Four improvements next season

[OneEyedSainter77]

One - Midfield - A real problem at the moment.... need to teach them all to play like Harvey.... Seriously though, our mids aren't playing anywhere near their potential.... hopefully they will be fitter next eyar but in the draft next year, we should aim for some good midfielders and play a few kids in the pre-season to see who's up to scratch....

Two - Goalkicking. Sack Barker if he's still forward coach.... Our accuracy was worse than every other team in the comp this eyar except Collingwood.... appalling. Must convert set shots and nail every oppurtunity, otherwise what's the point? Players must take 100 shots at goal during the week and at least hit 70% of them or they keep going until they improve... especially forwards....

Three - Fitness MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE- We need to have our best players available and FIT.... able to run out the entire game... get good pre-seasons into everyone and hopefully we can have a good year injury wise... it wasn't too bad this eyar - apart from BJ and rounds 8-11, I don't think we could really complain about injuries.

Four - Final Quarters - Sort of fits under fitness. We need to run out games properly... No more of this final quarter fadeouts crap.... next year, we need to improve them because let's face it, we can't afford to do what we've done so many times this season.....

Fix those three things and I think we're a huge chance for improvement next season.... where can i get info on the draft btw? More interested in it this year since its so important.

[SaintWodonga]

Post of the year. Agree with everything, got to get Ball right.

[Solar]

I think that number three might help number 1, 2 and 4.

Good post btw

[OneEyedSainter77]

I think that number three might help number 1, 2 and 4.

Good post btw

You know what?! I agree with you... and so i'll amend it slightly....

[Solar]

on the fitness bit, I think that most of our best 22 have built up bodies that suit AFL standard. Now we need to trim it so they are not carrying too much muscle.

[bigcarl]

here's a few more

dispense with the ultra defensive, negative "accountable" gameplan and let the guys with flair play with flair. most of the season our blokes were more worried about their opponents than getting the pill. make them "accountable" for getting the ball.

draft, rather than trade, for talent. i'll be disgusted if we trade for any more old dud hacks. exploit and believe in the draft and keep bringing the talented kids through.

try a few things. I believe gilbert can really add to our midfield, for one. and gram is also worth a thought there. also groom kosi to take over from fraser. there's nothing so team lifting as a big bloke who can take a contested mark in front of goals.

work on a game plan that capitalises on our strengths. move it quicker to our forwards and better.

[saintsRrising]

Players have to commit more ina game....since the streak we rarely put in 4 quarter efforts.

[OneEyedSainter77]

I like those big carl, especially the second one. That's what i want to do is get good stuffin the draft.. I too am tired of has beens (M. Clarke) Doc was good back when he played for the crows but he was never much chop for us unfortunately. And I would love to see a new fitness regime next year. Go all out - even interrupt their eating lifestyles.... anything to get the players fit and ready.... the season goes for 22 rounds, not 15.
(and a game goes for four quarters not three)

[bigcarl]

I would love to see a new fitness regime next year. Go all out - even interrupt their eating lifestyles

yep good point. all too often we were unable to run out a game. perhaps the "numbers behind the ball" tactic of which RL seems so enamoured only serves to knacker our guys by the end of the third quarter. then again, maybe we just need to be fitter.

[Saints Premiers 2008]

bj was a massive loss down back...he adds so much to our team and releases other guns

the pre-season should be interesting to see who can get a full 3-4 months on the track and develop a solid fitness base for a real tilt at the finals in 2008

if anyone thought this year was going to be a fairytale premiership with a new coach and a few adjustments to our game plan are nutters

this year will see us develop a much all-round team that is able to play both accountable footy, defensive and attacking

it holds us in good hands for the future

finals would have been nice...however if we made them would we have had the cleanout that we would be having now???

[OneEyedSainter77]

Wasn't expecting a fairytale premiership but wasn't expecting what happened either.... this list has the capacity to AT THE VERY LEAST make finals abnd we didn't.... its actually quite disappointing.

[bigcarl]

Wasn't expecting a fairytale premiership but wasn't expecting what happened either.... this list has the capacity to AT THE VERY LEAST make finals abnd we didn't.... its actually quite disappointing.

i agree. we went backwards in 2007, there is no denying it. let's hope now that RL has had a good look at the job that he can "finish off the job"

[Saints Premiers 2008]

am i the only one here that really is not too worried or fussed and pretty much expected a bit of a hot and cold year???

i expected a few wins against some top opposition towards the back end of the year however in my mind i was expecting some throw-away losses against some below par opposition early on in the year...

[Brewer]

AGREE.

1 - midfield. We've got some great talent but need some hardness to contest and tackle. Get the guys fitter, faster and harder at it.

