Coach 2022 Coaching

[austinnn]

Totally agree, things are very open this year with very few standout teams. You feel our best is good enough against almost anyone in the comp.

The challenge for the coaches will be maintaining the performance level and ultimately improving it. Getting players back should help. I think opposition sides will try to turn our games into a dour slog, Geelong wrote the playbook on us a couple of years ago. That will be another challenge.

I'm a bit worried that our very best is what we're currently seeing and even with some names back, we still don't have enough grit and system to overcome the top 3.

Not sure where the next level up comes from. It would be good to get explosive development from a few of the youngsters, like Max Heath, Jack Bytel or Ryan Byrnes, or to see Jack Sinclair continue to blossom into a complete midfield gun and leader, to see Brad Hill become the consistent gun we thought we were buying, but who knows if they will ever happen.

One thing I liked about Joey's mid-week analysis is our profile as a fast/athletic 2-way team, endurance in the middle, speed at either end. We won't lose fans playing fast footy.

 

[ScrappyDo]

I'm a bit worried that our very best is what we're currently seeing and even with some names back, we still don't have enough grit and system to overcome the top 3.

Not sure where the next level up comes from. It would be good to get explosive development from a few of the youngsters, like Max Heath, Jack Bytel or Ryan Byrnes, or to see Jack Sinclair continue to blossom into a complete midfield gun and leader, to see Brad Hill become the consistent gun we thought we were buying, but who knows if they will ever happen.

One thing I liked about Joey's mid-week analysis is our profile as a fast/athletic 2-way team, endurance in the middle, speed at either end. We won't lose fans playing fast footy.

With putting some games into kids now l expect we'll hit critical mass next season or possibly late this season if it all clicks.

I only want to see if our tactics hold up against the good teams now. Thus far we've nothing to indicate it will.

 

[AirWinmar]

I'm a bit worried that our very best is what we're currently seeing and even with some names back, we still don't have enough grit and system to overcome the top 3.

Not sure where the next level up comes from. It would be good to get explosive development from a few of the youngsters, like Max Heath, Jack Bytel or Ryan Byrnes, or to see Jack Sinclair continue to blossom into a complete midfield gun and leader, to see Brad Hill become the consistent gun we thought we were buying, but who knows if they will ever happen.

One thing I liked about Joey's mid-week analysis is our profile as a fast/athletic 2-way team, endurance in the middle, speed at either end. We won't lose fans playing fast footy.

I don't think we were playing our best against Tigers and Freo for most of those games - but ground it out thru most of the game and were able to come thru with the win with a couple of good quarters. Nearly did the same against Collingwood. So I would think we found a way to win those games without playing our best thru the whole game. We were on against the Hawks and that was sensational to watch

 

[gringo2011]

I'm a bit worried that our very best is what we're currently seeing and even with some names back, we still don't have enough grit and system to overcome the top 3.

Not sure where the next level up comes from. It would be good to get explosive development from a few of the youngsters, like Max Heath, Jack Bytel or Ryan Byrnes, or to see Jack Sinclair continue to blossom into a complete midfield gun and leader, to see Brad Hill become the consistent gun we thought we were buying, but who knows if they will ever happen.

One thing I liked about Joey's mid-week analysis is our profile as a fast/athletic 2-way team, endurance in the middle, speed at either end. We won't lose fans playing fast footy.

The youth is probably not going to take us forward this year, Naz is a good addition because he provides spark and looks ready to contribute. I'd be happy to keep the youth contingent small if we are winning for now and finals are on the cards. Let them kick the door down now. List competition is worth more than anything. Geelong and Sydney stayed up for decades while having players develop in the state leagues. When they came in they were ready.

I think we have improved internally enough to step forward. Sinclair is probably a 15% better player than last year where he was already close to an A grader. Crouch has probably done the same and is probably slightly ahead of Steele even who is still playing great footy but getting lost in a crowd now.

Ross is probably 50% better and actually probably back to the good player he was. Marshall is less hampered by injury, Gresham is like a more consistent more impactful Jones etc.

