R16 Q3 26:57 StK 19.8 122 Rich 3.9 27

[Enrico_Misso]

At that moment we led Richmond by 95 points with over a quarter to play.
At that moment it looked like the same old soft Richmond that went to water when it mattered.
At that moment I would have given the Tigers absolutely zero chance to win the flag.

12 weeks later they have their Premiership cup.

What the hell happened?

[Devilhead]

Headscratching isn't it

Its like we lit their fire and we ourselves ran out of gas

To think we were level pegging with them on the ladder after that game as well and you would swear then that we were going to cruise past them

Reckon mentally we have a long way to go and I wonder how much Balme had to do with fortifying their mental approach

[bigcarl]

To think we were level pegging with them on the ladder after that game as well and you would swear then that we were going to cruise past them

A mixture of luck (everything went their way), momentum and Dustin Martin. Plus they play their home ground better than anyone.

But it's gt to be heartening to our guys, that their best football is good enough.

[Waltzing St Kilda]

In 2015 we came back from 55 points behind in the third quarter to beat the Dogs; the following year they won the flag.

Contrast that to the '99 game when the Hawks beat us from 63 points behind in the second quarter; we didn't recover for five years.

[saintspremiers]

To think we were level pegging with them on the ladder after that game as well and you would swear then that we were going to cruise past them

A mixture of luck (everything went their way), momentum and Dustin Martin. Plus they play their home ground better than anyone.

But it's gt to be heartening to our guys, that their best football is good enough.

What's really heartening is that was Roo's last good game. He played out of his skin as did the rest of the team.

That was our 2017 Grand Final and we had nothing much left in the tank.

We are a fair way off it, but with a softer FIXture next year and a few boom recruits we must make the eight in 2018.

We also need to find at least one player from the draft that's an instant success. We're hopeless at doing that generally.

Remember we are going to win multiple premierships so just be patient.

[Sainter_Dad]

The microwaving of the memberships folks......

That is all I heard in the week after that game.
Whinging, whining, bitter complaining Richmond supporters.

And guess what - it works.

If the way that the team plays is not good enough for their supporters, Ninthmond hear about it - and hear about it - in every media outlet from social to print to radio to TV.

If we get belted like that - WE (the supporters) respond with - well at least it was not as bad as last year, or the umpires, or the ........

We need to threaten to burn our memberships, coaches, players whatever it takes to get the message through

You cannot get paid an average of $300K to JUST TURN UP.

Richmond's win has me bitter, I want that to be us - I want every player on the field to burn with the passion that Richmond had, and every player not on the field to burn even more to be there.

Richmond were not the best team of 2017 - but on the days that it mattered - they were.

If 2018 is just an acceptable year - I am out of here - and I am as passionate as they come - but this is line in the sand stuff - over 40 years of supporting - and I am fed up - it all starts in the trade period.

Earn my support St Kilda - or I WILL microwave my membership!

/RANT DOES NOT END UNTIL WE HOLD THE CUP ALOFT.

[The_Merchant]

The microwaving of the memberships folks......

That is all I heard in the week after that game.
Whinging, whining, bitter complaining Richmond supporters.

And guess what - it works.

If the way that the team plays is not good enough for their supporters, Ninthmond hear about it - and hear about it - in every media outlet from social to print to radio to TV.

If we get belted like that - WE (the supporters) respond with - well at least it was not as bad as last year, or the umpires, or the ........

We need to threaten to burn our memberships, coaches, players whatever it takes to get the message through

You cannot get paid an average of $300K to JUST TURN UP.

Richmond's win has me bitter, I want that to be us - I want every player on the field to burn with the passion that Richmond had, and every player not on the field to burn even more to be there.

Richmond were not the best team of 2017 - but on the days that it mattered - they were.

If 2018 is just an acceptable year - I am out of here - and I am as passionate as they come - but this is line in the sand stuff - over 40 years of supporting - and I am fed up - it all starts in the trade period.

Earn my support St Kilda - or I WILL microwave my membership!

/RANT DOES NOT END UNTIL WE HOLD THE CUP ALOFT.

Richmond supporters have been threatening to burn their memberships for 28 years. Somehow I don't think that had any influence on them winning the flag. It would have had more to do with 70000 fans getting on board and supporting the team.

[Sainter_Dad]

The microwaving of the memberships folks......

That is all I heard in the week after that game.
Whinging, whining, bitter complaining Richmond supporters.

And guess what - it works.

