The last nine matches of 2021 - My take

[samuraisaint]

After the bye but in no particular order -

We play:

Richmond at the G - 15 goal loss.
Brisbane at the Gabba - 13 goal loss.
Eagles in Perth 10 goal loss.
Geelong at Geelong - 100 point loss
Port at Marvel - 8 goal + loss.

Also some winnables:
Collingwood at the G
Carlton at Marvel
Swans at Marvel
Freo at Marvel

So, here is what I reckon, given that I don't rate Sandy at all as a development of young talent option:

Bytel, Byrnes, Highmore and Clavarino to play every match for the rest of the season after the bye - barring injury. Highmore is showing a bit, Bytel and Byrnes are best 22 now, and Clavarino has only been given one game and was okay. Get some games and experience into the boys. How many sub 10 gamers from other clubs have killed us this year? Rhetorical question. Byrnes is an absolute beast!

Coffield stays in and plays as a defender. every week. He is best 22.

Battle plays CHB from now on. He is a defender.

Joyce in the team from now on, at least until Gears returns from his shoulder. Joyce has a bit more height and a bit more aggro for mine from what we are currently seeing.

We don't play a second ruckman in the team again until RoMa returns, and we don't rush him back from injury. Wood can give Ryder a chop out. Bloke can play serious footy and hits the scoreboard too.

Hill to take the kick outs after a behind is kicked. We have had trouble getting it in his hands - simple, we put it in his capable hands every time the opposition score a behind. Put the ball in this bloke's hands 10 or 12 times a game and watch the opposition's snap for goals dry up, because they don't want the ball straight back in this dangerous footballer's hands a dozen times a game.

Rotate Allison and Connolly through the team in the last nine matches - we must use this opportunity to give 'em a taste of the big league at least once or twice. Might bring us a bit of beginners luck, you never know.

Wood plays up forward. Bloke can play and adds scoreboard nourishment. Higgins is going to break out soon and kick a bag.

If Max's back is injured give him a spell. Otherwise he stays in - bloke showed a bit again in first half against Crows. He's back!

None of our injured players to be rushed back in. Not playing for sheep stations this season. But when they are ready, they play. Good experience for Byrnes and Bytel to play alongside Hanners and Jones, even if it is only for the last three or four matches of the year.

Membrey and Ross should be straight back in after the bye, unless we have to hub interstate for some reason.

Club should aim for four more wins making it nine wins for the year and a bottom five finish. Then grab the very best midfielder in the country in the draft.

Just my take.

[skeptic]

Agree with every point

Love it and totally the approach I would adopt

Would love to see more of Clav though it’s an interesting battle between him and Highmore
Tom is a better mark
Clav much better with the ball

Possibly we could play both with Clark now out

Also not sold on Allison yet... as long as players deserve their opportunity I’m happy

[Impatient Sainter]

Highmore is a solid mark but oppositions must love seeing him and Howard with the ball. Its so predicable its a slow chip 15 metre kick or long and slow down the line. You rarely see Howard become an attacking defender and I have never seen Highmore take off. I much prefer Battle at CHB at least he isn’t frightened to take the game with his run or kicks.

[older saint]

A lot to digest . Fundamentally good points although the only thing is there needs to be selection integrity. What I mean by this is if a younger player plays 3 games and really has 3 shockers or is shown not up to it (yet) then needs to go back as could do more damage than good from the exposure.
Allison not ready yet IMO
Clavarino has had 2 games and needs to be given another 4-5 . We took him before others such as Petruccelli so we need to see whether he is a keeper or move on . Issue with this is then Battle at CHB, we will be too big with Howard, Wilkie, Battle and Clav. I don't disagree with finding Battle a spot and leaving him there ( not the wing as too slow) but cant have it both ways.

Injuries will dictate selection and as Ratts said some guys have been out a while and with no VFL big ask to come straight back in.

My guess v Richmond

B: Wilkie, Howard, Coffiled
HB: Highmore, Claravino, Webster
C: Sinclair, Ross, Byrnes
HF: Wood, Membrey , Higgins
F: Butler, King, Billings
Foll: Ryder , Steele, Crouch

Int: Battle, Bytel, Hill, Dunstan

In: ;ross, Membrey, Claravino
Out: Long, Lonie, Hunter,

Sub : Connolly (if fit)

[Teflon]

After the bye but in no particular order -

We play:

Richmond at the G - 15 goal loss.
Brisbane at the Gabba - 13 goal loss.
Eagles in Perth 10 goal loss.
Geelong at Geelong - 100 point loss
Port at Marvel - 8 goal + loss.

Also some winnables:
Collingwood at the G
Carlton at Marvel
Swans at Marvel
Freo at Marvel

So, here is what I reckon, given that I don't rate Sandy at all as a development of young talent option:

Bytel, Byrnes, Highmore and Clavarino to play every match for the rest of the season after the bye - barring injury. Highmore is showing a bit, Bytel and Byrnes are best 22 now, and Clavarino has only been given one game and was okay. Get some games and experience into the boys. How many sub 10 gamers from other clubs have killed us this year? Rhetorical question. Byrnes is an absolute beast!

Coffield stays in and plays as a defender. every week. He is best 22.

Battle plays CHB from now on. He is a defender.

Joyce in the team from now on, at least until Gears returns from his shoulder. Joyce has a bit more height and a bit more aggro for mine from what we are currently seeing.

We don't play a second ruckman in the team again until RoMa returns, and we don't rush him back from injury. Wood can give Ryder a chop out. Bloke can play serious footy and hits the scoreboard too.

