GAME DAY - ROUND 1

[Tatu 416]

When you look at the players the Saints had unavailable, it makes this win for them a highlight.

I aknowledge our bad luck, but NO other team would have lost tonight.

we should have won this.... Pederson as the main target killed us.... And did Howe play? Farout!!

[Demon Dynasty 17,130]

Being two men down and totally bereft of scoring power, I can't see us winning this. In fact, I can't see us winning too much at all this year.

I agree chook. Apart from Jones, Reiwoldt and Armatige tonight (yes they have many outs who are worthy inclusions when they return) we played a very ordinary team this evening and still couldn't put any scoreboard pressure on them.

Unless Dawes, Garland, Viney and Hogan return within 3 weeks i'd be surprised to see us beat many teams this year. My prediction of 2 to 4 victories (max) looks about right at this point.

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

Sorry mate but this is what I can't stand, if the players really 'played the game out' we would have won the game. Do you really think Dawes or Hogan would have changed the result? We did choke and that's the difference. We choked against an undermanned st. kilda which to me is not an improvement at all so can you really see any improvement? We had not one consistent player all night. Yeah sure plenty drifted in and out but no consistency.

Yes, I thing Dawes and Hogan would have made the difference.

Just as Riewoldt did after TMac copped the corky

[watchtheeyes 1,429]

Whoever is going on about signing off MFC, go for it, we don't want such short minded fair weather supporters.

Tonight was always going to be tight, tonight was clearly.. CLEARY, much better than almost any time last year.

I'm signing off demonland instead

[dee-luded 2,959]

Wow that was a terrible game. So many skill errors and we panicked big time!! Had no counter for the Saints extra man and press in defence. We really needed Howe and Fitz to stand up and kick 5 goals between them...

Our structure was cracked open with injuries, & it was a patched up structure going in.

this puts self doubt & loss of focus into our boys heads early.

[Earl Hood 6,142]

We ended up with no forward targets, we kicked poorly early on but what worried me was the midfield. It was basically smashed after half time!

I thought that was where we were going to build from and I would be happy with that.

The few positives tonight for me were J Watts, still a work in progress, showed something but needed to take the first option and kick it more often. N Jones, Dunn, Terlich maybe. The difference in the end was Reiwoldt and our injured MacDonald!

[DoreenDee 59]

And pray tell, how does withdrawing your membership help? You give the new administration and coaching group one game and that's it? Particularly when we still have a few of our major players to come back in. To use your own word "pathetic".

The major problem that I do have is that round 1 every year for the last few years HAS been a new coaching group and/or administration and it's not good enough and the players sooner or later need to take some responsibility. And as I said earlier st kilda had plenty of injuries too so our injuries are no excuse. I appreciate that you want to stand by the team I really do but some of us have had enough and struggle to see the positives after so much dissapointment.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,102]

Jack Watts, 96.3% efficiency and a lot of that was from in the middle of heavy traffic. Great work.

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

The major problem that I do have is that round 1 every year for the last few years HAS been a new coaching group and/or administration and it's not good enough and the players sooner or later need to take some responsibility. And as I said earlier st kilda had plenty of injuries too so our injuries are no excuse. I appreciate that you want to stand by the team I really do but some of us have had enough and struggle to see the positives after so much dissapointment.

Continuing our chat, inside 50's 47-38 our way, conversion rate 56% to Saints, 29% to us! there is the game.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

We were always going to struggle with that team.. against any opposition. Surprised that we actually had an opportunity to win, that is with our only real tall forward subbed out, another tall who played most of the game on one leg. Howe our other avenue to goal also looked lame.

The midfield is definitely vastly improved. Game style and structure is apparent. We failed to attack the goal face due to a lack of forwards, we should have pushed the ball deeper and straighter anyway.

Tom Mc staying on the ground was costly.

