Get the pitchforks ready! OUT Steele, IN Dunstan

[Proph3t of egan]

Did anyone read the whole story?

There are a few others: Paddy has a knock to the knee and will miss one; Carlisle is a last minute fitness test but Brown is fit; Wright has a shoulder injury and Hugh Goddard may be out for the season!

Lonie tipped to replace Wright and Rice to come in if Carlisle doesn't get up.

The guys who front up tomorrow night, are not a top 8 side, not at all.

The best play of the night will be the run through the banner
and it will be all downhill from there, sadly.
Frees 26-12 in Norf's favour
final score 150- 45 is my tip

Why bother supporting the saints if you hate the team?

Don't you get it.
I love the Saints, but the way it's being run at the moment, they couldn't organise a sausage sizzle at Bunnings.
You don't disown your family if you disagree with your cousin's choice of partner
or if there is some sort of fall-out.
You still have that connection but you want them to be the best they can bloody be.
You don't cut them off.

You're right, you obviously abuse them and call them s***, that's what love truly is.

The players are the club, you can criticise them when they make mistakes, but respect that they pull on the RWB and put their bodies on the line for the club

[longtimesaint]

The biggest problem will be if Carlisle is not fit who plays centre half-back?
North have tall marking forwards.

Who cares, is anyone seriously happy with Carlisle's performances thus far?
Last week was 100% crap, trailing 5m off opponent every time, way too easy.

Are you putting your hand up for chb on Ben Brown?

More likely to be Waite the brown

Either one of the key forwards needs someone to play there.
With Goddard injured again we have very little depth in key defenders.

[Proph3t of egan]

The biggest problem will be if Carlisle is not fit who plays centre half-back?
North have tall marking forwards.

Who cares, is anyone seriously happy with Carlisle's performances thus far?
Last week was 100% crap, trailing 5m off opponent every time, way too easy.

Are you putting your hand up for chb on Ben Brown?

More likely to be Waite the brown

Either one of the key forwards needs someone to play there.
With Goddard injured again we have very little depth in key defenders.

Maybe that's why we are trialing Marshall down back, he played CHB at North Ballarat didn't he?

[BigMart]

Not gonna sugar coat it

Dunstan is rubbish

Slow

Can't kick

Is poor defensively

Doesn't win it much inside or outside

Cannot play anywhere else but midfield but doesn't win enough ball in the midfield

If he doesn't get a shitload fitter he should be delisted

[satchmo]

has been promoted...

[loris]

they couldn't organise a sausage sizzle at Bunnings.

Aaaah now WS, you told me live in Wellard............ please if you want to help a good cause organise a sausage sizzle. I invite you use your talents to help out at your local Bunnings store at Rockingham. Most weekends at the Bunnings store we need volunteers to help WAGA ( Western Australian Greyhound Adoptions) at their sausage sizzles to raise awareness of the plight of gentle ex-racing greyhounds in Western Australia. ( and in Australia)

Please WS, we could channel your negative passion to highlight the evils of the corrupt greyhound racing industry in Australia.

OR

On the-other-hand we could use your positive passion that can't be channeled towards the Saints at the present time, instead to be transferred to spreading the good word to the public, to educate them on the joys of adopting an elegant, gentle, lazy, goofy greyhound............ you know, it's the right thing to do at a Bunning's sausage sizzle in your area!!

KEEP CALM
ADOPT
A
GREYHOUND

[Wombat15]

I do feel you have to persist with Dunstan. havent seen enough to say he wont make it as a footballer. we have been that poorly coached and team selection has been sh**house this season. We just look lost as a team.

In terms of dropping steele i think its a very dumb thing to say the least. he was asked to tag one of the best mids in the comp and did a reasonable job. hes played 25 odd games and been poorly coached for most of them. hes a gun inside midfielder who looks like Josh Kennedy or Lenny Hayes (take your pick) and they are barely giving him a run through midfield. just dumb football. Him Ross and Steven are probably the best 3 mids currently playing at the club and steele barely gets a run in. can only imagine how badly Freeman will be handled when he gets a game.

if we win great, if we lose i hope the coaching and selection staff get a wake up call that there have been too many blokes who are taking their spots for granted!

