2 hours ago, Demonsone said:

Totally agree! I’m all for growing the game and respecting our fellow indigenous Australians but I don’t see big clubs doing this eg Collingwood! Whatever home ground advantage we have is gone & certainly no guarantees we would win at the G but why do this & risk 4 points, sure do this as preseason game have an all star indigenous vs the MFC

100%.

where the hell were our local supporters? Why so many Saints supporters in the local crowd? Beyond disappointing after 10 years. Why bother.

(I’d like to sincerely acknowledge our cheer squad and all those who travelled - massive kudos)

12 minutes ago, bing181 said:

That's not how it works. There's no meaningful benefit for knocking the players around for a week in-season, quite the reverse. If you want them to be cherry-ripe you give them LESS training, not more.

Not that I want to get into the loading debate here but this is missing the key part, the loading part prior to the rest/taper

For those just blindly blaming our inaccurate kicking need to have a look at the shot map in wheelo's stat files.

We barely get any opportunities straight in front. For all the strides we've made over the last 6 weeks, our forwards continue lead into the pocket leading to difficult shots on goal. The Saints used the corridor much much better for better quality entries. They kicked 7 goals basically dead in front within 30m.

Our entries still aren't good enough, and if you go back and watch the QF against the fifth in '23 you'll see the same thing. If you pressure the opposition and force them wide, guess what? They have difficulty converting.

Given how close the competition is, I think we need 14 wins to definitely make it. That means we basically can only afford 2 maybe 3 more losses for the year but still have Collingwood twice, Gold Coast in GC and Adelaide away.

2 minutes ago, Spargonicus said:

100%.

where the hell were our local supporters? Why so many Saints supporters in the local crowd? Beyond disappointing after 10 years. Why bother.

(I’d like to sincerely acknowledge our cheer squad and all those who travelled - massive kudos)

I watched Lyon's presser and he mentioned the local school football team wears the Saints colours which may have been why.

If we play like that Collingwood will feast on us. I'm so confused as to why we can't seem to rectify the goalkicking? I understand there's going to be misses but very gettable set shots we just keep missing them. The amount of games we've lost due to misses are unbelievable.

Pathetic!!

32 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

I'm glad you're at least acknowledging the likely loading, because it was pretty clear our guys couldn't cover the field.

The first half TOG for a bunch of our guys was really unusual too.

Only one mid (Trac) cracked 20 disposals (with 7 pressure acts) - Max equalled Trac with 22 disposals for a team high touches. Oliver had 16 touches (10 pressure acts!), Rivers had 14 touches and 17 pressure acts (spent a third of the game at half back).

You then had our best pressure player over rhe last 6 weeks in Tom Sparrow with only 11 pressure acts, Chandler with 14 pressure acts.

These are not guys that don't bring consistent effort. It's just they couldn't get out of first gear.

I’d rather win the Saints game and get a huge mental boost going into the Pies game.

What I’ve said for a while now is that loading drastically underestimates the effect of psychology. The latter is THE MOST important aspect of most/all sports. Fitness and loading etc. is definitely important. But it doesn’t matter if you’re not getting up a head of steam in confidence and belief.

Win the games you can. Win them.

2 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

I watched Lyon's presser and he mentioned the local school football team wears the Saints colours which may have been why.

Yeah right. Seems to be a thing each year then. I’ve noticed similar each time. Aren’t WE the home team?

Why did we take Henderson in the SSP?

Showed little at AFL level, not doing a lot at VFL level and isn't filling a need.

AJ, for all his limitations, at least fills a hole. He'll be depth for two years then probably delisted.

Not sure I understand Henderson taking a list spot.

Add to Billings, Fullarton, McAdam, these are all list slots that could be with kids to accelerate our next tilt at a flag. Instead we've got no depth and very little VFL youth other than Tholstrup, Kentfield, Adams.

19 hours ago, DeeBlood said:

PERCENTAGE BOOSTER!!!

GO DEES!

As an extremely superstitious person, I implore you to delete your post and burn the entrails of a Hebridean long haired calf, while chanting “it’s a grand old flag…”.

• what did I tell you DB? A simple request, but oh no, that was too difficult for you… now look at what you’ve done!

Edited Sunday at 11:045 days by hardtack

7 minutes ago, seventyfour said:

Why did we take Henderson in the SSP?

Showed little at AFL level, not doing a lot at VFL level and isn't filling a need.

AJ, for all his limitations, at least fills a hole. He'll be depth for two years then probably delisted.

Not sure I understand Henderson taking a list spot.

Add to Billings, Fullarton, McAdam, these are all list slots that could be with kids to accelerate our next tilt at a flag. Instead we've got no depth and very little VFL youth other than Tholstrup, Kentfield, Adams.

What's that got to do with today's results?

56 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

I'm glad you're at least acknowledging the likely loading, because it was pretty clear our guys couldn't cover the field.

The first half TOG for a bunch of our guys was really unusual too.

Only one mid (Trac) cracked 20 disposals (with 7 pressure acts) - Max equalled Trac with 22 disposals for a team high touches. Oliver had 16 touches (10 pressure acts!), Rivers had 14 touches and 17 pressure acts (spent a third of the game at half back).

You then had our best pressure player over rhe last 6 weeks in Tom Sparrow with only 11 pressure acts, Chandler with 14 pressure acts.

These are not guys that don't bring consistent effort. It's just they couldn't get out of first gear.

Loading? Sorry that's laughable. What for? September holidays?

