Season defining

[saintkev]

Heading off to Optus to watch today’s game. Which Saints’ team will turn up. Hopefully, it’s the ferocious, hard at the ball and strong tackling team playing with flair, dash and fiercely for each other.

[Impatient Sainter]

Lets hope they have found that group, because they have been a-wall for sometime. Enjoy the game...

[The_Dud]

We defined our season about a month ago, now we’re just trying to avoid embarrassment!

[Teflon]

We defined our season about a month ago, now we’re just trying to avoid embarrassment!

Bang on
Season cooked weeks ago…after Bombers debarcle all down hill

[happy feet]

We defined our season about a month ago, now we’re just trying to avoid embarrassment!

Bang on
Season cooked weeks ago…after Bombers debarcle all down hill

Yes, I think the same. From finals contenders to pretenders.

[saintkev]

What a disappointing, plodding, error-filled game. The strategy of holding onto the ball and then bombing it into the forward line is a dismal failure. A rangy, wrestling King is easily outmanoeuvred. I lost count of the amount of times a Saints’ player received the ball 10 - 15 metres in the clear, but stopped, propped and waited for the opposition to man the mark, instead of playing on and drawing a defender towards himself and creating the loose man.
The dumb-arsed ploy of feeding the pill to an unaccountable Hill is also a dismal failure. Several Eagles’ goals were a result of Hill turnovers, or unforgivable lack of pressure.

[WellardSaint]

Like Kev said.
I also went, and so glad, because it's 100x better than TV.
Quality of the game was horrible.

Not much skill showed by either side.
We just kicked more goals due to luck and pressure.
King's direct opponent averages 14.2 disposals this yr, but he got 26 today.
Winx got 12 touches for 2.1.

We won, but it was ugly and not enjoyable like the Tigers or Cats wins.

[Scollop]

What a disappointing, plodding, error-filled game. The strategy of holding onto the ball and then bombing it into the forward line is a dismal failure. A rangy, wrestling King is easily outmanoeuvred. I lost count of the amount of times a Saints’ player received the ball 10 - 15 metres in the clear, but stopped, propped and waited for the opposition to man the mark, instead of playing on and drawing a defender towards himself and creating the loose man.
The dumb-arsed ploy of feeding the pill to an unaccountable Hill is also a dismal failure. Several Eagles’ goals were a result of Hill turnovers, or unforgivable lack of pressure.

yeah ...but didn't you know that it frees up Sinclair and jack Steel and that's why they get their hands on so much footy. It's thanks to Brad being selfless and sacrificing his game

He's also deliberately keeping the opposition in it and testing his team mates resilience when he turns it over. It's why he needs to stay in the team no matter what

[perfectionist]

... I lost count of the amount of times a Saints’ player received the ball 10 - 15 metres in the clear, but stopped, propped and waited for the opposition to man the mark, instead of playing on and drawing a defender towards himself and creating the loose man...

This is a straight out coaching error. It's a simple drill but it does require two things from players:
1. Physical Ability
2. Mental ability (which is probably more important).

In good sides, the player up field has already worked over his opponent to create space to enable him to run into BEFORE his teammate actually gets the ball. That is, he anticipates. The teammate then honours the lead and so it progresses.

We have too many players who seem blind to what is happening around them. The classic example is Ben Paton. He takes a mark, So far so good. He then sees a lead up field, goes to kick then stops. Looks sideways, then decides against. Looks upfield, now can't see anything. By which stage, the umpire has called play on and he has to kick over a player running towards him which means the kick is shorter and higher than it needs to be and goes straight to a waiting defender in a pack.

Few of our players seem to have worked out the angles that the new rule for the player standing on the mark affords them. All of the thinking seems to be done on the day. It should have been practised a million times on the training track.

Players have to be prepared to make multiple sacrificial leads. Some days, a player may make twenty leads in game and none are honoured. But that's the game. It's not about him, it's about the team. If our forwards are running everywhere it makes it more difficult for the defence to pick the one that is honoured. Every paddock footballer knows that. There is no doubt that skill plays a part. If a player leads but the kick goes 5 metres over his head to his trailing opponent and then it's open sesame. But, there is no game plan than makes up for poor skills.

[spert]

It's a bit annoying to watch our blokes spot a teammate in the clear, then think about it, then when the opposition is closing in, kick it to that teammate who gets spoiled...or just kicking to a contest when there's a couple of teammates in the clear in better positions. We got away with it on a soggy ground against a poor team yesterday, but it doesn't work against better-drilled teams. It's something for Ratts to work out.