Are we getting a little carried away?

[joffaboy]

Have the opportunity to watch the Freo game last night (thanks Iceman) and the first qtr of the Port game.

Now don’t get me wrong – I am wrapt in the way we are playing at the moment and like Leigh Matthews said on Monday when the other commentators were crapping on about how bad Collingwood were “St.Kilda make you look badâ€

[saint vince]

I think I am staying stable and balanced and not geting too caried away at all.

Just look at my signature

[saintly]

i am very stable. i just look forward to the next game. i now assume we will be in finals buts thats is as far ias i am allowing myself to vget ahead. we still have a long way to go.

sometimes i am not sure if we will win the next game, that is my pessimistic side coming out.

we do have turnovers. and we stil are not playing as well as geelong, but we are playing better then most teams at the moment!

[gooner]

I agree up to a point, there are always things you can pick up on. But I think Ross and the boys know this. They still feel they can improve.
As for Geelong, if you watch them, for all the (justifiable) hype they can 'go missing' for periods of the game. But then step it up and know what to do to win. Collingwood outplayed them for 3 out of 4 quarters but they just demolished them in 1 quarter.
Remember, they have been playing this sort of footy for over two years now. It is now ingrained in them. Hopefully we are building this mentality.

[fingers]

Ross Lyon is very firmly planted on earth - so am I. Enjoy the ride while it is there but don't get a head of ourselves. Geelong are still the best going around.

[aussiejones]

Agree "we do have turnovers. and we stil are not playing as well as geelong, but we are playing better then most teams at the moment!"

I am concerned about every game .

Collingwood was under manned and we struggled in the 1st qtr.

Lets enjoy one week at a time

[Superboot]

I agree with you Joffa but the problem is that we haven't simply been having good/comfortable wins. We've absolutely demolished teams we normally struggle against.

For example, I would have taken a 1-point win against Port.

I think most of us are conscious of needing to keep up with the reality checks, but it's getting harder each week.

[markp]

No.

For the first third of the season we have been putting our opponents in an unbreakable headlock and pounding the cr@p out of them.

At the moment we are at least the second best (if not the best) side in the comp.... 3 games and % clear of 3rd place.

Yes it could obviously all come undone, as it could for geelong... but for now, breathe it in and enjoy.

[Thinline]

Even if we only win half our games from here we'll wind up with 14 or 15 for the year, so whilst the work needs to be done, it's impossible NOT to be excited about prospects.

All that said, I think the team and the coaching staff are doing a terrific job of reining in 'too-far-aheadedness'.

I think there's a steely resolve to be without a doubt the best team in the competition at the right end of the year.

If we were playing perfect football now - no turnovers, no skill errors, nothing wrong at all - I'd be concerned, but fact is we are decimating sides because they struggle to score. We have a defensive bedrock that we an polish with offensive improvement as the year progresses.

I don't think anything is being said or done at club level that contradicts that.

[jonesy]

I think the skill comparisons with Geelong are fair JB. Our's aren't in the same league as there's,they have far more polish. We still fumble a fair bit,and our foot skills aren't as good. they also have more class around the goals
However I don't think they have to be as good as Geelongs. The point of difference is our overwhelming pressure we put on the ball carrier. No side has ever put on us as much pressure as us,it's unprecedented. That's what's making life impossible for the opposition. We are strangling every inch of life out of them. If we maintain that sort of pressure against Geelong they'll have to execute a Harlem Globetrotter like set of skills to escape our clutches.

I wish the game was this weekend,as 7 weeks is a long way away. Who knows,we might lose 3-4 key players by then and be 10-3,so a true guage at where we are at won't be seen. If we stay in tact physically I think we'll do very well.If we played this weekend ,I'd back us to win well. Playing the MCG might be another challenge also,so hopefully it get's switched for our learning

[yipper]

Joff, maybe you should look at the games against Doggies and the Pies as well. They are decent teams in my view, made to look very, very ordinary by this Saints outfit. The skills are right up with the Cats in that they have composure under pressure. That defensive unit of ours is finding it's way out of trouble time and time with slick handball and support in numbers. They are the real deal in 2009. This is as good a St Kilda team as I have ever seen in my life. The slick work of Hayes, Ball, Dal in the middle is sublime. The reason all experts are drooling over the future game against the Cats, is because most ppl see us on a par with them in skills, structure and pressure now.

[saintbob]

Collingwood was under manned and we struggled in the 1st qtr.

I think the thing you will find is that Collingwood came out on Monday night to try and ruffle our feathers and beat us at our own pressure game.
And your right it did unsettle the boys for a while but to their credit they were able to soak it up and win the next 3 qtrs quite convincingly IMO, as the margin obviously showed.

Look all realistic Saints supporters will not be getting carried away, but like me a few will be excited about what they are seeing!!!

[kaos theory]

Take a look at any cats game this year and you will see plenty of fumbles and poor disposals.

They just got over richmond at their home ground, and weren't that impressive with their win of the dees. Yet in these cases people say they are just taking it easy...

If we played the same way as they did against the tigers, for example, then everyone here would be extremely worried, and saying we are no where near the cats.

We can only beat who we play, and we are smashing sides, the cats aren't...

I understnd your thoughts JB, becasue we have been let down so many times before, but there is something different going on with the saints this yr, something I haven't seen before....

[InkerSaint]

It's a mistake to focus only on what the team do when they have possession. That's less than 50% of the game.

In my opinion it's a masterstroke of Ross Lyon's that he has turned the Saints into the best defensive team by a country mile. For skill it might be Geelong and daylight but for defence it is St Kilda and daylight. And the Saints now match Geelong for commitment at the contests.

