Crab watch

[Otiman]

Billings is not the type of player you need at your club when you're rebuilding. You need senior players to absorb heat and pressure....and with at least a little bit of a physical presence

I think it's less about that and more about their leadership and mentoring on and off the field.

You need a solid group of senior leaders to build a young team. Hawthorn and North made the mistake of an age based cull and are hurting from it. And it's not from anything champion data's stats can measure.

[spert]

We don't need a group of senior GOPs who are not winning their positions, as an example for the young players though

[magnifisaint]

Billings does look comfortable at Melbourne.

[Sainter_Dad]

Why are we still talking about Billings?

[CURLY]

Billings does look comfortable at Melbourne.

Looks exactly the same as he did with us. 15-20 disposals. Neat kicking and creative ball use.

[B.M]

Which exactly what you want from a high half forward

Only criticism I’ve got of JB is that for such a good kick, he misses too many shots on goal.

If he went at 65% instead of less than 50 his numbers would be elite for a HF
Fact is, very few HFs average 20ppg even less average 1.5goals

[Scollop]

Billings does look comfortable at Melbourne.

Looks exactly the same as he did with us. 15-20 disposals. Neat kicking and creative ball use.

It's creative of you to think that Billings has creative ball use. Mediocre player

18 touches with 17 being uncontested and disposal efficiency of 61%....yeah very neat ball use

When your team is dominating - as Melbourne were - it's easy to rack up uncontested numbers.

He did the same thing in games where Melbourne have outplayed their opposition and controlled the game. In matches where it was tight (against Sydney and Port Adelaide etc.) he struggles.

McAdam, Spargo and Melsham (and the youngsters) will take his spot

[B.M]

Not if he keeps performing

None of those players are as good as him

[Devilhead]

Billings is a good player .... ruined by injury at the Saints

Same with Gresham .... ruined by injury while with us

[takeaway]

Billings does look comfortable at Melbourne.

Looks exactly the same as he did with us. 15-20 disposals. Neat kicking and creative ball use.

It's creative of you to think that Billings has creative ball use. Mediocre player

18 touches with 17 being uncontested and disposal efficiency of 61%....yeah very neat ball use

When your team is dominating - as Melbourne were - it's easy to rack up uncontested numbers.

He did the same thing in games where Melbourne have outplayed their opposition and controlled the game. In matches where it was tight (against Sydney and Port Adelaide etc.) he struggles.

McAdam, Spargo and Melsham (and the youngsters) will take his spot

17 uncontested? Good. Doing his job - one of the main roles is to find space and provide a target, as a link to moving the ball forward. Who else performs a similar role for Demons, moving from hb to hf to help create an avenue to goal? Say Ed Langdon, who probably does it better than Billings. His stats for the game - 24 disposals, 20 uncontested. There you go.

Players have different roles, but I do know you prefer the ruff tuff types, like that ex Gold Coast player, Ben Long, physical presence, but doesn't get the ball much.

[Scollop]

I do know you prefer the ruff tuff types, like that ex Gold Coast player, Ben Long

He's been sacked has he?

[Laurie]

Melksham and Spargo both hurt you on scoreboard moreso than Billings
BOOM BOOM

[takeaway]

I do know you prefer the ruff tuff types, like that ex Gold Coast player, Ben Long

He's been sacked has he?

Dunno. Haven't heard anything about him. Is he still there?

[B.M]

In the two

Kicked 4 on Sat

[B.M]

Billings is a HF

Langdon primarily plays wing

One plays the entire length of the ground- one side

The other is a front of the ball player

[Otiman]

We don't need a group of senior GOPs who are not winning their positions, as an example for the young players though

I disagree, if their skillset is in mentoring and building talent.

Cut these players at your peril, and end up in a long, long rebuild.

North would be a much better side if they held onto Wood and Campbell.

Wood, Campbell, and Hill are the three players brought from outside of the club who have made the biggest impact on our list. Campbell has played 2 games.

[Vortex]

We don't need a group of senior GOPs who are not winning their positions, as an example for the young players though

I disagree, if their skillset is in mentoring and building talent.

Cut these players at your peril, and end up in a long, long rebuild.

