has been nothing short of miraculous in the last few years. Finally we have a gameplan that will stand up in finals football. Tough, hard and unrelenting.

As fans, we know what we are becoming. The rest of the AFL media can't get there heads around it yet. We keep winning though and the spotlight will be firmly back on us. Go Saints!!

All ggod points bro. And I will add that another diff between us and The Dogs/Dees is neither team has a great leader like Roo.

[White Winmar]

The dogs seemed to be folding up like a deck chair. More injuries this week, a traumatised coach and playing group and facing the pussies at their fortress. The dream is becoming a nightmare for them. It will be interesting to see how the two brawlers get on tonight. We haven't passed them yet, but we've popped on the indicators and moved into the overtaking lane.

[HarryM]

The dogs seemed to be folding up like a deck chair. More injuries this week, a traumatised coach and playing group and facing the pussies at their fortress. The dream is becoming a nightmare for them. It will be interesting to see how the two brawlers get on tonight. We haven't passed them yet, but we've popped on the indicators and moved into the overtaking lane.

They haven't stopped whinging all week, what a pack of weakies.

Hope they get belted, and then more whinging.

[st.byron]

The dogs seemed to be folding up like a deck chair. More injuries this week, a traumatised coach and playing group and facing the pussies at their fortress. The dream is becoming a nightmare for them. It will be interesting to see how the two brawlers get on tonight. We haven't passed them yet, but we've popped on the indicators and moved into the overtaking lane.

They haven't stopped whinging all week, what a pack of weakies.

Hope they get belted, and then more whinging.

Not foe me. Geelong have become one my most disliked teams. Selwood and Dangerfield behave like entitled little twats. As for their coach......pffft

[realdeal]

Dogs have been super tonight but is it just me or is Stringer over-rated at this stage?

[kosifantutti]

He's no Tim Membrey.

[st.byron]

Dogs have been super tonight but is it just me or is Stringer over-rated at this stage?

Didn't think they were super. Their disposal going forward was very average. Lots of pressure from Geelong.. Didn't think the Dogs looked anything like contenders.

[realdeal]

Dogs have been super tonight but is it just me or is Stringer over-rated at this stage?

Didn't think they were super. Their disposal going forward was very average. Lots of pressure from Geelong.. Didn't think the Dogs looked anything like contenders.

I meant that they gave it a crack and never gave up. Geelong didn't strike me as contenders either to be honest.

[freely]

Good to see Stanley play so well at last! Gee he's been a slow-burn. Glad Geelong have had the patience. Hmn. Maybe that's why they're called "gee - long"!