Strategy Can the Saints make the finals this year?

[George]

Ive got plenty of faith. Unlike some who seem to be worried about winning our last 4 if we lose to North I'm looking at beating North and making the finals. Id rather the possible be the case instead of the almost impossible. Don't quite get the reference to 1997.

Came home with a wet sail and won our last 7 games of the year after starting poorly. If you are referring to me not having faith you must be joking.

 

[plugger66]

Came home with a wet sail and won our last 7 games of the year after starting poorly. If you are referring to me not having faith you must be joking.

Still don't get 1997. Anyway I wasn't referring to you. All I'm saying is people are looking to what can happen if we lose. I'd rather look what will happen if we win so I see no point in looking at the impossible if we lose. I will leave that for others. Don't be so defensive


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[George]

Anyway,

Had a laugh at this

 

[Glen Buterol]

Anyway,

Had a laugh at this

Wet Toast will get beaten by the Pies IMO. They haven't played well away & their form is ordinary.

North could easily go winless. They'll go in as underdogs vs Syd & GWS will anhialate them at Etihad - GWS play exceptionally well there.

I'm actually more confident vs North & Syd than against Carl & Rich cos both games are at Etihad on a Sat night!

Saints could win all remaining games which by my predictions has us finishing 7th & playing the Dogs in week 1 of the finals. Sheeeeeeit!!!

 

[TheEnsign]

What kind of record do North have at Blundstone?

 

[Nutsngum]

I just dont get the Hawthorn bandwagon this year. They have been less then convincing in a number of their wins and were deplorable on the weekend until the teeth fell out of the tigers and they kicked 50 junktime points.

I very much doubt all of Hawthorn, Geelong and Adelaide go lossless the rest of the season.

 

[XhazzafootyX]

Anyway,

Had a laugh at this

believes Sydney will lose to north, after beating Geelong at Simonds, who just beat Adelaide. give me a spell


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[Boss351]

hey, should of done this sooner but been wallowing in my clubs mediocrity and season capitulation, anyway good luck for your quest for finals, your boys when on song are very exciting to watch, Richo seems to be on the right path and the boys have bought into the plan and look to have a positive future, I bet it is exciting for you all.. march on Saints

 

[Diehard Saint]

What?? Surely you believe in old St. Nick

And just like Santa Nick also has a lot of presence

This deserves a whole lot more than 1 like!

 

[Diehard Saint]

I'm very hopeful about beating the Roo's this weekend, but I'm rapt that just two seasons after winning the spoon we are actually having a " finals" conversation.
Richo has to be in contention for coach of the year if we get there.

 

[Diehard Saint]

I just dont get the Hawthorn bandwagon this year. They have been less then convincing in a number of their wins and were deplorable on the weekend until the teeth fell out of the tigers and they kicked 50 junktime points.

I very much doubt all of Hawthorn, Geelong and Adelaide go lossless the rest of the season.

Don't you know that Hawthorn " just know how to win".
#freekickhawthorn

 

[freebloke]

I just dont get the Hawthorn bandwagon this year. They have been less then convincing in a number of their wins and were deplorable on the weekend until the teeth fell out of the tigers and they kicked 50 junktime points.

I very much doubt all of Hawthorn, Geelong and Adelaide go lossless the rest of the season.

Hawthorn - Still 2 games clear of anyone else. It's also more about their performance vs the relative standard of the competition.

The thing is, other teams don't look like hitting a rich vein of form.

Geelong - lost to us and still fragile if pressure is brought to them on any ground except skilled.
Adelaide - not so convincing on the MCG, where grand finals are played. Took some time to beat Melbourne.
GWS - First finals, ever! Didn't get out of 2nd gear against Port until half time. Just concerns about experience.
Sydney - has lost to Hawthorn in Sydney, so big question mark on performance on MCG.
Dogs - too many injuries
West Coast - worse than last year
North - will be surprised if they get to a semi final / prelim final. So much depends on everyone being fit, particularly, Goldstein, Higgins, Wells and Waite. Not sure that other than Goldstein, if everyone else will last 4 brutal finals.