[White Winmar]

I do feel you have to persist with Dunstan. havent seen enough to say he wont make it as a footballer. we have been that poorly coached and team selection has been sh**house this season. We just look lost as a team.

In terms of dropping steele i think its a very dumb thing to say the least. he was asked to tag one of the best mids in the comp and did a reasonable job. hes played 25 odd games and been poorly coached for most of them. hes a gun inside midfielder who looks like Josh Kennedy or Lenny Hayes (take your pick) and they are barely giving him a run through midfield. just dumb football. Him Ross and Steven are probably the best 3 mids currently playing at the club and steele barely gets a run in. can only imagine how badly Freeman will be handled when he gets a game.

if we win great, if we lose i hope the coaching and selection staff get a wake up call that there have been too many blokes who are taking their spots for granted!

Have to agree, wombat15. He wasn't great last week but I though he's worth persisting with. Puzzling, especially as this is our most important game of the year. I'm a bit of a Dunstan fan, and think if he can improve his running the way Seb Ross did, he could be Armo's replacement in time. Good leadership qualities, too I'm told. Is there room for both?

[Wayne42]

I do feel you have to persist with Dunstan. havent seen enough to say he wont make it as a footballer. we have been that poorly coached and team selection has been sh**house this season. We just look lost as a team.

In terms of dropping steele i think its a very dumb thing to say the least. he was asked to tag one of the best mids in the comp and did a reasonable job. hes played 25 odd games and been poorly coached for most of them. hes a gun inside midfielder who looks like Josh Kennedy or Lenny Hayes (take your pick) and they are barely giving him a run through midfield. just dumb football. Him Ross and Steven are probably the best 3 mids currently playing at the club and steele barely gets a run in. can only imagine how badly Freeman will be handled when he gets a game.

if we win great, if we lose i hope the coaching and selection staff get a wake up call that there have been too many blokes who are taking their spots for granted!

Have to agree, wombat15. He wasn't great last week but I though he's worth persisting with. Puzzling, especially as this is our most important game of the year. I'm a bit of a Dunstan fan, and think if he can improve his running the way Seb Ross did, he could be Armo's replacement in time. Good leadership qualities, too I'm told. Is there room for both?

I think we were all told Dunnie had leadership qualities, however, we weren't told he was as flawed as he is. That's the BIG issue.

[bigcarl]

More concerned about Paddy being (managed) to get Riewoldt in. If he's genuinely injured that's fine, if not it's a worry. The kid needs continuity and game time.

Think you'll find that members was in line to be dropped for Riewoldt before Paddy was ruled out

Christ I hope so, but if it was up to me neither he, Paddy or Bruce would be dropped.

We just can't be counting on Riewoldt to kick us winning scores. It's not the way forward. He needs to play wing or chb.

[Spinner]

Not gonna sugar coat it

Dunstan is rubbish

Slow

Can't kick

Is poor defensively

Doesn't win it much inside or outside

Cannot play anywhere else but midfield but doesn't win enough ball in the midfield

If he doesn't get a shitload fitter he should be delisted

Come off it. This from a man that still thinks Ben Cousins was a success at Richmond. Continue writing this dribble, it won't ever prove your terrible points.

Imagine if Dunstan didn't have a draft photo.

[White Winmar]

He did have a photo and it was very fetching!

[saintbob]

Steele named as an emergency, I reckon he'll play.

Richo just sending the kid a message

[Superboot]

Looking forward to the game tonight and another opportunity to have a very close look at some of our guys.

At the Sydney game I was so frustrated with Dunstan I was ready to write him off. Decided he was a complete liability. I really hope I'm wrong.

[degruch]

Steele named as an emergency, I reckon he'll play.

Richo just sending the kid a message

Hmmm...interesting. Yes, you'd think 'dropped' is form related and you'd want him back in the 2's immediately. However, Dunstan and Steele in the same team? I usually compare one to the other in terms of their roles within the team, but he was tagger last week, so who knows what deviousness Richo has up his sleeve? Also not like Richo to be devious.