If the way that the team plays is not good enough for their supporters, Ninthmond hear about it - and hear about it - in every media outlet from social to print to radio to TV.

If we get belted like that - WE (the supporters) respond with - well at least it was not as bad as last year, or the umpires, or the ........

We need to threaten to burn our memberships, coaches, players whatever it takes to get the message through

You cannot get paid an average of $300K to JUST TURN UP.

Richmond's win has me bitter, I want that to be us - I want every player on the field to burn with the passion that Richmond had, and every player not on the field to burn even more to be there.

Richmond were not the best team of 2017 - but on the days that it mattered - they were.

If 2018 is just an acceptable year - I am out of here - and I am as passionate as they come - but this is line in the sand stuff - over 40 years of supporting - and I am fed up - it all starts in the trade period.

Earn my support St Kilda - or I WILL microwave my membership!

/RANT DOES NOT END UNTIL WE HOLD THE CUP ALOFT.

Richmond supporters have been threatening to burn their memberships for 28 years. Somehow I don't think that had any influence on them winning the flag. It would have had more to do with 70000 fans getting on board and supporting the team.

That is the point - we as supporters do not cover ourselves in ashes when St Kilda lose - Richmond supporters do - why should the team care, if we are not on every media berating poor performances (and encouraging good ones). Rather than accepting the status quo - we need to change it.

[Con Gorozidis]

You can't just cherry pick one game.
Obviously they were off that day.
They beat us by 7 goals in Rd 23 when a spot in the 8 was still up for grabs.

What concerns me most is our two losses to Melbourne this season in what we're both must win games. They beat us easily at Etihad and the G.
Our loss to Essendon was truly deplorable.

[Con Gorozidis]

Seriously. One simple tweak we can make is next year is a smaller fwd line.
When we play the G or the other big grounds we are too tall down fwd. This makes it easy to defend and rebound.
The ball comes in slower allowing defences to set up spoil and rebound.
On big grounds u need a smaller mobile fwd line.
We have built a team to play Etihad.
I think this needs serious consideration. We can't play the same fwd set up at the G that we play at Etihad.

[degruch]

The R23 game against the Tigers was almost a carbon copy of the MCG game against the Dees, and we were supposedly in with a chance at the top 8...that's the game that concerns me most. The Tigers we rabble mid year, so I'd never buy this 'they didn't turn up' guff, they were playing to the best of their abilities at the time. Dimma identified our strengths during several interviews the week leading up (pressure and fast ball movement), and how they needed to counter them, but just couldn't. R23 was a different story though...why didn't WE turn up? Crushed under the weight of expectation yet again, how very St Kilda.

[degruch]

Seriously. One simple tweak we can make is next year is a smaller fwd line.
When we play the G or the other big grounds we are too tall down fwd. This makes it easy to defend and rebound.

Given what Gresh and Billings did to them R16, you're probably dead right...but both players were present R23.

[saintsRrising]

At that moment we led Richmond by 95 points with over a quarter to play.
At that moment it looked like the same old soft Richmond that went to water when it mattered.
At that moment I would have given the Tigers absolutely zero chance to win the flag.

12 weeks later they have their Premiership cup.

What the hell happened?

That game, Tigers did not turn up to play.

GF. Crows did not turn up to play.

[Con Gorozidis]

Seriously. One simple tweak we can make is next year is a smaller fwd line.
When we play the G or the other big grounds we are too tall down fwd. This makes it easy to defend and rebound.

Given what Gresh and Billings did to them R16, you're probably dead right...but both players were present R23.

But we had a fwd line of Roo, Bruce and Membrey in Rd 23. That is too immobile.
We also had Lonie and Weller who are basically non contributors.

[degruch]

Seriously. One simple tweak we can make is next year is a smaller fwd line.
When we play the G or the other big grounds we are too tall down fwd. This makes it easy to defend and rebound.

Given what Gresh and Billings did to them R16, you're probably dead right...but both players were present R23.

But we had a fwd line of Roo, Bruce and Membrey in Rd 23. That is too immobile.
We also had Lonie and Weller who are basically non contributors.

Urgh...Lonie...that kick at goal.

That's very true, and without Roo, the club will slot in Paddy to achieve an even less mobile unit.

