We are starting to get excited again...

[WinnersOnly]

We are starting to get excited again...hopefully the players are feeling the same. Its a shame RL didn't roll the dice last year, but still I am loving seeing all these new kids being rolled out.

The domino affect it will have on the players running around for Sandringham will be massive. The players will be confident there is a real chance of getting a run in the seniors. This has not been the case for the past couple of years.

The downer this week is poor old Tom Lynch = 1 game and picks up a shitty finger injury. Hopefully he can force his way back again soon!

Go Sainters !!!

[#1GILL]

The players are human too, they'll be feeling the excitement. Whether or not it's enough to get us across the line against the Pies is yet to be seen. I doubt it, but we're atleast a chance.

[dcstkfc]

Its a shame RL didn't roll the dice last year, but still I am loving seeing all these new kids being rolled out.

Yes a guy like Simpkin would have made all the difference in GF #1...

The kids are playing now because the senior blokes haven't been performing. This was NOT the case last year. The team was winning.

[Dr Spaceman]

Its a shame RL didn't roll the dice last year, but still I am loving seeing all these new kids being rolled out.

Yes a guy like Simpkin would have made all the difference in GF #1...

The kids are playing now because the senior blokes haven't been performing. This was NOT the case last year. The team was winning.

So obvious and so true dcstkfc.

[SainterK]

True

Though they have pride, and you'd think they will start pressuring the kids for their spots back.

That is when it gets interesting

[skeptic]

Its a shame RL didn't roll the dice last year, but still I am loving seeing all these new kids being rolled out.

Yes a guy like Simpkin would have made all the difference in GF #1...

The kids are playing now because the senior blokes haven't been performing. This was NOT the case last year. The team was winning.

Yep because McQualter's output was so great last season

we were winning despite quite a few consistently underperforming senior players

RL could have rolled the dice a little

[dcstkfc]

Its a shame RL didn't roll the dice last year, but still I am loving seeing all these new kids being rolled out.

Yes a guy like Simpkin would have made all the difference in GF #1...

The kids are playing now because the senior blokes haven't been performing. This was NOT the case last year. The team was winning.

Yep because McQualter's output was so great last season

we were winning despite quite a few consistently underperforming senior players

RL could have rolled the dice a little

Brought in Miles, Heyne, Stanley, Steven, Lynch, and Armo despite injury.

Ultimately none were delivering substantially more than Eddy/Mini etc. No one was complaining about the selection of either guy come the Grand Final. Both had previously been dropped, recalled and done well enough to keep their spot in a winning side.

[Con Gorozidis]

Its a shame RL didn't roll the dice last year, but still I am loving seeing all these new kids being rolled out.

Yes a guy like Simpkin would have made all the difference in GF #1...

The kids are playing now because the senior blokes haven't been performing. This was NOT the case last year. The team was winning.

So obvious and so true dcstkfc.

I dunno. We played some terrible footy last year and won ugly and won the close wons most times. We still had some passengers. I dont think tinkering at the fringes with some youth around our bottom 6 would have upset us. We were winning because out top 12-16 were playing well most weeks.

09 fair enough with no changes. We were playing great footy all year -

but there were certainly holes and form drops last year that we kind of band-aided over and covered up. there were some worrying signs even when we won.

Anyway - maybe the early losses were a blessing in disguise - it made us take a look at the holes we were covering up for 12 months.

[dcstkfc]

See where you're coming from, but I can't remember too many calling for wholesale change at the time. We brought in a few, and we were a point off not having this conversation.

Not to mention that hindsight is 20/20 vision.

[widereceiver]

Temper the excitement lest ye get crushed with disappointment.

All credit to the newbies but there is a long way to go for all of them. Remember when we flogged Collingwood 2 years ago by 90-some?
Wellingham and Toovey played and were flayed. They are now premiership players - Lenny isn't. One of the great injustices of my footy-watching life.

Give the kids time now.

[Dr Spaceman]

Its a shame RL didn't roll the dice last year, but still I am loving seeing all these new kids being rolled out. 

Yes a guy like Simpkin would have made all the difference in GF #1...

