Autopsy Round 1, 2019: St.Kilda v Gold Coast *Parker, Wilkie & Kent Debut*

[Mighty_sainter]

Can somebody explain our midfield? Ross’s contested to uncontested is not good enough aswell as having people like Sinclair Billings even Parker in there? Gresham had a stinker in there and am still bewildered how Clark couldn’t get a gig in our midfield. Need some pure contested beasts and ours aren’t great Steele an exception

 

[Hubnester]

Did anyone else notice, particularly late - when we got the ball and actually dared to run with it rather than looking for the quick handball, we looked much better? The Suns players seemed to set up to react to that pass, but when we decided to run the ball out instead, they were left flat footed.

I'm trying to find an example of this but it was just a little something I noticed while I was at the game.

I also noticed how easy we are to play against - their defenders seemed to play behind us every time, and they always kept a spare over the back. We played right into their hands with the continuous long bombs. Disturbingly similar to what we saw last year. Hopefully the new boys in the coaches box can identify this issue and do something about it.

 

[TheJackal]

I'd like to understand why Hunter, Coffield and Acres are not in the side. You can't select an underdone DMac then say Blake needs more time.

Today I really liked our defensive talls, they were the difference between winning and losing. It would be a shame to drop one of Battle, Joyce or Wilkie after today.

We could do worse than to keep Battle in the team and play him up forward, giving us Joyce, Wilkie and Brown as our three tall backs.

Joyce's improvement is out of this world, the three talls can hold their heads high considering they had one or two games AFL experience (playing as a defender) between them. Think about that for a second, that's huge...

Sav, Gears and DMac all had moments they'd like to forget, having said that they all did quite a few good things too but it was very inconsistent from them. Jimmy Web keeps on getting better, the bloke has authority out there now!

When the game was on the line late we bombed it twice to a small on the wing, once to Lonie then to Gresh, we played some pretty dumb football today.

I loved Parker's game, dead set gun. I was excited by his spark in the preseason but today showed a lot of substance to that spark too. Any chance Luke could give him number 7 for the rest of the year?

Actually on Spook, he was abused all game by our crowd. I felt for him. He did plenty of very good things, seems an easy target. He frustrated me at times too, but he wasn't any worse than most out there. I'm not 100% sure if he is in our future plans, Id probably drop him for one of Blake, Hunter or Coff but when you look at that effort late in the game and many others just like it this bloke doesnt deserve to be the whipping boy that he has become.

Today was the first time I've booed the umpires, I was horrified by their incompetence - last week didn't matter vs North in the JLT but there is definitely something not quite right going on after today.

I am relieved at the win, that's all we can be right now. We've banked one and that's one more than half of the teams in the competition so we reset, figure out what on earth happened and take on the Dons.

 

[Hubnester]

Can somebody explain our midfield? Ross’s contested to uncontested is not good enough aswell as having people like Sinclair Billings even Parker in there? Gresham had a stinker in there and am still bewildered how Clark couldn’t get a gig in our midfield. Need some pure contested beasts and ours aren’t great Steele an exception

Why do you feel that Gresham had a stinker?

 

[tim_saints]

Witts might be a great ruck... in fact he is a great ruck but Christ on a bike Lewis Pierce was just absolutely murdered today... he doesn’t offer enough around the ground either.

Marshall may have had the same impact in the middle of the ground but I sure as hell guarantee you he’d have a bigger one around it... just my two cents on that.

As for the game as a whole, I actually think the Suns played quite well, we had a great second quarter but outside of that it was pretty average.
Considering who we are missing, the first few rounds are going to be a bit of a learning process I think e.g. Wilkie/Joyce/Battle working down back together, Stuv getting match fit, Kent and Parker in a new system etc.

Wins a win at the end of the day, I certainly thought the suns looked a better team than we all thought they’d be, maybe they aren’t AS bad as we thought.

Very interesting game next week, if we play better and put a full game together , I see no reason we can’t knock the Dons off after their efforts today.

 

[Hubnester]

Today was the first time I've booed the umpires, I was horrified by their incompetence - last week didn't matter vs North in the JLT but there is definitely something not quite right going on after today.

