What's your level of Optimism for 2022?

[Scollop]

I agree with older saint. I think we can certainly finish top 6, but I can’t see us playing off in the last week in September in 2022.

Melbourne have the best midfield in the game with a wealth of A graders and All Australians. You need to see signs from a young team and you need proof that they can get the wins on the board and can win finals. Melbourne did that as their group was maturing and getting better and they beat 2 very good teams in 2018 with 2 solid finals wins, eventually losing in a prelim to the eventual premiers West Coast at their home ground in Perth.

I think their coaching group and the football department made a few mistakes in early 2019 and it took a couple of years to win back the playing group and the appointment of Mark Williams was a key recruitment to sharpen the focus. They were probably going to be improvers in 2021 regardless of Choco because I saw a team on the up in late 2020

Saints fans who believe that we compare well with Melbourne (both from a list perspective and our potential to go deep into September or that we will win a flag) are delusional in my opinion. We need about 4 teams to ‘fall over’ and get multiple injuries for us to do a Bradbury

[Vortex]

I’m a little more apprehensive


It feels like this team could be top 4… missing the 8 and him being sacked doesn’t seem out of bounds either

You have nailed how I feel about 22.

I think our list is still vulnerable to the smallest number of injured players and specifically a KPP like say Ryder because for some reason our midfield loses something also when he's not in the team. Our forward line and the mechanism into also seems like a work in progress and performances in that department rarely look confident. It's interesting Sharman has become a saviour, so much expectation riding on this young fella by some fans.

Possibly the greatest vulnerability though is the collective resilience of the list, they seem to fall apart pretty quickly the moment things don't go their way, on and off the field.

[Banger9798]

I reckon Melbourne are overrated.
They are very beatable.
They had a great finals series and barely an injury all year

[older saint]

I reckon Melbourne are overrated.
They are very beatable.
They had a great finals series and barely an injury all year

With respect far from overrated. Yes had a great run with injuries due to a mixture of good luck and great management, but much more than a great finals series, were minor premiers with 70 pts . No one unbeatable but far from overrated

[Banger9798]

I reckon Melbourne are overrated.
They are very beatable.
They had a great finals series and barely an injury all year

With respect far from overrated. Yes had a great run with injuries due to a mixture of good luck and great management, but much more than a great finals series, were minor premiers with 70 pts . No one unbeatable but far from overrated

Look they are a good team, no doubt, and deserved the Flag.
But they don't intimidate the way Hawthorn through their threepeat and Geelong '09,10.
We were usually missing 6-8 first choice players.
I reckon we can definitely beat them.

[shanegrambeau]

My bet is that Melbourne figure they are in for a dynasty Richmond style. They ain’t gonna be no Leicester City/Footscray bulldogs.. they want four flags…

But it isn’t gonna be…Richmond making their supposed big comeback should fail gloriously.

Geelong, in any normal universe would slide, but due to their incredibly favorable and unique situation, should be competitive and probably too six.

St Kilda needs Sydney to struggle, Essendon and Carlton to continue their miserable 21sf century, West Coast and Port Adelaide to be floored by injury/scandal/decent or preferably all three. Then we need Hawthorn under Mitchell to be in serious developmental problems. We need GWS to have a cocaine scandal. After that, there is nothing stopping us from getting in the eight and getting in comfortably.

[shanegrambeau]

My bet is that Melbourne figure they are in for a dynasty Richmond style. They ain’t gonna be no Leicester City/Footscray bulldogs.. they want four flags…

But it isn’t gonna be…Richmond making their supposed big comeback should fail gloriously.

Geelong, in any normal universe would slide, but due to their incredibly favorable and unique situation, should be competitive and probably top six.

St Kilda needs Sydney to struggle, Essendon and Carlton to continue their miserable 21sf century, West Coast and Port Adelaide to be floored by injury/scandal/internal dissent or preferably all three. Then we need Hawthorn under Mitchell to be in serious developmental problems. We need GWS to have a cocaine scandal. After that, there is nothing stopping us from getting in the eight and getting in comfortably.

[minneapolis]

Melbourne took their chance but were lucky that Richmond, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn, Sydney and West Coast were all in a slump at the same time. Who would have predicted that 10 years ago?

[Ghost Like]

Melbourne took their chance but were lucky that Richmond, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn, Sydney and West Coast were all in a slump at the same time. Who would have predicted that 10 years ago?

Having Collingwood in a GF is a guarantee of a Flag, unless you're St Kilda.

I don't think there was anything lucky about them playing the best quarter & a half of Grand Final football I've ever seen.

Melbourne did take their chance and in the meantime exposed some sides as not being as good as they (& we) thought they were.

