News 2021 St.Kilda Media Thread

[George]

I think we forget that 2020 was shorter quarters so our kids were able to play them out a lot easier. The extra game time probably doubled the fatigue and pushed unfit guys right to the red line as well.

I just think they didn't work hard enough, no excuses really. I remember thinking how mentally fragile they were as a group when we would lose badly, and it seems the success of finals got to their heads like any mentally fragile group. I hope it isn't a permanent theme of this group and they understand that they need to do a lot of work to even compete with the best sides.

 

[hayes]

I’m confused, did we suddenly get fitter in the second half of the year?

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

I’m confused, did we suddenly get fitter in the second half of the year?

Its a combo of getting fitter, working harder and smarter as well as adjusting.

The club drank its own bathwater last year, this pre-season must rectify those issues.

 

[gringo2011]

I’m confused, did we suddenly get fitter in the second half of the year?

If you go back over the season I think the fixture had difficult games early. Melbourne and Essendon losses looked horrible but in hindsight were less awful. We really only beat Brisbane, Sydney and a very weakened Richmond who were better sides than us. The rest were sides around our level or worse. Last year we seemed to knock off good sides and lose some unexpected ones. The second half of '21 seemed to at least stop getting huge blowouts when we did lose.

 

[Moorabbin Ghost]

Attitude was a much bigger issue than fitness last year. We went into the season just expecting to be a top 4 side, and when that happens you’re ripe for the picking. Add a horror injury run to key players and you are done.
Wasn’t great to go through but it’s a really important lesson for our group, as much through the week as on match day. Great clubs do everything right.

 

[Diehard Saint]

It's funny to see the narrative the club peddled regarding fitness during the season and the truth of the matter now. Clearly fitness was a massive issue. I said after the season I hope they are put through the toughest preseason of their lives and everything I've heard so far seems to be true. Hope it clicks finally.

And they got a new fitness guy.
Sometimes 1 + 1 does = 2.

 

[Diehard Saint]

I’m confused, did we suddenly get fitter in the second half of the year?

No, but we did start to get players back from injury and, in Paddy’s case, back to the club.

 

[Jesuswasacarpenter]

I’m confused, did we suddenly get fitter in the second half of the year?

Maybe it was match fitness that occurred?
Some of the facts are....I reckon
1 win out of the eight, 2 if you include the low percentage.
In the position to beat Geelong twice, the swans and Adelaide, but f*ched it.
Acknowledged by all as the toughest draw in the league.
Terrible run with injuries...to incredibly important players to the team structure.
Found Sharman, Highmore, Brynes, Connelly.
Went to the draft, and general concenus is they picked well.
The club currently holds a good draft hand for next year.
It appears they are managing their salary position well, so cash is there to spend on top talent at the end of the season, to improve the team for the next season ( imagine making the top 8 again and winning a final maybe 3....and then adding Ben King, who is happy to play CHB)
I think the club is priming itself for a sustained successful period.
So if they can get fit as f*CK this preseason, I reckon they will be Cherry ripe the 2022 season,
If Paddy and Marshall can play the majority of next season together, and Hanners can play more games than he doesn't...and they do have a good run with injuries like Melbourne did this year.
They are a very good chance to get into the top 8 in 2022.... I reckon.

 

[Remboy]

Maybe it was match fitness that occurred?
Some of the facts are....
1 win out of the eight, 2 if you include the low percentage.
In the position to beat Geelong twice, the swans and Adelaide, but f*ched it.
Acknowledged by all as the toughest draw in the league.
Terrible run with injuries...to incredibly important players to the team structure.
Found Sharman, Highmore, Brynes, Connelly.
Went to the draft, and general concenus is they picked well.
The club currently holds a good draft hand for next year.
It appears they are managing their salary position
Which means we can chase top talent at the end of the season, to improve the team for the next season ( imagine making the top 8 again and winning a final maybe 3....and then adding Ben King, who is happy to play CHB.
I think the club is priming itself for a sustained successful period.
So if they can get fit as f*CK this preseason, I reckon they will be Cherry ripe the 2022 season,
If Paddy and Marshall can play the majority of next season together, and Hanners can play more games than he doesn't...they are a good chance to get into the top 8 I reckon.

