Higgins

[skeptic]

Also, surely the Higgins - Butler - Kent experiment is finally over?!

Why would it be over now?

[Ghost Like]

We cannot go slow into our forward line and expect Higgins or Butler to dominate. We cannot go slow into our forward line and expect King or Membrey to dominate.

A forward line of King, Membrey, Wood, Sharman, Higgins and Butller would be good enough to kick winning scores with quick, systematic ball use.

Ironically, the way the ball is delivered into our forward line should make us experts in chaos football but chaos isn't about slow, up & under, helicopter kicks.

The people moving the ball into our forward half need to be the Hills, Connollys, Sinclairs, Websters, Clarks and Billings - our forwards need to be moving, creating separation and creating options.

[Sainternist]

Another thing: he needs to be less selfish.

[Scollop]

Another thing: he needs to be less selfish.

Damn obvious to all except the people with a cheer squad mentality

I watched ‘On the Couch’ and Nick Riewoldt said there has to be consequences for selfish acts like the blatantly obvious selfishness displayed by Higgo. Nick was calling for Jack to be dropped and it’s a perfect opportunity to let Higgins know that it can’t continue. Roo reckons it’s time the squad was ‘educated’ and a statement needs to be made to set the standard

Jason Dunstall said that the Saints team can not be considered a good team when you have players who don’t instinctively give the ball off. He said they go into survival mode and that means you’re only thinking about your own personal stats.

Higgins wasn’t on his own. People like Ross, Crouch and Gresham and Marshall and even our captain Steele were just looking for possessions and kicks. Half the time it’s due to the heat but half the team we bomb it long when there are better options or we kick it straight to the opposition.

Hill is a worry because we look to dish it off to him at the wrong moments. That’s the classic example of someone who gets the handball receive and wastes the footy or turns it over. He can’t demand the footy when he is running into traffic.

We have too many on the team who are selfish.

[mad saint guy]

I don't agree with the calls that Higgins is selfish. When he burnt Gresh he just made a bad decision in trying to kick to a teammate instead of handballing to another teammate - he didn't go for goal which would have been selfish.

Higgins just needs some composure and confidence. We saw him nail his shots at goal in the second half of last season so he has the skill. And we know he reads the game brilliantly, gets into good positions, works hard to present and is excellent overhead for his size.

He's our best small forward by far and I'm hoping he can nail an early one this week to get some confidence back.

[Scollop]

When he burnt Gresh he just made a bad decision in trying to kick to a teammate instead of handballing to another teammate - he didn't go for goal which would have been selfish.

With 1.44 left on the clock, Higgins bombed it in from 50m out. The only person within range of his kick was one of our small forwards who was close to goal ….BUT….there were 2 Collingwood players already positioned deep in the goal square.

If you are claiming that Higgins wasn’t selfish, then he is definitely a thick-head and he is dumb if he thinks a small forward is going to out mark two Collingwood defenders. The truth is that he was playing for himself and he actually tried to kick the leather off the footy and he was going for goal.

Two minutes before the Higgins selfishness it happened again and Max King was selfish. There was a pack situation after Mason Wood bombed it long to a forward pocket. The ball spilled and Max could have tapped it to Marshall or tried to pick it up and handball but instead he chose the hero-selfish option and kicked it off the ground and it hit the post. Marshall was on his own and would have been able to run in for a certain goal.

This was with 3.45 left on the clock until 3/4 time and it would have been demoralising for Collingwood at this stage after they led by so much. It could have given us some momentum to kick another 1 or 2 goals with over 3 minutes to go.

Any,how…It is a disease within the team. Gresh and few others are doing it too. It’s like their subconscious is thinking; “Well if it’s ok for you to be a hero, I can do it too”

Something has to be done. We are not going to have a team first mentality or create the right culture by dropping Byrnes and Owens. I agree that Higgins is an important player in the line up, but ffs there has to be some discipline and some consequences for a player. I don’t care if Ratts wants to drop Steele or any player for that matter, but this has to stop!

The one guy that the selection committee have left out of the team who always brings his team mates into play is Ben Long. Long isn’t perfect but he generally makes good decisions, is a beautiful kick of the footy and he’s not selfish.

