The last two years I've come into round one thinking "the stars have aligned" for a round one win, both games against interstate clubs we'd beaten in the previous year at the MCG. Look how that turned out.

I'm not saying be negative, but I'm going to that game with the memories of the years gone.

We have not won a Round 1 (or 2) match since 2005 - I don't care how we do it, I want a win in the first two rounds!

Four points is four points, don't think a team in our position really has any right to be picky about how we get wins, if infact we are good enough to win

%

Of course I'm not celebrating this news, but it looks as if the stars are aligning for our first round 1 win in some time.

Steven out for 6 or more weeks with a foot injury so that's another one down in their midfield.

Steven

Montagna

Dal Santo - (north)

Gilbert (backman)

And an under-done Hayes and Riewoldt for the moment.

Meanwhile, our injury list is as healthy as it's ever been.

bitter/sweet news?

St-Kilda won't beat us anyway.

they are on the rebuild that should have been running since Lyon started there years ago, building on what Thomas recruited.

They will want to stay in the lower echelons of the ladder, if not the bottom.

With the Giants in need of a climb, & the Sun's rising, the Saints will be serving their penance in the bowels of Vlads domain.

This is good news in a practical sense but mixed new psychologically.

My concern is that there have been a number of occasions where the talk before a game was 'they have lots of injuries so we have a chance this week', after which we got resoundingly smashed. Even amongst a run of more adequate form.

Could just be confirmation bias, of course.

On paper, we know will have an overall superior midfield, trouble is, they have some individual midfielders out there who can turn the balance all on their own. So, wary to the last moment.

Shame for him, good for us.

I'd rather a round 1 win from where we're coming from, regardless of the opposition and who they have in or out.

We need to remember what it feels like to play well and win.

It's a non-negotiable.

I remember 2011 an understrength North travelled to Perth to take on Meth Coast, Cam Pedersen rucked all day bravely against Cox & Natanui, it was only very late in the 4th quarter that Meth Coast finally shrugged them off and held on to win.

They won a couple over the next few weeks in arm wrestles and they gained momentum and confidence as the season went on. Meth Coast ended up finishing top 4 after winning the spoon the previous year.

I'll take 4 points and a good performance and something to build on, we don't have the older stars Meth Coast had in 2011 but a win would get us off in the right direction

meth coke, pennant, it's meth coke.

just want a win.

OMG --- I am getting so sick of these posts. We get them several times a year. Player "x" will be missing next week, so we really should have an easy win!!!!!!

FCS we just need to learn to beat whoever the opposition send out against us, be it their A side or their Z side.

Get over this cr@p about their injuries / retirements / suspensions, and get our own house in order.

OMG --- I am getting so sick of these posts. We get them several times a year. Player "x" will be missing next week, so we really should have an easy win!!!!!!

FCS we just need to learn to beat whoever the opposition send out against us, be it their A side or their Z side.

Get over this cr@p about their injuries / retirements / suspensions, and get our own house in order.

Yep, we have no control over who they pick to play or don't play. We just need to win and build a belief that we can win each time we run onto the ground, regardless of opposition. Confidence and self belief.

Had our fair share of long term injuries like this ourselves. Poor bugger.

A win here could damage our prospects of a priority pick, let us not forget

I've penciled Saints to be rewarded this big brown spoon at the end of the year.

If we lose to them, we're kaputt.

OMG --- I am getting so sick of these posts. We get them several times a year. Player "x" will be missing next week, so we really should have an easy win!!!!!!

FCS we just need to learn to beat whoever the opposition send out against us, be it their A side or their Z side.

Get over this cr@p about their injuries / retirements / suspensions, and get our own house in order.

Relax....we've got this.

I'd rather beat a full strength Saints side. If we are to be competitive we need to preform against the best players/sides.

Lets just take any win we can get.

We will still have better players missing than them

Lets smash those scumbags

No excuses now.

Terrible singer anyway.

I remember thinking the same thing for the past 2 years, both Port and Brisbane missing key players we should win, by half time our seasons was over. Even going back to 2007 heading to the MCG Friday Night against St Kilda Round 1, the beginning of the downward spiral. Hopefully against the same team we can start to climb out of the hole we have been in for the past 7 years.

It's seems to me supporters have been beaten to a pulp in the last many years. Standards and expectations are very low. I think the club has it right. Percentage will be the real indicator to our success this year. I read this as minimising our losses to the top teams. Therefore getting closer to being a top club ourselves in the future.Beating an undermanned St Kilda, will be a level higher than beating GWS! The players will gain real confidence in competing against the best teams for long periods. Roos isn't here to beat bottom 4 teams, he is here to set up a successful future.I'll take the win under any circumstance. But the club needs to be competitive against the league leaders. The best way for this to happen is to play the best regularly.

You're stating the bleeding obvious as well as missing the point.

A win in round 1 will do wonders for us, no matter who the team, no matter who the personnel. You can't underestimate the significance a win will have on the psyche of our players and it's especially important for us going into round two against west coast at the G. It will bring more supporters, we'll be on a high as a side and we all know how riding high on confidence can completely change how a sporting team plays. Look at the Aussies during the Ashes and even the first test against South Africa. Mitchell Johnson... He's invincible now.

Obviously we'll have a better indication of where we're at when we come up against full strength top four sides, but if you think that winning in general isn't going to have some influence in being 'competitive' against full strength top 8/4 sides, then you need to have a look at the history of sport pal.

A few years back, we played Hawthorn in round 1 and the Hawks had a long injury list. I had high hopes of a win because their squad looked relatively weak for the Hawks. They still creamed us so the moral of the story is ...

A few years back, we played Hawthorn in round 1 and the Hawks had a long injury list. I had high hopes of a win because their squad looked relatively weak for the Hawks. They still creamed us so the moral of the story is ...

that was then

and this is now

A few years back, we played Hawthorn in round 1 and the Hawks had a long injury list. I had high hopes of a win because their squad looked relatively weak for the Hawks. They still creamed us so the moral of the story is ...

Were they slated to be a spoon contender that year ?

A few years back, we played Hawthorn in round 1 and the Hawks had a long injury list. I had high hopes of a win because their squad looked relatively weak for the Hawks. They still creamed us so the moral of the story is ...

We are coming up against the widely tipped wooden spooners, not a team that won the premiership two seasons ago. It is a very different scenario.