Scott Watters .. or ..

[Sainter_Dad]

according to r/alf

At the Brownlow 2011, Ian McLeod (then big boss of Coles) was chatting and hob nobbing with some notables. After talking to a bloke for a while, he asked "Did you used to play?"

He was talking to Leigh Mathews. Lethal. Player of the century. Just a few years after coaching a triple Premiership.
Ian McLeod was on the Saints board at the time. And was on the committee (maybe even chairing the committee) to pick the next Saints coach. Ross Lyon had just flown the coup - and the man who should have been at the top of any list was right in front of him, and he had no idea.

Anyway, Scott Watters did alright didn't he?

Shakes head and wonders.........

[Linton Lodger]

I doubt Lethal was available.

There were two other candidates short listed, our current Coach and Hinkley, both better options and better credentialled at the time. The difference is they suggested we needed to rebuild and Watters, full of hubris, declared us a juggernaut with window still open. That's why he got the job and I believe the decision was largely Michael Nettlefold's.

[Sainter_Dad]

I doubt Lethal was available.

There were two other candidates short listed, our current Coach and Hinkley, both better options and better credentialled at the time. The difference is they suggested we needed to rebuild and Watters, full of hubris, declared us a juggernaut with window still open. That's why he got the job and I believe the decision was largely Michael Nettlefold's.

I agree that Lethal may not have been available before the conversation, and even if he was would that have changed anything? But I am damned sure that he was not available after he was basically asked "Who the 7734 are you"

[Sainternist]

Yep, it was Nettlefold's blunder. And Lethal was past it, even by then.

I'd also like to know who else applied for the job back in 1998 after Alves' sacking. Or did they handpick Tim Watson without seeing any other applicants?

[saintspremiers]

Clearly then by definition Nettlefold was a moron.

Everyone except him knew we needed to rebuild and we were in for years of pain.

[GregPackhamsHeadband]

Two wasted years. Imagine if we had started the whole process properly instead of the each way bet method. A bit of this and a bit of that. Imagine having backed AR in and going hell for leather at the proper rebuild from the start. I'd suggest Watters appointment caused us unnecessary pain and set us back more than just a couple of years.

[thejiggingsaint]

Ahhhhhh those great pick ups Ryan Gamble, Dean Polo, et al........ thank you SW!

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Don't forget that Ro$$ left us abruptly during the finals 2011, meaning that we had little
time to get our search organised and the other "hot" coaches-in-waiting had already been
nabbed. None of whom turned out any good, either. It was basically between Watters and
Hinkley ... the latter would have been better, sure, but he's hardly the Messiah.

[SaintPav]

Ahhhhhh those great pick ups Ryan Gamble, Dean Polo, et al........ thank you SW!

That was Ross Lyon.

Watters was responsible for gumbys like Tommy Lee, Beau Wilkensen, Armpit Saad and Terry Malaria

[longtimesaint]

Don't forget that Ro$$ left us abruptly during the finals 2011, meaning that we had little
time to get our search organised and the other "hot" coaches-in-waiting had already been
nabbed. None of whom turned out any good, either. It was basically between Watters and
Hinkley ... the latter would have been better, sure, but he's hardly the Messiah.

I am pretty sure that Richo was in the short list and they chose Watters.

[Scollop]

Don't forget that Ro$$ left us abruptly during the finals 2011, meaning that we had little
time to get our search organised and the other "hot" coaches-in-waiting had already been
nabbed. None of whom turned out any good, either. It was basically between Watters and
Hinkley ... the latter would have been better, sure, but he's hardly the Messiah.

Scumbag Lyon was scheming during the home and away rounds because he wanted a better contract, but ALSO, he was in two minds and he confused himself and his players and most of the supporters that "it might be time for a re-build". When it should have been a time to be planning on an assault during September, he was focused on getting out quickly to secure a multi-million$$ deal.

The players didn't just need a new coach. They needed some severe trauma counselling and the same sort of therapy that people get after they escape from cults or extremists. The brainwashing and repetitive drone of Tosser required specialist debriefing and I just could not see any buy in from the senior group when SW came on board. Unlike this year and a few other years when you hear teams saying they think they can go all the way, it was like they had a fear of failing...because old buggerlugs Lyon was so miserable after we lost and 'the players denied him his rightful place among the graetest of the great'. The pr1ck kept hinting in 2011 that it was 'the end of an era' and time for change. He created doubt in the players mind and was the single biggest influence in a few of the guys losing motivation.

What other friggin option did SW have in mid to late 2012 when he could see that the leaders were just not believing!! When a coach tells his charges that they are still in the window...and they just mourned and grieved the loss of their messiah do you blame him for turning full circle and saying it's time to rebuild?

If they stopped pining and believed in themselves and said to hell with Lyon, maybe things would have been different. Anyhow, everyone knows when a coach loses his senior players it's time to go. The club had to sack him because you can't sack a third of your list

[Wombat15]

Ahhhhhh those great pick ups Ryan Gamble, Dean Polo, et al........ thank you SW!

