Raph Clarke

[Sainter_Dad]

Sp proud to be a Sinats supporter Saturday night - is there anything better than waving goodbye to the Pies supporters in a final???

Yes - waving goodbye to them at 3 qtr time in a final

[saintly]

Didn't make a mistake. Top game by Gilbert also, actually the whole backline was superb!

he did make one mistake in the 1st quarter. but he did play a great game!

I hope the game he played will not be a one off. i do have to wonder , whether he played well as he was a loose man. sometimes the loose man in defence makes a player look like he played well.

[joffaboy]

Raph getting some kudos from the "experts" in the media today.

GT was a bit OTT saying Raph was a AA player. GT would know about his talent than any of us here so I hope he is correct.

Love to see both the Clarkes play to their undoubted talents. Raph has made a start, it is up to X to come on now.

[supersaints]

I have said it before, Raph has the talent to be a great player... he will be .....hopefully for the Saints (of course half the forum want him to be sacked or delisted) well done Raph.

[markp]

The whole night belonged to the much maligned, from the team to the coach to the players... it was totally unforgettable.

What a surreal season.

[MACEwasACE]

Totally agree. Well done Ralph.

Just goes to show what a non-injury free run can do. Lets hope his body is finally right.

Can't wait for X to get his body right. They'll be an awsome duo.

[SainterK]

Yes, well done Raph...another excellent performance.

Heaps of people have been calling for the Clarke bros to be traded at years end, has this done anything to sway opinion? Is there is a reason that they are talked about in a collective sense all the time?

[plugger66]

Surely we cannot be positive about Raph as there are racists on this forum.

Please stop posting.

I was just pointing out the stupidity of a post last week calling someone a racist because they had a go at raph. Just like you are racist against CJ.

You are a deadset simpleton.

Must be easy living in the uncomplicated world of the villiage idiot who cant grasp or comprehend an argument or concept other than one of that is so simplistic that it is bordering on childlike.

How in hell do you walk and talk at the same time???

Absolute fool. If you dont understand something, as you clearly and obviously dont here, please dont comment. You mamke a bigger fool of yourself than you already have. It is embarrassing to realise how little your truly grasp.

Very harsh response or have just realised the stupidity of your comments and are know embarressed by them. You can have a go at me but I dont think you will get many backing you in this arguement.

[saint vince]

I am the first to admit that I am one of the Raph baggers.

Was still complaining about him halfway through the first quarter and geez he sure stuck it up me and all the rest of us.

Good on him.

Great game. If him and Gilbert play like that our defence will match geelong. Both knew exactly when to sag off and when to stay with there man.

Great game Raph and I hope you keep proving me wrong like that for the next 10 years.


Go saints

[bigcarl]

couldn't imagine anyone saying this six weeks ago, but raph is one of the keys to our chances in the preliminary final.

you hear that playing loose man in defence is one of the easier gigs in football, and perhaps it is.

but i can't think of too many who can play that role as well as raph did on saturday.

he reads the play extremely well and his comeback and run off half back has been a big factor in our charge into september.

i think that down the track he can become a star onballer. he has superb skills for a bloke his size. the only query is on whether he has a big enough tank.

raph is a bit like bj in the sense that he, too, was criticised for his decision-making before he felt he belonged at the top level.

then it all fell into place.

[joffaboy]

Very harsh response or have just realised the stupidity of your comments and are know embarressed by them. You can have a go at me but I dont think you will get many backing you in this arguement.

Hmmmm - still defending racism are your plugger. Why is that?

I am just soooo embarrassed for you that you are such a simpleton. You have shown time and time again that you have no concept or understanding of anything except the most basest or simplest of arguments.

It is like talking to a primary school child.

Look you cant help it that you are of very low intelligence, or seem to be judging from your incredibly purile, facile, and completely asanine and rigidly left brained arguments, but you really shouldn't try to contribute to concepts and conversations that are obviously way above your level of comprehension.

You make one line sarcastic posts and think you have made a point. You cannot understand and carry a line of argument further than that.

To have someone of your obvious low intelligence to suggest I am embarrassed by an argument I made and expanded on is laughable.

Please plugger66, please dont make any more of a fool of yourself over this. I have watched you been made a fool of on countless occasions on here with your ridgid unbending thought (or non thought) processes.

You have no idea of the argument. It is really quite over your head, but as I said I'll cut you some slack as you have proven on here time and time again that you have very little idea of anything more than the shallowest of ideas.

Isn't it time that you make some type of vieled threat of wanting to meet face to face? You know like you always do, once somebody has shown up your complete stupidity, so you can physically threaten someone who has made you look like the knuckle dragging troglodyte low IQ'ed village idiot we all know you are?

Oh BTW last time I will respond to any of your purile turgidity. It is not worth responding to someone with such little grasp of understanding. Mabye you should have listened a bit harder at school, or mabye you are just a deadset headcase.

