Pre-Season 2015/16

Phoenix_9

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 12, 2010
5,551
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Adelaide
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St Kilda
After the intra-club, the following for round 1:
FB: Dempster, Goddard/Lee, Geary
HB: Roberton, Fisher/Lee, Webster
C: Montagna, Armitage, Newnes
HF: Weller, Roo, Billings
FF: Lonie/Sinclair, Bruce, Hickey/McCartin
R: Longer, Gilbert, Steven
I: Savage, 2 of Dunstan/Ross/Acres, 1 of Lonie/Sinclair/Gresham (+ 1 on field)
 

_Maximus_12

Premiership Player
Jul 20, 2007
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By the end of this season, I'd love for our kids to have improved so much that the likes of Fisher, Geary and Gilbert have all spent some time in the twos.
 
Don't have Foxtel unfortunately.

Was thinking about using a proxy to get the digital subscription as I think it only works for international members.
The digital membership with chrome cast sounds like the go, according to the thread on this issue on the main board.
 
After the intra-club, the following for round 1:
FB: Dempster, Goddard/Lee, Geary
HB: Roberton, Fisher/Lee, Webster
C: Montagna, Armitage, Newnes
HF: Weller, Roo, Billings
FF: Lonie/Sinclair, Bruce, Hickey/McCartin
R: Longer, Gilbert, Steven
I: Savage, 2 of Dunstan/Ross/Acres, 1 of Lonie/Sinclair/Gresham (+ 1 on field)
The interchange of Savage, Dunstan and Acres - that's the McEvoy trade - the Saints have now and the future right there; that was a great trade
 
All those suggestions seem to work/not work...haven't seen a clear cut working scenario yet. I'm a bit wary of it...

I'll try work out something lol. I know (stream removed) streams AFL games, mostly Hawks (as he's a Hawthorn supporter) but also any primetime/big matches...so for instance if there's two Saturday night games on, one on foxtel and one on seven, he'll stream the one on foxtel.

Also he streams anything in a standalone time slot ie sunday 4.40, saturday 1.10, all friday and saturday night matches, etc.

Quality is pretty good for a stream too. I used this all of last season.

Mod Edit: Please don't post streams - A2R
 
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stfan

The Fan in Waiting
Mar 12, 2008
6,493
12,285
Melb
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After the intra-club, the following for round 1:
FB: Dempster, Goddard/Lee, Geary
HB: Roberton, Fisher/Lee, Webster
C: Montagna, Armitage, Newnes
HF: Weller, Roo, Billings
FF: Lonie/Sinclair, Bruce, Hickey/McCartin
R: Longer, Gilbert, Steven
I: Savage, 2 of Dunstan/Ross/Acres, 1 of Lonie/Sinclair/Gresham (+ 1 on field)

Real competition for spots this year. Add in Savage, Membrey and Freeman when fit too.
 

IronMike

All Australian
Jul 22, 2010
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All those suggestions seem to work/not work...haven't seen a clear cut working scenario yet. I'm a bit wary of it...

I'll try work out something lol. I know (stream removed) streams AFL games, mostly Hawks (as he's a Hawthorn supporter) but also any primetime/big matches...so for instance if there's two Saturday night games on, one on foxtel and one on seven, he'll stream the one on foxtel.

Also he streams anything in a standalone time slot ie sunday 4.40, saturday 1.10, all friday and saturday night matches, etc.

Quality is pretty good for a stream too. I used this all of last season.

Please do not post his stream publicly. It only brings trouble. Posting any AFL stream links should always be through PM's.
 
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~~~~~~~~~~~ FIRSTS ~~~~~~~~~~~

FB: Dempster (203) - Fisher (216) - Geary (120)
HB: Savage (90) - Lee (13) - Roberton (84)
RK: Longer (43) - Armitage (128) - Steven (112)
CR: Newnes (69) - Ross (37) - Billings (25)
HF: Sinclair (18) - Riewoldt (298) - Weller (68)
FF: Hickey (41) - Bruce (46) - Lonie (17)
IC: Montagna (249) Gilbert (157) Acres (10) Dunstan (35)
EM: Gresham Templeton Webster*

