Is this all based on 1 game?

Solar · Post: # 959038Post **Solar** » Mon 19 Jul 2010 2:01am

Or a long term thing for most people?

3 weeks ago I personally thought we were building. We had blooded stanley, heyne, steven. Peake has lifted a little and was running the lines. Ray was playing the best footy of his career.

We welcome back three VERY underdone players (gram, roo and kosi) and have a shocker of a game as a unit and the knives are out for most of the team.

Personally I have had question marks over a couple of players, who I believed we were carrying either for balance of the side or in the hope they would get back to their 2009 form. In this group I would have mini and dawson.

Otherwise I believe that the game against collingwood showed that there is a group of players in the GOP standard who does a job. When they do not do their job, run hard to position, tackle the man and run in numbers they look average at best.

Right now only geelong at full strength have the ability to get away with not gong 100% and survive just on talent. The other top 8 sides need to bring their A grade form to have any chance. We are no different.

So the focus needs to be on preparing the team to play to the structure, be mentally strong enough to bring their A grade game to each of the next 6 rounds and finals.

But no need to throw the baby out with the bath water.......

saint3d · Post: # 959041Post **saint3d** » Mon 19 Jul 2010 2:14am

Rational thought ain't got no place here, mister. You best be movin' along.

Con Gorozidis · Mon 19 Jul 2010 2:46am

well knives arent out for half the team. just the usual suspects who have been passengers and flattered by our winning ways.

kosi has completely lost his mojo. dempster cant play footy and has won the lottery being mates with lyon.

the other blokes just had one bad game. ur right.

3rd generation saint · Mon 19 Jul 2010 6:26am

Interesting how the usual targets are blamed, yet they weren't the ones that really let us down Saturday.
Gilbert was clearly targeted by Collingwood and was totally ineffective.
Our midfield was one player short with Dal out and was smashed.
Our ball use was poor from all players and our kicking for goal was woeful.
Gardiner was killed in the ruck by Jolly and Jolly seemed to always find a midfielder with one of his taps.
Blake didn't do much, and BJ was very quiet.
We had no drive out of our defence and played very reactive football.
The only good thing about Saturday is that we can play much better than that, Collingwood can't.
Malthouse may have already shown his hand.

saint66au · Post: # 959060Post **saint66au** » Mon 19 Jul 2010 8:37am

3rd generation saint wrote:Interesting how the usual targets are blamed, yet they weren't the ones that really let us down Saturday.
Gilbert was clearly targeted by Collingwood and was totally ineffective.
Our midfield was one player short with Dal out and was smashed.
Our ball use was poor from all players and our kicking for goal was woeful.
Gardiner was killed in the ruck by Jolly and Jolly seemed to always find a midfielder with one of his taps.
Blake didn't do much, and BJ was very quiet.
We had no drive out of our defence and played very reactive football.
The only good thing about Saturday is that we can play much better than that, Collingwood can't.
Malthouse may have already shown his hand.

Agree with pretty much all of that...bar I thought BJ tried hard all day

Truth is we've been running on about 2 cylinders since the Geelong game..for whatever reason. Even before then we do just enough to put mediocre sides away, rather than thump them the way Geelong and Collingwood have been. Have a look at out Points For compared to theirs. Weve brought our A game though when its mattered ie: Freo at Subi, Geelong. What we brought on Saturday was the level of intensity we showed iin the 1st half v Brisbane.....and as Collingowood are about 15 levels above Brisbane we got smacked. Meanwhile down in Tassie Hawthorn handed out the kind of beating we really should be giving that level of side from time to time.

The truth IMO is somewhere in between "Were doomed" and "It was a blip on the radar". Of course we are still flag contenders, but the last 3 weeks have shown some signs that we are far from our best right now.

Friday night against probably the other form team of the comp right now (much as it pains me to say it Collingwood are the other one) will tell a tale IMO

Having said all that, Id rather be us than Carlton right now lol. They were booed off the ground at 1/2 time Im hearing

chook23 · Post: # 959079Post **chook23** » Mon 19 Jul 2010 9:51am

"We welcome back three VERY underdone players (gram, roo and kosi) and have a shocker of a game as a unit and the knives are out for most of the team. "

Roo and maybe Gram....but Kosi does not fall into the category of the other 2 re Very underdone.....Solar

Kosi has had the acid on him for sometime.........always waiting for him
for that next big game.........IMO very much at the crossroads....

rest of the team indeed had a shocker...

but Pies did play very well.......our personal on day did not match up very well their selected team.......

spert · Post: # 959089Post **spert** » Mon 19 Jul 2010 10:33am

Collingwood played their grand final, we were a bit sick and sore from the Brisbane game, most of our forwards went missing. We'll be back and better against the Hawks.

