Saints Can Be Flag Contenders

[CaptainRiewoldt]

2007 Hawks were well beaten in the finals by North Melbourne.
North were smashed by Port in the prelim, Port smashed by Geelong in the GF.

Perhaps the Hawks should have given up. They were a long way behind Geelong.

2006 Geelong couldn't even make the finals. How far were they behind West Coast and Sydney.

They should have given up.

2004. West Coast were smashed by Sydney in the finals who were in turn smashed by the Saints! How could they possibly home to be competitive in the next couple of years.

2003. Port smashed in the prelim by Collingwood. How could they ever hope to compete against Brisbane?

2000 Brisbane were thumped by Carlton in a Semi Final. Obviously Carlton were at the start of a new dynasty and Brisbane were destined for obscurity over the next few years.

1965. Saints smashed by the Bombers in the grand final. Time for a rebuild?

Great Post. Yes football is an amazing thing especially in the modern era. Things change so quickly.

Like cats friends of mine have said they always felt they could do something but at 2-3 in the 2007 season was so disgusted didnt want to watch football anymore then .... look what happened.
We have just as much 'specialness' like Geelong we just havent clicked as they have YET!!

If someone had told you in Oct 2000 that we would feature in 4 finals series, 3 prelims in the next 7 years, becoming a stabilized club, flAG FAVOURITES in 2 of those years, that we would not lose even 1 game to Carlton for the next 8 years, that Richmond, Carlton, Essendon would bottom OUT, while we sat in the top 4.

What would you have said??

I know i wouldve been quite surprised.

[plugger66]

2007 Hawks were well beaten in the finals by North Melbourne.
North were smashed by Port in the prelim, Port smashed by Geelong in the GF.

Perhaps the Hawks should have given up. They were a long way behind Geelong.

2006 Geelong couldn't even make the finals. How far were they behind West Coast and Sydney.

They should have given up.

2004. West Coast were smashed by Sydney in the finals who were in turn smashed by the Saints! How could they possibly home to be competitive in the next couple of years.

2003. Port smashed in the prelim by Collingwood. How could they ever hope to compete against Brisbane?

2000 Brisbane were thumped by Carlton in a Semi Final. Obviously Carlton were at the start of a new dynasty and Brisbane were destined for obscurity over the next few years.

1965. Saints smashed by the Bombers in the grand final. Time for a rebuild?

Great Post. Yes football is an amazing thing especially in the modern era. Things change so quickly.

Like cats friends of mine have said they always felt they could do something but at 2-3 in the 2007 season was so disgusted didnt want to watch football anymore then .... look what happened.
We have just as much 'specialness' like Geelong we just havent clicked as they have YET!!

If someone had told you in Oct 2000 that we would feature in 4 finals series, 3 prelims in the next 7 years, becoming a stabilized club, flAG FAVOURITES in 2 of those years, that we would not lose even 1 game to Carlton for the next 8 years, that Richmond, Carlton, Essendon would bottom OUT, while we sat in the top 4.

What would you have said??

I know i wouldve been quite surprised.

I know what I would have said. Did we finally win our second flag?

[evertonfc]

ev I enjoy some of your posts but your soapboxing on some issues are a little tiring

ROFL - that's the pot calling the kettle black!

Anyway mate, you don't have to read it if you don't want.

I'm just putting it out there. Apologies if I'm the resident pessimist at the moment.

[fonz_#15]

ev I enjoy some of your posts but your soapboxing on some issues are a little tiring

ROFL - that's the pot calling the kettle black!

Anyway mate, you don't have to read it if you don't want.

I'm just putting it out there. Apologies if I'm the resident pessimist at the moment.

i'd say resident realist but thats just me

[degruch]

ev I enjoy some of your posts but your soapboxing on some issues are a little tiring

ROFL - that's the pot calling the kettle black!

Anyway mate, you don't have to read it if you don't want.

I'm just putting it out there. Apologies if I'm the resident pessimist at the moment.

i'd say resident realist but thats just me

I'd say resident misery guts jumping the gun with their pessimistic point of view, but that's just me.

