Who do we see about buying a Functioning Forward Line?

[Sainter_Dad]

I mean seriously!!!!

[Scollop]

Ahhhh...it's more our entries I reckon, rather than the personnel in there at the moment. Nothing much has changed in the last 5 years

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=97858#p1789011

Blake was free at times tonight and no one sees him. Parker runs loose on the fat side and no one talks or no one sees him

Bruce is on his own and Kent has a snapshot from an impossible angle.

Instead of everyone feeling pressure to perform and playing for survival or for themselves they should be looking to bring their team mates into the play and looking to score team goals.

Seems to me that the coach is feeling the pressure and it's like walking on eggshells for everyone in the team at the moment

[skeptic]

To me the structure is terrible.

Bruce and Membrey as talls with Parker, Kent and Long at their feet.

For starters, Membrey is not a tall. He’s a medium sized player with a leap. He should be played as one. If Bruce is up the ground, we should be trying to clear space around Tim and try to isolate him one on one with a view of taking advantage of his leap. Instead we keep trying to have him climb over the pack. It’s stupid.

Like I’ve said before... you need another tall down there to split the defence up a little... someone that has size and can grab the thing. I would play Marshall down there a lot more because you can’t just ignore him.

Next, at his feet is where is where Gresh, Parker and only one of Kent or Long should be.

Of the three, Parker is clearly the guy that has the most tools, is the hardest working and has a bit more clutch about him. Kent and Long are silky but not silky enough and, don’t work hard enough and are not consistent enough.

Gresh is a must as a FP that pushes up as opposed to a mid that pushes down. You don’t want him working really really hard running up and down the ground.
You need him rested so that he can go for 70% acceleration to 95% and do some magic. He’s too dangerous and talented not to be a goal scorer primarily.

Gresh, Marshall, Membrey
Parker, Bruce, Billings

Then have Sinclair and Acres rotate with Membrey and Parker respectively

Of course none of that works if you don’t have another player that can ruck... grrrrrrrrrrrr
Who’d have thought not having enough rucks would be a problem when we traded Hickey... oh wait, everyone for at least the last 50 odd years.

Maybe Battle could play forward a bit instead of Marshall and we could try Joyce or Marsh perhaps with more of an extended run down back.

As for the midfield... actually recruit some polished speedy mids instead of trying to turn players that aren’t that into them

[bigcarl]

Gresh, Marshall, Membrey
Parker, Bruce, Billings

Don’t mind the idea of Marshall as a key forward. I think he’s mobile enough and good enough and it would help the structure a lot.

We’d lose out in the ruck, though. We’d have to bring back Billy.

As for Gresham, he’s better than a forward pocket and I hope the club persists with him as an onballer who rests forward occasionally.

But I agree the forward structure inspires no confidence and it’s time to change things up a bit.

[ace]

You go to the midfielders shop.
Our midfielders delivery is appalling.
The biggest weakness is the kicking skills of our best midfielders.
They get as many possessions as the best in the business but can't hit a barn door.
Kick drops short or land on top of the head of the forward.
Every time they miss they should have a possession deducted not added.
Then the stats would show their weakness.

We need to persuade Wilkie to grow a tank and move him into the midfield.
He knows the meaning of hit your target and kick to advantage.
If all our midfielders could deliver the ball like him we would not be potential finalists, we would be premiership favourites.

Players with good skills, able to kick accurately with BOTH feet, handpass accurately on both sides should be prioritised.
Endeavour can be encouraged but you can't encourage sudden improvements in skills.
St Kilda recruitment places too much emphasis on present performance of U18s and not enough emphasis on skills.

[spert]

At the risk of being boring,...Get a better coach for starters- those guys just don't seem to know each other, or have any particular system.

[twirlyhair]

At the risk of being boring,...Get a better coach for starters- those guys just don't seem to know each other, or have any particular system.

Ratten has a lot to answer for. Bought in to improve ball movement.

[Toy Saint]

It's difficult to justify Kent, Long & Parker in the same team, because in reality Bruce is the only tall. I'd be inclined to rest Long in favor of a tall.