Hill to take the kick outs after a behind is kicked. We have had trouble getting it in his hands - simple, we put it in his capable hands every time the opposition score a behind. Put the ball in this bloke's hands 10 or 12 times a game and watch the opposition's snap for goals dry up, because they don't want the ball straight back in this dangerous footballer's hands a dozen times a game.

Rotate Allison and Connolly through the team in the last nine matches - we must use this opportunity to give 'em a taste of the big league at least once or twice. Might bring us a bit of beginners luck, you never know.

Wood plays up forward. Bloke can play and adds scoreboard nourishment. Higgins is going to break out soon and kick a bag.

If Max's back is injured give him a spell. Otherwise he stays in - bloke showed a bit again in first half against Crows. He's back!

None of our injured players to be rushed back in. Not playing for sheep stations this season. But when they are ready, they play. Good experience for Byrnes and Bytel to play alongside Hanners and Jones, even if it is only for the last three or four matches of the year.

Membrey and Ross should be straight back in after the bye, unless we have to hub interstate for some reason.

Club should aim for four more wins making it nine wins for the year and a bottom five finish. Then grab the very best midfielder in the country in the draft.

Just my take.

Like it but Hill taking kick outs from defence takes away his run further upfield when trying to transition the ball into offence.....you want him ideally streaming past centre into fwd 50 delivering the ball.....
Means we light on for kick ins
Maybe Wilkie and give Howard a chance to take a relieving grab outside 50?

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Richmond at the G - 15 goal loss.
Brisbane at the Gabba - 13 goal loss.
Eagles in Perth 10 goal loss.
Geelong at Geelong - 100 point loss
Port at Marvel - 8 goal + loss.

Yep. And if that happens then surely the TOTAL RESET button needs to be pressed hard.

[samuraisaint]

Richmond at the G - 15 goal loss.
Brisbane at the Gabba - 13 goal loss.
Eagles in Perth 10 goal loss.
Geelong at Geelong - 100 point loss
Port at Marvel - 8 goal + loss.

Yep. And if that happens then surely the TOTAL RESET button needs to be pressed hard.

Maybe the margins are slightly exaggerated - worst case scenario - Port at Marvel and Eagles in Perth probably won't be as bad as I have suggested, but I reckon we'll lose all of these games and that the average losing margin across the five will be 10 goals. I am going by exposed form and the current injury list we have versus our opponents.

However it is not all gloom and doom, we should win all the winnables I have mentioned. We need to at least win those so that we can market ourselves to those players we need to attract to the club.

My comment on our alignment with Sandy still stands though. We need our own dedicated reserves side.

[Ghost Like]

Cannot disagree with the OP at all. The key is not rushing any of our injured best 22 back. My view is they can begin getting their first big block of pre season running into them. It can only benefit the likes of Clark, Gresham, Marshall and Paton.

If any other guaranteed best 22 have niggles or are labouring, King, Coffield, Billings they can be rested and begin a big pre season of running.

We need our players running both ways, all day. Our football this year is too stop / start, confidence in ability or fitness, who knows? Let's ensure we are at least AFL fit.

[SaintDippa]

Sandy haven't played for a month. If rotating the list thru the ones is the strategy then the margins might be light on.

[B.M]

In serious trouble

Needed to beat Sydney and Adelaide

[bangaulegend]

In serious trouble

Needed to beat Sydney and Adelaide

And should have but in typical St.Kilda style clutched defeat from the jaws of victory

[shanegrambeau]

I made a slightly more optimistic forecast, but I cannot help noting.
Lol…

But if I were betting, I’d bet on your selections….its insane to be pessimistic like this…those margins are huge, but realistically you’ve summed it up nicely!

My notes, ironically,

Byrnes shown more than Bytel
Highmore more than Clavarino
Joyce more than Coffield (although very different)
Battle? Does he have the game sense to be a key CHB?

[Yorkeys]

I think we need to:
-win a minimum of three,
-discover two long term prospects other than Byrnes (Highmore may be one)
- not play Lonie again, sorry Jack,
- significantly improve goal kicking (possibly fine set shot takers if they kick with more than four seconds left on the clock),
- cause one upset , and
- get Battle back into form.

Otherwise there are going to be big big changes personnel wise in the back room (10 or so player changes are a given after Cairns), if there are not already some in the pipeline. Maybe even Coach, I hate to say.

I think the President said membership numbers are very important and the way to get members is on field performances. I think he also said something like we were not going to get humiliated again after his letter. Well he has some walking to do to match his talking and he seems like a proud man, so we are here to help Andrew and wish you all power.

[samuraisaint]

As Ratts suggested in his presser, due to injuries, wholesale on field changes to the team can't occur short term due to the ongoing unavailability of the following (Some of these players will miss the rest of the 2021 season) and the complication of the absence of a reserves competitiion to regain match fitness:
Gresh
Jake
Paton
Hanners
Jones
Marshall
Clark

Should be available for Richmond after the bye depending on COVID-19 regulations regarding whether we are able to play in Victoria or not:
Ross
Membrey

In the first or second match AFTER the bye we may have the following players available:
McKenzie
Connolly
Kent
Frawley
McKernan

So, sadly, there won't be 10 or more changes no matter how badly we fell away. It is how we manage the playing resources currently at our disposal that counts.

But when Jones and Hannebery are ready to return I want them back in the side - it wil make a power of difference even if it is only for the final 3-5 matches. It will be great development and experience for our rookies and should actually help us win a few games as well.

[repta]

We need to give the young players a decent run at it. If they get a go and they arent up to it so be it. At least we know where we stand.
I would hate one of the young players (like Clavarino, Allison etc) get 2-3 games and be offered an extension on their contract not really knowing if they could make it or not. We have 9 games if they play 6+ we should know if they have the 'it' to make it. If not cut and run.