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Showing content with the highest reputation on 28/03/21 in all areas

  1. That game could be the making of us where the players get what it means to play your role for the win and the rest will follow. - Rarely did our mids go for the same ball. Trac in particular once he saw it was closest to Oliver at times stepped out of the contest for the receive but maintained a defensive position just in case. - Our half backs were dominant I dont think I have seen Salem or Hunt play better games of balanced defence and attack. Rivers was al,so instrumental. - I can only recall one occasion where our defenders were all up in one contest. Generally they trusted their mate and looked to minimise others joining the contest (sometimes with May too obviously). - A bunch of lesser lights showed they can play high quality roles not just make up the numbers, particular mention to Tomlinson, ANB, rejuvenated TMac and old man Jetta. - Our forward pressure was manic which meant even when they weren’t pressured they panicked. 66 pressure acts between ANB, Spargo and Kozzie (Higgins, Lonie, Butler had 37). The Melbourney thing to do now would be to get ahead of ourselves and drop our bundle against the Giants. I look forward to being proven wrong.
    23 points
  2. Just got home after a skin full with a hoarse voice. South Melbourne market dimmies on the steamer and replay on. I went tonight expecting a loss, expecting to be run ragged by the Saints. We rattled them, made them second guess themselves, forced them to kick hurriedly to nobody. It was a beautiful thing to watch. We didn’t rush ourselves and continued to hit targets with short kicks. Forward entries still need work, but it didn’t matter so much knowing we had dangerous smalls circling like hungry animals. Although the clearance stats were fairly even, we won the clearances that mattered. Wasn’t perfect, but we beat a side that has been pumped up to the shizenhousen by the media on their home deck by three goals. Should have been 8 goals. Haven’t come home feeling so elated after a game of footy for a long time. Thanks Dees.
    22 points
  3. Great to wake up on a Sunday morning with a win. Though I'm fairly sore as we finally got round 1 underway up here in local footy. How good!! Said it last night that under the circumstances of the night with big occasion, many past Saint greats attending, and crowd noise that win will be pivotal. To not get flustered and rise to to the challange when the saints were 16 points up was simply brilliant by the boys. I think Goodwin deserves a lot of credit for this performance and this could be the making of our team. I'll mention a few individual performance. Rivers - I'm surprised there's been barely any mention of this kid, but he was super! His run and dash really got us going in that first half and combine that with his kicking with is an absolute weapon. His ability to break the game open with some of his kicks were really important throughout the game. He also for the 2nd year in a row completely shut Dan Butler out of the game. Alex Neal Bullen - I'm putting my hand up as high as I can and apologising to nibbler. I've been his harshest critic in the past but his past two games has shown that he's a vastly different player to what he's dished up over the years. He's important cog now with his gut running, but also has improved his disposal efficiency. I noticed he doesn't fumble anymore which is a huge improvement. Thanks for proving me wrong nibs and keep up the good work. Pickett- yeah look he's going to be a star.. if he's dishing out that kind of performance at 16 games, I'm bloody excited what he can produce when he's around the 70 - 100 game mark. Salem - Best game I think I've seen him play. Not only was his defending first class but he's just ridiculously clean below his knees and really gave us some drive down back. Don't be surprised if GWS put a hard tag on him next week. That was some performance. Langdon - I seriously love this guy. Runs all day and just gets the job done. Have I missed something with his kicking? Because right now I'm seeing him hit more targets then misses and yet we had freo fans say that this would frustrate us supporters. What a fantastic inclusion he's been in our side. Jetta and Jones - Both played well I thought. Jones had some really important touches and the fact he just ragdolled Butler out of the way to set up the goal was great to watch. Jetta completely shut out Higgins who's been really dangerous the past few weeks. Legit didn't realise he was playing until he kicked that goal. Keeps it simple and I'd rather him having 5 touches a game if he's shutting their best small forwards out of the game. Well done to the old dogs. Sparrow - Right now he's keeping Melksham and Vandenberg out of the side. This is due to his pressure and tackling that he provides when around the contests. Compared to Melksham who is lazy in this area of his game. Loved his composure kicking that goal. Pretty much playing a sacrifice role for the team and the coaches would be enjoying his work so far. To finish off, Spargo pressure is elite. Haters need to GTFO with the hate. He doesn't stop chasing and continues to scrap and harass at every opportunity. Coaching staff would be highling his defensive game during review. Tmac slowly starting to get that 2018 form back. Good to see some reward for effort because his gut running is really important for not only us as a team but for his own performance. Petracca, Oliver, Gawn May all played great games as well.