That was Ross Lyon.

Watters was responsible for gumbys like Tommy Lee, Beau Wilkensen, Armpit Saad and Terry Malaria

How could you forget the "wish list" trade for TRENT DENNIS "THE MENACE" LANE!

[SaintPav]

Ahhhhhh those great pick ups Ryan Gamble, Dean Polo, et al........ thank you SW!

That was Ross Lyon.

Watters was responsible for gumbys like Tommy Lee, Beau Wilkensen, Armpit Saad and Terry Malaria

How could you forget the "wish list" trade for TRENT DENNIS "THE MENACE" LANE!

Super point.

SORRY!!!

[GregPackhamsHeadband]

Ahhhhhh those great pick ups Ryan Gamble, Dean Polo, et al........ thank you SW!

That was Ross Lyon.

Watters was responsible for gumbys like Tommy Lee, Beau Wilkensen, Armpit Saad and Terry Malaria

How could you forget the "wish list" trade for TRENT DENNIS "THE MENACE" LANE!

Super point.

SORRY!!!

Terry Malaria!

[Enrico_Misso]

Don't forget that Ro$$ left us abruptly during the finals 2011, meaning that we had little
time to get our search organised and the other "hot" coaches-in-waiting had already been
nabbed. None of whom turned out any good, either. It was basically between Watters and
Hinkley ... the latter would have been better, sure, but he's hardly the Messiah.

I am pretty sure that Richo was in the short list and they chose Watters.

Yes, and it was lucky when we came back to him two years later he wasn't so proud as to tell us to shove it.

[saintspremiers]

Ahhhhhh those great pick ups Ryan Gamble, Dean Polo, et al........ thank you SW!

That was Ross Lyon.

Watters was responsible for gumbys like Tommy Lee, Beau Wilkensen, Armpit Saad and Terry Malaria

How could you forget the "wish list" trade for TRENT DENNIS "THE MENACE" LANE!

Super point.

SORRY!!!

Terry Malaria!

Gotta love the virus, what a gun player!

And TDL did amazing things....

.....to my system!

[saintly]

Don't forget that Ro$$ left us abruptly during the finals 2011, meaning that we had little
time to get our search organised and the other "hot" coaches-in-waiting had already been
nabbed. None of whom turned out any good, either. It was basically between Watters and
Hinkley ... the latter would have been better, sure, but he's hardly the Messiah.

I am pretty sure that Richo was in the short list and they chose Watters.

Yes he was

[thejiggingsaint]

Ahhhhhh those great pick ups Ryan Gamble, Dean Polo, et al........ thank you SW!

That was Ross Lyon.

Watters was responsible for gumbys like Tommy Lee, Beau Wilkensen, Armpit Saad and Terry Malaria

So who got us Pattinson?

[magnifisaint]

Ahhhhhh those great pick ups Ryan Gamble, Dean Polo, et al........ thank you SW!

That was Ross Lyon

[magnifisaint]

Ahhhhhh those great pick ups Ryan Gamble, Dean Polo, et al........ thank you SW!

That was Ross Lyon.

Watters was responsible for gumbys like Tommy Lee, Beau Wilkensen, Armpit Saad and Terry Malaria

So who got us Pattinson?

Ross Lyon

[Proph3t of egan]

If we went straight for a rebuild after finals though, we would have ended up shuffling through all the compromised drafts

[sunsaint]

Ahhhhhh those great pick ups Ryan Gamble, Dean Polo, et al........ thank you SW!

That was Ross Lyon.

Watters was responsible for gumbys like Tommy Lee, Beau Wilkensen, Armpit Saad and Terry Malaria

You can dump on SW all you like for Saad
But if I was Richo I would get him back as goal kicking coach in a heart beat

[longtimesaint]

One they could consider for goal kicking coach would be Jason Heatley as he was a very accurate kick at goal

[Wombat15]

Ahhhhhh those great pick ups Ryan Gamble, Dean Polo, et al........ thank you SW!

That was Ross Lyon.

Watters was responsible for gumbys like Tommy Lee, Beau Wilkensen, Armpit Saad and Terry Malaria

You can dump on SW all you like for Saad
But if I was Richo I would get him back as goal kicking coach in a heart beat

Saad even at the time was defensible. He was out of the game for 2 seasons and the game had completely change for a small forward by the time he got back.

Mind you watters falls on the sword of that dreadful 2012 period.
Goddard out Picks 11&12 out. In comes Hickey, Lee, Wright, White, Murdoch, Saunders Pierce. Look im sure they are all good blokes and are talented but there was no star quality in any of this. I dont believe in retrospective drafting but when its that bad, We past on; Thurlow, Grundy, Hrovat, Kennedy, Clurey, Mason Wood and even Membrey. I went by the idea that they are decent afl players on other lists. Kennedy was the only shaky pick. Coming into that Draft I wanted Grundy and one of Hrovat or Kennedy though.