A good season.

[stkfc1]

Well done lads. It was a season that exceeded expectations. To think we would even be in finals contention at this stage, was a massive tick to the club. Tonight wasn't great and it shows how far we still need to go but we've had a season of breakout performances. Ross, Hickey, Membrey, Mav, Acres and Gresham shows the team is heading in the right direction. Make no mistake, if Carlisle can hold his own next year, he'll make a hell of a difference. Personally I'm not expecting anything from him other than a solid performance as a year out is going to have an impact. We have found some good pieces to the jigsaw. Tonight shows we need some help in the midfield. My hard call for trade week I'm thinking an Armo/Longer trade with a second round for Steele and Marchbank and a pick in return. Pick best midfielders available draft day.Thoughts?

[felix]

Trade Bruce . Will have some value along with our first rounder for Hurley.

[whiskers3614]

Trade Bruce .

because?
what for?

[felix]

Not what we need going forward a bit to one dimensional no upside .

[Con Gorozidis]

Well done lads. It was a season that exceeded expectations. To think we would even be in finals contention at this stage, was a massive tick to the club. Tonight wasn't great and it shows how far we still need to go but we've had a season of breakout performances. Ross, Hickey, Membrey, Mav, Acres and Gresham shows the team is heading in the right direction. Make no mistake, if Carlisle can hold his own next year, he'll make a hell of a difference. Personally I'm not expecting anything from him other than a solid performance as a year out is going to have an impact. We have found some good pieces to the jigsaw. Tonight shows we need some help in the midfield. My hard call for trade week I'm thinking an Armo/Longer trade with a second round for Steele and Marchbank and a pick in return. Pick best midfielders available draft day.Thoughts?

We dont have a 2nd rounder.

I expect more from Carlisle than to just 'hold his own'. I think he has the talent to dominate.

But agree with your post. Good post.

[Devilhead]

It would be nice to smash the Tigers and the Brions and finish 12 - 10 and a positive win loss

[George27]

It would be nice to smash the Tigers and the Brions and finish 12 - 10 and a positive win loss

Exactly . It was so disappointing to finish last year with a couple of thrashings. A similar performance this season will make for a long long off-season. Come on Saints. Hit the finish line hard.

[Hemi Baxter]

Well done lads. It was a season that exceeded expectations. To think we would even be in finals contention at this stage, was a massive tick to the club. Tonight wasn't great and it shows how far we still need to go but we've had a season of breakout performances. Ross, Hickey, Membrey, Mav, Acres and Gresham shows the team is heading in the right direction. Make no mistake, if Carlisle can hold his own next year, he'll make a hell of a difference. Personally I'm not expecting anything from him other than a solid performance as a year out is going to have an impact. We have found some good pieces to the jigsaw. Tonight shows we need some help in the midfield. My hard call for trade week I'm thinking an Armo/Longer trade with a second round for Steele and Marchbank and a pick in return. Pick best midfielders available draft day.Thoughts?

Couldn't agree more with you about our season. Very few could say that they predicted our finishing this well and no-one that we would play so much hard accountable footy.
Couldn't agree less about the trade. Hopelessly unrealistic, a rank fantasy, one of hundreds on here. Two other clubs have indicated that they're prepared to give up a first round pick for Marchbank alone, who of course was a high first round pick, and GWS want to keep him.
No club is interested in Longer who they can watch for nothing toiling in the VFL every week for very little gain.

[BringBackMadDog]

Trade Bruce . Will have some value along with our first rounder for Hurley.

God there's some absolute garbage posted on here, another fine example right here

[samuraisaint]

I agree with the OP. This season has been a happy surprise for me. I didn't think we would or could win any more than 7 games at most. We have already won 10 and with 2 games left, one a 50/50, the other a 'should win' I am satisfied and confident that we are on the right track.
I also agree with the other poster who opined that Carlisle will make a huge difference to our defence and results in 2017. Since 2012 every side with a monster forward goes into games against us knowing that their full forward has a very real chance of kicking 6 goals + against us, and this happened again last night, and it will almost certainly happen again next Saturday at the G against Richmond. This will no longer be the case when Carlisle is out there, and we can add Goddard as well.
I think the lure of a possible, if remote, opportunity to play finals again motivated the selectors to go into the game last night with several players who were sore from playing all 19 games so far this season. I speak of Geary, Joey, Armo, and Tom Hickey. None of these players were 100% last night, or anywhere near it, and it meant that Geary was withdrawn from the side before the start, Hickey very nearly was and didn't finish the game, Joey played with a limp, and Armo was on and off the bench during the game. Then we lost Fisher as well. This was the major reason the game ended in our fourth blowout for the year.
Apart from Fish, these players have all played 20 games this year, so I would like to see all of these players 'managed' next week, and players who deserve a run, like Eli, Shenton, Pierce, etc come in. The selectors should also probably consider resting Roo as well. Although he played well last night he looked to be in pain with his leg injury which he is still carrying since the game against the Crows. I will be disappointed if there are not at least five changes this week.

