Mores the pity.

[saynta]

Just watching 360.

We are not flying under the radar anymore.

Things will start to get tougher from here in now.

[Joe Bloggs]

Bring em on.!!!

[SaintPav]

Unless you're on the bottom you really can't fly under the radar anyway..

[Jacks Back]

I think as Saints we fly above the radar.

[R. Harvey 3 votes!]

Just watching 360.

We are not flying under the radar anymore.

Things will start to get tougher from here in now.

What was said on 360?

[wally]

I saw on tv people talking us up as a top 4 side.
It wont take much for us not to achieve that , then the same people will bag us as failures.
Media experts.

[Saints43]

I reckon it's a good thing.

Something that really stood out for me was that in the second half of the '97 season we got a great run with the umpires because we were just considered the better side, playing better football. We started to get most of the 50/50 decisions. I remember marvelling that this is what it must've been like to be a carlton/collingwood supporter for all those years expecting, and getting, the run of decisions.

The more we get pumped up in the press as a good team (playing enjoyable footy) the better run we'll get from the media, the umpires and head office.

As long as we don't go totally richmond and believe that just because it is written it makes it so.

[Milne]

Just watching 360.

We are not flying under the radar anymore.

Things will start to get tougher from here in now.

What was said on 360?

We are not flying under the radar anymore.

Things will start to get tougher from here in now.

[dragit]

I reckon it's a good thing.

Something that really stood out for me was that in the second half of the '97 season we got a great run with the umpires because we were just considered the better side, playing better football. We started to get most of the 50/50 decisions. I remember marvelling that this is what it must've been like to be a carlton/collingwood supporter for all those years expecting, and getting, the run of decisions.

The more we get pumped up in the press as a good team (playing enjoyable footy) the better run we'll get from the media, the umpires and head office.

As long as we don't go totally richmond and believe that just because it is written it makes it so.

I can't remember 97 that well, but I think it's a good point, look at the dogs… they really are the new "free kick hawthorn"

If you are expected to win, then you probably get more of the 50/50 calls going your way.

I don't know if too many side would be underestimated these days anyway, we had 5-6 upsets on the weekend so it's a pretty even comp.

[Bluthy]

This is the natural ebb and flow of footy. Applies to individual players as much as teams. You start getting good, you get respect and they put more work into you. It's why being a really good team at the top of the ladder is so difficult -there are no easy games with everyone going for your throat and probing for weaknesses.

I think clubs will focus on a few areas of strength for us and also try and target our weaknesses:

1) Carlisle -with that height and long arms and marking, he is a brilliant cover defender able to cover the ground well for a huge guy (his killing of a 3 on 1 contest late against GWS was outstanding). They will try and drag him away from the play at every opportunity, maybe playing a really hard running guy to exhaust him

2) Try to isolate Brown a bit more without Carlisle's cover defence. Brown is a bit slow so a quick leading player could get him.

3) Likewise some of our poor kicking players like Geary, Gilbo Brown etc (they have been better this year but maybe teams haven't worked out to put huge pressure on them yet) will be left open to the get the ball deep back and then they will try to pick off their kicks.

4) Try and work out how to circumvent Richo's "Bomb and lock it in" approach in our forward half. Get some long kicking players back there who can get it over our press. Likewise try and keep some runners free on the flanks or wings to run it out on the outside. We are vulnerable pressing up so much and give way some cheap goals out the back against fast teams. Teams who can work it out of congestion with quick hands like the dogs could cope ok with our forward press and then hurt us the other way.

5) Our onball clearance crew is still very much a work in progress. Getting better but good teams will feel they can win the ball in the centre against a pretty young crew and get first use. Take away our first use and we go into exhausting chase mode.

6) Keep the ball off us. Melbourne did this well and we ran ourselves ragged. Our pressure needs to be rewarded with getting the ball back. If it doesn't you can almost see the players frustration rise as they are doing nothing but chasing.