    21 points
  4. Great win, think many are underestimating our set up behind the ball, which played a big part in Saints poor disposal. Many times there players had ball in hand and had no free teammates in space, they ran to try and create handball chains but ran into trouble. Gus played his role and we we held our structure well instead of being bees to the honey pot. Spargo is and has always been a smart footballer, Jordan touch of difference, Sparrow does the team thing, smart body position and cool for a young player. Tomlinson works perfectly as the third defender. Lot to like about our ability to get wins and be in control when we we have more improvement in us
    17 points
  5. I went through a divorce recently that ripped my heart out. I was depressed. if it wasn’t for speaking to my mates I’m not sure how I would have coped. One of the first ones I spoke to suggested I get counselling which I did and helped tremendously. I disagree with you Hff. If I didn’t speak to my mates I doubt very much I would have sought help and who knows how things would have ended up. I reckon Spud would have loved it, as I’m sure his family in attendance would have too.
    17 points
  6. Two years ago a win like that and we would have smashed them in clearances. Tonight? 34 clearances to both sides. We have changed the way be play quite markedly. I'f you can't see that, you ain't really watching. A related stat ( ie related to the reduced focus on clearances and the increased tactical focus on rebounding from half back): we only had one more inside 50 than them. And they had 13 less scoring shots than us. 13.
    17 points
  7. Whilst it was a great team win and the usual suspects have been rightly praised on here for their collective contributions to the win, there isn’t IMO enough recognition for Charlie Spargo. His current form and quality of his disposals is really important for our team. Loving what you’re bringing Charlie, keep it up.
    13 points
  8. Talking of gaining territory, nearly all our team kicked more than they hand-balled last night which to me, says we are now playing a 'territory' game. This is a shift away from the frantic 'chaos' ball game. We still have that but added a few more strings to our bow. Another string to our game plan bow which I noted a few weeks ago: The game plan now seems to be 'attack' (ala Tigers/Bulldgos) thru the Langdon wing for his speed and 'control' (ala Eagles/Cats) thru the Brayshaw wing for his smarts and vision. That is not to say we didn't try and play a 'control' game before just that we appeared to not have clearly defined or clearly understood roles so it didn't work too often. To me the Brayshaw and Langdon roles are becoming quite clear and team mates are learning how fit into those roles. Its still early in the season but it seems we have gone from being good at a one dimensional 'chaos' game to having an effective multi dimensional 'chaos'/'control'/'territory' game. I like it. I like it a lot!!
    13 points
  9. I’m still drunk but I love this club and I love all of you. Every single one of you.
    13 points
  10. For me the biggest positive is that we were challenged and we changed the game, and got it on our terms. They were all over us through the second quarter but pulled it back to our game and from then on it was almost always on our terms. That shows a lot of maturity and dare I say development from Goodwin. We also let them back in through basic marks dropped that you would expect to take 90% of the time. I take that as a positive as there wasn’t anything wrong with structure and style it was purely down to executing of a skill. I was really happy to see some unsung heroes contribute positively; ANB, Tommo, and Spargo. All had crucial involvements in the game that gave us the win, Tommo in particular I thought was outstanding. I’ve managed to calm myself down from the frustration of missing opportunities, it needs to improve but for now as long as the ledger has us racking up the wins I’m a happy camper.