[samuraisaint]

Well done lads. It was a season that exceeded expectations. To think we would even be in finals contention at this stage, was a massive tick to the club. Tonight wasn't great and it shows how far we still need to go but we've had a season of breakout performances. Ross, Hickey, Membrey, Mav, Acres and Gresham shows the team is heading in the right direction. Make no mistake, if Carlisle can hold his own next year, he'll make a hell of a difference. Personally I'm not expecting anything from him other than a solid performance as a year out is going to have an impact. We have found some good pieces to the jigsaw. Tonight shows we need some help in the midfield. My hard call for trade week I'm thinking an Armo/Longer trade with a second round for Steele and Marchbank and a pick in return. Pick best midfielders available draft day.Thoughts?

Couldn't agree more with you about our season. Very few could say that they predicted our finishing this well and no-one that we would play so much hard accountable footy.
Couldn't agree less about the trade. Hopelessly unrealistic, a rank fantasy, one of hundreds on here. Two other clubs have indicated that they're prepared to give up a first round pick for Marchbank alone, who of course was a high first round pick, and GWS want to keep him.
No club is interested in Longer who they can watch for nothing toiling in the VFL every week for very little gain.

If Melbourne and Port finish above us, as they probably will, we will finish as low as 11th and there is no way we should trade our first draft pick. We will have Carlisle and Goddard in the back line next year, and we will have a lot of salary cap space we can use to lure somebody like Hurley over to us. If not him, there are others similarly capable. Our first draft pick this year needs to go on a tall midfielder, in my opinion.

[the dome]

A season of genuine development. Also the positivity of Acers recently has been a much appreciated injection into our developing Saintly team. Seeing Paddy getting around the Dome last weeekend was reassuring as well. Again Paddy looked like a natural footballer/ some good marks & kicking straight. 'Natural footballer' also defined the impact of Gresham and he has brought some silk to Moorabbin as well. Can't forget Hickey - Inspirational. Could go on but the general thrust is towards improvement and more maturity.
AR seems to be ticking many boxes right now.
After landing Gresh very recently I'm still feeling confident that our recruiters can draft well in Nov.

S A I N T S !

[spert]

AR needs to work getting consistency into the team, as we shouldn't have blown the GC game, and the efforts interstate have been terrible- something he and the football dept need to sort over summer.

[saintbob]

It's been a good season, Membrey, Gresham, Acres and Ross have been the highlights for me.

But we definitely need to close it off with 2 solid wins over sides we should beat, I absolutely hate losing to Richmond

[ROLS-LEE]

It's been a good season, Membrey, Gresham, Acres and Ross have been the highlights for me.

But we definitely need to close it off with 2 solid wins over sides we should beat, I absolutely hate losing to Richmond

And Hickey.

[Trev from the Bush]

11-10 with the Lions at Etihad to finish the year. A good season of progress by any measure.

The previous 3 seasons;

2013 - 5 wins (prior to Watters imploding)
2014 - 4 wins under Rich at the real start of the rebuild
2015 - 6 wins, 1 draw but genuine improvement shown
2016 - 11, possibly 12 wins
2017 - ????????

Liking it.

[Sainter_Dad]

11-10 with the Lions at Etihad to finish the year. A good season of progress by any measure.

The previous 3 seasons;

2013 - 5 wins (prior to Watters imploding)
2014 - 4 wins under Rich at the real start of the rebuild
2015 - 6 wins, 1 draw but genuine improvement shown
2016 - 11, possibly 12 wins
2017 - ????????

Liking it.

So this year we have equalled the number of wins from any 2 of the previous 3 seasons combined.

Lets hope next year we do the same - 17 1/2 wins (possible 18 1/2) - pleasing!

Make it so!

[SaintPav]

I have too much time to waste......

The next no in the sequence is 23.

5, 4, 6, 12, 23

-1, 2, 6, 11

3, 4, 5

1, 1

[saintbrat]

6. Blake Acres is ready for a breakout 2017
There has been a common theme to St Kilda's past month and it will please coach Alan Richardson greatly. Blake Acres has won 20-plus possessions each week – after achieving that mark four times in his previous 21 games – and his class is becoming more evident with every touch of the footy. The 20-year-old was among the Saints' best three players on Saturday, finishing with 26 possessions and five inside 50s. He also laid a team-high seven tackles, throwing around his 191cm frame in an indication he is completely at home in an AFL midfield. A first-round pick in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft (No.19), Acres was slow to get going as he battled quad, ankle, foot and hand injuries. But he has played every game this year at some level and the Saints will be excited about what 2017 has in store for the young Western Australian. – Nathan Schmook

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-08-21/n ... m-round-22

[freely]

Sounds like Nathan's not such a Schmook after all!