Autopsy Round 3 - Saints v Lions

[teenagerampage]

Forget Pou in the middle put him at CHF.

 

[PJays]

A bunch of c grade talent getting games around a bunch of overpaid mercenaries producing crap footy and crap results

There's always a pessimistic outlook and an optimistic one.

IF King gets back and plays like 2022/23 King, and if 1 or 2 other young players take big steps forward like Nas did in 2025 (Hall, Wilson, Owens, Tauru, Poo have showed flashes of serious ability), then we could be a top 6 team this year or certainly next year.

 

[Saints43]

Still think Pou will be ok. Honestly I wouldn't mind him just in there shoveling out handballs all day, some good mids do that. He will get better and it will click for him at some stage.

Cam Rayner, a number one pick, can get eight years before he plays a decent game.
We need to panic about our kids. And panic ASAP.

 

[Lennylegs]

This game pissed me off more than it should.

Im incredibly impatient now. Over taking the L. Jealous of the likes of Brisbane etc who can win flags.

Some good signs though. Midfield still a huge issue. Need a KPF.

Insert green mile im tired boss gif.

They destroyed Geelong in a worse way in a grand final. Just completely overawed them and broke their will. The best team since Hawthorn's most recent dynasty. We held our own for three quarters but couldn't sustain it.

I don't think people in here truly understand what we're up against in this current AFL system. We're pushing so much shit uphill that it's sometimes hard to even see the ****ing tracks. All the levers we pulled in the offseason were the right ones. The system has left us no other choice.

 

[PJays]

12th oldest

List analysis: Where your club ranks for age and experience

Who has the oldest list, who has the youngest, and which club has the most experience heading into 2026?

www.afl.com.au

DraftGuru has us 9th oldest and average 24.5

Maybe a difference in methodology. But even on that list, average 24.2 is equal 12th while Port is equal 9th at 24.3. We're certainly not young, we're in the middle pack.

And both Draftguru and AFL have us 8th most experienced.

 

[longlivelenny]

I think that was a fairly promising game. Unfortunately our forward line goal kickers are just so unreliable. Higgins, chito, Tauru, king, wood all lies then 50/50 to kick straight forward goals. We use up so much energy to the get shots then deflate and have to defend when we miss then. Very often it goes back the other way and they kick a goal. If we could improve that part of our game we win a bunch more games.
I know it's been said many times before but why the **** don't we use chito like a bull midfielder in the mould of Tom Green

12

Tom Green

Age

25

Ht

192cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.5

3star

K

4.3

2star

HB

7.3

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

2.3

4star

CL

2.8

4star

D

11.5

3star

K

4.3

2star

HB

7.3

4star

M

1.8

2star

T

2.3

3star

CL

2.8

4star

D

11.5

3star

K

4.3

2star

HB

7.3

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

2.3

4star

CL

2.8

5star

or even degoey.

 

[SG34]

…..

We are a work in progress…..we are persisting with a young midfield….

…mmm
What are the choices?
Experience?
Sinclair ? Flanders? MacCrae (when he’s back?)

It was too hot in the kitchen for Pou I think. Handball straight to a Brissy player for a goal. Not a sin if there was more upside.

But maybe- have we considered this- tha Pou etc are not in the midfield for learning the trade anymore, but they are simply there because we have no choice?

Pou reminds me so much of Rayner, who took aaaaages to get going.

…..

ATM, Pou rings my Jack Billings bell.

 

[beside the seaside]

…mmm
What are the choices?
Experience?
Sinclair ? Flanders? MacCrae (when he’s back?)

It was too hot in the kitchen for Pou I think. Handball straight to a Brissy player for a goal. Not a sin if there was more upside.

But maybe- have we considered this- tha Pou etc are not in the midfield for learning the trade anymore, but they are simply there because we have no choice?

ATM, Pou rings my Jack Billings bell.

I actually completely forgot about Macrae. Jeez he would have been handy today.

Pou is coming back off injury and a really bad corkie two weeks ago. I don't really get the need to compare him to Billings who did play some bloody good games for us by the way.

 

[Captain Paddy]

We're not young though, that's the thing.

We're an experienced team.

The numbers don't lie.