Basically, Hawthorn are likely to get an armchair ride into the grand final, where barring Geelong, they would have the better of every other team.

 

[Choomah]

Hawthorn - Still 2 games clear of anyone else. It's also more about their performance vs the relative standard of the competition.

The thing is, other teams don't look like hitting a rich vein of form.

Geelong - lost to us and still fragile if pressure is brought to them on any ground except skilled.
Adelaide - not so convincing on the MCG, where grand finals are played. Took some time to beat Melbourne.
GWS - First finals, ever! Didn't get out of 2nd gear against Port until half time. Just concerns about experience.
Sydney - has lost to Hawthorn in Sydney, so big question mark on performance on MCG.
Dogs - too many injuries
West Coast - worse than last year
North - will be surprised if they get to a semi final / prelim final


Basically, Hawthorn are likely to get an armchair ride into the grand final, where barring Geelong, they would have the better of every other team.

didnt sydney pump hawthorn at the mcg earlier in the year? reckon theyre flag favourites along with adelaide

 

[freebloke]

didnt sydney pump hawthorn at the mcg earlier in the year? reckon theyre flag favourites along with adelaide

And Hawthorn recently pumped Sydney in Sydney. Basically, Hawthorn has lifted their game up, after the initial missteps during the start of the year.

And when you say "pump" - Hawthorn only lost by 14 points. And was missing Hodge. And the Roughead news had come out during the week.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Your breaking down on my comments is lovely.

Thanks. It's how I post, I like to be thorough.

We still cant make it if we lose this week but seen that it is so important to you that I word it correctly I think we are 100 to one to make it if we lose this week. Semantics but obviously important.

It's just about the fact that what you're saying is simply not correct (that we "can't make it if we lose this week") and you know it (as you've admitted multiple times now) and yet you're still saying it and that's why you're getting these responses. You're usually the first one to challenge anyone else who says something that you know is not correct on here or previously on SS, so I'd love to know why you think you're immune from anyone challenging anything you say that they know is not correct.

And why the hell would I be scared to get my hopes up.

Could be any number of reasons. One that comes to mind for anyone who has followed us for a long time is that they've been through so many of the really dark times of the club that they've been burnt from getting their hopes up in the past and as such are more reluctant to do it now. You do tend to well and truly tend towards pessimism, from my many years of observations now.

I think you are scared to say what I said about the North game being more important to win that the WB was correct.

Only problem with that being that I never said it wasn't, never thought it wasn't and in fact I said and I quote: "I didn't argue that us beating North wouldn't be the best result though, that's very obviously the case and goes without saying." https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/thre...inals-this-year.1136619/page-10#post-45617535

Now you clearly read that post where I said that, because you quoted it, so I'm not sure who you think you're kidding by saying this. It's the sort of rubbish you pulled all the time on SS. Mis-quoting others, misrepresenting what they had said and then carrying on like a knob with it, sometimes for years (in my personal experience of being on the end of it consistently). And then you wonder why anyone would want to leave a place where you are going on with that kind of crap constantly.

And finally I wasn't a great student at school but I was ok at maths and obviously I know if you are 4 games behind with 4 to play you can still make it but when I said we cant make it, it was my opinion as I typed it. I know maths says you can. Surely every time I comment I don't have to put IMO after every statement.

Well it can help when you're giving opinions, as the lines between statements of fact and opinions can easily be blurred if you don't, but the issue here is not necessarily with that, but with the fact you're using words like "can't" and "impossible", which are simply incorrect and again, in my experience of the internet, whenever you post anything that is simply incorrect, you're going to get challenged on it, as you of course do to others so often.

If you don't like being challenged when you say things that are not correct, then it might pay you to stop saying things that are not correct- especially when you know they aren't and can so easily change it- like using the word "won't" instead of "can't", which is an incredibly simple change to make. If you choose not to, then I imagine you'll continue to get challenged on it.

 

[plugger66]

Thanks. It's how I post, I like to be thorough.

