Do we need to make finals to say it was a good year?

saints

Team Captain
Joined
Apr 10, 2006
Posts
564
Likes
0
Location
South Melbourne
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
Manchester United
Thread starter #1
I was thinking to myself about the season we have had thus far. We are a finals side when full strength no doubt. We have had a terrible run with injuries.

Now to my point, do you think even if we dont make finals we could say it's been a good year.
I think regardless of what happens from here it is. The reason why is the emergence of some players (Fishers, Gilbert, Attard, Montagna, Blake and Kosi to an extent) These players are all now in our best side if not best 24. New coaches always take time and after a tough start the last 2 months have been extremely pleasing. Lyon copped alot of flack for our game style and so he should of but a few tweaks and we are playing much better. I even think that it may entice Harvey and Gherig to go around again (please God). If we make finals massive bonus but not a neccesity in my mind. Next year though only top 6 will do, no excuses.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Joined
May 25, 2005
Posts
81
Likes
0
Location
Melbourne
AFL Club
St Kilda
#2
not only do st kilda need to make finals, they need to win finals games...

St kilda are a top 4 side, and no doubt injury has hurt us, we are nearly full strength at the moment, and as a whole, it would be a massive disappointment if we dindt suceed during the finals series.

Injuries arent an excuse anymore this season. Apart from missing Goddard, Hammill and Gardiner played no part in last yrs Success (i dont know whether we can actually call it that). We have the chance and ability to have an impact in September and anything less is extremely disappointing.

But if we dont play finals, we can take positives (ie attard montagna kosi blake) out of a dull season

In short, Yes we need to make finals to call it an okay year. We need to win finals to call it a good yr.
 
Joined
May 3, 2007
Posts
80
Likes
0
AFL Club
St Kilda
#3
Its an interesting question that you pose!

I agree. If we don't make the finals this year then I'll still take a lot of heart out of what we have achieved. As you said some players have really developed/emerged under RL this year - joey, attard, gilbert, s.fisher, c.jones.

Also...it seems as if RL and the club have really finally put the magnifying glass over the whole fitness/medical regime, or lacke thereof, at the club. This will hopefully hold us in good stead for the future years.

RL has got us to play a really exciting brand of footy over the last 6 weeks or so. A brand that is offensive without disregarding accountability. I think RL and the whole coaching staff will go into next season with a much clearer idea of the strengths/weaknesses of the list, gameplan and so on.

Finally, my gut feeling is that Banger and G will go on at least for next year. G i think has been buoyed by the way we've played the last 6 weeks or so.
 

The Punter

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
May 12, 2006
Posts
8,321
Likes
8,411
Location
Lal Lal
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
Elsternwick AFC
#4
Saints - well written post.

This year, considering the injuries early and adjusting to a new coach (and removing the old one - probably the more important task considering how important Grant Thomas was to everyone around the place), I think finals will be good enough. But then you look back at the Essendon, Hawthorn & Collingwood games and think to yourself what easily could have been.

Next year we should be aiming to win the premiership - nothing less.

In the final analysis, one team each year wins the premiership, and fifteen don't. While I'd rather be where St Kilda is now than where Carlton is, if i barracked for Carlton I would have seen four premierships in my life time.
 

bubblegoose

Premiership Player
Joined
May 7, 2004
Posts
3,364
Likes
52
Location
Sainthood
AFL Club
St Kilda
#5
As has been pointed out, falling short of finals will be disappointing - even though we had the team instability & injuries early, we should still make it - as our best is damn good! Winning finals should give us essential experience for next year+ when hopefully we'll have a serious crack at the title.
 

St DAC

Club Legend
Joined
Feb 15, 2005
Posts
1,540
Likes
41
Location
West Gippsland
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
Man U
#6
While there are valid reasons why we may not make it, in reality our list is good enough, and irrespective of injuries, we've had enough quality available to play finals this year. We've lost several games we clearly should have won, and ultimately they may cost us.
 

sauce_head

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Aug 24, 2006
Posts
7,042
Likes
3,668
AFL Club
St Kilda
#7
I am looking at getting to the finals as the benchmark achieved for this season. This was my realistic thoughts at the start of the year regarding a new coach.

If we do make the 8, it means we have momentum, which is a bonus, rather than having won every second game.

Finals wins will be a bonus but we have the extra incentive of playing for a few players ending their career, so it is hard to say what will happen.

It is probably pretty much academic anyway. West Coast or the Cats are sure to win, although with our rivalry with Geelong, if we did face them, form may go out the window...
 

jbazzle

Senior List
Joined
Jun 24, 2007
Posts
262
Likes
36
Location
sydney
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
sydney fc, fulham fc
#8
speaking of geelong they had a bit of an average season last year and this year they are on fire. theres no saying the same couldnt happen to us a hopefully will
 

pol06

Team Captain
Suspended
Joined
Aug 30, 2004
Posts
441
Likes
0
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
Greg Oden
#9
i think we do have to make the finals now to consider it a good year because we are in a position now that the finals is within our reach and in our hands
 

ChrisL#12

Team Captain
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Posts
549
Likes
1
Location
Ballarat
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
Arsenal, Mavs, Mets, Packers
#11
I can't believe people are suggesting Blake has been a find this year! He has been horrible at best and was much better in previous years. This year, his disposal has been shocking and he is slow. Should be delisted, is a pure liability.

This is now becoming spamming - you are off-topic and repetitive
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Persevering Saint

Brownlow Medallist
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Posts
16,904
Likes
27,541
Location
MAdelaide
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
I'm a lover, not a fighter
#12
Punter, you make a good point about the Bombers, Hawks and Pies (and the Kangas game, I'd add) games: all of those are "coulda-shoulda" games for us, and if we'd won 3 of those, we'd be third on the ladder now, maybe even second. But more to the point, if we were playing all those games again with the team we have NOW, playing the way they are NOW, we would've, or at least darn well should've, won them. So what's my point? If it's mathematically possible for us to get into the finals (which of course it is), we should.

What's more, Robert Walls was right in his recent article (the one Stkildonian hated, but anyway...) that Lyon's game-style is the one that wins today's premierships. But equally, no matter how well they've played in the home-and-aways, Geelong has NOT got this sewn up. Their finals mentality can be strongly under question - in other words, I reckon they might well choke under finals pressure. They have a history of doing that, while when we've lost in the past, it's been because we had injuries.

All that is to say, we should make the finals, and I actually think - call me crazy if you will - that we can win the whole show.
 

sainter

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Joined
Mar 5, 2000
Posts
14,466
Likes
33
Location
Melbourne
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
Southampton,Victory,Storm
#13
All that is to say, we should make the finals, and I actually think - call me crazy if you will - that we can win the whole show.
I have a mate who said before the Adelaide game that if we won we would win the premiership. I told him he was stupid then and I still think he's mad but he'd be happy to know that at least one of our supporters agrees with him.

Back to the topic, I tend to agree with those that have said we need to make the finals for it to be a good year. There will still be some positives to take out of the season irrespective of what happens in the next 6 weeks but we've put ourselves into a position where we've got a great chance to make it. Given our injury list is at its smallest for many seasons it would be a real disappointment to not go on with it from here.

BTW good thread Saints.
 
Top Bottom