CaptainRisky
Premium Gold
You cant have it both ways , so you really dont give a s**t about players staying at the club that drafts them do youAll about reuniting twins at St Kilda.
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You cant have it both ways , so you really dont give a s**t about players staying at the club that drafts them do youAll about reuniting twins at St Kilda.
I love your story mate but not sure about your team selections on a few of them , Will Jake and Hanners still be playing great footy in 3 years time , i doubt it IMO and there is no way Laverde would push gresh or Billings to the bench , I dont get the love for Laverde anyway, he gets mentioned on here just about every year and we already have a few that just tease us so i dont think we need another one .My pet hate is people naming the centre in the spine of the team. I know that's how it's always been but you could put Hanners, Ross, Steven etc there as well. It makes so much more sense to name the ruck as that tall player with the bookend options.
Also Battle is going to be an ubermensch wingman who can play at either end of the ground in a pinch. Will be what Roo and Matty Richardson were in their last few years.
Saints 2021 Premiership team -
B: McKenzie - Carlisle - Roberton
HB: Webster - B.King - Coffield
C: Battle - Marshall - Acres
HF: Young - M.King - Long (c)
F: Laverde - McCartin - Parker
Foll: Hannebery - Ross (vc) - Steven
Int: Gresham - Billings - Clark - Coffield
'A Long time coming'
St Kilda's inspired choice of Ben Long as skipper going into 2021 has paid off huge dividends with the young indigenous leader taking home the Norm Smith medal as he led his side to a stunning 74 point premiership victory over Melbourne.
The day started with fireworks as the long running comparison between Paddy McCartin (Pick #1 in the 2014 draft) and Christian Petracca (Pick 2) came to a head before the ball was bounced.
As the now thriving McCartin (55 goals in 19 games) strode through the centre square to take up his forward post Petracca made his move with a shoulder bump. McCartin responded in kind using his bigger frame to flatten Petracca. It was a statement. A 'moment' for AFL folklore. The young forward will, however, surely come under MRP scrutiny as the act resulted in Petracca's collarbone being cracked and Melbourne starting the game a man down.
It mattered little on the day though as the Saints managed to use that momentum to get out to one of the hottest starts in Grand Final history. With 6 goals in the first 8 minutes the Demons were on the back foot all day. With McCartin, Matt Parker, Long (3 goals) and new Saint Jayden Laverde all hitting the board early Melbourne had no choice but to shuffle the deck and slow the game down.
Tom McDonald was moved into defence to assist younger brother Oscar and vice captain Steven May in trying to stop the barrage of inside 50 marks the Saints were racking up. While the score stopped ticking for a while, the damage was already done further afield.
There is a term in football we hear called 'sharking'. It's a tactic midfielders use to read the taps of the opposition ruckman in order to win the ball. Well if other teams shark, the Saints were a pack of Great Whites.
Rotating Rowan Marshall (14 possessions, 14 hitouts) and Max King (12 possessions, 4 hitouts, 1 goal.) through the ruck against the slower pair of Max Gawn (11 possessions, 38 hitouts) and Brayden Preuss (4 possessions, 21 hitouts) had the St Kilda midfield smelling blood. They essentially conceded the hitouts, sharked the clean taps of Gawn and Preuss, and cleared the ball time and time again.
It took until after half time for Melbourne to try something different with wingman Kade Kolodjasnij providing more mobile backup to Gawn. This left Preuss to play one out deep forward. Fighting against the likes of Jake Carlisle, Ben King and All Australian Josh Battle was always going to be a futile task, even with handy support from Sam Weideman (16 possessions, 2 goals).
But is was Ben Long who stole the day.
The aggressive half forward was questioned as the choice as skipper after the retirement of Jarryn Geary but he has helped mould Brett Ratten's team with a forward half as dangerous as any we have seen in the modern era. Alongside the AFL's "Bash Brothers" *insert pic of Bash Bros from Mighty Ducks* in Matt Parker and Robbie Young, Long set AFL records for tackles inside 50 and pressure acts in 2021. How he wasn't named All Australian is a mystery.
It was the complete game from the skipper who had 19 possessions (15 contested), 3 first 1/4 goals and an incredible 21 tackles, earning 7 free kicks for holding the ball in the process. His 25m rundown of speedster Jayden Hunt in the last 1/4 will be replayed for years to come.
The Saints fans will relish this drought breaking flag for those coming years also. The question going into next season will be: "How do the hunters handle being the hunted?"
I love your story mate but not sure about your team selections on a few of them , Will Jake and Hanners still be playing great footy in 3 years time , i doubt it IMO and there is no way Laverde would push gresh or Billings to the bench , I dont get the love for Laverde anyway, he gets mentioned on here just about every year and we already have a few that just tease us so i dont think we need another one .
I love your positive spin though
Ben King likely to stay at GC for another three years.
As Damo would say - 'Sources'Dafaq?
Where'd that come from?????
Yeah seriously. About to extend to end of 2022.Seriously?
Yeah seriously. About to extend to end of 2022.
FOXSPORTS AFL TONIGHT.Dafaq?
Where'd that come from?????
Ben King likely to stay at GC for another three years.
Why because we are such a great club to come tothey must be throwing cash at him to the point we arent prepared to match. gives ben good security
Must be on ripper coin
I think they are going to throw the kitchen sink at him. A lot of the GC boys are with the same player agent who has had some success in keeping the players from leaving.they must be throwing cash at him to the point we arent prepared to match. gives ben good security
Now that we are finishing bottom three with Carlisle busted for the season, whats our preference? Trade pick three or so for Coniglio or a similar type or go for another kid? How young can our list be?
Now that we are finishing bottom three with Carlisle busted for the season, whats our preference? Trade pick three or so for Coniglio or a similar type or go for another kid? How young can our list be?
If we come bottom 3 Coniglio aint cummin and half the team will up stumps, take their ball and go play somewhere else.Now that we are finishing bottom three with Carlisle busted for the season, whats our preference? Trade pick three or so for Coniglio or a similar type or go for another kid? How young can our list be?
Some serious midfield talent this year, exactly what we need. Matt Rowell from Carey Grammar would be mine with the new rules, a clearance king.if we could get cogs i'd jump at it
personally would love an existing gun mid. whats the upcoming draft like?
I got told a couple of months ago that Ben was far more likely to thrive away from home than Max. From a mate who knows the family reasonably well. So this comes as no surprise to me. Sounds as if he's quite independent. Suns would look after him too.Yeah seriously. About to extend to end of 2022.
What spine...
Jake - King - Steele - King - Battle