Autopsy Crows hammer Saints by 63 in round 1

[Sully111]

I don't see how having the likes of Owens and King out somehow excuses Nas's kicking, or Hill not getting near it.

We are a dumb footy team. We just are. Our decision making and read on the game is atrocious at times.

 

[El HOSS]

Expected nothing less than a complete meltdown from our fans after a game like that, but let's try and have a bit of perspective. We were missing seven best 22 locks or close to it in King, Owens, Sharman, Howard, Phillipou, Henry, Butler plus an injured Marshall, which caused us to field a very inexperienced side and play guys out of position. When you draft 18 kids in 3 years or whatever it is your depth going to be an issue for a bit, and ours was exposed today.

Also playing maybe the toughest road trip in footy for us, Adelaide were clinical and our guys never recovered from the early gut punch. They aren't stupid, they knew we were fighting an uphill battle and the belief simply wasn't there.

P.S. Anyone criticising the most recent draft needs to look in the mirror and ask a few questions, we won't be able to judge that for a couple of years let alone one week where our guys didn't even play ffs.

Well said bleach

 

[Verdun66]

Interesting to look at other results around the League. Some teams more fancied than us got pantsed even more than we did. And that’s saying something.

Freo murdered by Geelong. Port thrashed by the Pies who the week before everyone said were finished. West Coast getting thumped by the Suns on their home deck.

And then the Roos with all their early picks losing to a undermanned Dogs. Carlton losing to Richmond!! Melbourne getting done on their home ground.

Plenty of unhappy supporters of teams who were better placed than us going into the game. Part of the perspective.

 

[denisp]

Many will say I am over-reacting to a loss where we were undermanned, but I have seriously grave concerns about the state and future of our footy club.

We have won one final in 14 years. During that time, we've watched clubs like Hawthorn, Geelong, Collingwood, Sydney, Brisbane either complete successful rebuilds or consistently compete a high level despite the draft system supposedly enforcing a boom/bust cycle. From memory, since 2011, we’ve only truly bottomed out once (2014, when we drafted McCartin) and finished in the bottom three just one other time (Billings). As much as Kane Cornes can be a knob, he is absolutely right when he says that we've been stuck in mediocrity, occasionally competitive but never a genuine premiership threat. This means we’re in the worst possible position; not good enough to challenge for a flag, but not bad enough to secure elite talent through the draft. No one wants to deliberately lose games, but the harsh reality is that a single Higgins goal in the dying seconds of 2024 cost us two draft spots, two early picks we desperately needed. It is unbearably St Kilda that we can’t even lose properly.

We've been turned away by so many free agents (I can't even remember them all, De Goey and Callaghan come to mind) despite big money offers that it's clear that players are avoiding us for a reason. Maybe the all powerful player agents are steering their clients away, warning them that we’re not a good destination. Whatever the case, our track record only makes it harder to attract future free agents. Unlike some clubs, we can’t offer massive crowds or lucrative under-the-table sponsorship deals like Cotton On. That means we rely far more on on-field success to draw in talent, something we simply haven’t been able to achieve.

Our list has an alarming lack of talent. We made Port Adelaide look incredible in the preseason, only for them to get smashed by 90+ points last night. Adelaide’s slick ball movement today would have been easily disrupted by a side that applied enough pressure on the ball carrier - something any professional team should do as a bare minimum - but we couldn’t even manage that. We looked slow, undersized, and unskilled. Worse still, our most important players also tend to be our most injury-prone, so we consistently start seasons limping rather than firing. And now, our brightest young star in NWM could be eyeing the exit after just a few years at the club. If he leaves, it would be a disaster.

The reality staring us in the face is that we need to fully bottom out and accumulate elite talent rather than hovering around 9th-12th with an okay-but-not-good-enough list. But just our luck, thanks to academy/FS and then Tasmania's entry into the competition, the next few drafts are will be among the most compromised yet. We're staring down prolonged mediocrity without even the silver lining of a high-draft picks.

How long can a club with high levels of debt to the AFL and poor on-field results continue to stay functioning?

Like I say, I really hope I’m overreacting. But the worst-case scenario? We get key players back late in the season, go on a run, and land, yet again, in that dreaded 9th-12th range. It’s a lose-lose situation, and right now, I can’t see a way out.

