Successful Season?

[Jacks Back]

I heard Jack Newnes on the radio news saying something like the players would be keeping an eye on other results but even if we don't make the finals it has still been a successful season.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but how can the players (although I hope it's just him) say it has been a successful season by any reasonable measure? Less wins, lower ladder position, no finals.

I'm getting sick of this sort of thing. Wake up saints!

[stonecold]

I heard Jack Newnes on the radio news saying something like the players would be keeping an eye on other results but even if we don't make the finals it has still been a successful season.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but how can the players (although I hope it's just him) say it has been a successful season by any reasonable measure? Less wins, lower ladder position, no finals.

I'm getting sick of this sort of thing. Wake up saints!

Way harder draw, carnt compare the pair!!!!!

[whiskers3614]

I heard Jack Newnes on the radio news saying something like the players would be keeping an eye on other results but even if we don't make the finals it has still been a successful season.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but how can the players (although I hope it's just him) say it has been a successful season by any reasonable measure? Less wins, lower ladder position, no finals.

I'm getting sick of this sort of thing. Wake up saints!

Successful for Newnes_a VFL level headless chook in the leadership group of an AFL side!

[Con Gorozidis]

It is hard to compare. Last year we were gifted two wins over the Bombers reserves.
But our performance against the Bombers this year was terribly disappointing.
Hard to get a form line. Losing twice to the Dees is a fair worry imo. They are a similar aged group to us.
We reduced our floggings this year but I think a lot of that is down to Brown and Carlisle. Big fwds got plenty of goals against us in 2016.
So all in all - slight improvement. But PLENTY to work on....

[Bernard Shakey]

I heard Jack Newnes on the radio news saying something like the players would be keeping an eye on other results but even if we don't make the finals it has still been a successful season.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but how can the players (although I hope it's just him) say it has been a successful season by any reasonable measure? Less wins, lower ladder position, no finals.

I'm getting sick of this sort of thing. Wake up saints!

Win this week, same number of wins and probably same position as last year, a year in which we overachieved.
Much harder draw this year and getting rid of third man up at ruck contests hurt us big time.

I'd say we've had a successful season!

[Yorkeys]

Set the bar low and it reduces disappointment 10th or 11th - dussun matter, be bootiful in cupla seasons. Newnes could not have been serious. Attacking system (sic) is woeful and side can't even compete in crunch games - where's the fortius to go with our fidelius. I would be surprised if the President's message at end of year function used words like success to describe the bleak winter of 2017. Optimism and positive signs will be the tone. If a set of stocks are set up for the recruiters at the event I suspect there would be a sell out of tomatoes. Ability to nail early picks has been diabolical, notwithstanding that we all wish Paddy and Hugh great 2018s. I imagine the sponsors are unimpressed and a 40k+ membership in 2018 a dream. But I'll renew.

[bigcarl]

It could have been more successful had we kicked straight and taken our chances in other ways. I'd call it a qualified success, taking into account the more difficult draw than last year.

It showed pretty plainly the areas that need work over summer. It gives us a great launching pad to 2018, when I expect us to play finals.

[saintsRrising]

It could have been more successful had we kicked straight and taken our chances in other ways. .

Sorry but it is what we did that counts, not what we almost did.



Season has been steady. Has been pluses, but also minuses.

Fixture was harder no doubt. However overall given the age of the players, I do not think that we improved quite as much as we needed to.

Our off-season is vital. Club has been stating for years that the plan was to land Big Fish (a risky strategy) starting from last season. Landed Carlisle and so that was ok. But we need a Big Fish Mid, and the options are not hat many.

So in terms of entering into 2018 the club actually landing a high quality, highly skilled ready to play mid will affect my thoughts of how I rate 2017. Kelly would be outstanding. Whitfield would be acceptable. Only going to the draft for kids will not be the outcome that the club has long planned to be doing about now.


Getting Freeman over his hammy this season is a big tick. Getting him playing at least well in the seniors is vital to the Saints chances of becoming a Top 4 Team in the next several seasons.

