I'm Envious of the Cats

[linz]

The Saints & Cats were nearly even in 2004. Bomber was even complaining about our draft advantages over the Cats. We used to beat them. (and easily)

The expectation was that the Cats & Saints (both being young clubs) would compete for the flag for several years to come. What happened??

Enter Butterrs & Thomas V Coska & Thompson

2 teams of Best mates competing against each other: untilllllll..................

Geelong's mob hung tight while we imploded (Rod & Grant). Grant's gone (I think)

We need a new admin. team now in my opinion,

And start again.

New start, .... reduced egos??

[Seaford_Saint]

yep - with u all the way - can't comprehend it.... the only positive...... we can do the same next year

[linz]

yep - with u all the way - can't comprehend it.... the only positive...... we can do the same next year

Thanks Seaford, I think I may need an aspro.

[luke.l_26]

forthepast4weeks, all I'veheardis"The cats are doing this cos they're hurting."
If thats true, then is it possible for us to feel that pain as well.
I've often wondered if our team really wants anything. Some weeks their performance on the field is lacklustre.
Does our team have that driving passion to really want something, or is it something that people like harves feels only?

I want St Kilda to feel the pain next year.

[Saints Premiers 2008]

we will be fine

they proved this year that if a team is able to get the full 22 on the park for 90% of the season a top 4 spot at least is up for the taking

ur talls are way better than their talls

and in the end talls alwas beat smalls....

our 3 key backs could hold nablett, mooney and johnson

roo imo could run egan off his feet

kosi would go 50/50 against scarlett with hamill's defensive pressure ceasing scarlett's dash from the backline - or at least hindering it

a resting gardiner/hamill could take harley who imo is best suited at not having an opponent and playing third man up ala milburn

so in essence they have two third an up type defenders so one has to have close checking...maybe l.fisher on milburn as both are not that tall...and either gardiner/hamill gets the remaining defender...

end rant

[lefty]

Just shows ey....

We have always always beaten Geelong the past years, but not this year.

Shows what happens when you stick and back up a coach, rather than firing his ass.

Nice Butters, nice one indeed.

[Saints Premiers 2008]

Just shows ey....

We have always always beaten Geelong the past years, but not this year.

Shows what happens when you stick and back up a coach, rather than firing his ass.

Nice Butters, nice one indeed.

every situation has a different set of circumstances and reasonings...

lets not go nuts here

[The_Dud]

all that Geelongs year has shown is that we could just as easily do the exact same thing next year, and that the rest of the comp is pretty average at the moment

[bigcarl]

The Saints & Cats were nearly even in 2004. Bomber was even complaining about our draft advantages over the Cats. We used to beat them. (and easily)

The expectation was that the Cats & Saints (both being young clubs) would compete for the flag for several years to come. What happened??

Enter Butterrs & Thomas V Coska & Thompson

2 teams of Best mates competing against each other: untilllllll..................

Geelong's mob hung tight while we imploded (Rod & Grant). Grant's gone (I think)

We need a new admin. team now in my opinion,

And start again.

New start, .... reduced egos??

good post and i agree with your sentiments.

should have been us ... but that's life.

maybe next year

[meher baba]

all that Geelongs year has shown is that we could just as easily do the exact same thing next year, and that the rest of the comp is pretty average at the moment

I will always find it hard to agree with this clown until he changes his avatar (why don't you replace the picture of Raph with one of yourself? it'd work far better with the name you have chosen).

But, on this occasion I do. Geelong showed last night that they really are a long way from being a team of supermen: the Pies are just a bunch of good ordinary players who are extremely well coached (the much-criticised Malthouse is actually just about the best coach in the AFL IMO) and who take their chances better than most teams.

It's hard to see Geelong beating Port on last night's performance. The Cats must be praying for the Roos to win in a big upset.

But none of the teams this year are all that special. Let's face it, 3 out of the 4 teams in the PFs didn't make the 8 last season, and the other one was absolutely smashed by the Bulldogs in the EF. I don't really think the Cats are any better than they were in 2004-05: but, unlike us, they have been able to regain that form.

If we can do something like that next year, we'll win the flag.

[Little Dozer]

Gardiner and Hamill haven't played for over a year and are injury prone. Counting on them to do anything is ambitious at best, however because of their history they will be persisted with. I hope they both come back and play some good footy but I seriously doubt it.

[spert]

Bomber is not pulling all the strings at Geelong as coach after Costa's review earlier on, but anyway, I think they have managed injuries beter than us over the last few years and developed younger players better -something GT forgot about.

[claystreet]

Hamill should make room for someone
whos going to actually get on the park,
sick of seeing him in the stands getting paid
to do jack s***

[Otiman]

Hamill should make room for someone

That's what the long term injury list is for. Hamill is just one big salary cap black hole at the moment.

[Oh When the Saints]

Who have Geelong lost since '04 from their starting 22?

Ben Graham, Peter Riccardi and Kent Kingsley are the only players Geelong have lost from their 22 in 2004.



On the other hand we have lost Powell, Peckett, Thompson, Hamill, Voss, Penny, Black, Jones and Gehrig.

From our starting 22.


That's fine as long as their replacements can step in and perform with the same level of experience (i.e. 100 game experience), skill level and ability.


Changing the coach didn't help ... but changing the actual players is also part of it.


I'm not saying our list wasn't good enough to win a flag in '07 (it was).

Or that it is any better than Geelong's.


Helps when your centre-line is entirely composed of father-son selections.


There's no mysteries in footy ... work hard as a group and you will get a year every now and then where the balance is right between youth and experience, and you find yourself in a Preliminary Final.

We had that balance in '04 and '05, but haven't quite had it the past two years (because of injury for the large part).


Our team was significantly different in 2004 to Geelongs ...

In '04 we had a core group of blokes around the age of 27/28 and then not much in between the other group of blokes who were 19/20/21.

The Cats had a different balance, with a lot of blokes around 24/25/26.

Those guys (Harley, Scarlett, Ling, Milburn, Mooney, Corey, Chapman, Wojcinski) have all reached a mature age and experience level and are the main force behind Geelong's success.


It's just patience and stability and hard work, and eventually you will get there.

Unfortunately the St Kilda board weren't prepared to maintain the patience (or stability).

[brown-coat]

I am envious too. God it was annoying watching them last night. How they're so good and we're so utterly terrible and negative. All their players play with such extreme confidence.

They have almost no raph clarke, blake like players who are slow, dopey and always turn it over.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

Just shows ey....

We have always always beaten Geelong the past years, but not this year.

Shows what happens when you stick and back up a coach, rather than firing his ass.

Nice Butters, nice one indeed.

fishlips was told by the geelong board he was having his power reigned in and in an attempt to keep his job he allowed this to happen without it hurting his ego

GT was told by the board he was going to have his power reigned in and in a show of pigheadedness and arrogance and belife he "was" stkilda he said no so the board acted and we sent him packing ...

theres the differance between geelong and Stkilda not one board sticking with its coach and one firing but one coach allowing the board to make changes for the better of the club and one coach not accepting it ..

not RB fault GT wasnt going to accept some of his powers spread to a football manager