How confident are you?

[Milne]

On a scale of we will safely beat swans/bulldogs and have a tough game against the cats/pies to WE WILL BRING A WORLD OF HURT TO ALL THAT STAND BEFORE US?

[Stephen Theodore]

Would love the "world of hurt theme" but will settle for a comfortable Prelim win followed by the fight of our lives to snare that elusive cup.

[eppo67]

Very, very confident of being Premiers 2010.

[SaintPav]

On a scale of we will safely beat swans/bulldogs and have a tough game against the cats/pies to WE WILL BRING A WORLD OF HURT TO ALL THAT STAND BEFORE US?

Dane Swan is already talking premeiership tatts. Alan Didak has spoke about performing strange cunvulsive dance like movements in the last quarter of the grand final ala chunky move. This is not a not good sign for them and it is an indicator, albeit a small one that they are getting ahead of themselves and do not understand what it takes to win a flag. I would be very unimpressed if our players were talking such nonsence; which they never would becuause they can comprehend the hurt of losing one. It burns deep, very deep.

When we play them in the GF they will not know what hit them. They are GORRRRNE!!!! So yes, I am confident. Very confident.

[thejiggingsaint]

I'm confident that we will play the winner of Sydney and the Bulldogs.
I'm also confident that the team will be ready to rock'n'roll.
The result? Too close to call against ANYONE in a PF! (Just POSSIBLY the hardest game of ALL)

[Middo]

Never been more confident , just have great faith in the side that this year is ours after the hurt of last year . Never felt more comfortable before the game against the Cats and can't wait until grand final day as I've told everybody who cares to listen that this is our year !!!!

[starsign]

This is the year we have been waiting for folks ...
and the one the boys have been working desperately for

make no mistake ....we are hot to trot!!!

THE TIME HAS COME!!!!

and if it's the Filth we meet on the Big Day ...good luck to them 'cos they won't know what bloody hit them !!!

[stinger]

On a scale of we will safely beat swans/bulldogs and have a tough game against the cats/pies to WE WILL BRING A WORLD OF HURT TO ALL THAT STAND BEFORE US?

a world of hurt mate..a world of hurt......we have been foxing up until now......no more weak links either.....

[OneEyedSainter77]

There is still plenty of work to do in this mammoth season and the despair of last year is still fresh in my mind.

But every now and then I can't help but think, we are two steps away from redemption.... That just excites me a little bit.

We need to win the Prelim first - that's perhaps and even bigger step than winning this week was.

But I have a lot of confidence in this side and their ability to do it...

[plugger66]

A true Saints supporter. Not confident all but extemely hopeful.

[Enrico_Misso]

I said last week, the winner of the first QF would win the Premiership.
It's all falling in to place.

[saintspremiers]

I'm 50/50.

I'm very confident we'll win the Prelim - but we'll F*** up again no doubt like we almost did against Footscray last year in the Prelim, and Geelong last week, and make it too close.

I would love it if we could be at least 3 goals up near the end so the ticker can take a breather!

As for the Granny, well, we aren't good enough yet to win it.

BUT.....if we show some solid form in the Prelim, that may change.

I think we can get there by the end of September......

[Griggsy]

Tbh given ours and the other teams circumstances, not making the Grand Final I would consider a failure. I know we have to earn the right to be there (memories of Sydney) but having a week off and not defeating either a depleted Dogs or a team that did not finish top 4 would be horrible.

I am 50/50 on the grandfinal, if the Pies make it we really have to shut them down because we can not let them have as many scoring shots as they get and pray their shocking kicking turns up.

I would be more confident against Geelong having just beat them and them having to play and extra week and also coming off a prelim against the pies.

[sendmehomehappy]

To get as far as we have already,with all the trials and tribulations,the media and public ridicule, demonstrates the strength of the club, coach,players and supporters....it's just fantastic

We beat Geelong, the best team of the 2000's fair and square in the qualifier...and that was magnificent.

The pain of losing last year burns us all....how must the players feel if it hurts us so....?


Given just a fair playing field on the big day, we will win...because these guys have the talent to deliver....and want it so much.

[Dal_Santos_Gal]

I wish I could say I was really confident, but I just have this little nagging voice telling me not to be. Afraid of heartache, I don't know I just can't put my finger on it.

After watching the first half against Geelong after the game had finished I was brimming in confidence but watching the Geelong come back, brings me crashing back down to earth. We all know what Geelong are capable of and I was not surprised that they fought back the way they did.

I guess I worry more about Collingwood and maybe its because how we played when we played them during the home and away season, like I said I just can't put my finger on it.