I'd suggest the latter.

[plugger66]

Very harsh response or have just realised the stupidity of your comments and are know embarressed by them. You can have a go at me but I dont think you will get many backing you in this arguement.

Hmmmm - still defending racism are your plugger. Why is that?

I am just soooo embarrassed for you that you are such a simpleton. You have shown time and time again that you have no concept or understanding of anything except the most basest or simplest of arguments.

It is like talking to a primary school child.

Look you cant help it that you are of very low intelligence, or seem to be judging from your incredibly purile, facile, and completely asanine and rigidly left brained arguments, but you really shouldn't try to contribute to concepts and conversations that are obviously way above your level of comprehension.

You make one line sarcastic posts and think you have made a point. You cannot understand and carry a line of argument further than that.

To have someone of your obvious low intelligence to suggest I am embarrassed by an argument I made and expanded on is laughable.

Please plugger66, please dont make any more of a fool of yourself over this. I have watched you been made a fool of on countless occasions on here with your ridgid unbending thought (or non thought) processes.

You have no idea of the argument. It is really quite over your head, but as I said I'll cut you some slack as you have proven on here time and time again that you have very little idea of anything more than the shallowest of ideas.

Isn't it time that you make some type of vieled threat of wanting to meet face to face? You know like you always do, once somebody has shown up your complete stupidity, so you can physically threaten someone who has made you look like the knuckle dragging troglodyte low IQ'ed village idiot we all know you are?

Oh BTW last time I will respond to any of your purile turgidity. It is not worth responding to someone with such little grasp of understanding. Mabye you should have listened a bit harder at school, or mabye you are just a deadset headcase.

I'd suggest the latter.

If what I said was so wrong how come only people said you were in the wrong or are you to simple to even see posters were having a go at you.

[Choppa]

BORING!!!!!

[saintly]

i just wonder becuase he was the extra man in defence, would that made it easier for him to paly well?

[fingers]

BORING!!!!!

Yes it is. But we have managed to a great example of using the word "turgidity" on a football forum. Outstanding effort Joffa

Oh BTW last time I will respond to any of your purile turgidity. It is not worth responding to someone with such little grasp of understanding. Mabye you should have listened a bit harder at school, or mabye you are just a deadset headcase.

[saintsRrising]

couldn't imagine anyone saying this six weeks ago, but raph is one of the keys to our chances in the preliminary final.

.

If you mean 22 keys...then I agree as the only way we are going to beat the Hawks and most especially the Cats is if we have all 22 playing at their best.

Raph's game was his best yet (and lets hope it is the start of his blooming).

But lets not list him as a star yet...... he may get there of course.

Lets also recognise that the Pie's made it easy for raph and Gilbert. Now both still had o do what they did......but their task was made alot easier than I think the Haks or Cats will dish up.

I will be happy if he can deliver good quality form for the rest of our season.


Our back half is reasonably solid....and was ok against the Ctas under alot of pressure.

To me the real keys will be an improved midfield and Kosi playing at least as well as he did against the Pies (which was far from perfect game).

In the midfield we need Dal and Gram in particular to deliver very good games...as their best and worst are poles apart. On fire both make a world of difference to us.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

couldn't imagine anyone saying this six weeks ago, but raph is one of the keys to our chances in the preliminary final.

.

If you mean 22 keys...then I agree as the only way we are going to beat the Hawks and most especially the Cats is if we have all 22 playing at their best.

Raph's game was his best yet (and lets hope it is the start of his blooming).

But lets not list him as a star yet...... he may get there of course.

Lets also recognise that the Pie's made it easy for raph and Gilbert. Now both still had o do what they did......but their task was made alot easier than I think the Haks or Cats will dish up.

I will be happy if he can deliver good quality form for the rest of our season.


Our back half is reasonably solid....and was ok against the Ctas under alot of pressure.

To me the real keys will be an improved midfield and Kosi playing at least as well as he did against the Pies (which was far from perfect game).

In the midfield we need Dal and Gram in particular to deliver very good games...as their best and worst are poles apart. On fire both make a world of difference to us.

The Pies didn't make it easy on Raph and Gilbert - Raph and Gilbert made life very difficult for the Pies. The defense was helping each other out in contests more than they have since we had Maguire, Voss and 2 Fishers charging into each others contests for contested marks in front - and it's what won us a game where we gave Collingwood first use way too often.

If we don't address our clearances (we've been handily beaten there in both finals) it's going to require that level of commitment from Raph and Gilbert again (and Blake too) to get us over the line.

Pretty tough to rely on, as it was undoubtedly both their best games both winning the ball, and then using it. If we get that, then the Saints are a much tougher team to beat - and capable of making life very tough for the Hawks. If they don't, then our 22 keys will suffer if the keys if the midfield keys lose the clearances again.