7) Stop Steven. With that burst-get-clear speed he is now one of the premier mids in the comp. Tag, rough-up, land on him, anything it takes will be oppo motto to Steven If we can stop him we kill a lot of Saints drive and speed out of the middle and go a long way to winning the game. STeven needs some protection from his mates. But if teams are investing heavily in stopping Steven, then others like Ross need to step up and do damage as they will be free

8) Play a smaller backline. We don't have the huge monsters up forward so teams could go a bit smaller and nimbler with better kicking and skills to help out getting through our press

9) Play a smaller forward line as Brown and CArlsile are not the quickest and struggle a bit with the ball on the deck.

10) Press in on us. We are not the most skilled team so if teams put a press on us, there is a good chance we will eventually cough it up. Watch our suffocating tactics being turned on ourselves.

So there is my ten-point plan for stopping us . But that is how you become a great team - by being unpacked and working out how to win despite that. Lets hope Richo can keep evolving his team and gameplan. We are only just finding out exactly where our rebuild and tactics are now. It will be a very interesting rest of the year.

[saynta]

Just watching 360.

We are not flying under the radar anymore.

Things will start to get tougher from here in now.

What was said on 360?

Basically that our previous unknown backline cut the Giants to shreds.

[Premium89]

This is the natural ebb and flow of footy. Applies to individual players as much as teams. You start getting good, you get respect and they put more work into you. It's why being a really good team at the top of the ladder is so difficult -there are no easy games with everyone going for your throat and probing for weaknesses.

I think clubs will focus on a few areas of strength for us and also try and target our weaknesses:

1) Carlisle -with that height and long arms and marking, he is a brilliant cover defender able to cover the ground well for a huge guy (his killing of a 3 on 1 contest late against GWS was outstanding). They will try and drag him away from the play at every opportunity, maybe playing a really hard running guy to exhaust him

2) Try to isolate Brown a bit more without Carlisle's cover defence. Brown is a bit slow so a quick leading player could get him.

3) Likewise some of our poor kicking players like Geary, Gilbo Brown etc (they have been better this year but maybe teams haven't worked out to put huge pressure on them yet) will be left open to the get the ball deep back and then they will try to pick off their kicks.

4) Try and work out how to circumvent Richo's "Bomb and lock it in" approach in our forward half. Get some long kicking players back there who can get it over our press. Likewise try and keep some runners free on the flanks or wings to run it out on the outside. We are vulnerable pressing up so much and give way some cheap goals out the back against fast teams. Teams who can work it out of congestion with quick hands like the dogs could cope ok with our forward press and then hurt us the other way.

5) Our onball clearance crew is still very much a work in progress. Getting better but good teams will feel they can win the ball in the centre against a pretty young crew and get first use. Take away our first use and we go into exhausting chase mode.

6) Keep the ball off us. Melbourne did this well and we ran ourselves ragged. Our pressure needs to be rewarded with getting the ball back. If it doesn't you can almost see the players frustration rise as they are doing nothing but chasing.

7) Stop Steven. With that burst-get-clear speed he is now one of the premier mids in the comp. Tag, rough-up, land on him, anything it takes will be oppo motto to Steven If we can stop him we kill a lot of Saints drive and speed out of the middle and go a long way to winning the game. STeven needs some protection from his mates. But if teams are investing heavily in stopping Steven, then others like Ross need to step up and do damage as they will be free

8) Play a smaller backline. We don't have the huge monsters up forward so teams could go a bit smaller and nimbler with better kicking and skills to help out getting through our press

9) Play a smaller forward line as Brown and CArlsile are not the quickest and struggle a bit with the ball on the deck.

10) Press in on us. We are not the most skilled team so if teams put a press on us, there is a good chance we will eventually cough it up. Watch our suffocating tactics being turned on ourselves.

So there is my ten-point plan for stopping us . But that is how you become a great team - by being unpacked and working out how to win despite that. Lets hope Richo can keep evolving his team and gameplan. We are only just finding out exactly where our rebuild and tactics are now. It will be a very interesting rest of the year.

What I like about that post is - there's a lot more the other teams have to do now to stop us! A couple of years back we were easily stopped - this year there's a lot more things teams have to do to shut us down completely.