What Melbourne will learn about 2021 St Kilda

[shanegrambeau]

....following our gutsy win against GWS.

Our frailties were...?

What GWS managed to do to turn the tide at least twice..

[The_Dud]

It will be a totally different game under the roof, not sure if they’ll be able to get much from this.

Will be interesting to see how good we really are.

[skeptic]

Stop Steele. That’s lesson number one.

Get numbers back to limit the utility of our smalls and try to use their opponents to hurt us the other way.

Don’t let us get numbers around the ball because we’re dangerous and versatile with a lot of runners across the board. If we stream forward we’re near unstoppable.

If I was them... I would really look at trying to exploit the match up against Petracca. Don’t know that we have a good fit for Christian.

Those would be my starting points

[shanegrambeau]

It will be a totally different game under the roof, not sure if they’ll be able to get much from this.

Will be interesting to see how good we really are.

You are scaring me.

Howard did fine, and saved several goals, but he was clean betean one-on-one mark and lead for an easy shot on goal at least three times.

The sh*tty conditions meant only one of them converted.

You convinced me, Carlisle will play.

[bigcarl]

Gawn is the danger considering our weakened ruck division. We’ll most probably not be getting first use.

Also, Petracca and Steven May.

Do you tag Petracca? I don’t know. He’s going to be a handful up forward.

[bangaulegend]

They will need to bring there best but we had to travel & we played in the wet so how much of a fatigue factor that brings will only be known after the event . Max is a concern he has owned us before & our ruck stocks are thin ATM . Your only as good as the blokes you put on the park lets hope those blokes get the job done

[CQ SAINT]

Let Bytel tag Petracca in the midfield and play Webster on him up forward with Long half a kick in front of him and just keep smashing him hard. He is a big strong lad but I reckon he can be worn down and rattled a bit.

[WellardSaint]

Put Seb on the Tractor?
Seb did well on the Bont last year.
Different players, but give him a negating job,
could do well

[Scollop]

Put Seb on the Tractor?
Seb did well on the Bont last year.
Different players, but give him a negating job,
could do well

Why waste him on a negating job? Sebby's a goal kicking machine!

[skeptic]

Would be inclined to go tall up forward if I was Melbourne and the Saints continued not to play Carlisle

Make us play Wilkie tall and drag him away from the play so that he doesn’t provide the run he can that makes him dangerous and exploit the fact that we overly on Howard for our spoil work

[MC Gusto]

Do we think we’ll get any players back from injury? King the obvious one depending on whether it was a golf ball or ankle

Anyone else?

Reckon we’ll run away with it in the last but will be reasonably tight for 3 quarters

[spert]

Melbourne will just park Gawn in our forward half, as we tend still to bomb it forward.

[ace]

Gawn is the danger considering our weakened ruck division. We’ll most probably not be getting first use.

Also, Petracca and Steven May.

Do you tag Petracca? I don’t know. He’s going to be a handful up forward.

Don't tag him, select him, in the 2014 AFL draft instead of whathisname.

[bigcarl]

Do we think we’ll get any players back from injury? King the obvious one depending on whether it was a golf ball or ankle

Anyone else?

Reckon we’ll run away with it in the last but will be reasonably tight for 3 quarters

King and Zac Jones

[ace]

Do we think we’ll get any players back from injury? King the obvious one depending on whether it was a golf ball or ankle

Anyone else?

Reckon we’ll run away with it in the last but will be reasonably tight for 3 quarters

King and Zac Jones

I also have Carlisle coming back but who falls out.
McKenzie drops out definitely.
But that leaves 2 more to drop.

King will force May to play honest.

[saynta]

Let Bytel tag Petracca in the midfield and play Webster on him up forward with Long half a kick in front of him and just keep smashing him hard. He is a big strong lad but I reckon he can be worn down and rattled a bit.

Good ideas.

[saynta]

Do we think we’ll get any players back from injury? King the obvious one depending on whether it was a golf ball or ankle

Anyone else?

Reckon we’ll run away with it in the last but will be reasonably tight for 3 quarters

King will be back if he doesn't play golf with Bell during the week.

[Impatient Sainter]

The 6 day turn around after yesterdays slog will be our biggest hurdle. I envisage a really light week on the track and lots of recovery work.