I thought the same. It was baffling to see the inconsistency, they certainly had it in for us. Boos were justified I feel. Says a lot that some of the loudest cheers from the crowd today were in response to frees actually being paid.

Once I got home I read some discussions about the game, and conveniently we supposedly got a lucky one in the last quarter that 'decided the game' and everybody forgot about the absolute rubbish treatment we had for the rest of the day.

 

[Premium]

I must say I was very happy with Billings game , fantastic field kicking / 28 touches on a wing very good.

Steele was slow off the mark but worked into the game and had his usual 10 tackles

Steven is just a gun

I feel Long and Parker are real dangerous pairing in the forward line

Bruce , thank god we have him back

Newnes has come back

 

[Geary Is GOAT]

Armo in for Dunstan.

Bookmark it.

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[sasaint]

McKenzie, .... was great.

Seriously? I thought one of the first to be replaced. Come on down Acres.

 

[StJHD]

I must say I was very happy with Billings game , fantastic field kicking / 28 touches on a wing very good.

Steele was slow off the mark but worked into the game and had his usual 10 tackles

Steven is just a gun

I feel Long and Parker are real dangerous pairing in the forward line

Bruce , thank god we have him back

Newnes has come back

Agree with it all. I thought the same about Steele, didn't kill it like many were expecting at the start. But gee he is a good footballer, timed that lead perfectly as a full forward, clean with posessions, hunts others and hurts without giving away frees. Lenny potential.

 

[StJHD]

Seriously? I thought one of the first to be replaced. Come on down Acres.

DMac was good

 

[tomjoad]

Well, I've had a splitting headache all day that can't be shifted no matter how much water, pills, imported vegemite, or fresh air I take in. I missed the game, but I never take too much notice of the first game of the year anyway...however a one point win over the Suns at our home ground is not helpful to how I'm feeling. Glad Parker showed his teeth, and good to see Bruce snag a few, as well as Billings & Newnes playing into form. I just hope that this game sharpens the teams wits somewhat. I'm giving the team until round 5 before I start making judgements. Things take time to gel, and hey...we still won...but I want to see some sort of improvement on our skills and executing the game plan next week. And for the love of Christ, no kicking to mismatches, or dumb bombing, if we can iron that crap out, we will look a lot better...also put Clark back into the team you selecting Muppets. You know it makes sense.

 

[Sainteric]

Can somebody explain our midfield? Ross’s contested to uncontested is not good enough aswell as having people like Sinclair Billings even Parker in there? Gresham had a stinker in there and am still bewildered how Clark couldn’t get a gig in our midfield. Need some pure contested beasts and ours aren’t great Steele an exception

After watching Clark in the JLT I have no idea how he didn't get game either.

 

[sasaint]

Who does he replace And why do we need three tall players against Essendon

IMO replaces Battle who moves forward. Kent dropped. Battle plays the mobile forward much like Roo did. Bruce is key forward. Battle has aerobic capacity to run, can take a contested mark and is a very good field kick. Other than that McKenzie replaced by Acres or Clark. Pierce gets another chance.

 

[D2D3]

After watching Clark in the JLT I have no idea how he didn't get game either.

I’m even more confused by Clark, Acres and Marshall not making the side now than I was before the game...

All three killed in the VFL and we despirtaly needed what each of these 3 offer against the Suns.

Relieved we won, stuck it up the umps, and a bit happier after seeing the Bombers get pantsed but gee we were bad. If we dish that up in the following weeks we are in trouble.

 

[cooperrules]

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What about dave in for luke. Boooom

 

[Sainteric]

I’m even more confused by Clark, Acres and Marshall not making the side now than I was before the game...

All three killed in the VFL and we despirtaly needed what each of these 3 offer against the Suns.

Relieved we won, stuck it up the umps, and a bit happier after seeing the Bombers get pantsed but gee we were bad. If we dish that up in the following weeks we are in trouble.

Dunstan and Lonie look awfully slow. Lonie, Gresham and billings are small I can't see how we can play all of them through the middle. At least Clark and acres give you some size and a little more pace.

