Who will finish higher on the ladder - St.Kilda, Melbourne or Bulldogs

[Super Hans]

It's pretty funny seeing each different opinion of team's supporters being thrown around, completely inflated of ones own worth. Positivity around not ending up last is great.

A way I'd look at this to as unbiased as possible (as a huge saints fan) is if I had to put a large sum of money on the wooden spooner I'd have saints there out of the three. It's all down to speculation of your teams worth and what they've proven so far. Although saints were demolished with injuries last year I don't see us improving as quick as the two other teams - this is perfectly fine for me.

There's too many question marks around the improvement rate of our new kids. Sure billings, acres, mccartin, Goddard, Dunstan etc could possibly have a break out season, the chances of all of them is extremely rare.

Our mid field is at this stage less then average and our forward line is completely unproven if we're throwing out any of the mix of lee/mccartin/membrey.

That being said we're a few years behind in our rebuild, I think the potential of the kids we have coming could be extremely good in years to come. It's a good sign that there's no clear spooner like previous years. It's good for the comp.

A safe bet: dogs -> melb -> saints. -> (Carlton )

 

[Ricmel]

Libba is a huge blow. Hard to see the Dogs improving on 2014 without Libba and Griffen - probably their two best from that year. Certainly both top 5.

I still think Saints start as likely spoonists but I think it will be a battle with the Doggies now.

 

[Mitchell54]

Bulldogs. one of the best young mids in the comp. Boyd will take pressure of of their smaller Forwards. The Stringers etc. will kick majority of the Dogs goals. It would be a brilliant year by Boyd if he could get 30-40 goals. They have a solid defence.

Melbourne don't have enough proven youngsters. Their KPP stocks are bad and unproven once again. Just all round a poor team, Although not as bad as
St Kilda. Would be Great by Hogan if he could score 20-30 goals.

St Kilda wouldn't be in this argument if Nick Riewoldt wasn't there. They are so reliant on Roo it is not even funny. there young mids are good but not much there in the way of KPP's and especially KPD's. Poorly managed team over the past 5 years and it is definitely showing now.


Bulldogs is gonna finish the highest IMO.

 

[joop]

Bulldogs. one of the best young mids in the comp. Boyd will take pressure of of their smaller Forwards. The Stringers etc. will kick majority of the Dogs goals. It would be a brilliant year by Boyd if he could get 30-40 goals. They have a solid defence.

Melbourne don't have enough proven youngsters. Their KPP stocks are bad and unproven once again. Just all round a poor team, Although not as bad as
St Kilda. Would be Great by Hogan if he could score 20-30 goals.

St Kilda wouldn't be in this argument if Nick Riewoldt wasn't there. They are so reliant on Roo it is not even funny. there young mids are good but not much there in the way of KPP's and especially KPD's. Poorly managed team over the past 5 years and it is definitely showing now.


Bulldogs is gonna finish the highest IMO.

Interesting analysis, nearly all saints fans would say we're fine with our key position players but need more midfielders.
Also read a lot of Bulldogs supporters say their backline is easily their weakest line, not to sure where you got its 'solid' from...

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

Every team has injuries, What St Kilda injuries were the ones that kept St Kilda on the bottom?

Fisher, Steven, Dunstan at minimum.

We had over 40 injuries last season, if you think that was not a major factor then you are wrong.

 

[Adam H]

Fisher, Steven, Dunstan at minimum.

We had over 40 injuries last season, if you think that was not a major factor then you are wrong.

Fisher Geary Steven Hickey Gilbert hurt us big time.

 

[Blackas87]

Fisher, Steven, Dunstan at minimum.


We had over 40 injuries last season, if you think that was not a major factor then you are wrong.

Dunstan played 16 games, Steven played 17 games.
Every team has injuries, Melbourne we had Hogan 0 games, Clark 0 games, Trengove 2 games. We don't use those as excuses to why we are a poor team.

What team didn't have injuries?

 

[Falchoon]

Dunstan played 16 games, Steven played 17 games.
Every team has injuries, Melbourne we had Hogan 0 games, Clark 0 games, Trengove 2 games. We don't use those as excuses to why we are a poor team.

What team didn't have injuries?

Injuries are a reflection of player management and player management is as essential as any other area of football. A team with more players at both end of the age ladder such as St Kilda is going to get more injuries than a team in the window.

I agree let's leave the injury excuses to the usual Carlton and Collingwood supsects.

 

[Mitchell54]

Interesting analysis, nearly all saints fans would say we're fine with our key position players but need more midfielders.
Also read a lot of Bulldogs supporters say their backline is easily their weakest line, not to sure where you got its 'solid' from...

By solid, I mean. They won't concede 100 points every game. Cant say the same for St Kilda

 

[joop]

By solid, I mean. They won't concede 100 points every game. Cant say the same for St Kilda

No team will ever concede 100 points every game. If you line up the backlines I'd take ours comfortably over the Bulldogs.

Webster - Delaney - Dempster
Savage - Fisher - Geary

Morris - Roberts - Murphy
Biggs - Roughead - Wood

 

[Righteo]

No team will ever concede 100 points every game. If you line up the backlines I'd take ours comfortably over the Bulldogs.