* I really don't want to leave out JWebb.

~~~~~~~~~~ MAGOOS ~~~~~~~~~~

FB: Wright (20) - Delaney (59) - Coughlan (0)
HB: Webster (39) - Goddard (8) - White (0)
RK: Holmes (3) - Minchington (10) - Freeman (0)
CR: Templeton (12) - Curren (25) - McKenzie (7)
HF: Gresham (0) - Membrey (13) - O'Kearney (0)
FF: Payne (0) - McCartin (6) - Shenton (24)
IC: Saunders (22) Murdoch (20) Pierce (0)
EM: Rice (ill)
Unavailable: Carlisle

Using your squads, Barrels, I underlined those players who played most of the 2015 season (or would have if not injured)
I bolded the players who have played over 100 matches (there are only 8 of them) and I listed the number of matches played by each player

You are right to not want to omit Webster, he is an obvious inclusion but it is terribly problematic to fit all the worthy players in.

Our defence is up for some discussion - it is in transition right now - we have been well served by Sam Fisher (All Aust 2008, B&F 2008, 2011, 2nd B&F 2007, 3rd B&F 2006) but he will be 34 this year and we will have to face the reality of his impending retirement at some stage. Sean Dempster has also been a wonderful player for us (All Aust 2012, 3rd B&F 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015). He is a real role model for the youngsters coming through - his professionalism is exactly what we want the kids to emulate. Sean will be 32 this year and may have a couple of seasons left in him yet. His consistently massive stats in intercept marks testifies as to why he is considered one of our club's most valuable players.

Jarryn Geary took a long time to come to where his is now. He was drafted late in the rookie draft at the end of 2006 and was elevated to the main list at the end of 2007 before debuting in 2008. His athletic credentials are legendary at the club, but he did struggle to hold his place in the 22 until 2012 when he finished 6th in our B&F, then 4th in 2013, he suffered a badly broken arm in 2014, then finished 5th in our B&F in 2015. He finds himself firmly entrenched in the club's leadership group and despite forging a place for himself as a lockdown defender he displays a degree of versatility by performing tasks on various key opposition stars, shutting them down or minimising their impact.

The Saints traded in tall defender Luke Delaney from North Melbourne at the end of 2013 to fill a vulnerability. He finished 5th in our B&F in 2014 but looked tired and sore at the end of the season. He struggled with hip soreness and had surgery in the off season. 2015 was not a great year for Luke. He played much of the first half of the season but was dropped to Sandringham for the latter half. Tom Lee was drafted at the end of the 2012 season and was seen as an exciting prospect in the forward line, but he failed to grab his chance there and looked set for the chopping block. An astute eye however, saw the potential for a good defender and he was set the task of learning to become a key defender playing for Sandringham. He did particularly well before injuring an ankle late in the season and now looks to have usurped Delaney's position in the pecking order, playing a role somewhat similar to Sam Fisher. He certainly had a few positive remarks after the intraclub match, and I see Barrels has slotted him in central to our defence.

Hugh Goddard was snapped up as a first round bargain (pick #21) in the 2014 National Draft. He was considered to be somewhat of a project player due to his size but after strong VFL form he debuted in rd 16 against Richmond and has played every game since. The club are very happy with his progress.
Nick Coughlan was picked up with St Kilda second round pick in the Rookie draft at the end of 2015. He played as a 19yo in the Murray Bushrangers TAC cup team and has seen time with GWS academy and Footscray VFL. Nick impressed many with his performance in the 2016 intraclub match and may have given himself a chance for a NAB Cup preseason match to further show what he has to offer.

Nathan Wright is an explosive player seen as a back pocket who can run a rotation or two through the midfield. His pace and his ferocious attack on the ball or the man with the ball are very desirable attributes but he lets himself down with poor kicking skills. Daniel McKenzie also has a turn of foot, in fact he seems to be St Kilda's fastest runner with the ball and chasing. I think he is going to catch a few opposition players unawares as soon as his fitness improves. His style of play is very demanding but it is also very exciting for us to watch. He seems best suited to a back flank or a wing.