St Kilda's hierarchy can talk about long-term plans and they can spin it however they like, but the fact is they recruited 4 players who are 29, 28, 26 and 24.

They traded away our 1st Rd pick.

They courted Aleer, who is 24, before backing out and opting for JSOS who is 28.

They acted like we’re on the verge of a flag tilt- whether they admit that or not.

They opted for experience, and now we've got an experienced team. Not a development team.

And unfortunately, we're not winning!

Aleer is playing VFL even with all of the GWS key defenders out and JSos has been great for us the last two weeks

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Thought we looked more composed today out of the 4 matches thus far.
Not as many clangers or diabolical mistakes.
Yes, we looked a little tired in the last qrt., which always worries me with Lyons coaching. Is his coaching style too taxing on the players?
Thought Brissie would outclass us at some stage, sticking with them for 3 & abit quarters, shows that the players are up for a fight.
We need a taller forward.
Believe in Pou to be a good inside mid.
Slow start from him atm.

 

[Plugger35]

I would be sticking with Tauru and Phillipou, both are elite talents, like Wilson they show glimpses of it but aren't consistent yet.

I don't think dropping them will help, they just need to get used to playing at the elite level more often, they all have the skills.

 

[saintbill]

I don't have any problems with the recruits. All 4 were good today IMO.

Needed to be at the game today to appreciate how bad Marshall was.

His ruck work is absolutely cooked. He appears to have no athleticism whatsoever these days. His vertical leap is trash, is outbodied with ease, and looks gassed all the time despite playing less on the ball.

Thought he was the worst player on the ground today.

 

[PJays]

Aleer is playing VFL even with all of the GWS key defenders out and JSos has been great for us the last two weeks

I wasn't suggesting we should've recruited Aleer, my point was recruiting a 28 year old is what you do when you want to win now. Not build for the future.

 

[Captain Paddy]

I don't have any problems with the recruits. All 4 were good today IMO.

Needed to be at the game today to appreciate how bad Marshall was.

His ruck work is absolutely cooked. He appears to have no athleticism whatsoever these days. His vertical leap is trash, is outbodied with ease, and looks gassed all the time despite playing less on the ball.

Thought he was the worst player on the ground today.

Ro could never really jump in the ruck, he always went the wrestle which is why he always got slaughtered by guys like Gawn and Xerri who are bigger than him.

If we let him walk and TDK did a knee, we were left with rucking a baby in Dodzilla or Owens again

 

[t_94]

Silvagni has been one of our best players so far this year. Defensively he’s exceptional.

And as much as I was extremely opposed to getting TDK, Nas might not have stayed had we not been able to tell him we were getting TDK and others in, and Ro would get obliterated by the jumping rucks this year and beyond had we not gotten Tom.

If this isn’t copium, I don’t know what is.

completely agree, it's pretty clear they're still learning the gameplan and how to play with each other - at the moment there's 6+ guys in the side each week who basically didn't play with the group last year. chemistry takes time, especially when your core is as young as ours.

and another year will be down the drain by then.

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

Ashcroft boys were the best players in their respective drafts .. forget about where they were picked ... they also have supreme older exprerienced midfield talent supporting them

In a non meme sports league the norf nepo babies would get nothing

 

[t_94]

Flanders is such an average footballer. Vanilla as they come.

Also, this might be harsh. Phillipou looks treacle slow/ no athleticism? I swear I remember him being quick and agile in his first season, even going for a few hangers?

 

[L_W_P]

I don't have any problems with the recruits. All 4 were good today IMO.

Needed to be at the game today to appreciate how bad Marshall was.

His ruck work is absolutely cooked. He appears to have no athleticism whatsoever these days. His vertical leap is trash, is outbodied with ease, and looks gassed all the time despite playing less on the ball.

Thought he was the worst player on the ground today.

Doogs was worse IMO.

We need to work out WTF we are doing with our exits from D50.

Wilkie and Sincs waxing off each other for 25 touches a week is not the answer.

 

[Captain Paddy]

We stood up and held our own against the b2b champs, with them coming off a break.

Last quarter showed the gap in class between the midfields - who would’ve guessed that the b2b champs had elite mids in there.

