Maintaining The Rage....concerned?

[Teflon]

Im wrapt we won the NAB Cup - we deserved it, yeah had some luck, but also toughed it out in close contests and showed some real composure and for some of the younger guys what an experience.

Ive already seen enough development under Ross Lyon to know the guy IS a genuine footballers coach but one thing I do worry a tad about from time to time is the innevitable "run" with momentum and the peak to early factor - anyone else have that in the back of the mind?

I guess the upside to this is IF we get on an 04 type run...we at least get the runs on the board early and hopefully put paid to any mad last season scrambles for a top4/8 spots...but id just hate to be reading in August how great the saints were in May and what a shame they ran out of steam......

I suppose thats another thing with Lyons game plan I like - we are now a very hard side to blow away often - look at our games last year AND already this year....tight, tough affairs but it can be a brutal game style...interesting year with little excuses for fitness etc this time round.

[iwantmeseats]

Yep, Im thinking about that as well. Im thinking though the extra depth we have this year should help out, and we do seem fitter.

Alas, its going to depend to a large degree on injuries, as in every year. Hopefully, we have seen some improvement here as well.

[jonesy]

The 04 pre season cup win and the 08 win are completly different i think.

In 04 we came out firing on pretty much all cylinders straight away and then took that into the season proper.

This time around we've won the cup,but don't think we're firing and flowing at all. Lots of improvement to come yet in this side and it will be needed if we're going to be top 4. Think Lyon takes the Roos aproach and likes to build your way into the season.

I'm not sure which approach is better? But I don't think we're firing too early at this stage,we won three scrappy games by less than a kick.All three could of gone the other way and things would be spoken to differently about our prospects.

[Teflon]

Good points - extra depth does give some additional beeathing space I spose and its true we arent playing with absolute flow at this point - infact against Crows in first half we looked slow in getting it into fwd 50 for mine but Adelaide do play a shut down style....
I hope we can move the ball quicker this year into fwd 50 - I know we are still mastering the defensive style but with G Roos and Kos up fwd we've just got to give these guys a chance by getting the footy in as fast as possible.

[saintsRrising]

but one thing I do worry a tad about from time to time is the innevitable "run" with momentum and the peak to early factor - anyone else have that in the back of the mind?

.

No...as I don't think we have peaked at all.

1/ Fringe players were allowed to take key roles. For example Dal often being used off the ball.

2/ Ball has only played 2 games...and not full games

3/ Most pltyers were rotated....

4/ Priority with the games was clearly player conditioning and trying players out. Hence players would not have been realy "up"..and ceratainly not peaking.

5/ While Dal, Joey and Fiora all seem to be have been saved fora last quarter surge...in the other NAB games it was left to the lesser lights to take the saints home and gain experience.



I think Craig's post game reaction was possibly due to him believing that he had the Crowsa lot more "up" and firing than the saints and expected to win.

The fact that we won......to me is avery pleasing sign of better things to come.

[Oh When the Saints]

Thomas didn't know how to hold back when it was required and preserve things for the business end of the year ...

Lyon does. He's had the experience for 10 years at three different clubs.

[skeptic]

the only thing that worries me about Ross Lyon is his selection policy... was awful at times last but I'm hoping that we can attribute that more to injuries

tended to pick an abundance of defensive players at times and nearly destroyed Raph by playing him for a month straight after a longterm injury with little fitness base

this argument with GT is a bit odd... would u guys have preferred that he not play our inform players or urge them to hold back?

injuries and a late form slump at the wrong time in 2004 are what cost us

[Teflon]

I dont think anyone would say Skeptic that you dont play your best side but what I do think is vital is:

1 Fitness - injuries aside Im talking pure aerobic capacity to run out games

2 Motivation.

I actually think early on as a coach Thomas' motivational tricks worked a treat -like him or not , for a time he galvanised a fractured club along with Butters (who many forget in it all). Sadly, I do think the motivational "tricks" IMHO ran out of steam but thats another topic.

The biggest thing Lyon has already done is bring in TALENTED youth and PLAYED them - hes clearly addressed depth AND sore points (ruckman)....hes taklen a punt there but if it comes off hes a bona fida genius(particulalry for what he paid to get em..)