It's a team game, but if we're even suggesting that Collingwood's disposal made it "easy" for Raph and Gilbert, we should also acknowledge that the pressure put on Collingwood ball users made it tough for them, and that commitment to the team raises a few of our 22 keys to a level more than able to balance others who were beaten.

[bigcarl]

couldn't imagine anyone saying this six weeks ago, but raph is one of the keys to our chances in the preliminary final.

.

If you mean 22 keys...then I agree as the only way we are going to beat the Hawks and most especially the Cats is if we have all 22 playing at their best.

Raph's game was his best yet (and lets hope it is the start of his blooming).

But lets not list him as a star yet...... he may get there of course.

Lets also recognise that the Pie's made it easy for raph and Gilbert. Now both still had o do what they did......but their task was made alot easier than I think the Haks or Cats will dish up.

I will be happy if he can deliver good quality form for the rest of our season.


Our back half is reasonably solid....and was ok against the Ctas under alot of pressure.

To me the real keys will be an improved midfield and Kosi playing at least as well as he did against the Pies (which was far from perfect game).

In the midfield we need Dal and Gram in particular to deliver very good games...as their best and worst are poles apart. On fire both make a world of difference to us.

don't know if it was under instruction, but raph was sensational early with two of his searching runs from half back ending up in the arms of riewoldt.

no doubt you are worried that i'm putting the moz on him, but i regard him as a future star of the game.

other keys, i agree, are kosi and dal.

interesting that they should be three of the players who have been most maligned on here this season.

people obviously recognise that the trio have great talent, but get frustrated when it is not consistently delivered on.

[saintsRrising]

[other keys, i agree, are kosi and dal.

interesting that they should be three of the players who have been most maligned on here this season.

people obviously recognise that the trio have great talent, but get frustrated when it is not consistently delivered on.

I do not think it is so much interesting...as rather recognitio that they have been under-perforing.

riewodt for example will bea much bigger key , but he has been perfoming.

Ditto for Lenny, BJ etc...

The Ctas in part are so good because most of their 22 are delivering near their best week in week out.

The saints have had many passengers....including Dal and Kosi.

We would not be able to defeat the Hawks and Cats.. if we have passengers.

This is why I have said that they are keys...the others I know what I will get.

[saintsRrising]

don't know if it was under instruction, but raph was sensational early with two of his searching runs from half back ending up in the arms of riewoldt.
.

It would be RL wants run out of our backline.

It was why he recruited Dempster for example.

[saintsRrising]

It's a team game, but if we're even suggesting that Collingwood's disposal made it "easy" for Raph and Gilbert, we should also acknowledge that the pressure put on Collingwood ball users made it tough for them, and that commitment to the team raises a few of our 22 keys to a level more than able to balance others who were beaten.

I am not disagreeing that we put them under the pump.

But also the Pies were off their game in their ball use.


It was quite similar to how the Saints popped the balls up to the Cats defence.

The Cat's players put us under lot of pressure....butr even when we were not...we still kept popping it up for easy chop offs.

The Pies in the end were the same.

The Pie's coaching also allowed us to have good numbers back.


Now as I said Raph and Gilbert did EVERYTHING you could ask...and did it very well..and but IMO oppinion the Pies "melted" a biy too. But as you say the pressure we put on was part of it.



The Hawks and hopefully cats wil require even more pressure though....as they are much better sides that the Pies Team that faced us is.

[bigcarl]

don't know if it was under instruction, but raph was sensational early with two of his searching runs from half back ending up in the arms of riewoldt.
.

It would be RL wants run out of our backline.

It was why he recruited Dempster for example.

i meant running the field and delivering it to riewoldt. was that under instruction, or raph showing some initiative?

[saintsRrising]

don't know if it was under instruction, but raph was sensational early with two of his searching runs from half back ending up in the arms of riewoldt.
.

It would be RL wants run out of our backline.

It was why he recruited Dempster for example.

i meant running the field and delivering it to riewoldt. was that under instruction, or raph showing some initiative?

I would imagine that he would be under instruction to run....

But you can script things precisely....just to run and look for a forward opportunity.

How far you run...and to whom you kick it to is going to be largely random..dependant on the opposition and who has made space..


Whereas in the back to mid...you would have designated tragets to give it to such as BJ because of his good kicking and ability to set up play.

[Animal Enclosure]

Just to clarify, Raph had an opponent (McCarthy mostly), he wasn't a loose man picking up 'easy' kicks.

He took risks leaving his man, read the play beautifully & the filth were not smart enough to 'go through' his man.

There will still be nuff nuffs calling for his head the next time he makes an error.

[bigcarl]

There will still be nuff nuffs calling for his head the next time he makes an error.

course there will be. they should bear in mind that the only people who don't mistakes are the ones who don't do anything.

that's what i like about the way raph plays. a bit of daring, a few risks. i don't see how that's necessarily incompatible with being "accountable".