This Year's AFL Premiers

[Tink]

Just for you Jim Stynes

It's a grand old flag
It's a high flying flag

Go the Melbourne Demons

:bananasmi

 

[>Apocalypto<]

well what I saw on Sat night was a sure mirror image of what i saw happen at AMMI this time last year to Port!

Damn I didn't see any Saints footy!

well I hope the boys bring there A game this weekend for the Friday night game with the Dogs!

GO SAINTS

 

[GumbyLearner]

well what I saw on Sat night was a sure mirror image of what i saw happen at AMMI this time last year to Port!

Damn I didn't see any Saints footy!

well I hope the boys bring there A game this weekend for the Friday night game with the Dogs!

GO SAINTS

Great game tonight Apoc. Not bad considering it was the Saints third game in 12 days. At least St.Kilda get a nine day break to face Carlton next round.

Sam Fisher (you bloody beauty ) smashed Hall all night & kicked the winner.
Armitage & McQualter were great in the the final 5 minutes.



Here's a quote to remember come September

Dennis Commetti with 6 minutes and 57 seconds to go in the final quarter.
Dogs 6 10 46
Saints 4 7 31

"Looking at their second consecutive loss the Saints. Talk about the finals they will have to make it first."

5-1.

 

[pixel]

hmm - I saw a different game tonight.
It was still played between Western Bulldogs and St Kilda, but it was such a dull affair, killing time with short handballs and kicks back to a free mate, inaccuracy in front of goal, and petty niggles ... although I had tipped the Saints by 9, I didn't think either team deserved to win.
Most definitely, neither deserved, on tonight's performance, to play in the GF.

 

[GumbyLearner]

hmm - I saw a different game tonight.
It was still played between Western Bulldogs and St Kilda, but it was such a dull affair, killing time with short handballs and kicks back to a free mate

I thought it was an intriguing display of battle chess that Ross Lyon eventually won. Go the 4 points! Go the Sainters!

 

[newbie trader]

Lions game tonight - Sherman and Power are back which is very positive, however, Merrett is out (bit of a problem as he played on Bradshaw during training etc when Bradshaw played for us). Hope the lions get up tonight will be a good game.

 

[nomore4s]

I thought it was an intriguing display of battle chess that Ross Lyon eventually won. Go the 4 points! Go the Sainters!

Are you serious? You must be the most one-eyed supporter in the world.

That as well as the Saints game last week was one of the worst games of footy ever, if St Kilda continue to play that brand of footy they will lose a few games imo.

It keeps their opponents in the game and while they got lucky this week last week they paid the price.

I would be surprised and disappointed if they won a flag playing that style of football. I for one will be going for any side that plays St Kilda in the GF if St Kilda make it, that style of footy doesn't deserve to win a flag imo.

I certainly won't be watching too many more Saints games either.

 

[JTLP]

Are you serious? You must be the most one-eyed supporter in the world.

That as well as the Saints game last week was one of the worst games of footy ever, if St Kilda continue to play that brand of footy they will lose a few games imo.

It keeps their opponents in the game and while they got lucky this week last week they paid the price.

I would be surprised and disappointed if they won a flag playing that style of football. I for one will be going for any side that plays St Kilda in the GF if St Kilda make it, that style of footy doesn't deserve to win a flag imo.

I certainly won't be watching too many more Saints games either.

Agree 100%.

St Kilda are like watching grass grow. Every time the Dogs went forward it just turned into every St Kilda player being behind the halfway mark and having about 5 free men in their defensive 50. This caused the Dogs to chip the ball around and not go up the guts.

I've never liked the Saints or Ross Lyon. Arrogant, sooky and a team full of dirty dogs and shady characters.

 

[ThingyMajiggy]

... although I had tipped the Saints by 9

lol, I had the exact same tip, Saints by 9.

It was pretty much the one and only time I actually wanted the saints to kick another goal, but only to get my tip exactly right Still felt a little ill cheering the Saints on to kick another one though

 

[gav]

St Kilda are like watching grass grow. Every time the Dogs went forward it just turned into every St Kilda player being behind the halfway mark and having about 5 free men in their defensive 50. This caused the Dogs to chip the ball around and not go up the guts.

I didn't watch last night's game, but the way you described it sounds exactly like the style of play the Swans used in 2005 and 2006. Very frustrating to watch.

 

[>Apocalypto<]

yes guys is was slow and restrictive and at times very frustrating for me a saints supporter.

But, they did there job kept in the game while restricting the dogs to a very low score. Now the saints did this all last year, the only difference, we went forward and scored in the process.

I have to say we miss Roo, but based on the current structure we have to win how we can. I will say one thing though, if we can't structure our offense and forward moves we won't do to well.

the score board is what matters and while it's fine to keep teams to 50 points or less you still have to kick 12 or more to win each time.

all in all a lucky win, but a win!

March em in SAINTS!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JTLP]

I didn't watch last night's game, but the way you described it sounds exactly like the style of play the Swans used in 2005 and 2006. Very frustrating to watch.