We might be mid tier in age depending on what site you look at… but what we have done is get 50-70 quick games into the core that will be driving us forward for the next decade.

Hugo doing the tagging roles is both a team first role but also educational. He has the makings of being a real tough in and under mid for us, so what better way to show him how it’s done by arguably the master when it comes to smaller inside mids.

When all that core are hitting 100-150 games we’re going to be hard to stop.

It’s hard telling saints fans to be patient… but we’ve just gotta stick with this. You can’t tell me that this squad hasn’t shown improvement if we compare this game v previous games against Brisbane.

Hope we persist with Tauru forward, because god damn it’s exciting watching him launch at the footy. If Max comes back healthy, we really have a hard forward line to match up on because all of Tauru, Mitchito and Sharman are elite contested marks for their size… we’ve just gotta get our entries cleaner

 

[Captain Paddy]

I wasn't suggesting we should've recruited Aleer, my point was recruiting a 28 year old is what you do when you want to win now. Not build for the future.

JSos will arguably still be providing for us in 4-5 years.. just because he’s 28 doesn’t mean he wasn’t brought in to win a flag in 2026.

 

[Plugger35]

I don't have any problems with the recruits. All 4 were good today IMO.

Needed to be at the game today to appreciate how bad Marshall was.

His ruck work is absolutely cooked. He appears to have no athleticism whatsoever these days. His vertical leap is trash, is outbodied with ease, and looks gassed all the time despite playing less on the ball.

Thought he was the worst player on the ground today.

I'm starting to wonder if he is just tanking so we will trade him to Geelong at the end of the year, he doesn't look to be trying.

He has said he is OK with TDK taking over the main ruck role but I don't think he is, he tried to spoil TDK in a marking contest.

Gawn and Grundy were all smiles and best buddies when they first got together at Melbourne but that didn't end well for them.

I can see the same thing with TDK and Roma, they both want to be the main ruckman and don't want to play the second fiddle.
.

 

[puppy_dog7]

How did the goal umpire not see that ball thump into the post?

It doesn’t really matter. It’s 2026

Anything that hits the post gets called a behind no matter the umpire’s soft call.

That’s why I don’t get the uproar about the decision.

 

[my name was taken]

DraftGuru has us 9th oldest and average 24.5

Maybe a difference in methodology. But even on that list, average 24.2 is equal 12th while Port is equal 9th at 24.3. We're certainly not young, we're in the middle pack.

And both Draftguru and AFL have us 8th most experienced.

I think there needs to be some consideration of where that age is as well. Our distribution of that age profile is less than ideal for a side pushing for finals, maybe that's a list management issue.

Almost all in defense and small forwards. Only ones I'd put the torch on for older players are the rucks having bugger all impact once their job in the ruck contests is done, the only other is Macrae who had looked cooked in the first couple games. Without the luxury of being gifted pick 1 quality midfield draftees it's a shit road to take.

 

[Sir Owens]

Pou needs a spell in the VFL. Staggering how much he has regressed since his first year.

He is so slow and timid it's frightening. He has no weapons to his game at all.

I wonder if he is homesick and is not fitting in at the club.

 

[gringo2011]

I think we have to be honest and admit this isn't the start we wanted, and it's a bit deflating.

Believe it or not, 17 of today's 23 players had at least 70 games experience. And two of those under 70 games were Hall (mature age recruit) and Carroll who are both 23.

Today we only had 6 players who are 22 or under.

Even in the first 3 games before Howard and Butler came back, we're no longer a "young team" after recruiting Ryan, JSOS, TDK and Flanders.

The concerning thing is, we're now a middle aged team, a prime age team. And we're still performing like we'll finish 9th-12th.

Our improvement is still going to come from guys under 23 yo. The recruits keep us competitive but the rapid step up is coming when we get guys like Nas, Windager, Owens, Phillipou, Garcia, Wilson, Tauru, Boxshall, LOC etc at around 100 games.

We are still very thin in players in their prime years at this stage. Doesn't help when guys like King can't get on the park.

Players in their prime years would be Butler, Ryan, Silvagni, Higgins, Clark, TDK, Dow, Stocker, King, Sharman, Byrnes, Flanders, Henry. Less that half have played 100 games and probably only half are definitely best 22.