Prediction Do you think St kilda will make the 8 in 2018

[aussierulesrules]

I hope you're right and I'm still fairly positive about sneaking into the 8.

But will Richo take risks and play the CC's? Based on his insistence on playing an injured Mav last season I'm not sure. I'm always ambivalent on Gilbo. He played a very good role for us last year, but his disposal can be absolutely shocking, largely undoing the good. We have to put some faith in players like White to get a cluster of games to show what he can do. And change up the midfield occasionally.

Just think the coaching panel may be a little risk-averse.

Richo definitely tends to be on the conservative side, but you can tell he's going to be feeling more pressure for us to perform this year and that the club sees this as the time we need to step up and that near enough won't be good enough 3 years in a row, so he's IMO going to be a lot less willing to tolerate sub-par performances.

Last year he did still drop all of Dunstan (3 times, for the first time ever), Bruce, Koby, Steele, Acres and Mav, so with even more "pressure to perform" this year, I see him as likely to be even less patient with anyone who's out of form, and for basically everyone's spot to be in serious jeopardy, if they don't perform.

So those who didn't perform last night who don't have serious credits in the bank will want to lift their game in a pretty big way next week, (or even on the track this week, or they might not even make it to next week), or they could find themselves out of the team by R1- with more likely to be ready to take their spot than last year, when we didn't bat as deep with those who could play senior footy as we will this year.

I'm not even slightly concerned about his willingness to play C&C, as in recent years if anything we've been too quick to play those we took with our first picks in the draft, and all of Dunstan, Billings, Lonie, Sinclair and Gresham played heaps in their first year's, so I don't see why those two won't play plenty, if they're performing when they do.

 

[Quixote]

Whispers from the war room, Jelly Kelly watched last nights game, picked up the phone to Richo and requested a mid-year trade.

Bank it to the take. It's flippening!

 

[aussierulesrules]

Given that you were there and your analysis is as objective as it comes, did you see any changes in set ups in the middle or similar?

Not looking for excuses but you can practice and get it right at training, but the only way to execute is in real game situations where you also have to counter the opposition game plan at the same time.

Didn't notice anything in particular as far as positioning and so-on goes, as I don't tend to notice things in that much detail, but of course we experimented a lot with the likes of Steven, Armo and co. playing forward more, and Gresh was one who definitely spent more time in the guts than he usually does, and no doubt we did try new things, so chances are (given how the game panned out) some of them didn't work, which means we either need to ditch them, or keep working on them, until they do.

The biggest structural change of course was having only the two marking targets up forward, which yet again didn't work for us. I don't see at all why we need to do it, when a team like Adelaide have 4 in their forward line who are at least 4cm taller than Membrey, and Skunk is very mobile, and so is Bruce, so I really hope we get Bruce in there immediately and just play to our strengths.

 

[gringo2011]

Billings will be fine. Was at a very good level last year, and will get better.

The others you allude to like Acres, Dunstan, Steele I'm not so sure.

I liked what Dustan has been doing since the end of last year, he says he has rediscovered his love of playing the game and the joy of playing instinctively. He seems to have stepped up a level. Acres was brilliant in the little bit of AFLX but looked terrible last night. When he's one of the few who can kick goals without missing, moving him back seemed crazy.

 

[StFly]

We will finish 8th on percentage, then it will be announced that one team in the 8 secret handshaked and was high on estrogen, ergo we finish in the actual 8 since they're docked points having finished 6th.

We then lose the prelim to Port.
Port then lose the prelim by celebrating a bit too much and causing property damage to get arrested and thrown out. Adelaide likewise flip their s**t and have another blackout in protest.
We trail at 3/4 time by 72 points in the granny, simply happy to be there.
We win by 2 as the other team got on the piss, probably the Eagles, they're good at binging s**t then emulating it when it matters.

Bam, winner winner chicken dinner.

Because we also finished 8, twice in a season, literally and technically.

 

[aussierulesrules]

I liked what Dustan has been doing since the end of last year, he says he has rediscovered his love of playing the game and the joy of playing instinctively. He seems to have stepped up a level. Acres was brilliant in the little bit of AFLX but looked terrible last night. When he's one of the few who can kick goals without missing, moving him back seemed crazy.

Did he play down back? Whenever I saw him at centre bounces he was lining up on the wing, plus at least one occasion later in the game when he was in the middle and got a centre-clearance.

 

[gringo2011]

Did he play down back? Whenever I saw him at centre bounces he was lining up on the wing, plus at least one occasion later in the game when he was in the middle and got a centre-clearance.

It looked like at one point he was playing down back and was not so good, unless I mistook someone else for him, I was watching on the iPhone.

 

[aussierulesrules]

It looked like at one point he was playing down back and was not so good, unless I mistook someone else for him, I was watching on the iPhone.

I'd be surprised if he was lining up down back as opposed to playing say wing and pushing down back to help out, but it's obviously possible. Will look out for it when I next check out a replay.

 

[DGontheQT]

No we won't make the 8. Too many over-rated list cloggers , and not enough high end midfield talent. We need to pump games into our young talent , not the likes of Gilbert and Wright. The Drafting of Coffield , Clark , Claravino and Paton , is year one of our rebuild in my eyes. Adding to this crop will help guys like Jack Billings and Membrey , and the like , take us into the 8 , and towards sustained success.

 

[JG22]

I liked what Dustan has been doing since the end of last year, he says he has rediscovered his love of playing the game and the joy of playing instinctively. He seems to have stepped up a level. Acres was brilliant in the little bit of AFLX but looked terrible last night. When he's one of the few who can kick goals without missing, moving him back seemed crazy.

Last 6 games of last year were terrific from Dunstan. Playing his game, inside predominantly, but spreading hard. Looks to be finally stepping up into a good player.

