Watching our team self destruct

[MC Gusto]

Isn't as painful as a few weeks ago.

That's all

[plugger66]

Isn't as painful as a few weeks ago.

That's all

Its worse.

[ralphsmith]

I reckon it's more painful.

Maybe I'm having a delayed reaction, I really didn't think we were this atrocious.

[True Blue Sainter]

I reckon it's more painful.

Maybe I'm having a delayed reaction, I really didn't think we were this atrocious.

I feel the same way

[bergholt]

I reckon it's more painful.

Maybe I'm having a delayed reaction, I really didn't think we were this atrocious.

I feel the same way

i reckon it's worse on tv because you can hear the commentators confirming your worst thoughts. especially when they go for the underdog, as they always do.

[SainterK]

Lighten up, we won

[degruch]

We looked awful for about 40 minutes tonight...I'll take the rest as a team out of form attempting to find their mojo again.

[bendigo bob]

About the only thing more frustrating than watching the Saints tonight was channel 7 telecast. They have some of the most infuriating camera angels ever witnessed during a game of footy!

[degruch]

About the only thing more frustrating than watching the Saints tonight was channel 7 telecast. They have some of the most infuriating camera angels ever witnessed during a game of footy!

Oh c'mon...the 'Megawall' was a work of genius...

[lurker#134]

About the only thing more frustrating than watching the Saints tonight was channel 7 telecast. They have some of the most infuriating camera angels ever witnessed during a game of footy!

Oh c'mon...the 'Megawall' was a work of genius...

It would be a helluva lot better if they, yknow..... used the entire screen perhaps?

[bendigo bob]

About the only thing more frustrating than watching the Saints tonight was channel 7 telecast. They have some of the most infuriating camera angels ever witnessed during a game of footy!

Oh c'mon...the 'Megawall' was a work of genius...

Surely you cant be serious ( I will allow you to finish the quote)

[degruch]

About the only thing more frustrating than watching the Saints tonight was channel 7 telecast. They have some of the most infuriating camera angels ever witnessed during a game of footy!

Oh c'mon...the 'Megawall' was a work of genius...

Surely you cant be serious ( I will allow you to finish the quote)

...I'm not, and please don't call me Shirley.

[Sainternist]

I find watching Arrested Development more painful.

What an overrated sitcom!

[saintspremiers]

Well I was at the game.

I wanted to smack a few of the boys around the chops in the first half but was much happier with the third and final quarters when we played footy.

The conditions were very greasy warm and steamy.

Really hard on Melbourne bodies.

To play the game out and tackle hard in the final term in those conditions was actually a fair effort.

If you were at the game it may have looked a bit better than on TV.

But the kicking on the full by us was garbage and no excuses about that!

[SainterK]

Didn't we have major rotations last night?

[Bardon Saint]

Sadly with no upside coming from the pre-season, it is quite apparent that we are not going to get any better to take the next step. We will have to get better to take the next step as the teams around us are getting better. It hasn't and will not happen before season end. Why? Our list & list managment.
Whilst we have have some stars in our team, our bottom 6-8-10 players have been milked of every bit of talent they have. There has been no player to replace these guys.

Add to this:
- Some off-field stuff
- The assistant coaches left when they did for a reason. They're trying to be senior coaches one day and don't want to be remembered for coaching a side on the decline.
- Lenny
- Kosi's ankle: needed a couple of weeks in the twos
- Gardi may never come back
- McEvoy great at times but can have ordinary games
- Gilbert once to be looked at as a potential elite player is looking shyte
- Gwilt: Defensive half built on stoppers with little attack: so we put our one hb attacking player in Gwilt to Full back on much taller players to curb his influence to attack
- Stanley: if he didn't run fast once, he would be remembered for nothing and has offered bugger all in AFL footy. Cannot make the next step.
- Peake: Done 1 or 2 nice things in his career but a crap load more shoddy things. Why persist?
- Gram: A better game v lions by the 'butcher'
- McQ: No impact
- Archer: Stop playing the kid in the ruck, you're embarrassing him
- Simpkin, Steven, Armo: Looks promising
- Smith: Looks promising, but geez he needs to learn how to run out games. There are players who have been in the system for a shorter period of time who don;t run out of puff. Can be developed though
- Ray: Not too bad. Consistency is key
- Polo: Marco? Where is this kid? Potential Baker replacement, get some kicks son now you're back on the field
- Lynch: Lost in the fwd half at times but has been ok down back for sandy. Still a disappointment that he hasn't come on yet. Hope?
- Heyne: How long does he need? If it hasn't happened by now then..
- Ledger: looks good, I hope he's back soon
- Jones: Good to see him back v lions.
- Geary: not going to happen
- Dempster: no offensive game and when he does get it..
- Gamble: The saviour. Not of football but of footy comics who want to use his surname in a joke of sorts.
- Cripps: Has done nothing and almost made senior selection but huge raps
- Walsh: Have him as a kpp down back to free up Jimmy. Although I think the combo of Dawson & walsh would get murdered by cloke/dawes
- Raph: I have always stuck up for him and never been a basher but in all honesty, he's had 1 or 2 superb games only. I cling on the hope that he'll get consistency but it doesn't happen.