    13 points
  11. Exceptional performance tonight. I was more impressed in the first half as i knew they would tire later in the game from last week. This was where the heat was on and their fresh much heralded mosquito fleet would take hold. But I thought we beat them in the first quarter as they got two goals from dubious umpiring decisions. We should have been further in front. But the second quarter impressed me the most because of the degree of difficulty involved. We looked out on our legs, kicking to an unmanned forward line twice as the saints got a real sniff and went for the kill. This is where we almost always fall down and as supporters we too often bemoan our lack of leadership. But we quickly corrected this time, didn't commit too many to 'saving' the game and when we went forward we had experienced players in TMac, ANB and Jones in good position. This created 3 goals which got us back the lead. I don't think we can underestimate how much effect that has on the opposition, to lose all their momentum by half time. Where I can see improvement: Thomlinson. He was terrible one on one at GWS and is becoming very reliable down back both in marking contests and as a free man. A reliable kick and good decision maker. He has developed under goodwin. Pickett - First half was exceptional hitting the scoreboard and defensive pressure was elite. he's exactly what we need. Tmac - Not sure hes quite back but hes defintely improved and so vital for us as a team. With Jackson off his game he was critical to us holding our structure. Jordan and Sparrow - Ill have to watch again but they are doing sacrificial roles and probably a big reason we won the contest for all but half a quarter tonight. special note to Salem, he's been good in previous years but thats the best game I've seen him play, almost perfectly clean and thought he was BOG. Negative - yes we have negatives but these threads are 90% negative even after a win, so Im sure that will be discussed in depth.
    13 points
  12. Rapt with the win, but just as happy that there was some innovation from Goody. The defensive flooding wasn't helping us in the second quarter and previously Goody would have stuck with it, but he moved things around, got more guys forward and put Jacko in the ruck and it totally shifted the momentum. Credit to him.
    13 points
  13. A really great performance, I thought. We should have won by 6+ goals given the way in which we dominated the game for all bar 15 minutes in the second quarter. Oliver, Petracca and Salem were all great, but as others have said, there were a number of vital contributions across the ground. Tomlinson was excellent, and with May, Lever and Salem we are forming a really strong back half. I thought Jetta and Jones played their best games since probably 2018. TMac again provided a reliable forward target too. If that wasn't Pickett's "break out game", it will happen soon. He is starting to put it all together and I think the confidence he is gaining is going to help him improve. Coupled with Spargo and ANB, both of whom are showing strong defensive efforts (Spargo in particular has really lifted that part of his game over the off-season it seems), our forward line is now something that actually resembles a unit that works together. Fritsch could be such a damaging forward if he could kick set shots. He's a tough match up with his blend of pace and marking ability, and he's leading to better parts of the ground than he did last year. Viney's return made us immediately better in the middle, but looked like he fatigued hard through the second half. I thought Hunt struggled in the first half but in the fourth quarter in particular I loved the way he put his body on the line repeatedly when needed. I also liked hearing Goodwin talk about how when St Kilda got their run of goals in the second, our senior players were actively discussing what we needed to do to stop it and turn the momentum back, and then actually went out and did it. Sounds ridiculous to say that as a compliment, given it should be obvious, but for us that's a big improvement. Their ball movement was awful: yes, some of their turnovers were unforced, but (without having been at the ground) I assume much of the issue was our defensive set up and forward half pressure limiting the way they could transition. And yes, they were missing a few (their rucks, Crouch, Hannebery and Geary) but it's not like we're at full strength either. We're now 2-0 having knocked off two sides I see as competitors of ours for a finals spot. We've won both games despite inaccuracy in front of goal and clearly having work to do with basic skill errors (last week it was kicking, this week it was ridiculous dropped marks). I'm pretty happy with that.
    12 points
  14. Yeah nah. Coaches would laugh at this suggestion. Ran at 82% and his defensive running to help out in defence was first class. You nitpick at the smallest things...
    12 points
  15. Surprised me, got my faith back, really happy. I saw some of that Melbourne brand from 2018 again. Lots of contributors, great pressure and fierce tackling. Midfield were huge, ANB best form of his life and like others have said, Goodwin showed some different moves during the game to change it up which is promising. Can't underestimate what early momentum can do for a side, especially ours. Great start, let's keep it going. Break the shackles. One more thing. Kosi. Wow.
    12 points
  16. 75% kicking efficiency this year. The knocks on his kicking are over the top.
    12 points
  17. Melbourne men win to go 2/0 Melbourne women win to guarantee a home final Bombers get flogged So aside from an umpiring malfunction in Geelong it has been the perfect weekend
    12 points
  18. You have got to be joking.
    12 points
  19. Brayshaw is fine, he is doing his job patrolling the wing . He pushes from contest to contest and set up a few goals last night. Not every player has to get 30 p’s and kick 2 goals every week. The fact that he seems happy on the wing and all the media I hear him in suggest he is loving it. Just listen to him after last nights game.
