Team vs Crows

[spert]

The Freo game was as much about the team falling off a cliff at quarter time as it was about Ratt's inability to fire them up. This game will be as much about his coaching as it will be about how the players react to the bad loss. I hope Ratts learned from it.

[Yorkeys]

It may be that we just don't have the depth to bring in a raft of replacement players who can be better than those that are regularly trotted out. The coach is doing what he can with what he has got - appealing to professional pride a bit and reminding some they are pretty unsophisticated with their approach, chuck in a couple of changes. Adelaide in Adelaide is always tough so take experience might be the theme. As long as we don't play Walker and his silly nickname into form, again. (We don't call J. Steele Jaws, do we). Anyway, I can't remember us ever winning on a Monday in South Australia, so would be nice if we could.

[saynta]

Ryder & Byrnes - IN

Long & Marsh - OUT

I'm not sure that OUT sets a tone, an example or puts any player on notice, well no senior / high priced players anyway.

Exactly what I predicted.

[saynta]

Seb hasn’t polled a single vote on here so far this year, FWIW.

Wrong, not true from you, but hey, what else is new.

Maybe get the bifocals out, have a good look, then please point out where Seb’s votes are hiding.

http://saintsational.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=100622

Afterwards I would suggest a cup of tea, a bex and a good lie down

Wrong. Posters have voted for him as I said but hasn't had enough votes to get in the top 5 is all.

[Ghost Like]

It may be that we just don't have the depth to bring in a raft of replacement players who can be better than those that are regularly trotted out.

I disagree, with that sentence, primarily because that capitulation was so bad, literally any one on our list (who didn't play) could have done better, certainly would have shown more resolve and fight. The point being, they could not have done worse.

Our depth is the best we've had in a decade in my opinion, this was the chance for a new coach to make a statement by testing it.

[Ghost Like]

Seb hasn’t polled a single vote on here so far this year, FWIW.

Wrong, not true from you, but hey, what else is new.

Maybe get the bifocals out, have a good look, then please point out where Seb’s votes are hiding.

http://saintsational.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=100622

Afterwards I would suggest a cup of tea, a bex and a good lie down

Wrong. Posters have voted for him as I said but hasn't had enough votes to get in the top 5 is all.

His mum logging in and giving him a vote for tucking his jumper in really doesn't count Saynta

[saynta]

Seb hasn’t polled a single vote on here so far this year, FWIW.

Wrong, not true from you, but hey, what else is new.

Maybe get the bifocals out, have a good look, then please point out where Seb’s votes are hiding.

http://saintsational.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=100622

Afterwards I would suggest a cup of tea, a bex and a good lie down

Wrong. Posters have voted for him as I said but hasn't had enough votes to get in the top 5 is all.

His mum logging in and giving him a vote for tucking his jumper in really doesn't count Saynta

He got votes in most papers for the tigers game.

[The_Dud]

Seb hasn’t polled a single vote on here so far this year, FWIW.

Wrong, not true from you, but hey, what else is new.

Maybe get the bifocals out, have a good look, then please point out where Seb’s votes are hiding.

http://saintsational.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=100622

Afterwards I would suggest a cup of tea, a bex and a good lie down

Wrong. Posters have voted for him as I said but hasn't had enough votes to get in the top 5 is all.

[ace]

Emergencies have been identified so the selected team is

B: Jake Carlisle - Dougal Howard - Callum Wilkie
HB: Nick Coffield - Jarryn Geary - Hunter Clark
C: Jack Billings - Jack Steele - Bradley Hill
HF: Dan Butler - Jade Gresham -Dean Kent
F: Tim Membrey - Max King - Rowan Marshall
R: Paddy Ryder - Sebastian Ross - Zak Jones
INT: Ben Paton - Josh Battle - Ryan Byrnes -Jack Lonie
EMG: Jack Sinclair - Shane Savage - Nicholas Hind - Jonathon Marsh

OUT: Long - Marsh
IN: Byrnes - Ryder


A simple rearrange produces

B: Jarryn Geary - Dougal Howard - Callum Wilkie
HB: Nick Coffield - Jake Carlisle - Hunter Clark
C: Jack Billings - Jack Steele - Bradley Hill
HF: Dan Butler - Rowan Marshall - Dean Kent
F: Tim Membrey - Max King - Jade Gresham
R: Paddy Ryder - Sebastian Ross - Zak Jones
INT: Ben Paton - Josh Battle - Ryan Byrnes - Jack Lonie
EMG: Jack Sinclair - Shane Savage - Nicholas Hind - Jonathon Marsh

[Devilhead]

Well very surprised more players weren't dropped

Guessing Ratten is giving some a chance to redeem themselves - surely though it is last chance saloon for some

[shanegrambeau]

Maybe Ratten and co. think this game may be an opportunity for us to find some form against a broken team and as a unit, so persisting with Kent, Lonnie, Gears, Butler, Marshall, and especially Ross?

