Prediction Where will Saints finish 2019? Poll added

Saints finishing position 2019?

  • First

    Votes: 6 8.0%
  • Top four

    Votes: 2 2.7%
  • Make Finals

    Votes: 22 29.3%
  • Between ninth and thirteenth

    Votes: 23 30.7%
  • Between Fourteenth and Seventeenth

    Votes: 20 26.7%
  • Dead last

    Votes: 2 2.7%

  • Total voters
    75

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Jan 10, 2011
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Unless we get crunched by injuries etc, our forwardline is the one area where we could very, very easily see significant improvement this year.

Two years ago we lost all our games when any of Riewoldt Bruce, or Membrey didn't play, and won something like 8 in a row when all 3 did play.

So despite the fact that Nick was well short of his best during most of that period, and Bruce was also not really firing, we clearly we were a much better team with the 3 marking targets up there. The proof was in the pudding.

We were also 2nd to just Richmond for F50 tackles.

But then last year we lost Roo obviously, and then we only had Bruce for 3 games, and Paddy only played 13, so that structure that worked so well for us the year before took a big, big hit.

Also not helping was Skunk having the yips until R10.

Battle was good for a 3 game stretch, but then he too got injured and wasn't the same on his return.

And our defensive pressure up forward also dropped off significantly, just to make matters worse.

Basically our forwardline was a hot mess and the way we moved it in there also left a lot to be desired.

So if this year we have Bruce, Paddy and Skunk up there a lot more than we did last year and going well, it could help us improve a bunch- especially now that 6-6-6 is in play, which Paddy said after the game last week he loved (as it gave him a lot more 1-on-1's, for one)- and hopefully adding the Parker/Kent types, and possibly having Long and Lonie for much more of the year, will return our forward pressure to where it was.

Then last year we also basically carried Hunter Clark up there for more than half a season, when he really wasn't contributing enough, only had a fully fit Long for about 8 weeks, had Mav up there doing just enough to not get dropped, and a down-on-form Newnes playing a big chunk of the season there, etc.

This year on the other hand it's hard to see us carrying anyone up there like we did Hunter, unless we've been crunched by injuries, and hopefully a Kent/Parker or both will be an upgrade on Mav, and we'll have good Lonie for a full season, not just a month, etc.

I reckon we could just about field two forwardlines this year that would be about the equivalent of the sort of one we had for most weeks last year, which suggests it has the scope to be significantly better overall:

Gresham Marshall Acres
Kent Membrey Long

Lonie Bruce Parker
Billings McCartin Sinclair/Clark

Other options: Battle, Newnes, Young, Paton, eventually King.

I imagine if you offered WB either of those forwardlines this week they'd just about snap your hand off.

If we're not hard hit by injuries there and the likely improvements in our front half don't equal more wins, then something will have to have gone horribly awry elsewhere.


Forward lines are completely overrated in today’s footy unless you have stars or close to it. None of our marking players are close to stars. Gresh is but people want him in the middle. Billings maybe but people want him on the wing. The rest are ordinary but that doesn’t matter either way if our mids continue to be ordinary. Our biggest weakness is the midfield but all areas are average. You win 4 games because of all round weakness.
 
Jan 10, 2011
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Steven will play once he deals with his break up. We can cover Carlisle & Hanneberry is yet to play for us. **** me if 2017-8 Hanneberry is in our best 6 players

No one knows when our best player will play. He is still away and we can’t cover our best back. That is why he is our best back. Our list is an 8 win list with available. Not one star. Now it relies on a team effort better than we had last year to get to 8 wins. And 2017 hanners is clearly our best 6 players. We didn’t recruit him to be 2018 hanners.
 

