41 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

They look decent in half a season of footy.  We've taken it up to quality opposition, just like they have.  Let's see if their gameplan and list stand the test of time.  Roos has always said that he was building from the ground up for sustained success, not a quick fix that might shoot us up the ladder a little but flounder under pressure on in the finals.

Agreed.  There are the usual's who see everything in a negative light and won't budge from that no matter what you say.  There are both clear positives and negatives for the club at the moment, and I pity those that can't see both.

Your talents at finding new ways to garnish a shyte sandwich are masterful.

51 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

They were seen as the Baby Boos this year, what their mass import of kids.

We struggle to get off the tarmac perennially.

...and most of them are not getting a game. They are still riding on the back of their senior players and Cripps.

Just now, rjay said:

...and most of them are not getting a game. They are still riding on the back of their senior players and Cripps.

Rjay, that of itself is bewildering as supposedly their older brigade wasn't much chop. Bolton has everyone up and about as much as can be. Not bad effort nor result.

look at their age and experience profile and carlton should be there or thereabouts in terms of a spot in the 8. in truth, they're about the same as us - 2-3 games off - but in our favour is talent in youth as opposed to theirs in experience.

 

what bolton has done brilliantly at is getting them super-organised and super-disciplined. we do it intermittently - which to be honest may be to be expected given the youth of the side.

 

we're getting there and are more sustainable than them i feel.

 

but the way bolton is getting the best out of their group is to be commended.

 

meanwhile, peter wright looks a serious talent. only signed til the end of 2017. suitors will come thick and fast next year.

30 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Rjay, that of itself is bewildering as supposedly their older brigade wasn't much chop. Bolton has everyone up and about as much as can be. Not bad effort nor result.

May be more a reflection on Mick than Bolton.

My thinking is it's a bit both ways. Mick was a bust and Bolton a breath of fresh air...

I'll be interested to compare us with them in the next couple of seasons.

Cmon Dogs smash the Aints! 

Selwood is an absolute [censored]. How many head high frees can one player get?

6 minutes ago, Return to Glory said:

Selwood is an absolute [censored]. How many head high frees can one player get?

The Master 

Mitch Wallis broke his leg. Poor bloke. Horrible viewing. 

Mitch Wallace - wow. Broken leg (compound break by the look of it). Kicked his right leg with his left to snap the bone.

So the Saints are going to beat the Bulldogs, but Paul Roos comes out constantly saying that we are on the same level as the Saints.

Despite the fact that Paul Roos has been incapable of beating this team in his entire tenure, and we couldn't even beat the Bulldogs seconds in the VFL. Now looking like two wins behind the Saints, too.

Sad.

6 hours ago, AdamFphlebeb said:

I'm sorry, but we're still ahead of them, mate. Look at the ladder. We're younger and they're older. We'll only get better. This is their ceiling. I've liked your posts over a number of years, but your obstinate view of everything Melbourne being negative is what's getting tired. Yes, our improvement could have been steadier, but if it's a comparison between Melbourne and Carlton, we're still ahead.

Disagree.  We will only be ahead of  Carlton when we can beat them. Haven't done that for a while. 

Wow. What is the Saints' record at Docklands this year? Dogs' home game.  

Pressure +++ telling on the Dogs. And lack of forwards.  

Will be inspiring stuff if the doggies win this. Only 1 on the bench atm.

Saints about to go 2 games ahead of us.

if they were selling two games to Northern Territory instead of us, we would be 2 games ahead of them.

Wow looks like the saints will beat the doggies. There superstar recruit Boyd has 1 behind. Sorry I hate when the young ones cop it and who wouldnt take that offer but with no Stringer Boyd had to step up. 

Would love to know how many games the Saints have won outside of Etihad.  Wouldn't be many.  Played well but very lucky with the Dogs having so many injuries.  Still a middle of the road side like us.

Tip: look away if they replay the Wallace 'incident'. Shades of the Nathan Brown break.

What a surprise. Another complete basketcase of a club well and truly overtakes us. 2 games clear, and entirely due to double wins against us.

