Great Captains Game!

[freely]

If the pressure has been lifted from the team by the change of coach, that's particularly true of pressure on the captain. Freedom to give some thought to his own game?

[BackFromUSA]

It was a good game from Ross. A master accumulator. Runs to support when we have the ball and participated in midfield chains. His ball use has improved in the past few weeks and he seems to have stopped his trademark stop and prop in favour of using his run to get going.

However he is still only effective as a one way player.

Yes he got 9 tackles which must be a PB but he still does not run back to defend or at least chooses when to do so, apply intense pressure when it is his turn to do so and fails to win the hard ball that he should.

When he does that then I shall sing his praises and he will become elite.

A grade game in a B to C grade season for him.

[BarryGrogan]

12 score involvements. 31 possessions. 15 contested. Massive.

Absolutely massive.

The ball use has been the difference.

Those same last two numbers don't mean much without the 12 score involvements.

He was the king of the 'bomb it to the hotspot', and in the past fortnight he's using it far, far better.

[skeptic]

See this is why the criticism of Seb was valid...

This is what he is capable of producing. This is the standard he should be reaching every week. Criticism of trading/dropping him may be over the top but it’s come from the fact that like last night... he’s capable of being very damaging

[Saint 58]

See this is why the criticism of Seb was valid...

This is what he is capable of producing. This is the standard he should be reaching every week. Criticism of trading/dropping him may be over the top but it’s come from the fact that like last night... he’s capable of being very damaging

+1 !

[HighettMan]

Anyone that has ever suggested Seb should be traded clearly reads too many science fiction books.

[Beno88]

OMG...you guys are so positive and upbeat...yes it was a great contest and a tough close match and everything...but really...not a great spectacle of a game...

The quality of footy at times made me remember that it was 14th versus 17th... I'm happy for the club but we have a long way to go yet...I can't understand why you think our players including Seb are so good all of a sudden when people were screaming for 10 or more list changes at the end of this year...

Could be just the sacking of Richo has made a few players worried about their own positions perhaps... I think it's too early to make calls on some of our blokes and they may have had their papers stamped by Lethers and his list management team already...

Have I succeeded in dampening your positive mood? Does it make sense that I am being uber negative after a really hard fought contest where we came away with a win after so many lead changes?

Am I being too negative even though we won? ....perhaps the so called 'true supporters' can understand how silly it was at times to be super positive when the team was getting pumped and having repeat losses and you blokes were coming on here complaining about the negative posts. Wtf did you expect when we were losing?

Now, there's a good feeling at the club. We are winning!! I think everyone can just go bananas now with the positive posts

Good post. Last night was an ugly win, but an ugly win always trumps an ugly loss. We still have a very long way to go, Saturday against the Crows will answer plenty of questions.

Funnily enough, I was verbally attacked by a fellow Saints supporter last night for voicing my disgust at the quality of play.

[Ghost Like]

Totally agree that last nights game by Ross was a great captain's game. It is the standard he's capable of but has not produced on a consistent basis, this is what frustrates. The fact it's taken to round 19 for Ross to produce a game to silence knockers speaks more to the cause of the frustration.

My trust in what the OP says is also tempered by what I thought to be an infantile, emotional post about young Coffield in the Match Thread along the lines:

"Coffield is not ready for senior football. S**ts himself with the ball."

I'm sorry, that lost me. B.M., you claim Ross to be judged on a body of work, dating back years for Ross but post that about a kid whose disposal efficiency is possibly the highest in the club. Hardly s**tting himself.

[B.M]

So he should be getting 3 votes every week?

Then we’d need to up his contract a bit? As he would be an Elite mid. Which of course he is not.

However unlike nearly all of our players, especially midfielder, he consistently wins the footy, and occasionally gets a best on ground, which very few of our players are capable of...

Seb has two BOGs this year in wins.

Very good B+ to A Grade player

Is trade able at the right price, one of the few on our list worth a FRDP

[Ghost Like]

Correct he's not an elite mid, he'd be incredibly dangerous as a number 4 to 6 through our midfield rotations. We have a way to go on our midfield. He along with Steele are the leaders of our first string midfield. The fact he can produce a game like last night against an equally hard at it but limited midfield is as encouraging as it is frustrating.