Basically the only real drop off to me is Howard, he's probably gone backwards by a similar margin to the improvement in others. To me the the growth in King and Snags is probably the biggest step forward so far.

I said before preseason you need to probably improve 10% to stand still, we have gone beyond that and look a much better side with much less reliance on big games from a couple of players. Until we hit the better sides it's all guess work as to how much we have improved.

To me we have matured as well because like Melbourne did last year we have actually stopped being mentally fragile when heat comes. Last year when pressure came we pissed the bed but we have been down and found a way in '22.

I'm not getting ahead of myself yet, there is a long way to go and we will get injuries and challenges but we have moved forward which is massive tick to the club.

I'm hard on the club but they have exceeded what I expected so far and I just hope that this is our time where a bit of luck falls our way. If we climb the ladder we are still going to need things to fall our way no matter how much we've worked on.

 

[Mowman]

The youth is probably not going to take us forward this year, Naz is a good addition because he provides spark and looks ready to contribute. I'd be happy to keep the youth contingent small if we are winning for now and finals are on the cards. Let them kick the door down now. List competition is worth more than anything. Geelong and Sydney stayed up for decades while having players develop in the state leagues. When they came in they were ready.

I think we have improved internally enough to step forward. Sinclair is probably a 15% better player than last year where he was already close to an A grader. Crouch has probably done the same and is probably slightly ahead of Steele even who is still playing great footy but getting lost in a crowd now.

Ross is probably 50% better and actually probably back to the good player he was. Marshall is less hampered by injury, Gresham is like a more consistent more impactful Jones etc.

Basically the only real drop off to me is Howard, he's probably gone backwards by a similar margin to the improvement in others. To me the the growth in King and Snags is probably the biggest step forward so far.

I said before preseason you need to probably improve 10% to stand still, we have gone beyond that and look a much better side with much less reliance on big games from a couple of players. Until we hit the better sides it's all guess work as to how much we have improved.

To me we have matured as well because like Melbourne did last year we have actually stopped being mentally fragile when heat comes. Last year when pressure came we pissed the bed but we have been down and found a way in '22.

I'm not getting ahead of myself yet, there is a long way to go and we will get injuries and challenges but we have moved forward which is massive tick to the club.

I'm hard on the club but they have exceeded what I expected so far and I just hope that this is our time where a bit of luck falls our way. If we climb the ladder we are still going to need things to fall our way no matter how much we've worked on.

Howard is down on form but at the game Saturday he was doing a lot stuff you don’t see on tv, left his own man to cover a team mate and was caught out for it a couple of times
Fox show 1st crack put up a heap of stats for our defence and we were rated pretty high in most categories. Think they are still learning to play together as well, Battle and Leinart only new to the back half

 

[lewdogs]

The youth is probably not going to take us forward this year, Naz is a good addition because he provides spark and looks ready to contribute. I'd be happy to keep the youth contingent small if we are winning for now and finals are on the cards. Let them kick the door down now. List competition is worth more than anything. Geelong and Sydney stayed up for decades while having players develop in the state leagues. When they came in they were ready.

I think we have improved internally enough to step forward. Sinclair is probably a 15% better player than last year where he was already close to an A grader. Crouch has probably done the same and is probably slightly ahead of Steele even who is still playing great footy but getting lost in a crowd now.

Ross is probably 50% better and actually probably back to the good player he was. Marshall is less hampered by injury, Gresham is like a more consistent more impactful Jones etc.

Basically the only real drop off to me is Howard, he's probably gone backwards by a similar margin to the improvement in others. To me the the growth in King and Snags is probably the biggest step forward so far.

I said before preseason you need to probably improve 10% to stand still, we have gone beyond that and look a much better side with much less reliance on big games from a couple of players. Until we hit the better sides it's all guess work as to how much we have improved.

To me we have matured as well because like Melbourne did last year we have actually stopped being mentally fragile when heat comes. Last year when pressure came we pissed the bed but we have been down and found a way in '22.

I'm not getting ahead of myself yet, there is a long way to go and we will get injuries and challenges but we have moved forward which is massive tick to the club.