[Waltzing St Kilda]

I remember when the Cats got pipped by the Swans in the 2005 semi-final, the "bloody Nick Davis match".

The Cats fans cheered the players off the ground and Rex Hunt for one was furious. Said the Cats would
never get anywhere if they were happy with losing like that.

Now you could argue that the Cats proved him wrong just two years later ... but I still worry that some
Saints fans -- and certainly the administration, and it seems the players -- are pretty happy with not
very much.

It's that very attitude that saw them settle back on their laurels after the GWS and Richmond victories.

[bigred]

Apart from the improvement of a few players, this year has been a big fat fail.

Should at least be playing a final.

[carn_sainter]

The thing with this season is that we have been our own worst enemy. We didn't turn up in round 1 or against Essendon. Both Geelong and Adelaide beat us fair and square.

But in every other loss, we beat ourselves.

There is so much room for improvement in how we play. If we can get that right (huge if, since we didn't get it right between 16 and 17), add good players and have a good run with injuries, then 2018 should be good. But we really need to improve...we could easily go backwards again because the comp is so tight.

We have a lot of 50-50 questions regarding the list we currently have...McCartin, Freeman, Armitage from an injury perspective and all the sub-80 gamers from an improvement perspective...if we get all of that right we'll play finals. If we add extra talent on top, it just becomes a question of how high we finish.

Players aside, we do have coaching questions to ask and we need to improve here.

[kosifantutti]

I heard Jack Newnes on the radio news saying something like the players would be keeping an eye on other results but even if we don't make the finals it has still been a successful season.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but how can the players (although I hope it's just him) say it has been a successful season by any reasonable measure? Less wins, lower ladder position, no finals.

I'm getting sick of this sort of thing. Wake up saints!

Did I sleep through Round 23? If we win and West Coast lose, we will probably have the same number of wins and ladder position as last year. Better percentage too.

Does that make it a successful season? Probably not.

[spert]

If we improve one position on the ladder over last season- i.e. make the eight, then we have had a successful year. If not, then it has been a year of treading water and not successful. It is all about playing finals and winning a premiership at this level. Although it is encouraging to see improvement in a few players, some others have not really gone forward. We are way off finals standard footy.

[Linton Lodger]

I wouldn't say successful, that would have been making finals and perhaps winning one. I'd call it as par.

[Jacks Back]

I heard Jack Newnes on the radio news saying something like the players would be keeping an eye on other results but even if we don't make the finals it has still been a successful season.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but how can the players (although I hope it's just him) say it has been a successful season by any reasonable measure? Less wins, lower ladder position, no finals.

I'm getting sick of this sort of thing. Wake up saints!

Did I sleep through Round 23? If we win and West Coast lose, we will probably have the same number of wins and ladder position as last year. Better percentage too.

Does that make it a successful season? Probably not.

The Newnes interview was post round 22 though when he said it was a successful season.

[Impatient Sainter]

Even if the interview was pre round 22 he nor anyone at the club shouldnt be satisfied with the season. They have still had ridiculous blow outs and been non competitive in games. There is no measure that should be used to suggest 2017 has been sucessful by any means.

[Sainter_Dad]

Even if the interview was pre round 22 he nor anyone at the club shouldnt be satisfied with the season. They have still had ridiculous blow outs and been non competitive in games. There is no measure that should be used to suggest 2017 has been sucessful by any means.

Username checks out!

[dals_da_bomb]

Interesting take on the season.. I wouldnt describe it as successful myself.

I would describe it more like a season of apprenticeships. A series of lessons, repeat and relearns.
Have we had the right lessons in what we need to do to be successful - likely - have we mastered that yet? No - but its practice, commitment, capacity.

[perfectionist]

There is really only one measure of success in the AFL, otherwise, what is being measured is the level of disappointment (LOD) and that relates to initial expectations. Ironically, the LOD is inversely proportional to the actual finishing position. The LOD is far greater with a GF loss than finishing (say)11th. Our expectation for 2017 was higher than it was in 2016 and before that 2015. We expected to play finals this year, and we would have had a good chance of doing so except for the last minute against PA.

