Noob Here

Remove this Banner Ad

Caesar

Caesar

Ex-Huckleberry
Ex-Moderator
Mar 3, 2005
29,419
15,670
Tombstone, AZ
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Okay. So I've been sort of nominally a Saints follower for years (they're the family team), but I'm a New South Welshman born and raised so you know that when I say 'nominally' I mean it in the most superficial way possible (i.e. I could maybe name a handful of players and most of the time I could tell you where they sit on the table). To be honest I am a rugger bugger from way back and have never had much time for football despite enjoying the odd game when I watch it. *ducks*

My problem is thus: I have recently started dating a girl who is a rabid Saints fan. She is talking about going to matches together and I need to up my game ASAP if I want to have any chance of holding a coherent conversation with her for four quarters.

I am lurking and reading furiously in this forum (the stickied perpetual thread list is gold), but I was wondering if you guys had a general 'club history' or 'stuff clueless n00b supporters need to know' thread around somewhere? Haven't run across one yet.

Any other general tips welcome. My quest to become a semi-educated football fan begins here.
 
Welcome noob.

The more you get to know about the Saints, the more you will admire the club and its players.

I recommend having a read of westofmoorabbin.com

any questions - I'm sure there will be friendly sainters here to help you out
 
Ten helpful hints:
  1. Roo's the big blond bloke up forward, he's our captain.
  2. Lenny's the midfield general and vice captain, he'd probably captain any other club.
  3. We have Carltank to thank for letting us have BJ.
  4. We hate the Filth, aka Collingwood (note: this applies to any club supporter except the Filth).
  5. Sir Robert Harvey was the greatest of his generation, possibly the greatest of all time, a gentleman and a legend.
  6. Part A: 1966 was the greatest year in Australian sport.
    Part B: Darrel Baldock was the greatest premiership captain ever.
  7. Every other club is going to kick themselves for years to come after letting Big Rhys Stanley slip to us at pick 47 of the 2008 National Draft (especially the Doggies who traded us that pick in the Farren Ray deal).
  8. Part A: The match review panel hates us.
    Part B: Free Bakes.
  9. St Kilda supporters are passionate, loyal, optimistic and frustrated.
  10. These 'premiership' things most supporters try to taunt us about are overrated, except for 1966.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

goodie23 said:
Ten helpful hints:
  1. Roo's the big blond bloke up forward, he's our captain.
  2. Lenny's the midfield general and vice captain, he'd probably captain any other club.
  3. We have Carltank to thank for letting us have BJ.
  4. We hate the Filth, aka Collingwood (note: this applies to any club supporter except the Filth).
  5. Sir Robert Harvey was the greatest of his generation, possibly the greatest of all time, a gentleman and a legend.
  6. Part A: 1966 was the greatest year in Australian sport.
    Part B: Darrel Baldock was the greatest premiership captain ever.
  7. Every other club is going to kick themselves for years to come after letting Big Rhys Stanley slip to us at pick 47 of the 2008 National Draft (especially the Doggies who traded us that pick in the Farren Ray deal).
  8. Part A: The match review panel hates us.
    Part B: Free Bakes.
  9. St Kilda supporters are passionate, loyal, optimistic and frustrated.
  10. These 'premiership' things most supporters try to taunt us about are overrated, except for 1966.
Click to expand...

11. Don't ever mention the 2009 season. Ever.
 
Lockett the greatest goal kicker in the history of the game is a Saint.

So good a forward he won the Brownlow and they named an end of Etihad after him.

Nicky Winmar is the greatest indigenous player to ever play Aussie Rules football.

Robert Harvey will go down in history as a one man revolution of endurance running midfielders. He had the tank before anybody had any tank. He could run laps of the field winning the ball for 4 quarters right up until they day he retired.
 
I'm slightly jealous, I'd like to date a rabid Saints fan myself. I tend to have the opposite problem, talk far too much about football to girls who have absolutely no interest.
 
goodie23 said:
Ten helpful hints:
  1. Roo's the big blond bloke up forward, he's our captain.
  2. Lenny's the midfield general and vice captain, he'd probably captain any other club.
  3. We have Carltank to thank for letting us have BJ.
  4. We hate the Filth, aka Collingwood (note: this applies to any club supporter except the Filth).
  5. Sir Robert Harvey was the greatest of his generation, possibly the greatest of all time, a gentleman and a legend.
  6. Part A: 1966 was the greatest year in Australian sport.
    Part B: Darrel Baldock was the greatest premiership captain ever.
  7. Every other club is going to kick themselves for years to come after letting Big Rhys Stanley slip to us at pick 47 of the 2008 National Draft (especially the Doggies who traded us that pick in the Farren Ray deal).
  8. Part A: The match review panel hates us.
    Part B: Free Bakes.
  9. St Kilda supporters are passionate, loyal, optimistic and frustrated.
  10. These 'premiership' things most supporters try to taunt us about are overrated, except for 1966.
Click to expand...