Players to have an impact at some stage: Cripps, Smith, Steven, Armo, Sippos (just start eating kid. is a natural tho), Simpkin, maybe Winmar but need to see more of him.

All in all, the kids who do have an upside and who can improve our bottom 6-10 players will not be ready this year.

[gringo]

Stanley has not exactly played a lot of games to be written off. The young guys will need about two full seasons to get consistent, so if you think he shows nothing now, the rest will probably be similar. Geary may come on, as Gwilt did after about 5 years.

[Bardon Saint]

Stanley has not exactly played a lot of games to be written off. The young guys will need about two full seasons to get consistent, so if you think he shows nothing now, the rest will probably be similar. Geary may come on, as Gwilt did after about 5 years.

True re Gwilt. He's actually a great example.

Stanley has just showed nothing though. At least Gwilt gave us a glimpse.

I guess I get despondent when I see players from other clubs come on (not necessarily high draft picks) and making an impact with less than 2 years in the system when our players tread water.

Unfortunately to wait for two years for our current crop to come through does not equate to a premiership this year.

[PJ]

While players are out of form the opposition are always going to look like they have improved. Apart from Collingwood and Essendon I don't see anything significant.

To put it into perspective imagine Collingwood without Jolly and Swan. That's where the saints are sitting at present, add to that a confidence and form slump. We are in a mini rebuild but not on that requires us to go backwards for 3 years. We are just trying to get 3 or 4 players that can give us something, step up to the level while we adjust to not having Gardi or Lenny.

[plugger66]

While players are out of form the opposition are always going to look like they have improved. Apart from Collingwood and Essendon I don't see anything significant.

To put it into perspective imagine Collingwood without Jolly and Swan. That's where the saints are sitting at present, add to that a confidence and form slump. We are in a mini rebuild but not on that requires us to go backwards for 3 years. We are just trying to get 3 or 4 players that can give us something, step up to the level while we adjust to not having Gardi or Lenny.

They won by 70 without Jolly last week. May have only been 40 without Swan. They have a lot more depth than us and could easily handle both out. We cant cover Lenny because we rely a lot more on our star players then the pies.

[PJ]

They won by 70 without Jolly last week. May have only been 40 without Swan. They have a lot more depth than us and could easily handle both out. We cant cover Lenny because we rely a lot more on our star players then the pies.

How they go without both is highly speculative. Those numbers don't put the total impact of losing your key ruck and mid into perspective. I agree without lenny we are struggling. The team is struggling when 7 or 8 of our players are playing with radically reduced confidence

Riewoldt - having reduced impact regardless of his astounding work rate. Is dropping marks he would normally take with ease - particularly early in games.
Goddard - Is fumbling, second guessing and frustrated
Dal - is probably doing alright but is getting a heavy tag
Gilbert - head space
Blake - even by his standards is no longer mr reliable
Baker - has lost aggression
Jones - better on Thursday but still a long way to go
Clarke - has lost his attack - in the past he'd make mistakes but would throw himself into the contest - not happening

Monty and Fisher are probably holding their own but need support.

The problem is that it's our experienced "stars" that are struggling - we can no longer rely on them for the consistency.

Most of our younger players are having a crack but have not received much game time and get ditched too early - Archer.

I don't know if we have any depth, it's there in glimpses but consistency will always be a problem when you don't have that very thing.

St.Kilda is best described currently as a juggle.

[bigred]

I thought we ground out a win?


Was I mistaken?

[PJ]

I thought we ground out a win?


Was I mistaken?

Depends on what you call a win.

Lat year we were in the GF twice

This year we are struggling to beat the 2nd worst team in the comp.

[SaintPav]

At least we know exactly were we are at and winning the first couple would have been misleading so I don't care about those games. We will be lucky to win 10-12 games and that's being too optimistic.

[PJ]

I'm not so pesimistic but we are no longer in the top 4 calculation. Top 8 is still gettable - we can still improve considerably. I don't believe all of our out of form players will stay that way.