Lyon is trying to get us out of the predicament- I’m buoyant with the guys we got in the last two drafts will be long term good footballers

 

[billings2paddy]

Expected nothing less than a complete meltdown from our fans after a game like that, but let's try and have a bit of perspective. We were missing seven best 22 locks or close to it in King, Owens, Sharman, Howard, Phillipou, Henry, Butler plus an injured Marshall, which caused us to field a very inexperienced side and play guys out of position. When you draft 18 kids in 3 years or whatever it is your depth going to be an issue for a bit, and ours was exposed today.

Also playing maybe the toughest road trip in footy for us, Adelaide were clinical and our guys never recovered from the early gut punch. They aren't stupid, they knew we were fighting an uphill battle and the belief simply wasn't there.

P.S. Anyone criticising the most recent draft needs to look in the mirror and ask a few questions, we won't be able to judge that for a couple of years let alone one week where our guys didn't even play ffs.

Doesn't explain the lack of effort and pressure against Port and now Adelaide

 

[ScrappyDo]

Glad I didn't bother staying up for the game (It was in at 1:30am over here)
It's only the first round, we'll get better once a few players come back and get some continuity. By round 17 or so, we'll have 2 or 3 wins.
Go Saints.

Don't bother watching the replay TJ. I promise there's nothing to be gained from it.

 

[AirWinmar]

Hi Saints Fans, haven't posted in a long while.

Thanks to all the BF faithful who have provided awesome training reports

Today we got pantsed, but looking at how many guys we had out there that had played less than 10 games of afl it isn't surprising.

We also had some senior players out there who just aren't very talented.

The thing that pisses me off is playing Roma underdone. We were basically a player down with him on the field and will probably extend his recovery time.

The young guys showed a promise, Mcrae was awesome.

Hope they give Keeler a run next week

 

[gringo2011]

Don’t be silly.

Owens king makes most forward lines.

Sharman Pou and Henry easily off the bench across the league.

I’m not calling them stars. But to dismiss their quality also dismisses any conversation about our potential this year. We might aswell say Richmond are better.

Owens is still on potential. Never kicked more than 23 goals in a season as a third tall. He might end up a star but right now it's forecasting not output.

Phillipou is the highest potential of all of them ATM.

 

[El HOSS]

Doesn't explain the lack of effort and pressure against Port and now Adelaide

We were absolutely putrid vs PA but it was a pre season game.

I'm not sure the issue was a lack of effort and pressure. We're just not that good.

 

[tomjoad]

Don't bother watching the replay TJ. I promise there's nothing to be gained from it.

Well ahead of you there Scrap..I read the first couple of pages of this thread. Message received.
Plus it's Paddy's weekend over here. It's the first time of year where Ireland comes alive...and I haven't even got the Guinness in yet

 

[Fehring]

One small, frustrating thing - of the five guys named on the bench (Hunter, Hastie, Garcia, Hall, O'Connell), Hunter was far and away the worst choice for sub. You want your sub to be a burst player with breakaway speed who can take advantage against tiring opponents. I feel like we regularly made terrible choices for the sub role last year too.

 

[ScrappyDo]

I don't see how having the likes of Owens and King out somehow excuses Nas's kicking, or Hill not getting near it.

We are a dumb footy team. We just are. Our decision making and read on the game is atrocious at times.

I'd say that Adelaide's game plan choked the space and they purposefully shut down Nas and Hill because everyone knows they are our prime play makers.
I'm not excusing what happened but Adelaide swamped and bullied us from the get-go and IMHO the failure was our leaders didn't react by slowing the game down and our coaches made some mistakes both before and during the match.
But yes, l think we are a reasonably dumb footy team.

 

[gringo2011]

One small, frustrating thing - of the five guys named on the bench (Hunter, Hastie, Garcia, Hall, O'Connell), Hunter was far and away the worst choice for sub. You want your sub to be a burst player with breakaway speed who can take advantage against tiring opponents. I feel like we regularly made terrible choices for the sub role last year too.

Can probably come close to putting a line through Clark and Jones as anything but depth. Dow too in all likelihood. Hopefully with Phillipou coming back and development into Garcia and Boxshall along with Henry and Wilson etc, we'll move past these inconsistent GOPs.

 

[stavro#4]

Owens is still on potential. Never kicked more than 23 goals in a season as a third tall. He might end up a star but right now it's forecasting not output.

Phillipou is the highest potential of all of them ATM.

Kings potential is the highest.

Owens is unfairly judged. What support has he had aerially in the last 2 seasons? Minimal.

Injuries just keep getting us.