When Carslile gets back, I'd love to have Josh Battle back in the forward line with Bruce & Membrey. It would be a bonus if Max King was up to it.

Ideally our forwards will lead to space and our mids will lower their eyes and kick low to the chest, as opposed to the random 'long bomb' technique currently being employed.

[happy feet]

I had a horrible thought brought on by this post. The Swans offloading Buddy to us. Stranger things have happened.

[Yorkeys]

Plenty movement, Its the arrival that sucks: and the fans sing
Big Saints ship pon de ocean that a big Titanic
I like to move it move it
I like to move it move it
Ya like to (move it!)
Big ship pon de ocean that a big Titanic.
Bless the good ship SS Saints and Rear Admiral Richo - to whom the "it" does not necessarily refer to. (Ratten, this is your main man speaking.. row harder)

[Annoyedsaint]

Any forward line won’t function when we get a clear possession in the middle, chance to go straight towards goal....but go to the edge of the 50 on the boundary, or go sideways and backwards (before oppo gets back), then proceed to turn it over time after time after time

[silverhalo]

MAX KING

[samuraisaint]

Recruiters need to select an A Grade mid in this years draft.
They then need to go after every free agent mid that wants to leave Gold Coast/GWS or Brisbane. There will be a few. There always is.
The problems begin in the midfield and the transition into the forward line.

[Toy Saint]

I had a horrible thought brought on by this post. The Swans offloading Buddy to us. Stranger things have happened.

Please no

[skeptic]

At the risk of being boring,...Get a better coach for starters- those guys just don't seem to know each other, or have any particular system.

Ratten has a lot to answer for. Bought in to improve ball movement.

Agreed. Fancy keeping someone for 6 whole months when they’re not getting results

[stkfc1]

To me the structure is terrible.

Bruce and Membrey as talls with Parker, Kent and Long at their feet.

For starters, Membrey is not a tall. He’s a medium sized player with a leap. He should be played as one. If Bruce is up the ground, we should be trying to clear space around Tim and try to isolate him one on one with a view of taking advantage of his leap. Instead we keep trying to have him climb over the pack. It’s stupid.

Like I’ve said before... you need another tall down there to split the defence up a little... someone that has size and can grab the thing. I would play Marshall down there a lot more because you can’t just ignore him.

Next, at his feet is where is where Gresh, Parker and only one of Kent or Long should be.

Of the three, Parker is clearly the guy that has the most tools, is the hardest working and has a bit more clutch about him. Kent and Long are silky but not silky enough and, don’t work hard enough and are not consistent enough.

Gresh is a must as a FP that pushes up as opposed to a mid that pushes down. You don’t want him working really really hard running up and down the ground.
You need him rested so that he can go for 70% acceleration to 95% and do some magic. He’s too dangerous and talented not to be a goal scorer primarily.

Gresh, Marshall, Membrey
Parker, Bruce, Billings

Then have Sinclair and Acres rotate with Membrey and Parker respectively

Of course none of that works if you don’t have another player that can ruck... grrrrrrrrrrrr
Who’d have thought not having enough rucks would be a problem when we traded Hickey... oh wait, everyone for at least the last 50 odd years.

Maybe Battle could play forward a bit instead of Marshall and we could try Joyce or Marsh perhaps with more of an extended run down back.

As for the midfield... actually recruit some polished speedy mids instead of trying to turn players that aren’t that into them

This X1000.

We are screaming out for a 2nd tall, all the while Battle is playing back.
Joyce or Marsh back, Battle forward. No brainer. Joyce is a good defender he's just not your #1 defender like he was asked to do last week against the most inform forward in the comp. Was always going to end in disaster.

[prwilkinson]

The delivery inside 50 is just so very painful to watch! Need to get 50 games into Max King ASAP.... yes I know I need to be patient. Only a 203cm freak athlete could make something out of that delivery. Would certainly make players like McGovern think twice and be a hell of a lot more accountable.