    11 points
  20. jordon reminds me of what i wanted - and expected - tyson to be; he doesn't get caught holding as often, he's cleaner with disposal, sticks his tackles, and just sort of unobtrusively goes about picking up possessions he looks like a better player than a host of players drafted ahead of him could be our kane lambert
    11 points
  21. Worth remembering that it's not all that long ago he was in a moon boot with a serious foot injury. He missed most of the preseason, and it costs. Worth persevering with while he builds form/touch - though not a free pass either.
    11 points
  22. 11 points
  23. I thought Hunt was very good today.
    11 points
  24. I'd just like to endorse all the other posters in their praise for Goodwin outcoaching Ratten.
    11 points
  25. This whole winning thing must really irk you Goodwin haters.
    10 points
  26. Sparrows goal was massive. The young lad showed situational awareness, class, and accuracy! That happens at other clubs. Good sign.
    10 points
  27. There was a lot to like about last night but still plenty to work on as well. The most pleasing part for me was the contributions from the youngsters and lesser lights. I’m loving what Jordon has done in 2 games, a genuine team player. No ego there Can the Spargo haters please STFU. Sparrow took he goal well and showed some nice touches. Hunt is growing into his role at half back. That move might just work. There’s life in the old dog Jetta yet. Jones likewise. ANB had a very good game. Never stopped all night Tomlinson has been excellent so far. TMac, I would have traded him. Quite possible we lose those games without him. These are all players who came into the season with major question marks but have shown real improvement and played important roles for us. Our kicking for goal a real negative. It’s absolutely putrid. We’ve been lucky to play 2 poor teams first up so haven’t been punished but it will cost us against GWS. Goal kicking should be our prime focus at training this week. Go Dees
    10 points
  28. How good is Jordon...just so neat. A real footballer
    10 points
  29. Might have already been said but that was a training drill. Kick straight and we win that by 50 or 60. Great signs. A few hand written apologies are in order for Tomlinson. He has been fantastic so far this year.
    10 points
  30. Tomlinson did very well in the shadow of May and Lever. Wherever Kozzie is, the ball will follow him. He's a pure soul, he just enjoys his footy, "having fun." Love him.?
    10 points
  31. Good to see us on 8 points after the first 2 rounds. These are games given the opposition that in past seasons we should have won but inexplicably lost. I believe the new rule changes and style of play with less crowded forward lines suits us well this season. We generated a lot of attack and despite the poor accuracy we peppered the goals. I am a critic of Jones but so far this season whilst being adequate he is having a red hot go when last season he was just plodding along. Looks fitter and playing with far more energy and getting involved. Our defence looks solid and our attack has multiple options despite having Weed, Brown and Brown out. Kozzy’s improvement has been sensational. We have laid solid foundations to build on. 72% efficiency inside 50. 39 shot from 54 entries. How amazing is that compared to the past few seasons.
    9 points
  32. What a strange thread Garry and Stewart Lowe spoke really well For years men “got through” depression with a six pack and a packet of cigarettes “Toughen up ya wimp” thankfully now the support network is a little more refined
    9 points
  33. Being at the ground I thought Garry spoke very well and it was an important message for anyone going through hard times. It’s not always easy to go to a doctor as a bloke and admit you’re struggling: I couldn’t do it, needed the support of family and mates
    9 points
  34. For years we’ve sat and watched gun opposition smalls destroy us with their skill and turn games with something out of nothing goals. Last night felt like it’s our turn again now, watching Saints’ fans shuffle in their seats every time Kozzie went near the ball was a beautiful thing. Just amazing awareness and when was the last time we had someone snap a goal from nearly 50 out. So much to look forward to and a nice support crew building around Kozzie with the hard work of Spargo and ANB. Might not be a big thing but I liked there were no over the top celebrations post game, just the boys getting around each other for a great team effort. Lovely Sunday coming up.
    9 points
  35. I had an interesting take on Brayshaws role last night. He always seem to be the release player. He didn’t go into the contest as much but sat 10 off it and got the handball. Wonder if that’s the new role. As he can kick left and right with some competency it’s a suitable role.
