On 13/03/2026 at 11:10, Macca said:

Of the 26 named players, 15 are experienced types, 6 are in that unproven/midrange* area (aged 22 & 23 with not a lot of top-notch AFL games under their belts) Along with 5 youngsters

• The Senior players need to stand up and lead the way

• 3 or 4 of the 6 midrange players need to establish themselves

• The youngsters need to keep progressing

*I've categorised Turner as an experienced player but have JVR in the midrange area

You can do the exercise yourself but you will come up with similar numbers

So we don't lack for experience but we do need the younger players pushing through

This is very interesting. I read Windsor and Langford in the guts as reason for excitement but also for patience. But this is a reminder that we're actually not that young. And a player like Turner, as you've pointed out, is young and has few games under his belt but has already shown himself to be reliable.

Even if the mid-range players don't establish themselves or improve like we hope, they shouldn't be getting pushed aside - at least not by the mid-level teams.

I was starting to the think a comfortable loss was on the cards tomorrow and that I should maintain low expectations throughout the season, but only because I had this misconception that "We're young". Maybe I need to be more optimistic.

Saints supporters on bigfooty talking like as if they haven't missed finals for 13 of the last 14 seasons. They are up and about and extremely confident.

I think we are stronger than them on every line. Odds are probably accurate given form.

So is King a boundary line coach or a sit in the box coach I wonder