The proviso to the above is the level of "die hardness"of the supporter or player. As hard as it is to believe, more than 90% of Saints fans don't give a thought to the team and surrounding events between match days. To them, it's just a game. We should be so lucky. There are different levels of "hurt" amongst players as well. For many, it's just a job, one that pays far more than they could ever earn at the same age elsewhere. Maximising employment time is more important than winning flags. That's a corollary of the salary cap and the contract condition that at least 95% of the cap must be paid regardless of whether the team ever wins a game or not. This is why the best players "hurt" more - they aren't playing for the next game, but for success, and that means just one thing.

[parkeysainter]

Ladder wise, this season has been the same basically but with a much harder draw in place so thats a positive.

In some respects its been successful in that the club has got a heap of games into young players with some finally turning the corner. e.g. Billings and Dustan to name a couple. Our depth list is much better now and our backline improved dramatically to the point where I think its the strongest and most consistent part of the side.

All in all, its not a total failure of a season and it has been a successful one in some areas. Think long term Saints fans. Barely scraping into the 8 this year wasn't going to make things any better or display we truly had a successful season. If we don't make the 8 next year then we can call that a season of failure!!!

[older saint]

Improved performance but not a successful season. Not making finals and calling it success is what non winning cultures say. The teams aim was to make the finals , they , most likely haven't achieved that, therefore it is not successful.
Mediocrity is not good enough. Improvement absolutely but poor skill execution ( esp goal kicking ) is a reason why not a successful year.

[samuraisaint]

If we win by 20 points or more on Sunday we will have won 12 games and have a percentage of 60%. I would've taken that at the beginning of the year.
If we lose, then the season will have been a little disappointing, but we haven't lost yet.
Let's wait until 6:30 Sunday evening when all will be revealed.
I will say this though - the game against Port when we had the second youngest team playing was as promising as it was deeply disappointing. I would have liked to have seen more debutants and a younger median age of the selected team far more often.

[Spinner]

Not successful at all.

The port game and the massive 40+ odd loses where we were uncompetitive make it so. Swans twice, dogs, bombers and Dees. We served up crap in those games, affecting our percentage badly.

It's an unsuccessful season but not unexpected. Some development across the group: billings, sinclair, ross, longer and steele. We'll be better for it.

[To the top]

If my memory serves me correctly, over the past 2 seasons we have beaten all sides except Sydney, Adelaide and Port Adelaide who we should have beaten a couple of weeks ago

Sydney both there and here and Adelaide there have been a problem - so there is work to be done

We lose Roo and possibly Montagna, two class performers

We have access to two First Round selections - plus if we can engineer any trades

We have First Round selections in McCartin, Freeman and Goddard where we look for impact in 2018

The remainder of our most recent First Round selections from the Richardson period continue to make progress

We have Armitage to return

Carlisle has been a good get verging on excellent with more to come as the leader of our defence - if not the Club

Sinclair and White have shown something

Steele has been a good aquisition and Stevens has been workmanlike at the coal face

Ross has consolidated as consistent

Steven has been variable - but still has the cutting edge excitement with his pace and energy

The support troops starting from Roberton to Newnes and lately Savage have ranged from very good to adequate at least so our bottom 6 should improve - and that is a necessity including that we want the ball in the hands of every St Kilda player on the park

Bruce and Membrey have both kicked over 30 goals but we need 50, 60 to 70 from one and 140 between McCartin, Bruce an Membrey

The rucks need attention - Hickey ar 2016 levels

Plus we need a good year in terms of injury

So this year has neither been a success nor a failure - except that we can not compete against Sydney and Adelaide which we must do including on their home turfs

[mr six o'clock]

Only one team has a successful season.
That's the side that wins the GF.
Make finals you've done alright.
Miss finals and you've failed .
Our boys are happy being mediocre.
Hope next year this maturing group can rise to the challenge and play finals.