St.Kilda 🆚 Bottom Teams

[Sainternist]

At least since last year, the trend has been that we get dragged down to their level. This season, we got dragged down to Richmond’s level and barely fell over the line in the end. I thought we were dragged down to Essendon’s level in round 3.

Both meetings against North in 2023 were diabolical to watch. Again, dragged down to their level and almost snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Our next two games have me a little worried because of this trend. Why is it even a trend? Does the team lack mental toughness? Are they complacent? Surely, RtB doesn’t tolerate attitudinal problems like this to persist in his squad.

Ideally, we should be going into these games, putting the foot firmly down and respectfully crushing the opposition (percentage boosters are handy come end of season). It would be nice to see the lads do this today and again next week against Hawthorn. If this season isn’t already a write off, these next two games are quite important for the lads to find some confidence and momentum.

Cheers!
And…
Go Saints!

[Jacks Back]

I actually think we do the same to teams above us sometimes - drag them down to our level. Maybe that's why it can be hard when someone else does that to us.

[Sainternist]

I actually think we do the same to teams above us sometimes - drag them down to our level. Maybe that's why it can be hard when someone else does that to us.

Hahaha you could be onto something here!

[shrodes]

Not sure I agree with the conceit this year. Richmond was a bit of an anomaly being at Norwood and we played the ground terribly letting Bolton and Dusty walk all over the first half.

Bombers I think have actually been in ok form this year and midtable contenders just like us in theory. Certainly wouldn’t put them on the level of a Kangaroos or Hawthorn or West Coast.

Reality is we play a stifling game that brings other teams down to our level, has happened almost all year outside of the Bulldogs game and it’s why we are seen almost universally amongst AFL fans as a “boring” team

[SinCitySainter]

We play a game that is about stopping the opposition. We do not play an attacking game which means we will not bury anybody. We don't get dragged down to their level we just never go sufficiently offensive to blow a side off the park.

[Vortex]

If North beat us they will only be 1 game behind us on the ladder, aren't we a bottom team?

[samuraisaint]

If North beat us they will only be 1 game behind us on the ladder, aren't we a bottom team?

That's a big 'if' and it won't happen today.

There has been a lot of talk on here about the games against North last year.
Firstly, the first game we played them last season we beat them very easily. They never threatened us at any stage.
Secondly, last season, they had Goldstein in the ruck, McKay as a KPD, Tarryn Thomas in the middle, and Ziebell in the forward line. None of whom are out there this afternoon. Cunnington has also retired. They also had a different coach when we played them the second time - our ex-coach, no less.

Completely different scenarios.

[Vortex]

If North beat us they will only be 1 game behind us on the ladder, aren't we a bottom team?

That's a big 'if' and it won't happen today.

There has been a lot of talk on here about the games against North last year.
Firstly, the first game we played them last season we beat them very easily. They never threatened us at any stage.
Secondly, last season, they had Goldstein in the ruck, McKay as a KPD, Tarryn Thomas in the middle, and Ziebell in the forward line. None of whom are out there this afternoon. Cunnington has also retired. They also had a different coach when we played them the second time - our ex-coach, no less.

Completely different scenarios.

And we were a stronger side ourselves in those North games and playing much better than we have been this season so probably evens out.

North will certainly be thinking we are gettable becaue we are a bottom side and playing poorly.

[samuraisaint]

If North beat us they will only be 1 game behind us on the ladder, aren't we a bottom team?

That's a big 'if' and it won't happen today.

There has been a lot of talk on here about the games against North last year.
Firstly, the first game we played them last season we beat them very easily. They never threatened us at any stage.
Secondly, last season, they had Goldstein in the ruck, McKay as a KPD, Tarryn Thomas in the middle, and Ziebell in the forward line. None of whom are out there this afternoon. Cunnington has also retired. They also had a different coach when we played them the second time - our ex-coach, no less.

Completely different scenarios.

And we were a stronger side ourselves in those North games and playing much better than we have been this season so probably evens out.

North will certainly be thinking we are gettable becaue we are a bottom side and playing poorly.

They might hope they can, but they won't. They're not the Bulldogs. We played a team of kids the first time we played them last season. We had our Under 19s forward line in.
The team have to come out primed in the first quarter. Some of our starts in games remind me a bit of how we played in early 2021 and the second half of 2022.

[Life Long Saint]

Our two worst wins last season were WCE and North...Both by 8 points and both teams were barely VFL level when we played them.