 

[Mav3rick]

Doesn't explain the lack of effort and pressure against Port and now Adelaide

Lack of effort or lack of structure? Maybe you're right, but the defensive structure is clearly a massive work in progress. I'd expect it gets significantly better in the coming weeks

 

[Baldur]

Waiter, I did not order the shit sandwich, I would like my time back please.

Honestly pretty much what I expected, but was hoping for better.

 

[ScrappyDo]

One small, frustrating thing - of the five guys named on the bench (Hunter, Hastie, Garcia, Hall, O'Connell), Hunter was far and away the worst choice for sub. You want your sub to be a burst player with breakaway speed who can take advantage against tiring opponents. I feel like we regularly made terrible choices for the sub role last year too.

I have to agree with this one. I can't figure how having Arie, Irish and Hastie on all at the same time got through match committee. It wouldn't have made a difference in the end but probably Stocker should have played unless he's injured.

 

[jh38]

Kings potential is the highest.

Owens is unfairly judged. What support has he had aerially in the last 2 seasons? Minimal.

Injuries just keep getting us.

There's not a lot we can do about that, what irks me about today is that we knew we were undersized. Ross said in his presser we have to "embrace the chaos", but we played slow, long down the line footy.
I just don't get the logic, is it the players not knowing the game plan? is it mixed messaging from the coaches? or is Ross saying one thing to the players and another to the media?

 

[Saintos The ITK]

You’d reckon the afl would go, look one of our products doesn’t have the quality we’d like to have in our premier competition so let’s do a qa and give them a boost.
But no, they just continue to **** us up the arse with a big stick. It’s almost as if they’re decided to have premium Milwaukee products that they put all their effort into improving and then Ryobi. And we’re the Ryobi.

 

[bennymc7]

Was hoping for better but thought we were walking into an ambush pregame. Would have liked the senior players to step up a bit more but a tough task with that 22 imo..

If Marcus Windhager was 10% cleaner he'd be a serious player for us. He's the exact athletic profile we need in the midfield as the powerful tackle breaker but simply fumbles too much and then dump kicks.

Garcia is on watch for me, I don't think he has the athletic or football tools to make it as a mid long term (hope I'm wrong).

Love to see Max Hall go well, there's a spot there if he's good enough and thought Hastie was ok until he got hooked.

Worst game Nas has played in a long time, his kicking form is the worst it's been in his short career atm.

Onwards, hopefully Owens and Henry back next week. Would love a Travaglia debut for either Jones or Byrnes

 

[gringo2011]

Kings potential is the highest.

Owens is unfairly judged. What support has he had aerially in the last 2 seasons? Minimal.

Injuries just keep getting us.

King is getting past the point of potential and into the disappointing zone. If he has another underwhelming injury riddled year he is going to start copping it from fans and commentators. It's his 6th season. He needs to go now.

 

[gringo2011]

You’d reckon the afl would go, look one of our products doesn’t have the quality we’d like to have in our premier competition so let’s do a qa and give them a boost.
But no, they just continue to **** us up the arse with a big stick. It’s almost as if they’re decided to have premium Milwaukee products that they put all their effort into improving and then Ryobi. And we’re the Ryobi.

We are more a second hand Ozito with a faulty battery from the hard rubbish.

 

[stavro#4]

King is getting past the point of potential and into the disappointing zone. If he has another underwhelming injury riddled year he is going to start copping it from fans and commentators. It's his 6th season. He needs to go now.

Lyon seems to believe there was mega offers for him - hence the new deal getting by fast tracked

 

[Saintos The ITK]

King is getting past the point of potential and into the disappointing zone. If he has another underwhelming injury riddled year he is going to start copping it from fans and commentators. It's his 6th season. He needs to go now.

Bens just taken mark of the year. Get him to the club.

 

[Teflon]

Yeah Trav was generally considered a chance anywhere from 8-15. We clearly value running ability above all else so we picked him over guys who have the edge on skill

Some truth to this
Hawks did it under Clarkson doing it again under Mitchell - recruited users by foot
I hate GT but he said 1 thing right….ball moves faster than you can run…
We need good users round the ball who can dish it out and hit a target
So often we handball to a player standing still under pressure, miss the handball or slap it on the boot forwards
We also seem to year after year like to have 3 guys rush to tackle….only to watch the ball trickle out to the oppo player who stays outside and rushes it away …
I feel for NWM cause every one knows we want to give it to him cause he can kick Sincs a bit the same …that’s easy to shut down
We need players who have skills with the ball not Zac Jones types who run 100 miles like a headless chook to turn it over it a Byrnes who under pressure does same