The season where he's our 4th, 5th or 6th midfield rotation is the season our midfield may actually be elite. Agree he's B or B+, with glimpses of A grade like last night.

[The_Dud]

Clearly took more time with his disposal last night, which is what most were asking him to do instead of just banging it on the boot.

Now if we could only get Gresh to do the same his game could also elevate to the next level.

[Josh Battle]

So he should be getting 3 votes every week?

Then we’d need to up his contract a bit? As he would be an Elite mid. Which of course he is not.

However unlike nearly all of our players, especially midfielder, he consistently wins the footy, and occasionally gets a best on ground, which very few of our players are capable of...

Seb has two BOGs this year in wins.

Very good B+ to A Grade player

Is trade able at the right price, one of the few on our list worth a FRDP

I think you're sopt on and you mentioned that Seb is a victim of standards. His outstanding 2017 season was on the back of Jack Steven, Koby Stevens and including a few of our senior warriors in Armo and Joey and Roo giving him that support in the midfield.

His game last night didn't have too many moments that the AFL would replay in the highlights reel. I could be wrong, but I think some of the flashes of brilliance from Long, Gresh, Clark's dash through the middle along with the contested marks and tackles for Josh would feature more than Seb's possessions. Having said that...his goals were pretty good and the number of possessions along with good DE earnt him bog

[WellardSaint]

... and what a goal!

Both good. Pocket snap as well as the one from 50.
See his joy when they went thru

[WellardSaint]

It was a good game from Ross. A master accumulator. Runs to support when we have the ball and participated in midfield chains. His ball use has improved in the past few weeks and he seems to have stopped his trademark stop and prop in favour of using his run to get going.

However he is still only effective as a one way player.

Yes he got 9 tackles which must be a PB but he still does not run back to defend or at least chooses when to do so, apply intense pressure when it is his turn to do so and fails to win the hard ball that he should.

When he does that then I shall sing his praises and he will become elite.

A grade game in a B to C grade season for him.

There was a hard ball get in 3rd qtr when he broke free from a tackle by 2 guys, on the wing, and kicked to a guy on his own.
In the past, he would feel the pressure and just kick wildly, but he took them on.
I noticed other times in the game where he rode a bump as well.
He's got that ferocity that he had in our early wins.
Last week he rated (AFL site) about 15th best player.
So he's improved a lot in one week.

[B.M]

You do realise that he’s played a few good games in the past. Actually he has picked up 30 Brownlow Votes from 2016-2018... and so far would have at least 6 this year. How many current players do we hav3 that can semi regularly be in the 3 best players on the ground

You can play good games and average ones, even poor ones. If there was a player that sustained his last games output, his name would be Robert Harvey. He is not that, but he is a long way form one of our worst. As for consistency of output over an extended period, he’d be in our best 3 players, behind Steven and Hannebury, maybe Carlisle. At the moment I’d have Marshall, Billings, Steele ahead of him for this season.

He is a solid AFL on baller

[Trev from the Bush]

Seb took control by half way through the second quarter and clinically cut Melbourne to ribbons. Great to see he had time to create some space and thinking time, his passing was terrific.

[tedtheodorelogan2018]

Seb took control by half way through the second quarter and clinically cut Melbourne to ribbons. Great to see he had time to create some space and thinking time, his passing was terrific.

Agreed Trev. His performance and passing was top shelf. Glad we have him and he is back to our best.

[vacuous space]

Seb had his lowest time on ground percentage for the year in last night's game as well. It was only the second time this year that he had below 80% TOG (the other also being against Melbourne earlier in the year). He's had games over 90%, which is extraordinarily high for a mid. It makes me wonder if he's being asked to do too much on that front. Just have a look at the previous 3 games:

R16 (North): 93% TOG, 15 disposals, 3 contested, 0 clearances
R17 (Geelong): 89% TOG, 22 disposals, 10 contested, 4 clearances
R18 (Bulldogs): 91% TOG, 21 disposals, 3 contested, 1 clearance

This isn't the case of him spending a lot of time rebounding off HB either. He's been at the vast majority of centre bounces in all the above games. So what was it that clicked last night and how do we get more of that?

[tedtheodorelogan2018]

The love for Sebby is back!

[saynta]

I never doubted him, unlike others.

[tedtheodorelogan2018]

I never doubted him, unlike others.

Yep. The egg farm is back in business!