If all of that happens (and I believe it can) we should be well inside the 8.

 

[tomjoad]

I was glass half full when I saw the state of the players at the beginning of the season (I was clearly wrong) I was under the impression that we were trying to emulate Richmond in that we'd be middling up to the half way point of the season, but still in or around the 8, and then storm home with a wet sail and wind behind our backs, finishing around 5th-7th but then have an impact in the finals.
The fact that we are nothing like Richmond should have been a red flag, but after a drought breaking finals appearance I think I was feeling just as entitled as the players, in that it would all "magically" happen. Belief is a funny thing. It can make you lazy, arrogant, and stupid when taken for granted. It weakens quickly, and withers to nothing if not tended to. Like anything It needs to be fertilised and fortified with effort and resolve to be of any worth. I still don't trust many of the players on our list when it comes to strength of character, and I guess we'll see next season...but I wouldn't think we'll be worse (as I now see the glass as it should be...neither full or empty, just half way)

 

[Jesuswasacarpenter]

If all of that happens (and I believe it can) we should be well inside the 8.

I think so too

 

[Jesuswasacarpenter]

I was glass half full when I saw the state of the players at the beginning of the season (I was clearly wrong) I was under the impression that we were trying to emulate Richmond in that we'd be middling up to the half way point of the season, but still in or around the 8, and then storm home with a wet sail and wind behind our backs, finishing around 5th-7th but then have an impact in the finals.
The fact that we are nothing like Richmond should have been a red flag, but after a drought breaking finals appearance I think I was feeling just as entitled as the players, in that it would all "magically" happen. Belief is a funny thing. It can make you lazy, arrogant, and stupid when taken for granted. It weakens quickly, and withers to nothing if not tended to. Like anything It needs to be fertilised and fortified with effort and resolve to be of any worth. I still don't trust many of the players on our list when it comes to strength of character, and I guess we'll see next season...but I wouldn't think we'll be worse (as I now see the glass as it should be...neither full or empty, just half way)

I think it could be seen as a big reality check...they are all taking the talk atm...proof is in the actions now!

 

[tomjoad]

I think it could be seen as a big reality check...they are all taking the talk atm...proof is in the actions now!

Exactly...I think we're all a bit wiser, and certainly less fawning as supporters than last preseason. Naturally we'll get months of the "hardest preseason in years" and "such and such is tearing it up," blah and hooplah...and we'll all get naturally optimistic the closer we get to the real thing, but the boys will want to be switched on. There are jobs on the line for a lot of admin and coaches this coming season...and I'd say because of this, the messaging will be a lot more combative when it comes to results.

 

[Mowman]

Exactly...I think we're all a bit wiser, and certainly less fawning as supporters than last preseason. Naturally we'll get months of the "hardest preseason in years" and "such and such is tearing it up," blah and hooplah...and we'll all get naturally optimistic the closer we get to the real thing, but the boys will want to be switched on. There are jobs on the line for a lot of admin and coaches this coming season...and I'd say because of this, the messaging will be a lot more combative when it comes to results.

If we are the real deal we should be no worse than 4 and 1 after five games

 

[Leigh58]

If we are the real deal we should be no worse than 4 and 1 after five games

I think we have the potential to make the top 8 or even win a few finals. Unfortunately however we will continue to allow important players to miss games owing to personal or family issues.
Similarly to the last two years, this will prevent us from having a serious crack at a flag.

 

[sunny3193]

I was glass half full when I saw the state of the players at the beginning of the season (I was clearly wrong) I was under the impression that we were trying to emulate Richmond in that we'd be middling up to the half way point of the season, but still in or around the 8, and then storm home with a wet sail and wind behind our backs, finishing around 5th-7th but then have an impact in the finals.
The fact that we are nothing like Richmond should have been a red flag, but after a drought breaking finals appearance I think I was feeling just as entitled as the players, in that it would all "magically" happen. Belief is a funny thing. It can make you lazy, arrogant, and stupid when taken for granted. It weakens quickly, and withers to nothing if not tended to. Like anything It needs to be fertilised and fortified with effort and resolve to be of any worth. I still don't trust many of the players on our list when it comes to strength of character, and I guess we'll see next season...but I wouldn't think we'll be worse (as I now see the glass as it should be...neither full or empty, just half way)

Chauncey Gardener loves this post.