Marshall was good around the ground against the bulldogs, was down one end so didn't see much of how he went in the ruck

 

[Joffaboy]

Can somebody explain our midfield? Ross’s contested to uncontested is not good enough aswell as having people like Sinclair Billings even Parker in there? Gresham had a stinker in there and am still bewildered how Clark couldn’t get a gig in our midfield. Need some pure contested beasts and ours aren’t great Steele an exception

Find it interesting that all last year we had campaigners complaining the young kids weren't being run through the middle. People complained the Gres and Billings weren't in the mids
Now they are and you complain?

Need a contested beast and you wanted Clark in? Afraid not. With Hanners out the alternative to Dunstan is Armo.

 

[WhiskySaint]

I was at work yesterday so only got to watch in patches on my phone, but here are a few thoughts.

In the game day thread I said I’d be happy with a one point win and i’m stoked to bag the 4 points.

Sav - I’m probably his biggest knocker, but was impressed with his jlt. He seemed to have added a physicle and contested edge. Well that was gone yesterday. 15 touches with 5 or 6 of them kick ins and only 2CP. Has to make way for Clark (rotating with Newnes on the wing) or White (honestly whites stats are poor, but I recon they’re on par with Sav yesterday).

Dunstan - probably don’t with without his 8 clearances and 13CP. But..... they were the worst 8 clearences I’ve ever seen. We can’t move forward until we take clean possition from the middle and it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen with Luke. We must prioritise players that can create/find space at centre clearance time. I’d like to see us prioritise these players with Steele at centre bounce, Steven, Gresh, Long Parker, Acres, with Clark and Coff Longer term.

Changes for the Bombers
Pierce - Marshal
Sav - Clark
Dunstan - Acres
Joyce - Brown
Longer term I want Austin in for Wilkie and I think we need some extra height with Carslile missing.

 

[boydie]

Into the ground or 5 rows back into the crowd?

Sorry if I missed reply answering this, but he threw it into the ground sort of touchdown celebration style from NFL and the ball bounced off the ground and went about 10 rows back into crowd, was a little bit silly especially from a senior player such as Newnes

 

[bird_man]

DMac was good

His first half was good. His second half was shocking.

Was out muscled by a guy on one leg kicked 3 goals in him, them gave away a poor free kick in the dying stages to give up another goal. Finally did something good with a terrific tackle only to turn the ball over in our back half.

I'm not sure how anyone could think he was good.

 

[bird_man]

Can somebody explain our midfield? Ross’s contested to uncontested is not good enough aswell as having people like Sinclair Billings even Parker in there? Gresham had a stinker in there and am still bewildered how Clark couldn’t get a gig in our midfield. Need some pure contested beasts and ours aren’t great Steele an exception

I reckon you're a bit harsh on Gresham. He led the team for clearances with 8 and had 11 contested possessions. I'd love Clark back in by I don't believe he'd be able to do better than that.

Gresham has mostly been played as a small forward for the last 3 years so it might take time before he's dominating games through the midfield.

 

[bergholt]

His first half was good. His second half was shocking.

Was out muscled by a guy on one leg kicked 3 goals in him, them gave away a poor free kick in the dying stages to give up another goal. Finally did something good with a terrific tackle only to turn the ball over in our back half.

I'm not sure how anyone could think he was good.

I really liked his game. (Taking into account at the ground I was sometimes confusing him and Battle for each other.)

I thought in an undermanned backline he showed great composure, didn't get beaten one on one much at all, and was good with the footy.

 

[plugger66]

Dunstan and Lonie look awfully slow. Lonie, Gresham and billings are small I can't see how we can play all of them through the middle. At least Clark and acres give you some size and a little more pace.

Marshall was good around the ground against the bulldogs, was down one end so didn't see much of how he went in the ruck

Lonie was bloody good. I think some people get a player in the gun so look for so called weaknesses. Dunstan could be in trouble. The only changes that could happen are brown for Joyce or Wilkie. Rather keep them but I think brown plays. Clark for dunstan. Happy with that one. Acres for Kent or maybe Mckenzie and change the backline a bit. Not sure about that one. Marshall for pierce. Would do that in a heartbeat

 

[sammm]

Ok., we all know lots of people didn't like the game, don't like the coach, but hey we won,

what were the positives from this game.
Matthew Parker. 2 goal in his debut game
Josh Bruce - 3 goals.
Daragh Joyce held down FB with only 4? games to his name

and others.....