[Yorkeys]

level depends on someone taking Butler's regular spot and us winning a clutch game early.
If that happens very optimistic, if not, simply hopeful;
looking forward to potentially exciting youngsters strutting their stuff, no 80 point floggings, not giving up 30 point leads and a couple of outstanding debuts later in the year.
Still wary about long term injured players that suffered horrific/most serious injuries recapturing form. Hope they can for everyone's sake but sometimes the full magic does not return.
Still punch drunk, bruised and gun shy from a shot ourselves in the foot again 2021, apologies.

[desertsaint]

We have 9 interstate games. That's one short of any interstate side. Unlike them most of our home games are against other same state teams. It's a big disadvantage and i don't think we're good enough to overcome it. Then we have half of our double ups against top six opposition.
If we make top eight it will be a mighty effort.

[Viscount Jeremiah]

Melbourne is an awesome team when they have all their players on the park but they lack a fair bit in midfield depth.

They're Petracca and Oliver injuries away from being average.

I'm pretty sure we would beat them with those two out.

[Otiman]

Top 4 or 12th to 14th.

I don't think we will be middling again.

[BadRossco]

Appear to have picked up some promising young players but they are unlikely to have any impact next season any improvement will be from a better run with injuries and having a fit Billings and Marshall and getting more games out of Paddy. King going to another level and the return of Gresh and Paton should all lead to an overall improvement but that will probably not translate to a rise up the ladder as most sides will improve and some are already a lot better than us. My guess is we will improve but be likely to drop down a position or two on the ladder but then things should really begin to turn around.

[magnifisaint]

I now expect a premiership very soon. The Bulldogs and Melbourne proved that. Not a one pointer. I want one where we wrap it up with 10 mins gone in the 3rd quarter. I can then savour the victory.

[saintsRrising]

2022?

The key to how we go in 2022, good or bad or middling, is going to be our midfield unit including rucks.

Marshall and Ryder both having a good year will help our mids enormously as they are both players who can boost the performance of mids, though in quite different ways.

But to be really good in 2022 we need to not be as reliant on Steele via our other mids all improving including the return of Gresham.

Gresham needs to not just come back, but also needs to be a better ball user than he was in 2020.

I can see our forward line being really good. And I am quite comfortable about about our backline even if we lack one other really tall key defender. But it is our midfield as unit that I just do not know about. They have the potential to be a pretty capable unit in 2022, but they also could be below average as there are just so many question marks:

Will Hannas actually have a good season and stay on the park?
Will Clark be able to step up to be a genuine regular mid?
We know that Gresham can win the ball well, but can he use it better?
Can Crouch be more that bit better in 2022, that we know that he can be?
Can Jones stay on the park? (He is a very different mid to our other mids and is valuable due to his pace and aggression even if his use of the ball is a bit iffy)
How many games will Ryder play to give our mids his silver service?
Can we minimise the roost to our forwards?


So overall I am feeling hopeful, but unsure.

[The Fireman]

High, as it was last year

[Wayne42]

2022?

The key to how we go in 2022, good or bad or middling, is going to be our midfield unit including rucks.

Marshall and Ryder both having a good year will help our mids enormously as they are both players who can boost the performance of mids, though in quite different ways.

But to be really good in 2022 we need to not be as reliant on Steele via our other mids all improving including the return of Gresham.

Gresham needs to not just come back, but also needs to be a better ball user than he was in 2020.

I can see our forward line being really good. And I am quite comfortable about about our backline even if we lack one other really tall key defender. But it is our midfield as unit that I just do not know about. They have the potential to be a pretty capable unit in 2022, but they also could be below average as there are just so many question marks:

Will Hannas actually have a good season and stay on the park?
Will Clark be able to step up to be a genuine regular mid?
We know that Gresham can win the ball well, but can he use it better?
Can Crouch be more that bit better in 2022, that we know that he can be?
Can Jones stay on the park? (He is a very different mid to our other mids and is valuable due to his pace and aggression even if his use of the ball is a bit iffy)
How many games will Ryder play to give our mids his silver service?
Can we minimise the roost to our forwards?


So overall I am feeling hopeful, but unsure.

We lack another tall key defender because, or so it seems, the club or list manager or coach don't think we need another one, hence, they don' appear to be actively trying to find
one for 2022. They have already said young Adams won't play AFL in 2022. It's an interesting call but they are the experts.

[cwrcyn]

We had one in mind for the draft but he was snapped up by another club before our pick. They're hard to find, but there's no point in using a pick 11 on a tall guy who you think is worth pick 30.

[Saintmike65]

It's always hard to get a read on predictions but from what I've seen at training, the players are very fit and seem hungry.
There are ifs, buts and maybe's but if we do happen to get a kinder injury run we can do a bit of damage.
If they get enough supply, our forward line is capable of causing problems to most defenses in the competition.
Here's hoping and fingers crossed!

[MCG-Unit]

7/10 and 7 - 10