I'm hard on the club but they have exceeded what I expected so far and I just hope that this is our time where a bit of luck falls our way. If we climb the ladder we are still going to need things to fall our way no matter how much we've worked on.

I'd love to see Howard mark the ball more. He spoils when he can easily mark.

Thought his second half on the weekend was good after a very poor first half.

Wilkie seems to have improved slightly and Battle a massive improvement, so they're probably evening out Howard. Hopefully Dougs gets going.

 

[gringo2011]

I'd love to see Howard mark the ball more. He spoils when he can easily mark.

Thought his second half on the weekend was good after a very poor first half.

Wilkie seems to have improved slightly and Battle a massive improvement, so they're probably evening out Howard. Hopefully Dougs gets going.

Yeah, if Dougal marked more often I think he would look better. He's always been the king of 1 percenters. He's probably marked harder because he's under the most pressure too.

I forgot about Battle and Hill improving too. It's a good sign that multiple players are in line for our most improved.

 

[Ducky Tie]

I'd love to see Howard mark the ball more. He spoils when he can easily mark.

Thought his second half on the weekend was good after a very poor first half.

Wilkie seems to have improved slightly and Battle a massive improvement, so they're probably evening out Howard. Hopefully Dougs gets going.

I doubt Howard will ever be regular intercept marker. He leaves his run too late to get to the drop zone of the ball. He loves staying a few metres behind his opponent/the drop zone and making a late run and leap to try and kill it. Very different to most defenders in the modern game who like to get to the spot as early as possible and try and hold the position. It frustrates me sometimes, particularly when he gets outmarked, but it seems to work most of the time. He's a solid KPD without being a top range one.

 

[Minga]

I doubt Howard will ever be regular intercept marker. He leaves his run too late to get to the drop zone of the ball. He loves staying a few metres behind his opponent/the drop zone and making a late run and leap to try and kill it. Very different to most defenders in the modern game who like to get to the spot as early as possible and try and hold the position. It frustrates me sometimes, particularly when he gets outmarked, but it seems to work most of the time. He's a solid KPD without being a top range one.

Nice analysis. He’s usually league best for spoils, and is tall enough that we don’t have to worry too much about big 200+ forwards. Plus he gets to train on Max King every week which must be handy practice.

Importantly he’s a great leader down back. His kicking accuracy can be bit shaky at times though. I think his best footy will be played if Battle can become a beast. I say this because Howard played very well with Carlisle in the backline. If battle can be both physical and intercepting (which he’s shown he can) then I think we see the pair of them rise through the ranks. You won’t see team footy better encapsulated in how your defence works together. And I’m pretty confident in ours.

Ideally:

Howard and Battle and cover the talls, be the spine of the backline and get that mix of physicality, killing the contest and intercepting.

Wilkie is the perfect third man. A great kick, can lock-down players, can play tall and small. Equally as much a leader as Howard with a more level head to Howard’s steam engine.

Webster and Paton are underrated. Paton in 2020 was in my eyes, the best small forward lockdown defender in the league. And in 2021, Webster took his role and was equally as good in my eyes. Put them together in a team and I’m no longer worried about oppositions small forwards. Websters also a great kick with some pace, whilst Paton seems to be more of a reliable all-rounder with an importance on toughness - not that Webster shirks any contests.

Atm we are also running with Lienert in place of Coffield / Highmore, and he’s been really good. A penetrating kick and plays his role quite well. Ideally I’d want Coffield back in this position as his intercept marking and attack of half back is in my eyes the biggest weapon this team is without this year. He is a monumental player that had a down year IMO. His preseason was by all reports BOG until his ACL, and he’s the type of player that wins you finals (see 2020 elimination final).

Throw in McKenzie, Sinclair, Hill and Clark as midfield/defender transitioners and you have yourself a top 5 league wide defence. And that’s backed up by our defensive stats so far this year.

Highmore a very capable player who would be completing for Lienert’s spot along with Coffield. Connolly competing for that defender/mid role. Long can play down back as well. Allison and Adams have played defensive positions in VFL, and Joyce has not taken a wrong step at AFL level either and is very solid depth for a defensive key position.

