20 Years of Strength should have amounted to 4 Premierships

[ashjam]

1990
Awakening of The Club – Played in some big games early in the year - Beat Reigning Premier – Should have made the finals but hopes went down with Lockett injury in Round 8.


1991
First Finals appearance for 18 years and were robbed of glory by ridiculous finals format that saw 3rd play 4th in knockout final. Beat Premier and Runners-Up comprehensively during the year and had enough talent to win the flag. Wasted chances again in a final when we were dominating Geelong.


1992
Still very talented, but fell into bad habits with recruiting has-beens like Darren Flanigan and Lawrence Bingham. Not any of National Draft picks amounted to anything in the pre-season. Still won our first final for 19 years and should have made preliminary final but folded against Footscray in Semi Final.


1993
Started the season on fire including a great win over Collingwood at Victoria Park early in the year. Winmar stood out over contract dispute and soul fell out of the club for half the season. Beat eventual Grand Finalist Carlton late in the year at Princes Park for a rare win and narrowly missed finals. Still persisted in recycling rubbish with players like Dean Anderson, Chris Wittman and Ian Aitken. Coach sacked.


1994
Not recruiting any quality kids over a few seasons began to take it’s toll, highlighted by a staggering first pick in National Draft taking Michael Frost and overlooking future champions like Brad Johnson, Adam Simpson, and Fraser Gehrig. End of season Lockett decides enough is enough and wants out and finally club decides youth is the way to go.


1995
In a rebuilding phase but supporters are happy as glimpes of excitement can be seen in likes of Aussie Jones, Joel Smith, Tony Brown, Matthew Lappin, & Darryl Wakelin. All the kids get games all year and future looks brighter. Thump eventual premier Carlton on a wet day at Waverley in one of their only 2 losses for the year.


1996
Season starts with a bang beating reining premier Carlton in night Grand Final and the first cup is bought to Moorabbin for 30 years. Big expectations are not met throughout season as the young bodies tire and Saints just miss the finals, but expectations are huge for following year.


1997
Astute recruiting provides young Hudghton, Heatley and Thompson in the National Draft, and Traianidis and Matthew Young in pre-season draft. Despite a slow start to the year, the Saints click into gear and go on a monster winning streak finishing on top of the ladder and storm into first Grand Final for 26 years. Lose key players at pointy end of season in Joel Smith, Lazar Vidovic and Peter Everitt and despite being unbackable favourites in the Grand Final and leading at half time, Saints find a way to lose the un losable Grand Final. Should have been flag No.2


1998
Bad recruiting in the off-season wastes every season pick in the National Draft also bringing in Gavin Mitchell for a trade. Sits clear on top after beating Footscray in Round 15, dubbed the “July Grand Finalâ€

[stevie]

Wow, great post, ashjam.

I found only one mistake: in 1991, West Coast beat us in Rd 15

[FQF]

Great history lesson... albeit quite depressing.

[mordi]

One issue is that the only measure of success in this very competitive league, is to win the GF. When in reality getting to a preliminary final is a huge effort. In 5 of past 7 seasons we have finished top 4....which is massive and should reflect well on the club. But due to focus purely on GF win, seen as failure.

Dont get me wrong, GF win is the ultimate, and prize we are striving for, but sometimes I think people see anything less than premiership as wasted year. But hey, I would rather be us over past 7 years than those duds at Richmond...

[perfectionist]

Yes, a very good synopsis of Saints misery. My only point of difference would be that you forgot 1971, which should have been our 2nd premiership and that Aaron Hamill was also out for the PF in 2004 and that should have been a premiership year. This year, we would have sneaked it, but there are plenty of other teams that have done that over the years.

[ralphsmith]

Excellent post summarising the endless pain.

In fact the clubs new slogan should be

Stkilda Football Club: Eternus Evinco

Which means, The Eternal Defeat.

[spert]

Saw the 1971 final as a kid, and yet again a risky opposition coaching move which came off in the second half robbed us of a flag, just like 97. Saints coaches seem hell bent on not taking risks...maybe RL needs to look out side the box a little next year. One thing from the excellent analysis on this post, is that the way to improve and succeed is to keep bringing in young new talent with only an absolute minimum of traded players from other clubs and only if they do a specific job.

[perfectionist]

Or perhaps: Eternus torqueo! (Eternal torment)

[mordi]

Saw the 1971 final as a kid, and yet again a risky opposition coaching move which came off in the second half robbed us of a flag, just like 97. Saints coaches seem hell bent on not taking risks...maybe RL needs to look out side the box a little next year. One thing from the excellent analysis on this post, is that the way to improve and succeed is to keep bringing in young new talent with only an absolute minimum of traded players from other clubs and only if they do a specific job.

Isn't the bringing in of traded players for specific jobs the whole mantra that Ross lives by....other posters have referred to a book that he supposedly is guided by "moneyball" I htink it was...

[borderbarry]

Perfectionist is right. 1971 should have been our second premiership.

[matrix]

well, when you put it like that.....

[saint3d]

Perfectionist is right. 1971 should have been our second premiership.

I'm pretty sure I've been around for the last 20 years but I don't remember 1971 during that time. Maybe I missed it too?

[noob]

Just shows our recruiting as been crap. We were given easy picks in 2000, 2001 and 2002.. Only gem pick is fisher. Yet all the other years have been crap. No wonder we haven't been smashing sides.

