Autopsy Round 9 - St Kilda v Carlton *SPUD'S GAME*

[jumperfan]

Interesting decision to get Bonner back from Casey for this game.

In all seriousness that felt like more of the same old garbage. Smashed in the clearances, shocking forward entries, undersized all over the ground, particularly in the forward line and awful turnovers. I’ve resigned myself to just waiting until some of the kids come good and Ross finally has some better cattle to work with. Need that critical mass of talented youth to push us into contention again.

 

[Mat Mann]

Too scared to lose to ever win.

my thoughts exactly

 

[StCicatriz]

We are approaching this Spud's Game idea all wrong and we have done since it started. It's symptomatic of our lack of lateral or original thought

Agree 100%

 

[jwikked]

We are approaching this Spud's Game idea all wrong and we have done since it started. It's symptomatic of our lack of lateral or original thought

Needs to be treated by the club as a normal game (on game day). Let the media, and those outside the club pump the day up on gameday. Stop the funeral style videos before the game, stop the arm in arm circle before the game. It didn't work in game 1, doesn't work now.

We aren't a serious club if we give up on selling games but keep pushing this game which is as good as a loss every single year.

 

[mighty_sainters]

Bipolar forum.

Bookies had Blues favourite by a fair margin for good reason, don’t be all sunshine and rainbows one week when we win, and the next all doom and gloom.

Look at the state of these two lists, they should be beating us. Curnow and Mckay, the experienced midfield, Silvagni back in to partner Weitering, a ruck who we are willing to pay 1.7million for.

Not the result some of you expected, but it’s far from panic stations.

We’re on the right path, doing all the right things, King/Tauru/Trav to come. RTB at the helm for a few more years. I’m excited.

 

[BrutThough]

I also think the Spud game should resort to a black arm band game from now on. Continue to honour the guy but let's move on.

Agreed. You can only eulogise someone so much and we passed that point about 3 years ago. Time for the club to move forward instead of constantly looking back at 1 person.

If they want to do something mental health focused, then thats fine. But the circling up as we are meant to start, playing a morbid video then hearing a reflective speech needs to end.

 

[Saints TV]

 

[Kennedy84]

Two Coleman medalists, all Australian defenders, all Australian midfielders and a dual Brownlow medalist, that's Brisbane 2001-03 type accolades....what have they done with it.

Btw, seeing Blacres play gives me PTSD from the mid 2010's era.

 

[BrutThough]

One of the biggest differences in the game was the difference in key forward quality. Curnow and McKay showed why they are Coleman medalists and ours had little impact. We just weren't physically strong or tall enough in a lot of contests.

Also, we need more mids in the side. For the first 3 quarters it was just Macrae, Steele, Hugo and Boxshall rotating in there. Thats not enough, especially when the two kids are barely touching it. We can't afford to have 2 of our starting 4 mids getting 21 combined touched and expect to be competitive. I know they are just kids but we either need more from them or someone else in the rotation.

 

[PrimalConstruct]

Was this game a negotiated away game with increased gate takings?

Why would we have a club-focused marquee game as an away game otherwise?

Did we generate a record attendance for the two clubs only for Carlton to capitalise?

 

[Parkysp]

We had 18 players that had less than 15 disposals.

Instead of that kicking for goal game at the quarter time break can we have some crazy Japanese style comedy game where a supporter gets to humiliate recruiters past?

 

[jwikked]

Was this game a negotiated away game with increased gate takings?

Why would we have a club-focused marquee game as an away game otherwise?

Did we generate a record attendance for the two clubs only for Carlton to capitalise?

Club wants to play more games at the MCG. our record there is pretty good.

 

[Eldridge Mali]

Consider;

Calder used Said in place of Garcia.
Calder recognised that Said had more forward nuance.
We list him as a small forward/flanker type.

That first part is important though, yes he's undersized comparatively but, Said can theoretically be a Garcia mk2 with greater forward nuances. I do not think he'll get there personally, but it won't be from lack of trying.

Said is a small half forward. His strengths are that he reads the game well, finds space as a result and is an excellent and reliable field kick. Good to watch, calm and classy. Slight and v unlikely to play this year.

 

[PrimalConstruct]

Club wants to play more games at the MCG. our record there is pretty good.

Understood, but was this an away game on paper and we took the gate?

 

[jwikked]

Understood, but was this an away game on paper and we took the gate?

I guess if you want to call it that. It was our home game at a ground we want to play more games at

 

[MOLTEN GANGLANDS]

the spuds game talk is such rubbish, like, if we came out flat as a tack then maybe there's something to it, but that wasn't the case at all. The game was pretty willing from both sides, we missed some tackles in the third which was frustrating, but the intensity was there. We just weren't clean enough, and too slow to pull the trigger post switch. We also need a proper tall down the line, very much a game King could have helped us with

it's understandable to be gutted when we very much could have won it, but we had two 18 year olds in the midfield up against the best ruck and inside mid in the game.. chin up

 

[jwint43]

We looked smaller and put muscled against the blues.

Losing this game isn't the end of the world but boy that was an awful awful style of football to play. We were still playing very conservative late into the last quarter.

We have been undersized for years. It's why I am so impressed with Wilkie every week, because he is almost always giving up height on his direct opponent. Tonight showed why we need Max in this side.