    9 points
  36. We have so much upside. They could continue to develop and deliver as the season progresses. That first twenty minutes from the start of play, shows me we are heading in the right direction. Oliver on song. Backline doing the wall. Max helping out brilliantly. Lever, smart plays, Tomlinson his best game for us, May a bit off. Salem and Hunty stepped it up this week. Stay switched on Dees. Great that we are starting to show some confidence, in that we can haul in an opponents lead. Pickett on a steep learning curve. Getting clean ball and so dynamic. Keep building, could be anything. Jackson development is a bit slower though still exciting. Go Dees. Enjoy the 2 and nil, and then refocus for another one
    9 points
  37. Tomlinson was fantastic tonight
    9 points
  38. Well this is going to be tough now that we seemed to have found more than one way to win. Time was I could just watch the clearance and contested possession count, that was the only metric that really mattered since if we didn’t win it at the contest we had no hope of winning. Now we can intercept at half back and play a rebound game, lag off the clearance and pick off the first possessor, we can play tempo footy as well as fast movement. Most of all we don’t look slow, even against a team known for their speed. I am so sick of hearing that. Obviously Clarry and Trac were awesome but there is improvement coming from everywhere. Players like ANB who have historically been serious liabilities in many aspects of their game have really taken big steps this summer. I am not one to post negative stuff as a general rule but ANB has had me screaming a few times. I have always loved his running and can see why he gets a game, but he has really cleaned up his finishing this year, lets hope my praise doesn’t put the mozz on him :) There is up and coming talent everywhere and finally they have solid senior team members to lean on and learn from so that they can develop properly without having to carry the team. Rivers, Kossie and Jackson are all great examples and we haven’t even had to blood Bowie, Laurie or Rosman. Finally our kids can develop in the 2s and really be ready when they get thrown in. Nice to start the year with some hope, lets keep this thing going!
    8 points
  39. Confidence is a wonderful thing amongst team mates. And for supporters, post match and Sunday takes on a rosy feel.
    8 points
  40. Men have the same access to health care as women in this country. So why is the rate of suicide so much higher? Of course it’s more than 1 thing but the biggest issue appears to be women are comfortable talking to their friends and family about their feelings and men aren’t. Theres a number of people like Spud who are open and still end up in tragic outcomes - the OP is somewhat right he needed his doctors more than his mates. But the mans legacy is getting more blokes (and women) talking to each other. Removing that stigma. That first step is a lifesaver for many.
    8 points
  41. The only unforced change will be Baker out as sub for someone else likely Vanders I suggest. I am not a Hunt fan but that was the best half back game he has played in 4 years. His balance of attack and hard nose defence was excellent. Brayshaw is playing possibly the most important team role in the skinny side defensive wing. I didn’t see much switch tonight or fast movement from half back from the saints which is their standard. Even when we needed a mid rotation we preferred Jones to him. Maybe we should consider that his role is not about possessions but structure and maybe he is actually doing it well? With Viney I would argue there is no one other than Benny Brown that is a definite 18 starter,. Whilst we we are winning we deserve to maintain a winning team and those banging the door down can wait their turn.
    8 points
  42. Noticed any positive traits yet? ?
    8 points
  43. BTW, Kossie has the potential to be the best small forward in the game. The play wher he hit the ball at full speed at the stoppage in the third quarter and missed the snap was unbelievable...difficult to teach that stuff...so glad we traded picks to grab him. Also, his centre bounce work was very good!
    8 points
  44. Very impressive ... we were slick, hungry & we backed each other up throughout. The new man on the mark rule might suit us too. We looked good and the forward line functioned quite well in terms of scoring shots and opportunities at goal What was most noticeable was the enthusiasm for the contest. And we ran hard all night and made position well. I saw a lot of players put their bodies on the line The next block of free-to-air games are to be released on Monday and we might even snag a couple of prime time games after that performance tonight R8 vs Sydney, R9 vs Carlton, R11 at Bulldogs (Docklands) & R12 vs Brisbane are possibities I reckon we get at least 2 evening games out of those 4.
    8 points
  45. James Jordon 20 possessions and 9 tackles Breath of fresh air in the midfield
    8 points
  46. Oliver is just... there are no words. A freak.
    8 points
  47. Honestly we arrested some serious momentum and changed the game. I can’t remember when we last did that and went on to win. We have some talent on the list. If we manage it well we are going places.
    8 points
  48. yep.... what's more the behinds score gives me big hope for improvement !!
    8 points
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