[mordi]

glass half full........

2004 - lose by a bees in Prelim to GF winner ( oh and stand up if you invaded the ground - idiots)
2005 - lose in Prelim to GF winner
2008 - lose in Prelim to GF winner
2009 - lose GF by bees
2010 - draw GF 1

Difference between agony and ecstasy is very fine......

[Mr Magic]

Just shows our recruiting as been crap. We were given easy picks in 2000, 2001 and 2002.. Only gem pick is fisher. Yet all the other years have been crap. No wonder we haven't been smashing sides.

without too much thought

Gwilt?
Montagna? (later in the 2001 draft)

Stanley's looking pretty impressive for a pick around 50

[Animal Enclosure]

Just shows our recruiting as been crap. We were given easy picks in 2000, 2001 and 2002.. Only gem pick is fisher. Yet all the other years have been crap. No wonder we haven't been smashing sides.

without too much thought

Gwilt?
Montagna? (later in the 2001 draft)

Stanley's looking pretty impressive for a pick around 50

What is really hurting us now is 2001. The gilt edged draft that the modern powers have built premierships out of (Cats & Pies).

A mixture of bad luck & mis management has meant that what should have been our flag winning core is either gone (Ball, Clarke, Maguire) or have struggled in the biggest games of all (Dal Santo & Montagna). Throw Gram in there is another top 20 pick from 01 that has not been at his best when it counted most (09 excepted).

Ignoring the fact that we could have picked others early on in that draft, you add those 6 players playing at their best to the 09 & 10 GF teams & it would make a huge difference.

It's very sad but IF we don't win a flag with this group then the 2001 draft will end up being a very bitter footnote to our never ending question of Why didn't we win one?

[dcstkfc]

Devastatingly accurate.

But plenty of other sides had claims in a few of the years mentioned, just would have liked to win one...

[iwantmeseats]

Sooo many wasted picks.

However, the IS ONE that has for certain cost us at least one flag, probably more. Judd/Ball.

[InkerSaint]

Thanks for posting that, ashjam. A real history lesson.

Makes for pretty harrowing reading.

[ashjam]

Just goes to show how recruiting kids rather than recycled crap has always helped us perform better.

I agree with someone who wrote that had we taken Judd instead of Ball we would have won multiple flags.

Just that decision will haunt our history.

Others that have really hurt us have been Lovett, Hamill getting bad knees as he should still be playing, and likewise Luke Penny, who still should be playing and he was a fantastic full-back for us until hurting his knees.

Maybe one day we will win a flag, can't help thinking we are cursed though.

[saintspremiers]

Just goes to show how recruiting kids rather than recycled crap has always helped us perform better.

I agree with someone who wrote that had we taken Judd instead of Ball we would have won multiple flags.

Just that decision will haunt our history.

Others that have really hurt us have been Lovett, Hamill getting bad knees as he should still be playing, and likewise Luke Penny, who still should be playing and he was a fantastic full-back for us until hurting his knees.

Maybe one day we will win a flag, can't help thinking we are cursed though.

true about Judd vs Ball, but what about the fact that we only just got Roo, as he was only just outside Brisbane's "zone" that they had 10 years ago, and how we only got BJ due to Carlton cheating???

[AdelaideSainter]

A very good summary, brought back plenty of memories.

Makes you wonder how we haven't managed to snag at least one flag, particularly the past 2 years

[Ghost Like]

A great snap shot of the past 20 years. If we're mentioning who we could of got, don't forget Cyril Rioli. Whilst I'm happy Big Ben will be great value for us in the coming years, I think Cyril would have had an amazing effect on our fortunes over the past 3 campaigns.

[I Love Peter Kiel]

Excellent post, ashjam. Maybe a couple of inaccuracies but a great summary and shows why I've had so much hope since about 1987.

A lot of us have shared this journey, and we are the ones who will TRULY experience ecstasy when we win that 2nd flag (as I believe we will!).

[SaintPav]

I can't prove this but i reckon if we got in the 2004 GF, we would have won that. We would have been massive underdogs which would have worked in our favour and Brisbane were shot.

2005. too many injuries underdone players

2008. no hope

2009: Best team of the H and A. Should of could of but terrible execution and did not have a good finals campaign.

2010: could have pinched the drawn one with a slight ounce of luck.

Since 1990, 11 different teams have won the flag and only 3 teams have not featured in a GF over this time.

We are the only team to have played multile GF without taking out the ultimate prize.

Brisbane GF (01, 02, 03, 04) three flags
West Coast: (91, 92, 94, 05, 06) three flags
Geelong: (92, 94, 95, 07, 08, 09) two flags
Collingwood (90, 02, 03, 10, 10) two flags
Essendon (90, 93, 00, 01) two flags
North Melbourne (96, 98, 99) two flags
Adelaide (97, 98) two flags
Hawthorn (91, 08) two flags
Carlton (93, 95, 99) one flag
Sydney (05, 06) one flag
Port (04, 07) one flag
Melbourne (00) no flag; and

ST KILDA (97, 09, 10, 10) NO FLAG

No GF appearances
Bulldogs
Freamantle
Richmond


Statistically, you would have thought we could have jagged one. Sobbering indeed.

A Bulldogs supporter at work said to me: "at least you guys get to the gf".
So, it could be worse but it's hardly a consolation.