Mowman

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May 19, 2013
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No one knows when our best player will play. He is still away and we can’t cover our best back. That is why he is our best back. Our list is an 8 win list with available. Not one star. Now it relies on a team effort better than we had last year to get to 8 wins. And 2017 hanners is clearly our best 6 players. We didn’t recruit him to be 2018 hanners.
He was rubbish in 2017 & 18
 

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Aug 30, 2017
16,057
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AFL Club
St Kilda
No one knows when our best player will play. He is still away and we can’t cover our best back. That is why he is our best back. Our list is an 8 win list with available. Not one star. Now it relies on a team effort better than we had last year to get to 8 wins. And 2017 hanners is clearly our best 6 players. We didn’t recruit him to be 2018 hanners.

Or our list is a 12 win list like 2016-17 but has seriously underperformed for a number of reasons.

I suspect Hanneberry was recruited for onfield leadership as much as anything else. If you think he will be a top 6 player on our list then you’re gonna be seriously underwhelmed.
 

Mowman

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May 19, 2013
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Or our list is a 12 win list like 2016-17 but has seriously underperformed for a number of reasons.

I suspect Hanneberry was recruited for onfield leadership as much as anything else. If you think he will be a top 6 player on our list then you’re gonna be seriously underwhelmed.
Will not play before rounds 4-6
 
Jan 10, 2011
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Or our list is a 12 win list like 2016-17 but has seriously underperformed for a number of reasons.

I suspect Hanneberry was recruited for onfield leadership as much as anything else. I’d you think he will be a top 6 player on our list then you’re gonna be seriously underwhelmed.


If we are paying 800k for a leader then the club is seriously demented. We are hoping for at least a top 10 player if not top 5. 2017 gets close to top 5. 2018 gets close to top 20
 
If we are paying 800k for a leader then the club is seriously demented. We are hoping for at least a top 10 player if not top 5. 2017 gets close to top 5. 2018 gets close to top 20


I think they hoped for a Burgoyne type of resurgence. I think they needed to get someone in who was top shelf, even if it was on past reputation just to save face. A bit like North and Polec. He's getting paid the kind of money a top 20 in the comp player gets.
 
Aug 30, 2017
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If we are paying 800k for a leader then the club is seriously demented. We are hoping for at least a top 10 player if not top 5. 2017 gets close to top 5. 2018 gets close to top 20

The club has struggled to recruit big name players, Hanneberry is a fairly big name. Good PR for the club.

We have a serious under spend cap issue. Too much to use & overpaying unworthy players. Let’s throw some around.

It was identified that we lack onfield leadership. Hanneberry comes from a leadership group at one of the better run clubs in the league.

If our medicos & coaches spent 800k on 2016 Hanneberry largely then they have rocks in their head. My opinion is they certainly are not that dumb.

Btw I’m extremely happy with the Hanneberry recruitment for all of the above reasons. I’m just not blind.
 
Jan 10, 2011
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The club has struggled to recruit big name players, Hanneberry is a fairly big name. Good PR for the club.

We have a serious under spend cap issue. Too much to use & overpaying unworthy players. Let’s throw some around.

It was identified that we lack onfield leadership. Hanneberry comes from a leadership group at one of the better run clubs in the league.

If our medicos & coaches spent 800k on 2016 Hanneberry largely then they have rocks in their head. My opinion is they certainly are not that dumb.

Btw I’m extremely happy with the Hanneberry recruitment for all of the above reasons. I’m just not blind.
Totally agree with everything you said but the club want more than leadership no matter how much money we have in the cap. It doesn’t make a current player feel great if another player is on 800k and is nearly only playing because he can lead. Players don’t care what others are earning within reason. That wouldn’t be within reason. As for being blind well are you at the pub with me
 
Aug 30, 2017
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Totally agree with everything you said but the club want more than leadership no matter how much money we have in the cap. It doesn’t make a current player feel great if another player is on 800k and is nearly only playing because he can lead. Players don’t care what others are earning within reason. That wouldn’t be within reason. As for being blind well are you at the pub with me

Pretty obvious you’d sunk a few. Now get off your phone & get back to it.
 

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Superduperouzel

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Apr 1, 2010
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I fancy sneaking seventh or eighth, then anything goes. I might be at the MCG in September with you guys....


"While I'm worth my room on this earth....".



