Hamill, Voss & Sweeney all gone...Now who??

[saintsRrising]

Well assuming that the rumours are true all of Hamill, Voss and Sweeney will not be on our list in 2008.


This was our entire stock of opportunist half forward flankers/FPs types that could take a mark and had the knack of kicking goals.

All had had their use by dates reached for various reasons...

We have ample tall forwards....and Milne in the small opportunist forward niche...but with those 3 going it really begs the question about who can stand up in that role for us in 2008???


I am personally nota big fan of playing 3 big forwards unless at least two of them are very mobile and nimble...and only Roo is.

So I would not be keen on a week in week out option of Kosi, Watts and Roo up forward with Milne and midfielders filling out the rest. If no one can adapt to the HF role then Ross may try the 3 big guns.....but then againa swap od watts and 9 for Fev would have some appeal......as Fev and roo anre both mobile enough to work well with Kosi.


Now yes we may trade for someone......but more likely is that someone or someones on our list are going to have to be developed into another forward option for us in 2008.


BJ is certainly a candidate....but he is very valuable down buck.....and theres the rub....we have a lot of flankers down back who are good value down there , but not enough in the forward half.


X As a forward X could have rippedaparta few teams late in the year, but for his poor kicking at goal. Off to goal kicking school for X.


Gilbert Could be our swingamn playing either end. His great tackling will put pressure on our oppents wherever he plas. He has the pace to lead well...but like X neds to improving his kicking. His run is areal weapon...and this may keep himdown back....but as with BJ someone has to make the move forward.

Gram....Loves to kick a goal....so perhaps Gram could be shifted to the HF??? In this position you also play as an extra mid and still opportunities for run and carry.

asa HF though he would have increased opportiunities for shots at goal with his booming kick.

Gwilt had a quiet year...and would need to improve greatly...but is in the mix.

Banger In his last (???) year I expect Harvey to play lot as a half forward midfielder rather than as a pure mid. bangers goal kicking skils do lacka bit, though he has greatly improved in the last year or so. bangers 30m passes to Kosi and Roo etc though can really cut up an oposition.



Howard can he be the surprise of 2008????? With his pace being used in the forward line. Still very raw in 2007 and so he would need to step up not one step but several.

Dal...will stay in the midfield...but I think that we all know that Dal CAN bea great finisher and goal kicker.... He needs to do more of this and I am confident that RL will be working on the set ups to use the most of his skills and to gain us sme more goals. So in 2008 I would expect him to often be in front of the ball rather than sweeping back deep.


Fiora He greatly improved in 2008....and several times threatened to kicka bagful of goals. He always like like he could.....but maybe just maybe now that he knows he is part of the team he will have greatly confidence to actaully capitalise and finish of with some bags of goals that he is capable of getting.

CJ Still raw and a dreadful kick...but looks set to be retained in an attempto groom him into small pacey defensive hard nut in our forward line. Will test the worth of our development coaches.


Geary amd Eddie Can one of the young rookies stand up in 2008???? a big ask...but perhaps with someone else doing so one of them may play asa HF/Mid??? (Armo I have pencilled in to be part of our pure midfield rotations.


Blake....almost could be. Not fast...but one area that Blake is very good at his finding space...and his kicking at goal has improved. However I think he is better as a surprise forward rather than asa permaent forward where his lack of pace would be exploited.


Your thoughts??

[St Chris]

I know hindsight is a wonderful thing, but how good would it have been if we'd grabbed Aaron Edwards in last years draft. He'd be perfect as the 3rd tall forward, with a great set of hands and real pace.

Of our current list, I think Gilbo could cause some real headaches across half forward. Reasonable hands, and a great shot at goal. But we don't want to 'rob Peter to pay Paul' and leave a hole in the backline.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

i reckon BJ would be great in that possition realisticly Gilbo took over BJs spot in his absence so gilbo should be rewarded with the fith of making it his own and BJ with his booming kicks would be great as he also has the pace and the footy smarts to play a cameo in the middle as well

[Jaz]

We need another true forward that can kick goals, not a good player that may kick goals. What i mean is players like milne can be beaten all day but have 2 opportunities for goal and will kick them both, but someone like hammil or reiwolt can dominate the whole game take 10 -15 marks and still only get 2 goals. Thats where you need a player like Steve Johnson someone that just takes the opportunites when they come. We lake this type of player, infact milne is the only one we have, none of our midfield can do it and BJ and gram of back flank miss more goals than they get.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

We need another true forward that can kick goals, not a good player that may kick goals. What i mean is players like milne can be beaten all day but have 2 opportunities for goal and will kick them both, but someone like hammil or reiwolt can dominate the whole game take 10 -15 marks and still only get 2 goals. Thats where you need a player like Steve Johnson someone that just takes the opportunites when they come. We lake this type of player, infact milne is the only one we have, none of our midfield can do it and BJ and gram of back flank miss more goals than they get.

bj is fairly good kick i dnt know where you say he misses more then he gets ?