Badlands · Post: # 959099Post **Badlands** » Mon 19 Jul 2010 10:45am

While the hysteria on this forum was predictable, i'm not buying into it. It was a filthy day across the board and there were some very uncharacteristic errors from some of our more reliable players. Without overlooking the fact we were comprehensively outplayed, it also appeared there were occasions where 50/50 things i.e. bounce of the ball etc. went against us and we simply couldn't take a trick and it was pretty clear it was 'one of those days'.
I'm more concerned about how we respond, and to be honest, i couldn't be more confident of a win over the hawks on friday night. I think over the course of a 22 round season, you have to be forgiving of an off-day. Better now than September. I think Ross and co. will have learnt from last year that there's not much point peaking in June-July.

fingers · Post: # 959123Post **fingers** » Mon 19 Jul 2010 11:29am

Geelong Stkilda R14 last year. We learn. We get better.

Duggie · Post: # 959129Post **Duggie** » Mon 19 Jul 2010 11:42am

Been down this well worn track many times over the years. How good to see Carlscum and the Bummers in strife.

markp · Post: # 959131Post **markp** » Mon 19 Jul 2010 11:54am

Good OP.

To me 'Saints Footy' equates to extraordinary effort, discipline, and preparation leading to extraordinary results, and an extraordinary team that is far greater than the sum of its parts.

What we saw on Saturday is what happens when, for whatever reason, we are unable to deliver that... particularly if our opposition brings their 'A' game.

In years gone by I've said 'as long as we beat the scum and the filth...'.

This year, I could give a ****.

Finals are 6 weeks away... that's the focus.

We'll be ready.

SinCitySaint · Mon 19 Jul 2010 4:52pm

Apart from North we have not really smashed a side all year.
But we have been smashed twice now and lets not kid ourselves we were thrashed on Saturday.
This was just about the worst result we could have had. We had a chance to go top and I think deliver a killer blow to the confidence of a major competitor. If we had won it would have left thoughts in the Collingwood players minds that they just can't beat the top sides. Now they know they can and not just beat us but give us an absolute pasting. On that form we are unlikely to beat a very inform Hawthorn.
We now have to face the idea that sides that come up against us have been saying for the last year and a half "St Kilda only won because we played badly."

I don't like to be negetive but that was pathetic. We pride ourselves on our fighting spirit and hard work but we gave up without even a whimper.

Collingwood worked harder. That is the most damning thing of all.

Thinline · Post: # 959295Post **Thinline** » Mon 19 Jul 2010 6:01pm

SinCitySaint wrote:Apart from North we have not really smashed a side all year.
But we have been smashed twice now and lets not kid ourselves we were thrashed on Saturday.
This was just about the worst result we could have had. We had a chance to go top and I think deliver a killer blow to the confidence of a major competitor. If we had won it would have left thoughts in the Collingwood players minds that they just can't beat the top sides. Now they know they can and not just beat us but give us an absolute pasting. On that form we are unlikely to beat a very inform Hawthorn.
We now have to face the idea that sides that come up against us have been saying for the last year and a half "St Kilda only won because we played badly."

I don't like to be negetive but that was pathetic. We pride ourselves on our fighting spirit and hard work but we gave up without even a whimper.

Collingwood worked harder. That is the most damning thing of all.

We are still in the four and have time to redeem.

FFS harden up.

You're whimpering like a fretting Pomeranian!!!

starsign · Post: # 959347Post **starsign** » Mon 19 Jul 2010 7:38pm

[quote="chook23"]"We welcome back three VERY underdone players (gram, roo and kosi) and have a shocker of a game as a unit and the knives are out for most of the team. "

Roo and maybe Gram....but Kosi does not fall into the category of the other 2 re Very underdone.....Solar

you can chuck in BJ here for mine
He missed last week with the flu and if it's anything like the crap I've been putting up with for 3 weeks he would have been certainly still off his weeties Saturday, and did you notice how they targeted him especially early!
They hit him with everything bar the kitchen sink every time he went near the ball, and unfairly on a couple of occasions which significantly went unrewarded !

Stephen Theodore · Mon 19 Jul 2010 8:24pm

Thinline wrote:
You're whimpering like a fretting Pomeranian!!!

TazzieSaintGirl83 · Tue 20 Jul 2010 4:24pm

Just a thought but seeing as we have been travelling quite well for last season and this it hurts more when we lose because we know what the team is capable of.

They have the experience and depth of talent to win games and have proven that but sometimes and pardon the expression "s**t happens"
Things dont gel like they normally do or some of the base raw effort is missing.

All I can say is shake it off the best we can and move onto the next game. I also think it stings for the pure fact most people dislike the Pies.

Rain, Hail, Shine or media storm

I have always been and will always be a sainter through and through.

gringo · Post: # 959825Post **gringo** » Wed 21 Jul 2010 11:13am

It shows that despite all the team effort stuff, that without our core of players we are not as effective. A team missing Dal Santo on it's own looks less effective as he provides a lot of our clearances something he doesn't get much credit for. Ball was our other guy who could back Lenny up.

Playing Roo and Gram back into form was always a bit of a danger as you can't give them as much as game time as you would like. Dempster is a stopper not an effective line breaker, Raph can do the lines when Gilbert gets shut down.

Over all we just need to start looking to set up a final 22 we hold in a group for finals in the next couple of weeks. As long as we get top 4 we will go o.k.