Edited March 22, 2014 by jabberwocky

[Gipsy Danger 1,067]

While we weren't good tonight I can take out of it that we weren't nearly as bad as we were last year. Improvement is there but there is a bloody long way to go

[Demon Dynasty 17,130]

Damn Watts has been great though

He was very good tonight. He gave us some run and creativity and created time and space bringing others into the game and starting many attacking runs off half back.

Edited March 22, 2014 by Rusty Nails

[RalphiusMaximus 6,102]

You want someone to blame, look to Pedersen and Vince.

Pedo 0 goals, 3 points.

Vince, 1 Goal, 4 points.

That's the game right there. If they had converted the chances they should have we won. We can go further and say that Trengove, Howe, Bail and N. Jones all kicked a single point, and three of those should have been easy goals as well.

Yes, I'm upset that we lost this, but I'm not slitting my wrists. This was entirely down to players being unable to kick goals when they bloody well should have, and that is so much better than previous years where we lost by 70-odd with 80 points coming from direct turnovers in the back half.

[Pates 9,672]

Continuing our chat, inside 50's 47-38 our way, conversion rate 56% to Saints, 29% to us! there is the game.

Well said, our kicking into the 50 and then once we were inside 50 was pathetic. Still seems like no one is willing to stand up and kick a goal, they all seem to give it off rather than back themselves.

[DoreenDee 59]

,

Continuing our chat, inside 50's 47-38 our way, conversion rate 56% to Saints, 29% to us! there is the game.

Dawes is a great guy to have at the club but 3 goals a game is beyond him. He runs all day but we both know he isn't a great mark especially overhead, and Hogan hasn't even played a game for us yet so I still don't believe they would have been the difference. You could argue that we would at least have a tall target to kick to and the crumbers could get a few goals but lets be honest they could have kicked to a leading pederson or fitzy while he was playing if that was our plan. And the arguement that at least howe would take the third defender is rubbish as was howe the whole game

[Deecisive 1,709]

did not chase the st kilda players near the end, just sat back and watched them kick it around. poor defensive pressure in our half.. Woeful delivery into the forward line, regardless of us being down players no named forwards, etc we had the ball often enough but farted around with it. too much looking sideways instead of moving it on quickly, its great for stats but poor for winning football games. looks like they did not pay much attention to what hawthorn did to us a week or so ago when they moved it on quickly all the time going backwards only when they needed to. our first reaction is to go back or sideways. a very poor effort. not a good start to the season against possibly the 2nd or 3rd worst team in the competition...

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

,

Dawes is a great guy to have at the club but 3 goals a game is beyond him. He runs all day but we both know he isn't a great mark especially overhead, and Hogan hasn't even played a game for us yet so I still don't believe they would have been the difference. You could argue that we would at least have a tall target to kick to and the crumbers could get a few goals but lets be honest they could have kicked to a leading pederson or fitzy while he was playing if that was our plan. And the arguement that at least howe would take the third defender is rubbish as was howe the whole game

Agree to disagree.

Hogan I have seen a few times at Casey and am excited by what he will bring, along with Dawes I have little doubt they could have added 4 goals between them, just as Pedersen could have kicked 3 if he could kick.

Howe is better than the trash he served up tonight.

I'm not worried about our forward line long term, have been worried about our midfield though, tonight showed me that it won't be the Achilles heal that it has been for so long.

[Pipefitter 2,213]

If we had even one of our forwards tonight we would have won. I don't think id feel much better about it though. What a terrible game.

[DoreenDee 59]

Agree to disagree.

Hogan I have seen a few times at Casey and am excited by what he will bring, along with Dawes I have little doubt they could have added 4 goals between them, just as Pedersen could have kicked 3 if he could kick.

Howe is better than the trash he served up tonight.

I'm not worried about our forward line long term, have been worried about our midfield though, tonight showed me that it won't be the Achilles heal that it has been for so long.