Since this is a coaching thread, it’s well worth nothing that Corey Enright has slotted in very nicely to his new role at the club.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

The youth is probably not going to take us forward this year, Naz is a good addition because he provides spark and looks ready to contribute. I'd be happy to keep the youth contingent small if we are winning for now and finals are on the cards. Let them kick the door down now. List competition is worth more than anything. Geelong and Sydney stayed up for decades while having players develop in the state leagues. When they came in they were ready.

I think we have improved internally enough to step forward. Sinclair is probably a 15% better player than last year where he was already close to an A grader. Crouch has probably done the same and is probably slightly ahead of Steele even who is still playing great footy but getting lost in a crowd now.

Ross is probably 50% better and actually probably back to the good player he was. Marshall is less hampered by injury, Gresham is like a more consistent more impactful Jones etc.

Basically the only real drop off to me is Howard, he's probably gone backwards by a similar margin to the improvement in others. To me the the growth in King and Snags is probably the biggest step forward so far.

I said before preseason you need to probably improve 10% to stand still, we have gone beyond that and look a much better side with much less reliance on big games from a couple of players. Until we hit the better sides it's all guess work as to how much we have improved.

To me we have matured as well because like Melbourne did last year we have actually stopped being mentally fragile when heat comes. Last year when pressure came we pissed the bed but we have been down and found a way in '22.

I'm not getting ahead of myself yet, there is a long way to go and we will get injuries and challenges but we have moved forward which is massive tick to the club.

I'm hard on the club but they have exceeded what I expected so far and I just hope that this is our time where a bit of luck falls our way. If we climb the ladder we are still going to need things to fall our way no matter how much we've worked on.

I think we are seeing the results of the internal competition that the club has created.
Ross is playing well...if he didn't there is a chance he'd be out at the end of the year with what some of the young mids we have are showing.
When Long gets a game he's playing his ass off because others can slot into those roles.

Howard is probably unique along with the rucks , ( and even the Rucks might have Heath trying to outdo Campbell ) at not having much internal competition. Come on Oscar.

 

[bird_man]

It's going to be an awful year to be chasing a replacement coach if we don't decide to go on with Ratten

The first domino has fallen with the Giants. West Coast probably won't be too far behind them, Noble is under the pump as is Dew and Hinkley

 

[lewdogs]

It's going to be an awful year to be chasing a replacement coach if we don't decide to go on with Ratten

The first domino has fallen with the Giants. West Coast probably won't be too far behind them, Noble is under the pump as is Dew and Hinkley

I highly doubt we'll be chasing a new coach unless the wheels completely fall off. Reckon Ratts re-signs soon.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Nice analysis. He’s usually league best for spoils, and is tall enough that we don’t have to worry too much about big 200+ forwards. Plus he gets to train on Max King every week which must be handy practice.

Importantly he’s a great leader down back. His kicking accuracy can be bit shaky at times though. I think his best footy will be played if Battle can become a beast. I say this because Howard played very well with Carlisle in the backline. If battle can be both physical and intercepting (which he’s shown he can) then I think we see the pair of them rise through the ranks. You won’t see team footy better encapsulated in how your defence works together. And I’m pretty confident in ours.

Ideally:

Howard and Battle and cover the talls, be the spine of the backline and get that mix of physicality, killing the contest and intercepting.

Wilkie is the perfect third man. A great kick, can lock-down players, can play tall and small. Equally as much a leader as Howard with a more level head to Howard’s steam engine.

Webster and Paton are underrated. Paton in 2020 was in my eyes, the best small forward lockdown defender in the league. And in 2021, Webster took his role and was equally as good in my eyes. Put them together in a team and I’m no longer worried about oppositions small forwards. Websters also a great kick with some pace, whilst Paton seems to be more of a reliable all-rounder with an importance on toughness - not that Webster shirks any contests.