 

[ScrappyDo]

I think we forget that 2020 was shorter quarters so our kids were able to play them out a lot easier. The extra game time probably doubled the fatigue and pushed unfit guys right to the red line as well.

2 more rounds that year and we'd have missed finals, we were on the slide and got lucky. Credit to them that they won a final with the help of Hanners return, but lets not think it wasn't without a solid helping of good fortune.

 

[austinnn]

I think we have to deal in hyperbole because we're not privy to the facts: the IP from Saints coaches about our side's SWOT, our plan A (desired style) and plan B (reactionary style when up against it) and plan C (what to do if the players aren't capable of following A or B).

We can guess all of the above based on the scraps we're thrown by Ratts & co in the media and by our own keen eye, but we'll never know how accurate it is.

 

[sammm]

was reported pretty early in our pre season that is was a pretty casual approach that was going on down there
S66

I don't get why football directors, all coaches, operations managers, never mind the coach etc etc not see the lack of fitness this year? We all saw it pretty early on.

 

[prophetic1]

I remember RATTS saying that the 'season was a marathon' or words to that effect ....the early onset of injuries and abscences may have left us to all intents and purposes, not as ripe as we should have been. The intention behind that perhaps derived from a consideration that we would do considerably better in the first half of the season and with that in mind be better placed to run out the season into finals.

Rightly executed it would have been a brilliant strategy.. When you look at our last few games it seems to have beeen the case. We just got so shellaced in the first half in terms of the marathon that we weren't even in touch with the possiblities. I'm sure there has to be a middle path in terms of coping with the marathon mentality!

 

[prophetic1]

I think we have the potential to make the top 8 or even win a few finals. Unfortunately however we will continue to allow important players to miss games owing to personal or family issues.
Similarly to the last two years, this will prevent us from having a serious crack at a flag.

That's just the nature of growth,imo, the higher intuition, 'Love the higher law' if you like! The way that correctness determines is right! Sometimes that is a good thing ,often in fact but not always.. Its the right thing and for the right reasons....notwithstanding that from time to time it will adversely effect chances for sure.

 

[Bill Mohr]

I’m confused, did we suddenly get fitter in the second half of the year?

Not sure about that but the game plan changed and certain players got some much needed accuracy in front of goal.

 

[Bill Mohr]

I don't get why football directors, all coaches, operations managers, never mind the coach etc etc not see the lack of fitness this year? We all saw it pretty early on.

They saw it all right and didnt seem to have the balls to fix it. There was basically a club media campaign to shut that 'group" mode of thought down as it cast a bad light on all of those you mentioned, yes there were injuries but fitness or lack of seemed to be a big issue. The club was in denial. Hopefully it has been rectified as there are plenty of media reports that certain players are now training harder than what they were last season.

 

[CaptainRisky]

Attitude was a much bigger issue than fitness last year. We went into the season just expecting to be a top 4 side, and when that happens you’re ripe for the picking. Add a horror injury run to key players and you are done.
Wasn’t great to go through but it’s a really important lesson for our group, as much through the week as on match day. Great clubs do everything right.

Is that your opinion or the clubs , if it was the clubs i must say i don't have a lot of faith in them as judges of where we are at, i have been saying for near two years that i don't think we will be a genuine finals team until at least 2023.

 

[Moorabbin Ghost]

Is that your opinion or the clubs , if it was the clubs i must say i don't have a lot of faith in them as judges of where we are at, i have been saying for near two years that i don't think we will be a genuine finals team until at least 2023.

I think the playing group got ahead of themselves, it happens. How we learn from it is the most interesting part. Steele has gone to another level with the way he’s leading and his demands on his teammates. The 24-27yo group have been told in no uncertain terms to start delivering or ship off.