Lions Pies Cats Hawks - 4 weeks to shape our season

[saintsRrising]

The Lions, Pies, Cats and Hawks are our next four games.

And these four games promise to be season defining for us. All are winnable. Three could go either way.

Win three out of the four and our season in terms of being a possible finalist will be back on track. Win all 4 and it definitely will be. Win only 2 and we will be behind a big scrum of teams trying to make the 8.

Win only one and it will be time to start eyeing off draft picks for next year as it will be all over red rover

Unfortunately it now seems that we will be with 2 of our best players in Steven and Roo for most, if not all of these very important games.

The team stood up against the Weagles and with that type of game with a bit more polish we are capable of getting our season back on track. Equally if the Saints play like the last 3 quarters against the Dees for much of the next 4 games then the prognosis will be grim.

It is time for our boys to play well. It is time for a few to stand up more and exert influence in games. Who will walk taller with Steven and Roo missing?

[White Winmar]

How relevant and prescient does the thread about our third best player look now? I guess we'll get a definitive answer in a month or so.

[Con Gorozidis]

All winnable. Cats and Hawks aint that good.

I see the top 4 as Dogs, GWS, Crows, Eagles.

Eagles aint that good but due to their home ground advantage they should finish 4th.

[Sainternist]

We're in trouble if we don't win the next two games. I'll take this one week at a time though.

[White Winmar]

All winnable. Cats and Hawks aint that good.

I see the top 4 as Dogs, GWS, Crows, Eagles.

Eagles aint that good but due to their home ground advantage they should finish 4th.

Any team that has an exemption to play 25 players at home is going to make the top 4. Unfortunately, that advantage is reversed in the east. That's when you need to take supplements, ahem, to make up the difference.

[Griggsy]

Desperately need 3/4. No idea how we go without Steven

[Saint wagga]

Surely at Etihad we do an absolute job on the lions and give our percentage a big boost - this is essential!!
The following week against the pies, it will be a missive game, they could be on the cusp if they lose to the swans and 0-3! I believe we must be 2-2 and then 3-3 after the hawks game...looking at the draw, we will be doing very very well to get to the bye at 5-5 hitch at leas gives s a shot at finals if we are good enough...geez it was almost easier and more enjoyable we we didn't think we were a home in hell of making finals the last few years, my mood has been so dark after these two early season losses!!

[Bluthy]

For gods sake - what is the number 1 catch phrase of footy "One week at a time". Next week is a classic banana peel game

There is a huge burden of expectation on us, Brisbane playing well with nothing to lose and new coach in honeymoon phase invigorating all the players, Rocky and Beams inside beasts playing well and some talented youngsters who will be nice and fresh still, possible hangover from the toughest road trip in footy a bit demoralised after getting so close but no chockies, the Dempster s*** going down, missing our elite mid and forward and the media jackals circling a bit already.

It really is a "everything to lose, not much to win" type game. Lets not kill our season by slipping on those Banana benders up north.

[samuraisaint]

Necessity is the mother of invention.
From all reports it looks as though we go into a winnable game at home against the second bottom side with the following regulars out:
Riewoldt
Dempster
Armitage
Steven
Gresham
And we can probably add the experienced Koby Stevens to that list.

This has two positives - it means that over the next two-three games we get to test our depth and our youth out.

We will need to bring in another ruckman to compliment Hickey as our midfield are going to need good supply - step up Billy Longer! That will enable Hickey to rest up forward and drop back into the backline when needed. And stop Bruce having to ruck which is clearly not the answer.

Into the midfield we should add Long - we'll need lots of pace without Armo and Steven there - and bring in Sinclair or DMac.

The rest of the guys earned their place after Saturday. Nobody should or could be dropped after that effort.

After the Lions, Collingwood will be absolutely desperate as they won't beat Sydney up there this week. That will be no gimmee. Geelong are definitely gettable at Docklands - they snuck home yesterday by a point against a severely depleted North Melbourne, and have struggled against us the last couple of seasons. After that I think we are lucky to be playing Hawthorn in Tassie as we have much more chance of beating them in Launceston than we would at the G.

I think we will win 2 out of the next 4, with 3 out of 4 definitely possible, if not likely.

[Vazelos]

Gresham? What happened to him?

[shrodes]

Gresham? What happened to him?

Looked like he rolled an ankle or knee hyper-extension quite late, Richo didn't mention him in post-game (wasn't asked about injuries, apart from Paddy head into turf), but IIRC Gresh played on afterwards, so he might be OK. Tony?

[saintsRrising]

For gods sake - what is the number 1 catch phrase of footy "One week at a time". Next week is a classic banana peel game

[/img]

One week at a time is for the players, and is certainly not for forumites on a forum like this. Next week, next month and next season are all valid discussion threads.

My point is that our season will largely be decided in the next 4 games. What we see achieved or not achieved over the next 4 games will give us a great measure of where the Saints are at and given our opponents for 6 first games will also gives us a very good handle on our possible end of year ladder position.

And yes we could lose to the Lions. We could lost all 4. We could win all 4.