[fonz_#15]

ev I enjoy some of your posts but your soapboxing on some issues are a little tiring

ROFL - that's the pot calling the kettle black!

Anyway mate, you don't have to read it if you don't want.

I'm just putting it out there. Apologies if I'm the resident pessimist at the moment.

i'd say resident realist but thats just me

I'd say resident misery guts jumping the gun with their pessimistic point of view, but that's just me.

well is he not right that we have a shitload of improving to match it with the top 2 teams..

i have seen nothing from last season that makes me think that we can get within 10 goals of those 2 sides and they will keep getting better.

we have a lot of work to do

[saint66au]

2007 Hawks were well beaten in the finals by North Melbourne.
North were smashed by Port in the prelim, Port smashed by Geelong in the GF.

Perhaps the Hawks should have given up. They were a long way behind Geelong.

2006 Geelong couldn't even make the finals. How far were they behind West Coast and Sydney.

They should have given up.

2004. West Coast were smashed by Sydney in the finals who were in turn smashed by the Saints! How could they possibly home to be competitive in the next couple of years.

2003. Port smashed in the prelim by Collingwood. How could they ever hope to compete against Brisbane?

2000 Brisbane were thumped by Carlton in a Semi Final. Obviously Carlton were at the start of a new dynasty and Brisbane were destined for obscurity over the next few years.

1965. Saints smashed by the Bombers in the grand final. Time for a rebuild?

Early nomination for Post of the Month

[saint66au]

ev I enjoy some of your posts but your soapboxing on some issues are a little tiring

ROFL - that's the pot calling the kettle black!

Anyway mate, you don't have to read it if you don't want.

I'm just putting it out there. Apologies if I'm the resident pessimist at the moment.

i'd say resident realist but thats just me

I'd say resident misery guts jumping the gun with their pessimistic point of view, but that's just me.

well is he not right that we have a shitload of improving to match it with the top 2 teams..

i have seen nothing from last season that makes me think that we can get within 10 goals of those 2 sides and they will keep getting better.
we have a lot of work to do

Just like Port did in 2008 eh???

[fonz_#15]

ev I enjoy some of your posts but your soapboxing on some issues are a little tiring

ROFL - that's the pot calling the kettle black!

Anyway mate, you don't have to read it if you don't want.

I'm just putting it out there. Apologies if I'm the resident pessimist at the moment.

i'd say resident realist but thats just me

I'd say resident misery guts jumping the gun with their pessimistic point of view, but that's just me.

well is he not right that we have a shitload of improving to match it with the top 2 teams..

i have seen nothing from last season that makes me think that we can get within 10 goals of those 2 sides and they will keep getting better.
we have a lot of work to do

Just like Port did in 2008 eh???

look, when you are comparing ports list to that of hawthorns and geelongs you cannot seriously think that port are anywhere near as good

[Solar]

ev I enjoy some of your posts but your soapboxing on some issues are a little tiring

ROFL - that's the pot calling the kettle black!

Anyway mate, you don't have to read it if you don't want.

I'm just putting it out there. Apologies if I'm the resident pessimist at the moment.

remind me what I soapbox about and I'll pay it ev

you and jb just seem to be looking for an excuse to bang on about how bad the club is going....

telling me not to read it if I don't like it doesn't win many points. If you don't like my response then don't read it

[Solar]

ev I enjoy some of your posts but your soapboxing on some issues are a little tiring

ROFL - that's the pot calling the kettle black!

Anyway mate, you don't have to read it if you don't want.

I'm just putting it out there. Apologies if I'm the resident pessimist at the moment.

i'd say resident realist but thats just me

I'd say resident misery guts jumping the gun with their pessimistic point of view, but that's just me.

well is he not right that we have a shitload of improving to match it with the top 2 teams..

i have seen nothing from last season that makes me think that we can get within 10 goals of those 2 sides and they will keep getting better.
we have a lot of work to do

Just like Port did in 2008 eh???

look, when you are comparing ports list to that of hawthorns and geelongs you cannot seriously think that port are anywhere near as good

the point is port was a win away from a flag in 2007 yet struggled in 2008. West coast and sydney won flags not long ago and now both are struggling...