[mad saint guy]

Assuming everyone is fit for round 1 (and we don't gain/lose any big players), I would like to see the team line up like this

B: S.Fisher, Hudghton, R.Clarke
HB: Gram, Maguire, Gilbert
C: Fiora, Hayes, Montagna
HF: Goddard, Riewoldt, Geary
F: X.Clarke, Koschitzke, Milne

Foll: Gardiner, Ball, Dal Santo
Int: Brooks, L.Fisher, Harvey, Howard

Goddard to basicaly play as a second CHF, leading up the wings and even to half back to make an option.

Riewoldt to play his usual role, but playing a bit closer to goal.

Geary to start on a wing and act as a receiver out of the centre and run the ball up to half forward, give the ball off then keep on running to either make an option or crumb from Kosi/Roo.

Clarke to play as your typical quick, crumbing forward with a focus on defensive pressure.

Kosi to effectively replace Gehrig in the same role.

Milne to do what Milne does. He is now more of a leading forward than a crumber, but he had a good season in 2007 and should just stick to his current role.

Brooks, Gardiner, Harvs, Gilbo all to be rotated through there occasionally.

[plugger66]

Assuming everyone is fit for round 1 (and we don't gain/lose any big players), I would like to see the team line up like this

B: S.Fisher, Hudghton, R.Clarke
HB: Gram, Maguire, Gilbert
C: Fiora, Hayes, Montagna
HF: Goddard, Riewoldt, Geary
F: X.Clarke, Koschitzke, Milne

Foll: Gardiner, Ball, Dal Santo
Int: Brooks, L.Fisher, Harvey, Howard

Goddard to basicaly play as a second CHF, leading up the wings and even to half back to make an option.

Riewoldt to play his usual role, but playing a bit closer to goal.

Geary to start on a wing and act as a receiver out of the centre and run the ball up to half forward, give the ball off then keep on running to either make an option or crumb from Kosi/Roo.

Clarke to play as your typical quick, crumbing forward with a focus on defensive pressure.

Kosi to effectively replace Gehrig in the same role.

Milne to do what Milne does. He is now more of a leading forward than a crumber, but he had a good season in 2007 and should just stick to his current role.

Brooks, Gardiner, Harvs, Gilbo all to be rotated through there occasionally.

We are in trouble if Howard, Brooks and probably geary are in the first side next year. IMO that means we are way off the pace.

[Carl Mynott]

Assuming everyone is fit for round 1 (and we don't gain/lose any big players), I would like to see the team line up like this

B: S.Fisher, Hudghton, R.Clarke
HB: Gram, Maguire, Gilbert
C: Fiora, Hayes, Montagna
HF: Goddard, Riewoldt, Geary
F: X.Clarke, Koschitzke, Milne

Foll: Gardiner, Ball, Dal Santo
Int: Brooks, L.Fisher, Harvey, Howard

Goddard to basicaly play as a second CHF, leading up the wings and even to half back to make an option.

Riewoldt to play his usual role, but playing a bit closer to goal.

Geary to start on a wing and act as a receiver out of the centre and run the ball up to half forward, give the ball off then keep on running to either make an option or crumb from Kosi/Roo.

Clarke to play as your typical quick, crumbing forward with a focus on defensive pressure.

Kosi to effectively replace Gehrig in the same role.

Milne to do what Milne does. He is now more of a leading forward than a crumber, but he had a good season in 2007 and should just stick to his current role.

Brooks, Gardiner, Harvs, Gilbo all to be rotated through there occasionally.

Not a bad side if you like finishing 9th or lower........