2 - goalkicking. Agree agree agree. Too often we line up for a standard set shot and look like it's too hard. Don't think about it, kick the bloody thing. If you have to think about it you haven't practised enough. Removing the point posts is an interesting start, but we need them out there kicking blindfolded so they can find 6 points in a blizzard.

3 - fitness. enough said.

4 - final quarters - see 3.

[sasaint]

draft, rather than trade, for talent. i'll be disgusted if we trade for any more old dud hacks. exploit and believe in the draft and keep bringing the talented kids through.

Very thin draft this year and I believe Ross will do some heavy pruning on our list so don't be surprised if we pick up some recycled players from other lists. He was pretty happy with Attard for example. You have to ask can we afford to carry some players who have done little in years into another year.

And FWIW mark down Geary as a promotion for 2008.

[The_Dud]

i honestly think we'll have a much better year in 2008

the second half of this year was quite good, i think we would be in the top 4 after the split round, and thats not considering the 2 games we absolutely should have won but didn't

so if we build on the second half of this year, get a few things right, mainly fitness, i can see us fighting for the top 4 next year, without too much of a stretch

[Saints Premiers 2008]

i honestly think we'll have a much better year in 2008

the second half of this year was quite good, i think we would be in the top 4 after the split round, and thats not considering the 2 games we absolutely should have won but didn't

so if we build on the second half of this year, get a few things right, mainly fitness, i can see us fighting for the top 4 next year, without too much of a stretch

agreed entirely

our best can beat any team in the league...its just a matter of turning it on when it matters...not once every month...

[bigcarl]

i'd like to see kosi play ff next season. give him that responsibility and watch him grow in the job. move fraser out to half-forward alongside roo or just keep him in the pocket as a handy goal-kicking decoy.

only problem is we'd need to find another ruckman. clarke clearly wasn't the answer and rix isn't great and never will be.

i'm a bit of the gt school of thought that ruckmen need to do more than win tap-outs. to me the onball division looks stronger with blake in there. at least he contributes around the ground. goose has also been played in that role before with some success as a "pinch-hitter"

let's hope gardiner comes up and brooks finds some confidence

then kosi could really turn it on up forward.

[OneEyedSainter77]

Some great signs for next year... thought pre-season we'd be top four but that was bias talking... realistically I didn't think we'd be much better than say 6th or 7th.... I think if we can start next year the way we finished this eyar (assuming we win tomorrow) we would be in a better position.

[bigcarl]

Very thin draft this year and I believe Ross will do some heavy pruning on our list so don't be surprised if we pick up some recycled players from other lists.

i've got no problem with "pre-loved" players with one proviso. Their best football must be ahead of them ... not behind them like m. clarke.

in all seriousness, my old favourite ts40 (who we piffed to make way for clarke) would have provided better value in the ruck this year.

unless they are absolute guns and are going for a song, i wouldn't be looking at anyone over 25

[The OtherThommo]

And we've had what sort of year, exactly? Some got their staffs out of their trousers and gave it a significant going over around the month when we had 25 odd players available. Game plan experts were every - f****** where. I defy any footy club to be wizards with the stuff we had NOT happening.
Let's look at the year. Goose back in half the time of Nathan Brown, our best kick of the footy gone at round 7, so many blokes with stuff all pre-season (Clarke, Clarke, Max). Lenny off the back of an ACL. No Hamill, no Gardiner. Ball's rotten groin.
I went to the game vs Hawktown at the G. Howard played, Sweeney played, Armo played. We had 23 available. We were done, stripped.

[Otiman]

Midfield - Get a HUGE preseason into Armitage, get into McQualter's head and get him firing on all cylinders. Recruit another gun mid first rounder. (Key Defender with second round). Lenny will be 100% again, and guys like L. Fisher and perhaps Gilbert will be groomed for their onball role rather than being thrown in at the deep end. (Yes, Gilbert as a Kouta-style mid, that's my prediction!) Eddy, Geary, Jones - One of these guys should come through to AFL level next year.

Goalkicking. Sack Barker (pretty common sentiment and it's been my thought since about round 3). Have a decent forward structure that has more than one leading player in the forward 50. Give sweeney a decent go, if he isn't delisted. There IS room in our forward line for Milne and Sweeney - Watch a scorps game and you will see why. Forward Line structure of: Gehrig, Riewoldt, Milne, Sweeney, X. Clarke, and a "resting" mid.

Fitness - With a lot of the preseason focused on getting our gameplan right, I think fitness went a bit by the wayside. The coaching panel knows we need to improve in this area and I am sure we will.

Final Quarters - Fitness and Psychology. Not sure what kind of head doctors we have around the club, but i'd like to see some more of it.