It mostly comes down to our midfield

[cwrcyn]

When our midfield is off its game (like today's first quarter) we get hammered. It's been a common thing all season. Some teams can manage to stay very competitive when their midfield is operating below par, but we tend to get smashed. Until we can inject some high quality ball magnets into the middle, we'll continue to struggle. Most teams have at least one very dynamic and dominant midfielder who can turn games. Some have three of them. We have none. If you lined up our midfield against all the others in the comp, we would come up short (on quality) agents nearly all of them. It's not that out midfield group is terrible or lazy, it's just one-paced and workman-like.

[cwrcyn]

Message to the club......please recruit some GENIUNE midfielders, not half backs and half forwards who you hope can become mids. This is the key to improving our performances

[mightysainters]

Lucky we picked up King instead of Rozee or Bailey Smith.. but apparently this was a great move according to everyone.. pls

[saintadamski]

Don't you need a midfield in the first place, for it to be 'off ' ??

[B.M]

Plenty of Great Midfielders come up in every draft and can be traded for, or taken as free agents. Each team has good to great Mids. Few teams have great key forwards.

Not many great key forwards come up in drafts and when you get one you can build a team around them

Carey, Brown, Tredrea, Riewoldt, Hall, Kennedy, Franklin, Roughead, Riewoldt,

The only non premiership player there is Nick

Those players are like soccer strikers, they are the money men.

If King comes good and develops he will be worth 2 Mids.
If not, take a top end mid in this draft, because there will be a few available

[vacuous space]

If we'd taken Smith, Richo would have him running off half back for Sandy. Had we taken Rozee, we'd probably be bombing the ball into him at FF or, more likely, Rozee would be running off half back for Sandy.

[Viscount Jeremiah]

I'm glad we took King but agree we are in desperate need of some gun mids.

[Saintmatt]

Don't you need a midfield in the first place, for it to be 'off ' ??

Post of the year. So true.

Our midfield is comfortably the worst of the modern era of AFL. Not a single B Grader amongst them; let alone an A. Jack Steven smoothed over so many giant cracks. He made Ross and Dunstan’s truly abominable kicking skills bearable by getting their hand passes on the outside and taking off. They now have to kick it. And make decisions ... rather than just dishing it off.

Steele is just a plodder. Lenny-lite. Great tackler and shuts down ok but nothing much else.

Gresham is a selfish small forward who’s a poor kick but being made to play as a mid out of necessity. A very poor man’s Robbie Gray.

It’s a midfielders game and we are truly bereft. And here we are.

[Cordz2]

We need 10 midfielders in development and no mare half backs or utilities- we’ve known this for 5 years and have done nothing about it.

[saintsRrising]

Plenty of Great Midfielders come up in every draft and can be traded for, or taken as free agents. Each team has good to great Mids. Few teams have great key forwards.

Not many great key forwards come up in drafts and when you get one you can build a team around them

Carey, Brown, Tredrea, Riewoldt, Hall, Kennedy, Franklin, Roughead, Riewoldt,

The only non premiership player there is Nick

True but that is a very selective list. What about Lockett, Loewe, Matthew Richardson, Pavlich, Grant, Neitz, etc ?....

While plenty of great mids come up in every draft the very sad reality is that the Saints have not snagged such a beast since way, way, way back we we selected Jack Steven.

Saints will not be a successful team till we by hook or crook gain some elite mids.

Cross fingers that Bytel becomes one.

[leighsaintsince66]

I agree. We urgently need elite midfielders with exceptional disposal skills.

We also need class fowards as a matter of priority.

If you compare our forward line to previous forward lines this becomes even clearer.
In 2004 we had the following forwards (in order of importance IMO):
Gehrig (A grader) Riewoldt (A), Hammill (B) Koschitzke (B), Milne (C to B) and Guerra (C).
We still couldn't get the chocolates because of injuries etc...

In 2019 we have on our list eg Bruce (C to B), Membrey (C to B), Kent (D to C), Parker (D to C), Long (D), Lonie ( C to B?), Battle (B but in defence), McCartin (C for probable retirement) and King (unproven). Definitely no A graders, quite a few "battlers" in comparison).

IMO it would be difficult to see Bruce or Membrey getting a game in our 2004 team, let alone any others that have played forward this year.

[stkfc1]

I agree. We urgently need elite midfielders with exceptional disposal skills.

We also need class fowards as a matter of priority.

If you compare our forward line to previous forward lines this becomes even clearer.
In 2004 we had the following forwards (in order of importance IMO):
Gehrig (A grader) Riewoldt (A), Hammill (B) Koschitzke (B), Milne (C to B) and Guerra (C).
We still couldn't get the chocolates...