It's just about the fact that what you're saying is simply not correct (that we "can't make it if we lose this week") and you know it (as you've admitted multiple times now) and yet you're still saying it and that's why you're getting these responses. You're usually the first one to challenge anyone else who says something that you know is not correct on here or previously on SS, so I'd love to know why you think you're immune from anyone challenging anything you say that they know is not correct.

Could be any number of reasons. One that comes to mind for anyone who has followed us for a long time is that they've been through so many of the really dark times of the club that they've been burnt from getting their hopes up in the past and as such are more reluctant to do it now. You do tend to well and truly tend towards pessimism, from my many years of observations now.

Only problem with that being that I never said it wasn't and in fact I said and I quote: "I didn't argue that us beating North wouldn't be the best result though, that's very obviously the case and goes without saying." https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/thre...inals-this-year.1136619/page-10#post-45617535

Now you clearly read that post where I said that, because you quoted it, so I'm not sure who you think you're kidding by saying this. It's the sort of rubbish you pulled all the time on SS. Mis-quoting others, misrepresenting what they had said and then carrying on like a knob with it, sometimes for years (in my personal experience of being on the end of it consistently). And then you wonder why anyone would want to leave a place where you are going on with that kind of crap constantly.

Well it can help when you're giving opinions as the lines between statements of fact and opinions can easily be blurred if you don't, but the issue here is not necessarily with that, but with the fact you're using words like "can't" and "impossible", which are simply incorrect and again, in my experience of the internet, whenever you post anything that is simply incorrect, you're going to get challenged on it, as you of course do to others so often.

If you don't like being challenged when you say things that are not correct, then it might pay you to stop saying things that are not correct- especially when you know they aren't and can so easily change it- like using the word "won't" instead of "can't".

I will just say one more thing on this. A poster today said Jack will win his third B&F. Imagine if people challenged him as you have done here. How boring with that be. Common sense suggests it was his opinion because he wrote it. As I said I know my maths and I know that 4 wins and 4 losses would get us in. IMO we cant make the finals if we lose this week. As for being challenged, you are surely taking the piss. I reckon its obvious I like a good conversation.

Now I look forward to you challenging all posts where it is written as a statement of fact. Will be bloody boring though. Also have a deep breath. It comes across as you need it.

 

[aussierulesrules]

I will just say one more thing on this. A poster today said Jack will win his third B&F. Imagine if people challenged him as you have done here. How boring with that be. Common sense suggests it was his opinion because he wrote it. As I said I know my maths and I know that 4 wins and 4 losses would get us in. IMO we cant make the finals. As for being challenged, you are surely taking the piss. I reckon its obvious I like a good conversation.

Now I look forward to you challenging all posts where it is written as a statement of fact. Will be bloody boring though. Also have a deep breath. It comes across as you need it.

I wouldn't do that because like you said, it's obvious that that's his opinion if he's said he "will", just like it would have been a lot more clearer if you had simply said we "won't make it if we lose this week", but when you take it a step further by saying we "can't" and that it's "impossible" as you continue to do, then that makes it far more likely that you're going to get challenged on it.

IMO of course.

 

[plugger66]

I wouldn't do that because like you said, it's obvious that that's his opinion if he's said he "will", just like it would have been a lot more clearer if you had simply said we "won't make it if we lose this week", but when you take it a step further by saying we "can't" and that it's "impossible" as you continue to do, then that makes it far more likely that you're going to get challenged on it.

IMO of course.

Its exactly the same except the name of the poster. They are both definitive statements but also both are written by people so its obvious Its their opinion IMO of course. Will is definitive. Cant is definitive Should isn't.

 

[Persevering Saint]

AFL have announced that we will have the 1:10pm Sunday game in Round 23. Only Doggies v Fremantle and Hawks v Pies games after us.

We'll go into the game against Brisbane knowing what we have to do.

 

[BillingsStar]

AFL have announced that we will have the 1:10pm Sunday game in Round 23. Only Doggies v Fremantle and Hawks v Pies games after us.

