Clarke

[FQF]

Double barreled post.

Firstly, it was reporting somewhere that X was in the room with the boys after the game and that Ross gave him a very warm embrace and then they were talking for a while.

Doesn't mean much in terms of the footy, but it is good to see that he still almost feels a part of the club.

I feel terrible that he walked into that mayhem happening at Brisbane with trades, and fev, and salary cap issues, plus him reinjuring himself.

Maybe he will retire, or has he? Not sure...

Second thing.

Today, once the dust had settled I found myself looking at the five players at the top of this site. I remember at one point Steven Clarke and Stanley were all playing.

Then I wondered if Clarke would be in the team had he been injury free.

He was really improving before the injury, which came at the most unfortunate time.

But I have a feeling that due to his tendency for some minor brain fazes, he would not be able to cope bringing the ball out of our backline against the frenzied tackling of the Pies.

Compare him to Gwilt and whilst Clarke might have more natural talent, Gwilt is so valuable because he is always so composed.

Seeing as the tackling from all clubs in the forward line will no doubt go up another notch next year, I wonder if Clarke's position will have to change to something further up the ground.

(I know it is irrelevant to season 2010, and we're heaving into the Grand Final, but its worth bringing up while the images of footy are still fresh in our mind)

[saintsareprettygoodhey]

I think Gwilt's greatest asset this season has been his ability to remain composed and to break lines.

Raph was breaking lines well and holding his ground defensively. Think the composure would've come with time and experience. Unfortunately this is a step back in his development but I have full confidence in his ability to improve as a player to become the coolheaded, composed Gwilt-esque player.

[rexy]

Double barreled post.

Firstly, it was reporting somewhere that X was in the room with the boys after the game and that Ross gave him a very warm embrace and then they were talking for a while.

Doesn't mean much in terms of the footy, but it is good to see that he still almost feels a part of the club.

I feel terrible that he walked into that mayhem happening at Brisbane with trades, and fev, and salary cap issues, plus him reinjuring himself.

Maybe he will retire, or has he? Not sure...

Second thing.

Today, once the dust had settled I found myself looking at the five players at the top of this site. I remember at one point Steven Clarke and Stanley were all playing.

Then I wondered if Clarke would be in the team had he been injury free.

He was really improving before the injury, which came at the most unfortunate time.

But I have a feeling that due to his tendency for some minor brain fazes, he would not be able to cope bringing the ball out of our backline against the frenzied tackling of the Pies.

Compare him to Gwilt and whilst Clarke might have more natural talent, Gwilt is so valuable because he is always so composed.

Seeing as the tackling from all clubs in the forward line will no doubt go up another notch next year, I wonder if Clarke's position will have to change to something further up the ground.

(I know it is irrelevant to season 2010, and we're heaving into the Grand Final, but its worth bringing up while the images of footy are still fresh in our mind)

Depending on how he gets his body, I believe there is still a spot for RC in our best 26, whether that equates to best 22 is hard to know, depends on form of Gwilt Gram Blake Baker Eddy Geary Steven Dawson Ray Peake etc , plus improvement from the likes of Heyne Lynch Miles and Winmar.

Good question though.

[Eastern]

I noticed in the clip from the Open Training session that Raph was out on the track. Don't know if he was doing much but he was out there supporting his team-mates. Will be welcomed back into the senior side for Rd 1 next year !!

[skeptic]

IMO yes

His aerial ability and clean hands are welcome in the backline

[snowdelisaint]

I have enjoyed a finals series without him

[Bernard Shakey]

I have enjoyed a finals series without him

So happy for you. Snowdeli were great sponsors. Do you still endorse their products, or have they gone by the wayside, like your dislike of Saints players?

[ralphsmith]

Gwilt has overtaken him.

I feel gwilt is better at getting rid of the ball correctly when being tackled.

But raphs dash and overhead marks had their own benefit.

In the end i prefer gwilt.

[saintkid]

Gwilt has overtaken him.

I feel gwilt is better at getting rid of the ball correctly when being tackled.

But raphs dash and overhead marks had their own benefit.

In the end i prefer gwilt.

Me too. Gwilt also has a much stronger durable body unlike Clarke's fragility. That's a huge upside as well.

[Enrico_Misso]

Gwilt has said that the hurt of missing last years GF inspired him to work really hard over the summer to cement a spot.
... and clearly he has gone up a gear or two this year and done that.

Hopefully Raph will be similarly inspired to do the same thing this summer.

Would be great if Raph could cement a spot in the backline, as I can see Gilbert being a very handy mobile marking forward, and being our secondry forward target with Kosi spending more time in the ruck.

[Bernard Shakey]

Good call Enrico, although I don't really see Kosi as a ruckman, other than in emergencies like yesterday.

[FQF]

Good call Enrico, although I don't really see Kosi as a ruckman, other than in emergencies like yesterday.

You've gotta admit though, Kosi more than held his own against quality opposition.

And he was involved in the game up to his neck.

It just seems that he is so much better off playing the ruckman resting forward role.