Jumping up and down about a throw away line given in jan is a new low IMO.... how about you let us have a few more months to dream.....

[Mr Magic]

ev I enjoy some of your posts but your soapboxing on some issues are a little tiring

ROFL - that's the pot calling the kettle black!

Anyway mate, you don't have to read it if you don't want.

I'm just putting it out there. Apologies if I'm the resident pessimist at the moment.

i'd say resident realist but thats just me

I'd say resident misery guts jumping the gun with their pessimistic point of view, but that's just me.

well is he not right that we have a shitload of improving to match it with the top 2 teams..

i have seen nothing from last season that makes me think that we can get within 10 goals of those 2 sides and they will keep getting better.
we have a lot of work to do

Just like Port did in 2008 eh???

And I believe no team has gone back-to-back since Brisbane in 2004.

The pre-season has just commenced - who knows what will happen to any team - on field or off?

Anything can happen to derail a club.

What would happen if a certain injunction was lifted/overturned/broken?

There's still more than 2 months for idiot players to derail their Club's season and yet posters are writing us off as having little or no chance?

We're not Melbourne,
we're probably in the best position we've been in a decade vis-a-vis injuries,
we finished top 4 last season so we know we can do it,
we're relatively stable off-field.

How about a bit of talking up our chances rather than trying to talk them down?

How about a glass half full rather than half empty?

[Solar]

ev I enjoy some of your posts but your soapboxing on some issues are a little tiring

ROFL - that's the pot calling the kettle black!

Anyway mate, you don't have to read it if you don't want.

I'm just putting it out there. Apologies if I'm the resident pessimist at the moment.

i'd say resident realist but thats just me

I'd say resident misery guts jumping the gun with their pessimistic point of view, but that's just me.

well is he not right that we have a shitload of improving to match it with the top 2 teams..

i have seen nothing from last season that makes me think that we can get within 10 goals of those 2 sides and they will keep getting better.
we have a lot of work to do

Just like Port did in 2008 eh???

And I believe no team has gone back-to-back since Brisbane in 2004.

The pre-season has just commenced - who knows what will happen to any team - on field or off?

Anything can happen to derail a club.

What would happen if a certain injunction was lifted/overturned/broken?

There's still more than 2 months for idiot players to derail their Club's season and yet posters are writing us off as having little or no chance?

We're not Melbourne,
we're probably in the best position we've been in a decade vis-a-vis injuries,
we finished top 4 last season so we know we can do it,
we're relatively stable off-field.

How about a bit of talking up our chances rather than trying to talk them down?

How about a glass half full rather than half empty?

You would hope that this is the view of the coaching staff and players... if they put in the work, improve themselves personally and as a team they can push the other teams. Otherwise why bother turning up ... especially with so many of our best players in their prime years....

I would much rather them say

"look we are a good 10 goals off the pace and will play 22 18 year olds in the hope that one day both the cats and hawks are not unbeatable.... hell anyone for tennis?"

[WayneJudson42]

This is an incredibly funny, yet stupid thread.

To suggest that just because some supporters don't agree with pessimism means that they have rose-coloured glasses on.

As has now been mentioned ad nausem, 2009 is a new year, new players and most importantly... NEW VARIABLES.

In a perfect world, teams will improve. But when have we seen a perfect world?

Wheels fall off quite quickly. Anyone who doesn't acknowldge that they can has their heads up their poop holes.

All things being equale re lists, injuries, hunger, improvement, ability to execute your game plan... yes, we'd be behind, for sure.

I recall a team called the Bulldogs who were playing the most "exciting" brand of football, unti the opp worked them out.

I recall a team in 2004 who won 10 in a row and was invincible... until the opp flooded against them.

I predict a team in 2009 that was able to deploy a roaming flood zone won't be as effective because the opp teams have worked out how to beat the tactic.

Cheers.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

*que those who have the rose tinters on coming out to bash this above post*

you're spot on though Ev, telling it like it is as usual

Haha, I know they're coming

"How dare you inject reality into our pre-season optimism!"