[Ghost Like]

Maybe Ratten and co. think this game may be an opportunity for us to find some form against a broken team and as a unit, so persisting with Kent, Lonnie, Gears, Butler, Marshall, and especially Ross?

I'm not sure it's a hard stretch to persist with Butler. A Top 5 player in the season to date, in my opinion.

[To the top]

We have depth with Roberton and Austin defensive assets in waiting

But past that, to me, our depth is restricted to Draftees who have not yet played being Bytel and Byrnes

I don’t rate the emergencies for this game as anywhere above ordinary - and the rest of the List downwards from there

Geary will (or should) be under pressure from Long coming back

Ross under pressure from Hannebery coming back

Then we get to Lonie and Kent

We “bat” to just 22 in my view and the Coach is so restricted

This is the reason we look towards Byrnes and Bytel including because this is where our real weakness is - mids who get the ball resulting in goals such is their impact

[desertsaint]

well the tone has changed. one week ago we had depth. now we don't. i think we do. a lot of c grade players inside and outside the first twenty two.

[Devilhead]

Every team has c grade players inside and outside their best 22

Our problem is a mental one and on field leadership issue

We have shown we can play good footy when switched on but it is now a matter of keeping the switch on for longer that will only come once our young players take that next mental leadership step and replace our failing and fading older brigade

[ace]

Maybe Ratten and co. think this game may be an opportunity for us to find some form against a broken team and as a unit, so persisting with Kent, Lonnie, Gears, Butler, Marshall, and especially Ross?

I'm not sure it's a hard stretch to persist with Butler. A Top 5 player in the season to date, in my opinion.

Many commentators suggesting he is in the All Australian team at the moment.

[Ghost Like]

We have depth with Roberton and Austin defensive assets in waiting

But past that, to me, our depth is restricted to Draftees who have not yet played being Bytel and Byrnes

I don’t rate the emergencies for this game as anywhere above ordinary - and the rest of the List downwards from there

Geary will (or should) be under pressure from Long coming back

Ross under pressure from Hannebery coming back

Then we get to Lonie and Kent

We “bat” to just 22 in my view and the Coach is so restricted

This is the reason we look towards Byrnes and Bytel including because this is where our real weakness is - mids who get the ball resulting in goals such is their impact

I agree with your start, Roberton and Austin and your finish, Byrnes and Bytel.

I do believe we have depth because we have players outside the 22 who were once considered to be a part of that 22, Savage, Sinclair, Webster, Dunstan, Brown. Whilst no longer our long term future, if needed could come in and play a role.

Add Marsh, Hind and Parker - mature bodies but limited exposure, they are much better than our past.

Then there are unknowns (may never know) in Clavarino, Connolly and Mayo.

Those on a precipice are Langlands, Phillips and McKenzie are also better than our past bottom dozen.

[Yorkeys]

Selectors are clearly signalling as far as they are concerned we do not have strong competition for midfield and forward spots. Whether that means a lack of depth or not may be a semantic difference when a team loses as badly as last week and there is only one discretionary change after all the bluster. If Hannebery was fit would Byrnes have even been picked? Unless we win or lose with honour tonight the selectors are going to have to think seriously about a change of tack an give some others a go. Churn until cream rises is a fact of life now. For a side with such "depth" it must be surprising to some we are a descending 10th. I hope Tuesday we are 5th, but not betting.

[freely]

All this slagging off Ross - I couldn't help noticing that Byrnes picked him out as a player he'd learnt from as one of those who "does everything right".

[saynta]

All this slagging off Ross - I couldn't help noticing that Byrnes picked him out as a player he'd learnt from as one of those who "does everything right".

Oh well, we all have to have someone we can kick to make us feel better about ourselves.

Byrnes is obviously an astute young man.

[stkfc1]

Spotlight on Hill, Ross. These 2 need to.perform big time. We're carrying too many small.forward types for mine, so whoever out of Kent and Lonie has a quite night loose their spot next week.

[realdeal]

Now can we drop Ross?

[saynta]

Now can we drop Ross?

Simple answer. NO.