I´ve literally listened to this song 50 times in the last three weeks. I´ve had some terrible things happen to me lately. My best mate drowned in a diving accident over here in Germany and his baby girl was born a month later. First thing I did was put this song on when his family contacted me to say Abby had been born. Such a bittersweet moment. I cried my eyes out listening to this song reflecting on this news and what should have been. A couple of weeks ago some Hibs mates came over to visit me and we went to some footy over here to have some fun. Sunshine on Leith was played again and again and again in my boozer. Guests didn´t mind at all cos It´s the greatest football anthem ever. Saints are very much like Hibs in many ways. One Scottish Cup in 114 years but the fans are absolutely passionate and mental some of them ;)

Hibs currently sit 6th on the Scottish Premiership League table. It´s an omen. We are going to finish 6th this year.
 
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Sir Skid

Just one Kegs lady boys!
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I’m not going to go overboard because we beat North in a practice match , but I think we will win the flag and then go back to back to back. After all when we get Bytel back next year we will have 6 or 7 Jacks , couple of Joshes , a Jade , a Jimmy and a Jake . Hope I haven’t left anyone out . But no sides are going to come near us with so many J’s in it .


Don’t Panic !!
Good conservative mindset
 

lewdogs

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Jun 4, 2008
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Forward lines are completely overrated in today’s footy unless you have stars or close to it. None of our marking players are close to stars. Gresh is but people want him in the middle. Billings maybe but people want him on the wing. The rest are ordinary but that doesn’t matter either way if our mids continue to be ordinary. Our biggest weakness is the midfield but all areas are average. You win 4 games because of all round weakness.
You're harsh on some of our forwards here. Membrey, Bruce have shown signs of being stars. Know you've made your mind up on Paddy but he's a number one pick and looks a lot fitter this year. Reckon Long will be a star too.
 
Jan 10, 2011
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You're harsh on some of our forwards here. Membrey, Bruce have shown signs of being stars. Know you've made your mind up on Paddy but he's a number one pick and looks a lot fitter this year. Reckon Long will be a star too.
Bruce was nearly dropped last year. Membery is an honest player. Paddy is below average but hopefully becomes above average. Long looks good but hasn’t proven a thing. Doesn’t mean any of them won’t improve but I’m going i what we have seen. What we end up with is guess work but I hope your guess is right. We most likely won’t know until we have an average to above average midfield
 
Jan 7, 2011
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Put a fit Jake, Hannas and Stuv in with natural progression and we'd worry plenty imo.
If those 3 were all fit available and in form (plus Longer, who I feel we'll need if fit and in form, under the new rules in particular), I reckon we'd actually have a pretty well balanced team, with no obviously weak section of the ground.

Could have been a more capable team than the one we generally had playing for us in 2017, thanks largely to natural progression of a big chunk of the list.

Needed some luck with Hanners tho and unfortunately that hasn't happened and may not.
 

Sir Skid

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If those 3 were all fit available and in form (plus Longer, who I feel we'll need if fit and in form, under the new rules in particular), I reckon we'd actually have a pretty well balanced team, with no obviously weak section of the ground.

Could have been a more capable team than the one we generally had playing for us in 2017, thanks largely to natural progression of a big chunk of the list.

Needed some luck with Hanners tho and unfortunately that hasn't happened and may not.
Yes, agree we need a ruck to stand up.
I am having thoughts of Ming and Roma sharing duties if Billy / Peirce don't cut the mustard.
Both could play fwd and ruck and even slide to defence when we need to pull the desperation swing Carlisle fwd move.
 

TheEnsign

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Jun 24, 2014
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On general prospects, we've got Robbo back but Carlisle looks to be gone for most of the season; so that's a wash. Stuv may be back for R1 or out for the season depending on the issue he's facing; if Stuv is out that's more of a loss than Brucey missing much of last season; so maybe around 14th?

I think the relevant question is - who will finish below us? I see GC and Carlton as almost locks for that, but no other team. I think we'll be in the group of Dogs-Us-Freo-Bris fight over four of the bottom 6 spots again. Would love to be wrong of course.
 
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