Atm we are also running with Lienert in place of Coffield / Highmore, and he’s been really good. A penetrating kick and plays his role quite well. Ideally I’d want Coffield back in this position as his intercept marking and attack of half back is in my eyes the biggest weapon this team is without this year. He is a monumental player that had a down year IMO. His preseason was by all reports BOG until his ACL, and he’s the type of player that wins you finals (see 2020 elimination final).

Throw in McKenzie, Sinclair, Hill and Clark as midfield/defender transitioners and you have yourself a top 5 league wide defence. And that’s backed up by our defensive stats so far this year.

Highmore a very capable player who would be completing for Lienert’s spot along with Coffield. Connolly competing for that defender/mid role. Long can play down back as well. Allison and Adams have played defensive positions in VFL, and Joyce has not taken a wrong step at AFL level either and is very solid depth for a defensive key position.

Since this is a coaching thread, it’s well worth nothing that Corey Enright has slotted in very nicely to his new role at the club.

Training with Max King, no wonder he spoils , he's learnt that he can't possibly win a marking contest.

 

[Klaatu]

It's going to be an awful year to be chasing a replacement coach if we don't decide to go on with Ratten

The first domino has fallen with the Giants. West Coast probably won't be too far behind them, Noble is under the pump as is Dew and Hinkley

I'm in the Ratten corner has been pretty good in his time will make the 8 this year & get another 2 year extension, we need to back him in and stay the course it will pay off.

 

[bird_man]

I highly doubt we'll be chasing a new coach unless the wheels completely fall off. Reckon Ratts re-signs soon.

I get the feeling that whether we play finals or not will decide his fate

I think if we genuinely look like making finals past the half way mark we will look to sign him

If we fall in a hole though I wouldn't be surprised to see us hold off until the end of the year

 

[gringo2011]

I highly doubt we'll be chasing a new coach unless the wheels completely fall off. Reckon Ratts re-signs soon.

I hope not. He's been pretty meh. He hasn't done much and he's had a lot more to spend on the soft cap and list than Richo ever had.

 

[Premium]

I get the feeling that whether we play finals or not will decide his fate

I think if we genuinely look like making finals past the half way mark we will look to sign him

If we fall in a hole though I wouldn't be surprised to see us hold off until the end of the year

And I fully expect he knows that , we have a team that can improve a lot in the coming weeks knowing Jones will be better for the run and Billings will only add to the talent we have in the side and Clark is just going to add to it.
We are still building and we could still see a few players injected into the team in the coming weeks knowing Highmore is a very good intercept mark and Sharman could well be added to the mix when they feel the time is right and that could well be against the Crows or Nth the following week.

 

[BrutThough]

I'd expect Ratts to be extended over the bye period. He has done a good job so far this year and deserves more time to keep growing this group.

 

[Premium]

I hope not. He's been pretty meh. He hasn't done much and he's had a lot more to spend on the soft cap and list than Richo ever had.

Ratten has shown far more ball's than Richardson ever did , he is willing to make changes when needed and will get rid of players if the don't pull there weight , saying he hasn't done much to me is far from the truth - under him we are developing talent and best of all he is not a arrogant wan/er like a lot of the big name coaches are who get a swollen head when they win a flag.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

The youth is probably not going to take us forward this year, Naz is a good addition because he provides spark and looks ready to contribute. I'd be happy to keep the youth contingent small if we are winning for now and finals are on the cards. Let them kick the door down now. List competition is worth more than anything. Geelong and Sydney stayed up for decades while having players develop in the state leagues. When they came in they were ready.

I think we have improved internally enough to step forward. Sinclair is probably a 15% better player than last year where he was already close to an A grader. Crouch has probably done the same and is probably slightly ahead of Steele even who is still playing great footy but getting lost in a crowd now.

Ross is probably 50% better and actually probably back to the good player he was. Marshall is less hampered by injury, Gresham is like a more consistent more impactful Jones etc.

Basically the only real drop off to me is Howard, he's probably gone backwards by a similar margin to the improvement in others. To me the the growth in King and Snags is probably the biggest step forward so far.

I said before preseason you need to probably improve 10% to stand still, we have gone beyond that and look a much better side with much less reliance on big games from a couple of players. Until we hit the better sides it's all guess work as to how much we have improved.