I could go into other strengths and weaknesses but it would dilute the point.

[Legendary]

Good perspective Joffa, and I am sure that if anyone spoke to RL he would echo your sentiments about areas that still need improvement ... I would hope so, anyway.

[Ghost Like]

I appreciate the underlying sentiment joffaboy and agree with you to a certain extent because in isolation our start to the season is very exciting and is what gets the juices of the fans flowing. However in the bigger scheme of things we haven't really achieved anything yet, the holy grail is at the end of a long road but at least we're heading in the right direction.

I think the danger of watching games in hindsight is the ability to be overly critical whilst ignoring the essence of the pressure the players may be under at the time. I'm sure the players too would love to have their time over on certain plays but the only thing they can really do at the time is accept the bounce of the ball or that they've made a mistake and work hard for the rest of the game not to repeat that.

You alluded to to Ross Lyon being grounded and appreciating there's still work to be done, which there is, and I'm very confident he'll be working with the players to ensure that that work is done.

[Saint_Gooner]

I honestly don't get why everyone gets so worried about not getting carried away and taking it one step at a time etc...

That's the teams job!

Obviously if the team weren't doing this it would be cause for concern, but I'm sure they're good enough and professional enough not to get carried away because the fans are a bit excited.

I think that as fans we should be getting right behind them, we're clearly showing that we're capable of something very special this year, and everyone should know it.

I'm excited about the Saints and will be letting everyone know it! A bit more excitement and the crowd might get a bit more involved at the games, everyone seems to just be scared of disappointment rather than seeing how good we're going.

I know we could easily be let down, as we have in the past, but is that not part of supporting a team? I think so. The worse the lows are, the better the good times when they come. So get excited!!

Be proud to be following the Saints, don't hide and keep quiet cos we're scared of getting hurt, where's the fun in that?

[joffaboy]

If we were playing perfect football now - no turnovers, no skill errors, nothing wrong at all - I'd be concerned, but fact is we are decimating sides because they struggle to score. We have a defensive bedrock that we an polish with offensive improvement as the year progresses.

Great point. Still plenty of time to improve, which in my opinion is a great upside for the team. Fancy saying we can improve when we are 7-0 with a 208% 

It's a mistake to focus only on what the team do when they have possession. That's less than 50% of the game.

In my opinion it's a masterstroke of Ross Lyon's that he has turned the Saints into the best defensive team by a country mile

Another salient point. Our game is now built on defence. We are averaging 52 point against per game, and our backline looks as strong and as stingy as any I have ever seen, and we still have Max, Raph, and possibly Goose to bolster the defence.

Against the Pies early, when they had a go and got slightly on top of our midfield through clearances, the backline looked as strong as ever only allowing one goal from a dodgy free kick.

As I said in the OP, this is not a criticism of our team, They have been fantastic. If anything I am even more excited that we can actually improve on where we are.

All good.

[saintfreddy]

It's interesting when Geelong player Collingwood last year and the pressure the Pies put on them for an absolute thrashing.

Geelong still fumbles the ball consistently in games and I notice when good pressure is put on them (even in parts of Richmonds recent game), they turn it over as well.

No team will ever be perfect but by gee am I enjoying our style of play at the moment

[jonesy]

Collingwood have jumped Geelong twice in the past 12 months. Last year when they mauled them,and earlier this year they got out to about a 4-5 goal lead until Geelong flicked the switch.

[saintsRrising]

I am a little concerned the unmitigated adulation of the team currently.


.

Carrired away??

No I think most are just suitably excited and impressed by being 7 zip...with a huge % and crushing wins....but that also most are also not being totally swept away...as we are aware of the streak !!!

So unmitigated adulation = no.


But hey if you cannot enjoy the Saints..and act like a fan now, including taking joy in how they are playing...when can you????

[bigred]

Meh.

been in similar positions before.

I know how quickly it can come crashing down. A few key injuries here and there and you come back to the pack.

Still, at the moment I am just thoroughly enjoying each game at the moment.

I absolutely love this pressure game we play. It is my type of football.

Our defence is just plain rediculous.

I'm going with it. Lid still on, yet confident in this teams ability to back it up.

I want us to absolutely maul Essendon this week....Looking forward to it.

[joffaboy]

But hey if you cannot enjoy the Saints..and act like a fan now, including taking joy in how they are playing...when can you????

I think you will find that is exactly the point I was making in the OP.

I never said we shouldn't take joy in our current position.

If anything I am even more excited by the fact that IMHO we can get even better - which is a scary thought for the other 15 clubs.

[OneEyedSainter77]

I think the best thing about the way we are playing right now is the ferocity, determination and passion shown by each and every player on the ground.

It's like 22 Robert Harveys running around. Each player is totally committed to the contest and they are all giving it their all for every second of the game.

We're tackling harder, putting pressure on our opponents and our attack and defense is a lethal combination. We are finally reaping the rewards of months and months of experiencing what we all thought to be a dull and pointless gameplan under Ross the last couple of years.

I for one am loving the way we are playing footy at the moment. Other supporters have been saying that we are boring to watch the last couple of years - well we ain't boring anymore. it's like someone else here said - atm its like watching a lion tear into a wildebeest - its utterly fascinating.

I think based on this we're entitled to get a bit carried away as you put it.

As long as the players have their heads screwed on, that's all that really matters.

Great OP and topic btw!

[asiu]

we can actually improve on where we are.

agreed....and we need to

Our skills are still not the quality...

commented with the same train of thought on the freo and bullies game

saw it again in the first on monday evening


personally , i hope essendon come out and rip into us on sunday


wanna win it , not get to the big show and lose