Preview St Kilda vs Sydney

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Holmes is out because he's out of contract and damn it, we need to delist someone so if he comes in a dominates we won't be able to delist anyone.

Webster for Gilbert.
Marshall for Battle.
Acres for Long.
Perhaps Rice for McKenzie.

That's bizarre logic.
We don't want to bring in a player , because there is a risk he might dominate. ???
 

bennymc7

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Jun 27, 2014
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I've said it every week but f*** this is a huge game for us...

Will learn alot about the group, will be tough to win but the way we play will be super important... Do we go into our shells or come out proud and swinging?

Saints by 9 points with a late toe poke from the champion no.12 to seal the deal (2009 prelim style)
 

VDS66

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Oct 4, 2011
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Who can forget them VDS66....my old man loved Big Carl.

He used to do these very animated gestures throwing the elbows back and yelling "whack"

He called it the big Carl fair tackle...lol.

It was all bluff on my old man's part but it terrified all the kids in my street.
My old man used to do the Mad dog Muir impersonation on my backside...
 

luca77

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Sep 5, 2010
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Don't get me wrong, Hickey had a mare of the highest order. Just about everything he touched turned to s**t but the hysteria about him being the major contributor is so overstated on here. Our mids were awful, forwards limp and our backline was crap. We gave up 20 marks inside 50 in dangerous spots because it was coming in so fast. Brown was too slow and if Carlisle hadn't cut off a heap it would have been much worse so we got him out of the area and sent him forward...which lead to them piling on goals. It was a full field dysfunctional display and probably only had three or four players who could leave the ground with their heads held high. Don't think any of them won their position but they at least broke even.

Good mids read the tap of the other ruckman if the taps go against them. We didn't play close to their mids and even when they had mids dominating we let them run free. We played the polar opposite game to the week before.
About reading the opposition ruckman's taps. Yeah this does happen. But if it happened all the time, there'd be no purpose to playing a ruckman at all. I think it only really happens when it's both a predictable tap (based on what he's done previously) and vaguely directed. Amidst all the misses, 50-50 taps, taps directly to the opposition and disastrous umpire bounces (which we seem to be seeing more and more as this season goes on) there are some seriously good taps to advantage - especially the ones clearly based on set plays. The actually stat on hitouts to advantage seems a bit fickle to me, like disposal efficiency. I think most people would say Tom failed to give our mids any advantage on a sufficient percentage of the hitouts the other night, and perhaps Bellchambers was allowed to do that on too many occasions. I'm not saying our mids weren't disappointing, and I don't remember what the clearance stats were like - but I think a few good centre clearances when the game was briefly open to momentum swings could have helped (or at least helped us lose by less). That certainly didn't look like happening at all which was very frustrating. I also think that having a ruckman crash in there feverishly can set the tone for the midfield. Gilbert did a great job of that when he was at the centre bounces this year. A tentative ruckman persisting with a technique that wasn't getting him anywhere near the pill at the bounce definitely wasn't going to rally the mids around him. Of course the big loss wasn't Tom's fault, but that performance was always going to get slammed from pillar to post around here. Probably fair enough.
 
Sep 8, 2008
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Oi what's going on with you guys at the moment?

You flogged the Tigers, and by all reports (I didn't see the game) you played some bloody good football, then meh last week?

The mood seems glum though for this game?

Personally I don't take any side lightly this year, it's just too unpredictable. We both have a lot to play for and I'm expecting a ripper of a contest.

To be honest, we've played better away from home this year than we have at home!
 

JiggsteR45

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May 10, 2017
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Gilbert is a big loss. Webster is a favourite but not a like-for-like replacement. Sydney's defenders would monster our young forward line even with Membrey. Rampee has had his measure in their last 2 games. Not looking forward to Saturday night.

Not looking forward to Saturday night? I AM! Go Saints! GO!