Shane Savage is a kiwi, he came to us with the McEvoy trade which seems to be very much a win - win result. Shane is currently playing a role as a distributor of the ball from half back. His disposal is first rate and he has the nous to know when to run and carry, and when to hold it up, and when to kick it. Jimmy Webster also plays this role. He too, has beautiful disposal skills. In fact I think he is our best kick of the ball and I look forward to just watching in awe at some of the skills he can display. We were lucky to pick up Dylan Roberton who just needed to return to Melbourne at the end of the 2012 season for family reasons and sought a club to play for. His pedigree is down back as a flanker and we seem to have plenty of those type of players but he was quality so we snapped him up. He is fairly tall (194cm) and he was able to fulfill a role as key defender when we lost Fisher, Gilbert and Gwilt for a while. At the end of his first season with us (2013) he badly injured his ankle. Robbo struggled in 2014 spending much of the season playing for Sandringham. He was brought back into the Saints late in the season but looked restricted. I wondered if his career was over. 2015 was a massive year for Roberton. He was released somewhat to play more through the centre of the ground. He now plays like a tall midfielder rather than a medium tall defender and his strong performances were a delight after the struggle we saw him have the previous year. He finished 6th in our B&F and has established himself as a certain starter in our best 22.
 
He may not ultimately stay on the list, but bugger me TC is clearly doing everything possible to push himself forward. Must be an absolutely manic trainer.

Geez he's in absolutely ripping nick...

View attachment 215275
Alot of iron pumping going on the
 
'Who's burning up the track' from afl.com.au:

STKIL-sb-AFLM.jpg


Jack Billings has had a managed pre-season but is coming good at the right time, according to football manager Jamie Cox. The 20-year-old suffered a stress fracture in his shin in 2015 and only played nine games. Seb Ross is another young midfielder who looked set for a big 2015 after performing strongly in last year’s pre-season before having surgery on a torn hamstring and only playing 10 games. He is another who has looked good on the track and will hope to establish himself in the Saints’ best 22. With Jake Carlisle out suspended for the season, experienced defenders Sam Fisher and Sean Dempster are set to fill his role. Luke Delaney is another option to replace Carlisle. After a strong 2014 when he finished fifth in the best-and-fairest, Delaney’s form tailed off last year and he will be looking to bounce back. - Dinny Navaratnam
 
AFL season 2016: Who could rebound and make a major difference at your club?

St Kilda

Paddy McCartin

2015: 6 games

The former No.1 pick had six senior matches in his rookie season, in what was purely a development year. Impressed with his contested marking, but clearly needed to build a bigger "engine", and has worked diligently on that through the summer after finger surgery. If Nick Riewoldt is to spend further time up the ground, McCartin will need to have a presence as a power forward inside attacking 50.

Who else: The development of Hugh Goddard will be fascinating, Jack Billings has had an impressive pre-season after injury, while former Pie Nathan Freeman could provide explosive run - once he has confidence in his body.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...-your-club-20160211-gmrbvm.html#ixzz4062baoBz

Still waaay too early to expect Paddy to be making any real difference.
Reeling off those names just reeks of assumptions. Development of Hugh Goddard, yes that became a narrative last season. Yes, you could have told me that analysis on Nathan Freeman in trade week. Billings? Oh nice you read someone else article on his game on Friday!

AFL journalism is so lazy
 
Jan 14, 2012
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The River Murray
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If we are truly picking our best side and not worrying too much about the kids I would go

Webster - Lee/Goddard - Dempster
Savage - Fisher - Newnes
Gilbert - Armitage - Montagna
Billings - Riewoldt - Sinclair
Lonie - Bruce - Weller
R: Longer - Dunstan - Steven
Int: Hickey, Acres, Ross, Roberton

Emg: Geary, Goddard/Lee, McKenzie

I expect us to be giving guys like Goddard and McCartin games as we should though. There are some very handy players not in that side, loving that depth.

I am not worrying about Freeman until he's up and running but obviously I expect him to be in our best 22 come years end if he stays fit. Gresham possibly as well. Membrey and Templeton will be there abouts.
 

OxSaint

All Australian
Oct 7, 2015
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My take on round 1 at this stage

B: Savage Goddard Dempster
HB:Webster Fisher Montagna
C: Billings Armitage Newnes
HF: Weller Roo Sinclair
F: Lonie Bruce Gresham
R: Longer Steven Dunstan

Int: Gilbert Geary Hickey Roberton

As much as I wanted to fit in Acres I think will will need to do more in the NAB for Rd 1 start. McCartin wouldnt be a surprise if he has a decent NAB cup. If Templeton continues to regain confidence then he and gresham may be battling for a forward spot. Oh and if dunstan does not get on the paddock soon and impress it will be hard to leave out Ross.

Geary only in there as I know he will be playing, not because I think he should be. Would rather see acres or ross in there
 

#gosaintas

