Vortex wrote: ↑Thu 08 Sep 2022 10:32am
Has the worst list in the comp and is unable to turn a pigs ear into a silk purse.
That's how I see it too, quite unreasonable to judge Brett Ratten's coaching when the playing list is so bereft of quality talent - this year St Kilda had just 3 players to ever be selected All Australian and that includes Paddy Ryder who's well past his best, plus Jack Steele (once) and Jack Sinclair (once). I doubt if even master coach Alastair Clarkson (who was never going to pass over his old club North Melbourne to take on the St Kilda job) would have got much more out of this team in 2022.
Yes, I acknowledge that it has been hard to work out what the game plans were this year, but I put that down to the fact that in so many games players lacked the skills to nail their targets, often resulting in disastrous turnovers which put the team on the backfoot and become a shambles.
On the question of game plans, we often see teams put such extreme pressure on the opposition ball carriers that whatever game plan the losing team had goes out the window - for example the way Melbourne demolished the "well coached" Brisbane by 58 points in Round 23, in front of a sell out crowd at the Gabba no less!
I believe the club did the sensible thing at the time to extend Ratten's contract - and I am quite sure that would have been after they had explored all alternatives including Clarkson.
Of experienced coaches on the market at that time there were just Ross Lyon and Leon Cameron, and whilst Craig McRae has proved to be an inspired choice by Collingwood, how often does that happen? By the same token, McRae inherited a bloody good list with many experienced and elite players.....
As has been acknowledged many times before, the forthcoming trade and draft period will be crucial to improving the list and if the club can snag another three youngster like they did last year we're in for significant progress in 2023.