On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Hey folks, noticed there seems to be plenty of discussion about your talls (both rucks and forwards) and who should or shouldn't play. For me I worry less about the Riewoldt's and Bruce's of the Saints, and more about the Gresham's and Billings and Weller types. Honestly our kryptonite is still opposition pace around goals. Against Essendon a few weeks ago at the SCG we had more trouble containing Tipungwuti, Fantasia, McKenna etc than in-form key forwards like Daniher. Same as Richmond the week before and Greene & Kelly last weekend in the Derby. Our back line is in pretty rare form atm but if Billings or Gresham or Ross or any of those blokes get off the chain there's every chance you could kick a winning score against us.
 
Jan 14, 2012
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Stevens was very poor on the weekend but so was the rest of the midfield (besides maybe Steven). He's been pretty goood most of the year so I'd be very surprised if he were dropped.

Steele is probably under the pump more than Koby but I think we'll stick with them all and probably add Dunstan for some support as well as Acres. We didn't have a lot of options to run through the middle when it all turned sour Friday night.
 

The Enemy Within

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Jan 9, 2007
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Stevens was very poor on the weekend but so was the rest of the midfield (besides maybe Steven). He's been pretty goood most of the year so I'd be very surprised if he were dropped.

Steele is probably under the pump more than Koby but I think we'll stick with them all and probably add Dunstan for some support as well as Acres. We didn't have a lot of options to run through the middle when it all turned sour Friday night.
Spot on Dunstan & Acres required against Sydney.
 

JG22

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Stevens was very poor on the weekend but so was the rest of the midfield (besides maybe Steven). He's been pretty goood most of the year so I'd be very surprised if he were dropped.

Steele is probably under the pump more than Koby but I think we'll stick with them all and probably add Dunstan for some support as well as Acres. We didn't have a lot of options to run through the middle when it all turned sour Friday night.
Expect us to go midfield heavy this week with a move like Mckenzie for Dunstan.

Similar to what we did last time against them, on that occasion it did not work at all. Our mids were sloppy with the ball and they mauled us with midfield setup. Flung the ball out the back.
 
Personally I would be making changes like.

Dmac for Webster
Gilbert for White/Rice
Hickey for Longer (Not 100%) sure.

Long might get the knock.
Battle gets another shot.

Marshall has higher chances to debut.
Dunstan and Acres are in pretty good form. Deserve a go but for who? Richo likes to go with like for like players.
 

eastern_saint23

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My changes for this week;

Webster for Dmac
Marshall for Gilbert
Longer for Hickey (if Longer not ready Hickey has a chance at redemption)
Last one, if there is any doubt on Geary, then Acres in and swing Long back
 
May 12, 2006
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That's bizarre logic.
We don't want to bring in a player , because there is a risk he might dominate. ???

It's not logic I'd advocate, but I think it's the logic on not selecting Holmes when he was Sandy's in form ruckman.

Almost everyone who is out of contract is currently in the side except Holmes. Tough decisions coming at the end of the year.
 

luca77

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It's kinda funny to see how people wanted longer out and Hickey in at the early stage of the season. Now if not the same or most people want Longer in and Hickey out.
Is it really that funny? Hickey had a good record and reputation coming in. He's had a poor season with a few setbacks. Longer has had an improving season. If people didn't change their opinion about which players should be selected based on how well they're playing, they'd be morons right?
 

Saint_J

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I've said it every week but f*** this is a huge game for us...

Will learn alot about the group, will be tough to win but the way we play will be super important... Do we go into our shells or come out proud and swinging?

Saints by 9 points with a late toe poke from the champion no.12 to seal the deal (2009 prelim style)

knowing us we'd toe poke, it would fly the wrong way and be called daliberate.
 

D2D3

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May 20, 2015
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Whatever changes they make I don't see it helping too much.

It's going to be if they turn up to play. I'd keep Long for his pace and pressure since Mav is still yet to do enough for a recall. Webster and White (or Acres) in for Gilbo and DMac, Longer for Hickey if he's fit and Marshall for Battle looks likely.

Only because Marshall can take a turn in ruck or defence and Battle spent FAR to long on the bench, that's not his fault but if Richo doesn't have confidence to start him on the field as a key forward what's the point in playing him
?
 
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