Moderators: Saintsational Administrators, Saintsational Moderators
“We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing but vitamin pills.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing illegal.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing but Christmas cake icing.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing dangerous.
And that’s regardless of what you may have hird.”
- Essendon Football Club.
HarryM wrote: Nope never heard of them
Inspired by that strangely ignored thread (please check it out)
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=92081
I do my assessments based on win/loss or 50/50 (for which I 'award' half a win.) On that basis, I had us at 9-14 wins last season, so settled on 12.
Round 1 - Melbourne - Etihad - Saturday - WIN
Round 2 - West Coast Eagles - Domain - Saturday (7 day break to 6 break with Travel from Melbourne) - LOSS
Round 3 - Brisbane Lions - Etihad - Sunday (8T-Perth to 8) - WIN
Round 4 - Collingwood - Etihad - Sunday (7 to 9T-Sydney) - WIN
Round 5 - Geelong Cats - Etihad - Sunday (7 to 6) - WIN
Round 6 - Hawthorn - Launceston - Saturday (6 to 6) - WIN
Round 7 - GWS Giants - Etihad - Friday (6T-Tassie to 7) - 50/50
Round 8 - Carlton - Etihad - Saturday (8 to 7) - WIN
Round 9 - Sydney - Etihad - Saturday (7 to 6T-Melb) - 50/50
Round 10 - Western Bulldogs - Etihad - Saturday (7 to 8) - 50/50
Round 11 BYE
Round 12 - Adelaide - Adelaide Oval - Friday (13 to 7T-Geelong) - LOSS
Round 13 - North Melbourne - Etihad - Friday (7T-Adel to 13) - WIN
Round 14 - Gold Coast - Etihad - Sunday (9 to 8) - WIN
Round 15 - Fremantle - Domain - Sunday (7 to 7T-Geelong) - 50/50
Round 16 - Richmond - Etihad - Saturday (6T-Perth to 7T-Adel) - WIN
Round 17 - Essendon - Etihad - Friday (6 to 6) - WIN
Round 18 - Sydney - SCG - Saturday (8 to 7) - LOSS
Round 19 - Port Adelaide - Adelaide Oval - Saturday (7T-Sydney to 7T-Melb) - 50/50
Round 20 - West Coast - Etihad - Sunday (8T-Adel to 7) - WIN
Round 21 - Melbourne - MCG - Sunday (7 to 8T-Canberra) - WIN
Round 22 - North Melbourne - Etihad - Sunday (7 to 7) - WIN
Round 23 - Richmond - MCG - ??? - WIN
So that's,
14-wins, 5-50/50's, 3-losses.
(We should easily beat the Freo, and I expect us to do so. But given our travelling record, I've put that one down as 50/50 to be objective. So this will be a very 'telling' game re our progress.)
So that's 14-19 wins.
Being conservative (so as to appeal to a certain demographic amongst the readership here) with the 50/50's...
16-wins, 6-losses - top six, with a touch of luck - top 4.
Teams rated inferior to us:
Everyone from last year who finished below us, plus North, Hawks, Geelong (flattered by last year's ladder position, and if Dangerfield gets injured... ) and Eagles.
Teams rated about level with us:
Dogs, Crows.
Hardest to beat:
The franchises - Giants and Sydney (though they're now lacking for key defenders, and I'm seriously wondering if Tippet hasn't become slightly toxic to them? But hey, cry me a river...)
Finals:
We will replace North. Hawks and Geelong should also drop out, but I'm not sure who would be able to replace them, so they may well remain(?)
Flag:
Wide open. We aren't quite ready, but have great upside, and could well pinch it this year.
From 2018 onwards we will be very very very serious flag contenders.
Players to watch:
Carlisle - will end up more than satisfying his doubters.
Billings - his critics need to look at the highlights from Round 3 vs Collingwood - which was before his 'shin splints' kicked in again. Long goal from outside 50, off a couple of steps.
Paddy Power!!!!!! I reckon he just needs one or two reasonable bags, and he's off and running (and goaling).
Acres - the competition will see what we already see. We rate 2016 as his break out season, but the competition will say it was 2017.
Stevens - (Gotta' love how everyone calls him 'Steven') and Steele - will really add some steel (
Long - will be in the team and 'contributing' by end of the year. Will take a few more years, but give this bloke a few pre-seasons - will be an absolute star!
Brown - I think Marto's prediction may be on the money.
Gresh - will be an absolute star, but it will be interesting to see how much of the second year blues he suffers from first(?)
