Can we beat Freo?

[Dan Warna]

yes we can.

I believe so, otherwise I wouldn't bother going.

see all there.

MWing.

[n1ck]

Yes.

[i_luv_nick_riewoldt]

well im not sure!

Im very worried in fact.....fingers cross we can still win!!

Just wondering we are still a chance in the top8 arent we?

[Batnoe]

I have a good feeling about this one, i was more nervous about the Dogs game, The saints will go in knowing if they lose they are out and we hate playing the Dockers and we will want to prov everyone wrong


They have a good midfield and forward line, but their backline shouldnt contain saints of old. I just we kick a big score

[meher baba]

Of course we can. Freo are notoriously inconsistent, especially away from home.

They rarely get completely on top in games: they seem to have intermittent good bursts of play alternating with periods in which they run around in circles and look lost and directionless (a bit like us in 2007 really).

We need to hit them early and hit them hard: both on the ground and on the scoreboard. We need to convert our opportunities in front of goal, especially in the first quarter. Our fans need to scream loud and long for any free kicks that might be available, hopefully resulting in a massive free kick count our way.

We then ought to be able to hang on until the fourth quarter, in which I predict that Freo will beat us with a goal kicked in final seconds of the game, only for everyone to discover that the Telstra Dome siren had failed to go off and the AFL to take the four points from them and give them to us. After which one of the umps ought to be heard commenting after the game that Freo had the bath they got in the free kicks department coming to them because Mark Harvey is such an unpleasant sourpuss.

Then I'd be satisfied.

[SB10]

Looking forward to inflicting some serious pain on the Dockers. We owe them big time!

[n1ck]

We then ought to be able to hang on until the fourth quarter, in which I predict that Freo will beat us with a goal kicked in final seconds of the game, only for everyone to discover that the Telstra Dome siren had failed to go off and the AFL to take the four points from them and give them to us. After which one of the umps ought to be heard commenting after the game that Freo had the bath they got in the free kicks department coming to them because Mark Harvey is such an unpleasant sourpuss.

Then I'd be satisfied.

Then, and ONLY then!

[joffaboy]

we can beat any team in the league - with the possible exception of Geelong, and if our uberflood bore them to death gameplan worked exactly right and we played to our very very best for every single second of the four quarters we may even be able to get past Geelong.

Unfortunately we haven't been able to do this all year.

[Dan Warna]

we can beat any team in the league - with the possible exception of Geelong, and if our uberflood bore them to death gameplan worked exactly right and we played to our very very best for every single second of the four quarters we may even be able to get past Geelong.

Unfortunately we haven't been able to do this all year.

or we can play attacking fast moving long kicking football and score goals and put them under pressure like we did WCE...or was that another lifetime?

[meher baba]

or we can play attacking fast moving long kicking football and score goals and put them under pressure like we did WCE...or was that another lifetime?

Perhaps the WCE game was more like one of those flashback scenes in a movie when the main character seems to be on the brink of disaster and suddenly remembers a younger, happier, carefree time when a lovely young girl pulled the ribbons from their hair and flounced across the countryside in soft-focus slow motion towards the arms of a man in a safari suit who sported clenched cheeks, sideburns and a porno-style moustache.

[SaintHomer]

certainly can.

should be a good game. both sides with something to prove after a disappointing 2007. both sideshave two of the shortest injury lists at present.

for us, its been a season of missed opportunity with the pies and dogs games.

lets hope we don't make the same mistake this weekend.

i'll take great comfortable of knocking them out of the finals race. im still not over that win they had over us when longmuir kicked the matchwinner.

[locoplayaz]

NO NO and NO

We will get hammered..

They have picked 4 BIG backman 2 each for G and Roo (Thorton, Johnson, Grover and McPharlin) H.Black and R.Hayden on the back flanks, will destroy Milne (who can't tackle) The Clarkes and Birss is a joke they are way to slow to put any pressure on the freo players. Look for G to kick 0 goals again this week. If Kosi gets inj early we are well are truly screwed with only Blake (who can't ruck) They are harder at the man and ball than us.
Soloman, Carr, Farmer, Grover, Black, Haselby, Bell, Peake, Mundy, Tarrant will go right after Dal, G, Lenny, Harvs and co. We have 1 enforcer in Bakes who can't do anything at all because if he does he is auto suspended for the remaining 2 games of the year.. (bad recored and 1 week suspended sentence) Gram will have to play a negating role on Farmer so that almost takes him right out of the play since Farmer plays FP. Bakes will have to tag a mid with Attard out.
Goose and Max will have Pav and Tarrant with S.Fisher un-able top play loose because those two players will need to be double-teamed at some stage. L.Fisher is tagging mids atm. V2 will have to play 'tall' fwd and will do nothing as per usual. Fizz will be tagging Mundy on a wing.. Good luck there Mundy is a giant compared to the stick man fiora.
Freo usually always beat us, 1 cause they match up very well, 2 they know our gameplan back the front and 3 for some reason we always get upset playing them cause they niggle at us and fight and we have 0 enforcers to curb the influence. Im predicting at 10 goal+ loss. Bag me if you wish... Only time will tell if I am right!