Add our pathetic loss to Essendon, and heartbreakers against West Coast & North Melbourne and you just have to wonder what might have been in 2016 if our coaching and on-field leadership weren't so questionable.

Frankly, we are miles off it. Roos has had 3 years and the improvement has been incremental at best; behind the Saints & Carlton and questionably similar to Richmond and the injury-riddled Collingwood.

[censored] I hate [censored] St Kilda

Dogs just cannot take a trick injury wise.
Just the sorta thing that would happen to us.

 

8 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

Would love to know how many games the Saints have won outside of Etihad.  Wouldn't be many.  Played well but very lucky with the Dogs having so many injuries.  Still a middle of the road side like us.

Saints have won one away from Etihad - at the MCG against the Pies when the Pies were in terrible form. 

The Saints have played at Etihad 11 times this year for 8 wins (72% win ratio)

Melbourne on the other hand has played at the MCG 9 times this year for 5 wins (55% win ratio)

Just now, demon9 said:

Saints have won one away from Etihad - at the MCG against the Pies when the Pies were in terrible form. 

The Saints have played at Etihad 11 times this year for 8 wins (72% win ratio)

Melbourne on the other hand has played at the MCG 9 times this year for 5 wins (55% win ratio)

Cheers for looking that up.

That's why the Saints don't scare me, nor do I believe they are 'further ahead' than us.  You need to be able to play outside footy to win the big one and progress, and they've looked TERRIBLE outside of Etihad.  Two of those games played outside saw them smashed by 100 and 88 points.

14 minutes ago, SaberFang said:

Add our pathetic loss to Essendon, and heartbreakers against West Coast & North Melbourne and you just have to wonder what might have been in 2016 if our coaching and on-field leadership weren't so questionable.

Frankly, we are miles off it. Roos has had 3 years and the improvement has been incremental at best; behind the Saints & Carlton and questionably similar to Richmond and the injury-riddled Collingwood.

So, we lost by a goal or less to 2 top 8 teams as you pointed out, but then we are miles off? 

Calm down mate. St Kilda play Etihad like millionaires. Away from it they have been completely uncompetitive at times. This is reflected by their percentage. They've been gifted 2 games against the team with the worst record on that ground by a mile. 

I'd take our list over theirs any day. And honestly that's what matters at the moment since they aren't playing finals and either are we.

41 minutes ago, monoccular said:

Disagree.  We will only be ahead of  Carlton when we can beat them. Haven't done that for a while. 

As in 2014. Only played them once since then.

43 minutes ago, SaberFang said:

So the Saints are going to beat the Bulldogs, but Paul Roos comes out constantly saying that we are on the same level as the Saints.

Despite the fact that Paul Roos has been incapable of beating this team in his entire tenure, and we couldn't even beat the Bulldogs seconds in the VFL. Now looking like two wins behind the Saints, too.

Sad.

 

22 minutes ago, SaberFang said:

What a surprise. Another complete basketcase of a club well and truly overtakes us. 2 games clear, and entirely due to double wins against us.

Add our pathetic loss to Essendon, and heartbreakers against West Coast & North Melbourne and you just have to wonder what might have been in 2016 if our coaching and on-field leadership weren't so questionable.

Frankly, we are miles off it. Roos has had 3 years and the improvement has been incremental at best; behind the Saints & Carlton and questionably similar to Richmond and the injury-riddled Collingwood.

Pretty sure just last week Roos mentioned that while there are similarities with us and the Saints, we weren't in the same boat given their band of experienced finals hardened players compared to us. Riewoldt, Montagna, Dempster, Gilbert, Fisher. They regularly field a team in the top 7 to 10 for games experience and average age as compared to us in the bottom 4.

Those 5 i mentioned along with Steven & Armitage almost always make up their best half dozen players every week and they've all played over 125 games.

I'm frustrated that they'll finish higher then us as i believe they're a team we're capable of beating, but their demographic says they should be challenging for the 8 and us not so much.

One thing i will say is that i'd take Hogan, Viney, Petracca, Oliver, Brayshaw, Gawn and Tyson over Mcartin, Freeman, Billings, Dunstan, Gresham, Weller and Hickey every day of the week.