[st_Trav_ofWA]

Assuming everyone is fit for round 1 (and we don't gain/lose any big players), I would like to see the team line up like this

B: S.Fisher, Hudghton, R.Clarke
HB: Gram, Maguire, Gilbert
C: Fiora, Hayes, Montagna
HF: Goddard, Riewoldt, Geary
F: X.Clarke, Koschitzke, Milne

Foll: Gardiner, Ball, Dal Santo
Int: Brooks, L.Fisher, Harvey, Howard

for me it would be

B: S.Fisher, Hudghton, L.Fisher
HB: Gram, Maguire, Gilbert
C: Fiora, Hayes, Birss
HF: Goddard, Riewoldt, Dal Santo
F: X.Clarke, Koschitzke, Milne

Foll: Gardiner, Ball, Montagna
Int: Blake, R.Clarke , Harvey, Armatage

[Devilhead]

Isn't Reiwoldt our best foward flanker - considering the amount of marks he takes up on the wings

[mad saint guy]

We are in trouble if Howard, Brooks and probably geary are in the first side next year. IMO that means we are way off the pace.

The side we had last year wasn't good enough to make the finals. That means we need to find other players to help the team make the finals.

The likes of Blake, Jones and Rix are known quantities. None of them are good enough to have any real positive impact on the team. They might fill holes, but I'd rather that we finish 12th after blooding kids and finding some gems (as well as duds) than finishing 9th again while sticking to the same group of players because the others haven't proven themselves.

Howard has ridiculous pace and showed a couple of glimpses of talent in his two games. His skills, strength and confidence should have improved after a year at an AFL club and I think we might as well play him and see what he can do early in the year. Even if he just becomes a receiving wingman who just gets 12 touches per game but runs 30m through traffic each time he would be an asset to the team.

Brooks now has his chance with Gehrig gone and could be a handy forward/pinch-hitting ruckman. If he can play most of the year and average 10 hitouts and kick 15 goals he will be far better than any other backup ruckman we've had recently.

Geary is a risk, but I think he has the ability to make it. He has good skills, good pace, wins plenty of the ball and I am really impressed with his second efforts. He has all the tools to make it, but we'll just have to see how he adapts to AFL footy. He might play 5 games, get 10 kicks and look way out of his depth and be delisted. Or he might come into the side, average about 15 touches per game, provide some much-needed run through the midfield and become a good backup midfielder/flanker who can kick a few goals.

Obviously we won't win a flag with 10 struggling GOPS in the side, so we might as well try to find a few above average players early in the season.

[Batnoe]

Stand up Raph Clarke!!!


I think with a good pre season he could be a star

[fonz_#15]

if brooks is still on our list (which looks likely) i will not go to games he is selected in. pathetic, inept, useless footballer

[Dan Warna]

i hated tony francis, monkey, delany etc, and i still went to see us.

IMO I was very dissapointed in GT being sacked and am completely unimpressed by much of what I've seen in 07 and still I bought my membership.

so what if we have to go through another dark period, sainter through and through.

heck even if we get that drug cheat cousins I'll grit my teeth and probably buy my membership despite previiously espousing I'll never do it

those bastards in moorabin have take 25 plus years off my life whats a few more

[st_Trav_ofWA]

if brooks is still on our list (which looks likely) i will not go to games he is selected in. pathetic, inept, useless footballer

well if history is anything to go by you will only miss one game then

[fonz_#15]

i will still get a membership dan i'm not that immature, but i wont watch that hack play for my club.

[Dan Warna]

i will still get a membership dan i'm not that immature, but i wont watch that hack play for my club.

I went to see delany, francis, willow, krakour, monkey etc running around in our colours.

I saw us give away free kicks twice in a game for having 5 men in the middle and starting some with 3 in the middle under timmid

i know the folks I used to go with a fair few gave it away under timmid

brooks may or may not be here next year but IMO he's 6 months older than McIntosh and missed a year with injury so I have hope he is the next big thing

i got pretty miserable (and you can tell from my posts at the time) watching chippilotto at the start of the season (though teffers will deny we were flooding or playing chippilotto) but I guess as a perenial saint its the off season effectively and I live in hope

(he's taller than jeff white as well!!!)

[sackers5]

Assuming everyone is fit for round 1 (and we don't gain/lose any big players), I would like to see the team line up like this

B: S.Fisher, Hudghton, R.Clarke
HB: Gram, Maguire, Gilbert
C: Fiora, Hayes, Montagna
HF: Goddard, Riewoldt, Geary
F: X.Clarke, Koschitzke, Milne

Foll: Gardiner, Ball, Dal Santo
Int: Brooks, L.Fisher, Harvey, Howard

Goddard to basicaly play as a second CHF, leading up the wings and even to half back to make an option.