12. Demetriou, Anderson and the rest of the management of the AFL hate us.
 
Whenever an opponent's full forward Mark's and Goals , "Max Hudghton would never have let that happen" is a good response.

Act nervous whenever Raph Clark comes out to play, and even if he has played the best game ever it's "typical bloody Raph" if he does something wrong.

You might be able to appreciate the odd rugby move by "Sam Gilbert" , and you should also be able to find some enjoyment in Lenny Hayes work.

Keep reading Big Footy, focusing on player and game threads and ignoring political, umpiring, and media based threads. Dont even think of posting on Bay 13.

If in doubt just passionately cheer the team on. I have some small kids who tended to lose interest during the game , but they were amazing supporters when I started to give them a lolly every time the Saints kicked a goal. So all you have to do is think about what you might score if the Saints win.
 
SaintsSeptember said:
I have some small kids who tended to lose interest during the game , but they were amazing supporters when I started to give them a lolly every time the Saints kicked a goal.
Click to expand...

Haha, I employed this tactic too SS. The Saints goal Maltesers keep my kids paying attention, because if they don't cheer a goal - NO MALTESERS!
 
When a dominant forward is killing us lean over and say "Oh man we need Maxy"
If she is confused you are talking about Max Hudghton (Hudge-ton) one of the most underrated full backs to play the game. Wore number 8, retired last year. He would stop everyone for us.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

You guys are all kinds of gold. :thumbsu: I've got a lot to learn, but this is a great cheat sheet to start with.

jmothecat said:
I'm slightly jealous, I'd like to date a rabid Saints fan myself. I tend to have the opposite problem, talk far too much about football to girls who have absolutely no interest.
Click to expand...
I was kind of shocked to be honest. She's the biggest girly girl - tall blonde with a penchant for high fashion, heels and totally clueless about all other sports. But apparently an ex-BF got her into it and now she'd climb over her mother to meet Nick Riewoldt.
 
Caesar said:
You guys are all kinds of gold. :thumbsu: I've got a lot to learn, but this is a great cheat sheet to start with.


I was kind of shocked to be honest. She's the biggest girly girl - tall blonde with a penchant for high fashion, heels and totally clueless about all other sports. But apparently an ex-BF got her into it and now she'd climb over her mother to meet Nick Riewoldt.
Click to expand...

This is why you are dating a StKilda supporter and not a Collingwood supporter ( I'm sure she has white teeth too ).

Haha my 11 YO daughter is convinced she is going to marry Nick.
 
Caesar said:
I was kind of shocked to be honest. She's the biggest girly girl - tall blonde with a penchant for high fashion, heels and totally clueless about all other sports. But apparently an ex-BF got her into it and now she'd climb over her mother to meet Nick Riewoldt.
Click to expand...

If the Saints are fortunate enough to win the big one on September 25th, prepare yourself for a big night with the missus ;). I've put mine on notice!
 
Caesar said:
She's the biggest girly girl - tall blonde with a penchant for high fashion, heels and totally clueless about all other sports. But apparently an ex-BF got her into it and now she'd climb over her mother to meet Nick Riewoldt.
Click to expand...

I am Nick Riewoldt, send her over mate ;)
 
the emergency said:
11. Don't ever mention the 2009 season. Ever.
Click to expand...

My bro regularly watches the 09 prelim. I will not be able to own that game until we win a premiership.

Juggalo Balla said:
Lockett the greatest goal kicker in the history of the game is a Saint.

So good a forward he won the Brownlow and they named an end of Etihad after him.
Click to expand...

Tony Lockett went to Sydney for his retirement years. If you think he was good in the red and white, he was smokin' (Just like Rick Watt's suit pocket) at the saints. Which leads me to...Moorabbin. Our spiritual home ground. the Saints played there from 1965 until 1992 and it was a seething cauldron of humanity. Most weeks in my time (the 80s through til 92) we got smashed there. But the fans turned up nonetheless. Moorabbin was a magnet for every freak south of the yarra. Unlike Collingwood or Essendon supporters, Saints fans tend to be a little out there, but not feral peanuts.
 
ah, i would love to go out with a saints supporter.
my last relationship was with a collingwood supporter, you can imagine how much i enjoyed that...
my friend is in LOVE with nick dal santo, we recently met him and she was hyperventilating.
we got a photo and everyone was happy :)
 
ULTIMATE_WARRIOR said:
If the Saints are fortunate enough to win the big one on September 25th, prepare yourself for a big night with the missus ;). I've put mine on notice!
Click to expand...