To me we have matured as well because like Melbourne did last year we have actually stopped being mentally fragile when heat comes. Last year when pressure came we pissed the bed but we have been down and found a way in '22.

I'm not getting ahead of myself yet, there is a long way to go and we will get injuries and challenges but we have moved forward which is massive tick to the club.

I'm hard on the club but they have exceeded what I expected so far and I just hope that this is our time where a bit of luck falls our way. If we climb the ladder we are still going to need things to fall our way no matter how much we've worked on.

Its a rare player that propels their team forward in their first year.
I still consider Max King to be youth, and he IS taking us forward.
Its a pity that Clark and Coff haven't been able to contribute, but Higgens is from that same draft and is doing well.

 

[Premium]

Its a rare player that propels their team forward in their first year.
I still consider Max King to be youth, and he IS taking us forward.
Its a pity that Clark and Coff haven't been able to contribute, but Higgens is from that same draft and is doing well.

Talking about coaches we have to give our guys a wrap.
They have turned around guys like Ross , Long , McKenzie who were at one stage being written off and the improvement in Sinclair is massive knowing how he was just making up the numbers the year before last.
Rejects like Wood , Lienert show the coaching group can lift players to a new level and the development of guys like King and Higgins is something you can only dream of.

Even Battle has been given his chance to shine knowing he just had to be settled in the one position and the way it is looking he is going to be a ripper.

The thing is the best is still to come with the injection of Owens , Milera and Windhager as first year players will only make them grow and develop to be outstanding players and with the injuries that have curtailed Clark and Coffield it is going to be interesting how they comeback and going by everyone else they could well be the players that lift us over the top.

People don't realize how good this team can be and with talent like Highmore , Sharman , Byrne , Connolly , Bytel all fighting to get a call up it is exciting.

We have also had players wiped out by bad injuries and they have come back as strong when people were doubting they would return to the standard expected of them like Gresham and Paton (Sorry but Hannerbery is beyond help)

Players like Hill and Crouch are really showing there best form and this has to be only due to the environment at the club caused by the coaches.

I fully expect the coaches we currently have at the club will be there next year.

 

[lewdogs]

I hope not. He's been pretty meh. He hasn't done much and he's had a lot more to spend on the soft cap and list than Richo ever had.

You hope we sack him then?

 

[SaintsSeptember]

We were pretty lucky that the change from Richo to Ratten was fairly seamless.
Normally changing a coach is fairly disruptive , the new coach has new ideas and they can take time, sometimes years to implement.

I know its crazy to suggest that Saints fans should be patient, but unfortunately patience can get you there, and impatience is more likely to cause underperformance.

Bomber started at Geelong in 1999 and was close to getting sacked in 2006.

There have been some coaches that came in with a new game style , which caught other teams by surprise and gave them early dominance.
Clarko's cluster. Ross Lyon at the Saints come to mind.
I'm not sure there are any at the moment who would be able to come in and peddle a game plan revolutionary enough to get that kind of effect.
I'm not sure that we've even had a huge difference between Richo and Ratten.

Savage, Ross, Billings , Bruce, Membrey , Sinclair , Wilkie , Steele, Newnes , Marshall, Gresham , Acres, Battle , Dunstan , Parker , Long, Brown , McKenzie , Clark , Lonie , Kent, Paton. were the most played 22 in Richo's last year.

 

[ScrappyDo]

I'd expect Ratts to be extended over the bye period. He has done a good job so far this year and deserves more time to keep growing this group.

I hope we wait till end of season.
In reality if things go well he wouldn't want to go to another club, so where's the benefit in rushing.
Telling him that negotiations will begin after the last game is perfectly fine so long as it's all up front.

 

[Premium]

I hope we wait till end of season.
In reality if things go well he wouldn't want to go to another club, so where's the benefit in rushing.
Telling him that negotiations will begin after the last game is perfectly fine so long as it's all up front.

Agree , let's see how things look at the end of the year - I'm pretty sure Lethlean told him of a future contract but he just needs to get us to finals first.