Innovators win, not imitators!

[D.B.Cooper]

Clearly headed in a direction of a speed, agility and endurance team based on running power.

Obviously this is the new StKilda under RTB.

I guess if you can’t run, you will struggle to get a game.

I’d be expecting a huge pre-season coming up, hope the guys come back in good nick or it might not be pretty.

I wonder if they could throw a life line to Jack Peris for another shot given his speed base.

[SaintPav]

Peris won’t be coming back.

RTB didn’t like his disposal and decision making.

[Vortex]

Skills pay the Bills.

Now the year of exploration (and excuses) is behind us, we can now look forward to the remainder of RLs 3 year journey and what our DNA might become.

Hoping we see some attacking flare added to the game plan.

[TheGreatZacsby]

Peris won’t be coming back.

RTB didn’t like his disposal and decision making.

Peris was an athlete. But OMG he was not a good footballer. Doesn’t know how to hit the scoreboard. But he could run down tackle. Need more strings to your bow in this game.

[nostalgicsaint]

Skills pay the Bills.

Now the year of exploration (and excuses) is behind us, we can now look forward to the remainder of RLs 3 year journey and what our DNA might become.

Hoping we see some attacking flare added to the game plan.

What excuses?

What is a pass mark to you next year?

[Vortex]

Skills pay the Bills.

Now the year of exploration (and excuses) is behind us, we can now look forward to the remainder of RLs 3 year journey and what our DNA might become.

Hoping we see some attacking flare added to the game plan.

What excuses?

What is a pass mark to you next year?

Poor choice of word, let’s go with “honeymoon period”, or as RL likes to call it, the “exploitation” year.

For NAS,Owen’s, Windy Caminiti to keep improving and playing every game.

For Darcy Wilson to emulate the Poos first season and play most games and prove he was worthy of our first selection and give us hope he could improve our midfield.

For Henry to prove he’s going to be an upgrade on Gresh and subsequently prove he might improve our midfield.

For any other sign our midfield has improved.

For Caminiti and King to work together for most of the season in the same side and give us hope our forward line looks AFL standard.

I don’t care if we don’t make finals (I don’t think we will) but if those things happen that’s a pass mark for me as we won’t have the list to be a genuine contender for a few more years.

[saynta]

Skills pay the Bills.

Now the year of exploration (and excuses) is behind us, we can now look forward to the remainder of RLs 3 year journey and what our DNA might become.

Hoping we see some attacking flare added to the game plan.

What excuses?

What is a pass mark to you next year?

Poor choice of word, let’s go with “honeymoon period”, or as RL likes to call it, the “exploitation” year.

For NAS,Owen’s, Windy Caminiti to keep improving and playing every game.

For Darcy Wilson to emulate the Poos first season and play most games and prove he was worthy of our first selection and give us hope he could improve our midfield.

For Henry to prove he’s going to be an upgrade on Gresh and subsequently prove he might improve our midfield.

For any other sign our midfield has improved.

For Caminiti and King to work together for most of the season in the same side and give us hope our forward line looks AFL standard.

I don’t care if we don’t make finals (I don’t think we will) but if those things happen that’s a pass mark for me as we won’t have the list to be a genuine contender for a few more years.

Well. I do.

[SinCitySainter]

There is nothing innovative about going all out on athletes which is what this trade and draft period has been.
Ross has always put more value in effort than skill and athletic ability over footballing ability.

Gresham leaving was neither here nor there as he was just after money and we weren't offering enough we got pick 21 which was a good result.
Two skilful footballers, Billings and Coffield, were pushed out to make way for two athletes with question marks over their skill.
Henry might become a good footballer, Dow is a pure athlete with some of the worst disposal skills in the game.
We have then drafted a bunch of youngsters, I don't know if they are good, bad or indifferent, who seem to have one common trait that is they are all athletes first footballers second.

I fear this is a clear direction of a game plan that will be further focussed on pure disruption of the opposition ignoring our own ability to attack.
We know with Ross the reason for the desire for running power and leg speed is to chase and not to attack and anyone who can't see that is kidding themselves.
We are about to go even more negative in our approach to the game making us even harder to watch than we were this year.

[B.M]

I disagree

Running power, speed and agility allows for run and spread and ball movement.

Henry and Dow bring speed and power

[Banger9798]

Wilson, Collard, Hastie all good users....I think RTB has asked for skill and pace.

None of them look particularly tough or physical types.

[cwrcyn]

We all saw the final against GWS. What did they beat us with? Speed, skill, speed, more speed and a smattering of players with elite endurance to go with it.

Are we content to have more plodders who can't keep up, who can't break way from opponents? For too long we've recruited guys who are one-paced and possess no point of difference. Even our good players have been one-paced (eg. Billings Steele Crouch Ross).

How many players have we recruited in the past 12 years with elite speed? Brad Hill, Dan Butler, Max King. That's it!

It's time to move on from the one-paced plodders. Time to make our opponents work their arses off chasing our tails.

[TheGreatZacsby]

I disagree

Running power, speed and agility allows for run and spread and ball movement.

Henry and Dow bring speed and power

Exactly! You can’t teach power, speed and agility. It’s all genetic.

Draft players who got this ‘naturally’ and especially ones with good disposal (which we have) and the rest we can teach and develop.

[cwrcyn]

Our spread from stoppages is about the worst in the league. Why? Because nearly all the players we have in there are S...L...O...W.

Once an opposition midfielder breaks out goal side of a stoppage, we are toasted!

[CQ SAINT]

Our spread from stoppages is about the worst in the league. Why? Because nearly all the players we have in there are S...L...O...W.

Once an opposition midfielder breaks out goal side of a stoppage, we are toasted!

Except for the best ranking defence in comp. The problems don't stop when we intercept and rebound, our delivery into 50 has been sub par for years.

Hill and NWM have only just begun to improve it. The cavalry is coming.

[Otiman]

Hill and NWM have only just begun to improve it. The cavalry is coming.

With our new half back line we can have D50 rebound and I50 kicks with the same stat.

[mr six o'clock]

The last game of the season was a great indication of our mids .
We played some very good football but we looked like snails compared to the lightning quick

[saintsRrising]

I wonder if they could throw a life line to Jack Peris for another shot given his speed base.

No, as RTB and Co also want players who are genuine footballers, and Peris struggled with football judgement and skills.

Allison may be off next year. Especially with Arie being a likely upgrade on him to play back or forward.

[saintsRrising]

There is nothing innovative about going all out on athletes which is what this trade and draft period has been.

??????

Peris and Allison are examples of all out athletes.

The players we have picked up this year are virtually all quick and good runners apart from Arie, but all are genuinely good footballers. Some excellent kicks too amongst the draftees.

The only exception is our Irish recruit who will have had limited exposure to AFL. Though has had a lot of gaelic football exposure.

[darylcowie]

Skills pay the Bills.

Now the year of exploration (and excuses) is behind us, we can now look forward to the remainder of RLs 3 year journey and what our DNA might become.

Hoping we see some attacking flare added to the game plan.

I guess that means goodbye Jones, Crouch, Ross, Byrnes, Howard, Higgins, Paton and Campbell .

[Vortex]

Skills pay the Bills.

Now the year of exploration (and excuses) is behind us, we can now look forward to the remainder of RLs 3 year journey and what our DNA might become.

Hoping we see some attacking flare added to the game plan.

I guess that means goodbye Jones, Crouch, Ross, Byrnes, Howard, Higgins, Paton and Campbell .

Can Jones move from being a midfielder/defender to more of an attacking midfielder? can Byrnes find some improvement and move into Billings spot??

about the only two I can fit into the attacking flare catagory.