[degruch]

At the Sydney game I was so frustrated with Dunstan I was ready to write him off. Decided he was a complete liability. I really hope I'm wrong.

That was the turning point for me also...suddenly I could see what all the naysayers were talking about in bold letters.

[Con Gorozidis]

Steele was basically not playing last week.
I thought he was injured so he had to be dropped or rested.
But I don't see any future for Dunstan or Lonie.
I'd rather try NOK or give Minch a run on the ball.

[Selhurst Saint]

I am fairly certain Carlisle won't play tonight.

Who replaces him. Steele or Rice?

[Johnny Member]

The problem with Dunstan is very simple, and very clear.

He's a midfielder.

Midfielders need to get the pill, and use it effectively. Pretty simple yeah?

In order to get the pill, you either need to beat someone in a contest to win it, or run somewhere to receive it from somebody else.

To beat someone in a contest, you need to either be stronger than them, faster than them, fiercer than them or better at reading the contest than them - depending on the particular situation.

To run somewhere to receive it from somebody else, requires pace, smarts, discipline and a serious tank - depending on the particular situation. In some cases, it requires all four. In order to receive the pill from somebody else, you quite often have to be better in these areas than the bloke chasing you.

Once you get the pill, you need know in the blink of an eye where the right place on the ground is to put it, and when to put it there. Then, either by hand or foot, you need to be able to put it where you want it to go.

That concludes this week's edition of 'A-Grade Midfielders for Dummies'.


So how does Dunstan fit into the above? Well, he doesn't.

He's strong - but not freakishly strong. He's certainly not fast, and doesn't jump out as having an enormous tank either. The very fact that he doesn't win a huge amount of Clearances or Contested Possessions suggests that he isn't hitting the other criteria out of the park either.


So can he get stronger? Maybe a bit.
Can he get 'smarter'? That's hard. It tends to be a natural thing.
Can he get fitter? Yes.
Can he get faster? No, I don't think he can.
Can he get fiercer at the contest? Yes.
Can he use the ball better? Yes he can....but will he? Is he naturally just an Ok kick?


So to summarise: He is very deficient in too many areas to be a good midfielder right now. He is too deficient in too many areas to be a good defender or forward either. But the biggest issue is that the areas he's deficient in aren't really areas that you suddenly improve in after 60 games and at the age of nearly 23.

[Johnny Member]

One thing I will say about him though - is that he's incredibly brave.

He should be recognised for that, and really be lauded by Saints fans for it.

I mean the dude has been concussed about 8 times already! It's a miracle he's even tough enough to still play the game to be honest.


From that aspect, his character can never be questioned.

[BigMart]

Cousins was better in two years at the tigers than Dunstan has been in 4 at StK

I'd take 1 of Cousins disposals to 2 of Dunstan's ... and Cousins got more of the ball anyway!

Dunstan, Cripps and Petracca

All have been a roaring success!!!

And the other guy I had to eat Humble Pie over last year... well he's in the seconds now (at 25yo) also!!!!

But hey,

Brad Howard was good!!!

[dragit]

Are you on the gear again marto?

[Superboot]

At the Sydney game I was so frustrated with Dunstan I was ready to write him off. Decided he was a complete liability. I really hope I'm wrong.

That was the turning point for me also...suddenly I could see what all the naysayers were talking about in bold letters.

It was the slow movement, fumbles, and hospital handpasses that got me. Promising moves would break down.

Of course, this is not to say he was the only one!

[BigMart]

Are you really saying Dunstan is better than Ben Cousins?

Even at Richmond, collection 20 per game he was a fair bit better than what Luke dishes up.

Cousins is rated one of the best mids of this generation... Luke is in the VFL

I reckon Benny would run circles around Luke right now... it'd have to be in the prison years though?!

[BigMart]

Are you really saying Dunstan is better than Ben Cousins?

Even at Richmond, collection 20 per game he was a fair bit better than what Luke dishes up.

Cousins is rated one of the best mids of this generation... Luke is in the VFL

I reckon Benny would run circles around Luke right now... it'd have to be in the prison yard though?!