17 minutes ago, seventyfour said:

Why did we take Henderson in the SSP?

Showed little at AFL level, not doing a lot at VFL level and isn't filling a need.

AJ, for all his limitations, at least fills a hole. He'll be depth for two years then probably delisted.

Not sure I understand Henderson taking a list spot.

Add to Billings, Fullarton, McAdam, these are all list slots that could be with kids to accelerate our next tilt at a flag. Instead we've got no depth and very little VFL youth other than Tholstrup, Kentfield, Adams.

Our list mgt apart from the draft pics which have been great has been very poor compared to other premiers in recent times, not sure if they are just poor choices which is strange considering the young talent they choose or simply we don’t $$ in the cap to land big fish or they just not attracted to our club

This club is the biggest disappointment in my life.

So instead of winning & moving up a spot & being only a game behind those teams, we are now 2 games out of the 8

It is really irritating that Goodwin and to some extent Max in their interviews don’t seem to acknowledge the depth of a problem our goal kicking is - it happens time and time again over the last few years and there doesn’t appear any urgency to address it. I mean 7.21 really. Totally unacceptable.

The stats say the midfield went missing in action, Petracca and Gawn excepted. Oliver, Langdon, Rivers, Kossie, Langford, Sparrow all struggled to have any impact. That meant all our great running and ball movement through the corridor, breaking defensive lines from previous weeks went missing. The result was too many long bombs and too many predictable entries allowing Wilkie to take 15 defensive marks FFS! So the issues start there in the midfield.

This was a replay of our slow, predictable ball movement in games 1 to 5. Even then if we kicked straight, who knows we might have won. The heroics of May, Turner and McVee kept us within range. And the predictable F50 entries made our forwards look very average and the Saints interceptors look like champions. I hope Viney is cherry ripe for next week to bolster the midfield and TMac might need a run.

But in the end the vibes were there early that the team wasn’t switched on. Unforgivable.

33 minutes ago, BW511 said:

Not that I want to get into the loading debate here but this is missing the key part, the loading part prior to the rest/taper

Not that I want to get into the loading debate here either, but you're also missing the key part which is the rest/unloading prior to the loading phase, without which you don't have the freshness to cope with the excess loads. You can't just add extra load onto footballers knocking themselves out every weekend and where the main focus is recovery, recovery and then more recovery.

9 minutes ago, chook fowler said:

It is really irritating that Goodwin and to some extent Max in their interviews don’t seem to acknowledge the depth of a problem our goal kicking is - it happens time and time again over the last few years and there doesn’t appear any urgency to address it. I mean 7.21 really. Totally unacceptable.

It's infuriating isn't it. But also quite revealing. How can we expect them to address a problem if they don't acknowledge there is one.

3 hours ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

We got what we deserved today. Played lazy football throughout and were outworked by St K. Ironically if we'd been more accurate in front of goal we'd likely have won the game. We're gonna get chewed up and spat out on Monday week if we repeat that.

45 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

For those just blindly blaming our inaccurate kicking need to have a look at the shot map in wheelo's stat files.

We barely get any opportunities straight in front. For all the strides we've made over the last 6 weeks, our forwards continue lead into the pocket leading to difficult shots on goal. The Saints used the corridor much much better for better quality entries. They kicked 7 goals basically dead in front within 30m.

Our entries still aren't good enough, and if you go back and watch the QF against the fifth in '23 you'll see the same thing. If you pressure the opposition and force them wide, guess what? They have difficulty converting.

Given how close the competition is, I think we need 14 wins to definitely make it. That means we basically can only afford 2 maybe 3 more losses for the year but still have Collingwood twice, Gold Coast in GC and Adelaide away.

rubbish, we had so many shots straight in front it was laughable. some of them looked unmissable. We gifted the saints the game today. most of their goals came without a physical contest as they spread us and kicked well to position. infuriating.

Not ideal.

Thankfully I was away for the weekend, and checked the scores every now and then. I certainly won't be watching the highlights, let alone the replay.

I feel particularly sorry for the Demon Army people who paid good money to see what was apparently a rabble.

22 minutes ago, Earl Hood said:

The stats say the midfield went missing in action, Petracca and Gawn excepted. Oliver, Langdon, Rivers, Kossie, Langford, Sparrow all struggled to have any impact. That meant all our great running and ball movement through the corridor, breaking defensive lines from previous weeks went missing. The result was too many long bombs and too many predictable entries allowing Wilkie to take 15 defensive marks FFS! So the issues start there in the midfield.

This was a replay of our slow, predictable ball movement in games 1 to 5. Even then if we kicked straight, who knows we might have won. The heroics of May, Turner and McVee kept us within range. And the predictable F50 entries made our forwards look very average and the Saints interceptors look like champions. I hope Viney is cherry ripe for next week to bolster the midfield and TMac might need a run.

But in the end the vibes were there early that the team wasn’t switched on. Unforgivable.

The stats say it was the worst ever pressure rating under Goodwin

Loading

lol

Srsly

Along came Melbourne..

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKW2v8WJP4x/?igsh=a2Fvcjd6amIwM2Fq

I am late into this post.

But Marshall played well?

Reduced our centre clearances?

3 hours ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

Anyone that apportions the loss to Alice Springs is even more delusional than Simon.

Interesting you say that because the last two times we've played there we've let the opposition have 140+marks and 100 more disposals.

Ross must have just watched last year's tape because it's pretty obvious we just don't know how to defend that ground or the players just curl their toes up every time they go to Alice.