However I am so excited and I wish we could fast forward this week and next week and be in the dieing minutes of the prelim final. I just want to know that we are going to play off in the 2010 GF

GO SAINTS! Let this be our year, REDEMPTION FOR 2009

[Teflon]

Tbh given ours and the other teams circumstances, not making the Grand Final I would consider a failure. I know we have to earn the right to be there (memories of Sydney) but having a week off and not defeating either a depleted Dogs or a team that did not finish top 4 would be horrible.

Thats my fear. Dont know why.

[bigcarl]

Tbh given ours and the other teams circumstances, not making the Grand Final I would consider a failure. I know we have to earn the right to be there (memories of Sydney) but having a week off and not defeating either a depleted Dogs or a team that did not finish top 4 would be horrible.

Thats my fear. Dont know why.

It's because we're expected to win. Like a three foot putt in golf, you know you'll have screwed up if you don't make it and put pressure on yourself.

You can try looking at in a different way. We will be favourites for a reason, having consistently been better than these two teams in recent times.

Whether we want to think of ourselves as the hunter or hunted is entirely up to us. We might choose to make an example of whoever we play in the prelim and really crush them.

We owe the Bulldogs one for giving us such an intense and bruising prelim last year. As for the Swans, we've a number of players who will want revenge for 2005.

[santazzi]

Very.....Very.............have invested $$...........on it........who ever that entity who put half a million @ 6 to 1....is a genious and I am following him/her............and the boys with their recent performances have not given me any reason why i should worry about my invensment.......and ........grabing the Holy Grail...............

[saint3d]

Tbh given ours and no other teams circumstances, not winning the Grand Final I would consider a failure.

Fixed.

There hasn't been a point this season from which anything less than a Grand Final win would not be considered failure.

Redemption and retribution pale into insignificance when it comes to one thing: winning the bloody thing!

Ross Lyon wouldn't be as good a coach as he is if he drew on adversity to motivate the team. In fact, I reckon he would ignore it all and expect the same of the team.

The only goal inside the bubble is winning the premiership, and that's all the team needs.

So in response to the OP, yes I'm confident. The players have overcome a myriad of challenges to get where they are. Why would I expect that to stop?

[St. Luke]

Certainly the pressure will be squarely on us in the Prelim, then hopefully on our opponent should we make the GF!

The thing I hold to dearly is the fact that we're not scared of either the Cats or the Pies! In fact, we're scared of no team, but show every respect.

[gringo]

We are in the box seat, and ready to roll. Anything can happen between now and grand final day, but compared to last year I feel we have grown a mental strength advantage. We looked as if anything could happen last season but didn't have the drive to take it to the next level. This year we are looking like a solid mentally tough outfit a bit like Geelong was a couple of years ago.

We are not out there complaining or garnering publicity, just going about our business in a classy unified manner.

As long as lady luck stays with us I have us as the most likely premier. Collingwood is talking them selves up, never wise, Geelong looks like the pressure is eating them, Bulldogs could spring one from nowhere and Sydney just don't look the standard of a prelim finalist. In my reckoning that has us cruising in the easy side of the draw towards destiny. We are one loss away from disaster and need to take everyone seriously but we won't get many more opportunities to make our own history.

[saintly]

Never been more confident , just have great faith in the side that this year is ours after the hurt of last year . Never felt more comfortable before the game against the Cats and can't wait until grand final day as I've told everybody who cares to listen that this is our year !!!!

and how were you last year at this time?

[saintlee]

A true Saints supporter. Not confident all but extemely hopeful.

This

[Dr Spaceman]

Sorry to interrupt the fascinating personal insults and character assassinations, that are currently flowing on the other threads, with a football related comment.

Re the OP, it’s hard to be really confident given the many variables that go into winning a flag.

However one thing I have managed to tick off in my own mind is the MCG. Although we had a fairly good second half of 2008, it became obvious during the Finals Series that we were a fair way behind Geelong & Hawthorn. Our form in 2009 therefore took most of us by surprise. We did have a level of confidence however and this was assisted by the H & A victory against the Cats. One of the biggest hurdles that loomed was the MCG as we didn’t play there until Round 22 (against the bottom side) and thoughts were that it wouldn’t suit the new style of Saints Footy. I like many supporters, were concerned that this may prove to be our undoing.

Now of course we fell short on that last day in 2009, and failed against the Pies at the G earlier this year. Arguments can be put that we were unlucky in the GF and that the Pies cause was assisted by a less than fully fit Nick, a lack of a Gram, a possible flu epidemic and some uncharacteristic scoring accuracy from the opposition. Regardless of all that, I think we have shown enough since Round 22, 2009 to say that the MCG is no longer a negative factor in our quest for the flag. Indeed, from my perspective, I think it may actually suit our team more than Etihad.

So I’ve put the MCG out of my mind and can now focus on the other 1,001 things that can go wrong!

[Nattens]

I'm a St Kilda supporter, I'm never confident