The kids are playing now because the senior blokes haven't been performing. This was NOT the case last year. The team was winning.

So obvious and so true dcstkfc.

I dunno. We played some terrible footy last year and won ugly and won the close wons most times. We still had some passengers. I dont think tinkering at the fringes with some youth around our bottom 6 would have upset us. We were winning because out top 12-16 were playing well most weeks. 

09 fair enough with no changes. We were playing great footy all year - 

but there were certainly holes and form drops last year that we kind of band-aided over and covered up. there were some worrying signs even when we won. 

Anyway - maybe the early losses were a blessing in disguise - it made us take a look at the holes we were covering up for 12 months.

Would have been hard to bring in Cripps, Siposs or Ledger last year!

Armo and Winmar both injured for a fair bit of it. Johnson playing Full Back at Sandy and not getting rave reviews (indeed many calls on here that he should have only been rookied in the first place)

Heyne and Cahill hardly demanding selection. Lynch, in difficult circumstances, failing to hold his spot. Etc etc etc 

Don't let this year's exciting infusion of youth blur your memory of what was really the situation last year. 

[dcstkfc]

Yeah I reckon our three best performed kids last year were Simpkin, Gaertner and Walsh, all defenders, which was supposedly our strong suit.

[Munga]

Refresh my memory, was Gaertner the one who retired because he lost the passion?

[Dr Spaceman]

Refresh my memory, was Gaertner the one who retired because he lost the passion?

That's the one.

[Johnny Member]

Its a shame RL didn't roll the dice last year, but still I am loving seeing all these new kids being rolled out.

Yes a guy like Simpkin would have made all the difference in GF #1...

The kids are playing now because the senior blokes haven't been performing. This was NOT the case last year. The team was winning.

So obvious and so true dcstkfc.

It depends who you ask!

Plenty were critical of Clarke, Eddy and McQualter for pretty much all of last year!

I still reckon the best time to blood kids is when you're winning and playing good footy.

[degruch]

Its a shame RL didn't roll the dice last year, but still I am loving seeing all these new kids being rolled out.

Yes a guy like Simpkin would have made all the difference in GF #1...

The kids are playing now because the senior blokes haven't been performing. This was NOT the case last year. The team was winning.

So obvious and so true dcstkfc.

It depends who you ask!

Plenty were critical of Clarke, Eddy and McQualter for pretty much all of last year!

I still reckon the best time to blood kids is when you're winning and playing good footy.

So...GF#2 was the time to blood the kids then?

We managed last year perfectly, hence we were very nearly premiers. IMO, so far this year RL has been doing the right things too, hopefully there'll be an instant pay-off.

[WinnersOnly]

Its a shame RL didn't roll the dice last year, but still I am loving seeing all these new kids being rolled out.

Yes a guy like Simpkin would have made all the difference in GF #1...

The kids are playing now because the senior blokes haven't been performing. This was NOT the case last year. The team was winning.

Even when we were winning last year 'blind freddy' could see that we were too defensive, had too many GOP's and needed more options through the midfield. IMO if RL had of should have shown more faith in the kids early on they may have been the difference. It was a very short sighted approach I thought !

1 or 2 games is not showing faith !

[QuestionOfAccuracy]

Its a shame RL didn't roll the dice last year, but still I am loving seeing all these new kids being rolled out.

Yes a guy like Simpkin would have made all the difference in GF #1...

The kids are playing now because the senior blokes haven't been performing. This was NOT the case last year. The team was winning.

+1

[Mr Magic]

Its a shame RL didn't roll the dice last year, but still I am loving seeing all these new kids being rolled out.

Yes a guy like Simpkin would have made all the difference in GF #1...

The kids are playing now because the senior blokes haven't been performing. This was NOT the case last year. The team was winning.

Even when we were winning last year 'blind freddy' could see that we were too defensive, had too many GOP's and needed more options through the midfield. IMO if RL had of should have shown more faith in the kids early on they may have been the difference. It was a very short sighted approach I thought !

1 or 2 games is not showing faith !

How badly did we go with our 'too defensive team' in GF1?