We'll go into the game against Brisbane knowing what we have to do.

Reckon that there might be a few saints fans at the north game barracking for gws if it comes down to the last round.

 

[St Kilda Death]

I wouldn't be suprised if we beat north then lost one we are favorite for in August.

 

[Kildonan]

I just base it off of our Riewoldt era rebuild. We had two lean years in 2001 and 2002, and then shot up the ladder in 2003 and finished dead even after 22 rounds on 11-11 (Finished 11th, two games out of the eight). So I think we can compare that to now, we've had two lean years under Richo in 2014 and 2015, and my opinion was that we would skyrocket up the ladder this year and instead of ending the year how we did in '03, we'd actually go one better and snatch a finals place. The side we have is capable enough of winning 5 of their remaining 6 games, and we may only need to win 4 to make it this year. It doesn't take long for a club to turn things around. The following year, '04, we were a kick away from making a Grand Final.

I think as supporters we probably should show a bit more optimism, or at least hold the club to better standards. I am realistic but I also know how long rebuilds generally take (if you're not a rabble like Melbourne) and from that I figured if we didn't play finals footy this year the season would be a disappointment. I think we're good enough.

I like to look at the similarities here and salivate at the era to come, however there are a few realities we will have to face that we didn't have to last rebuild.
1) The draw will be more difficult next year as we will be included in the most successful group
The implications are that we will find it a lot harder to win as many games next year
2) GWS and GC will be very difficult to compete with talent wise
3) Adelaide, WB, Collingwood and Melb are all ahead of us in their rebuilds and Brisbane will come good and rise up the ladder too
4) As we become challengers for several years, our salary cap will become tied up
5) With Richmond and Freo bottoming out and North also falling short of their expectations - the focus on a rebuild will see other wealthier clubs competing for the same targets we have in mind
6) Essendon will get a dozen AFL standard players back to pump into their squad and a No 1 draft pick (plus)

 

[bird_man]

It all comes down to this week, if we can get another upset win, I'll back us in. If not I think we are close no chance.

I'm stoked that we are even in the position to be talking about this though!

 

[Saints2019]

I just dont get the Hawthorn bandwagon this year. They have been less then convincing in a number of their wins and were deplorable on the weekend until the teeth fell out of the tigers and they kicked 50 junktime points.

I very much doubt all of Hawthorn, Geelong and Adelaide go lossless the rest of the season.

Really??? Nah hawks have been on cruise mode and still winning. They are one of the greatest teams ever have no doubt theyll win it again this year. Clarkson is the greatest coach of all time.
Only Problem is hawks will secure top spot by round 23s game and rest up for finals/cruise but LOL they play kangas Round 21 still needing to secure it LOL. Thank god. If they had met kangas in round 23 we wouldnt be playing finals.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Its exactly the same except the name of the poster. They are both definitive statements but also both are written by people so its obvious Its their opinion IMO of course. Will is definitive. Cant is definitive Should isn't.

I thought you were only going to make one more point on this? Now that you've chosen to continue, I hope you don't dirty up again at the fact I respond.

I don't believe it's exactly the same, because you've made it very clear with your posts that you believe it will be "impossible" for us to make the finals if we lose this week and it's that contention that I was challenging, because there is a very big difference between "won't" and "can't".

I very simply and concisely stated that we can still make it if we lose this week- a point that you have since conceded to be true- and if you'd simply done that to begin with, rather than starting to argue, then it would have all been over very quickly, but since you chose to argue the point (including claiming I believe something to be the case that I clearly stated previously I don't believe), you got an argument. Shock-horror!

If I came on here and said that "in my opinion the Earth is flat" do you think no-one would challenge it? I highly doubt it and it's the same as someone coming on here and saying that it's "impossible" that we can make it if we lose this week, when it's very easy to prove that we can- as very highly unlikely as it might be that it actually happens.

It wouldn't matter if it was you or anyone else who said it, so you don't need to play the victim card. ("It's exactly the same except the name of the poster").