[joffaboy]

or we can play attacking fast moving long kicking football and score goals and put them under pressure like we did WCE...or was that another lifetime?

Even then we tightened up after being 7 goals up and only just got away with it.

Both teams scoreless for 20 minutes of the last quarter until we scored three in three minutes with only a couple left on the clock.

Nah - unless we can utilise the team we have out there to its best advantage, I'm afraid that my interest will be eventually killed.

As it is I dont listen to or watch any footy shows, and it has been that way since before the Hawthorn match.

[riccardo]

Its Grammys 50th.

Of course we will win.

[saintsRrising]

Yes.

Will we??

Well we will jus have to wait and see whether the Saints put in for 2 quarters or four. If the latter we will win.

[wildgoose]

After our last couple of weeks, and Freo's last couple of weeks, Id say not really. But I hope im proved wrong.

[Dan Warna]

Yep JB

Im taking the kids otherwise I might have got some cheap thrills abusing farmer and tarrant and riling up the freo fans


my dread is we are 3 or 4 goals up at 3/4 time and we decide to defend our lead ><

i also think we look good when we play to our strengths instead of focusing on our oponents strengths.

[Mr X from the West]

We need to get first clearance of the ball out of the centre. We do that, we win.

Freo are also frontrunners - they rarely win coming from behind. This is because they are soft - Port Adelaide found this out big time to their benefit in Round 1 this season - and because they don't like playing in MEL, particularly against us.

So, we atttack them from the first bounce, get in front and watch them drop their heads. Sounds simple and - guess what? - it is!

I would be horrified (yes, much more than disappointed) if we lost this one.

[Dan Warna]

We need to get first clearance of the ball out of the centre. We do that, we win.

Freo are also frontrunners - they rarely win coming from behind. This is because they are soft - Port Adelaide found this out big time to their benefit in Round 1 this season - and because they don't like playing in MEL, particularly against us.

So, we atttack them from the first bounce, get in front and watch them drop their heads. Sounds simple and - guess what? - it is!

I would be horrified (yes, much more than disappointed) if we lost this one.

i think we were 13 for clearances according one stats site and to credit B4E 15th or 16 according to another.

both however had St Kilda in the top 4 for inside 50s.

now again 2006 is a long time ago, but just pointing out you can break the nexus between clearances and attacking moves.

[MC Gusto]

i think we will get worked.

time to play the kiddies and rest the players in need of a rest

just kidding

we'll beat em

[Oh When the Saints]

We need to convert our opportunities in front of goal, especially in the first quarter.

A+.

Exactly right.


Fair dinkum, if we kick 14.2 and lose, I will go home happy.


I HATE inaccuracy with a passion - bad kicking for goal is BAD football.


Most basic skill of football, and we are the worst in the AFL at it.



They key this week is getting our hands on the footy through the middle ...

[bigcarl]

The key this week is getting our hands on the footy through the middle

blake in ruck is a step in the right direction imo. at least we don't waste a spot on a big bloke who might win a few more hit outs but does nothing around the ground.

goose is also a ruck option. i can remember him performing creditably in this role a couple of seasons back and he was better than handy in general play.

gt was on to something in this regard in my humble opinion. you must get something more than hit outs from your ruckman.

[HarveysDeciple]

I'd be pissed off big time if we lose this one.

Freo for whatever reason always gives us trouble. Even on the rare occasions we have played them down here.

But we really must win this game, and for all our troubles this year, the dockers really aren't that much.

Keep the dream alive saints.

[midas_touch]

Yes, definitely. However, we need to play positive, confident footy. This is the first time we have played Freo at TD in a few years as well.

Saints should know that we cannot afford to lose another game for the rest for the year. If we lose this, I will be pretty gutted.

[bigcarl]

if we back ourselves and make them respond to us we'll sh*t it in. if we go into defensive lockdown mode we're in trouble