Am very excited about Hogan this year but not sure with the delivery we had tonight that him and Dawes would have bagged 4 between them but like you say agree to disagree, and our midfield really did look like our achilles heal tonight, If it can't beat a st kilda midfield missing hayes, montagne and stevens then what midfield can we beat? Agree that it looks a bit better but lets not go over the top

[dee-luded 2,959]

Matt gave us some run and class through the middle and outside in parts of the 2nd half.

Bail's finish and ability to choose obvious/basic forward options (ie., hit targets) has been his downfall his whole career so far. I think it's time to look elsewhere if he can't turn this aspect around in the first half of this season.

I agree re Bail, he has to show more leadership with his age & years he's been around senior footy now. his lack of awareness doesn't help us score but it undermines the team belief. but he's out of position for him, as IMO he rather be around the wing.

Viney or Tapscott in next week for Byrnes, on the forward flank ! also I'd like to see Evans, or Blease in, after apparently a good game, for JK-H. JK-H IMO is too light, for the Eagles.

I'd think TMac will miss next week, at the least. Fitzy may need a rest after a head knock. So our talls are stretched.. the Max factor may get a run in Fitzy's spot.

I have my doubts about Rohan Bails composure & creativity when up forward. Barry or JK-H could be better there.

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

Am very excited about Hogan this year but not sure with the delivery we had tonight that him and Dawes would have bagged 4 between them but like you say agree to disagree, and our midfield really did look like our achilles heal tonight, If it can't beat a st kilda midfield missing hayes, montagne and stevens then what midfield can we beat? Agree that it looks a bit better but lets not go over the top

I don't consider it going over the top saying our midfield has improved, fact is we had 20% more inside 50s than them, we wasted them sadly and weren't good enough, but I saw enough to give me some hope for the future, something I haven't witnessed in round 1 for a long time

[darkhorse72 1,926]

Jack Watts, 96.3% efficiency and a lot of that was from in the middle of heavy traffic. Great work.

He has improved...even took on the oppo.

The second qtr killed us with 10 pts straight. If we had converted 1/3 of our misses we would have won, pretty simple.

Over all the structure has improved, but more kicking would be great...held it too long.

[dee-luded 2,959]

We ended up with no forward targets, we kicked poorly early on but what worried me was the midfield. It was basically smashed after half time!

I thought that was where we were going to build from and I would be happy with that.

The few positives tonight for me were J Watts, still a work in progress, showed something but needed to take the first option and kick it more often. N Jones, Dunn, Terlich maybe. The difference in the end was Reiwoldt and our injured MacDonald!

just a loss of focus I think Hood, they worked on Vince to distract him, & we were in & out of focus. its not any one area of concern but just to smooth out spots across the field. which effects the team confidence.

the main area of concern is our team balance/structure. we need Garland back & Dawes in, to supplement our other talls so the mid sized players can just focus on their direct areas.

[DoreenDee 59]

I don't consider it going over the top saying our midfield has improved, fact is we had 20% more inside 50s than them, we wasted them sadly and weren't good enough, but I saw enough to give me some hope for the future, something I haven't witnessed in round 1 for a long time

I agree that our midfield has improved slightly but to not be able to beat an injury ravaged St Kilda midfield doesn't fill me with a heap of confidence, have to agree with the bolded part though..

[dee-luded 2,959]

,

Dawes is a great guy to have at the club but 3 goals a game is beyond him. He runs all day but we both know he isn't a great mark especially overhead, and Hogan hasn't even played a game for us yet so I still don't believe they would have been the difference. You could argue that we would at least have a tall target to kick to and the crumbers could get a few goals but lets be honest they could have kicked to a leading pederson or fitzy while he was playing if that was our plan. And the arguement that at least howe would take the third defender is rubbish as was howe the whole game

your thinking in terms of individuals, & not the collective sum to the team. Dawes would be worth 3 goals + to the team in belief terms. structure wise the players would feel more potent & an then attack the game with more belief.

And having lost Fitzy, over exposed Howe to too much pressure.

this cause the whole team to tense up & feel under the pump. composure is lost.