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That's the problem with Geary. He shouldn't be playing but you know he will because he's so admired for his selflessness and toughness yet he is keeping better skilled players out of the team.
 
Jan 10, 2011
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That's the problem with Geary. He shouldn't be playing but you know he will because he's so admired for his selflessness and toughness yet he is keeping better skilled players out of the team.


So we know a player who has finished in the top 6 in the B&F shouldn't be playing? I suggesting some may think that but most surely think he should be playing. I think you said in another post Minchington is a great kick. Well unfortunately for Minch and Murdoch there is a hell of a lot more to footy that being a great kick. Geary has most things covered except his kicking but he gets by on all the other stuff.
 

#gosaintas

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So we know a player who has finished in the top 6 in the B&F shouldn't be playing? I suggesting some may think that but most surely think he should be playing. I think you said in another post Minchington is a great kick. Well unfortunately for Minch and Murdoch there is a hell of a lot more to footy that being a great kick. Geary has most things covered except his kicking but he gets by on all the other stuff.
I agree with you that Minch needs to get more of the ball. Murdoch is miles away from playing surely...he can't get the ball at all.
Geary can't kick and that will prematurely end his career. Whether it ends this year or next is the question for me and I'm hoping for this year.
 

#gosaintas

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If Gilbert plays as a mid then I think his kicking is ok - just. He at least provides lots of run and has a good side step. In the backline Gilbert's kicking is a massive liability and fwds will just zone off he and Geary and let them butcher the ball, giving it straight back to the opposition. If Gears could play midfield he'd be fine but backs have to be able to kick.
 

holllywood

Club Legend
Aug 6, 2007
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If Gilbert plays as a mid then I think his kicking is ok - just. He at least provides lots of run and has a good side step. In the backline Gilbert's kicking is a massive liability and fwds will just zone off he and Geary and let them butcher the ball, giving it straight back to the opposition. If Gears could play midfield he'd be fine but backs have to be able to kick.

Disagree. Bad kicking hurts all over the field, not just in the backline.
 
Jan 7, 2011
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Everyone doesn't want Geary in the team due to his kicking.

But Gilbert still gets a gig.
Gilbo has a much higher ceiling than Gears though and I'd take his overall kicking over Gears overall kicking any day, because while their bad kicks are both really bad, Sam's kicking the rest of the time is more pinpoint, penetrating and damaging.

At his best Gilbo has the ability to come top 3 in the B&F of a team that makes a GF (despite being one of the youngest in the team at the time), whereas Gears tries really hard and is honest, disciplined and all that, but at the end of the day doesn't have as many "weapons" as Gilbo and in particular doesn't have his versatility. If Gilbo didn't have these things going for him he simply wouldn't still be at the club. The fact he's still here in spite of all the injuries he's had while the likes of Gwilt and Ray have been shown the door says something.

If Gilbert plays as a mid then I think his kicking is ok - just. He at least provides lots of run and has a good side step. In the backline Gilbert's kicking is a massive liability and fwds will just zone off he and Geary and let them butcher the ball, giving it straight back to the opposition. If Gears could play midfield he'd be fine but backs have to be able to kick.
I posted this on the topic a few weeks ago:

I'm not particularly fussed about Gilbo's kicking if he's playing mostly in the midfield. Armo and Steven both butcher the ball more than an ideal amount (averaged 3.7 and 3.6 clangers respectively per game in 2015, which ranked them equal-7th and 16th in the comp respectively and even Joey was ranked 18th. Gilbo wasn't even in the top 100 for clangers per game, despite not having done a preseason for about 2-3 years).

It's certainly not ideal that he turns the ball over badly at least once most games, but if he's getting enough of the ball and doing enough damage with it the rest of the time then it's not a deal-breaker. A clanger is a clanger and the fact that his clanger kicks look worse than most other's clanger kicks doesn't mean they're necessarily costing us more on the scoreboard. It's not like you necessarily lose extra points for a kick missing its target by 10m rather than by just 5.

Once we get closer to contending we may need to usher out a couple of the worst kicks though, as you wouldn't want to go into big finals with a handful who can turn the ball over too much.
 
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