Exactly that style. And the Swans still do it. As much as I hate them Essendon play an exciting brand of football...run, carry and straight up the middle. Tonight's game against my boy's will be fantastic...cursing Sydney is showing the Brisbane game

The AFL can't really do much to combat this style of play. I guess teams need a few long bombers who can drill a goal from 50+ out and that will quickly desolve any 'zoning'. Just the hand off to Hodge/Gilbee etc etc will do it

 

[nomore4s]

Speaking of disappointing, how pathetic were Hawthorn last night. That is why I rate us a borderline finals team at best.

Our backline is a joke, Murphy, Guerra, Shoenmakers all turn the ball over with amazing ease and regularity. Franklin & Roughead are nowhere near the players they were 2 years ago, neither of them work hard enough imo - and what is the go with Rougheads kicking.

If it wasn't for Hodge, Mitchel & maybe Rioli we would be a bottom 4 side imo.

In short we suck.

Rinse & repeat.

We are without a doubt a bottom 4 side atm, I think we would struggle to beat Richmond on current form. Too many of our players don't deserve to be playing AFL football on current form imo, and even worse too many of them look like they aren't interested in playing AFL football.

 

[Pivotonian]

Are you serious? You must be the most one-eyed supporter in the world.

That as well as the Saints game last week was one of the worst games of footy ever, if St Kilda continue to play that brand of footy they will lose a few games imo.

It keeps their opponents in the game and while they got lucky this week last week they paid the price.

I would be surprised and disappointed if they won a flag playing that style of football. I for one will be going for any side that plays St Kilda in the GF if St Kilda make it, that style of footy doesn't deserve to win a flag imo.

I certainly won't be watching too many more Saints games either.

Hear hear!

That game on Friday night was embarrassing for the AFL and embarrassing for all Saints supporters. Frankly, if I was a Saints supporter and had that crap served up to me every week, I would boycott. Seven (7)! scording shots in three and a bit quarters of footy at Etihad is absolutely atrocious.

Thank goodness my team is one of the most exciting, highest scoring sides in recent history AND wins games as well. At least I can go to matches and cheer goals.

By any reckoning, last years' grand final was a win for the game itself and for supporters of good football everywhere. If the Saints had won, can you imagine all the other clubs this year trying to copy them? For the football viewing public, it would have been a tragedy of epic proportions.

The only good news (besides the lack of a flag) is that like the Swans of a few years ago and "Clarko's Cluster" of 2008, teams will sooner or later work you out and force Lyon and co to change the gameplan.

 

[GumbyLearner]

Hear hear!

That game on Friday night was embarrassing for the AFL and embarrassing for all Saints supporters. Frankly, if I was a Saints supporter and had that crap served up to me every week, I would boycott. Seven (7)! scording shots in three and a bit quarters of footy at Etihad is absolutely atrocious.

I feel sorry for you Piv that you had to watch such a boring spectacle on Friday night. I would never consider boycotting as a Saints fan though. If we win a flag this year playing that sort of football after waiting all my life to see a flag, I'll take it anyday. Just remember who invented the flood, it was not the St Kilda football club.

GO SAINTS. BORE THE PANTS OFF THEM!!!!

 

[>Apocalypto<]

Hear hear!

That game on Friday night was embarrassing for the AFL and embarrassing for all Saints supporters. Frankly, if I was a Saints supporter and had that crap served up to me every week, I would boycott. Seven (7)! scording shots in three and a bit quarters of footy at Etihad is absolutely atrocious..

Big deal, the game was an arm wrestle and the better team snatched it. come on 4 weeks ago the saints had 7 or more goals in their opening term. short memory. the game to the Dockers was a shoot out. please two games and the saints are playing the worst football? last year we played the best football ever seen.

Thank goodness my team is one of the most exciting, highest scoring sides in recent history AND wins games as well. At least I can go to matches and cheer goals.

I guess the pies.

By any reckoning, last years' grand final was a win for the game itself and for supporters of good football everywhere. If the Saints had won, can you imagine all the other clubs this year trying to copy them? For the football viewing public, it would have been a tragedy of epic proportions.

crap, it was wet and a massive struggle for both teams. most of last year the saints shot through the corridor to the horror of most opponents. again short memory.

The only good news (besides the lack of a flag) is that like the Swans of a few years ago and "Clarko's Cluster" of 2008, teams will sooner or later work you out and force Lyon and co to change the gameplan.

The current game plan is due to one massive fact, we're missing our key forward. or is that not an issue. the whole game plan has had to change. think about it.

Basicly an idiot post on a many points.


CARN THE SAINTS!!!!!!!!

 

[>Apocalypto<]

Rinse & repeat.

We are without a doubt a bottom 4 side atm, I think we would struggle to beat Richmond on current form. Too many of our players don't deserve to be playing AFL football on current form imo, and even worse too many of them look like they aren't interested in playing AFL football.

yeh, a world of trouble down at Hawks land ATM, well at least you grabbed a premiership in the last 40+ year!