[spert]

The R23 game against the Tigers was almost a carbon copy of the MCG game against the Dees, and we were supposedly in with a chance at the top 8...that's the game that concerns me most. The Tigers we rabble mid year, so I'd never buy this 'they didn't turn up' guff, they were playing to the best of their abilities at the time. Dimma identified our strengths during several interviews the week leading up (pressure and fast ball movement), and how they needed to counter them, but just couldn't. R23 was a different story though...why didn't WE turn up? Crushed under the weight of expectation yet again, how very St Kilda.

The hunger in the playing group was not there this season- a season which we needed to consolidate and inch a slot or two up the ladder. Someone down at Seaford needs to read up on motivation over summer.

[perfectionist]

Richmond had 6 different players in the GF compared to our Round 16 game. Maybe they were the difference. I used to know the names of opposition players and their abilities - twenty years ago. Now, I don't, so I really can't say whether the new 6 are better than the old six. But players who don't make idiotic mistakes, even though they may not be champions, are the difference between a premiership team and a close second.

[Devilhead]

A raise of the glass and a big shout out to those who think we still had a realistic chance of making the 8 going into that Round 23 Tigers game

I think we had to win by 20+ goals against a team.playing for a top 4 spot

Classic case of some pessimistic supporters twisting the facts in order to give the club a kick

We had no chance and we played accordingly - survival mode

[Sainter_Dad]

A raise of the glass and a big shout out to those who think we still had a realistic chance of making the 8 going into that Round 23 Tigers game

I think we had to win by 20+ goals against a team.playing for a top 4 spot

Classic case of some pessimistic supporters twisting the facts in order to give the club a kick

We had no chance and we played accordingly - survival mode

Seriously guys/gals - does anyone think that the result of round 23 was anything but pre-destined - we let them get out to about 40 points - then maintained it - we sealed 11th by 3 points - giving us pick 7 and 8 rather than 7 and 9.

We were always going to lose by 40 points - it had been decided - and if you had looked at the required margin before the game, you could probably have bet on this outcome to within 6 points.

No survival mode, just an acceptance that 7 & 8 is better than 7 & 9. If we could have lost by more and got 6 & 7 we would have done that - but there was no falling below Hawthorn, which still would have given us 7 & 8

[degruch]

A raise of the glass and a big shout out to those who think we still had a realistic chance of making the 8 going into that Round 23 Tigers game

I think we had to win by 20+ goals against a team.playing for a top 4 spot

Not at the time they ran on the field they didn't...and we were playing a team we were on track to beating by 20 goals only a few months before anyway. Not sure why anyone would be in 'survival mode'...didn't want to mess their hair up for Mad Monday? I'm probably as optimistic a punter as you'll get on here, but after watching that zero intensity effort I'm more than happy to put the boot in.

[Con Gorozidis]

A raise of the glass and a big shout out to those who think we still had a realistic chance of making the 8 going into that Round 23 Tigers game

I think we had to win by 20+ goals against a team.playing for a top 4 spot

Classic case of some pessimistic supporters twisting the facts in order to give the club a kick

We had no chance and we played accordingly - survival mode

Fair point.

Nonetheless we were well and truly alive against the Bombers in Rd 17 and the Demons in Rd 21.
Both horrible losses.

[Con Gorozidis]

A raise of the glass and a big shout out to those who think we still had a realistic chance of making the 8 going into that Round 23 Tigers game

I think we had to win by 20+ goals against a team.playing for a top 4 spot

Classic case of some pessimistic supporters twisting the facts in order to give the club a kick

We had no chance and we played accordingly - survival mode

Are you suggesting we have the Tigers measure?

[Devilhead]

A raise of the glass and a big shout out to those who think we still had a realistic chance of making the 8 going into that Round 23 Tigers game

I think we had to win by 20+ goals against a team.playing for a top 4 spot

Classic case of some pessimistic supporters twisting the facts in order to give the club a kick

We had no chance and we played accordingly - survival mode

Fair point.

Nonetheless we were well and truly alive against the Bombers in Rd 17 and the Demons in Rd 21.
Both horrible losses.

Not argument there

[Devilhead]

A raise of the glass and a big shout out to those who think we still had a realistic chance of making the 8 going into that Round 23 Tigers game

I think we had to win by 20+ goals against a team.playing for a top 4 spot

Classic case of some pessimistic supporters twisting the facts in order to give the club a kick

We had no chance and we played accordingly - survival mode

Are you suggesting we have the Tigers measure?

I believe we match up against the Tigers well and can bring the same intensity style game they do. We just have to get mentally stronger and more consiatent which will come with more experience

Keeping in mind that we have the least experienced list in the league as well so further physical and mental improvement is on the cards