[bigcarl]

This time around we've won the cup, but don't think we're firing and flowing at all. Lots of improvement to come yet in this side and it will be needed if we're going to be top 4.

agree. we won the nab cup with about two cylinders firing and appeared to take only the final seriously.

to have a decent crack at a premiership you need to finish at least top 4 and that means consistency throughout the season, not just the business end.

we left our run too late last year and it cost us a place in the finals.

i want us to hit the ground running and be talked about as premiership contenders from the start. nothing wrong with setting the bar high and it gives our players a standard to maintain.

geelong was the dominant side for most of last season and. barring the usual catastrophic injury crisis, i see no reason why we be that team in 2008.

[chook23]

the only thing that worries me about Ross Lyon is his selection policy... was awful at times last but I'm hoping that we can attribute that more to injuries

tended to pick an abundance of defensive players at times and nearly destroyed Raph by playing him for a month straight after a longterm injury with little fitness base

this argument with GT is a bit odd... would u guys have preferred that he not play our inform players or urge them to hold back?

injuries and a late form slump at the wrong time in 2004 are what cost us

Tend to think people get this wrong ie making that statement. (in bold)

Our first final a lesson in finals experience............

Beat Sydney

Played very very well against Port.........we were back in form........

just fell short

[Otiman]

Milne is inconsistent, and will continue to be until the day he retires. On his game he is one of the best, if not the best small forward in the league. The issue lies where he goes missing, gets single digit stats, and no goals.

[Armoooo]

As has been brushed on, our performance this year is far different to that of 2005.
Our 2004 pre-season campaign was a full on assult for the cup (more or less obviously) however this year we have had the youngsters and fringe players going all out with the experienced players just doing their part and making sure they are fully fit.

I would expect a similar attitude throughout the early and middle parts of the season, be rather conservative with injury management and make sure that we have the other team guessing and more importantly chasing us.

St.Kilda are the talk of the media ATM and are expected to go top 4 if not top 2 so the challenge is on to see how the boys react to this pressure, it has been 4 years since we ran out of steam after the streak hopefully the pain is still fresh in a lot of their minds.

I would also like to see the likes of Armo and Geary get a few more games than they would have in previous years, there is just something about the young gun 'indestructible' attitude that just lifts a club...

[Teflon]

I would also like to see the likes of Armo and Geary get a few more games than they would have in previous years, there is just something about the young gun 'indestructible' attitude that just lifts a club...

Great point.

Cant describe it but just the fact that all of a sudden a side that hasnt bottomed out lately but has unearthed some real talent just lifts the joint so much. The "windows closing" doomsayers need think again. Its still early days but the signs look good and I too would also like to see Gaery, Armo, Eddy, Allen, given some decent runs this year.

[chook23]

"it has been 4 years since we ran out of steam after the streak hopefully the pain is still fresh in a lot of their minds. "

We were back in form in 2004.

posted similar earlier in post

[bigcarl]

it has been 4 years since we ran out of steam after the streak hopefully the pain is still fresh in a lot of their minds.

a lot of them ... riewoldt, dal, ball, goose, kosi ... were just kids then. now they are fully grown men and better equipped to deal with the pressure

[ace]

In 2004 we had a very sucessful game plan but eventually its' dependence on "marking forwards on the lead" was exposed. When the opposition coaches first saw the saints beaten by flooding the 50 metre zone, they all quickly adopted it. GT had no plan "B". He was too arrogant, he REFUSED to use flood in retaliation. So when our forward thrusts broke down the opposition scored easily on the fast break. He insisted on creeping around the boundary that only made it so much easier for the opposition to get the flood into place and only needing to cover one side of the ground.
Geelong showed last year that the only way to beat a fllood is to attack straight down the centre with players running in a wave so they could handball to avoid being tackled.

[OneEyedSainter77]

This is something that has bugged me for a while. WHAT injuries did we have in 2004? i remember a lot of suspensions but I can't remember the injuries being anywhere near as bad as 2005/06.

[jonesy]

Our backline was murdered in the second half of the year. We played 5-6 games with virtually no one down there. Max,Maguire,Penny were out. I can't remember specifically now,but our second half of the year wasn't great with injuries.