*assumes brace position*

I wouldn't be surprised if this time around, the above is just about a consensus view. I find my January optomism for the immediate season ahead at it's lowest ebb since we were drafting at the top of the order.

That doesn't mean I don't believe they can... but the question for years now has not been can they, but, willthey. We see flashes of a super team from time to time - defense, offense, ball winning... we've got a core of guys who have spent their careers in Saints colours playing good footy. But 22 guys achieving a consistently high level, ala Geelong and Hawthorn is what it takes to impress by this this stage, and while there are reasons to think we may see it in 2009, chief among them is this:

It's January.

We're good, but we're no more than an outside chance of a flag until the guys prove otherwise on the field. They can do it, but will they?

[fonz_#15]

*que those who have the rose tinters on coming out to bash this above post*

you're spot on though Ev, telling it like it is as usual

Haha, I know they're coming

"How dare you inject reality into our pre-season optimism!"

*assumes brace position*

I wouldn't be surprised if this time around, the above is just about a consensus view. I find my January optomism for the immediate season ahead at it's lowest ebb since we were drafting at the top of the order.

That doesn't mean I don't believe they can... but the question for years now has not been can they, but, willthey. We see flashes of a super team from time to time - defense, offense, ball winning... we've got a core of guys who have spent their careers in Saints colours playing good footy. But 22 guys achieving a consistently high level, ala Geelong and Hawthorn is what it takes to impress by this this stage, and while there are reasons to think we may see it in 2009, chief among them is this:

It's January.

We're good, but we're no more than an outside chance of a flag until the guys prove otherwise on the field. They can do it, but will they?

well that's about spot on..good post

[saintspremiers]

whatever happens this year, Rossy has had 2 full years at the helm, and so we can surely now rate his performance and his impact on the group completely.

[evertonfc]

*que those who have the rose tinters on coming out to bash this above post*

you're spot on though Ev, telling it like it is as usual

Haha, I know they're coming

"How dare you inject reality into our pre-season optimism!"

*assumes brace position*

I wouldn't be surprised if this time around, the above is just about a consensus view. I find my January optomism for the immediate season ahead at it's lowest ebb since we were drafting at the top of the order.

That doesn't mean I don't believe they can... but the question for years now has not been can they, but, willthey. We see flashes of a super team from time to time - defense, offense, ball winning... we've got a core of guys who have spent their careers in Saints colours playing good footy. But 22 guys achieving a consistently high level, ala Geelong and Hawthorn is what it takes to impress by this this stage, and while there are reasons to think we may see it in 2009, chief among them is this:

It's January.

We're good, but we're no more than an outside chance of a flag until the guys prove otherwise on the field. They can do it, but will they?

Great post.

We could win it if we wanted it bad enough. Let's hope the players have that inner, burning desire...

Wish they had of wanted it enough for Banger, but it just felt like the top two were on a whole new level.

Let's hope the boys are churning up the track and they can bridge the gap.

I hope the new blood around the joint might give some spark to the older players, too.

[BigMart]

injuries play a massive role nowadays......we have had little luck in that area...

[Ghost Like]

I have no doubt we are in the top half of the AFL, which part of that 8 will be determined by a incredibly compromised draw (as each year is), injuries to our players as well as our relative opposition, players' form (seasonal or returning from injury) and players' improvement / decline (opposition's included). Also we cannot forget the coaches and their input.

I think we can maintain a Top 4 spot but whether all the above mentioned 'planets' line up enough for us to reach the GF and possibly win it...well I'll let you know in 9 months, maybe 8 if I feel like going out on a ledge!

[evertonfc]

injuries play a massive role nowadays......we have had little luck in that area...

True.

But I have sort of accepted we'll never get certain blokes - Ball, Maguire, Kosi - hitting at 100%.

Let's hope the next generation of players we get is taught how best to look after their bodies.

[WayneJudson42]

injuries play a massive role nowadays......we have had little luck in that area...

True.

But I have sort of accepted we'll never get certain blokes - Ball, Maguire, Kosi - hitting at 100%.

Let's hope the next generation of players we get is taught how best to look after their bodies.

Agree. Add X to that lot.