I can't remember seeing a team just fall off like that after taking the major prize.

 

[Pivotonian]

Big deal, the game was an arm wrestle and the better team snatched it. come on 4 weeks ago the saints had 7 or more goals in their opening term. short memory. the game to the Dockers was a shoot out. please two games and the saints are playing the worst football? last year we played the best football ever seen.

Better team last Friday? For the last 10 minutes, yes. Not so sure about the rest of the match. You were behind for pretty much the entire game until then.

So let's look at the Saints so far this year. You are averaging the lowest points per game of any of the top 10 teams on the ladder this year, other than Port Adelaide. Considering there was a blowout against the Roos (mainly due to straight kicking - you still only had 28 scoring shots) and you play the majority of your games at Etihad (4 of 6 so far), that's a fairly indicative I would have thought.

Even your "shootout" against the Dockers at Etihad produced 51 scoring shots and an aggregate of 201 points - thats only 5th highest for scoring shots and 3rd highest for aggregate score among just the games played that week. On the same day without the benefit of a roof and pristine conditions Geelong had 44 scoring shots and 159 points by themselves.

But of greater concern is that in the last two weeks you have scores of 44 and 49. The latter again under the roof at Etihad. Yes its only two weeks, but if it starts to become a longer term trend then the game will be far the worse for it. That was my point. Not that you produce terrible games every week, but that your gameplan is more likely to produce terrible games, and the more it is used by you and (heaven forbid) by other clubs, the more terrible games we will get.

Sure, Riewoldt's out, bad luck. But you need to be able to cover a single player, even if he's your best key forward. Look at Carlton - they lost Fev over the off season and still averaging comfortably higher scores than the Saints this year.

Oh, and by the way, the Saints have been a great side for the last year and a bit, no doubt, but the "best football ever seen" is so ridiculously laughable that I hesitate to even mention it. I mean, come on, you win 20/22 - not even the best H&A record in the past three years, let alone ever - before falling over the line in a PF and then losing a GF, and its the "best football ever seen"? What a joke.

Bottom line: very good team, not fantastic, tend to be overly defensive generally but right now seem to have degenerated into really ugly "football" because they can't cope with the loss of one player.

I guess the pies.

You guess wrong. I would have thought my user name gave it away, but I guess not so I'll give you some clues:
- We are the highest scoring side in the AFL this year (average per game), again
- We have top two highest single game scores of any club this year
- We play a very attractive, quick, attacking brand of football
- We beat you in the GF last year for our second flag in three years

crap, it was wet and a massive struggle for both teams. most of last year the saints shot through the corridor to the horror of most opponents. again short memory.

I wasn't talking about the GF game itself, I was talking about the credibility that would have attached to the Saints gameplan had you won the GF.

I would say that the Saints gameplan can be fine in the hands of the Saints, as you have a lot of scoring power through the middle and up forward and really hurt teams on the rebound. And you have done that on several occasions since the start of 2009. But when it goes wrong (see the last two weeks), it is all defence and no offence and it gets spectacularly bad.

My concern for AFL supporters generally was that had the Saints won the GF, over the off season lesser teams would have tried to copy the gameplan, and we'd end up with plenty more games like last Friday night.

The current game plan is due to one massive fact, we're missing our key forward. or is that not an issue. the whole game plan has had to change. think about it.

Surely the Saints are better than that? You lose one player, even a great one, and you're reduced to scoring an aggregate of 93 in eight quarters of football. In fact, take out the last 10 minutes of Friday night and you scored 75 in about seven and a half quarters. Wow.

As I said above, if you're going to be a great side, you need to learn to cover a single player.

I can use Geelong as an example, not just because they're my team, but because by any definition they're a great side.

Last week we were missing clearly the best player in the competition (Ablett),the best fullback of the past decade (Scarlett) and a mutliple B&F winner (Corey), and still won by 18 goals while posting the highest score of any side this season. OK, so only against Richmond, but still.

We were without arguably our most important player, Ottens, for much of last year (and now he's out for much of this year too) and still went 18-4. We have also lost Chapman, Scarlett, Ablett, S Johnson, Varcoe, Stokes, Rooke, Harley and others for extended periods of time over the last couple of years, but have still won as many games as we have.

So Riewoldt is out for a while. Suck it up, and learn to play without him.

Basicly an idiot post on a many points.

LOL. And yours was basically an emotional spew that either ignored or misunderstood my point, and lacked much at all in the way of logic or sense.

 

[gav]

Rinse & repeat.

We are without a doubt a bottom 4 side atm, I think we would struggle to beat Richmond on current form. Too many of our players don't deserve to be playing AFL football on current form imo, and even worse too many of them look like they aren't interested in playing AFL football.

Your guys were smashed in the ruck by Essendon, so how do you think they'll fair against Cox and NicNat this week?

 

[Sean K]

Anyone taking a punt on the Premier?

I read somewhere that the top 5 picks were all around $4.00 - $4.50 ish.

I don't think anyone can beat them.

Why not put a few K on each of them and take the arb?