In 2019 we have on our list eg Bruce (C to B), Membrey (C to B), Kent (D to C), Parker (D to C), Long (D), Lonie ( C to B?), Battle (B but in defence), McCartin (C for probable retirement) and King (unproven). Definitely no A graders, quite a few "battlers" in comparison).

IMO it would be difficult to see Bruce or Membrey getting a game in our 2004 team, let alone any others that have played forward this year.

Milne a C to B!? Try the letters G.O.A.T

[leighsaintsince66]

Milney is easily an A grader in my opinion.
One of the best small forwards ever!

I am talking about 2004 only, OK!

[stkfc1]

Milney is easily an A grader in my opinion.
One of the best small forwards ever!

I am talking about 2004 only, OK!

I know. I was just having a lend.

Man, we really really really need Bytle to be something special. Hopefully the club dosnt f@#k up this years draft and just goes for the best pure mid we can. Our recent form though it will be the guy with the crook elbow, cricked neck with a bulging disc and poor eye sight. Throw in some Asthma, a heart murmur and chronic fatigue syndrome for good measure. Sure he'll be a top bloke though! (when he remembers to take his bipolar medications)

[B.M]

Think Milney went alright in 2004 kicked a lazy 46

At that point of his career 73 games 139 goals

That 2gpg which is elite for a small forward

[saintsRrising]

I

IMO it would be difficult to see .... Membrey getting a game in our 2004 team, let alone any others that have played forward this year.

During the naughties the Saints searched long and hard with no joy for a third tall as good as Membrey is to replace Hamill.

Membrey would IMO certainly have slotted in very nicely in our last Grand Final Teams.

[B.M]

SR

Would you be unhappy if we landed anyone of the ilk that you named?

Lockett, Loewe, Matthew Richardson, Pavlich, Grant, Neitz, etc ?....

The are all time greats

[saintsRrising]

SR

Would you be unhappy if we landed anyone of the ilk that you named?

Lockett, Loewe, Matthew Richardson, Pavlich, Grant, Neitz, etc ?....

The are all time greats

Of course, but...

1/ I would be more happy at present if we landed an all time great mid at present.

With Steven's future now unknown our midfield is to me our No 1 need. Indeed even if Steven plays next year our midfield is to me our No 1 need.

Forward wise for 2020 We have as marking targets Bruce, King and Membrey as the 3rd tall and Marshall to push forward.

2/ All things being equal I think that a true mid as an early pick is a lot more likely to make it than a key forward.

Not a direct draft watcher, but looking at the reports of those that are it would seem that there would be quite a few good mids to choose from with our likely pick. Though not the best 2 who will be gone by our pick at 3-5.

At 3-5 from what I have read such a midfield pick would be a surer bet this draft , and would also suit our immediate needs better.

PS. I am hoping like hell that Bytel can come good.

3/ Lockett, Loewe, Matthew Richardson, Pavlich, Grant, Neitz, etc ?....

It would be interesting to know how many of the above apart from Pavlich would actually have been high draft picks if the draft was going in their era.

[8bloggs]

Let's face it we only have Steven who has any hurt factor as a midfielder.
Steele is OK but in my opinion the others are honest plodders.
Desperately need some flair, aggression and the ability to do something special to lift the rest of the team - can't see that happening with our draft selections this year and what little we can trade with.
Glum is me.

[saintsRrising]

Let's face it we only have Steven who has any hurt factor as a midfielder.
Steele is OK but in my opinion the others are honest plodders.
Desperately need some flair, aggression and the ability to do something special to lift the rest of the team - can't see that happening with our draft selections this year and what little we can trade with.

Exactly and that is why our first pic needs to be for a mid. Either draft or use to trade for.

If we can knock our injury list to something like normal:

-We can go ok in the forward line.
-We can go ok in the backline
-Marshall now gives us good No1 ruck

But the midfield is where we are most off pace.

[B.M]

Yes we need mids desperately. But last year, with King available, we had to select him.

Could not afford a Richmond Tambling/Buddy Franklin moment

A good big man is always more valuable than a good little man

Whilst Buckley, Harvey and Voss are true champions
Lockett, Carey and Ablett snr are more important

[MC Gusto]

Agreed Mart

Big men also take longer. I know we’ve been burnt but that theory with Paddy but lucks not been on our side. Important the club took king and hopefully we can build a team around him from here
Definitely need to take the best available mids in the next couple of drafts as well as targeting a FA or two

[saintsRrising]

Ah, but knowing who actually is a good big man in advance is the tricky part.

Early days on King of course, but as it stands our best two current bigmen were originally taken at pick 24 and as a pick 10 in the rookie draft.

Then Battle who is looking the goods was taken at pick 39.

[Gershwin]

The loss of Steven this year has been huge. Has the speed and experience that we haven’t been able to get close to replacing. Hopefully we will see him again this year and for a while to come.