Webster - Delaney - Dempster
Savage - Fisher - Geary

Morris - Roberts - Murphy
Biggs - Roughead - Wood

You say comfortably but as a neutral there looks to be very little in that, include Roberton though and I might think differently

 

[Dazb86]

I'd have Talia instead of Roberts but that's neither here nor there.

If we improve it will be on the back of new tactics. I liked the way we defended over the weekend. Clear change from the 1v1 tactics of Mcartney. Not sure we have the right players for a run and gun offensive style though.

 

[Periphery]

Injuries are a reflection of player management

This is 1 dimensional bullshit.

 

[Nutsngum]

You say comfortably but as a neutral there looks to be very little in that, include Roberton though and I might think differently

Actually he was looking really lively in our first NAB match and looks like he could be getting back to 2013 form.

 

[ManOfClay]

Serious questions will need to be asked of any team that finishes below us now. We're such a young team and now we've lost our best player for the year.

Going to be a lot of teeth gritting in 2015.

 

[Falchoon]

This is 1 dimensional bullshit.

it's a peg in the ground at the opposite end of the injury as a crux peg.

The answer is in the middle.

 

[Slax]

No team will ever concede 100 points every game. If you line up the backlines I'd take ours comfortably over the Bulldogs.

Webster - Delaney - Dempster
Savage - Fisher - Geary

Morris - Roberts - Murphy
Biggs - Roughead - Wood

Only problem is it doesn't matter how good you backline is, when the ball is getting pumped in their 60 times a game it is going to struggle.

Picked Bulldogs or Melbourne but with little confidence to that, although with Libba out for the year that could easily change. Melbourne's biggest challenge will be to actually develop some sort of belief that they can beat the top sides, playing the style of footy they did last year won't do it, so hopefully they play more direct this year and actually give their forwards a chance. Melbourne would have the best forward line of the three, but that isn't saying much (not that I can talk about the Lions marking forwards either)

 

[pure demon]

Boyd vs Hogan?

Well see mate. This is gawny's year. Boyd vs Hogan...haha Hogan, daylight, someone from the kurrumburra seconds, boyd.
Yes ive made my position clear...I DONT RATE BOYD

 

[SgtSchulz]

Dogs lost 1082 games of experience last year.

 

[Dez!]

Well see mate. This is gawny's year. Boyd vs Hogan...haha Hogan, daylight, someone from the kurrumburra seconds, boyd.
Yes ive made my position clear...I DONT RATE BOYD

Dude, no reason to be a douche.

Also if you don't rate Boyd then there is clearly something completely wrong with your "ability" to judge talent.

I don't think he'll be as good as Hogan but he'll still be a damn good key forward.

 

[Righteo]

Well see mate. This is gawny's year. Boyd vs Hogan...haha Hogan, daylight, someone from the kurrumburra seconds, boyd.
Yes ive made my position clear...I DONT RATE BOYD

You're a troll with a chip on your shoulder?

Yeah, that's pretty clear.

Dogs lost 1082 games of experience last year.

Griffen and Libba were not only their two best mids but probably their two best players, I really hope they manage to stay as competitive as they were last season. There have been a lot of better teams than the Doggies to be sent reeling backwards from a blow like that. West Coast have been in footy wilderness for the most part since Judd and Cousins exited in 2007. Been one s**t sandwich after another ever since Ward left, be nice to see Boyd give them a little more hope for the future.

 

[Bont2Bruce]

I realise Cooney isn't the player he was 5 years ago, but I doubt many Dogs fans thought they'd be lining up in 2015 without Griffen, Cooney and Liberatore. Add Ward, who should be still in their side if not for a quirk of the competition and they've been cruelled with unforeseen circumstance.

That's all true.

What is most annoying about Ward was the inadequate compensation we received. Ward was valued at 1 first round pick whereas Scully was apparently twice as valuable. Can this be retrospectively reviewed? And then apparently Frawley is worth Pick 3 in compensation too.

We got the rough end of the pineapple on this and your mob have done much better in this area.

 

[Ricmel]

What is most annoying about Ward was the inadequate compensation we received. Ward was valued at 1 first round pick whereas Scully was apparently twice as valuable. Can this be retrospectively reviewed? And then apparently Frawley is worth Pick 3 in compensation too.

We got the rough end of the pineapple on this and your mob have done much better in this area.

Compensation seems totally random. Doggies were screwed on Ward who suffered from his lack of profile. Saints were screwed on Goddard (14). How could Scully be worth 2 first rounds versus Goddard - Norm Smith runner up, twice B&F runner up at Saints and B&F winner at Bombers.

 

[Marc_Remillard]

That's all true.

What is most annoying about Ward was the inadequate compensation we received. Ward was valued at 1 first round pick whereas Scully was apparently twice as valuable. Can this be retrospectively reviewed? And then apparently Frawley is worth Pick 3 in compensation too.

We got the rough end of the pineapple on this and your mob have done much better in this area.

Compensation was calculated based on what GWS paid both Scully and Ward, Hawks for Frawley.

Imagine how Ward feels now knowing that Scully is getting at least 50% more than him...

 

[Ricmel]

Compensation was calculated based on what GWS paid both Scully and Ward, Hawks for Frawley.

If that is right (and I have no reason to doubt you) then that is just a stupid way to determine compensation.