Riewoldt to play his usual role, but playing a bit closer to goal.

Geary to start on a wing and act as a receiver out of the centre and run the ball up to half forward, give the ball off then keep on running to either make an option or crumb from Kosi/Roo.

Clarke to play as your typical quick, crumbing forward with a focus on defensive pressure.

Kosi to effectively replace Gehrig in the same role.

Milne to do what Milne does. He is now more of a leading forward than a crumber, but he had a good season in 2007 and should just stick to his current role.

Brooks, Gardiner, Harvs, Gilbo all to be rotated through there occasionally.

I like the team balance of this proposed team, I would make a couple of slight alterations though. Brooks out and Allen in, rotate Kosi, Allen and BJ through full forward - really have a good feeling about Allen. Kosi to share the ruck load with Gardiner.

Dont know if Howard will be up to it, especially at the start of next year. Maybe Armitage? Maybe one of our new recruits - A speedy midfielder/forward. On the flipside, when Baker comes back this position would be his

[fonz_#15]

in regards to the op, i think sweeney deserved one more year with a clean slate, and zero tolerace on off field behaviour. 2008 may be a year where we are made to look very silly as a result of piss poor recruiting.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

(he's taller than jeff white as well!!!)

so is Yao Ming but it doesnt mean hell be a great footballer
i here what you say fonz but in all honesty if your like me you will turn up anyway (but close your eyes every time he attempts to get within 20 meters of the ball
but then again he would still have to force his way into the team and i cant see that happening (unless we loose excessive players to injury )

[fonz_#15]

(he's taller than jeff white as well!!!)

so is Yao Ming but it doesnt mean hell be a great footballer
i here what you say fonz but in all honesty if your like me you will turn up anyway (but close your eyes every time he attempts to get within 20 meters of the ball
but then again he would still have to force his way into the team and i cant see that happening (unless we loose excessive players to injury )

i just dont understand how he has had so many years on an afl list without producing anything, the service we get from our waterboys is far more beneficial than what brooks has given us.

[Dan Warna]

(he's taller than jeff white as well!!!)

so is Yao Ming but it doesnt mean hell be a great footballer
i here what you say fonz but in all honesty if your like me you will turn up anyway (but close your eyes every time he attempts to get within 20 meters of the ball
but then again he would still have to force his way into the team and i cant see that happening (unless we loose excessive players to injury )

i just dont understand how he has had so many years on an afl list without producing anything, the service we get from our waterboys is far more beneficial than what brooks has given us.

well brooks must be atrocious if CJ mr 50% effective disposal gets a game ahead of him

[st_Trav_ofWA]

(he's taller than jeff white as well!!!)

so is Yao Ming but it doesnt mean hell be a great footballer
i here what you say fonz but in all honesty if your like me you will turn up anyway (but close your eyes every time he attempts to get within 20 meters of the ball
but then again he would still have to force his way into the team and i cant see that happening (unless we loose excessive players to injury )

i just dont understand how he has had so many years on an afl list without producing anything, the service we get from our waterboys is far more beneficial than what brooks has given us.

to add to that i cant understand why ppl on here think after 5 usless years hes going to suddenly click his fingers and become good
heck some ppl on here still think he could be a future All Australian

[milney044]

2 totally different players. hard to compare with, CJ a new player, have to give him a go. Brooks- well, honestly i dont know why he's still on the list. you either give the guy a fair go or you get rid of him; time to go it looks like. Brooks when selected never did anything special to warrant a fair go, unless you count the nothing game at the end of the year 2006.

[fonz_#15]

(he's taller than jeff white as well!!!)

so is Yao Ming but it doesnt mean hell be a great footballer
i here what you say fonz but in all honesty if your like me you will turn up anyway (but close your eyes every time he attempts to get within 20 meters of the ball
but then again he would still have to force his way into the team and i cant see that happening (unless we loose excessive players to injury )

i just dont understand how he has had so many years on an afl list without producing anything, the service we get from our waterboys is far more beneficial than what brooks has given us.

well brooks must be atrocious if CJ mr 50% effective disposal gets a game ahead of him

yep your right, he is atrocious.