The Coach Makes Success

[mbogo]

Remember poor old Bob Rose and Tommy Hafey - how many Coll flags *could they have won* but didn't.
Much is made of coaches and players and injuries but the facts remain:
- a coach sets up a side
- he constructs on-field collisions and seems to orchestrate "injuries" "corkys" and fear by putting tags and hard hits on certain "soft" players.
At Bris and Coll Matthews seemed to get the players matched up well and always across the GF line. = Success, same with Sheeds at Ess
Who remembers the failed coaches - and how many GF loses they orchestrated?
At the Saints only Jeans was a success - winning when even the great Carl Ditterich was out.
But even Jeans failed in 71 - perhaps because he traded Ian Stewart.
Alves failed without his rucks in 97 - and lost Lockett - when perhaps keeping him could have assured a victory in the 90s
Sheldon could not keep Lockett and Winmar on the park = fail
GT - got to the penultimate final hurdle but could not make the moves to make a difference in his 2 PFs - forget the injuries
Remember Barass when he brought in a half-time full forward - was it Baker? He kicked 5 in a GF win ... or draw - or when Crosswell, totally went crazy - but under control. Or when the great "handball talk" changes the course of history?
It is these types of radical moves we will need to guard against on the last day when we play - and I am in belief that we will - we need to be prepared for strange and weird heroes hopefully on our side - in the GF.
Be prepared Ross - we trust you - but recall that the last day has the most desperation and strangest most un-thought of solutions to assist the climb of the greatest mountain.
Who will give and take the inevitable hits - who will sacrifice themselves for the team - and us - who will provide the motivation - or guide it: the Coach - who puts the players on an opponent?
We will roar and cheer from every corner to assist with atmosphere but we can do little else.
But we have in our hearts the desire for your name to be placed on the list of the greatest SUCCESS STORIES.
Go ROSS LYON!
GO SAINTS!

[emmdee]

great read

[thejiggingsaint]

EXCELLENT post me owld tater!!!!!!!

[satchmo]

...suddenly, i see Dawson running free on the forward line, a goal could win this, jesus he's marked it!!!!!!........................

[saint patrick]

Hey mate...that is a bloody brilliant post..too long between beers mate...will fix before the year is out

[Milton66]

Alves also failed in 97 because he allegedly told players to avoid any argy bargy. Yet the Crows immediately knocked the shyte out of 35.

We were expecting Hall and Keogh to assert some physicality, but it never eventuated.

[matrix]

brill post

[saintly]

Alves also failed in 97 because he allegedly told players to avoid any argy bargy. Yet the Crows immediately knocked the shyte out of 35.

We were expecting Hall and Keogh to assert some physicality, but it never eventuated.

really, was that one true?

[Milton66]

Alves also failed in 97 because he allegedly told players to avoid any argy bargy. Yet the Crows immediately knocked the shyte out of 35.

We were expecting Hall and Keogh to assert some physicality, but it never eventuated.

really, was that one true?

apparently so. warned the players not to get sucked in and focus on the footy. I could be totally wrong, but that's what I heard at the time.

Then there's Loewe's comments that he wanted to move himself into the ruck to try and influence the game.

[widereceiver]

I liked Alves a lot but on that sh1te day -
7's father had died

(':?')23's sister had attempted suicide
(':(')Our rucks were both out - and 10 had dominated in the final against Brisbane.

(':evil:')The Craw cleaned up 35 and 3 in the first quarter with no perceptible response from us.

With the game in the balance, Alves let Shanahan (31?) take Jarman (and left 31 on Jarman) and that was all she wrote.

Even though we led by 13 at 1/2 time I always thought we looked unlikely.

(':idea:') If I had coached that day, I would have said to BBBBH, *
"You can have off till 1999, go and stitch up Macleod, Johnson and above all Jarman."

We might have snuck over the line. Other possible hitters in the team were Keogh, Neal, Jayson Daniels and maybe Cooke could have done a number on Rehn.

"This is unworthy, this is wrong, this is reprehensible."
This would have been our second flag.
We would be going for, at least, our third.