Looking ahead:
Battle - I rate him, but may take a couple of years. Will he have grown enough to be a key forward, or will he be the third marking option/Membrey-type? Will he be a mid? Has the endurance (apparently), but doe he have the mobility?
'The Marshall' - another I really rate him - ruck, key forward or key back. Will take time, but will be an absolute draft steal!
Freeman - no hurry - I just want to see some VFL games, then some good VFL games, then a seniors run around by some time round mid season.
Under pressure:
Longer - Marto nailed it again. (On a roll big fella'.
Holmesy - Age and inability to find the ball/read the play are the issues. I want to see him playing at either FF or CHF, with lots of leads. And if needed, license to go kick-chasing too. Simply needs to get the footy in his hands.
Minch/Lonie/Sinclair - Mounting pressure on places as a small forward/on-baller.
Savage - Mounting pressure on his half back role. (For example, I rate the inexplicably maligned Webster as being significantly better in all facets, apart from kicking length. Then we also have the likes of MacKenzie and White.)
Others of note:
I would expect some further improvement from THE MAV
I see a similarity with Acres... except one could always see that Blake was trying to take the game on... now he's executing what he was previously attempting to do. He's hard to tackle, quicker than what people think, and strong enough to stand up in the tackle if caught (a bit Harvey-esque like that).
What we haven't seen yet from Acres is his marking. He's got a big leap, and will end up proving very dangerous in the air up forward. Similarly with Billings. In his first couple of seasons he often got his hands on it deep in our forward line, but just failed to complete the mark. I did notice though, in the last couple of games when he had a run on the ball, he ended up taking a few round the ground pack marks.
We have a huge upside!!! The only ‘downside’ (Roo) is still showing no signs of – slowing down. His new go wherever the hell you think wing role gives us three (top line) players in one. I see no reason why he won't play in our 2018 GF side - at least. Great piece of coaching their Richo. B)
Similarly with the Dempster. Why are so many on here retiring him??? As I read in another post - look at his output, not his age. He's currently our best defender - though I hope that Carlisle, and eventually also Goddard, will surpass him.
If I was a gambling man, I'd give you evens on the Saints making top six. And if you were, you'd probably take it!
I'm not a gambler. But if I was, those odds look very very generous. I reckon the wheels would have to really fall off big-time for us not to make top six.
Talent-wise, I'd rate us equal third (with the Dogs, and just behind the possibly staggering Sydney, and then a little further again behind the Giants). But with considerably more upside than those teams, or anyone else - except maybe the Giants.
Paying 3/2 just to make the 8 (equal ninth with port, and unbelievably, freo and essendon). Melbourne are shorter.
I find that bemusing.
Sure, Essendon will improve, but not by much? They weren't good enough before the gear happened, and are hardly going to be better now. (Only better than last year, which is saying very little.)
Speaking of 'saying very little', I don't get why those tankards Melbourne are rated above us??? They even lost to Essendon last year(!) Lewis will help them (lost the plot there btw Hawks, so thanks for your prime first round draft pick), but the tankard/losing mentality still reigns down there Melbourne. And I'm still laffn' at how they think the worst-ever No 1 draft pick has finally turned the corner. Turned the corner into a cul-de-sac.
As for Freo. Sure, they've recruited blokes to fill the key forward gaps... but that doesn't mean those blokes are any good(!) And they still haven't replaced MacFarlane down back. Then, there's the poor (more like destitute) man's Tiprat being is on the (very) slippery slide, on the nose with Rosco, and he doesn't even want to be there anymore. Sandilands is on his last legs (when not injured). And there's big questions about Fyffe.
Freo. They're old. (Who’d have guessed that would happen?
So, what are the odds on offer of us finishing above all of the Freo, Demons and the Drug Runnerss? That's one bet I would take. B)
Thoughts Saintsationalists, thoughts Aeon?
HarryM wrote: Nope never heard of them
Shame on you for making fun of someone who has just recently tried to take his life. This deserves a Permanent Ban in my book.AeonFlux wrote:With thanks again to the great Rodger, here's another
The Rodger FORX Report - Seasoned 2017 assessment.
“We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing but vitamin pills.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing illegal.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing but Christmas cake icing.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing dangerous.
And that’s regardless of what you may have hird.”
- Essendon Football Club.
bit touchy about a particular public figure citywest? trying to censor someone for posting a bit of dark banter? on a public forum full of different opinions and sensibilities? your own opinions have divided many on here, who've called for your own banning. thankfully wiser heads recognise diversity of opinions and tolerance of expression. bit surprised by your mini melt.citywest wrote:Shame on you for making fun of someone who has just recently tried to take his life. This deserves a Permanent Ban in my book.AeonFlux wrote:With thanks again to the great Rodger, here's another
The Rodger FORX Report - Seasoned 2017 assessment.