Acres I don't see making a big step up. Never found himself secure in the team, not sure if he's massively improved his game. I don't think he's actually as talented as some say, not like a Billings or a Clark.

 

[Human Person]

Last 6 games of last year were terrific from Dunstan. Playing his game, inside predominantly, but spreading hard. Looks to be finally stepping up into a good player.

Acres I don't see making a big step up. Never found himself secure in the team, not sure if he's massively improved his game. I don't think he's actually as talented as some say, not like a Billings or a Clark.

The GOAT love is a little extreme on here, but we've been strapped for things to be excited about for a few years..... Or decades.

 

[Ricmel]

I don't think so. Our best 18 is solid but we lack A graders and game breakers. The club was targeting 2018 as the start of our push to be a contender again. After 6 years of no finals, a bunch of low draft picks, real questions need to be asked about how the football department of this club is being run.

 

[Ricmel]

The GOAT love is a little extreme on here, but we've been strapped for things to be excited about for a few years..... Or decades.

If Acres is what we are expected to get excited about nowadays then we are maybe at a lower ebb than the 1980s. I get he looks the part, I get he occasionally does something pretty good but coming into his 5th year and with maybe 5 above average games under his belt it is time for this board to find the next Rod Owen.

 

[JG22]

I don't think so. Our best 18 is solid but we lack A graders and game breakers. The club was targeting 2018 as the start of our push to be a contender again. After 6 years of no finals, a bunch of low draft picks, real questions need to be asked about how the football department of this club is being run.

I think they probably were targeting 2018 to be the start of a finals push, in fact they may even be quoted in saying that although those predictions are always dangerous and embarrassing.

Would be disappointing to miss but looking probably more likely than unlikely.

 

[triggering bro]

Richo has taken us as far as he can. He is extremely one dimensional, his game plan doesn’t consistently hold up & can’t be implemented by the players & he isn’t getting the best out of his talent. If his public speaking is anything to go by then team motivational speeches are another issue. He’s a bore. This view is not new nor is it based off a practice match. I’ve been consistent for the last two years on this subject. What we’d give for a Ross Lyon rn....

 

[Premium]

really do think we will be a far better side than last year , we will make the 8 but it depends on how much improvement we get from our players to how far we go in the 8

 

[st_trav_ofWA]

Richo has taken us as far as he can. He is extremely one dimensional, his game plan doesn’t consistently hold up & can’t be implemented by the players & he isn’t getting the best out of his talent. If his public speaking is anything to go by then team motivational speeches are another issue. He’s a bore. This view is not new nor is it based off a practice match. I’ve been consistent for the last two years on this subject. What we’d give for a Ross Lyon rn....

wow what a St Kilda thing to do ... history repeating over and over again ... sack another coach and lets start the merry go round again ...
heck lets go full St Kilda and sack Richo and replace him with a media personality then lets sack him and bring in a bloke who doesnt want to coach... heck then we can sack him and put Matt Finnis's best mate in the role ..... round and round we go ..... weeeeeeeee

 

[Mstr Strokesman]

Richo has taken us as far as he can. He is extremely one dimensional, his game plan doesn’t consistently hold up & can’t be implemented by the players & he isn’t getting the best out of his talent. If his public speaking is anything to go by then team motivational speeches are another issue. He’s a bore. This view is not new nor is it based off a practice match. I’ve been consistent for the last two years on this subject. What we’d give for a Ross Lyon rn....

Yeah ,maybe naaahh,not yet, but he is not safe.
We have a history of identifying talented coaches in their early year,s and them learning the caper, only for them to be sacked and be successful else where .
My theory is we need 10 years to win a premiership We started the rebuild in 2013 and we are still 5 years away.
It takes 7 years of player /coach development to be in a position to be inplementing tatics with the team to win regularly.
Case in point for Mark Thompson 7 years and Hardwick 7 years.10 years for Stkilda because we are Stkilda .
Having said all this, I think Richo has a used by date ,and should not be there past 2020.

 

[sauce_head]

We will make the 8 if we kick for goal accurately. Same as last year.

 

[Mikka84]

What will be interesting - if we miss the finals again and a coach like Clarkson becomes available, what would we do?

I'm not sure either way.. on one hand i hate the merry-go-round of coaches like st_trav pointed out, but on the other hand, if Richo isn't the right person to take us to a flag, I'd be gutted to miss out on one of the best coaches around..

 

[VDS66]

wow what a St Kilda thing to do ... history repeating over and over again ... sack another coach and lets start the merry go round again ...
heck lets go full St Kilda and sack Richo and replace him with a media personality then lets sack him and bring in a bloke who doesnt want to coach... heck then we can sack him and put Matt Finnis's best mate in the role ..... round and round we go ..... weeeeeeeee

What's Jezza up to these days?

 

[BrutThough]

We lost a pre season game and people are turning on the coach. I can't wait to see what happens when we lose during the season.

 

[Human Person]

We lost a pre season game and people are turning on the coach. I can't wait to see what happens when we lose during the season.

Everyone has been spending the off season waiting to melt over something. First JLT game seems as good of an excuse as any.

 

[gringo2011]

We lost a pre season game and people are turning on the coach. I can't wait to see what happens when we lose during the season.

I think it becomes obvious we aren't champions by about round 5 and we all accept our fate and lighten up. Well that's usually what happens.

 

[STK2020]

What will be interesting - if we miss the finals again and a coach like Clarkson becomes available, what would we do?

I'm not sure either way.. on one hand i hate the merry-go-round of coaches like st_trav pointed out, but on the other hand, if Richo isn't the right person to take us to a flag, I'd be gutted to miss out on one of the best coaches around..

I will be f@#ked watching that dwarf punching holes in our new facility walls .
Rather Richo at least he loves watching paint dry .