In terms of the future, if Gardi retires I guess Mcevoy would be a decent number one ruck. However, neither Stanley or Pattison seem good enough to hold up the second rucking role.

Therefore, it would seem plausible that Kosi and Mcevoy share the number one duties and rotate through the goal square.

And maybe Gilbert (or Lynch or Walsh) will take up a more permanent full forward position.

Personally, I think Gilbert is too valuable in the backline.

[SainterK]

Ross will just see it as another opportunity to reprogram a player and find him another role, he will find something for Raph.

[JohnE]

Don't need him, certainly have not missed him. Overrated.

[Enrico_Misso]

Don't need him, certainly have not missed him. Overrated.

The way the game is played today with defensive walls you either have to work the ball forward with chip kicks, kick long to a contest, or give the ball to someone who can break the lines.
Such players are rare, though Gram and Peake can do it.

So can Raph.
Raph's problem has always been bad judgement rather than bad skill.
Once he gets his confidence up and starts chosing the right option he will be a gunn.

[Bernard Shakey]

A fit Raph will surprise many next year as he did earlier this year.
Don't forget he's had the same operation that Roo had and hopefully comes back all the stronger for it.

[stkfc1]

would love to see him on a wing actually, gives him a bit more time to use the ball, has a good pair of hands and is deceptively quick. I think he is more a play maker than a play reader.

[hotdish]

Raph will continue to play as a dashing backman.

With Gwilt's development, Dempster still able to play as a 3rd back and Miles' development, Raph should stay back and Gilbert go fwd or into the middle (ala Goddard) to make our attack more potent.

B: Baker Dawson Blake
HB: Raph S Fisher Dempster/Miles

Gilbert up fwd (he trained their all pre-season and looked good there on saturday!)

[gringo]

Ross has been wanting to have line breaking backmen on tap since he got there. With Jimmy and Raph running the ball out it means one of Gilbo or Fisher can run forward or even just play as a spare across the backline.

I think Raph seems to have his best games in big games. If Raph is still getting bagged because of one incident in last years GF, he is very unlucky. He was the driving force behind our prelim over the Dogs. He is in our best 22 when fit, still did a lot more than Eddy this year. I am not bagging Eddy but his inexperience made him look shaky in the first half. He will be a good player for us too.

[saints66]

kosi should play chb he has proved he needs to be involved in the game raph is gone

[Dr Spaceman]

Ross has been wanting to have line breaking backmen on tap since he got there. With Jimmy and Raph running the ball out it means one of Gilbo or Fisher can run forward or even just play as a spare across the backline.

I think Raph seems to have his best games in big games. If Raph is still getting bagged because of one incident in last years GF, he is very unlucky. He was the driving force behind our prelim over the Dogs. He is in our best 22 when fit, still did a lot more than Eddy this year. I am not bagging Eddy but his inexperience made him look shaky in the first half. He will be a good player for us too.

Agree.

And he was arguably playing his best footy ever at the time he was injured.

Raph will be a valuable player at the club but hopefully he'll have to work very hard to get into....

The Reigning Premiership Team

[Dan Warna]

i believe we should shoot all the saints players who don't have brownlows by the age of 25 because obviously they are duds.



on a serious note, as a fat middle-aged untalented hack who runs around 2 or 3 times a year for fun, i wish i could have been a premiership footballer.

for those who have the heart and endeavour to even play AFL footy, it must be pretty disheartening sometimes to read some of the bagging that goes on here

and I know im guilty of it as well

[BAM! (shhhh)]

On X, I suspect the strongest thing in his favour is that the Lions have plenty of tunrover to contemplate without him - but having gotten only 8 minutes out of him, he's not going to be high in their plans.

With Raph, I certainly think Lyon has him in the best 22, but I couldn't say who'd go out from the GF team to make way. Gwilt and Raph were in the team together this year, so it's not that simple. Nominally I'd have said Dempster - but the role Dempster played (on Didak) Saturday was very different to your Typical Raph role (similar to your standard Gilbert role, get loose, 3rd man in contests, run the ball). The other possibility would be McQualter in a lateral Gilbert to forward Raph to backline type move.

To make some predictions, I suspect X is done, but that Raph will be lining up in the Saints round 1 2011 team in place of Dempster, filling the Gilbert role, with Gilbert up forward, and retaining a pressure-forward ala mini (though IMO there's going to be serious competition for that spot from Steven & Armo for 2011, it'll come down to who has the best pre-season).

[snowdelisaint]

I have enjoyed a finals series without him

So happy for you. Snowdeli were great sponsors. Do you still endorse their products, or have they gone by the wayside, like your dislike of Saints players?

They went bankrupt in the early 90s dude. I do not dislike Saints' players.

[perfectionist]

It just brings tears to my eyes. What a lovely player he was (his brother too), and how both have been screwed by injuries. When they played together (very rarely), the whole was much greater than the sum of the parts. I can remember one outrageous handball at Docklands by X, to a position that he could not have known that anybody would run to, but there was his brother. It was magic.