[bigred]

Rod Keogh off the square a few times in the second quarter would have been a good idea imo...

[Milton66]

I liked Alves a lot but on that sh1te day -
7's father had died

(':?')23's sister had attempted suicide
(':(')Our rucks were both out - and 10 had dominated in the final against Brisbane.

(':evil:')The Craw cleaned up 35 and 3 in the first quarter with no perceptible response from us.

With the game in the balance, Alves let Shanahan (31?) take Jarman (and left 31 on Jarman) and that was all she wrote.

Even though we led by 13 at 1/2 time I always thought we looked unlikely.

(':idea:') If I had coached that day, I would have said to BBBBH, *
"You can have off till 1999, go and stitch up Macleod, Johnson and above all Jarman."

We might have snuck over the line. Other possible hitters in the team were Keogh, Neal, Jayson Daniels and maybe Cooke could have done a number on Rehn.

"This is unworthy, this is wrong, this is reprehensible."
This would have been our second flag.
We would be going for, at least, our third.

Excellent summation. Some might say that it's a dirty way to win, but let's face, there's no rules on a GF day.

I also recall a whisper that Alves froze in the box in the last. Anyone add to this?

[rodgerfox]

I also recall a whisper that Alves froze in the box in the last. Anyone add to this?

Norm Goss told me that the phone broke in the last quarter. The Shanahan was delayed due to it.

[widereceiver]

I also recall a whisper that Alves froze in the box in the last. Anyone add to this?

Yeah I have heard that but as I said I liked Alves a lot. He seems like a really decent person, "and things like that".

It's an unfounded rumour, like Rooey moving to the Gold Coast, so I have ignored it.

Collingwood have won two premierships on the basis of starting a barney, 1958 and 1990, no-one remembers that, especially Poi fans. They do remember John Greening as evidenced by last week's crap.

[stinger]

I liked Alves a lot but on that sh1te day -
7's father had died

(':?')23's sister had attempted suicide
(':(')Our rucks were both out - and 10 had dominated in the final against Brisbane.

(':evil:')The Craw cleaned up 35 and 3 in the first quarter with no perceptible response from us.

With the game in the balance, Alves let Shanahan (31?) take Jarman (and left 31 on Jarman) and that was all she wrote.

Even though we led by 13 at 1/2 time I always thought we looked unlikely.

(':idea:') If I had coached that day, I would have said to BBBBH, *
"You can have off till 1999, go and stitch up Macleod, Johnson and above all Jarman."

We might have snuck over the line. Other possible hitters in the team were Keogh, Neal, Jayson Daniels and maybe Cooke could have done a number on Rehn.

"This is unworthy, this is wrong, this is reprehensible."
This would have been our second flag.
We would be going for, at least, our third.

heatley waa another really tough guy...as was sierra....no one flew the flag though....

[Stillwaiting]

I liked Alves a lot but on that sh1te day -
7's father had died

(':?')23's sister had attempted suicide
(':(')Our rucks were both out - and 10 had dominated in the final against Brisbane.

(':evil:')The Craw cleaned up 35 and 3 in the first quarter with no perceptible response from us.

With the game in the balance, Alves let Shanahan (31?) take Jarman (and left 31 on Jarman) and that was all she wrote.

Even though we led by 13 at 1/2 time I always thought we looked unlikely.

(':idea:') If I had coached that day, I would have said to BBBBH, *
"You can have off till 1999, go and stitch up Macleod, Johnson and above all Jarman."

We might have snuck over the line. Other possible hitters in the team were Keogh, Neal, Jayson Daniels and maybe Cooke could have done a number on Rehn.

"This is unworthy, this is wrong, this is reprehensible."
This would have been our second flag.
We would be going for, at least, our third.

heatley waa another really tough guy...as was sierra....no one flew the flag though....

Does anyone know why we did not reteliate after the Harves incident, we had a few qualified to do it

This is one of my nightmare scenarios with Roo or lenny

[mbogo]

there is no way the current coach will have our team doing anything less than breathing total FIRE iN THE LAST TWO GAMES
GO SAINTS.