It seems like we put the game in statis to try and wear them out in the 3rd and then roll over the top of them, but it's like we forgot that we were chasing the game. I kept expecting them to roll over and fold due to us having fresher legs, but they played the last 10 minutes well, which is rare for them.

The game sort of went into a lull and then we didn't know how find the spark. You'd think we were defending a 5 goal lead, weird lack of urgency and left it too late to surge.

 

[TassieSaint]

Thought we through that game away. No hate but some of the younger boys Wilson, Garcia, Hall cost us goals at critical times.

Also wtf was up with Dougal, was moving like my old man

 

[TheJackal]

I think we need a complete overhaul of our fitness staff.

Doug was rushed straight back in, last week he was favouring his shoulder and had a hip issue - this week seemed underdone. He's been good since he came back, but he's not 100%.

Higgins, too sick to train, should never play if that illness causes him to be subbed.

King, well, we all know how King has gone since the middle of last year.

Butler, recurrence of the same injuries despite a heap of work preseason.

Henry, is another one in the 'can't get it right' category.

Pou, the guy is class, but clearly not 100% if we aren't rolling him through the middle. The stress fractures was due to overwork

Steele/Marshall, both playing like banged up vets trying to get to round 23, only issue is they've been doing it since round 1.

JC is having recurring soft tissue injuries this year.

So basically, our record of rehabbing players to full fitness really isn't looking great. It's like we have Essendons old fitness guy or something based on these issues.

Edit: of course it's 'this guy' with a photo of one of his many injury free specimens

 

[PJays]

Thoughts....

Love being at the G with 65-70,000. Beg, bargain, plead, threaten or extort the AFL. Whatever you need to Bassatt, to get 2 or 3 next year

The price for NWM just rose to Zak Butters

9

Zak Butters

Age

25

Ht

181cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.3

4star

K

7.7

3star

HB

6.7

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.8

3star

D

14.7

4star

K

8.9

4star

HB

5.9

3star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.1

3star

D

17.0

5star

K

9.0

4star

HB

8.0

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.6

4star

CL

0.6

3star

and Port's first round pick.

Welcome back, Phillipou!

Close game. Two dodgy free kicks to Curnow and McKay and lost by 2 goals

Really missed Higgins creativity in that locked up second half. Could've been a guy to break the deadlock.

What really cost us was poor execution entering the forward line. Missed some opportunities by butchering kicks.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Bipolar forum.

Bookies had Blues favourite by a fair margin for good reason, don’t be all sunshine and rainbows one week when we win, and the next all doom and gloom.

Look at the state of these two lists, they should be beating us. Curnow and Mckay, the experienced midfield, Silvagni back in to partner Weitering, a ruck who we are willing to pay 1.7million for.

Not the result some of you expected, but it’s far from panic stations.

We’re on the right path, doing all the right things, King/Tauru/Trav to come. RTB at the helm for a few more years. I’m excited.

What a load of shit, we were two straight shots off a win, and there were plenty of "luck" moments during the game could have put us there.

 

[Plugger35]

A lot of glass half empty types tonight, I prefer to be glass half full.

Maybe it's because my glass is half full of bourbon but I thought we weren't that bad.

As Ross the Boss said we played with spirit Spud style but we just lacked the execution.

One of the most pleasing things was our youngsters driving the comeback in the 2nd half.

We should have won that game, if we had King, Higgins and Butler we probably would have,

Don't get me started on the umpiring, that's another reason we lost but we need to be good enough to overcome it.

Just control the controllables, we can't control the umpires but we can control how we play and we need to play better.

 

[jwint43]

Wilson will never be a mid. I've never seen a bloke as scared of contact in my entire life.

I've noticed this too. I don't want to be too negative, but i've seen him choose to soccer so many times when a player is running towards him. I've always seen him as a winger anyway, not every player has to progress into the centre bounces.

 

[Xxxx66]

It's insane to think there is a softer player than Hill. But unfortunately there is.

I just don't see the knock on Darcy. Might have to watch closer

 

[luca77]

the spuds game talk is such rubbish, like, if we came out flat as a tack then maybe there's something to it, but that wasn't the case at all. The game was pretty willing from both sides, we missed some tackles in the third which was frustrating, but the intensity was there. We just weren't clean enough, and too slow to pull the trigger post switch. We also need a proper tall down the line, very much a game King could have helped us with

it's understandable to be gutted when we very much could have won it, but we had two 18 year olds in the midfield up against the best ruck and inside mid in the game.. chin up

Yeah nah, I don't think it's rubbish.

There's plenty of time during the week for the emotional videos and stories. They can play videos earlier in the night before the warmup, or at half time when the players are in the rooms. They can still circle up and do a bit of a speech.

I don't see many, if any, people blaming it for the loss or saying Spud's game shouldn't happen. Doesn't mean we all have to think it's the best way of going about it. I'd personally involve the current players less, and let them focus on the game. There are plenty of past players they could have out there pregame for the ceremony. It's a great chance to promote the DFC and the work that goes on there. They could give a report on how that's going.

Even the media were asking Ross about that in the presser, so it's not just Saints fans who are questioning the way it's done.