Brother I will go missing for at least 3 weeks if we managed that.
 
iloveleigh said:
ah, i would love to go out with a saints supporter.
my last relationship was with a collingwood supporter, you can imagine how much i enjoyed that...
my friend is in LOVE with nick dal santo, we recently met him and she was hyperventilating.
we got a photo and everyone was happy :)
Click to expand...

Except your friend who was passed out on the floor it seems. :p

Can't say I have much to add that hasn't already been added except that it might be better to simply admit that you don't know much and use it as a bonding experience. My other half is American, so there was very little she knew in regards to what the hell the game was called let alone any teams or players and depending on patience and willingness to learn it is a bonding experience to simply enjoy the sport and the conversation on a student - teacher wavelength.

I mean there's no point rushing to know or "pretend to know" simply to hold a conversation about it, despite of course wanting to expand your knowledge about the club being a great attitude to have.
 
Caesar said:
Okay. So I've been sort of nominally a Saints follower for years (they're the family team), but I'm a New South Welshman born and raised so you know that when I say 'nominally' I mean it in the most superficial way possible (i.e. I could maybe name a handful of players and most of the time I could tell you where they sit on the table). To be honest I am a rugger bugger from way back and have never had much time for football despite enjoying the odd game when I watch it. *ducks*

My problem is thus: I have recently started dating a girl who is a rabid Saints fan. She is talking about going to matches together and I need to up my game ASAP if I want to have any chance of holding a coherent conversation with her for four quarters.

I am lurking and reading furiously in this forum (the stickied perpetual thread list is gold), but I was wondering if you guys had a general 'club history' or 'stuff clueless n00b supporters need to know' thread around somewhere? Haven't run across one yet.

Any other general tips welcome. My quest to become a semi-educated football fan begins here.
Click to expand...

First up, love your avatar. It's really the only reason I'm replying. Val Kilmer was never better than in that movie. So for that, have 5 tips.

Tips.
1. If you ever develop a half-decent full forward (not Kosi, shudder) be prepared for the Swans to poach him, just as we took your two top full-forwards in recent history.

2. You revenge-poached Lyon from us, who is a great coach because he has learned from the best.

3. Nick Riewoldt is a superstar. Don't listen to the crap dished up by opposition supporters about umpire favouritism etc. Just like the crap Judd gets given, it's all rooted in jealousy.

4. As good as Riewoldt is, Adam Goodes is better.

5. Don't ever defend Kosi. You lose all credibility in the eyes of any AFL fan, except some of the more deluded Saints fans.
 
The best thing is that the game is much more interesting live.
As a kid I couldn't get much interested in Footy on the TV. But when you go to a game live it is just so much easier to get into.
TV coverage has ( with ups and downs like a super fund ) improved over the years, but I think its still true. My kids refuse to watch Footy on TV, yet love going to the game.
 
StFly said:
Except your friend who was passed out on the floor it seems. :p

Can't say I have much to add that hasn't already been added except that it might be better to simply admit that you don't know much and use it as a bonding experience. My other half is American, so there was very little she knew in regards to what the hell the game was called let alone any teams or players and depending on patience and willingness to learn it is a bonding experience to simply enjoy the sport and the conversation on a student - teacher wavelength.

I mean there's no point rushing to know or "pretend to know" simply to hold a conversation about it, despite of course wanting to expand your knowledge about the club being a great attitude to have.
Click to expand...
Oh, I'm not going to pretend to be some kind of expert (she'd see right through it, besides I hate guys who just mindlessly regurgitate talking points). I'm just afraid of sitting there for two hours and struggling to hold a conversation on what I'm watching. I reckon knowing a couple of things about the club, team, history should make things a bit easier.

I'm sure she'll teach me a thing or six.

SaintsSeptember said:
The best thing is that the game is much more interesting live.
As a kid I couldn't get much interested in Footy on the TV. But when you go to a game live it is just so much easier to get into.
TV coverage has ( with ups and downs like a super fund ) improved over the years, but I think its still true. My kids refuse to watch Footy on TV, yet love going to the game.
Click to expand...
I've heard this. A friend once told me that rugby league tends to be better on TV because the action is concentrated in one area, but Australian football is much better live because of the expansive kicking and the large amount of action happening off the ball.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top