Stopping Gawn's effect on the game will be our biggest game day battle. Hunter is a battler but has shown he doesnt have the leap to match the better ruckman, and was poor in marking contests aswell. McKernan was a better and more competitive rucking option than Hunter yesterday. With King coming back into the side I would give McKernan the main job and have Battle as the relief ruckman. Hunter will get a lesson so go really mobile and mix things up against Gawn.

The next thing to beating Melbourne is to kick the ball away from May and bring it quickly to benefit our marking talls. Last year the game turned when Ratts put Marshall at FF to make May more accountable. King just has to hold his own.

The other change I would make is drop Lonie and replace him with Woods. Lonie kicked a nice goal and tried to apply pressure but his opponent (Perryman) had huge stats and teams always expose and run off Lonie which is his major weakness.

I dont know how Carlisle played in the VFL game, but I wasnt impressed with Highmore. He looked slow and well out of his depth and showed none of his supposed leap and marking abilities. That maybe another change the coaches look at but doubt they will want too many changes.

Team changes

In: King, Jones
Out: Lonie & McKenzie (McKenzie to remain in team as the sub).

Ps Just watched the replay and I now dont believe McKernan would be able to ruck for the majority of the game. Accordingly we will have to play Hunter, unless Marshall is ready to go of course. It has been mentioned that Bytel should tag Petracca which would be a good experience for Jack but doubt he would be able to go with him when he plays forward. Oliver was their most damaging midfielder on the weekend perhaps we sit on him instead.

[meher baba]

"I dont know how Carlisle played in the VFL game, but I wasnt impressed with Highmore. He looked slow and well out of his depth and showed none of his supposed leap and marking abilities. That maybe another change the coaches look at but doubt they will want too many changes.

I think Highmore will be fine in the long run, but it would be insane to expect him at this stage to be anywhere near the level of Carlisle at his best.

But is Carlisle currently capable of playing at anything like his best? That's a question to which the club presumably knows the answer, but we have no way of knowing.

[meher baba]

BTW, I thought it was a terrific win yesterday: one of our best ever. Particularly given the very one-sided umpiring for most of the game (at least until the immensely charitable free kick awarded to Butler at the death).

Our biggest deficiency yesterday was in hitting a target with our kicks coming out of defence. Under Ratten, we have developed a style which is based around a lot of running and handballing when we are coming out of our defensive 50. The wet ground made that more difficult. On the occasions we managed it, we were extremely dangerous. But, when we tried to kick the ball out, we turned it over umpteen times.

Even though we won't often encounter wet playing surfaces, we really do need to get better at this aspect of our game, as opponents will be focusing on trying to counter our run and handballing strategy, and it would be good to have an effective plan B available.

[meher baba]

Also, we really need King back vs the Demons. However, I would have thought we want to keep Hunter there as well, so perhaps King in for Highmore, with Battle playing back more. And no place for Carlisle.

And, of course, is Jones is fit, he comes in for McKenzie.

I can't see a lot of other changes right now. Of course, if Ryder fronts up, he goes straight in for Hunter.

[The Fireman]

Without Gawn they are Gawn.

[bigcarl]

Do we think we’ll get any players back from injury? King the obvious one depending on whether it was a golf ball or ankle

Anyone else?

Reckon we’ll run away with it in the last but will be reasonably tight for 3 quarters

King and Zac Jones

I also have Carlisle coming back but who falls out.
McKenzie drops out definitely.
But that leaves 2 more to drop.

King will force May to play honest.

I’d play Carlisle, but I’m not privy to the issues the club has with him.

Is it attitude? Does Ratts think the game has passed him by? I know Ratts values pace above just about anything, but I think he also considers structure very important.

For structural reasons alone, you would think Carlisle gets in, but who knows what the issue is. Maybe Ratts fees Jake won’t put in for him.

[older saint]

Ross to Petracca when on ball, when forward Wilkie
Highmore to McDonald ( if Carlisle doesnt play)
Howard gets Jackson/Gawn when forward

Battle plays on May - he killed us last year and Freo on the weekend. Battle did the job v Hayne last year in last round.

Their mids are one paced and in and under, spread and run hurts Melbourne.
Make Lever defend deep as not great one on one as opposed to 3rd man in.

Break even in the middle and should be ok

[MC Gusto]

They’ll learn that beating freo at the G counts for nought!