“We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing but vitamin pills.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing illegal.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing but Christmas cake icing.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing dangerous.
And that’s regardless of what you may have hird.”
- Essendon Football Club.
I recall Tony74 saying at the end of last season not to expect too big a jump this year and that we will do well to hold our ladder position. Hard to disagree with that looking at the draw. Lots of rosy pre-season optimism rolling along, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. All of the clubs have players 'flying' at this stage.Linton Lodger wrote:I'm confident we will improve on last season, however that doesn't automatically mean that we'll end up with a better win/loss ratio.
I think Hawthorn, Geelong and North will be big sliders. Perhaps Werst Coast as well, although I think they're more an unknown quantity.
Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Essendon, Port Adelaide, Collingwood & Fremantle, will all improve, how much remains to be seen.
AeonFlux wrote:
Holmesy - Age and inability to find the ball/read the play are the issues. I want to see him playing at either FF or CHF, with lots of leads. And if needed, license to go kick-chasing too. Simply needs to get the footy in his hands..
In July last year, they gave Lewis another three years until the end of 2019 did they not? The club must think the same as you WW.White Winmar wrote:Holmes is there as back up only. Pierce will get his chance this year. Billy there for trade value. His stocks dropped considerably this year, resulting in little interest at the trade table. Still, GWS were willing to take him but he didn't want to go. Marshall and Pierce are the future. Hickey is the main man. We're in good hands, ruck wise.
Looks like we'll have to get the geneticists in to splice up their genes and make one super ruckman from the attributes of the three. Solves two problems. Gives us an extra two spots on the list and one super ruckman. Win, win. The ethicists may have something to say about it, though.BigMart wrote:Pierce
Good around the ground, cannot jump at centre bounce
Holmes
Can't get a kick, massive jump at centre bounce
Longer
Good as a clearance ruckman, can't get a kick
I totally agree with you Mr West. I will build a great wall to keep her out. Making fun of those with a disability is disgusting! I would never do that. Even if James is one of the most over-rated actresses in Follywood. Believe me. #makingsaintsationalgrateagaincitywest wrote:Shame on you for making fun of someone who has just recently tried to take his life. This deserves a Permanent Ban in my book.AeonFlux wrote:With thanks again to the great Rodger, here's another
The Rodger FORX Report - Seasoned 2017 assessment.
“We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing but vitamin pills.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing illegal.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing but Christmas cake icing.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing dangerous.
And that’s regardless of what you may have hird.”
- Essendon Football Club.
What a numpty.Numpty wrote:I totally agree with you Mr West. I will build a great wall to keep her out. Making fun of those with a disability is disgusting! I would never do that. Even if James is one of the most over-rated actresses in Follywood. Believe me. #makingsaintsationalgrateagaincitywest wrote:Shame on you for making fun of someone who has just recently tried to take his life. This deserves a Permanent Ban in my book.AeonFlux wrote:With thanks again to the great Rodger, here's another
The Rodger FORX Report - Seasoned 2017 assessment.
“We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing but vitamin pills.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing illegal.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing but Christmas cake icing.
We don’t know what we gave him, but it was nothing dangerous.
And that’s regardless of what you may have hird.”
- Essendon Football Club.
I don't understand why people say we finished 9th because of an easy draw.BigMart wrote:Start the celebration now I say!
On a serious note, we finished 13th last year so we were the best team with the group c draw (13-18th teams) this year we are not going to get an easy draw, so will have to improve to hold ground
Do we also assume all other teams will not improve either?
Ie/ Freo will include Sandilands, Fyfe, Pearce, McCarthy, Bennell, Kersten, Hamling
Whilst losing underperforming veterans Pavlich, Barlow, Mzungu, Mayne
They will improve 4 spots just because of Fyfe and Sandilands if they stay fit
Then there's Essendon, Gold Coast and Collinwood I expect to improve
Speaking of injuries
Of course projecting is difficult because every team is 3 or 4 injuries away from bottom 4
Eg/
Gold Coast, Freo
BigMart wrote:Because of who we played twice, you play 6 teams twice... We had a good draw, especially after R10
Thanks for the response.BigMart wrote:Look it up
Having taken the advice, I've discovered we played the following teams twiceMr Magic wrote:Thanks for the response.BigMart wrote:Look it up
My question was directed to the readers generally and not specifically to you.