North would be a much better side if they held onto Wood and Campbell.

Wood, Campbell, and Hill are the three players brought from outside of the club who have made the biggest impact on our list. Campbell has played 2 games.

Gee claiming a player has made us better after only having played 2 games would only be made at St Kilda surely?

[maverick]

Billings was a creative half forward who kicked goals as an u18
When playing under Richo all the dare was lost, he played safe and within himself and lost that creative side
Injuries hit and he has turned into an average footballer
No shame in that, but a shame he never came on
In my view our development hurt him

[whiskers3614]

What about the bloke traded for about one of Brad Hill's toenails?
Had a huge game last night/ making me do one of those comparison thingys.
Stats since the trade stand up really well compared with Hill's, too bad about the draft picks that also went westward!
Not as bad as Hannebery deal but the two combined are right up there with Barrot/Stewart and Ball/Lovett!

[Yorkeys]

Didn't it take 2 clubs not really wanting Blake before he pulled his finger out. Was jogging on the fringe of contests for most of his time with us. Can't remember him throwing his weight around. Penny dropped eventually. Seems Voss only wants goers and Blues Captain is 6'5". Persuasive in the locker room you'd think. Bit harsh to criticise the club for wanting to free up salary cap by offloading a bystander.

[whiskers3614]

Didn't it take 2 clubs not really wanting Blake before he pulled his finger out. Was jogging on the fringe of contests for most of his time with us. Can't remember him throwing his weight around. Penny dropped eventually. Seems Voss only wants goers and Blues Captain is 6'5". Persuasive in the locker room you'd think. Bit harsh to criticise the club for wanting to free up salary cap by offloading a bystander.

So we should be happy about the Hill trade?

[Scollop]

Now that we have Hill, there's no going back. Hill has exceeded my expectations. He is an asset to the club for his leadership and as far as his efforts and performance on field...he deserves every dollar we're paying him

But...I still believe it was wrong of St Kilda to do the trade for what we gave up. Had we kept Blake...then it was an ok deal for the picks alone

At the start of 2017 Blake Acres was just a 20 year old. By the end of that year he started showing signs that he was improving and he even played a game where he notched up 30 disposals.

Over the next 2 years he was in and out of the senior side. The younger players were always the scapegoats when we had losses and he never settled in one position.

Just as he's about to come up to that 80 game mark where fitness, maturity and experience combine to give you a complete player, we get rid of him.

Thanks Richo and Lethers

https://www.saints.com.au/news/280853/s ... lake-acres

The other ridiculous thing to note in the 'review' at the end of the article is Richo states that Blake plays best when he's settled in one position...but Richo continues to screw up his development over the next 2 years.

2018 and 2019 were horrible years for Saints fans. The coach and footy department were under pressure. They brought in too many senior recycled players and it stifled the development of certain players including the Blake

[shrodes]

Didn't it take 2 clubs not really wanting Blake before he pulled his finger out. Was jogging on the fringe of contests for most of his time with us. Can't remember him throwing his weight around. Penny dropped eventually. Seems Voss only wants goers and Blues Captain is 6'5". Persuasive in the locker room you'd think. Bit harsh to criticise the club for wanting to free up salary cap by offloading a bystander.

So we should be happy about the Hill trade?

It’s a yes from me, and FWIW I don’t miss Acres regardless how he’s playing elsewhere. At some point you have to get over it when players move on. Similarly with Gresham who seems to be having a good patch at the Bombers

[Scollop]

Forget about the narrative that Freo 'also' got rid if him. Carlton offered him more money and a better longer term contract

Blake never wanted to leave Melbourne, so he jumped at the opportunity to come back here.

We need to learn from those stuffups. Don't sell the farm for one player. Don't give in to ridiculous trades that aren't balanced. Don't stifle the development of your youth and don't sacrifice the long term for a quick sugar fix

[whiskers3614]

I have nothing against Hill himself.
The idiots that did that deal however, are another thing.
Not completely convinced Lethlean and that other clown brought in from Hawthorn weren't on a deliberate mission to finish us off!

And everyone thinks Curly is the conspiracy theorist round here!