[Yorkeys]

I reckon Higgins is a terrific player. He gets the ball and creates opportunities unlike a number of other players that are as ordinary as.
Higgins has been pilloried (nice footy description) for not laying off to Gresham. Ok, but a good QC would easily get him off. Hindsight etc...
Wonder why severe critics, eg D. King of the mouth, didn't think Byrnes error coming out of defence late was similarly crucifiable. Young bloke was given the ball in a lot of space, flaffed around ignoring early leads and opportunities, put our guys out of defensive formation then proceeded to run too close to an opponent - under no chasing pressure - kick into him, turnover goal, effective end of match. No judgement, no skill, worse possible outcome from a rare gold plated chance to move the ball forward. Dumb as, and certainly not in Higgins class. The proposition that Higgins should be dropped as a lesson (what is that exactly?) and Byrnes who can't make a choice and panics given a couple of options gets a pass is a bit muddled, yes?

[Scollop]

But Yorkeys, we are just novice arm chair critics. What the hell would the fans know?

It was Nick Riewoldt on FoxFooty who called for Higgins to be dropped.

The problem with not dropping a player and forgiving them is that it sets a precedent. Last year there was people on this site calling Brad Hill a ‘cancer’. It happened a few weeks after the selection committee decided that Brad Hill would not be dropped. What sort of message does that send the rest of the players?

Simon Lethlean categorically stated that Brad would not be dropped. Was that so the recruiters and CEO and the club wouldn’t have egg on their face. They shifted him to a half back line and it took away our options for going inside 50. Wasn’t that the main reason he was recruited.

Why should the young guys and others bust a gut and put their bodies on the line and gut run all day so that Brad Hill could continue to get match payments?

Brad Hill was probably one of our best players in the latter half of last year, and also one of our better players in the match against Collingwood, but the problem is that he is not playing on a wing. We have Crouch, Ross, McKenzie, Gresham and Higgins kicking the ball inside 50.

I agree that Higgo is a good player and he tries his heart out, but at what point do our selectors stop trying to save face and to justify their recruiting decisions and just get on with the task of making us a better team? Short term pain is required and examples need to be made of ALL players who are not disciplined or who don’t do the right thing by the team. Long getting dropped doesn’t embarrass our recruiters and Gubby and Lethlean. Higgins and Hill getting dropped does!

[bigcarl]

Does Higgins have the tank to go through the midfield? We were smashed there most of last week and need as many viable options as we can muster in the absence of Jones, Clark, Billings, Hannebery and Ryder.

I expect Gresham and Sinclair will get a lot more minutes in the guts this week. Maybe Higgins is worth a thought too.

Higgins will be a good player for us for years to come. Small forward is a tough gig when the ball is being delivered slowly and with monotonous predictability.

[cwrcyn]

Higgins made a big blunder, but he creates opportunities is our most potent small forward. Dropping him after one game would be shooting ourselves in the foot. He'll come good, as will Byrnes.

[Scollop]

Higgins did well to put himself in a position to receive and we got the footy to him quite a bit against Collingwood

The problem bigcarl is that when he gets his hands on plenty of footy, he needs to make better decisions.

Higgins is a talent, there's no doubt about that and he's still relatively young.

What he needs to concentrate on is not so much football skills but cognitive function and decision making

maybe his diet needs to improve. Maybe he needs to read more and learn from other elite athletes

https://www.stillstoked.com/feed-me/ath ... ain-power/

https://truesport.org/nutrition/young-a ... in-health/

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10 ... 01121/full

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/9/5/65/htm

https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Ar ... -nutrition

[bigcarl]

Made a mistake no doubt, but at least he was taking the game on. Many of our other players would be too risk-averse and lacking in confidence. I’d encourage the risk-takers to take risks. It is one of their strengths. Same applies to Gresham.

[WellardSaint]

Maybe the media saying 'drop him' will be better than actually dropping him.
We need his vigour more than Butler, who has lost his mojo big time.

[Milne]

Good effort tonight

[Winmar]

Yeah he was excellent. It shows what he can do when he takes his opportunities.

[PADDLEPOP1001]

Small Fwd is a hard possie to play at the best of times they all look selfish sometimes but when their good they are match winners!

[bangaulegend]

Higgins & Butlers forward pressure was very good today . IMO anyway

[Sainternist]

Great response by the lad. He responded well to the infamous “Missy Higgins” game last year, too.

[Winmar]

Players usually come on after their 50th game, and he's now played 64 or something like that.

[Wayne42]

Maybe the media saying 'drop him' will be better than actually dropping him.
We need his vigour more than Butler, who has lost his mojo big time.

What happened to his mojo, did it end up in the bin with his mullet ?